Write what you know.
The above advice is attributed to Mark Twain. At least he may have been the first person to actually write it down when someone asked him how to become a writer. It could be that someone once told him the same thing when he was a young writer. He followed that advice and wrote about the river that he loved and based some of his characters on people he knew. Of course, he used his imagination to add to those real-life experiences and came up with fictional stories.
At any rate, when I was bouncing along on that rocky road and writing and not finding any editors or publishers who loved my writing enough to put my stories in a book, I went back to that basic advice.
But what did I know? I knew country living because I was a farm girl. I knew small towns because I did my shopping in one. I knew small country churches because I was a member of one of them. I knew the 1960s because I lived through them.
With all that in mind, I had a starting point. My setting was going to be based on my own little hometown and my country church. I borrowed a little from the background of our preacher back then who had a daily job along with preaching. His first wife had left him and that made it difficult for him to find a preaching position in the Sixties because he was divorced. I often do a “what if” page when I’m trying to come up with an idea for a new book. My first “what if” question for this story was “What if I have a young girl, daughter of a preacher, whose mother deserted her when she was five?”
Everything else followed after that. Wes, the grandfather/uncle type in the story, was one of those surprise characters who just showed up. Well, he actually fell out of a spaceship from Jupiter as he was passing over Hollyhill and ended up working for Jocie’s father. At least, that’s what he’s always told Jocie. Then I added an Aunt Love who tried to keep Jocie in line by quoting Scripture at her. I started the story by letting Jocie want a dog more than anything. When I was a girl, I wanted a dog more than anything. That made a good launching place for my story and worked out to be a great way to introduce other characters through the problems the dog caused.
The story has a scene where lilacs are important. At least the scent of lilacs do. When I got all the words down, that was the title I decided on. The Smell of Lilacs. Later, I realized scent not smell had a much better sound and the title became Scent of Lilacs. While I wrote the story, I added it to my prayers. I kept thinking about that old spiritual “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayers. Not my sister, not my brother, but me, O Lord.” Those words might not be exactly right, but that’s how I remembered them as I prayed for my story. It was me as a writer, me as a storyteller, my story that I was throwing upward toward heaven in need of prayer.
While I hadn’t written the story necessarily for the inspirational market, it did have a preacher as a character. It did have all those Bible verses Aunt Love quoted for Jocie. It did have a church and a congregation. It did have Bible stories. It did have Jocie continually trying to get Wes to come to church. At any rate, when my agent got it, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the story. She liked it, but she didn’t think she personally knew any editors that were looking for a story like mine.
So, she did what I might have done and went searching for an editor of a Christian publishing house and picked Revell Books, almost by random. Or maybe not so random. Maybe those prayers I had offered so fervently had something to do with it since she sent it off to Lonnie Hull DuPont whose favorite flower just happened to be lilacs. She just happened to be sitting with her mother who was ill. She just happened to love my story. First trip out for that story just happened to find the perfect place for it.
I’d like to say here that the book became a bestseller, but no. Perhaps a modest seller for an author new to the inspirational fiction world. Whatever, I was happy to hold that book in my hand, still with the title I had given it, The Scent of Lilacs. (Later The was dropped from the title.) I was happy to sign contracts. I was happy to have the go ahead to write two more Hollyhill books. I was happy when people told me they had read and loved my story.
I liked writing about Jocie and her family and friends. It was fun writing from 13-year-old and then 14-year-old Jocie’s viewpoint, but I also wrote from her father’s viewpoint and from Aunt Love’s. In the follow-up books I added some other viewpoint characters – Wes, Jocie’s sister Tabitha, Leigh , Zella, Cassidy, Myra, and maybe others I’m not remembering. I do love getting inside my characters’ heads and letting them live the story through my fingers on the keyboard.
The Lord had abundantly answered my prayers for that story, and later after it went out of print and I had published more stories, the publishers agreed to re-issue the books with new covers. Another major blessing made possible by my wonderful editor going to bat for me. The book cover with the bicycle was the first cover. The new covers had Jocie featured on them instead of her bike.
I had written about a setting I knew. I had written about a time I knew. But the story was fiction as those characters came to life and lived in my head for a couple of years while I wrote the Heart of Hollyhill books. After Scent of Lilacs, I wrote Orchard of Hope and Summer of Joy.
“Writers who are intimately familiar with their subject produce more knowing, confident and, as a result, stronger results.” ~Ben Yagoda
You’ll never guess what happens next. Well, maybe you will or maybe you won’t have to because I’ll tell you in my next post.
This is your last chance to enter this book giveaway. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here on this post. If you’ve been reading my other Writing Journey posts and left comments on them, leaving another comment here gets you another entry, giving you an extra chance to win. I’ll pick two winners who will have their choice of one of my autographed books. Deadline to enter is midnight EST August 23, 2025. I’ll contact the winners, picked by random drawing, by email. To enter, you must be 18 or older.
