AtoZ Challenge: F - Fiction

Let's compare... 

Mark Twain wrote fiction. I write fiction. We learned yesterday he used family and friends as models for his characters. I sketch my characters after my two teenage boys. (If you only knew! I seriously can't make this stuff up.) Twain grew up in Missouri. I grew up just across the border in Illinois.

Addicted to writing 

As an adult, I lived outside of Chicago for almost a decade. Hannibal is only about four hours from the Windy City. My contemporary mystery series is set in a small town in Illinois and involves a bank robbery, a few gallons of maple syrup, and a famous dead author. I'm putting it on hold as I finish up my newest project, an urban fantasy set in Chicago. And an idea came to me two days ago for another upper middle-grade novel: a murder mystery slash detective series. I think I'm addicted to writing.

Chicago is the setting for my new urban fantasy.

Photo hint...

Here's a photograph of the inspiration behind my new middle-grade urban fantasy:

The Field Museum

Have you ever been to Chicago? Do you read or write urban fantasy or sci-fi/fantasy? Do you ever watch movies or T.V. series in your genre as "research" for your writing?

AtoZ Challenge: E- An Eye for Detail

Many of Mark Twain's characters were written with specific people in mind. His childhood sweetheart Laura Hawkins became Becky Thatcher. (More on her in a later post.) He also fashioned the settings in his novels after the places he lived. St. Petersburg, MO, is the fictitious town in Tom Sawyer that is one hundred percent Hannibal. Mark Twain's eye for detail in his very hometown made him one of the greatest writers of all time.

When I do a little sightseeing downtown, people usually ask me where I'm from, because I'm always taking photos. Every time I go exploring, something new catches my eye.

(The "M" got cut off in this pic in the process from phone camera to page.)

Mark Twain Museum-side view

I can never get enough architecture: windows, doors, staircases, old buildings. My kids think I'm crazy. I even take photos when stopped at a red light or out of the window while I'm driving, which I highly do not recommend unless you're pretty good at it like I am.  

Yes, I took this one out the car window, but it's in the middle of nowhere.

Welcome to the back roads of Hannibal.

the famous hat for sale in every establishment

Do you ever write about your childhood or the people you grew up with or the experiences you've had as a kid or a teenager? I do--all the time.

AtoZ Challenge: D-FOR A DANGEROUS DESTINATION...

If you do get a chance to stop by this quaint town, you must visit the famous Mark Twain Cave. In Tom Sawyer, the characters, Tom and Becky, end up in the cave, lost, scared out of their minds and running from Injun Joe who was bent on silencing them--for good. If you haven't read this classic, stop, buy it now, read. It's available here in Hannibal at most EVERY location. Twain sure knew how to spin a story. Not only did he master humorous writing, he perfected suspense. He is my inspiration.

The cave is a balmy 52 degrees all year round. Some spots are as slim as a couple of feet, others are pretty wide. After the snaking twists and turns of the cave, you can see how easy it would be to get lost inside. It has been confirmed that after the infamous outlaw Jesse James robbed a train in St. Louis, he hung out in the cave for several weeks. His handwritten signature in one of the veins of the cave has been authenticated.

The entire hilly town of Hannibal rests on an intricate cave system. In 1967 three boys entered "Murphy's Cave" near Bear Creek about a mile from the Mark Twain Cave. When they never came home, the police were notified and it led to the largest underground search party in history. They were never found.

I loved to go exploring as a kid. I still do, but I take a phone, another person and supplies with me like diet coke. We hiked the train tracks, back roads, creeks. What was your favorite place to explore as a kid? One time we discovered a dead cat on the tracks and a hobo near our favorite creek.

AtoZ Challenge: C-Samuel Clemens

SAMUEL CLEMENS: 

William Faulkner referred to Samuel Clemens as "The Father of American  Literature." Sam's pen name "Mark Twain" was derived from his love for the Big River and his dream of becoming a steamship captain. Mark Twain literally means "two-fathoms" deep or twelve feet deep or "two marks." 

Sam's dad Judge John Clemens had a law office a few blocks from their home on Hill Street. It has since been moved to sit across the street from his boyhood home. His father bailed young Sam out on many occasions. I have boys. I can relate.

