Inside a Writer's Mind 1

Do you ever wonder what tidbits of personal life writers put into their books? I have a book coming out in a couple of months called Death of an Old Miner's Ghost.

In it, the main character listens to a Louis L'Amour audiobook for the first time. It makes her think of her grandpa.

The inspiration from this small scene is from a recent experience in my life. My dad was a huge Louis L'Amour fan. Of course, I would never read an old man Western. Eww gross. Well, a few months back, my husband read me one. (Since getting married, he's read to me every night. We trade off who picks the book.) I was skeptical when he chose Hondo. Even the name sounded dumb. I was wrong. That man could write. I grew up in a desert. He painted pictures that could take me back home and to places I'd never been but felt I knew.

My biggest regret is waiting so long to discover Louis L'Amour's writing. I want to talk to my dad about it. Ask him about his favorite book. But I can't; he died in 2020. So once again, I find myself telling the empty air around me, "Dad, you were right again."

It does make me miss him like so many things do, but it also feels like I made another connection with him. Are any L'Amour fans out there? What should I read next?

So what haven't you done or tried because of a prejudice without anything to back it up? I challenge you to try something new. Let me know how it goes.

And if you're wondering if I counted the book on Goodreads, yes, yes, I did.