The Inspiration Behind The Path to a Promise ~

My novel, The Path to a Promise, is finished and in the hands of beta readers and my editor. It will be published when the time is just right. Esther 4:14 talks about "for such a time as this." Here is the story behind my story.

President Harry Truman said, “The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.”

 The Path to a Promise began with the cherished memories of my paternal great-grandmother, Ollie, a woman whose quiet strength shaped my childhood. Ollie was more than a caregiver to my brothers and me; she was a source of comfort, love, and wisdom. Her stories, full of colorful life experiences—like meeting Pretty Boy Floyd and working as a Soda Jerk—captured my imagination. She gave us a world where we felt safe, loved, and free to be children. When Ollie passed away in 1975, she took a piece of my heart with her.

This is a photo of my great-grandmother, Ollie. 

Years later, as my passion for writing grew, I felt called to tell her story. In 2011, I began piecing together a timeline of her life, using her old photograph album, genealogical records, and family documents. I started writing a manuscript that used real names and places from her life, and I titled it The Logger’s Daughter. Working as a preschool teacher by day, I dedicated my nights to research and writing. Although some details were missing, I let my imagination fill the gaps and invented parts of the story to complete the narrative.

In 2013, I finished the first draft—a 250-page manuscript I printed and tucked away in a binder. Later, a popular author and friend, Angela, offered to beta-read the manuscript. Her generous feedback encouraged me to polish the story, convinced it could one day be published. I continued researching, filling in the missing dates and details from Ollie’s life.

After I retired, I returned to the manuscript with fresh eyes and renewed purpose. I revised it, changing the characters' names and settings, except for Joplin, Missouri, which remained a key location. My imagination ran wild this time, weaving in national and local historical events. The early history of Joplin, with its bootleggers and zinc miners, fired my creativity, and I poured my passion into every scene. I prayed over the story, and God blessed me with new ideas that shaped Eleanor Johnson's life path.

The Path to a Promise is based on Ollie’s life, but it’s now the fictional tale of Eleanor Johnson, a young woman who finds strength and purpose in a world dominated by men. Raised in the Ozarks, Eleanor carves out a path that takes her to the bustling city of Joplin and, eventually, to the windswept plains of Kansas, where the golden fields of wheat and sunflowers stretch as far as the eye can see.

As I wrote Eleanor’s story, I laughed, cried, and even exhausted myself with the intensity of certain scenes. The writing process was both an emotional and spiritual journey for me. Though Eleanor’s story concludes at the end of World War I, her life—and the promise of more—will continue in Book Two, A Promise Worth Keeping, which I have yet to write.

This novel is my tribute to Ollie, the woman who gave me the best gift anyone could—a lifetime of love and memories. Though she’s been gone for many years, her presence is still with me every day.

Another photo from Ollie's vintage photograph album: 

Writing about women is important to me because their stories often go untold. They are more than daughters, wives, or mothers—they are the shapers of families and communities, leading fascinating lives. In history, too many women have been reduced to just a name on a genealogy chart. I believe their stories deserve to be told, honoring their strength, resilience, and contributions to the world. Their lengthy list of duties tells us how valuable they were, and still are, to their family.

 I write about the women in my family lines on my blog.