When I signed up to review Where Dandelions Grow, I also had the option of Lydia guest posting on my blog. Today, I’m excited to share with you a part of the backstory for the book—who the real people are. This was something I was curious about, as I saw a mention of this “texting book” in the story, so I’m interested to hear a little more about how this story came about today!
Welcome, Lydia!
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Only the bestest of cousins could inspire a story like Where Dandelion Grow, and my cousins happen to be the inspiration.
Alexa and Aubrey are close in age to my sister, Helena, and I, and we did everything together. Right after I turned eighteen, Helena and I got an opportunity to go help some missionaries in South America—only we’d be leaving in two weeks and we’d be gone for two months, including missing out on the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
When we told Alexa and Aubrey they rearranged their schedule so they could come and spend a couple days with us before we left. We lived out in the country and their cell phones didn’t work out at our place. All throughout the visit, the girls kept scribbling stuff in a notebook that they were carrying around. When Helena and I asked about it, they told us it was their “texting book” and since they couldn’t text from our place they were just jotting down all the texts they wanted to send, so they could do it later when they had service.
We obviously knew they were joking, but it wasn’t until later that we found out what the book was really for. They’d written us a note for each and every day that we were going to be gone. That way, whenever we felt homesick, we could just open the book and read a delightful memory, joke, story, or piece of encouragement from them.
That was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I read and re-read the book many times while being gone—especially on the holidays when I was missing home the most. The book helped keep homesickness at bay and made me feel loved. Each time I read the “texting book” it was like getting a hug from my cousins. I still keep that book tucked away in a special place and pull it out from time to time.
At the end of Where Dandelions Grow I’ve included some of the special entries Alexa and Aubrey put into the “Texting Book.” I’ll forever be thankful they took the time to do that, and in a way, inspired Where Dandelions Grow through their kindness.
About the Author:
Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something adventurous author who is partial to hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking road trips across Europe, visiting friends in Africa, growing up in a barn and everything in-between. She currently works in a coffee shop during the day and concocts stories by night. Find her online at her blog, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Google+.
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Read my review of Where Dandelions Grow here.
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