Over the last month, I’ve done several podcast interviews. The motivation behind them started as a way to get a little noise for Night Songs, but I’m reminded (again) that God often has an agenda beyond our own. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” Have you ever noticed that things don’t often turn out the way you envisioned? That’s probably the story of most everyone’s lives.
The podcasters who have been interested in interviewing me are not those who focus on an author’s work, although they’re interest was first peeked because I am one. It’s the story behind the story they want to know about. They’re using their platform to bring hope and encouragement to those who are struggling—which is the reason I write. However, they have all asked the same question: What is the inspiration behind your novels?
Illusions and Providence (Book 1 and 2 in my Apple Hill Series) was easy. It’s no secret they were works influenced by actual events—my daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide. For a while, I was afraid the only way I could create stories with any depth of emotion was if I experienced the trauma that inspired them firsthand. That was before I realized my spiritual mistake—God is the pilot, and I’m just along for the ride. Still, the stories must have a starting point, even if it’s just a glimmer of an idea.
I completed Night Songs and sent it off to my publisher a year ago. Since then, I’ve written another full-length novel and three novellas. So, when someone asks me what inspired the book, I have to unravel all the other characters and storylines to remember how it all began. If I was twenty years younger, that might be an easier task. The older we get, the more organized we must be. Can I get an amen?
When Chris and I first moved to Tennessee, we were seeking a way to serve in our community. What we discovered was a church on the street called Hope Town. The pastor has a heart for the broken and poor, so he started several community outreach programs, including food delivery. It was while we were serving in this capacity that we saw the deplorable conditions in which many live, and it opened my eyes. Most of these people who were either physically or mentally disabled had a powerful love for the Lord.
And it got me thinking…
What if the protagonist of the story (Charlie Van Cleave) who’s put a high value on the wrong things is befriended by a woman with nothing aside from her faith in God? How could this side character play a significant role in Charlie’s life and be her “Holy Spirit”?
I don’t know about other authors, but my stories often come to me in a Bible verse or a devotional. My mind starts pondering the what if questions, and it grows from there. Of course, my first mid-Tennessee story had to include Nashville and a wannabe country artist, which is where Charlie’s cheatin’ husband Nicky comes in. Then there’s his brother Derek—Abel to Nicky’s Cain. Throw in a dilapidated farmhouse, a little mystery, a funny cousin, and a wandering dog, and it practically wrote itself.
All this is true, but the desire to even write in this setting (which I now know is Southern Fiction) started with an evening walk through my new Tennessee neighborhood. The fireflies were blinking like twinkle lights at Christmas, and our neighbor’s magnolia tree was in full bloom. The sights, the smells, the summer storms…I wanted my readers to experience all of this and more.
There was another aspect to Night Songs that started as a personal hobby. Vintage décor. I love it. I enjoy taking old pieces of furniture and repurposing them—a low-budget Joanna Gaines (without her incredible talent.) I wanted my character, Charlie, to be an actual interior designer. That’s the beauty of writing fiction—I get to vicariously live out my dreams through the stories I create.
This vintage store, and the characters who run it, will be the one constant in all of the novels in the Bedford County Series. Each book, just like the Apple Hill Series, can stand alone, although readers who pick up Book 2 or Book 3 might be interested to know how this old farmhouse-turned-décor shop came into existence. If you read Night Songs, you won’t have to wonder!
As with all my books, I pray the message woven throughout its pages will speak to those who are in need of a little hope and encouragement. I really want the Lord to take center stage, since He is the original author, after all.
Comments 1
Hello Jennifer. It’s always interesting to hear how your books come to be. You have a powerful voice in your books and novellas. I enjoy every one.