Writers love to experience “ah-ha!” moments when the spark of a story idea

strikes. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes we have to seek out the

beginning.

We’ve all heard the authors who claim a whole book or a series came in a

dream. I remember nothing of my dreams. The creative process is unique to

each of us as we are created differently. And each project for me works in

its own way. I have yet to write a whole first draft from the heart,

without editing a thing from my head.

My idea for the heroine, Dahlia Delisi, began with a picture from a

magazine of this exotic, mysterious looking woman who immediately brought

to mind The Black Dahlia of Hollywood fame. At some point, I must have

listened to a song or two with the word blue and that evolved into the

title, A Blessed Blue Christmas.

I have a file of resources that consists of names, occupations, story

ideas, newspaper articles, and a few pictures. My process begins at

different places but ends up with a bit of a routine now. First, I created

a goals list, a timeline, and then went to work brainstorming. Characters

come first, and I consult a list of names I’ve already compiled or I

search for new ones. I had yet to choose a U.S. Marshal as my hero’s

occupation, so Sloan Letheby and his past with Dahlia came into being

first.

Along the way, I came up with a scene involving a weird farm accident. I

called my brother to ask if he had any ideas along those lines. He had to

think about it and called me back. It had to be a God-thing when his idea

was the same as mine. But I’m not going to give away that accident here.

This past summer I read a wonderful book on creativity by Brenda Ueland,

If You Want to Write. If my math is correct, she wrote the book at age 46

and the Preface to the second addition at age 91. She lists 12 pointers

near the end of the book for why we should do them. “Because the best way

to know the truth or beauty is to try to express it.”

***

A Blessed Blue Christmas

Dahlia Delisi has poured her life into her store, The Blue Dahlia.  Once

her faith was strong, and her life was on a different course.  But when

Sloan Letheby left town, Dahlia drifted away from God.

Sloan Letheby has been transformed. His brush with death brought new

meaning to his faith in God, and he needs to right old wrongs.  However,

there’s a murder plot in the way of his reunion with Dahlia. Can he find

a killer before it’s too late?  And can Dahlia accept him…and God, back

into her life?

$2.99 on December 1