Behind the Scenes: When Good Chapters Don't Make the Cut

May 29, 2025

Posted Friday, 30 May 20225

The Anderssons Series, Writing Process

As authors, we often joke about "killing our darlings"—those beautifully crafted scenes or characters that we love but ultimately have to cut from our manuscripts. Today, I want to share one of my biggest darlings from To Love Again: an entire chapter that didn't make it into the final book.

The Chapter That Got Away

While working on To Love Again, I found myself diving deep into Ulla Andersson's backstory. We know her as Victor and Mikael's mother, the elegant woman from Lapland who married into Finnish-Swedish high society. But what about her life before Erik? What about her family, her heritage, her own struggles and triumphs?

This exploration led me to create Aki, Ulla's younger brother, and a storyline that revealed layers of Ulla's character I hadn't fully appreciated before. The chapter I'm sharing today follows Ulla as she picks up Aki from Sörkkä prison in Helsinki after his two-year sentence for embezzlement.

Why This Chapter Matters

Through Ulla's relationship with her brother, we see a side of her that rarely surfaces in the main series. Here's a woman who defies her controlling husband to support her family, who uses her own financial savvy to secure her brother's future, and who carries the weight of her Sami heritage in a world that would prefer she forget it.

The chapter explores themes that run throughout The Anderssons series—family loyalty, the price of secrets, the complexity of love, and the courage it takes to do what's right even when it's difficult. Ulla's quiet strength shines through as she navigates between her loyalty to her husband and her love for her brother.

The Cutting Room Floor Decision

So why didn't this compelling storyline make it into To Love Again? Sometimes in writing, you have to make difficult choices about focus and pacing. While Aki's story and Ulla's family dynamics fascinated me, they threatened to overshadow Victor's central romance.

To Love Again needed to maintain its focus on the main couple's journey, and introducing this substantial subplot would have shifted the book's emotional centre. As much as I loved writing about Ulla's secret apartment purchases and her clandestine efforts to support Aki, the story belonged elsewhere.

The Creative Process Revealed

This experience taught me something valuable about the writing process. Not every good scene belongs in every book, and sometimes the most interesting characters and storylines are the ones that live in the margins of our main narratives—at least for now.

When I wrote this chapter, I knew I was creating something special. The emotional weight of Ulla seeing her brother emerge from prison, the careful details about Finnish culture and cuisine, the tension between her public and private lives—it all felt authentic and necessary. But necessity in writing isn't just about quality; it's about serving the larger story.

What This Means for Future Books

Here's where it gets exciting: Aki's story isn't over. This deleted chapter has become the foundation for what might be an entirely separate book in The Anderssons universe. The themes of redemption, rebuilding after failure, and the bonds that hold families together deserve their own space to breathe and develop.

I'm genuinely curious about your reaction to meeting Aki and learning more about Ulla's Lappish roots. Should this become its own book? Are you interested in exploring more of the Anderssons' extended family and their complex histories?

The Value of Sharing Deleted Content

Sharing this chapter serves multiple purposes. First, it gives you, my readers, insight into my creative process and the difficult decisions authors face. Second, it allows me to share content I'm proud of, even if it didn't fit the current project. Finally, it helps me gauge interest in storylines that might become future books.

In the publishing world, we often only see the polished final product. But behind every published novel are dozens of scenes, characters, and subplots that live in the author's files—some discarded because they weren't good enough, but others set aside because they were too good to rush.

Looking Forward

As I put the finishing touches on To Love Again, I'm already thinking about where The Anderssons series goes next. Will we follow Aki as he rebuilds his life? Will we explore more of Ulla's past? Will we meet other family members who exist in the shadows of the main storyline?

Your feedback on this deleted chapter will help guide those decisions. The beauty of writing a series is that there's always room for more stories, more characters, and more exploration of the world you've created.

A Personal Note

Thank you for being the kind of readers who are interested not just in the final product, but in the process behind it. Your enthusiasm for these characters makes every difficult editing decision worthwhile. Whether a scene makes it into the final book or ends up as a deleted chapter shared on a blog, knowing that you're invested in these characters' lives makes the work meaningful.

I hope you enjoy meeting Aki and seeing this side of Ulla. Let me know in the comments what you think of this glimpse behind the scenes—and whether you'd like to see Aki's story continue in a future book.

Read the complete deleted chapter here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/37j0hmj0ha

What do you think? Should Aki's story become its own book? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter for more behind-the-scenes content and updates on The Anderssons series.

If you enjoyed this excerpt, but have yet to read To Melt a Frozen Heart, Book 1 in The Anderssons series, why not pick it up today?

Discover an enchanting world where the power of love can melt even the coldest of hearts. Follow TV producer Kat as she confronts her past, learns to trust again, and finds unexpected love under the Northern Lights in a beautiful Lapland setting. Be swept away by this poignant and deeply moving tale of emotional healing and second chances!