How the Stories Came to be

 I was 18 years old when I wrote my first novel-"Come Love Someone Like Me."

After I finished writing, I put the manuscript in a shoe box under my bed and no matter where I moved, the box with my novel stayed under my bed.

At the age of 24, in 1984, I would write my second novel. Like the first, I typed it up on an old royal manual type writer and placed it in the box under my bed. This novel was named - A Return of Innocence. Little did I know that the novel would parallel my future more than 30 years later.

In 1989, I talked to my Grandmother - Grandma Jessie Gerrell, and I told her of the stories under my bed in a box and how one was written of where she grew up on the Pin Hook Road down on the St. Marks River. Grandma asked to read the story and I explained it was a little risque. She didn't care - so I brought the box to her on a Friday afternoon thinking she'd tell me she hated the story on Sunday in church.

Sunday came and Grandma wasn't in church. Terrified that she hated the story, I dreaded facing her. But at 4pm, I drove over to her house and asked her why she wasn't in church. She said that was my fault. She'd stayed up all night reading and editing my story. She LOVED it and even made notes on how to improve the story.

Yes, I sent it off to a publisher and got a letter months later advising that I make the story more risque, that it would sell better. I didn't re-write the story, I put it in a box back up under my bed.

Until 1993 there the stories stayed. I'd added to them - No Sound the Silence Makes and Beyond a Certain Surrender.

one morning I woke up and found my oldest daughter and several of her friends reading Come Love Someone Like Me.

All over the floor were the papers of my manuscript and three teenage girls reading every word I wrote. I was shocked as they begged to keep reading. But the stories went back into the box and back up under the bed with my intent for them to stay.

 

But - I kept writing and more stories entered the box. I divorced in the 90s and in 2000 I re-married. My husband found the box and read "A Return of Innocence." He immediately put a copy right on the stories and encouraged my 'hobby.' 

 

But life goes on and I had a little girl named Amy and a full life as a Military wife. The stories lay in the box under the bed largely forgotten. Until...

 

Amy got sick. My little girl became very ill and I knew it was bad. My mother had gotten sick and died with similar symptoms. I was terrified for my child and on a journey for a diagnosis and treatment - neither were found, the diagnosis found after her death on autopsy and later in my muscle biopsy.

 

To escape the 'horror' my child was facing - the endless seizures and pain, I sat near her and typed on my laptop story after story - only instead of putting them in the box under the bed, I used Amazon Kindle and published them, the money they earn I donated and still donate to the National Ataxic Foundation into research for Spinocerebellar Ataxia. 

 

What started out at the age of 18 in 1978 as a healing process of my childhood and of my Grandmother's home - became stories based loosely on my family and the trials and triumphs we endured for generations. 

And every word I wrote helped me escape the harsh reality of my life as I lost my little girl to this life and know she waits for me in Heaven.

And me - after Amy died I was diagnosed - thanks to Amy's autopsy I had an MRI and later the biopsy to confirm. I don't write any longer - the dementia is taking me away - hence why I write this while I still can. My fingers don't work, dystonic posturing - so I talk to type and my words aren't always clear so please, forgive mistakes.

I just wanted to share how I came to write all of these stories. From the age of 18 to the age of 58 - over the course of 40 years all hidden in a box kept under my bed through all the moves and changes in my life only found by some young girls and one read before they were copy written in 2000 and later on as I wrote them.

Almost all of my novels have a ballad which tells the synopsis of the story - you can find my novels on Amazon  Kindle App for $1 dollar with all money earned donated to research into Spinocerebellar Ataxia. 

Here's the ballad of the novel-"Breathe A Gentle Whisper."

 Breathe a cruel whisper, softly for all to hear,

So says the secret whisper, as it brings about hurt and tears.

Within the ugly whisper, there is no truth to be found,

To embrace this terrible whisper, is to be robbed of all sound.

 Of evil the whispered words are said, mean and with spite, the gossip is spread.

The words all wrong, without any right, the truth hidden deep and out of sight.

So warns the gentle whisper, of the lies that are told,

Do not believe all you hear, for lies are harsh and cold.

His desire for her, his burning love, his longing need,

For her to embrace the secret whispers, will cause his heart to bleed.

So warns the gentle whisper, softly for only her to hear,

Do not trust the gossip, of him you must not fear.

Beneath the secret whispers, buried deep in the lies,

The truth can be found, by looking in your true loves eyes.

With love and honor and faithful  prayers,

The gossip will die; and the truth will be theirs….

Thank you for taking the time to read how my stories came to be. We couldn't save Amy's life from this killer disease, nor my mom's life, nor my own. BUT we can donate to research and hope that soon, someday, medical science will catch up to this killer disease and no parent will suffer the loss that we have. For Amy - Forever Amy

I used Amy's photo on 4 of my novels