When I think back to my childhood I remember black and white television shows like Donna Reed, Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver and then came Andy Griffith.  I’ve never met a family that was as ‘perfect’ like in the first three shows.  Every child was beautiful, mom wore pearls, and dad worked in an office and wore a tie.  Then along comes Andy, Opie and Aunt Bea. I loved Aunt Bea, but I thought it was sad that Opie’s mother had died.  To me this is more interesting because they portrayed a non-traditional family.  I’ve always wondered, IS there a “traditional” family out there that isn’t dysfunctional in some tiny way or other? Really?

My formative years were spent living with my grandparents.  Then dad remarried and I grew up with a blended family.  They were nothing like the TV shows, believe me.  I never really understood what kind of patience it took for my grandparents to take care of me those first few years, until now as a grandparent myself. Putting two different families together was a challenge for one and all, but it mostly worked.  We had some good times.

I think that’s why family is such an important part of the stories I write.  In Feisty Family Values, Regina is widowed with no children and her cousin Annabelle is widowed with a daughter (single parent) and three grandchildren.  Where Regina is comfortable financially, Annabelle and her family are not, and that causes tension between them.  Jealousy often happens in families where one side is more financially successful than another. Should it be that way? No, but families are made up of people and people are flawed.

For me the most interesting characters are the ones that are nowhere near perfect.  Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t dream of the perfect mate who will lavish me with gifts, clean my house, and cook; but hey, you can’t have everything.  My mate tries hard to help out around the house, loves me and mows the lawn, which is pretty darn good! Living with another human being is hard work, and when you add children and a stray dog or cat to the mix…well, let’s put it this way, families are a challenge, but the rewards are priceless.