Inspiration
“In order to write about life, first you must live it.” - Ernest Hemingway
The idea for Adventures with the Saints took some time to really coalesce in my brain. I’ve always wanted to write books, yet I'll admit that children’s chapter books aren’t what I’ve imagined creating since I was a child.
I believe it developed over the course of a year or so, as my husband and I practiced reading with our twins. Our eldest had taken to reading like a duck to water, enthusiastically consuming every book she could get her hands on, while her younger sisters were… less excited about reading. We sat and read with them as often as possible, letting them practice (while also taking a turn) with young-reader chapter books like The Princess in Black, Ivy & Bean and Magic Tree House. As we read these stories together, I couldn’t help but think that something like this, but Catholic, would be a great idea.
Ruminating on that basic concept over a few months, a more specific plan for the stories began to come together. I wanted to inspire young Catholics, to help them understand and relate with their faith, and the communion of Saints was, to me, an obvious place to start. I knew right away that writing biographical stories wasn’t it - that’s been done, and I envisioned writing for a young audience, too, so some Saints bios wouldn’t exactly be a good fit (I’m looking at you, St. Maria Goretti).
Writing a book for children, I felt that children should be the main characters. Drawing from my own experience as a foster parent, I decided that the main character, Joshua, would be a foster child, and the first book would center on him tentatively meeting his “forever family” (in foster care, that’s what we call families who adopt). As Jesus’ adoptive father, Saint Joseph was the obvious choice for the Saint whom the children would meet. My husband and I adopted three of our four children through foster care, so this subject is especially close to my heart. I felt called to share some of what we experienced in our lives through this story. Yes, that means certain aspects of the plot are based on things that actually happened to us (alas, not the time-traveling to meet St. Joseph part). With these foundational elements set in my mind, and the support of my family, I began to write.
And Saint Joseph, the Foster-Father Saint was born!
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