Sienna and Calla were my young sisters in my recent release, When the Meadow Blooms. I always enjoy seeing one of my stories through a child’s or a young person’s eyes. This one was no different. The girls are 9 and 14 at the beginning of the story and Calla is definitely a big sister. She wants to help Sienna and shield her from all hurt.
Sometimes I get a little wordy when I’m writing a story and my editor will suggest that this or that scene is not really necessary to the movement of the story. I’m almost always ready to listen. And so, I’ll snip out the unnecessary scenes. But sometimes I pick them up off the cutting floor to save them for moments like this when I decide to share them with you. So here are three scenes that didn’t make it into the printed book, but I still like them. They helped me get to know my characters better and helped me keep going to tell the story even if I did write some unneeded words.
All three of these star Calla, the big sister, who was ready to do whatever she could to make sure her little sister and mother could stay at Meadowland.
I think I liked this first scene because once I made a jam cake that got scrambled when I tried to take it out of the pan. It was supposed to be dessert for my husband’s family. And it was. I dished up the cake scrambles and we managed to enjoy dessert. Besides, I liked that she was using her grandmother’s recipe book.
~~
Not that every day was sunshine filled. On the chilly days that came, Calla grabbed her sweater and was glad for the cooking stove fire as she made their meals with her mother’s guidance. After she found her grandmother’s old recipe book, she even dared attempt a jam cake. She thought she did everything right but she must have skipped over something because it fell apart when she dumped it out of the baking pans.
After a few useless tears over her disappointment in not having the beautiful cake she imagined, she thought of how Mrs. Jenkins never let anything go to waste. She scooped the crumbled pieces into small dessert bowls, drizzled caramel frosting over them, and served it with spoons. Mrs. Jenkins would be proud of her innovation.
Rain fell on other days but she had no complaints about that either. The green fields and her grandmother’s peonies and rosebushes needed rain, not to mention the apple trees beginning to burst into bloom.
~~
I gave Calla a curious streak. Don’t you think most young women dream about love and want to hear the romantic stories of those around her? It was no wonder she wanted to know about Anneliese even though Lincoln told her something might rise out of the swamp of memory that she might not want to know.
~~
Who was Anneliese? How did they meet if her father was against them knowing one another? And why was he so set against Uncle Dirk?
It had to be a feud. She had read stories about feuds and how neighbors fell out over this or that dispute. In the novels, a girl from one family always fell in love with a boy from the other family. Calla imagined the same for Uncle Dirk and Anneliese, but without a happy ending.
At least none yet and that had all happened years before Calla was born. Before her father even met her mother. Mama had said Papa was only fourteen when he saved Uncle Dirk from the fire. Calla wished she knew more about that too.
~~
And then we have Calla and her mother talking about the girls’ time at the orphanage and the scary encounter Calla had with a man on the street.
~~
Calla hesitated a moment. “It was very bad for Sienna.”
“And for you?”
“Not as bad except when they put me in the closet.” Calla shivered at the memory of the dark wrapping around her. “But I could do what had to be done to keep from being punished. Sienna didn’t seem able to do the same.”
“She has a different mind than most children.” Mama looked out at the field where Sienna was walking in circles, perhaps searching for a field mouse or a toad. “She loves so easily.”
“There wasn’t much love at the Home,” Calla muttered.
“Surely not everyone was as harsh as Miss Warfield.”
“You’re right. Miss Gertrude was kind to us and so was Mrs. Jenkins.”
“Mrs. Jenkins. She’s the cook who risked Miss Warfield’s wrath to let us know you would be out on the street waiting for us, isn’t she?” Mama waited for Calla to nod before she went on. “Fortunately, just in time to save you from that man.”
Again Calla shivered. How she felt when that man grabbed her and pushed her toward his car was what she wanted to forget.
Her mother reached over and put her hand on Calla’s arm. “See, there are things that trouble us when we think about what happened or could have happened. I have nightmares about that man trying to take you for some dreadful reason. And I’m thankful every moment your uncle was able to stop him.”
“So am I.” Tears pushed into Calla’s eyes that she swiped away with the tail of her apron. “What would have happened to me if Uncle Dirk hadn’t been in time?”
“Things better not imagined, but nothing good.” Mama dabbed tears from her own eyes with a handkerchief she pulled from her sleeve. “See, that is what I mean. Some things are too painful to consider, and with your uncle perhaps his nightmares have no just in time good endings.”
Did you enjoy peeking behind the scenes to know more about Calla?
Comments 16
Yes I enjoyed your post of extra scenes. It gives you a little more understanding of the characters.
Author
Anything that helps the characters come to life in my head or in the head of those reading my books is good, Connie. Every word you write as a writer can be considered practice.
Yes. I very much enjoyed reading your ” cut scenes.” 😊
Jam cake is my favorite.
My husband’s Mamaw showed up on our doorstep one year on my birthday ( in December) with one for me. She also gave me her recipe so I could make it after she was gone.
Every time I take a bite of a jam cake , I think of her. 😏
Author
That is the way of it with those treasured family recipes, isn’t it, Robin? I have some of the same kind of recipes. Those this is how my mother made it recipes that I still use and enjoy.
What a sweet gift from your husband’s Mamaw.
Loved these extra scenes. I feel like I knew Calla and Sienna and their mom and uncle. Thanks for a great story.
Author
So glad you enjoyed going to Meadowland with my family, Ola. It was fun having Sienna so immersed in nature. I learned a lot about crows.
I loved reading the left-out excerpts, especially fond of the jam cake mishap. I had never attempted making a jam cake, but once, and only once, as I found it very difficult in many respects. My Mother-in-law always made one for Christmas and my husband loves jam cake. I could not get the layers to balance on each other so not only was mine lopsided, but the frosting was difficult to spread and that poor cake was so pitiful looking that I was ready to scrap the whole thing but didn’t because my husband was glad to eat it anyway. No one else ever saw it, thankfully! I like your jam cake crumbles version, good idea!
Author
I like making jam cakes and I’m better at it now that I was that time I had scrambled cake. LOL. But that caramel icing can be a little contrary if it doesn’t come out exactly right. It’s so good though. I’m sure your husband loved having the cake to eat, whether you thought it would win a prize at the fair or not.
I loved these characters. It’s a beautiful story.
Author
Thank you, Susan. I’m always happy when a reader loves my characters. I guess maybe because I love them too and so want everybody to feel like that about them. 🙂
You just made me more excited to read “When the Meadow Blooms”. I was supposed to have already read it but when I went to the library to pick up my reserved book, it was no where to be found. I can’t wait for them to find it!
Author
Hope they do find the book or if not, get another one for the library. If it was misshelved, then it might be lost in the stacks for a while until somebody discovers it out of place. I do hope you’ll enjoy the story when you get a chance to read it, Pamela.
Loved reading more about Calla! You did these characters so well that I have to remind myself that they aren’t real except for in our imaginations and hearts! 🙂
Author
I love that you think that about Calla and Sienna, Hope. I’ve always wanted to have characters that come to life in my stories and crawl up into the readers’ hearts. So your comment has me smiling.
Thanks for interesting behind the scene sneaks to When the Meadow Blooms.
I really enjoyed reading When the Meadow Blooms!
Blessings~💖🙂
Author
Fun to hear from you, Robbie, and I’m really happy that you enjoyed visiting Meadowland with my characters.