Her Own Words
Imagine my delight when readers started to ask, “How’d you get the idea for your story?” The question comes up often enough to where I am now giddy to
share the origins of my first book Moment
of Certainty with you all!
Moment of Certainty
came to me when I sat in the doctor’s office. Earlier in the day, a light
temporarily blinded me in one eye. While
waiting to be seen, a nurse tended to an elderly woman in a wheelchair. (I could still see with my good eye!)The nurse
bent down, gently touching the woman’s shoulder as she spoke. The elderly woman
smiled.
The gesture intrigued me with possibilities delving into
their relationship. I wondered about each of their personal lives. Where’d they
come from? What brought them to this point in time? For me, the story never comes to fruition
until the characters’ have burrowed under my skin.
Hence, the feisty, petite, Karen (Keekee) was born. Her physical appearance formed in my head
when I watched a dance show, and a petite dynamo with blown-out hair took
control of the stage. In my protagonist’s own words, here’s her first-ever
interview:
INTERVIEWER: So, how’d you come about?
KAREN: I guess ‘cause I’m flyy.
INTERVIEWER: I understand you weren’t necessarily liked in
the beginning.
KAREN: Well, dang, you ain’t liked either asking me
questions like that.
INTERVIEWER: I didn’t
mean to offend you. What I’m saying is you had a very compelling arc, one that
eventually won over readers to where they cheered you on.
KAREN: Who told you that?
INTERVIEWER: It’s on Amazon, Bookbub, Goodreads, and other
sights. Readers said so in their own words.
KAREN: I suppose. I was told I have layers, you know, like
an onion, based on how Mama raised me, and how Val treated me.
INTERVIEWER: Since you brought her up, tell me more about
Val.
KAREN: Why’d you ask
me like that? Like Val’s special or something? Well, Val is special, but she’s special to me, you
know what I mean? At this point, people will have to judge for themselves about
Val. I know how I feel but, well. It’s complicated.
INTERVIEWER: Tell me about Hershel, the neighborhood friend.
Ah, the question made you blush. Why?
KAREN: ‘Cause. What can I say about Hershel? The dude is
tops in my book. We connect more than anybody. When other people wanted to
change me or be somebody I ain’t, Hershel accepted me, never judged me.
INTERVIEWER: What about Ms. Blout. After all, you were
assigned to her. Did she stand-out over your other patients?
KAREN: Oh, my God. Ms. Blout. You know I used to call her
Satan’s Grandma. But, Ms. Blout, she knew a lot of people before she got, you
know, sick.
INTERVIEWER: It seems there’s something deeper going on.
Yes? You’re shrugging your shoulders.
KAREN: I just think you gonna think of Ms. Blout as a rose,
either the soft smell-good part or the thorny part.
INTERVIEWER: Judging from your story, you’d gone through so
much, you and Val, and it’s quite a remarkable story, one in which you allow
readers a front-row seat.
KAREN: I don’t know. But, I try not to let just anybody hang
with me, get to know me.
INTERVIEWER: This story, I understand, is inspirational, one
with a twist at the end. Did you suspect the ending?
KAREN: Nope. I was like a dope-on-a-rope.
INTERVIEWER: Will we see more of you? Will there be another
book? Many readers have stated they’d love a sequel.
KAREN: Don’t know, but I got plenty more to say and do, so I
can handle my part. You gotta talk to the lady who wrote the book, not me.
To learn more about Karen’s story, along with Val, Hershel,
Ms. Blout, and more, go to my website: http://www.pamelatowns.net
Comments