A Guest Post by Leah Atwood
Have you ever been reading along in a book, stop at a scene, and think to yourself, “that couldn’t possibly have happened?” It’s okay, go ahead and raise your hand. No one here will judge you. Promise. We’ve all read some unlikely scenarios we know could never happen in real life.
Or could they?
The more I write, the more I’ve become a watcher of people. I notice the situations people are in, and the odd things that happen to them. (Okay, okay, I confess, many of these odd things have happened to me.) And every time, I think to myself, this will make for a great story.
When I run into one of these happenings, there’s always a debate of: is this too farfetched, or just quirky enough to make the story interesting? Will a reader really believe a character got locked in a fast food freezer? Is it plausible that my heroine got stuck in the parking garage at Union Station? Could a wheel really break off the truck on a road trip five seconds after praying for a safe trip and that the axle wouldn’t break? What character would be silly enough to get lost in Canada without any money?
Here’s a secret — I’ve experienced each of these, but they haven’t worked their way into a book yet. (Key word, yet.) But there is one incident that I just wrote into my latest book, That Was Then, and I’ll tell you the real-life version.
I was driving home from church one evening several months ago with a very heavy heart. My best friend’s mother-in-law was dying (we’re talking within hours), my husband was heavily involved in a business deal that looked to going downhill (praise the Lord, it all worked out), several family members were facing serious illness, and the country’s political climate was wearing me down.
As I drove home, I listened to music that was on my phone’s music app. The next thing I know, I’m singing along to “It Is Well with My Soul.” Doesn’t so unusual, does it? What if I told you that I didn’t have that version anywhere in my music library? I was taken aback. So much so, that I pulled over. I glanced at the screen to make sure I hadn’t changed the input. I scrolled and searched and examined my phone to see if I’d loaded that song and didn’t remember.
The end result? It was nowhere to be found, and I realized God knew I needed to hear that song at that moment, just like Wyatt and Meg needed to in That Was Then. To find out how I incorporated my experience into their story, you’ll have to read That Was Then, but in the meantime, the next time you read a scene you think isn’t believable—email the author and ask.
You might just hear an interesting story.
About That Was Then:
On the day Wyatt Deluca was discharged from the Marine Corps, he received a call that took him home to Lilston, PA. Meg Bailey’s mother died after a short battle with cancer, leaving the family in shock as they grieve. There is one person Meg knew could help her through this difficult time.
Once married, now divorced, Wyatt and Meg are brought together again by sorrow. Can they look beyond the past, to see a future together?
USA Today Bestselling Author Leah Atwood is a small-town girl at heart and currently lives in a rural town in the deep South, though Maryland will always be home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in International Business but gave up a career in sales and marketing to follow love, a decision she’s never regretted.
From the old west to Cajun country, Leah infuses true-to-life characters with small-town charm to invite her readers into a world where faith and love will always prevail. In both her historical and contemporary works, she believes in delivering inspirational stories that will leave her readers with a smile.
When not writing, she’s busy raising two kids and corralling two dogs (an eighty-four-pound shepherd/lab mix and a eleven-pound rat terrier/jack russell mix), or participating in a myriad of community and church events.
Find more information at www.leahatwood.com. You can also find her on Facebook and on Twitter.
NOTE: Leah isn’t available to check in until later today. She’s on a field trip with her son’s class.
Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Truth is stranger than fiction, right? Thanks for visiting today, Leah. I’ve heard about, That Was Then and I’m really looking forward to reading the series.
Yay, a new series, can’t wait to read! Often the most unusual things are those that are true, makes for some interesting reflections sometimes!!
Thans for your post, maybe you’ll ‘come back’ again sometime? :)
Blessings to you and Valerie, enjoy your weekend.
Oh I absolutely love Leah’s books. They are so sweet and uplifting that I just know I’ll love it before even starting.
Thanks for sharing about her new series. I’m looking forward to this new series. (Interesting bit about unusual events. Makes me think about Calling Love’s broken car story and a few other coincidences that were just too much a coincidence.)
Great to see you guesting on Inspy Romance, my friend. :) Coincidences DO happen as I can readily attest in my own life. Without them, our fiction might be a tad bit boring. May it never be! Looking forward to your new series. Write on! :)
I never thought about emailing the author and asking about a particular scene. I might just have to do that next time I come across one. Thanks for sharing your story! I look forward to reading your book!
I think it was Mark Twain who said, “The difference between nonfiction and fiction is that fiction must be absolutely believable.” I think that about covers it! Thanks for visiting today, Leah. :)
Truth can make for funny situations. Sometimes it’s better to laugh at life, if you can. My brother and I used to wish each other a boring week. Your book sounds interesting.
What a fun post, Leah! Loved it! And your books sound fun, too….will be checking on them as I am an avid reader of Christian fiction.
For anyone wondering, Leah is on a field trip with her son’s class today. She’ll be checking in later!
Looking forward to reading this new series!
Loved Pursuit JoAnn:)
Truth really is stranger than fiction. Things happen in real life that no one would believe if I put it in a book. I love your suggestion to email an author to ask about those kind of things.
Yes it is! Thank you.
I’d love to make another stop by. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you, Wemble! :) I wish you were on FB. I met a retired shuttle astronaut, Winston Scott, at Kennedy Space Center this past Monday. I have a photo posted with him on FB. He’s a wonderful Christian man (and says no way did Gus blow that hatch, for the record). He said he’d get Pursuit and both he and his wife would read it (eek!). :)
The broken car incident was a combination of getting stuck in the mud at my kids’ school last year, and when my husband (Then dating…not even officially) had to come rescue me from an overheating engine (Or so I thought…I just needed oil, but shh, we don’t want the world to know how inept I am at anything vehicle related! :) )
((Waving)) Hi!
Thank you! Most authors are story tellers at heart, and I know many would be happy to share inspirations of where scenes came from.
Thanks for having me!
My husband and I learned early on to just laugh when these things arise Needless to say, we do a lot of laughing!
Thank you, Jackie.
Kindergarteners are exhausting but in the best way :)
Thank you, and enjoy!
There were many times before I starting writing that I wished I had email the authors. Now, I’ll never know, but it’s always fun interacting with our readers, especially when you get to share the inspiration behind the writings.
I’ve had a car battery replaced because I needed oil and didn’t realize until it was too late. I was able to drive out of the freeway before stopping and waiting for help. My dad came to the rescue thought, so not much an embarrassment but more lile “learning opportunity.”
Love your books Leah Atwood and I can’t wait to read the new series.
Your books sounds so intriguing, Leah, and thanks for the interesting look into your adventurous life. :)
We won’t talk about all the times my dad had to come to my rescue lol. He would always (jokingly?) tell me I needed to marry someone who could work on cars or I’d always be broke. Fortunately, I did marry someone who could :)
Thank you!
Adventurous in a low key way it is! Thanks for stopping by :)
I usually will just keep reading and take it all in stride. My husband can read the same scene and say, “That couldn’t possibly have happened that way!”
For the most part, I enjoy reading quirky and/or unusual scenes like those that you mentioned. Every once in a while though I come across one that seems a little too far-fetched but now I’ll have to remember that maybe a version of it did actually happen.