Girl Friday

A/N: What's Next?

Now that Girl Friday is over, there's only one thing to do... move on to what's next. 

Q. What exactly is next?

A. Well, up next is Speak Now. 

Q. Yeah, so what's that about?

A. Simply put, it's all about Keira and Logan's wedding. The longer description is this: 

Martha and Sam. Sam and Martha. Samartha.

One without the other just feels so strange but that's how it's been for the past five years. Ever since their devastating breakup, they've both tried to cope in their own ways, finding new partners and moving on. Only, no one has ever come close to the one that got away.

When a wedding brings them back together, will the spark that was there before burn brighter? Or is it a case of once bitten, twice shy?

Q. I can't wait. When will you publish it?

A. I'm determined to finish La Vie en Rose first. Plus, I have Love is a Losing Game and Paris Toujours on half. I'd like to finish those as well or at least near the end before I focus on Speak Now. Plus, I've got a little more planning to do before I'm close to writing. Yeah, I actually plan my things now. I don't necessarily stick to them 100% but close enough. At the moment, late September looks like the likely publishing date. I might make Tuesdays my publishing day.

Q. Is Speak Now going to be the last book from this universe?

A. Doubtful! I have 4 books lined up for Michael Taylor's sisters that I'd like to explore. And then after that, there might be one or two characters I'd like to revisit. 

Q. Will Sam and Martha actually get back together and have their happily ever after in Speak Now?

A. That's the plan. Admittedly, it's not going to be a smooth ride but at the end of it, hopefully, they'll get back together and live happily ever after. 

Q. There's a five-year gap between Girl Friday and Speak Now. Will Sam and Martha date other people?

A. Sam definitely will and it won't be a fleeting romance; he'll be pretty serious with another woman and Martha will know all about the other woman. Martha, on the other hand, I'm not sure about. She'll date but I doubt she'll ever be serious with another man- she'll never be over Sam and that will hinder any relationship she tries to form with other guys. Plus, her guard will be well and truly up. 

Q. So, if SaMartha is the endgame, why the hell did we have to go through all of this? It was traumatic!

A. Because I kinda agree with Sam- Martha is way too young to be settling down with Sam and I knew that she would never leave him so the only option left was for Sam to break up with Martha. 

Q. You agreed with the way he treated her?!

A. Oh, hell no! I've never agreed with the way he treated her. I agree with the reasoning but not how he went about it! In fact, I hate the way he behaved and treated Martha. At times, I wanted to stop myself but once that train was on the track, there was no stopping it. 

Q. After what he did, do you think Sam deserves her in Speak Now?

A. No. He really doesn't. He should be really thankful that she doesn't kill him, if I'm honest. He's hurt her so much. I would NEVER forgive him. 

Q. Because all the characters are either friends or relatives, how does Sam and Martha's breakup impact on their loved ones?

A. One word comes to mind when I think about Sam and his character in Speak Now: atonement. He's going to have a lot of grovelling to do and he's going to have to work double time to win back Martha's trust, not to mention her love, but also the trust and affection of Martha's family and friends. He will have burnt SO MANY bridges by treating Martha the way he did and while some may be more forgiving than others, that doesn't give Sam a free pass back into the inner circle.

When a couple breaks up, whether intended or not, people take sides and relationships suffer because of that. Take Jimmy as a prime example - he dotes on Martha, like absolutely adores her, but Sam hurt her really bad. Charlotte and Sophie can see (somewhat) where he was coming from. BUT what happens when Jimmy bad mouths Sam in front or either Sophie or Charlotte? They argue? Everyone was involved in Sam and Martha's relationship in some way and when it ends, it ruins everything.

Similarly, Logan will still be friends with him but Keira shouldn't be left alone in a room with him, especially if it's the kitchen and there are sharp objects around. Sophie might be nice to Sam and can understand his actions on some level, Dan is FURIOUS with him because it's a throwback to the old Sam.

I've yet to decide what to do with Isaac. Part of me wants him to kill Sam but then, I think part of him would be glad it happened because he also wants Martha to see the world. Obviously, he would have preferred it if she didn't have her heart shattered in the process. With Isaac, it could go either way and I'm really excited about that!

Q. Was Sam's reasoning for the break up the real reason or was there more? Does he have commitment issues?

A. No, Martha being too young and needing to see the world was his main (pathetic) reason. If he had commitment issues, I could understand, however, his reasoning was weak and wouldn't stand up for me. I remember Sam being an absolute asshat back in the early days of Hello- he slept with his brother's girlfriend, for Christ's sake! Sam was engaged not even a year before he met Martha, let's not forget. His previous relationship got too serious, too quickly and that will have played on Sam's mind a little, I'm sure. With Martha, I think it was a case of right girl, wrong time. 

Q. What's your take on it all, then?

A. Sam really showed his own immaturity in the way he dealt with everything with Martha. He thinks he's being mature but really, he was being super childish and was running away from things instead of being adults about it. Martha was far more mature than him, eventually. Personally, he doesn't deserve Martha back after the way he treated her and he's going to have a really tough time in gaining her forgiveness. Yes, he was hurting, too, by the end of Girl Friday but it was self-inflicted. Martha being left heartbroken wasn't something she could control. Sam's rationale was weak, as well. Sam says he wants Martha to see the world but he never once took into consideration what she wanted from life. He was being incredibly selfish.  Like I said, in the beginning, I could understand his thinking but then a friend of mine went/is going through something similar. Their partner gave them the typical bullshit reason of "I don't love you anymore" and nothing more than that. It shifted my thinking and how I viewed Sam. Now, all I keep thinking is that he should have given her a better reason or at least explain it. Communication is key and I think the fact that Sam wasn't communicating with Martha is inexcusable. 

Q. Just a quick question: could we have a short story about Logan proposing to Keira?

A. Yeah, sure. Why not?