Writers must reach inside our gut and pull out that compelling jumble of passion and fling it upon the page in a way that inspires, horrifies or entertains. I confess that I have specific goals in mind with my casting forth of story. Not only do I wish to create delightfully amusing characters for y'all to adore but I also seriously want to stir up a passion within my readers for those things about which I care deeply, namely, racial equality, family and friendship. And that's just a start. I truly hope to birth a hunger or at least an interest in knowing God. I could add to my passion list History in general, American History specifically, New Orleans History, and horse riding, not necessarily in that order.
The main thing that has developed with the Cast Away Stones series, both the first book and the second, which I've just completed, is that the lives of these three diverse women are really very similar although they are racially, socially and economically different. Those differences pale in comparison to their similarities. They relate to the people in their lives virtually the same, their mothers and fathers, in their relationships with men, and in their hopes or fears of having children. There's one huge lesson that I learned growing up moving around as an Air Force brat. It was something my dad used to say. "People are the same no matter where we live. In every culture, people love and care for their children." So I learned that there is really much more to unite us than to separate us. I hope to illustrate this in my books and through the lives of my beloved characters Catarine, Daria, and Bessie.
Let's all aim to find the similarities in the folks we meet. Who knows, these might just be the foundation of a new and lasting friendship?