“Hey, what are you doing in _______?” The first time Kim asked me this question it was 2010. My husband was deployed so, even though it was for a retreat with real authors and I was only a couple months into thinking about thinking about pursuing this whole author thing, I said yes.
That first yes led to many, many more. Our latest was the Grand Canyon. I drove to Montana, then Kim drove us both from there to Arizona. We have so much fun together, long drives go by quickly as we chatter, brainstorm, and solve all the world’s problems.
If only people would listen to us!
This trip will stand out to me for several reasons. First, it was the trip where I stopped biting my nails. After fifty-six+ years, I had long given up on that particular habit. COVID was only peeking through the door when we went, but with sanitizers and signs to wash hands in all the shops and hotels, I started picturing little viruses under my nails. It got me to stop biting long enough for Kim to slap nail strips on me and that changed everything. Second, we were having lunch at the El Tovar Restaurant when Kayla asked if I’d come for wedding dress shopping. See this post for more on that. Third–and probably most importantly–it gave us a chance to talk through how we planned to handle the in-law thing. We plan to still be friends after our kids have their first fight.
Whenever I tell the story of how I became an author, it starts with Kim teaching me how to write for publication. A major part of that is how important it is to get your research right. Kim’s a stickler about that and made me one, too. A big part of that is visiting the place you’re writing about, not only because it helps you visualize your setting but because sometimes you find treasures. Let me tell you, she found several which are going to give her series that extra something special readers will love. What fun to join her on this research trip where all I had to do was take pictures and ask questions without any need to keep copious notes like Kim did.
Oh–and I was forced to eat delicious food while enjoying a spectacular view. Yeah. Life as Kim’s “research assistant” is rough sometimes.