 Every wonder how much of their own lives authors weave into a story?
I have said several times now, No Place Like Home is sort of my "what might have been" story. I made my main character a preacher's daughter and basically gave her my past. But also changed it a little. For instance, I don't have a twin--my sister is two years younger. But a lot of what you find out she went through growing up, it's based on my memories and reality. And it wasn't always good things. The differences? Adrian gave up on her faith--in God and His people. I did not. Anything else based on reality in my book?
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 Why Memphis?
Surprisingly enough, I was chatting with some other authors in a Facebook group not too long ago and mentioned my book was set in Memphis. And they were surprised. I guess no one thinks of Memphis when they think romance ... or something. So, why did I choose such a place? Ready to meet another character from No Place Like Home? How about Gray?
No Place Like Home releases in just a few weeks. In fact, the ebook should go on pre-order this week. That means it's time for me to start introducing characters. And let me tell you, this one is near and dear to my heart for multiple reasons. See what you think.  Preacher's kid Adrian Stewart abandoned God as soon as she moved out of her father's house. After all, hadn't God abandoned her over and over again? How could she trust Him or any of His people after growing up in such an unstable past?
Moving every few years may not have given her a strong faith, but it has helped her adjust to her chosen job--software trainer. She travels for months at a time, working with home-health companies who need the computer program she helped design with MidSouthLogIn. Spending all those nights in a hotel room doesn't bother her as long as she has her personal coffee maker, her collection of old musicals, and a few books and pictures. What more could she want?
 As soon as I knew my Christmas novella had to be set on a beach, I knew where it was going to take place. St. Simon's Island. It's a little spot of paradise off the Georgia coast. And it's where I had my honeymoon. Gnarled old oaks, limbs bent every which way and some even resting on the ground, all dripping with Spanish moss. An old lighthouse that has a fascinating story. An old fort. Quite a few ancient church buildings. And a beach full of shells and waves and salty air. Want to go?  Have you ever been reading along and wished you could see exactly how a house or plot of land looked that the character lives in. Well, today is your lucky day.
In going through the edits for Writing Home, my editor couldn't picture exactly how everything looked the way I had described it. To make both our lives easier, I sketched out a rough (seriously, super rough with no measuring whatsoever) floor plan of the land Jordan's family lives on (see above) as well as his cabin (see below).  Let's talk best friends. Because, to be honest, Christiana and Jordan wouldn't have much of a story in Writing Home, if not for Tina.
Tina and Chris grew up down the street from each other in their Nashville suburb, and were almost inseparable until Chris left to go to Huntsville for college. Now, Tina is still at home, and wishes Chris were, too. When Chris asks for a pen pal, Tina immediately thinks of her cousin Jordan, who she used to write in middle and high school. And maybe for a few other reasons, too, but she's not disclosing those yet. |
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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