In today’s guest post, River Jordan, speaker, radio personality and author of THE MIRACLE OF MERCY LAND, SAINTS IN LIMBO and THE MESSENGER OF MAGNOLIA STREET talks about how she became a writer and where her inspiration comes from.
I love visiting with book clubs either in person or by any virtual means we have available whether that is Skype, other chats or by phone. It’s an honor and pleasure to be surrounded by people who love words, authors, stories, and who read voraciously. I have visited with clubs who always use the book club guides and those who never use them but three questions frequently surface in our conversation no matter what other in-depth discussion of the novel is taking place. Eventually someone will ask me, “When did you know you were a writer?” and “Your stories are very unique, a blend of different genres including southern fiction, the mystical, romance and suspense. Where do you find the inspiration for your stories?” And, “What do you hope to say to the reader with your writing?” These questions surprisingly take me off-guard every time because book clubs run the gamut from costume parlor games to academic assessments but they always have a few things in common – they want to hear the author tell the truth. Here’s my truth.
Sometimes I think it all began when a lovely sixth grade teacher called me to her desk to interrogate me on a writing assignment. She thought that I had plagiarized the piece I submitted. When she discovered it was an original work she called my mother for a parent-teacher conference where she officially baptized me as ‘born to be a writer’. I can also look at my earlier childhood days and see that I just wasn’t exactly normal. There were early signals that perhaps becoming a banker wouldn’t be very good for the bank. I preferred to sit at my Grandmothers feet while she gossiped with the old women down the road than run wild through the woods with my cousins. I actually requested to be put in the corner where I knew I could be alone with my imagination undisturbed. (My mother eventually stopped using the time-out corner for punishment realizing it was something I enjoyed.) When my father was stationed in Germany and a real clan of gypsies came traveling by I tried to run away with them until my mother made me come home. It was the sound of the tiny bells on the wagons. They captivated me.
Now I see that I have taken on the essence of all of those things, the cadence of my Grandmother’s voice as she rocked on the porch talking about the simple things in life, the wild freedoms that our imaginations allow us even if we are facing a white corner, the touch of the magic of unexpected gypsy bells—and those essences find their way into my stories. Those tiny pleasures that were so important to me then have made their presence known every time and they do so in their own special ways in THE MIRACLE OF MERCY LAND.
The first-hand knowledge of growing up in the deep south, of getting caught in the middle of a southern thunderstorm, the experience of living along the salty, Gulf waters, the surprise of the unknown showing up unexpectedly whether it be gypsies or a mysterious man on a train, those life experiences and loves thread their way onto the page seemingly of their own accord. Those early, formative years of being a tiny story-catcher, sitting at my Grandmothers feet all ears to the gossip of the day, whispered fears, and hushed prayers are as integrated into those stories as the alphabet.
The amazing thing to me is that I don’t often see the connection, the threads from my past or the mystical influences, until readers begin to ask me questions about where these stories come from or how they finally make their way to the page. It gives me an opportunity for reflection that I don’t always take the time to touch. It helps me open the next new novel on my personal reading list with a greater appreciation for the way the story evolved and was finally, fully realized. Understanding that process both the magic of the process and the craft of it, helps me not only as a writer but as a reader to fully appreciate the evolution of the story from creative concept to the finished work. My greatest hope is that my work, the stories I write, connect with the reader, that the story lingers and enriches their lives long after they turn the last page and close the book. When all is said and done I hope there is a deep connection with the reader. That readers find a small part of the answer to their life’s quest, “Who are we and why are we here?” And that they can turn the last page, close the book and say, “Yes, this is us. We have lived and loved, fought and survived, made mistakes, and started over. We are beautiful in all our human imperfection and this is what it was like to live out our wonderful, sloppy lives together.”
-- River Jordan, Author (www.RiverJordan.us)
