When You Get Lost Walking down Memory Lane

Have you heard? It’s here. Available. And on Kindle Unlimited, even!

Back in the first quarter of the year, I got a message from Lynnette Bonner inviting me into a collection with six other authors. I, of course, jumped at the chance. Writing a Christmas “noella”? Of COURSE!

So, to celebrate the release of Wonderland Wishe s, I have a series of blog posts by or about our collection members. For the next few weeks, you’ll get one every Wednesday. I’m calling them “Wonderland Wednesdays.” First up (random drawing of order)… Jan Cline, author of Finding Christmas and You. She shares how she came up with the novella and offers a poignant reminder to treasure our memories!

Don’t Forget!

Who in their lifetime hasn’t struggled to remember something? No matter what age or gender, we all draw a blank once in a while. It can be blamed on many things; stress, being too busy, nervousness, or illness. Whatever the cause, it can be the source of humor, embarrassment, and/or frustration. I find that the older I get, the more forgetful episodes I have.

I’ve misplaced car keys, hats, forgotten where I laid my sunglasses (on a daily basis there), spaced on appointments, and certainly forgot my share of birthdays. It’s to be expected for a grandma, right?

But there are those who suffer from more than just simple forgetfulness. I never really thought much about that until I started writing Finding Christmas and You for the recently released Christmas Ebook set Wonderland Wishes.

My novella is based on a very short story I wrote once about a young lady with amnesia, and how it hurts her relationship with a fiancé she has forgotten. The more I wrote, the more I became aware of how terrible amnesia must be.

For those who have this condition, for any reason, life is more than difficult. To live day by day, wondering who you are, your likes and dislikes, trying to remember faces, names, and events seems like a curse of the worst kind. I cannot fathom the depth of discouragement that would be a constant companion for someone with no past.

Jolene Miller, my main character, has amnesia caused by a car accident.

She is under the care of a counselor but struggles to remember enough to put together her fractured life, let alone plan for a future. When you stop to think about how much time you spend dwelling on your past, or planning your future, it brings home the lost self that is left when something like this happens to a person.

My character must press through the unknown to find truth and peace, regardless of whether or not she regains her memory. (not telling you that!) This story made me think about how I should treasure my own memories, and how precious it is to know where I came from. Some, like Jolene, don’t have that blessing.

I hope you will read my story, along with all the others in this awesome set of books. Each one has been written with Christmas and love in mind. [clickToTweet tweet=”Although wishes don’t always come true, we must live in the spirit of hope through all seasons of life.” quote=”And although wishes don’t always come true, we must live in the spirit of hope through all the seasons of life.”]