Have you read my Hollyhill books? If so, who was one of your favorite characters and why? Or if you haven’t read these stories, would you like to?
Comments 28
I think The Scent of Lilacs was the very first of yours that I read, and I was hooked! It’s been a long time since I read it, so I need to go back and re-read the whole series.
Author
So glad you liked Jocie’s story enough to keep giving my other books a try. It is sometimes fun to reread a book that you enjoyed. Thanks for enjoying my Hollyhill books enough to consider reading them again, Margaret.
Author
Una, bn100, Lisa Dawn – I hope you’ll pick up my Hollyhill books someday and visit the folks in that little town. In spite of Jocie always saying that nothing ever happened in Hollyhill, they had a pretty eventful year from one June to the next in 1964.
Connie and Diana – I hope you are able to grab some copies somewhere to give the stories a read. Or you might win a copy here.
Not yet. They are on my TBR
haven’t read them
I haven’t read them but I would like to.
I’ve not read any of your Hollyhill books, but I would like to one day.
I am currently reading Scent of Lilacs. Wonderful so far.
Author
So glad you are enjoying getting to know Jocie and her family and friends in Hollyhill, Deborah. I had such a great time writing that story and do feel as though the Lord helped me make those characters spring to life on the page.
I haven’t read the books yet.
I have read several of your books. Next one I plan to read is Love Comes Home, because I want to know what happened in Rosey Corner after world war 11.
Author
I hope you will enjoy the story of the sisters after the war< Mary. Some good. Some not so good, but isn't that the way it is in every family? I did love writing the coming home scene between Jay and Kate and the celebration of the end of the war. I can imagine the tremendous excitement in the streets and how everyone was so happy that the boys were coming home.
No, I haven’t read your Holly Hill books. In fact, I don’t ever remember seeing them on Amazon. I’ll have to check on that.
Author
I hope you will check on them, Susan. Those characters were some of my favorites, but then most all my characters are favorites in my memory. But Jocie was a fun character to get to know.
Reading your writing story has been most enjoyable. I have read almost all of your books, Anne. My sister first shared Angel Sister with me. That got me hooked. It has been a while sine I read the Hollyhill books. I have enjoyed all of your books, blog posts, etc.
Author
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words, GB. You can’t know how much it means to me to know that you’ve read my books and have enjoyed walking my story roads with my characters. And thank your sister, too, for sharing Angel Sister with you. Angel Sister has touched many readers, and I loved sharing the Merritt sisters story.
I’m glad you’ve liked my writing journey posts. I think maybe two more will get most of the story told. I’ve always been wordy. Well, at least after I got over being shy when I was a kid.
I absolutely love Heart of Hollyhill book series, but it’s hard to pick a favorite character.
Author
I’m so glad you enjoyed getting to know Jocie and her family and friends in Hollyhill, Wilma. That has me smiling. And it’s not a bad thing to have several favorite characters in a series of books. In fact, it’s a good thing. Thank you for reading my stories.
Love your books and enjoyed learning about your writing journey . Perseverance pays off !!
Author
Most writers have to have that perseverance since very few of us hit the mountaintop without putting in some years of work and even those that do may have a hard time staying on that high plain. I love writing in the inspirational market where I can let me characters show their faith in action.
Some of my favorites! I wanted the series to continue. So many great characters and too hard to choose a favorite.
Author
I used to think about how it would be fun to go back to Hollyhill and catch up with Jocie as she gets older and maybe finds her place in life and a special fellow to love. If only I could write faster to write all these stories I wish I could write.
God is so good! The “just happened to” times in a believers life add up to Him causing wonderful things to happen. I truly believe there’s no such thing as a coincidence. Especially to those who belong to the Lord! Thank you for sharing your writing journey with us, Ann. It’s been a testimony to encourage others.
Author
Coincidences are often God arranged, Judi. And it’s good when we can see the blessings in them. Those just happened to times were good for me with these stories, for sure. I’m glad you are enjoying reading about my writing journey. If they are encouraging to others, then that makes me smile.
Our book club has read several of your books . We’ve had freat discussions. Yes I am interested in reading these books.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Author
How neat to hear from you, Nora. I always enjoyed the times when we talked books in the past, and I’m thrilled that you chose some of my books for your book club. I love book clubs. I hope if you get a chance to read my Hollyhill books you will enjoy the stories.
I have read your Hollyhill books, they were the first books I read of yours! I loved them. Jocie is my favorite character. She is so feisty and funny.
Author
Jocie did have some feistiness and I’m glad you thought she was funny, Kris. I always hope I can write some smiles into my stories. It was a while after I wrote those stories before I stopped hearing her and West Jupiter talking in my head. 🙂