I had planned on telling the story of when I was ten, and my father was assigned to work in Taiwan for the Agency for International Development in the early sixties. After flying to San Francisco, we had a few days to explore the city, driving up and down steep hills in a convertible, with my mom in a panic 😊. Then we landed in Hawaii where they put fragrant leis over our shoulders. I don’t remember much, except the perfumed air on the breezes and the incredible fresh fruit.
So instead, my blog will be about my life’s journey in the book I most recently edited, The Inn on Gooseneck Lane. I realized how much of myself I put into the book. Just snippets of my life at various stages, that added detail to various scenes.
My hero, Brad, is an outdoor adventure leader, who has settled down in his small Vermont hometown, to help his mom recover from breast cancer surgery. He’s bought a sporting goods store. And ends up helping the local inn owner with a cross-country ski week for the over-fifty crowd. In this one paragraph description, there are many areas that have touched my life.
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| Photo taken by Nancy Vosburgh-Zane |
My mom, who just turned 94, has had two bouts with breast
cancer, but all ended well both times. Both my son and I went to college in
Vermont. My niece recently attended college in Vermont. On the return trip home
after visiting her, is when I thought up the bare bones of this book, as I
drove along a gurgling creek running down a mountain. And when I passed a tiny
lane with a bridge going over the roaring creek named Gooseneck Lane, I knew I
had a story. In my head I plotted the story all the way home to Maine.
The gurgling, mountainside creek reminded me of years earlier
when I visited Vermont, and stumbled on a sweet, small, artsy town, with inns
and bed and breakfasts. A town that made it’s living supporting artisans and
outdoor adventure activities.
My work at an environmental college has included working with adventure therapy students. One who helped train a seeing-eye dog, her dog being the first to take part in the new college program. So that dog spent many hours sitting in our office, learning to concentrate on her handler and ignore all that was going on around her—what a sweet pup.
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Yaz - my grandson's dog
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And lastly, I worked at L.L. Bean as a retail store cashier
where I spent many hours in the camping and boating / biking departments.
So many of my life’s “travels” found their way into this
book.
·
Wine tasting, paired dinners and weddings, which
I organized at an inn in Maine when I was the dining manager.
·
Numerous other events that I planned for schools
and non-profits, where I traveled all over the country to host the events.
·
Memories of visiting my grandmother in a small
town in New York, including her antique teacart that now sits in my mom’s
apartment, her Waldorf salad which was one of my grandmother’s favorite things
to make, and her gardens full of rhubarb (and the basement full of rhubarb and
dandelion wine.)
·
My own outdoor employee adventures of kayaking (ocean
and mountain lakes and river rapids), archery, a shotgun shoot, winter camping
and cross-country skiing, to name a few. All the experiences that gave me a
better understanding when helping customers in the retail store in Maine and assisting
on the grand opening of the first store out of state in Virginia, where I put
in a week’s work in three days.
·
Wine-tasting trips in Sonoma County in
California, where I also planned an alumni event.
·
The famous Maine ice storm, where I was one of the
lucky ones and only lost power for less than a day. But I was alone, fending
for myself, knowing a huge oak tree limb had just crashed to the ground inches
form my kitchen window. I could have used the help of my hero, for sure.
·
The trauma of loving and losing a high-school
sweetheart. And then finding him again.
·
And the painted fiberglass cow art—yes, a true
story and a sight to behold in small-town Vermont where I traveled to a friend’s
wedding. (See below for fun link to painted cows)
All these adventures and artifacts from my life found their way into The Inn on Gooseneck Lane, a fact I didn’t realize until I revisited and revised this book over a year after I wrote it.
So, my question to you - What shows up in or repeats itself in your life, years after a physical or personal journey? I’d love to hear your stories.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
~ cottages to
cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet
romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores
of Maine.Author of the Starlight
Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short
romances for Woman’s World magazine.
Social
Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Starlight Grille –
Amazon Print Book https://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Grille-Serenity-Novella-Collection/dp/171704851X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1560702926&sr=1-1
Books2Read https://books2read.com/b/3yDjWe
The Prince’s Son –
Amazon E-book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PZD3FNC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=32PO3EI3KDLQI&keywords=delsora+lowe&qid=1553611414&s=digital-text&sprefix=dels%2Cdigital-text%2C196&sr=1-2-catcorr
Amazon Print Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1091276862?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
Books2Read link, includes Barnes and Noble and iBooks: books2read.com/u/b6xzr6
CLIP ART LINKS:
Lei: http://www.clker.com/cliparts/M/d/2/N/h/S/hibiscus-lei-th.png
Kayak: https://www.kissclipart.com/kayak-clipart-sea-kayak-canoe-gq5w5g/
State of Vermont: https://pngio.com/PNG/6632-vermont-state-png.html
Red carpet: http://www.transparentpng.com/details/red-carpet-transparent-image-photo_3273.html
Airplane: https://clipartcrossword.com/airplane-clipart-image-6531/
Creek: http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/lake-clip-art-3614208
Wine, grapes, and cheese: http://www.clker.com/clipart-563994.html
Here’s a fun link to see painted cows: https://www.google.com/search?q=Clip+art+fiberglass+painted+cows&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=Yp9xnzl_NMQfuM%253A%252CItANxgmZcwlUhM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQBce7efX5iW0QaND6Y-7EZqxykiw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_qObss4LkAhVqRN8KHf7iDpYQ9QEwAHoECAkQBg#imgrc=Yp9xnzl_NMQfuM:
18 comments:
Fun post Delsora - I think walking a red carpet is a real travel adventure. I remember being blown away when the mayor of Rieka, Croatia invited my Glasser colleagues and myself to a formal welcoming ceremony with speeches and toasts. No red carpet but certainly we were honored guests.
