You are on a walk through a dark enchanted forest with one companion. Who do you take with you? My brother, Scott. Somehow this suburban kid became an expert hiker and woods decipherer (is that a word?). I have the worst sense of direction so I'd probably wind up in the woods FOREVER. One of the greatest things I've learned in life is that you should surround yourself with people who have talents you lack.
In the forest you come to a large stone tower with no door and one window near the top. You hear beautiful singing coming from the window, and as you approach the singing stops and a long braid of hair is lowered to you. A little girl asks you to come up, but when you get there, you discover an old witch instead! Convince her to let you go.
I think I would talk with her and get to know her. My guess is she's lonely, as many older, more isolated people are and she just needs a little TLC and maybe someone to listen to her for a little while. Maybe I'd ask her about her childhood. I truly believe that inside every old witch is a little girl who wants to be loved.
Luckily for you, she is partial to authors and lets you go. Now, back in the forest a dwarf runs out from behind a tree and grabs the only copy of your WIP right out of your bag! Its impossible to catch him but he will let you go if you tell him something unusual about yourself. What do you tell him?
I can touch my nose with my tongue. It's not something I need to do often, but if it works here, then I'm glad it's finally useful.
After escaping the dwarf unscathed you come to a pond where you find a frog sitting on a rock. The frog tells you that if you kiss him he will turn into whatever famous author you want, who will then read your book! Which author do you choose?
Harper Lee, author of my favorite book of all time-To Kill a Mockingbird.
What does he/she say about your book?
I would hope that she would admire the strength of Emmi, my main character in Change of Heart, who is waiting for a heart transplant. And she'd enjoy the fact that Emmi's brother is named Jeremy and nicknamed Jem, just like Scout's brother in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Your author friend promptly turns back into a frog, and it is time for you to go. Next you come into a clearing where there are two geese. The goose on the left will give you one story idea every month that will be guaranteed to get published. The goose on the right will give you one story idea that is so amazing that you will go down in history as one of the greatest writers of all time, but its brilliance won’t be recognized until after you’ve died. Which goose do you pick?
It's an interesting question, given my admiration for Harper Lee, who might have selected the goose on the right. But I think I'd prefer the goose on the left. I love to write and would prefer to be more prolific and continue to have the privilege of being published. Though I have to say--one story idea a month might get overwhelming!
Your adventure in the forest is finally over and you arrive at home. Who is waiting for you?
My husband and my kids. And my guess is that they're hungry and ready for dinner, so adventure over and back to real life!
Shari Maurer 's debut novel Change of Heart comes out April 23rd. Find out more about Shari at her website and pre-order Change of Heart at Amazon.com.
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