Back to Work!

For those of you who don’t know, I am a full-time schoolteacher in southern California. I had a wonderful six weeks off this summer, and in addition to taking a trip to do some research for my next book in Wyoming, I had an awesome time of rest a relaxation. I haven’t had that in a long while. Sadly, it has ended and I’m in my second full week of teaching. Yet, the school year has gone smoothly so far, and I’m not going to complain.

Needless to say, I haven’t been writing as much these past few weeks. What I have done, though, I’m very excited about. I feel as if outlining the details of the story have gone smoothly and easily. I’ve almost filled an entire notebook with my ideas so far, and I’m not quite finished with the story. So, let me tell you a little bit about it…

The story is set in Wyoming at the turn of the 1900s. A sheepherder by the name of Charlie Worland decides to open a stagecoach stop at the convergence of Fifteen Mile Creek and the Big Horn River. And so begins Camp Worland. A few years later, two families move into the area hoping to achieve their dreams by starting a farm. The Pence’s are a working-class family from the St. Louis, Missouri area, and they are hoping to finally achieve some financial success in sugar beet farming. Henry Pence has tried a variety of things to provide for his family over the years, but he has never had the success that he hoped he would attain. The Fleming’s are an affluent family from the Kansas City, Missouri area, and they are hoping to build a farming empire to broaden their financial successes. James Fleming has the Midas touch when it comes to almost any financial ventures. However, the rough frontier of Wyoming proves to be a challenge for both families, as they realize that they will have to work together if either of them is to be successful in their new adventure in this unforgiving land. Class no longer matters as the families realize that hard work, grit, and alliances will be the only things that will help them survive.

It’s been fun creating these characters, following this story, and relaying an important time in my childhood home’s history. I’m excited to share this story with you, and I encourage you all to be creative and write! Even if you don’t publish your work, write for the sake of creating! It’s amazing what you might discover about yourself. I believe that God has given us all a desire to create, whether it’s a story, a bookcase, a home, music, art, etc. All of us can create something. And I would love to see what you make.