So, people ask me (sometimes nervously) if they might end up in one of my books somewhere.
Meet Jeff & Lyndsay
Lyndsay was my college roommate and a bridesmaid in my wedding, and, well, I was named after her mom, so we go way back. We met Jeff our freshman year and quickly befriended the golfer extraordinaire. Jeff and Lyns tied the knot exactly two weeks after my husband and me. Like many, Lyns, of course, picked up a new last name -āRutherford.ā
I know most folks donāt typically keep up with their college friends, but thankfully my college buddies and I havenāt been the norm. I text or chat every couple weeks with these two and make an effort to see them once a quarter via football games, beach trips, birthdays, and any other excuse we can conjure up.
Okay, so something you should know about Jeff, is that besides being an excellent golfer, the guy can make a joke off nearly every word that comes out of someoneās mouth. This is one of the key reasons I keep him around. He tells jokes for my personal entertainment, and I show my appreciation (no matter how corny) by laughing at every single oneā¦though I have been known to have a delayed response at times.
These two found out about my book series long before most people. During one visit with them I was explaining the process for naming my characters and mentioned that I lacked a few names, the shopkeeper in particular. Jeff suddenly piped in, āHow about Old Man Rutherford?ā He was absolutely joking, but I knew right away the name was perfect.
Meet Miss Josephine and Miss Mary Katherine
Now I know itās not polite to ask a womanās age and worse still to reveal it, but I have to brag on these ladies. Miss Josephine is 95 and a half (Iām told you count the halves when you get to this age), and Miss Mary Katherine had a big 90th birthday bash late last year. Thanks to these ladies (and practice sessions with my father-in-love), Iām becoming quite the bridge player. These two set up the card table, spread out homemade desserts, and dish out lots of good advice during their once a week bridge club meeting.
Itās an amazing honor to play with these ladies, and our conversations range from friends passing away to friends having babies. We also take occasional jabs at one anotherās generation ā they canāt quite understand my blue hair, and I donāt see why itās a big deal that the church organ was recently locked up in a closet.
Youāll see soon enough that the North and South in Waiz have issues getting along. Old Waiz versus New Waiz could be translated into the traditional, older generations versus the progressive, younger generations.
There seems to be a wider and wider gap among generations in our society today. I take this to heart when I play with these special ladies, and Iād imagine our friendship will have an impact on the rest of the seriesā¦.