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In the top floor of the barn outside is a box with pages and pages of notes and research. There’s a manuscript too, the rough draft and the final draft. I’ve been saving them for all these years but I don’t really know why. Maybe one of my children or grandchildren might want to look at it and thumb through the pages and wonder how grandma could write this and why? Or maybe I am one of “those people” who just can’t throw stuff away. I don’t know why; but it’s there, over ten years after I published my book. To me it’s a reminder of everything I went through for twelve years to reach the end result; a novel I titled Smokey Mountain Mist. 

I was a stay at home mother of five, two girls and three boys. When they all were finally in school I could steal a little time for myself. I’d grab a snack and a cup of water and retreat to jot down a few notes or add a little to the actual story. I spent a lot of time silently reminiscing about my childhood vacations to the Smokey Mountains and non-routinely kept journals. Finally I had an idea to make my memories into a story. Anytime I could get on the computer to enter a thought I did.  Many days and weeks and even months went by between times I would write but it stayed on my mind. 

One Christmas Day my children, at the time most were grown up, gave me a new computer to write on. It was so good to have my family supporting my desire to write and believe in me. That gave me the boost I needed and the affirmation I longed for. Still it was roughly eight years before I would finally finish Smokey Mountain Mist. 

I was about half way finished writing my story and one day I decided to go down to the Bogue Chitto river just South of McComb, Mississippi and rent a little cabin to write. It wasn’t too far from home but just far enough to be alone. I had never done anything like that by myself before and my heart raced as I stuck the key in the doorknob and turned it to enter. As I stepped in I saw how plain and simple the design was and thought how it was just perfect for what I needed for a weekend all alone to write with no distractions.

On the trip down I stopped to pick up some supplies to sustain me for a couple of days, milk, bread, cereal, some fruit, sandwich stuff and of course chips and pickles. I’ve never drank coffee but at the time I drank Pepsi and Mt Dew so of course I brought a cooler packed with those. To the left was a counter with a small microwave on top and beside it was a mini-fridge. On the right was a picnic table with a bench on each side. The next thing was the bed on the left side and at the end of the bed I stepped into the bathroom where there was a sink with a small shelf above it to place a toothbrush and paste or whatever you might need there. The shower was on one side and the toilet was on the other. That’s it! Everything I needed. Oh, there was a small A/C unit in the wall over the bed and one window beside the door. 

I quickly went to my car and started unloading it. I couldn’t wait to get started. I knew there was a river nearby and there were probably kayakers and folks in canoes down at the river but I had an agenda and precious little time to accomplish my goal of finishing my book. I had to get busy. Once I had everything inside I set up my computer, got comfortable, and got started. There was no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision to go there because when it was time for me to go home I had written one-hundred and fifty pages of the most exciting part of the book. It just flowed as if I was there in the middle of the train ride…oh I better not say any more so I won’t give it away. 

The story has a mixture of mystery, suspense, emotion, danger, healing and a touch of romance (just a touch).

After all these years I’ve started reading my personal copy of my book, my very own first novel. I don’t know, I just thought it would be a good read. It may take me another twelve years to write it but I’ve begun the sequel to Smokey Mountain Mist. So far it promises to be packed full of adventure, mystery and suspense. I hope you will get a chance to read the first book and get geared up to read the sequel, which doesn’t have a name yet but I’ll be sure to share it as soon as I can. Until then, happy reading friends! 

Blog by Kelly Morea-3/06/20