When Real Life Inspires Fiction by Linda Wood Rondeau

Today I welcome Linda Wood Rondeau to my blog. Linda is very graciously giving away one copy of her book Snow on Bald Mountain to one person who comments (USA only).  Please include contact information.  

 Writers are often asked where their ideas come from. For me, many times they germinate from my social work experience. Sometimes, as was the case of Miracle of Maple Street, ideas are birthed from personal experience.

Growing up, my cousin was like the sister I never had. We spent much time together. She’d visit my house and I’d visit hers. Some of our favorite memories were those spent at my grandparents’ home in Mexico, New York.

After college, I married and moved hundreds of miles away. My cousin married as well. We both found the demands of family and work kept us entrenched. Sadly, we drifted apart.  Fortunately, we reconnected nearly twenty years later. We vowed never to let so much time pass without seeing one another. Once, during a rare visit, we went to see the old house in Mexico. We walked around the yard and peeked in the windows. We jumped with joy when we spotted our grandmother’s old wood stove. And we marveled that the barn across the road still stood.

Whenever we’re together we reminisce about those wonderful years.

As I thought about how my cousin and I drifted apart, not because of an argument, but because of the busyness of life, I imagined what other circumstances might separate two women relatives who loved each other like sisters. And so, Miracle on Maple Street began to take shape.

ABOUT MIRACLE ON MAPLE STREET

“Christmas is a time for miracles,” Ryan McDougal tells his mother, when he is told that a long-lost cousin, Millie, has resurfaced after nearly forty years … the cousin whose picture his mother clasped the day his father abandoned him. Though they occurred decades apart, he always believed the two disappearances were connected like opposite links of a chain. With Millie’s arrival, perhaps he might finally receive the answers he so desperately sought. However, Ryan has a third thorn in his side, more devastating than any mystery. His wife, the love of his life, has left his arms and his bed. How long before she moves out of the house and takes his beloved son with her? He prays for his own Christmas miracle. Millie’s anticipated visit prompts Ryan’s mother to reveal secrets that bring all to light. However, when past and present collide, the truth is more than Ryan can bear.

Miracle on Maple Street was a 2017 finalist for Selah Award.

 About the Author

Award winning author, LINDA WOOD RONDEAU writes to demonstrate our worst past, surrendered to God becomes our best future. A veteran social worker, Linda now resides in Hagerstown, Maryland. Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com. Contact the author on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus and Goodreads.