May 26, 2011

A Moving Story: Chapter 1, “A Moving Premonition?”

Working at the Computer Long before the idea of making another move even entered our minds, it was time to start on a new book manuscript.

And of course, every time I invent new characters and settings, I have to name them--first names, last names, pet names, towns, streets, businesses . . .

So I’d gotten to a place in the story where I needed a particularly fitting name. After trying out several, I finally selected one that was especially meaningful both to me personally and in the context of the story.

Then, several months after I had completely finished writing the book, we learned our sixth grandchild was on the way. That’s when the idea of moving began to take shape, and our daughter immediately started snooping on Realtor.com for listings we might be interested in. We tried to tell her it was entirely too early--we hadn’t even put our house on the market yet, much less were in a position to seriously house-hunt--but she persisted.

And one of the very first listings she sent us was on a street with THE EXACT SAME NAME I HAD INVENTED TO USE IN MY BOOK MANUSCRIPT!

(Sorry, for privacy reasons I’m not being any more specific than that. If you know the details, please DO NOT mention them in your comments!)

The pictures and description of the house appealed in so many ways--size, location, amenities, price. But what were the odds it wouldn’t be snapped up long before we were ready to buy? Sadly, we couldn’t even allow ourselves to hope.

That’s enough for today. Tune in next time for Chapter 3, “The Big Decision.”

May 26, 2011 2:52:09 PM | All in the Family, The Writing Life

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A Moving Story: Prologue It’s been a long time since I blogged, but I promise you, this time I REALLY have a legitimate excuse. You see, since early this year we have been up to our eyeballs into the process of moving. Again. Yes, though we thoroughly (well, mostly--not counting the icy/snowy winters) enjoyed our five years as Oklahomans, we decided we’d really like to live much closer to at least half of our children and grandchildren. And when our younger daughter announced late last summer that she was expecting another baby, that seemed like the perfect rationale for diving in to yet another major move. So over the next several posts I’ll be telling the story of how this move came about--all the ups and downs and ins and outs, major and minor miracles along the way, the whole shebang. But in short chapters so I don’t overwhelm you. Because I am already overwhelmed myself! And it isn’t over yet! In the next installment, Chapter 1: "A Moving Premonition?"
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A Moving Story: Chapter 2, “The Big Decision” Has it been nearly a month already since my last installment??? Oops. My excuse is simply that we’ve been deep into the business of moving these past few weeks. We’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have much work ahead. In the meantime, back to our saga. So we talked it over, prayed a lot, and finally committed to making this move. We contacted the Realtor who’d originally sold us our house, agreed upon an asking price, and signed the listing papers. That was in late August 2010. The following weekend we had our first showing. When the couple returned for a second look, our hopes skyrocketed. We were told that the couple enjoyed watching wildlife and especially liked the fact that even though our home was in the suburbs, the backyard looked out over a forested greenbelt. Then, as if on cue, a coyote appeared at the very moment they were gazing out the back window. “Did you stage that?” the man asked our Realtor. Only a couple of hours later, the Realtor phoned to say he expected to bring us an offer that evening. Ecstatic beyond belief, we went out to dinner to celebrate. But the offer didn’t come. New to the area and concerned about making a decision too quickly, the couple opted to rent rather than purchase a home for the time being. The home sale roller-coaster ride had just begun. Next time: Chapter 3, “Stuff and More Stuff”

Myra

Award-winning inspirational romance & women's fiction novelist.

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