That’s the motto for my books. Do you like it? I never felt comfortable categorizing them as romances. Although they all have a central romance, they are more about family and home. Unfortunately, there’s no category like that.
This is how I picture Hannah’s table for Hollis’ first chicken dinner in her tidied-up kitchen. The mismatched dishes and piecemeal silverware reflect Hannah’s treasures from bring-and-buy and rummage sales in depression-era Santa Barbara. The actual treasures are a combination of my own, vintage possessions supplemented by a few antique mall finds. The silver belonged to my Grammie Rankin. The flowered plate—and yes, it is chipped—came from my Aunt Frances. It usually hangs in my sewing room, high enough that the chip isn’t apparent. The little unmarked green and white vintage vase came from The Treasure Trove in Roseville, California.
I get a lot of motivation from period-appropriate items. I’ve spent endless hours on Pinterest checking out everything from vintage photos to restaurant ads. You can see the inspiration for some of Hannah’s clothes on my 1932 board. Access my Pinterest boards with the link below. I’ve inserted the archetype for Hannah’s red bathing suit. If you’re interested in samples of Dock’s ode to the female body, search for Ziegfield pinup girls on Pinterest. Though tame by today’s standards, you’ll better understand why young Hannah was so appalled.
I love to listen to music from the era of my books. I have a 1932 playlist on my iPod. What great music! I hope my references make the reader stop and think about those words and melodies as they read along. If they’re too young to remember, maybe they’ll be curious enough to look them up on the net.
History books, vintage magazines and old newspapers help me set the stage for my novels. I may not be an expert but enveloping myself in the era of my books enables me to develop scenes I hope are entertaining and accurate.
My characters become very dear to me. The quirky ones are fun to imagine. My main characters are like friends. I hate to let them go when I finish their tale. Hollis and Hannah have been set free to live in other peoples’ imaginations. It’s strange for me to think someone could be reading their story right now.
Like Hannah, I’m a practical person. I have no expectation of wealth or fame resulting from my writing. My real goal is to entertain my readers, however many of those I manage to attract.
You know you’re an unknown author when you put your book title in the Amazon search box and it asks if you’ve made a mistake. When I put Jean Jegel in the search box, it asked if I was looking for Jean Kegel. I don’t know who Jean Kegel is but I’m pretty sure she’s sold more than ten books. So, if you’ve read my book or enjoy my blog, please pass the word along. I’d appreciate it.