 Happy Halloween! I love this time of year. The colors. The fun. I don't deal with the ultra scary or gory, but the fun stuff, I love. Including dressing up. My husband doesn't love it as much, but he goes along with it to make me happy. He's pretty great that way. ;) But we're not the only ones who like to dress up for Halloween.
In my first novel, which celebrates its FIFTH birthday tomorrow, they have a Trunk or Treat at the church. My characters, Chad and Jessica, are just getting to know each other and whether or not they want to explore more. Thought you might like a peek inside that scene. ;)
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 Nanowrimo is next month.
It starts next week, actually. Just a few days away. And I wasn't going to do it. Didn't/don't have time. And yet ...  At the end of last week, I headed up to southern Illinois for the third annual Once Upon a Page retreat. As you can see from our picture, we were missing quite a few who came the year before. We had half as many this year, actually, and our dear friend Erin Howard, one of the founders of our group, couldn't come, either. But we had a good few days.
Since the three of us weren't all there, we didn't spend nearly as much time making YouTube videos like we have in the past. I think we did about five or six total, just to have a few, but we'll make up for it using Zoom over the next few weeks since we won't be able to get together again until probably next year. Still, a lot of other good was gleaned.  What is it about a quilt that is so special?
And why did I choose to make it the center of my novella, The Missing Piece? I've talked about quilt shops already, but why quilts in particular? Why not any other part of sewing? Well, let me tell you about someone really special to me. My Grandma Reeve. She was one of the most amazing women I ever knew. And she taught me a love for quilts fairly early on. First, with a twin-sized quilt, each block appliqued with various women in different jobs. Then, when I graduated high school, with a queen-sized quilt made in the colors I requested. And she didn't only make quilts for me. No. There were thirteen of us grandchildren and every single one received two Grandma-made quilts.  Do you like books that send characters through time? I have to admit, they're not always my favorite (time travel gives me a headache), but the idea behind fellow Scrivenings author, Lisa Schnedler's, new book sounds interesting. I'm interviewing her today on how she came up with such a story as well as a few other things. I think you're going to enjoy getting to know her, too.
Lisa, congrats on your first book. I know it's set in two different time periods. What inspired you to write a story that crossed time? I chose to have the book set in two different time periods as I was trying to flesh out what someone from Bentonsport in the 1870s would think of the town today. In the 1870s, the town was growing and prosperous—with railroad and steamboat traffic. Many people moved to Bentonsport. But, time was not kind to Bentonsport—the river traffic dried up and highways replaced the railroad. Likely, the former residents would have envisioned a booming future town…but instead, today, there are just 40 residents. Those residents have created an artist community—and tourist destination—so many people do still come, visit, and a few stay. At our largest festivals, we have over a thousand visitors over four days. The town would not be what past residents had envisioned—but I hope they would see that the residents have the same hopes, dreams, and sense of community that they did. I used time travel to create contrast and similarity. Writing what you know is always a great idea and your story is set in a town you've lived in for 25 years. What are some of your favorite parts of your town that you've incorporated in your story? My favorite part of the town is the people. When I was dating my husband, and we visited Bentonsport—where he had once lived—he said, “People usually visit towns for the sites and attractions. While there are points of interest in the town, when people visit Bentonsport, they enjoy getting to know the people who live there.” It is a slower pace. People have more time to visit. And, the artists who live there—a potter, blacksmith, weaver, writer, etc. – are interesting and a lot of fun! |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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