There's a lot of me in 'Ella's Rain'

I’m often asked how much of what I write comes from personal experience. I don’t think you can be an author and not have what you are be a part of what you create. 

I was recently editing my book “Ella’s Rain,” due out early next year. At the end of the book are 365 letters Grandma wrote to Ella before she died. Grandma instructs her best friend, Maddie, who becomes Ella’s guardian upon her death, to give Ella a new note every day. 

When I wrote the notes, I thought about my sons and what I’d want them to know if I wasn’t able to grow old with them. I also thought about my sister, Wendy, and her husband, Brad, and all of my friends who have passed away and the children they left behind. What would they want their children to know? 

What I discovered while writing the notes is that many of them were born out of actual conversations I’ve had with my sons over the years. When I completed them, I felt not only good about the guidance Grandma had provided Ella, but also a sense of pride in the legacy I’m leaving behind.

Here are some of those notes. 

Believe in yourself: Sometimes it’s hard to believe in yourself. That little monster called Doubt taps you on the shoulder and makes you question if you really have what it takes. Shoo that beast away. You must believe in yourself, even if no one else believes in you. Too many dreams are lost because a person gave up too soon.

Meet Will Moran

When I started writing my newest middle grade, “Will, Middle Name Trouble,” I had already spent lots of time with my character. He had been in my head for awhile, keeping me awake at night or tagging along when I went for my daily run. 

I knew that Will was naughty but that he was also good. He acted out a lot in school because it made kids laugh and he got some attention, something he didn’t get at home. At home, he had to watch his 4-year-old twin sisters at night while his mom cleaned office buildings to pay the bills. His dad had fallen in love with the bottle and took off when Will was 6 and the twins were newborns.