Photo-by-Annie-Spratt-on-Unsplash
One of the best things about blogging is getting to know you readers through your comments. I appreciate how you read my words and sometimes take time to comment. You are so ready with your encouraging words.
The last few weeks I’ve been spending a lot of hours staring at my computer screen as I search for those magic words “the end.” I think I might have found them just about an hour ago. What a relief! That doesn’t mean I’ve found all the right words. Now I have to go back and read the story to see if it makes sense and to take our stuff that doesn’t and replace it with things that do. If that makes sense.
I came across this old post with this encouraging comment from a reader who might have been talking about my story with her book club/ This is what she shared that had me smiling then and again now as I reread it.
“We even said if we met one of your characters on the street, we think we would recognize them!”
That’s a really nice compliment and especially timely as I am going to teach a class this Saturday at the Bluegrass Writers’ Conference in Frankfort, KY all about creating characters that come to life on the page of a book. I’ll be talking about some of my characters.
Maybe I can say how fun it would be to think about meeting those characters. I know I’d be ready to listen to some Jupiter stories from Wes the way Jocie does in the Heart of Hollyhill books. I’d love to ride along with Tansy, my packhorse librarian in Along a Storied Trail, or watch Francine deliver a baby in These Healing Hills. How about watching a play on a showboat or maybe even up there on the stage with Jacci in In the Shadow of the River?
In The Song of Sourwood Mountain (2 weeks until release day!) I know I’d have fun getting to know the kids that Mira is teaching to read in Sourwood, especially Ada June, my ten-year-old who is one of my viewpoint characters.
But back to my reader’s comment about recognizing one of my characters if she saw him or her on the street. That happened to me once several years ago.
I did meet one of my characters – not on the street but in a restaurant – and I knew her at once. We were in one of those buffet restaurants (my husband’s favorite eating places) and in walked Fern. If you’ve read my Rosey Corner books (Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, Love Comes Home) you know Fern. But in case you haven’t read any of the Rosey Corner books, here’s the first time we actually see Fern in Angel Sister.
The skin on Fern’s face was weathered and mottled with broken red veins on her high cheekbones, and her steel gray hair looked for all the world as if it was trying to escape from her scalp. The blue of her eyes had faded like old work jeans and had an unfocused, almost feral look. She wore a pair of overalls with big holes in the knees she’d probably stolen off somebody’s clothesline years ago. Under the overalls was a dirty white slip. She didn’t carry any extra weight, but she’d long ago lost her delicate look. She spent her days cutting cedars now to make her cedar houses instead of sipping tea and doing needlework.
And so, I was in that restaurant eating lunch a couple of years ago when in walks Fern. She had on overalls over a flannel shirt instead of a slip. Her hair was that steel gray and she didn’t look as if she cared whether it was combed or not. She was a little heavier than my fictional Fern and she didn’t have the little axe Fern carried around with her. At least I don’t think she did!
The first Rosey Corner book had already been out a couple of years when I spotted this real life Fern, but it was an interesting experience to see somebody I’d created in my imagination have such a near double in real life. That was before I had a phone that took pictures so I couldn’t even sneak a picture of her. I might have been afraid to anyway. My Fern in Rosey Corner is nobody to mess with. And that real life Fern looked the same.
The photo up top is not Fern or the woman I saw, but it was the best I could find. The woman is in overalls, but you need to imagine her hair steel gray and take that ghost of a smile off her face. The tattoos on the woman’s arms would have to go too although Fern probably wouldn’t have minded a tattoo.
Do you think I should have bought her lunch?
I’m counting down to release day but you still have time to pre-order the print book from Baker Book House to get a 40% discount plus free shipping. It’s a great place to go book shopping. Here’s a link to many of Revell’s recent or upcoming fiction releases. Just looking at all the lovely covers makes clicking on the link worthwhile.
Comments 10
I believe that if you would have bought lunch for your Fern at the buffet she would have been pleasantly surprised. I work at a thrift store and one of our managers Connie looked like I would have imagined Fern to be. I told her the first time that I met her that she reminded of a character in your book Angel Sister and although she had not read the book she was pleased with the compliment when I shared with her how Fern is in the book. I always enjoy picturing how the characters in books that I read would look.
Author
I have to admit I’m not sure everyone would be complimented to be told they were like Fern, Becky, but I’m gald your manager was. Fern was independent and not bothered by what anyone thought of her except maybe Aunt Hattie. And maybe I should have bought the real life Fern lunch. She probably would have thought I was a little odd telling her she looked like a character I’d made up in a book. 🙂
I’m not sure I always picture characters too well when I’m reading or writing. Soemthing I could improve on, I’m sure.
I love the name Ada June. I have a niece, Ada Jane. I can’t wait to read it.
Author
Ada Jane is a pretty name too, Shelia. I’m almost sure you will enjoy reading about Ada June in my story. She’s a character to steal your heart.
Fern might have looked like that photo when she was young. She might’ve even had something to smile a little about back then.
Author
Actually, she did for a while until tragedy struck in her life.
I so enjoy your blogs and your books. You make your characters come alive. As I said in my review of Song of Sourwood Mountain: I really liked all of the many characters (and some of them were real “characters” – lol), especially the children. The faith in God is so evident. The mountain people were well depicted, in my estimation. I felt like I really knew these people and would like to live there.
I have been reading your books for years and want to read the rest that I haven’t yet. Unfortunately the ones I read, except for Song of Sourwood Mountain were before I learned about reviewing and how important it is to the authors.
Blessings from one Ann to another!!
Author
Thank you for your kind words, Ann. And thank you so much for reviewing The Song of Sourwood Mountain. I appreciate you reading my books and sharing what you think about the stories with others. Reviews don’t just have to be for new releases. If you have a book you particularly liked when you read it, whoever the author, you can still leave a review even if the book has been out for years. On Amazon, you see reviews like that sometimes where people just want to share their views about books. I would guess that there are reviews recently posted for classic novels.
Again, I’m so glad you enjoyed meeting my characters in Sourwood Holler and up on the mountain too. I’m glad you enjoy my posts here on One Writer’s Journal too. Your comment has me smiling.
I remember us talking about this the first time you and I met, i at McDonalds! I love this blog, it’s like reliving that wonderful day!!!
Author
Wow, Lisa. I’m impressed that you can remember me telling you about meeting Fern, sort of, when we met that day. It was so fun getting acquainted with you and April and Emma. Hope all of you are doing well.