My poor parents. Now that my book is published, they are having to field questions like, “Were the meddlesome parents in the novel modeled after you?” We all chuckled at that, but the answer is a resounding “no.”
Another question was asked directly to me: “Is your novel based on past experience? Are you Annabelle in the book?”
Ha! What writer doesn’t base some things on past experience, though I can’t share with you all of what’s personal in the story. As writers, we must keep some of our mysteries to ourselves.
These questions are fair, fun, and funny. However, I must set the record straight. Ultimately, the book is a work of fiction. My parents are not those depicted in the book, nor am I Annabelle, though she may have aspects of me in her.
Which ones, you may ask? I’ll clarify a few…
- We both like “When Harry Met Sally.”
- We both enjoy eggplant parmesean.
- We both love Annapolis.
- We both have tornado dreams.
- We both have an affinity for tall boots.
- We both like to read.
- We both happen to be professors.
Oh, right. You want to know about Cole. Yes, we’ve both dated a guy like Cole. But who hasn’t? That’s what’s so great. So many people can relate to both the good characters and the bad ones. It’s what makes reading fun.
Because the truth of the matter is, we read to connect. We read to identify with the material, the characters, the situation, the plot…whatever it is, we read so that we know we’re not alone. We read to know that others have gone through what we have gone through and have experienced what we have experienced. Or, we read to be swept away into an adventure that we could only hope to experience.
As a hopeless romantic, I read to find hope and connection in other people’s writing. As a writer, I endeavor to give you, my readers, and my characters, hope and happiness.
It’s my desire to help you find a little of that with Michael and Annabelle in “Beneath the Mimosa Tree.” The world needs a little more hope and happiness in it.
So there you have it. Some of what’s fact and some of what’s fiction. And some of the stuff in the middle I’ll just keep to myself.
