Thank you so much for inviting me to be here with ONE SEASON OF SUNSHINE today.
I am very proud of this book, because I had to write it under some unusual circumstances. For starters, we had a sudden death in the family. Then, the deadline was moved up for some very good reasons, but still, it moved closer, and that’s enough stress for anyone. But then came the kicker…the resident three year-old started asking why.
I ask you all, is there a greater trial on earth? Does anyone really know why there are clouds? I suppose we all know why we have a car, but must one explain it every morning? Or why we eat cereal? Why is lellow his favorite color? How about why are there compluters? And why do I, in particular, have to use a compluter every day? Why do I write? Why do I laugh? And my favorite: Why are my boobs on my stomach? I told him it was because I was lucky. So now, depending on what I wear, he asks if I am lucky (yes, kiddo, I am a very lucky woman).
And then came the whats. He points to the little thingie that keeps your door handle from putting a hole in the wall. What is that? That, I explain, is a door thingie. He never wants to know what obvious things are, like a refrigerator or a dog. He wants to know the what about all the things I don’t know. I find myself making up answers, hoping that he will forget it and not remember that I flat out lied to him. “That,” I say, looking at the open metal box with all the wires and plugs at the end of our street, “is what makes our TVs work.” You know what he says in response, I know you do. “Why?”
There was a time when he was younger that I could actually work with him in the room. I had to keep my eye on him, but I did not have to actually explain my boobs, and I could keep my mind on my work. Now, I find my brain physically tries to divide itself. One half for him, one half for my work.
What made his questioning even more special is that in writing ONE SEASON OF SUNSHINE, I was writing about a woman who takes a job as a nanny for two children who have lost their mother to a car accident. The kids are not exactly welcoming to her, and I could imagine how difficult that would be. Jane turned out to be a better person than me. If it were me, I think it would be easy to care for the kids, but hard to really love them. Jane loved them. She loved them so much she could imagine herself as part of their lives…until devastating secrets emerged that threatened to destroy her search of her own identity as well her relationship with the children. You’ll have to read the book to know what the secrets are ;-).
Thank you so much for having me here today. I hope you enjoy ONE SEASON OF SUNSHINE. If you want to know WHY about me, I invite you to visit my website, http://www.julialondon.com. Thank you so much for having me here today!
Check out Mandie's Review of One Season of Sunshine
Share This
3 comments:
What a awesome guest post. When I started out reading, I thinking, oh know he comes the tears. I have experience the loss of my mother, as a young girl, and the loss of my daughter 4 years ago, so I am no stranger to the topic. But then wham, the why do your boobs touch your stomach and I was crying for sure...in laughter. Oh my, the perils of motherhood in the endless question of why, how, what and who.
Like I said earlier, great guest post. The book sounds great. Wonder what those secrets are. Hmmm!
I am a definite fan of Julia London. I still have my copies of Highlander in Love & Disguise.
Found through Mommy Bloggers. Please follow back!
Tomica
www.truthfulspeaking.blogspot.com
www.joyofgivingbirth.com
www.facebook.com/fortheloveofbooks
www.facebook.com/joyofbirth
When you're facing a death in the family there's comfort to be found being around small children. And I also met a 2-year-old who peppered me the "Why?" word. Now he's three and moved on to other words.
Post a Comment