Sara and Brigid

Kelley on north shore of Iona

I'm writing a novel.  (Feels good to say that.) I've always written, but never considered writing fiction until now.  The idea came into my head and the ideas and words started flowing.  It appears you should never count anything out where God's plan is concerned. 

I've written and been published in the past, but never EVER with fiction.  It's all been with devotional writing and also food writing and photography.  I thought I would eventually publish a cookbook.  I had some strong leads with my cookbook a while back, but they didn't follow all the way through. 

Rejection is the worst part of writing because your words are like your babies.  You carry the words around with you, birth them onto  paper or computer screen and then deliver them to publishers.  Then the publishers can and most likely will reject your precious baby words.  It's heart breaking and so personal.  The publishing industry estimates approximately 90 rejections per acceptance.  Not.good.odds. And yet, I more forward. 

In my novel, the main character's name is Sara.  Why Sarah? I always wanted to name a girl baby Sara, but we never had a baby girl.  Also, one of my dear Iona sister friends is named Sara.  Since the book is set on Iona, Sara seemed a natural fit for her name. 

The secondary character, who recently died and was best friends with Sara, is named Brigid.  Brigid is loosely based on me and Sara is loosely based on Angie.  In this fictional world, Brigid (the Kelley-ish character) died instead of Sara (the Angie-ish character).  Sara, an elementary school teacher, is recently divorced and has 3 grown children.  While the story about Sara and Brigid is not a story of Angie and Kelley, the characters have some of our personality quirks and share the experience of grief.  It's proving to be interesting and therapeutic to consider how Angie might have moved forward in life without me instead of the way it really is. 

Dalhousie Castle, Bonnyrigg, Scotland

This will be a story about deep love, crushing grief and spiritual renewal.  There is a paranormal twist in the book because Sara will eventually cross paths with a 15th century nun named Anastasia.  Ana Ramsey is based on a vision in my head about a girl who could have lived at Dalhousie Castle in Bonnyrigg, Scotland, just south of Edinburgh.  Dalhousie is my family's ancestral castle, complete with the family coat of arms carved in the stones above the door.  In my story, Ana is also facing a mountain of grief and  recently moved to and made her vocation known at the nunnery on Iona. 

Here is an interesting historical fact. Anastasia Ramsey is also the name of a real nun who served and died at the monastery I am an oblate with, Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, AL.  The real Anastasia also edited a hymnal while at Sacred Heart. 

I'm mixing fact with fiction, grief and love, heart break with recovery.  God leads the way through it all. 

Iona Nunnery ruins