For most of my writing life, I have written non-fiction books, articles, columns, blogs, etc. Either you to stick to the truth or if you are going off on a “flight of fancy,” you make sure your readers know that is where you are going, as in my story a few years ago about meeting Meriwether Lewis at Crown Point on the Columbia River. If anyone didn’t realize that was a fantasy, they have a bigger problem than I do!
Consequently, it has been fun doing the occasional fiction story over the years, specifically this one about Jami and Josh that I started many years ago. The characters, the title, and even the setting, changed many times over the years that I pulled the story out occasionally and worked on it.
This week I finally did it. I finished the novel and uploaded it as an e-book publication with Amazon.com. I thought that it would be easy to stick my main characters in a situation where they would do what I wanted them to do or say what I wanted them to say. That isn’t exactly true. I discovered characters in fiction have a life of their own and you come out with an entirely different story than you intended in the beginning. Consequently, the story is a much different one than the way it started, not that you will know one way or the other. But, here is the synopsis of my first novel. You can find it on Amazon.com and they will even let you read a portion of it. I hope you enjoy it. I have enjoyed being a part of my character’s lives. It is difficult to walk away from these two people I now know so well but there are other stories to be told!
Winter in the Wilderness
When we lose loved ones, we often take off down a different path, sometimes one not of our choosing. A troubled heart led Josh to leave Maine and family behind to build deep in the Northwest wilderness. Serendipity brought Jami and Josh together for a winter of unique experiences. Shannon, a gregarious golden retriever, chaperones their questionable behavior with a quizzical alternate lifting of her brows. Humor, faith, and tears draw them all close. A springtime hike triggers Jami’s memory but returning to home territory, Jami realizes her strong maternal ties to a growing family will never mesh with Josh’s dreams of a future together.
God Bless until next week.
Minshall’s RVing Alaska and Canada is available thru Amazon.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
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