My newest book, Lost and Found in Laurel Ridge, is now available on Amazon.com. I always knew that I wanted to write a book set in Appalachia because this is where my family tree is rooted. Many years ago I started researching my family history and was pleased to find that my ancestors settled this country. Mainly immigrants from the British Isles, my ancestors left their respective countries (England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales) behind to try for a better life. They fought in the American Revolution and settled Kentucky, Virginia, North & South Carolina, and Tennessee. When I wrote this new book all I had to do was shake my family tree for characters. One of my ancestors really did have his lunacy papers signed by John Hancock. That is quite a claim to fame! The character of Miss Bird is based on my own great-grandmother. She passed away when I was just two years old, so I took literary liberties, but I wanted to honor her by writing about a strong female who spoke her mind, met challenges head-on, and believed in love and loyalty above all else. The main male character, Jack, is a conglomeration of many of my male relatives who have the Appalachian spirit in their blood. They are blunt, big talkers, moody, and eschew anything popular and in-style. My dad recently told me that I’m an “attractive, middle-aged woman.” He meant it as a compliment. When I developed Jack, I had him, my brothers, my uncles, my cousins, and even my sons in mind. I have frequently described them all as missing a portion of their frontal lobe. They can be charming and charismatic and often draw people to them with their energy but their tendency to speak their minds at any costs mandates that you develop a thick skin. I wanted my main character of Erin to come to Laurel Ridge fragile and timid. I wanted her to be hurt and angered by Jack’s manner. Her personal growth includes learning what makes a man like Jack tick, which is not dissimilar to my own journey with my family. I hope you enjoy Lost and Found in Laurel Ridge.
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Born to fabricate…
What makes a writer? We could suggest that a writer is one who is an artist, who loves the written word, who seeks to educate and enrich others….or maybe a writer is just somebody who likes to fabricate new truths. My parents are packing up their house and moving back to Florida. We lived in Miami when I was a child and when my parents decided to move us to Cincinnati, my dad went first to get settled with a job. My mother and the four children: me, Ricky, Michael, and Timothy all stayed behind to finish out the school year and sell the house. My mother encouraged us to write our father often. Last night, they gave me a box of my report cards, artwork, and letters. In this particular letter I’m informing him, as only a a six year old girl can, that all of my brothers are bad and I am good. Oh, and by the way, let my cousin Sheila know that I’m coming soon. I laughed so hard, I cried. Even as a child, I was manipulating the truth to suit my needs. I mean, how was he going to know the difference? If I wrote that my brothers were being bad but I was good, why wouldn’t he believe that? The power of the written word is infallible. Maybe some of us are just born to fabricate; we love to write about the world as we see it or even just as we wish it would be. I like to think that I now have in my possession my very first short story.
Just click “Publish”
I celebrated an important anniversary at the beginning of this month. September marks one year since I first self-published. I remember that day very clearly in my mind. It had taken me days to go through the process of converting my book to be Kindle-ready and all that was left was to click the “Publish” button. I sat in my living room, my finger hovering over the mouse-pad, thinking “I’m not really going to do this, am I?” The fear of exposing myself to the world and, even worse, the fear that no one would care, was momentarily overwhelming. Something funny happens to you in your 40’s, though. The downside is that you develop certain new fears. You worry about your health, your now adult children, your aging parents, and your financial security as retirement becomes a spot on the distant horizon. The flip side of that, though, is that you shed old fears. You don’t care nearly as much what people think about you. You become more comfortable in your skin, however wrinkly it now is. So, I clicked “Publish.” I was giddy with relief, happiness, and the trembling excitement of embarking on a new adventure. When I sold my first book, I cried. When I got my first review, I ran through the house telling anyone who would listen, “Someone liked it!” I told my brother last year that writing was a fun “hobby.” He corrected me and said that once somebody pays you for your work, it’s a job, even a career. “You’re a writer,” he told me. It took me a little while to accept it, but he’s right. A year ago, I became a writer and I love every moment of it. So my advice to anyone who dreams of being a writer? Just click “Publish.”
Sandy Huth 