After making a drastic move south I enjoyed the warm kisses from the sun more than most people can imagine. I recall spending our family’s first New Year’s Eve out on the lanai in summer attire playing games. That memory will always win over any cold snowy winters in the northeast. The warmth and humidity were the upside of our move, the downside being that my previous careers in music did not follow me here. We arrived in the middle of Covid and the format of many churches had evolved along with the countless other Covid changes. As I scoured the area for handbell or choral directing positions nothing seemed to be the right fit for me. And let’s face it, I spent what felt like a decade still unpacking while the rest of the family went about their daily lives.
I started getting these jumbled stories in my head. Most of them were fiction romance ideas. Yes, I am that girl who is a sucker for a rom-com movie at any time. That is when I picked up a blank journal to use for writing. This book was not for my journaling but to outline ideas for these stories and contain the words bouncing around in my head. Occasionally I would have the time to sit and start writing these stories. Each time I put pen to paper, or rather fingers to keyboard, I thought about my story. The story that has taken so much of my life and put a grip on me. Sure, I had gone through countless therapy sessions but having the courage to write my story would be different. In my past I kept so many journals but I was afraid to tell my story there, the place I felt I could say anything. Now, with a pang in my gut it was time to write MY story.

Writing. It has always been a passion of mine hidden deep in my soul. In my late teens it dared to poke it’s head out, trying to get more words on the page and trying to read more books of all genres. That being inside me longing to write was pushed down and music took over. My fingers spent more time on the piano keyboard than on the computer keyboard.
I still kept a journal. Always. I always had a journal to write in sometimes in the morning and sometimes at night. Keeping a journal was like talking to a best friend. I could write anything at any time, my journal would always be waiting for me with no judgements.
At this moment I have more words bouncing around in my head that need to come out, no longer in the form of a journal but now they are stories. My imagination is running wild every day. I am trying to keep up with it in the stories I weave. Thank you for your patience as you follow this journey of mine. And most of all, thank you for reading. (:
Do you write in a journal or somewhere else? Let me know in the comments.

In terms of the book cover, I cannot take much credit. This goes to the talented staff at GeeMorgan publishing. The visual I had in my mind was something in the dark blues, which did follow through to what the cover looks like today. I had originally thought a sunken anchor might be an effective way to convey the themes of my book. A sunken anchor would be “Beneath the Surface.” When my sample cover designs came back, the cover as it is currently represented, caught my breath. It evoked a strong emotional response from me that I did not expect. My family happened to be visiting that weekend and I gave them each a vote and it was unanimous, and so “Beneath the Surface” had a cover.

The name of the book went through a few stages. My working title for a quite a long time was ‘Loveless.’ I felt the main character was missing the unconditional love that anyone and everyone deserves. Late one night as I was working it became clear to me that so much of what was being written was about a life hidden and tucked away. It was “Beneath the Surface” of what others saw in daily life. I changed that to my working title and it stuck.

I have been carrying a notebook with me everywhere I go for two years. When I think of topics to write about, I jot them down. When I first started writing it was all fiction. I have several unfinished pieces that will be re-visited at a later date. But as I was writing fiction I felt like the story of Annie Lynn needed to come out. At times it was difficult to write, as it may be difficult to read as well. But, I kept pushing through. When it first started it was more like a journal and publishing wasn’t on my radar. As I spent the last year writing I knew it should be published. It ended up being a very cathartic piece and I feel stronger and more empowered than I have in my entire life. It started as five pages, then ten and it kept growing until the book was finished. Please enjoy, and prepare yourself for my next novel.

I am sure many are wondering why I have begun writing. I have kept a journal for as long as I can remember. Over my schooling years I enjoyed any assignment that included writing a paper or essay. Many do not know that as a freshman in college I was very close to switching my major from Music Education and Piano Performance to English Literature. I loved the intensity of reading, researching and writing long papers my freshman English class provided me. In the end, I stuck with music and enjoyed 20+ years of teaching and directing. I never thought I would sway from music, but here I am. I am writing and thoroughly enjoying it.