People often ask me if my books are based on my real life. My sheepish answer is, "Yes and no." My stories as a whole are fiction, but they contain scenarios, here and there, based on real-life happenings in my past (mainly strange, funny, or embarrassing--or all three!) . This series, "Truth Behind the Fiction," is meant to pull those individual fictionalized stories from the whole picture of my books, and tell the zany facts as I remember them.
I'll start with a story from my most recent book, A Safe Place to Land.
The Fiction Part (majorly abridged): A dreary autumn evening finds Jag Marley in a coffin, fully alive, and with some of his new friends witnessing the event.
Truth Behind the Fiction: So, during the infamous decade I claim as my growing-up years (do I dare date myself by revealing which decade? Well, it is what it is! Here's a clue: leg warmers, feathered hair, Michael Jackson with a nose, and the original Karate Kid movie), the high school youth group at my church had what were called "Polaroid Parties." A Polaroid Party was just for fun, and it was basically a scavenger hunt, where we would be divided into teams; each team with a driver and a vehicle, a list, and a Polaroid camera. (Just so you know, a Polaroid was old-fashioned even to us 80s kids! Just so you know. ;)) Points were awarded for each item on the list that the teams found/accomplished and photographed; and, obviously, the team with the most points at the end of the evening won!
I was a junior or senior the year of our true story. Being one of the students who had a driver's license, and also the use of the family station wagon that night, I was told I would be a driver for the event, and probably pretty proud of it, despite the beast I had to drive (let me tell you, I could write another entire book filled with the stories from that station wagon alone, mostly mishaps. "The Tank" got the best of me a few times or more, including the time I drove my family to see the above-mentioned movie, Karate Kid!)
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| The Tank, plus the "Turtle Top" we always took on vacations |
To be honest, I don't remember most of the silly, embarrassing things on the list that autumn evening. I believe we had to build a human pyramid, including any outsiders who were willing to join our craziness, in front of the McDonald's sign or something. One list item I remember only because I have the photo to prove it: We had to stop in unexpectedly on a family of our choice, and ask to take a picture of our team, plus any willing family members, in their bathtub. I'm the fake-blonde in the middle, looking thrilled to have had to intrude on family friends that we knew from church.
Then came the event that won us the trophy (or at least the title--whatever that may have been). There was a Free Creative category on our list, where we got to think of our own photograph, and whichever team was deemed the best by the powers that be (our beloved youth pastor), would receive extra points.
My guess is that my friend Beth (who I'm positive, even though I can't remember, was in the front seat with me) and I looked at each other, turned down the volume on the Boy George cassette, looked to the guys in the back; and then we all stared at each other and then into the air, as if a brilliant idea would appear there--in a light bulb, of course.
Who thought of it? I don't know! It could have been any one of our young, brilliant minds. Well, okay, I'm pretty sure I didn't think of it. But somebody had the idea of going to a random funeral home, knocking on the back door, asking if one of us could lie in a casket for a minute while a picture was snapped. And, to boot, we expected the funeral home worker would agree to this request from strangers (teenagers nonetheless!) off the street!
Yeah, right!
Except . . . um . . . as unbelievable as it seems, that's exactly what happened! Well, the first part I don't remember--did we knock on a locked door, or did we crash a viewing/wake to get in? I wouldn't put either option past us. But the rest actually happened! The people in charge agreed to it AND smiled and laughed at our antics! (This was Chicago, people. Anything can happen.)
I believe it was Kris who dared to remove his shoes and lie in the creepy coffin as one who had lost his life early, while the remainder of us leaned in and mourned the loss of our friend. Or did he smile and we thumbs-upped? Gee, if only someone had kept the photo for posterity!
But it really happened, friends. It really did!
Sure, the details are fuzzy, which is unusual for me when it comes to events of the 1980s (as opposed to yesterday and last week, which I can barely remember), but there are other witnesses who might be willing to back me up on this.
Most importantly to us that night . . . we won!
Truthfully yours,
Read the Lainey's Bridge series today!
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