Guest Behind the Story: Spring

For almost a month now, I've been giving sneak peeks into MY story in the novella collection that released on the 27th. But today, I'm passing the torch and letting Regina Rudd Merrick post about her story and why spring is such an intrinsic part of it. Be sure to read to the end so you won't miss the next clue in our scavenger hunt!

Spring has sprung,
The grass is riz,
Wonder where the flowers is?
They are nowhere to be found,
‘Cause they’re underground.
 
I’ve always had an affinity for springtime in Kentucky, being born in March, so it was no stretch for me to write a story based on the season!
I could also say that, like my character Maia Pascal, I have a love/hate relationship with the season.
In the LOVE category are the feelings of refreshing, new birth, plus the colorful flowers and budding trees after a somber late winter! It brings hope every year.
On the flip side (I can’t use the word HATE, unlike Maia!), there are the following issues:

• I have curly hair (as does Maia), and damp windy conditions do not play well with naturally curly hair. You leave the house feeling like you’re having a pretty good hair day, and you look in the mirror when you arrive at your destination, and WHAM! Humidity strikes again. Sigh. No amount of hairspray can fix that.
• For many in the Southeast/Midwest, allergies do crop up as soon as the pollen hits the air. Maia suffers greatly—my allergies wait until fall!
• Spring weather in my part of the world can be quite unpredictable. Maia deals with fluctuating temperatures (what to wear??), snow (are you KIDDING me? It’s March!), and flooding (the most serious issue). Throw in a tornado, and you’ve got spring in Kentucky—although some of our worst tornados have been in Winter, lately!

You know the old joke that everyone, in every town repeats? If you don’t like the weather today, just wait for tomorrow!

​This can be an issue if you’re trying to organize a festival around the name of your town, which, in this story, is the fictional small town of Spring, Kentucky. Maia knows it’s going to be tough. For one thing, she doesn’t feel well. For another, her personality does not mesh with the “all Spring, all the time” mentality of her hometown. Maybe something happened in Spring that colors her opinion?
 Dr. Owen Roswell, who grew up in the southwest and is new in town, can’t imagine anyone feeling less than love for the season, and is very enthusiastic about it. For him, the opportunity to experience all four distinct seasons trumps any obstacle that can come his way. His goal? To nudge Maia to love the changing seasons as much as he.
I live near the town of Paducah, Kentucky, in the far western part of the state. It’s considered a small town by many standards, but here? Here, it’s “town.” One of the things Paducah is known for is its connection to the American Quilters Society and the annual AQS QuiltWeek-Paducah. It happens every spring, and during that time the spring flowers and dogwoods are showing out big-time. There’s even a “Dogwood Trail” driving tour around the residential areas in town.
Unlike my fictional festival, all the AQS activities take place indoors, so no weather issues there. The possibility of flooding is always lurking, though, because the venue is directly on the Ohio River near its widest point.
In my REALLY small town of Marion, about 40 miles from Paducah, we have in the past hosted the “Backroads Tours” in the Amish community, with guided tours and maps to all the Amish businesses where you can find everything from donuts to leather goods. For a few years we had a festival on the court square. After being cancelled due to weather a few years in a row, the Chamber of Commerce gave up on it and put their efforts into the “Pumpkin Festival” in October.
We have small rivers in our area that flood regularly, sometimes cutting rural residents off for days. In 1937, there was a devastating flood in Paducah and the surrounding areas. Since then, there is a flood wall that has kept the Ohio River at bay ever since.
 There you have it. Spring, after what feels like a long winter, brings life to me, and to my characters, eventually. The shade of green on newly budding trees is my favorite. The yellow of the daffodils makes it look like sunshine on the ground. Every warm day feels like a gift, and snowy days an additional chance for a snow day!
The pollen? Eh. That beautiful green isn’t as pretty when it’s clinging to your car and front porch!
Welcome to spring in Kentucky!

​Sugar and Spice by Regina Merrick
 
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz…
City administrator Maia Pascal is tasked with organizing the Dogwood Festival, and she’s not happy. An allergy sufferer all her life, she dreads the season. When Dr. Owen Roswell volunteers to help, she finds him an expert—not only is he an allergist by trade, but a lover of all things Spring.
What does Owen want more—for Maia to fall in love with his favorite season? Or him?

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​Regina Rudd Merrick is a multi-published writer, church musician, wife, mother, former librarian, lover of all things beachy and chocolate, and grateful follower of Jesus Christ. Married to her husband of 35-plus years, she has two beautiful daughters and a delightful son-in-law, and lives in the small town of Marion, KY. Her books include the Southern Breeze Series set in South Carolina, her favorite beachy state, and the RenoVations series set in Kentucky. Find her books on Amazon or other retailers, and connect with Regina on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or on her website at https://www.reginaruddmerrick.com .

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Join the Love in Any Season Social Media Scavenger Hunt. Collect all 15 clues to complete the phrase. Submit the phrase to enter the drawing. Clue # 8 is PERFECT. If you’ve missed a clue, check out my website at abitofanguish.weebly.com where an updated list of clue links and the link to entry submission can be found. Contest ends 11:59pm on October 4th. Open to US Only.

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