Writing What We Love
Later this month, my first solo book will come out. More Than Wishes. Don’t worry. Andrea read it at least three times to make sure I didn’t do anything too crazy.
I say “too” because it is a slight detour from the small-town romance you find in beautiful Osage Beach. For starters, it’s not in a small-town. The setting is in a metro-Atlanta area park, USA. There’s also a genie, cute puppies, a Honda Shadow, and a dragon.
More Than Wishes fits into the Fantasy genre, but it’s considered “low fantasy” because it takes place in the real world with magical elements mixed in. It is also a romance or romantasy. I can’t promise that I followed the rules or the typical tropes of the genre. Honestly, I started this book on a bad day, one of those days that makes you want to cry and stuff your face full of food that would leave your keyboard all sticky. I needed something fun to help get me out of my head, and I was too far away to visit my favorite park and go for a walk.
Enter the dragon… Well, first, let me introduce one of my favorite places that actually shows up when I Google it. (Because I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out why Maps couldn’t tell me how far away Osage was. But that’s another story.)
The image above of the tree that grew relentlessly despite having fallen once, was taken years ago at Sweetwater Creek State Park. That’s where this book was born. I wasn’t physically there, but in my mind, I can still see the tree growing against all odds, turning to reach back for the heavens. To me it looks like a dragon that face-planted and fell asleep. So, basing the setting of More Than Wishes on a park with a dragon wasn’t a stretch for my brain. He’s always been there. The genie’s new, but it’s the park, with those trees that I know like the back of my hand, that I love.
Opening with a scene loosely based on real life, Ruth takes a group of park guests out for a moonlit paddle and that’s when she spots a genie in the water. She brushes it off as a minor hallucination. But when her love interest, Caleb, can suddenly hear her thoughts, Ruth panics, singing showtunes to hide her true feelings.
I did say loosely based on real life. You can go on a ranger led paddle most weekends. But I doubt you’ll find a genie. I don’t ever discourage wishes, but I make no promises. If you do go, make sure you visit the old Factory Shoals bridge that crosses Sweetwater Creek. Throughout the story are details, tiny things about one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve been walking those trails longer than I care to admit. And this may be one of my favorite things about writing.
Story telling is its own skill set, one I continuously strive to improve. But in between crafting a compelling plot, relatable characters, and hitting all the required elements of a manuscript, we get to color the page with the things that we love, as characters allow. (See my previous post about the voices in my head.) But I think in a way I found Ruth and Caleb at the park. Going there in my mind led me to them and their story.
The tall canoe rack that used to stand outside the baitshop at George H. Sparks Reservoir is gone, replaced by a low row of single boat racks. I can still see the old one though. In my mind, I stood by the water with those canoes towering over my 5’4” frame and naturally someone taller than me had to be there to pull them off the rack.
Then the dragon woke up and began flying around, and the story unfolds. You can read the blurb for More Than Wishes below. But all of our stories are filled with bits and pieces of our souls, our heart, our memories, and our fears. Yes, they are fiction.
Even the books without dragons are made up. Although, if you find a woman who can read your ice cream aura, I need to meet her! And I have been accused of being a relentless foodie, like Sarah. (Okay, maybe someone low key accused me of venting my diet frustration on the page.) I do love pies, but I also love the cauliflower crust pizza that Connor feeds Beth on their first official date. I love ice skating and I’ve definitely been to a resort beach with a giant inflatable obstacle course. Lauren and Noah did better than I did. I hit the water the second my foot touched the rolling log.
Writing is a special journey. Every story brings together all the things, good and bad, and as much as we can, Andrea and I fill the page with things we love, like happily ever afters. We hope with all our hearts you love them too.
More Than Wishes: Falling in love with help from a little magic.
Ruth Milos has only three wishes in life, to become head park ranger, to win the heart of her secret crush, Caleb Stolz, and to have a pet dragon. As far-fetched as those seem to the bookish Ruth, she lands her dream job at Beaver River State Park, nestled among the suburbs of Atlanta.
Jumping into her new role with both feet, Ruth is determined to transform the sprawling acreage into the best hiking trails in the South. Two days into the job, strange things start happening. Fires are popping up everywhere, her coworkers are fighting, and she discovers that Caleb can hear her thoughts.
Worried she doesn't have what it takes to be in charge, Ruth sings show tunes to keep her true feelings hidden as she hunts for the source of the fires. That's when a winged creature appears. But the flying lizard doesn't cause nearly as much trouble as her new hire, who has a knack for showing up in the oddest places just when her wishes start coming true.
When the mysterious fires draw the attention of Ruth's supervisor and the local fire chief, both her job and any hope of a relationship with Caleb are threatened. Suddenly, Ruth must track down the elusive dragon and save the park, but it may not be enough to salvage her career or love life.
