The
Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event brightened up what otherwise has been a
pretty dark, dismal spring season here in our corner of the world. Horrible
floods, relentless rain, and cold days have delayed the usual joyful spring
days. Through all this crazy weather, the tulips bloomed, the flowering
trees are boasting that spring is here by showing off their gowns of abundant
of color, filling the air with their sweet fragrances, and the grass is practically
neon green because of the rain. Spring is pretty stubborn about getting through
the tough times and then celebrating with a lavish display of splendor.
Thank
you to my guest authors who added joy into the spring season with their stories
of inspiration. Readers, if you have a minute, click through the past weeks and visit
their guest posts to discover who or what inspired them to write. We have diverse
genres represented by these talented authors. I encourage you to look up their
books and add them to your TBR.
| MARCH | |
| 6 | Heather Fraser Brainerd |
| 13 | Janie Franz |
| 20 | Roseanne Dowell |
| 27 | Miss Mae |
| APRIL | |
| 10 | Gail Roughton |
| 17 | EASTER |
| 24 | Conda Douglas |
| MAY | |
| 1 | Helena Fairfax |
| 8 | Katie Carroll |
| 15 | Susan Bernhardt |
# # # #
My Grandmother, Maw by J.Q. Rose
Beulah
Lee, yes, that’s my mother’s mother, was a schoolteacher. She loved reading and
especially loved reading her Bible. She’s the one who pointed out many verses
to me and directed me to the Lord’s
Prayer in Matthew 6.
Maw,
as she was called by our family, was an intelligent woman who was stubborn as
could be. Yes, somewhat like our spring this year. When she made up her mind to
do something, she did it and there was no stopping her. She and my father
locked horns quite a few times.
She
wasn’t exactly a warm, cuddly, mushy kind of grandma who made cookies for every
visit. But she did love to sew and made several doll outfits for my beloved
Ricky Jr doll on her foot pedal sewing machine.
We
had a special connection and not just because we loved to shop. (When her
social security check came in, she cashed it into small bills and stuffed it in
her wallet. She delighted in showing me the stack of cash she had for us to go
shopping.)
We
both were readers. Her reading probably spurred my love of reading which in
turn developed my desire to write stories for others to read. I began writing
little stories when I was in second grade and developed a writer’s bump on my
middle finger from writing constantly. (Anyone else get that bump?)
By
seventh grade I decided to tackle writing my first novel. The story line was
about a horse and a girl due to my love of the book, Black Beauty. I wrote the entire book on lined yellow tablet paper
and showed it to Maw. Taking those awful scribbles of sentences and typing them
into a manuscript became her major project.
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| Courtesy of thaikrit at freedigitalphotos.com |
Her
blue eyes sparkled with excitement when she handed me the typed pages. I almost
cried. I was overcome with the idea she had “published” my book for me. I was thankful
for her taking the time to work on this manuscript. She got a kick out of my reaction, but she
also loved the story and encouraged me to write more stories for more people to
enjoy. From that day forward, I knew I wanted to tell stories and have them
published so I could share them with readers.
I
wish Maw were here now to be a part of this writing experience. Somehow I think
she is with me with her blue eyes sparkling with pride.
# # # #
Who influenced you to become a writer? a reader?
Thank you all for coming to visit the Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event. I am giving away a short story to a lucky commenter. Just leave a comment and I will send the winner of the drawing a pdf copy of the typewritten story. (Reminds me of Maw and her typing away on her old typewriter. She would be amazed at these keyboards and laptops, wouldn't she?)
17 comments:
I was a bit of a surprise to my family. Nobody else would ever think to write novels. It was other authors who influenced me. Marilyn French and Margaret Lawrence come to mind.
What a beautiful story, Janet! It sounds like Maw was quite the lady. And yes, I'm sure she's watching over you, her eyes sparkling with pride.
And thank you for hosting this event. It was a wonderful way celebrate spring!
Truly loved reading this, Janet. It was so warm and so personable. And yes, I carried that bump on my finger for many, many, many years!! (before I bought a typewriter - anyone remember typewriters??? :) )
Thanks for sharing this, and for sharing about Maw. :)
What a great story, JQ. How proud your grandma must have been of you and your writing - and how proud she would be today!
Thanks so much for running your Seeds of Inspiration season. I've really enjoyed reading all of them!
Loved your story, JQ, and know your grandma would be proud that you shared it wth us.
I wish I had known at a young age that I wanted to be a writer. But then, things have a way of happening just the way they're supposed to.
Hi Joylene, you must have writing genes somewhere in your background because you were given a special talent for telling stories. I know my love of reading certainly spurred me on to write my own stories.
Hi Joylene, you must have writing genes somewhere in your background because you were given a special talent for telling stories. I know my love of reading certainly spurred me on to write my own stories.
Thank you Heather and thanks so much for sharing your seeds of inspiration with us.
Miss Mae--Aha a fellow writing bump writer. Sometimes very painful. So glad I don't need to rely on pencil and paper anymore for recording my stories! Thanks for stopping by.
Sweet story. It must be nice to be inspired by a family member to pursue your dream. Maw sounds like a wonderful grandmother.
Thank you, Helena, Thanks for taking part in this spring event. I've enjoyed reading the stories too. They were all different and special.
Hi Leona, when did you get the writing bug? Yes, I was very young and excited to share the stories with friends and family to see them enjoy the tall tales. (At least they told me they liked them! LOL)
Hi Narva, yes Maw was a huge influence in my life. Thank you stopping in.
Sorry, Marva, I couldn't get the comment back to edit it. Typo on your name.
What a great post. How wonderful to have someone so special in your life to encourage and support you.
Yes, Roseanne, I'm sure you are that someone for all your kids and grands.
Congratulations, Leona! You won the short story, Hello Again. Enjoy...
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