Yes, That Really Happened! By Patti Jo Moore

As writers, we know that story ideas are everywhere. People-watching can often send our minds into overdrive, and we start playing the “what if” game in our thoughts. What if that man patiently accompanying his wife in the grocery store is actually a spy?

We can also use incidents in our own lives to add an interesting twist in our stories. Has something unbelievable happened to you? Maybe something so crazy that later you find yourself thinking, I can’t believe I did that! Or Did that really happen?

Since I recently returned from attending the American Christian Fiction Writers’ conference in San Antonio, Texas, I’ve been reflecting on what I learned, the friends I saw, and yes—even some zany things that happened. 😉 It occurred to me a few days ago that some of these happenings might find their way into my future stories.

Because I’m not a seasoned traveler, I was a bit nervous as I prepared to board my flight at the Atlanta airport. *Side note: For those of you who’ve never been in my hometown airport, it gets CRAZY!* As I headed along the jetway to board the plane, I glanced behind me to see if I was the last passenger. The line ahead suddenly stopped, sending me plowing into the woman ahead of me. Cringing, I profusely apologized, preparing to be met with a glare. Instead, the woman laughed and joked about not having her brake lights on! I had no idea who she was, but I liked her right away. 😊 A few hours later, I was leaving the registration table at the writers’ conference when a woman approached me, smiling as she introduced herself. She was the same woman I’d bumped into, and also a Hallmark author whose books and movies I love! I gushed like a crazy fangirl, but she was so sweet and since then we’ve visited and emailed. I have a new friend!

When I checked into the hotel, the kind employee smiled and handed me a bookmark with a Bible verse on it, along with my room key. As I stepped away from the counter to join a friend, I glanced down at my room number. Room 666. Seriously? At a Christian conference? For a minute I thought it must be a joke. ☹ The woman who’d helped me was now busy with another guest, so I went to a different desk clerk. When he saw my room number, he shook his head and exclaimed, “I told her not to give anyone this room!” He completely understood my reason for wanting a different room, and happily assigned me to a new room on a different floor. 😊

I could go on and on…but you get the idea. Those clumsy moments we might have, or something that we can later laugh about can all become part of our stories. Even something that might seem unbelievable to others—yet really happened to us—can all find their way onto the pages of our stories. If you’re too embarrassed to admit an incident really happened, no worries. You’re a writer, so folks will just think you made it up. 😉

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. Proverbs 15:13

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After being deceived by her beau the previous year, library worker Sadie Perkins feels she’s meant to remain single and serve as a missionary to orphans in Africa. Her plan is to return home to Riverview after a year, and open an orphanage in a lovely house she’s admired since childhood. She didn’t plan on losing her heart to someone who intends to demolish the house.Widower Shaun O’Leary of Savannah yearns to make his father proud, and hopes to accomplish that by overseeing a hotel project in the town of Riverview. But first he must have a house demolished before hotel construction can begin. After meeting lovely Sadie Perkins in Riverview, he’s puzzled why she seems upset when he mentions his plans. He’s also saddened that she’s leaving for Africa soon, because he’s fallen in love with her. As Sadie prepares to board a ship, she finally has peace and realizes what she should do, yet still feels sad that the house she loves is to be demolished. When Shaun suddenly has an idea to save the house Sadie loves, he rushes to the Savannah port to tell her, but the ship has sailed. When things seem hopeless, can dreams still come true?

Patti Jo Moore is a former kindergarten teacher who now writes full-time. Her “Sweet, Southern Stories” feature characters who face realistic struggles and challenging situations but always have a happily-ever-after ending.

Patti Jo loves Jesus, her family, cats, and coffee. When not writing, she loves spending time with her family—especially her precious grandbaby. She enjoys connecting with readers and can be found on Facebook at Author Patti Jo Moore. You can also visit her blog at http://catmomscorner.blogspot.com

She has three contemporary stories and one historical, all with Forget-Me-Not Romances


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My Favorite Places to People Watch by Keely Brooke Keith

One of a writer’s best tools is the art of people watching. Here are some of my favorite places to people watch:

Airports

Songwriter John Mayer nailed this one in his song Wheel: “Airports see it all the time where someone’s last goodbye blends in with someone’s sigh cause someone’s coming home.” Airports are a parade of human experience. It’s in the pastor praying over departing missionaries, the businesswoman stomping toward her gate and the rhythm of her suitcase wheels rolling behind her on the tile floor, and the soldier’s welcome home kiss with his wife who is holding their newborn.

Malls

Not quite as dramatic in emotional depth, but bubbling with frustration, chaos, and teen angst, a shopping mall is a like a catalog of human features. The faces range from the overwhelmed mommy who brought the double stroller but neither of her toddlers will stay in it, to the Botoxed suburbanite dashing from Macy’s to Banana Republic, to the senior citizens in arch-supporting sneakers power walking their daily laps.

Churches

A tour of several church denominations is necessary for the full scope of church people watching. Every church has its own culture and feel, but I’ve noticed some commonalities in the sanctuary pre-service. Watch the pastor’s wife, flustered as she wrangles her four children into the second pew from the front, suddenly straighten her posture and broaden her smile when the congregants start to arrive. Watch the early birds who sit in their routine seats, sigh with contentment, and absorb the peace. Watch the middle-aged man who slips into the room halfway through the service, perches on the edge of the back pew, and drops his face into his hands.

If you’re a writer, go people watching for inspiration. If you’re a reader, download my new book Uncharted Journey, and see if you enjoy how my hobby of people watching enlivens my writing.

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Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely Brooke Keith was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving 80s kid. She grew up in a family who moved often, which fueled her dreams of faraway lands. When she isn’t writing, Keely enjoys teaching home school lessons and playing bass guitar. Keely, her husband, and their daughter live on a hilltop south of Nashville, Tennessee.

Uncharted Journey

Young widow Eva Vestal assumes loneliness is God’s permanent plan for her life. She keeps busy by raising her son and co-managing the Inn at Falls Creek with her elderly father, but her heart yearns for more.

Solomon “Solo” Cotter has spent his life working with horses, but he secretly wants to write a book of the children’s stories his grandfather told him as a boy. He barters with Eva’s father for a 40-night stay at the inn, a needed respite from work to get his stories on paper.

Once Eva discovers the barter, she believes Solo is taking advantage of her father’s failing memory. But when tragedy strikes and Solo works hard to save the inn, Eva sees his true nature. As her heart stirs with feelings for Solo, she wrestles with the guilt of loving someone new.

Meanwhile, outside the Land...

Bailey Colburn arrives at the coordinates of the Land on the autumn equinox and finds nothing but ocean. The sun sets, ending Bailey’s dream of a safe and simple life with the family she’s never known. Just when she decides Justin Mercer lied about visiting a hidden land in the South Atlantic Ocean and meeting Bailey’s distant relatives, the atmosphere around the boat changes and ushers her into an uncharted world, but her entrance into the Land comes at a devastating price.

Book Links:

Signed paperback copies available here.

Uncharted Journey is available on Amazon.

Add Uncharted Journey to your Goodreads shelf here.