Today is my daughter’s ninth birthday. This past weekend we had a party a Chuck E. Cheese where she entered the ticket blaster (shown above) and scored enough points to get a lava lamp. Her grandma (lovingly known as “Grammies”) was here from California and we had a great weekend filled with consuming large quantities of food and chocolate. It doesn’t get any better than eating bad pizza and popping the grand prize playing skeet ball. I tell you all this because, well, she’s my daughter and she means everything to me, but she is also the inspiration for the novel.
The story idea for the novel came to me in a dream. I usually don’t remember my dreams but this night I did. I saw my daughter, in her twenties, on some television show called, Welcome to Utopia. She was being forced to swear allegiance to the government after spending years in a reeducation center for those who had a thinking disorder. It had a game show feel to it where the “contestants” went through an interview process at the beginning claiming to be cured. She started to tow the line of the evil totalitarian government but continued to have flashbacks of a resistance she was a part of with her father who was killed in front of her. She escapes in my dream and walks out of the studio back to the resistance and becoming its new leader. The story developed into a father/daughter story where she continues to fight for what her dad believed in. The story of our founders are a strong influence on the original as well as the new story. The female character was going to be the main character and the leader of the resistance. She is still the leader but the focus is now on a man named Lazarus Parker. I named her Abigail Payne.
She was named after Abigail Adams, the wife of our second President John Adams, both by me as the author and her father in the story. Abigail was a strong woman who probably kept John Adams from destroying himself with his temper. She is considered by many to be the start of the woman’s movement and told her husband in a letter that women would eventually demand the same rights our founders were demanding from England. The letters between John and Abigail are legendary and show a very strong bond and love between them. The Adams were not rich and worked their own land. In fact, Abigail did most of the work herself since her husband was away so often working to build a new nation. She was tough. She had a strong faith in God. She worked hard and raised her children without regret. She back
ed her husband’s play not for her own gain but because she believed it was inspired by God. She lived in a time where freedom didn’t exist anywhere or for anyone. She is a vital part of our history and should be remembered. My book is as much about remembering where we came from as it is a warning of what could happen.
The book, Abigail Adams: A Biography, by Phyllis Lee Levin is a great read for those interested in learning more about her.
The writing is still on target so far…
Happy Birthday Malia… I love you
Until next time-God Bless
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