This month's Real Life Romance story comes from fellow author, Micki Clark. She's talking about finding love in unlikely places. I never really had much time (or patience) for high school romance. I was determined to get myself ready for college, so I didn’t pay any attention to the boys at my school. I don’t have any sweet high school remembrances, because I simply didn’t have time for love. I was determined that I was going to go to college, get my medical degree, and then maybe, if I had free time, I might think about romance. My second day as a freshman at the University of Kentucky, a new acquaintance of mine asked if I’d like to go with her to a karaoke event at the student center. I thought it sounded like fun, so I followed her down the hall and into the stairwell. And that’s where it all happened. As we were heading down the steps, two juniors were heading up the steps. One of them was a friend of hers from back home, and the other one--well, it’s safe to say that I was enchanted. We were both shy, so we just stared at each other. I was afraid he’d hear my thoughts screaming in my head, just hoping he’d notice me. I was far too awkward to say anything, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I reached my fingers up, slipped my ponytail holder out, and slowly shook out my shoulder-length hair. You’re laughing. But it worked. Here we are seventeen years later, happily married. When Joseph and I married each other in July 2002 at the Rolling Hills Church of Christ in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, we wanted our vows to really be special, to mean something. So, we chose to use Ruth’s words to Naomi as our wedding vows. Ever since then, those words have carried a special meaning for me. Joseph truly is my best friend. He’s always the first person I want to call when I have news (good or bad), the first person I want to laugh with, and the first person I want to cry with. I have always loved the written word, ever since childhood. Back in 2012, I decided to try my hand at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I had this idea rattling around in my head and I just couldn’t let it go. What if Ruth and Naomi lived today? How would their relationship have unfolded? That’s how the manuscript for Don’t Ask Me to Leave came about. I decided to set the story of Ruth and Naomi in modern-day Kentucky, in the town where my husband and I discovered our own love for each other. While the core of the story is based on the Biblical tale, my “Ruth” (Rachel) and “Naomi” (Nadine) are present-day women with present-day struggles. Naomi, concerned for her grieving daughter-in-law’s aching heart, tries to arrange a connection between Rachel and “Boaz” (handsome next-door-neighbor Beau). I had so much fun writing their relationship in the same area where Joseph and I met and married. There’s a lot of local history in Don’t Ask Me to Leave; many of the settings in the town are real places that you can visit to this day. The novel also explores the history of the Adena Indian mounds, which the town of Mt. Sterling was constructed around. Don’t Ask Me to Leave is a special novel to me for many reasons. First, it helped me accomplish my “bucket list” dream of being a published novelist. But, it’s also precious to me because it helps tell the history of my beautiful small town and also honors the thing I hold the most dear in my life--my wedding vows with my wonderful husband. If you'd like to read Don’t Ask Me to Leave, it's available on Amazon in print and e-book formats. Isn't that a sweet story? Who knew hair could be so powerful? Have you ever done something like that to catch a certain someone's eye when you couldn't find the words? What about your wedding vows? My husband and I incorporated quite a few of the phrases from Ruth's vow in ours, too. Did you include something special in yours? Micki Clark (1980 - ) was born in Lexington, Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, she has loved the written word since childhood (when she was often captured hiding in the closet reading instead of doing mundane things like cleaning her room). She now teaches high school English in Western Kentucky. Follow her at www.micki-clark.com.
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This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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