In the hustle and bustle that comes with the season, laughter really is the best medicine. One of my favorite memories as a writer, is sitting alone at my computer, the only one at home, laughing my head off until I’m crying about something one of my characters has just done in my story. I know that sounds a little strange, and you may be wondering what my character could possibly have done that is so funny. So I’ll tell you.
Nine out of ten times, it’s something I did myself that was totally embarrassing. So, why am I laughing about it? Because I could finally make it happen to someone besides me, and it’s so much funnier when it happens to someone else! I hate to admit this, but I am probably the most accident prone person I know. I’m also ADD. When you combine the two, you end up with a distracted, clumsy individual. The only way I can bear to live with the embarrassment of my daily blunders, is knowing I can project whatever I’ve done onto a character in my next story. You may be wondering what kind of blunders I’m talking about and where you can find them in my books, so I’ll tell you about a few of my top blunders and which books they’ve ended up in.
Happy Camper: When Allie drives away with the gas hose still in her gas tank and gas sprays everywhere. Yep, that was me. The worst part was, I was on a long drive home from a wedding so I changed into my pajamas. When I realized I had pulled the gas hose apart, I had to run inside the gas station to tell the cashier to shut off the pump (okay, I was screaming) in my Snoopy pajamas.
One Hour in Maiamo: The story I am currently writing for Forget Me Not Romances. On a trip to Italy to find my grandparent’s birth town, my best friend and I hiked the high cliffs above the Mediterranean Sea along the Cinque Terra. I stepped back just a little too far trying to take a picture. And, yes, I fell off the cliff….and a stranger had to pull me back up. Thank goodness for the small irrigation pipe that caught my foot and kept me from tumbling to sea level. As soon as my friend realized I was okay, she laughed her head off—because things like this always happen when she’s with me. I can hardly wait for this to happen to my heroine!
Now that you know a few of the inside stories, you might enjoy guessing which of the blunders in my fiction books are really non-fiction. As we rejoice in the birth of Christ, I hope your Christmas is filled with joy and laughter and a few really good books.