I am thankful for all of the family assistance I had while writing my latest book – Piano Meadows by RG Bud Phelps.
First in the beginning planning stages for this new book I invited our three daughters; Bridget, Shauna, and Wendy to lunch. It seems that our family always were able to solve our problems or discuss our challenges over the dinner table. Anyway, we met for lunch and I told them about my plans for my newest challenge, a new book called Piano Meadows. I shared with them the fact that I was attempting to write a historical fiction covering three different Pioneer groups, two groups in the 1870’s and our family’s adventure living up in the mountains of Colorado in the 1970’s. I requested that each would make a list of all of their memories about living in Shiloh, an area in Conifer, Colorado. All three of them were excited about going back into their memory banks to create their separate lists.
We met for lunch about a week later and they brought their lists with them, each telling my wife Pat and I how fun it was to remember those times in the 1970’s. Bridget was 13, Shauna 11, and Wendy 9 when we first moved up there and their shared memories covered a three year period of time. The three lists had some obvious duplication’s but they certainly helped to spike my own memory banks and aided in making my story more complete. Pat suggested that they write a short story about some object or time from our adventures in Piano Meadows, and I promised to include them as part of my book. The stories were delightful, as you will see when you read Piano Meadows, and complimented the story line.
I was a fortunate father to have grown up with three daughters who were not afraid to talk over anything and everything at the dinner table. Sometimes I would raise my hand and say, girls I’m still here, when the subject matter became a bit too personal, but I survived and so did they. We have a very close family with three sons-in-law, four grandchildren, and two great grandsons. We will all be spending Thanksgiving together, I think the count is up to 21, and will be sharing all of the things the good Lord has blessed us with, including the precious memories that we continue to share…