As to what about me goes into my books? Work experiences start both "Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl" (yes, I really did have death threats, etc,) and "Sophia: Every Ending is a Beginning" (yep, I was followed up the slippery bank by a man who did not wish me well. I've traveled in Ireland "Elizabeth: The Lady and The Sacred Grove." I have not been a dancer nor have I been homeless ("Hunter" and "Gabriella") but I was a single parent ("Hunter") and I did work with homeless youth ("Gabriella"). I've had cancer although not breast cancer ("Ashley") and I have always found it difficult to ask someone for help (pretty much a theme running through the series). However, what I hope my readers find for themselves in my stories is their spiritual path. Certainly doesn't have to be mine. I've found that identifying core beliefs that guide our life choices can carry us through the darkest times.
Judith - it is amazing what we, as authors, do carry forth from life into books. For me, editing this book, the surprise was how many different phases of and experiences in my life appeared in this book. And none of them related to each other. But all found a tiny spot in this book. Your books certainly do carry your message of spiritual healing. I would say, the biggest theme or trope that seems to appear in most of my books, is the chance to start over or pick up where one left off many years prior. The second-chance trope.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Wow, Deb, you broke that down well.
In "The Witch With the Trident Tattoo" the heroine is a sea witch. I guess my fascination and love of the ocean crept into the story.
I've always loved the idea of magic and believe it does exist in the world.
That is all I can think of at the moment! Great blog post!!
Diana - I loved that book. And yes, your love of sea came through in that book through both the hero and heroine and their mission (with the help of a little magic!).
What a lot of adventures you've had in your jobs and travels. Fascinating. The book looks like an adventure too!
Thanks, Susan - for stopping in. It is funny how the older I get, how much I forget how many influencers there were in my life. It was a huge AHA moment when I was revising book to all of a sudden I notice all the influences. For some reason, I wasn't aware of it as I wrote it or edited it. Anyway- it ended up being a trip down memory lane, once I realized it :-)
Such a fun post, Delsora! All those little details of ourselves that come out in our books, things we don't even know we remember until there they are on the page!
Elizabeth - so glad you stopped by. It is amazing what we put into our books, and may not realize it. I know you have had amazing life adventures, so can't wait to read your book (soon, I hope!)
My love of travel shows in all of my books, but ironically most of them are set at home in Maine. Still, the pieces and experiences are there. You just have to find them to put them together. And then there are the people I have met travelling. I won't forget any of them, good or bad. They may end up in a book. :)
Uh-Oh, Teagan. As bad guys :-) I sense some wheels turning on characters you've met turning into a full-blown story soon! Can't wait to hear all about your new ideas. Thanks for stopping on by to say hi!
DEB, you're had a lot of fabulous experiences, and I, too, am always amazed at the bits and pieces of experience I wind up using in my stories, stories that aren't even set in that locale. They say the best authors are jack of all trades. I think that applies to both you and me. Thanks for sharing the inspiration for Gooseneck Lane.
Sue - thanks so much for hanging out with me and the Inn on Gooseneck Lane. the inspiration came to me on my drive home from dropping my niece off at college in VT. And I immediately thought of my weekend in an inn in a small VT town. From there, who knows how all those other things ended up in my story But as writers know, sometimes the mind just tells the story without the conscious writer knowing it. If that makes sense. I swear, my characters talk through my hands to the computer and totally skip my brain :-) However it happens, we are who we are and our adventures are bound to manifest themselves in stories. You have had some amazing adventures. And they showed up in your story that takes place in Greece, and the ones you are working on now. Always exciting!
Delsora, they say "Write what you know," and you do that instinctively. I think most writers do. I know I do. Great post!
Thanks, Sarah - it was fun to write and relive adventures in my life.
So true, about how all the little things in your life make it into your writing. My trip to Bath, England is one I still need to put in the book. Not to mention the trip to the Tower of London. I’m more likely to put in things like being a mystery shopper, raising a child with dyslexia, or something like that, though.
Hey, Kelly - thanks for chiming in. Yes, it isn't only big events, but the details of everyday life where we each bring a different perspective of our lives to the work. That's what makes each story unique - even when the tropes and story lines may be similar, it's the bits and pieces of our lives that give each story a different twist.
It sounds like you have a lot of interesting details in your books. That's one of the things that makes a book come alive, I think.
I'm in Vermont right now. :) I see those painted cows everywhere, and the cute little towns. (I'm near Woodstock, certainly one of the most classic Vermont towns.)
Going to Maine next week!
Carly - I do love Vermont. And those cows are the greatest. If I write another book in this setting, it was also have a cow. Enjoy your trip to Maine. I wish I had time to go to VT this summer. Maybe this fall. I used to visit a friend at Dartmouth, so know Woodstock well. Thanks for stopping in to say hello.
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