My favorite boyhood story happened to Sam when he was probably around ten or eleven. He stayed out past curfew, sneaked into his dad's office and spent the night. With the hopes of slipping back into his house undetected, he woke up early and woke up face to face with a dead man in his dad's office. He shot out of the opened window and swore to never break curfew again.

Tragedy struck the family when his dad came down with pneumonia in 1847 and died when Sam was only eleven years old.  

At the age of eighteen, Sam's dream came true. He became an apprentice to steamship Captain Horace E. Bixby. For the next two years of his life, he navigated the waters between St. Louis and New Orleans.

Sam's boyhood home and the infamous white-washed fence still stand as they did more than a century ago. Our town has enough festivals and parades to fill an entire calendar year, including a 4th of July celebration, which hosts a white-washing fence contest.

Sam's boyhood home. Notice the white picket fence. It does exist!

Have you fulfilled your childhood dream? Did you ever con anyone in to helping you do chores? My dream job was a toss up between an archaeologist, a detective or a writer.

A to Z Challenge: B is for Molly Brown

Did you know Hannibal is the birthplace of the Unsinkable Molly Brown? Her real name was Margaret "Maggie" Tobin. The feisty redhead was born in Hannibal on July 18, 1867. She left for Colorado when she was nineteen years old where she met and married J.J. Brown.

After leaving her daughter safely behind in England, Maggie boarded the Titanic on April 15, 1912. She was on her way back to Hannibal to visit her ill brother. Her fascinating rags-to-riches story is truly inspirational.

Rumor has it she met Mark Twain while waiting tables at The Park Hotel (has since burned down) in Hannibal. She was a great fan of his books. She dedicated the Tom and Huck statue at the foot of the lighthouse here in town. Her childhood home is only a five minute walk from Mark Twain's home.

Maggie "Molly" Brown's Birthplace

I grew up just across the Big River in a small town in Illinois. Do you miss your hometown? What was your nickname as a child? Mine was/is "little red" given to me by my dad.

AtoZ Challenge: A is for All Aboard & April's IWSG: Anxious

Are you ready to climb aboard this AtoZ Challenge with me? Let's explore America's Hometown together. The famous fiction writer Mark Twain was born in Florida, MO, on November 30, 1835. But around 1839, he moved to Hannibal, located on the Mississippi River two hours north of St. Louis. Seven years ago, I moved to this sleepy, little town. I'm a former fifth grade teacher turned writer. My two teenage boys give me plenty of material for writing middle-grade fiction.

If you come for a visit, be prepared to see the famous writer's name plastered on every establishment: the Mark Twain Hotel, the Mark Twain Dinette, the Mark Twain Cave, the Mark Twain Museum, the Mark Twain gas station, the Mark Twain bowling alley. You get the idea.















The billboard near the visitor's center reads, "Welcome to Hannibal - Write Your Own Story." So I did. My first upper middle-grade novel FREE RUNNER was published last year and won Honorable Mention in the 2014 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. I have written three more upper MG novels. Two are part of a contemporary mystery series set in the Midwest and the other one (my personal favorite) is an urban fantasy set in Chicago.

FEELING ANXIOUS:

Today, I bite my nails in anticipation of receiving feedback from my beta-readers and CPs. Without them, I'd be lost and my manuscript wouldn't be nearly as polished. Writing is a community effort. Don't be afraid to show your work to trusted writers and readers. And reciprocate whenever possible. Let's do this together!

AtoZ Theme Reveal: "America's Hometown-Hannibal, MO"

You might be wondering what makes Hannibal, Missouri "America's Hometown." Aren't all small towns nestled along the Mississippi River a piece of American history? What makes this place stand out from the rest? American novelist and humorist, Mark Twain, grew up in Hannibal. His boyhood home is only a stones throw from the Big River. My family has made this place our home for the past seven years.

We will explore Hannibal, Mark Twain's stomping grounds, where all of his real-life shenanigan's took place. You will also learn of a feisty female in history who was born just a half-mile from Mark Twain's home. We'll also talk fiction. After all, Mark Twain was one of the greatest fiction writers of all time. His humor and wit inspire me everyday as as I walk in his footsteps. Hope to see you on April 1st for a fun, photographic journey of Twain's town.

Downtown Hannibal, MO

Are you participating in the AtoZ Challenge? Have you ever visited Hannibal? What's your favorite small town? Thanks for stopping by!

PHOTOS: all photos are mine unless otherwise stated.