I
would like to thank Donna for welcoming me to her Friday Fun post.
I
thought that I would share a little about how Wildflowers came into
existence and evolved into the novel that now stands.
In
doing this, I want to first share a little background: To begin, I
will let you all in on a part of my personality. I’m an upfront
person who doesn’t mind sharing with others my past experiences.
I’ve been down many rough roads throughout my life, and I believe
that by sharing the choices I’ve made and the consequences of them,
I may be able to do one of three things: prevent someone else from
going down that road, help someone already on that path to find an
escape route, or pour a little healing oil on those who’ve already
made it to the end of that highway.
Before
I met my husband I entered a relationship that seemed to be wonderful
in the beginning, but all of that began to slowly change. Abusive
language was the beginning of the spiral down, which ended in
physical abuse. I suppose it was during that time that a dormant seed
was planted in my heart. Years later, when I began chasing my dream
of writing novels, the seed was watered, causing it to germinate. It
began to grow into a beautiful wildflower. During certain times of
the year here in the South, our roads are lined with gorgeous
black-eyed susans. Every time I drove to town, I would allow my mind
to be whisked away by their beauty. I was always taken to a story
where there was a young girl named Susan with blonde hair and
chocolate-brown eyes, and she was trapped in an abusive marriage. So,
one day, I sat down and wrote:
WILDFLOWERS
As I stand here
today, I look down upon the face of the most beautiful woman I’ve
ever known—inside and out. My heart quietly breaks as the
attendants close the creamy white casket I picked out only yesterday.
What do you say when
you are officiating the funeral of the only woman you’ve ever loved; the young, teenage girl who saved your life when you were just
a wild and crazy boy heading down a path of destruction? The
blossoming lady you never took the opportunity to tell just how much
you loved; the beautiful bride you watched marry another, someone who
could never deserve such an amazing human being. The one person you
desperately desired to tell exactly how you felt. The beaten down
woman trapped in oppression and obsession who you wanted with your
whole heart to save, but you couldn’t find the courage to do it.
***
I
intended to write Wildflowers in first person, and the voice was
meant to be a friend from high school Susan had helped, and he was
secretly in love with her. That scene was going to be the preface of
the book…BUT when I finally sat down to write Wildflowers three
years later, it turned out to be a very different story. For two
solid weeks before I started writing, I had dreams every night about
Wildflowers and how to reconstruct the story with flashes from the
present to the past. It was then that I decided that it was best to
write this particular story in third person, omniscient rather than
first person. Everything about my protagonist and antagonist in the
story changed during those dreams. The only similarity to the
original idea I had was the title, Susan’s name, and her plight of
an abusive relationship. I wasn’t discouraged by the whole idea
being shifted; I was exultant! I knew in my heart of hearts that all
the changes I saw in my dreams would make Wildflowers a better story.
About the Author
Schledia Benefield is the author of Plain Jane, Pretty Boy, and her soon to be released novel, Wildflowers. She attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College but chose to be a stay-at-home mom for many years. She devoted eight years of her life to working with youth as a youth minister and has been invited to speak in a rehab to hurting and wounded women, giving them hope for a better future. She was the Keynote Speaker for Division 14 of the Key Club International’s divisional rally.
Born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Schledia holds a sense of pride in her southern heritage. She presently lives in Big Point, Mississippi with her husband and four of her five children. On top of writing novels, she writes youth and children’s church curriculum, and she works as a substitute teacher at East Central Middle School. In her spare time, she reads, sews, and spends time with her family.
Buy Wildflowers at Amazon!
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