Maybe We Can Find Home Again. Each book I write is a conversation with myself. I do not recognize what those conversations are about immediately. I had published four books in my Riverton Road series before I knew those me-chats were about going home. Or, not going home.

The First Title Should Have Told Me. A Wrong Way Home is Kara’s story. Her dilemma should have told me. Can Kara go home again? Riverton had birthed and nurtured, or failed to nurture, her? Riverton is a replica of the town where I was born and raised.

Kara’s Dilemma was My Dilemma. Could I go home again? Once upon a time I did just that. I went back home. I found Jonathan there. We found home in each other. That was fifty-four years ago this month. Wherever Jonathan is I am home. Wherever I am Jonathan is home.

My Dilemma Became Our Dilemma. Hometown worked for us until it did not. Could we find home elsewhere? We decided to seek that answer. We began to wander. This journey is the latest leg of that wandering. Grandma and Grandpa Go West. Maybe We Can Find Home Again.

Our Dilemma is Widespread These Days. Many of us have wandered into Dislocation Land. Or been sent here by circumstance. Many of us long with fractured hearts for something our memory venues call Home. We say we have moved on but maintain a grip on a corner of our back-there past.

Our Dilemma May Mean Heartache. The past is a problematic place. Our hearts revisit anyway. Like to a sore tooth you cannot stop flicking with your tongue. Maybe to find out if the pain is still there. Or, to remind ourselves of the intense experiences we left behind.

Consider the High School Reunion. We shop long and hard for attractive outfits to wear. We restyle our hair. We struggle to lose weight. Unfinished business resides back there. Battlefields not conquered the first time around. We long for more satisfying endings to those chapters. Maybe We Can Find Home Again.

We Warn Ourselves to Stay Away. “There be dragons!” We do not listen. We tempt fate anyway. We are the cats whom curiosity might kill. We risk waking the sleeping tiger anyway. We yank the tail of that jungle cousin who may dangerously outmatch the curious kitten in us.

The Pacific Northwest is Problematic for Jonathan and Me. We made our home there once. Five acres we lost and mourned. Unfinished business remains. Battlefields that caused deep heart injuries. Memories like open wounds. Personal trauma as fierce as those dragons and jungle cats.

You May Have Your Own Similar Stories. Tell your stories – if only to yourself.

• A Moment of Need. What does Home mean to you? What does Home feel like to you? Was there ever a time in your life when you did not feel at home? Where were you then? What was missing for you in that place? What did not satisfy you in those circumstances? Make a Writing Journal. Tell these stories there.
• Choice amidst Possible Risk. Were there foreseeable dangers in leaving the place that did not satisfy you? Could equally or nearly as unfavorable circumstances be the result? How might that danger impact your loved ones? How much did this influence you?
• Doing It Anyway. Was there ever a time when you disregarded whatever warnings there might be and made the risky move anyway? Where did you go? What happened? If you have never done such a thing, imagine doing so. What happens and how does it feel?

Lesson Learned – If you never take a risk you may never achieve your dreams.

The Pacific Northwest is Beloved for Jonathan and Me. We made our home there once. A perfect yellow house. Wonderful friends. Warm community. Memories that make us smile. We turn our journey there again. Grandma and grandpa go West. Maybe We Can Find Home Again.

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur. AliceOrr  https://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Read Alice’s Memoir. Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. At the beating heart of this moving story a woman fights to survive. All her life she has taken care of herself. Now she faces an adversary too formidable to battle alone. Available HERE.

Praise for Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. “I was lifted. I highly recommend this book as a can’t-put-down roadmap for anyone.” “Very, very well written. Alice Orr is an amazing author.” “Honest, funny, and consoling.” “I have read other books by Ms. Orr and am glad I haven’t missed this one.” “Couldn’t put it down.”

Thrill Yourself with Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love, death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Follow Alice on Substack. https://aliceorr.substack.com/

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know about telling your own real-life stories? Ask your questions as a Comment following this post.

https://bsky.app/profile/aliceorr.bsky.social/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/