Behind the Stories

One trait Pop and I share is our curiosity which has translated into reading books that cover a variety of topics and genres. We exchange books often, and that summer, he loaned me a memoir by CBS correspondent Michelle Miller.

For several years now, I’ve actively sought anything that would contribute to my understanding of intuition and how to tap into it, especially in my writing. Still, it has seemed out of reach for me, a fantastical superpower for only a few divinely gifted souls.

As the daughter of a radio disc jockey and having many family members in singing groups and bands of various kinds, music has always had a large presence in my life. So naturally, it plays a role in my fiction, too.

Serendipity happens in my life a lot. I used to dismiss it as coincidence. I now like to think of it as my intuition paying attention. It happens in my writing, too, and here's how it showed up in Chapter 6 of Dancing at The Royal Jade, entitled "The Knight Alone."

I try to start each day with the intention to pay attention. Throughout the day, I stay aware and attuned to any ideas for my writing that present themselves to me. They often appear unbidden, sometimes gifted to me subtly. Other days, they are presented like a bonk on the head.

On the evening of April 2, 1968, American living rooms were graced by an unprecedented moment on national television. During an NBC musical special called Petula, British singer Petula Clark and the iconic Harry Belafonte shared a stage, united by song and a brief, gentle touch. That fleeting moment of human connection spiraled into a controversy that reflects the era’s tumultuous racial tensions.

Movies often show up in my fiction. But I picked one to use in a scene in my novel that wouldn't actually have been playing in that time. This triggered a series of considerations about the use of historical facts in fiction. Dozens of authors have bent history in various ways and/or depicted events that never actually occurred in the lives of real people. Where am I willing to draw the line in the name of fiction?

What we read cannot help but influence what we write...not in a copycat way, but as inspiration that sometimes is so subtle we may not even realize it.

For generations, children throughout the U.S. have played Hangman doodled on chalkboards or scribbled on notebook paper. Often seen as a child’s pastime, this simple word-guessing game has a problematic history laced with cultural influences and contemporary controversies.

If you grew up on Nancy Drew books, you may know Carolyn Keene as the author of 29 of those novels as well as countless other books. But would you believe me if I told you she never existed?

At the end of Chapter 1, “Alleys and Shadows,” in my serialized novel Dancing at The Royal Jade, nine-year-old Libby Billings sneaks to watch Dark Shadows, a show I was not allowed to watch either. That’s probably not 100% true. I was prone to nightmares as a child so even though I was fascinated by the show and my parents weren't all that strict about what I watched, my fears kept me from tuning in. It was creepy, y’all.

Childhood is characterized by an endless stream of 'firsts,' periods of profound learning and discovery that lend a unique thrill to life. But when adults resist embracing the beginner's mindset, how does that hold us back?

One woman attending the retreat was an intuitive, who was offering readings to those of us who wanted them. Mine was scheduled for Sunday, right before our departure. She invited me outside on the deck for privacy, pulled two chairs together, and sat. Before my butt was in the other chair, she said something so matter-of-factly, I nearly fell off the deck.

Without hesitation or emotion, I told my husband, “We’re going there.”

Reading unveils the realities of diverse cultures and experiences, promoting compassion by challenging our prejudices and expanding our worldview. Can writing do that too?

Although I’m a "recovering" perfectionist, I like to get historical facts and word usage right. So, it’s incredibly easy for me to go down research rabbit holes.

Looking back on my writing, I recognize that I’ve written mostly for a reading eye other than my own. I’ve equivocated, held back, not taken too many chances. I’m not happy about this revelation.

I strongly believe in the a connection between self-expression and mental health. Deeply in debt at one point, I couldn’t see any way out of the situation. One morning, I struggled to get my grumpy, miserable self out of bed and showered. “You aren’t writing, are you,” my husband said. It was a statement, not a question.

The first time I realized that holding back what I want to say/write can cause me physical distress was when a friend offered me a Reiki session. I sat in silence while she did her work. After the session, she asked if I’d been having issues with my throat. She suggested this could be because I was holding in something important that I wanted or needed to express.

Even if you’ve never dreamed of being a full-time writer, the belief that art is risky has likely still affected you in some way. Many cultures buy into the idea of the “starving artist,” that it’s impossible to have a fruitful and abundant life as an artist of any kind. It’s safer to be an accountant, a teacher, a grocery store clerk… any of the thousands of traditional jobs that give us a regular paycheck, that give us the illusion of security.