Monday, June 4, 2018

The Inspiration Behind Award Winning Historical Romance


It is interesting to know the inspiration behind the book that authors write. Some authors are inspired by an event in their lives or by something they’ve read in a newspaper. Others have dreams that motivate a new story. In my case, it was personal. I had a heartrending experience that I never forgot. This experience was the inspiration for my award winning romance novel, Melinda and the Wild West.

I was a substitute teacher for an elementary school and had subbed for this one class before, but this day was different. This day something was definitely wrong and I was not sure what it was. As I moved toward the back of the room, I noticed a desk that was hidden behind a bookshelf. I peered around the corner and saw an eight-year-old girl resting her head against her arms. I was surprised. Why was this student separated from the rest of the children? Why was she hidden behind this bookshelf… alone?

One of the students volunteered, “She has to sit there because she’s a trouble-maker. She doesn’t do her schoolwork and fights with the boys at recess.”

She was a slender and pretty young girl. After excusing the children for recess, I talked to her. It took quite a while to soften her angry eyes and her rebellious attitude. So I decided to compliment her. I told her how pretty her dress was and how nice her hair was fixed. After a time, I had the young girl smiling. I didn’t like where she was seated, so I moved her desk beside my own where she could be near me and I could help her. When the students entered class and noticed what I had done, they complained but I set them straight. Since I was in charge that day, her desk would remain by mine.

As the day wore on, I spent much time with this young girl, helping her, talking to her, having her pass out papers to the students. I even sat beside her during a music class. By the end of the day, I had grown to love this young student and my heart went out to her. She had been bullied by her peers and misunderstood by her teacher. As a result, the teacher had labeled her as a troublemaker in front of the students. At the end of the day, I was supposed to write a note about the young girl’s behavior so she could give it to her parents. After the class was empty, I packed up and walked out the door.

To my surprise, the mother of the young girl walked up to me with the note and asked, “Did you write this?” After acknowledging that I had, the young mother’s eyes welled up with tears as she said, “Her teacher has never written anything positive about my daughter. I want to thank you very much. This means a lot to me.”

A teacher’s job is a difficult one and I know it. I appreciate what teachers do to educate our youth, but many times we make mistakes and have to remind ourselves to apologize when we say something unkind. Children tend to forgive so easily.

This experience affected me quite a bit and I never forgot it. I remember when my own eight year old daughter was labeled as a troublemaker, simply because she was an active child. Angela’s teacher didn’t know how to cope with a lively child and had given her a negative label. This broke my heart. I realized that my daughter’s self-esteem was being hurt.

The following year, Angela’s new teacher was an elderly woman who understood my little girl. She realized my daughter had a tough time sitting still, so she allowed her to stand at her desk as she did her work. Because of the love of a teacher, my daughter wanted to try harder. This sweet elderly teacher helped to boost my little girl’s self-esteem.

Why do teachers have to give negative labels to children? It tears them down and degrades them in front of their peers. My husband told me about a young classmate of his, whom the teacher called “dummy” whenever he did something without thinking. The students soon picked up on it and the boy lived with this label until he left school. How would he have turned out if the teacher had labeled him something positive? What if he was labeled as “one who can create with his hands” or “one who is kind to others?”
I soon realized that negative labeling was something that had been going on for years. A few months later, I sat down and wrote this historical romance, Melinda and the Wild West: A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho. This story is about a teacher who helps a rebellious student, but it’s a rugged rancher who challenges Melinda with the one thing for which she was least prepared—love.

“Melinda and the Wild West: A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho” can be purchased through local and online bookstores and Audible audiobooks. For more information, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

 
LEARN HOW TO GET A FREE AUDIO BOOK FROM AUDIBLE! Receive this audiobook free if you join audible.com. Membership includes two free audiobooks and you can choose from 150,000+ titles. Go to Linda Weaver Clarke’s Audible Page and find the book you’re interested in and sign up for some free audiobooks. My Audible Page: https://www.audible.com/author/Linda-Weaver-Clarke/B004P47EWO

 


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