Author’s Notes for Sun Racer

Personal Journey

Sun Racer is the very first book that I was able to publish, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it. It was was definitely quite the journey getting something from inside my head onto paper in a way that people would understand, and let me tell you, it was not easy. I learned so much during the process, about writing, storytelling, formatting, and graphic design, but the end result is a beautiful book that I’m proud to put my name to and share with others!

Story Theme

Adventure. Adventure, adventure, adventure! You’ll never learn anything if you don’t get out there and try things! To a lot of people, the world feels small. Or at least, their personal world feels pretty small. Doing the same thing every day with nothing interesting happening… I know what that feels like, and I wanted to write about a fun adventure that can happen to a normal girl. Blake is nobody special. She isn’t a hero or anyone with special abilities. She’s just a girl who wants to do what she loves, and she’s unashamed of that. Her simple and optimistic approach to life provides her with everything she needs to navigate even the most dangerous situations.

Not only that, but she spreads that appreciation for life to everyone around her. Taking the time to be kind makes a huge difference. You never know what someone is going through, what they are dealing with, and Blake does not even realize how she changes the course of her own story simply by choosing to be kind when other’s aren’t. By choosing to be brave when the situation is scary. By choosing to do what’s right when it’s hard.

You might not have ever been on a grand adventure, but right now, you’re gathering skill and experience for when that adventure comes. When the time is right, you’ll be ready for it. God knows what’s out ahead of us and he’s preparing us for it right now. Don’t skip out on your training or you’ll never be ready for the actual mission!

Where Did I Get this Idea?

I’ve always had a great love of history and archaeology. The Navajo were the first Native American tribe I took an interest in researching, stemming from my passionate love of World War II and learning about the Navajo Code Talkers and the impact they had at that time. Our church supports a few missionaries who minister to the Spanish-speaking people and Navajo tribes out west, and I got to learn so much about the culture out there from them whenever they visited. One day perhaps I’ll be able to visit and see some old ruins myself. Secrets, codes, languages, and mysteries are yet another of my passions, and weaving that into the story was a lot of fun!

Characters

I’m not sure I could pick a favorite character, as I love all of them dearly, but Blake was a delightful character to view the story from. I channeled all of my eagerness and excitement over learning new things into her. I can be excitable, but not nearly as much as she is, so it was a ton of fun living out that part of my personality in more depth on the page! She started off as simple a young woman with a desire to learn, based somewhat on my younger self, but she quickly became her own person, blossoming into an adventurous artist with a kind heart and a love for people.

Mr. and Mrs. Finn, the couple who take Blake on her big archaeological dig, are based off of all the elderly people I’ve met over the years who have a spark of adventure in them and a lot of wisdom. The world needs more stories from characters who have lived through so many things and seen God work miracles, and bringing those two to life was an absolute delight!

Sunny. Everybody comes back to me saying that Sunny is their favorite character. And I don’t blame them. Because he quickly became a favorite of mine the more I wrote about him. There’s a lot going on his heart, and he’s pretty accustomed to people seeing his hard outer shell and backing away. Blake, of course, does not let such an appearance stop her. Well, maybe she does at first, but it does not take her long at all to connect with him. He’s called Sunny, but I think he considers Blake to be the real ray of sunshine.

Fun Fact

Want to know a secret? Whatever church the main characters of my story are apart of, that church will have a name that’s derived from my own! Little River Independent Baptist Church has been my home church all my life. I’ve made lifelong friends, seen people grow in the Lord, walked the darkest valleys and stood on the highest mountains in that place. To honor all that God has done for me there, every church in my stories has a name that somehow references rivers or water. Keep an eye out for those and see if you can make the connections!