The Wings Saga

I was reclining on a lounge chair on a hot July afternoon aboard the MSC cruise ship “The Divinia”, when I first formulated the initial ideas for this two-part literary journey. What prompted these thoughts? The answer is: several unconnected ideas all at once. I happened to be sailing on that voyage with my high school-aged daughter and her friend, and in spending so many delightful days with them, I came to appreciate, even further, the fun, treacherous, challenging, and often life-changing years of the high school teenager. Combine that with the pressures of pro-sports, the heartbreak of betrayal, and the search to connect authentically with just one person . . . and I had a story!

I took that foundation, pulled out a few sheets of paper from a dollar store notebook I had with me, and started to write. As I sipped on a pina colada and reclined comfortably by the pool, the character of Johnny Royal began to materialize on the paper.

Fun facts about the saga:

• As described above, the character of Johnny Royal was actually the first one I wrote, writing the airport scene at the beginning of book one first. For the most part, I wrote the story in sequence, only breaking from this about halfway through to go ahead and write the end in book two, which I already had in mind.

• I loved all three of the major characters in this story, and worked hard, even through their strife and doubts, to give them a “voice” as well as a compelling backstory. I served as a teacher and principal for much of my career before becoming a professor, so Molly was an especially fun character for me to explore. I love elementary kids, and I enjoyed getting to “watch” her character grow up, right before my eyes.

• The various secondary characters I wrote were all meant to represent different elements of trust within all of our lives, and the people who, for one reason or another, we view differently in terms of trust. One of these characters-Steven Kirk, Music teacher-represented the people we hesitate to trust, only to find that we hesitated for too long and missed an opportunity for a special bond or connection. Willow’s principal-Mr. Watts-represents another group in our lives . . . those we trust implicitly and immediately, due to either their position, their personality, or what we perceive as their inherent quality traits.

• I dropped the names of lots of my friends in this two-part series, and had a blast doing it! Pat Nanney, Bob and Pam Keith, Peggy Bryant . . . my buddy, Dave Murray-who I named Johnny’s agent after, and many more.

• My editor’s favorite part of the book? The dance scene with Johnny and Willow (Book Two). My editor’s nicest compliment as she read my work on this saga? She really liked the use of the “Sports blog” to carry the story forth and to update us on the “football” side of things.

• Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are beautiful places to visit, and I tried my best to work some of my favorite businesses and experiences into this story. Riverwatch Restaurant is wonderful (I’ve eaten there many times); Bubba’s General Store is a blast to visit (and yes, they have the featured coffee of the day, just as experienced by Johnny Royal); La Strada (so good!); Rumbling Bald Resort (love that place!); Hickory Nut Falls (you can also see the falls from Chimney Rock Village); the Dirty Dancing Festival (iconic!); and many more! I hope the readers who are familiar with this area of the state will conduct their own “walking tour” of the places that made up Johnny and Willow’s story.

• The “dance” scene in Book Two was a little challenging for me to write, as I've never tried Latin dance my entire life. So, I did a little research, and tried my best to get the description right. Here’s a video that I referenced several times while writing that chapter. While, in my mind, Willow and Johnny would not have been nearly as good at the bachata as these two dancers, I do imagine our two lead characters at least giving it a try, and probably coming pretty close! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2HYinKDtr8.