I never got to climb the tree in the yard of my childhood home.
Sure, the neighborhood had other trees, and as the sort of adventurous gal
labeled a tomboy back then, I climbed a whole forest of them. What felt like
one, anyhow, though we lived in the Great Plains, so it was more like
climbing the same dozen trees a hundred times.
But the one in our yard was too small to climb. Maple, I think. It was, after
all, a long time ago. We planted the sapling when we moved in, planning to
stay forever, and we moved away before its branches grew strong enough to
hold a childβs weight.
The magic of Google Street View, though, can show me that house and its tree.
Weβve both aged almost thirty years since the days when I knew them. Now the
tree is tall and thick, with a spreading canopy and what must be deep roots.
When I look across the miles and years, I hope the family living in the house
today has a child who likes to climb trees.
A yearning like that is what launches a book series. Homesickness is a
powerful motivator; it provides a starting hook on which to hang new ideas. I
can peg each of the stories I want to tell to a specific time or place in my
life, and that knowledge helps ground me with real locations and real
emotions even as Iβm reaching into the unexplored branches above to follow
where the characters lead.
The
Neighborly Affection series is set in Boston, a reflection of the
time I spent there in grad school. The
Gentleman series, starting with the standalone book
HER
SHIRTLESS GENTLEMAN, comes from an earlier emotional tug β growing up in
the Midwest.
The hero, Rob, is a bachelor who longs for a family. Heβs a former farmboy, a
former airman, a current successful civilian β and a single man living in a
too-big house on a too-big property with a porch uncluttered by muddy shoes
and a backyard without a swing set. The lone tree in his yard is ready for a
tree house.
The heroine, Eleanora, is fresh out of a disastrous first marriage and
swaying in the breeze with no sense of where to go. Sheβs not sure who she is
or what she wants anymore, but sheβs digging in to discover and reclaim the
buried parts of herself. With Robβs tender nurturing, sheβll grow steady and
true.
Inspiration really is everywhere. Itβs not a matter of finding it; itβs a
matter of training yourself to see it and accepting it when it shows up. The
ideas are branching out all around you in an enormous canopy, drawing
nutrients from your roots.
Writing isnβt about climbing the tree. Writing is about being the tree.
M.Q. Barber likes to get lost in thought. She writes things down so
she can find herself again.
Often found staring off into space or frantically scratching words on sticky
notes, M.Q. lives with one very tolerant, easily amused husband and one very
tolerant, easily amused puppy.
She has a soft spot for romances that explore the inner workings of the heart
and mind alongside all that steamy physical exertion. She loves memorable
characters, witty banter, and heartfelt emotion in any genre.
The former Midwestern gal is the author of the Neighborly Affection
contemporary romance series. Pick a safeword, grab a partner or two, and jump
in.
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Her heart is in his handsβ¦
After her marriage ends in betrayal, Eleanora Howard finds herself struggling
to navigate the dating scene as a thirty-one-year-old divorcee. But feeling
undesirable and living alone in the house she once shared with her ex is
hardly the recipe for finding new loveβuntil she meets Rob. Heβs just the
kind of charming, old-fashioned guy she needsβbut heβs also eager for
intimacyβ¦
After serving in the Air Force and getting a well-paid civilian career, Rob
Vanderhoff planned to settle down with the right woman and raise a family.
But at thirty-six, heβs still single and searchingβuntil he meets Eleanora.
Sheβs everything he wants. All he has to do is draw her out of her shell.
Soon heβs taking her on high school-style dates, fanning the flames of her
desireβand helping Nora re-discover the sexy, adventurous woman they both
know she really isβ¦
I really enjoyed reading your posting today, on many levels. I began by going down memory lane. As a little girl, I, too, was a tomgirl, and loved to climb trees - especially the cherry tree in our backyard, so I could eat the sweet cherries as I climbed!! The only drawback was the orange streaks the bark would leave on my pants and shirt, which would set my Mother off into the ballistic zone!! lol In reflection, I can't say that I don't blame her, and don't even remember if those stains ever came out of my clothes. I moved on to play with the boys my age down the street, and we went on to climb larger trees which were obviously higher, and more of a challenge. I loved your sentence about being the tree, and will have to remember it!! I'm also taken with your latest book, and have put it on my TBR list. I can't wait to pick it up and read it!! You have a stunning cover for your book, and I Thank You for leaving the heads on the characters for your book!! So many Authors are leaving their characters off nowadays, and I think it takes something away from their story. They just want to show the guys' six-pack, or some other thing, and I'd rather see the entire character. Congratulations on your latest book, and Thank You for my walk down memory lane!!
(Peggy Roberson 9:15am August 5, 2015)
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