The blurb on the book cover: It is 1895, and Aimee Winters has been forced to leave her home in Tennessee for the wilderness of the Arizona Territory. Homeless following her mother’s death, she travels from Memphis to live with her father, a man she had believed to be dead. While teaching at the small school, she hopes to learn the truth of her past, but primitive living conditions, the reality and fear of many dangers, and Levi Raines, the handsome rancher who seems determined to make her go back East, make her question her decision. As she adapts to doing things “the Arizona way,” she discovers not only the secrets of her past but also the truth of her present.
The background: In 2013, my husband and I took my mother to meet up with my niece and her family and my brother in their vacation home in Strawberry, a small community in the central eastern mountains of Arizona. Strawberry sits at an elevation of 5,800 feet above sea level and is prone to harsh winters. Wildlife like bear, mountain lions, and elk still roam the area. Arizona’s oldest standing schoolhouse sits less than a mile from their vacation home, and it is open to the public at specified times.
I observed my niece and envisioned a 19th Century Amy living in such a harsh but beautiful environment, and when I visited the school, the story was born. Aimee, like my Amy, is tall with long, golden brown curly hair and warm brown eyes. Everything else about Aimee, however, is a composite of various women, including me. There is always some element of truth in fiction writing. I researched the area using a book purchased at the Rim Country Museum in Payson. Because the publishing company I wrote for back then published Christian books, my storyline involved people who were Christians yet also very human. Aimee’s faith is faltering due to her life experiences, something most if not all Christians can relate to.
The original book was published in 2017, but a couple of years ago, I requested the rights back from the publisher, and I revised the book. I made (hopefully) some improvements to the story and polished (in my opinion) the sentence structure and grammar. Then I self-published it on Amazon as an ebook and paperback.
The paperback is in large print. The reason? Many fans of the book are older ladies. They relate to some of the chores that remind them of their growing up years on small farms, and they like the clean storyline that is innocent when compared to most secular books published today.
Kind of like Janette Oke books. You know, When Calls the Heart and themes like that. If you like her books, maybe you’d enjoy mine.
I like to think the story is timeless because it is set in the past. A contemporary book written in the year 2000 seems dated because of no cell phones, no advanced technology, and no social issues that make up modern life. A historical book, on the other hand, is timeless. You can’t go back and change history. Well, I guess in a book you can, but you know what I mean.
I have to admit I loved every moment of writing this book. The characters were and are very real to me. It is almost as though they were my ancestors. Those characters still live in my head.
I’ve considered writing a sequel, but I’m going to leave it alone. Let the reader’s imagination determine what happens to Aimee. Let the reader’s personal beliefs and experiences chart her destiny.
If books by people like Colleen Hoover are your favorites, don’t bother to read this book. If you love Danielle Steele, don’t read this. If Fifty Shades of Gray (I’ve never read it nor have I watched the movie and never plan to do so) is your idea of great reading, leave my book alone. It doesn’t contain what you’re looking for.
But if Hallmark movies and series bring you joy, and if you still like to read books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Lisa Wingate (oh, how I wish I could write like her–my favorite author), you might find Aimee to be a good read.
It is my hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Life As I know it 