2013. Family Vaca. I was at an intersection with my career and trying to decide if writing was really what I wanted to do. We planned a week in the Ozark Mountains, the whole enchilada – cabin, hiking, canoeing, ziplining, and exploring. And I fell in love with the whole enchilada—everything, but most especially, the mountains themselves.
Every story must have a setting. That perfect place helps to make the story come alive and evoke either a pleasant or a nostalgic feeling in the reader of a storyline that focuses on friendship, fate, and the long road home. I mean, think about it, fear or horror wouldn’t work for the storyline. Contentment, warmth, and nostalgia; are the perfect emotions for the storyline of The Scrapbook Series. And so, Jo & Gina and the story of their friendship and lives was born.
A trip to the Ozarks evokes all those emotions, and I relish each visit.
Fast forward to 2020. Many things in my life have changed: responsibilities, goals and objectives, and even the pace of my life. One thing has not: I’m still creating stories about Jo and Gina, and now and then, I have a chance to visit the inspiration for those books: the Ozarks. This past weekend was just such an opportunity. And, once again, when we arrived, I remembered why I loved them so.
Majestic, remote, withdrawn, yet beckoning the adventurer to come and see. And so I do; I go to explore, relax, and unwind.
I realize not everyone reading my blog or books is a mountain person. Some are water and beach people, some are desert and canyon people, but some are like myself, drawn to the mountains and their secrets. It’s my hope that no matter your personal preference, when you follow Jo & Gina throughout the series, you truly enjoy their story and love of the Ozarks. This country is a vibrant, huge mass of land, but nowhere can you find the mysticism and romance that the Ozark mountains offer.
When I started this blog, I told you that I would attempt to share bits and pieces that explain the story of me. To answer the question of “why” I write, you need only a short visit to the Ozark Mountains. When I’m there, the creativity I need to spin stories seems to flow, almost magically, like water from an unseen underground spring.
This past week brought a lot of magic my way: my new website went live, Memories of Tomorrow was published, and I spent a great weekend in the Ozark Mountains.
If you’re reading the blog, please take a few minutes to visit my author profile on Bublish.com. Each week, along with the blog, I publish a “book bubble,” a small piece of material from one of the books, and talk about what that means to me and my thoughts as I create the material. This week’s bubble is titled Mountains & Memories.
Well, I think I’ve put enough pen to paper for this week, and as always, I truly appreciate your readership; I want all of you to love Jo & Gina as much as I do!
Have a wonderful holiday, and make some time to read a book!