There’s So Much More to The Story

 

As authors we pour blood sweat and tears into every page of our stories in the hopes that our readers fall in love with our characters and want to follow us along on the journey. What you, as readers, see is the results of months if not years of outlining the story, creating character profiles for each of our protagonists, researching the perfect setting that fits the storyline, digging into the mind of the bad guy to see what makes him tick, and writing and rewriting more times than we care to admit.

When the finished work is done, most of the time, it doesn’t look anything like what it did in our minds.

But did you know many times there are hidden gems inside a story that are personal for the author? Little glimpses into our lives even.  

For instance, most of my heroes are patterned after my husband, Monte. He’s strong and courageous. Kind and giving. And my best friend. Jonas Knowles from Deadly Mountain represents all those things.  

The setting for the book is the Tobacco Root Mountains of Montana. As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of the mountains. And have been ever since I visited them for the first time over twenty years ago when my hubby and I vacationed in Red River, NM and loved it. Since then, most of our trips have been centered around the mountains.  

It’s one of the reasons why I love the TV series, Mountain Men. And thanks to Mountain Men, I found the perfect setting for Deadly Mountain Escape.

One of the show’s cast lives in the Tobacco Root Mountains of Montana. When I heard the name of the mountain chain, I knew I had to write a story that takes place there one day. And so, the beginning of Deadly Mountain Escape was born. At least the setting for it. The story itself came a little later.

In the book, there’s a K-9 search and rescue dog who is the partner of Deputy Charlotte Walker. When I created Annie, I used a dog from my past as the role model. While Callie is no longer with us, she is the embodiment of the fictional Annie. Loving. Loyal. Fiercely protective. And tough as nails.

Callie was definitely the alpha dog of our two dogs. Tyson, our sweet Boxer knew his place and respected Callie’s authority. Callie’s loyalty wasn’t just limited to my husband and myself. There were several times when she was forced to come to Tyson’s aide to get him out of a pickle. So, in a way, she was his hero, too. 

Although Annie is a bluetick coonhound and Callie was a Boxer/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, when I think about Annie, it’s Callie I see and miss.

As authors, the characters we create and the stories they live in become part of us because they are us.

When you read Deadly Mountain Escape, I hope you remember these little tidbits of my life that are hidden inside its pages, and I hope they make you smile. And maybe make the story a bit more special because of it.

Have you ever fallen in love with a location you visited and thought “that would make the perfect setting for a book?”, or have you read about a setting and wanted to visit it because of how well the author portrayed it?

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Deadly Mountain Escape. Be sure to include your email address. I’ll announce the winner soon.  

Until next time, blessings and happy reading dear friends. . .

 

Mary

www.maryalford.net.