G.A.S.P. !! Did you ever get up in the middle of the night because of:

• a bad dream
• a strange visual
• or your spouse wanting something? (wink)

Well, that’s what happened to me with G.A.S.P. ’s main story line, only the story kept nudging and pushing me like a pesky kid needing attention all night AND all day. So, I kept writing scenes and ideas down, because I felt compelled to remember them … haunted by them really … and hadn’t a clue yet as to why!

Meanwhile, you’ve heard the saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher will come,” right (or some similar version)? ( http://fakebuddhaquotes.com/when-the-student-is-ready-the-teacher-will-appear/ ) At the same time the nightmares, dreams, and daydreaming were taking up my mental bandwidth, I was grappling with my life’s purpose P.C. (Post-Children). Raising children and starting a business with my husband has been extremely time-consuming, so it’s no surprise that it took me years to figure out my life’s next chapters. (Thank the Universe for my coaches and friends!) With my background in journalism, it was time to embrace my writing and to include people in it, thus empowering them with words through stories. When I finally woke up, this story started to make sense and wouldn’t leave me alone! In fact, the entire trilogy is about transitions, control and love. But what inspired me specifically about this trilogy?

Real life! Writers tend to write:

• what interests them
• what they know
• or about events and/or experiences that have touched them.

All events, plots, and twists, in this trilogy are fictional; so are all the characters, who are compilations of any two to five people I actually know! The very realistic dialogue came from conversations I’ve been privy to, overheard, had, or imagined that these characters would have had. G.A.S.P. ’s characters allowed me to share their self-talk (or internal thinking), so readers witness and are drawn into their personal conflicts as they questioned themselves and their life choices.

We all do this daily, but we rarely speak openly of our own needs and internal storms, which usually erupt when forced through trauma … often when it’s too late. Can you relate to this? “Who can’t?” You ask yourself. I know for many years I struggled with how to be there for my family as mom/wife, yet simultaneously needed as new business owner/partner/operator. Still, I was a human being (not a human doing) first. Tricky on many levels.

With all of that being said, we, humans, must learn to own our choices. I finally did when I embraced writing things other than business letters and high school sports’ updates. I hope you enjoy the evolution of this fascinating journey of writing with me.