Hometown Inspiration

There's no place like home ... There's no place like home ... Dorothy's words ring out across the generations. Whether you've watched the movie or not, you've probably said it yourself a time or two. So far this month there have been lots of great posts on the topic with lots of a variety, too. Everything from poetry, thoughts on the 'prodigal', musings after a trip, and even a discussion relating the topic to episodes of Star Trek. (As a former 'Trekkie' I always look forward to 'Lightwalker's View')

Now that it's my turn, I'm a bit stumped, however. What can I say that hasn't already been said? I've been on lots of vacations where I've breathed that sigh of, "It's good to be home!" upon walking into my own front door. I've got a few examples of the 'prodigal' that I could share (including myself ...) And I really don't feel up to a review, writing poetry, or anything as clever as yesterdays' post by Chris Vonada.

So instead, I'm going to share a bit from a book I've written called Wind Over Marshdale. The inspiration for this book came from my own hometown of Mossbank, Saskatchewan, which is why I thought it might fit in here. Mossbank is a very small but close knit community in the heart of the Canadian prairies, and naturally, since I lived there for the first eighteen years of my life, I still feel a close connection to the town and surrounding landscape. I still have family who live there, and I usually visit once a year since my father lives close by. As a side note, my book is actually about the evil lurking beneath the seemingly pleasant surface of the town. My fictional town of Marshdale resembles Mossbank on the surface, but rest assured that most of the other 'trouble' - including the spiritual warfare that goes on - is totally fictional!

Here is a short synopsis:

Wind Over Marshdale

Marshdale. Just a small farming community where nothing special happens.  A perfect place to start over… or get lost. There is definitely more to this prairie town than meets the eye. Once the meeting place of aboriginal tribes for miles around, some say the land itself was cursed because of the people’s sin. But its history goes farther back than even indigenous oral history can trace. There are those who believe the original inhabitants crossed over the land bridge connecting the old world to the new after Noah’s flood - and there is still a direct descendant who has been handed the truth, like it or not. Exactly what ties does the land have to the medicine of the ancients? Is it cursed, or is it all superstition?

Wind Over Marshdale is the story of the struggles within a small prairie town when hidden evil and ancient medicine resurface. Caught in the crossfire, new teacher Rachel Bosworth finds herself in love with two men at once. First, there is Thomas Lone Wolf, a Cree man whose blood lines run back to the days of ancient medicine but who has chosen to live as a Christian and faces prejudice from every side as he tries to expose the truth; then there is Con McKinley, local farmer who has to face some demons of his own. Add to the mix a wayward minister seeking anonymity in the obscurity of the town; eccentric twin sisters – one heavily involved in the occult and the other a fundamentalist Christian; and a host of other ‘characters’ whose lives weave together unexpectedly for the final climax. This suspenseful story is one of human frailty - prejudice, cowardice, jealousy, and greed – magnified by powerful spiritual forces that have remained hidden for centuries, only to be broken in triumph by God’s grace.

I recently pitched this book to several agents, and I'm happy to say I have just signed a contract with Steve Hutson of Word Wise Media Hopefully, this means the book will soon find a publishing home and then you can read 'the rest of the story'.  Until then, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into another one of my imaginary meanderings. (The image is a painting I did as a potential cover. I always feel inspired to paint a cover, but I haven't used any yet, preferring to use something more professional, I still have fun, though.)