As an author, I often use things from my past to give deeper meaning to my stories. In Illusions, the entire TBI/hospital experience was taken straight from my journals as I walked through the most terrifying experience I’d ever had with my daughter Nikki. I knew firsthand the steps from coma to rehabilitation because I lived it.
In Night Songs, one of the characters commented, “Well, it’s better than a slap in the belly with a wet fish.” Really, who could argue with that? But it’s something my mom used to say so often, my sisters immediately recognized it when they read the novel. Where my mom came up with that line, I have no idea, but it was her go-to line. Just the visual of getting slapped in the stomach with a slimy fish is enough to make my nose wrinkle in reaction even now.
Another one of my mom’s truisms was, “Fare is the price you pay to ride a bus.” She had plenty of opportunity to use this since she had five children who would often respond to a reprimand with, “It’s not fair!” Just like Mitch Casey’s mama in Shadow Dancing, my own mom didn’t have sympathy for whiners. She died much too young, and leaving memories of her in my novels allows her to live on in some small way. This is especially important to me since she was the first person to tell me I should be a writer and then encouraged me to do so from the time I was twelve. Sadly, she didn’t live to see me get published, but I have to believe she knows. There is no scriptural evidence that those who pass see what’s happening here on earth, but I like to envision her smiling from heaven, and maybe even telling my dad, “See, Bob, I told you our girl would become a writer someday.”
My mom died of leukemia almost eighteen years ago, and although she wasn’t Southern, Bekah’s mama in Shadow Dancing is like her in many ways. In her love for her children, her deep faith in the Lord, and how she always put her children first. So, I hope if you read this novel, you’ll get a little taste of who my mom was, and why I miss her so deeply even today.
You can still preorder Shadow Dancing and receive the bonus of a free story I wrote. It’s called Heart Shadows, and it’s a prequel to Bekah and Mitch’s story set in 1977 Nashville. Click the link here, and choose whether you want the ebook (for $2.99) or the paperback for 30% off and free shipping. Heart Shadows is included in the paperback version, but if you choose the ebook version, you need to fill out the form so my publisher can send it to you. Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage and follow the links. Easy peasy!
