Some who know me will read Lemon Twist and know some of the story elements happened in my real life.
I had a broken engagement. I went to Costa Rica as a grant writing missionary.
And so, yes, some of the details come from my life. But that is true for all writers. When we describe falling in love, it’s because we know. Or falling out. Or tasting sweet or bitter. If we describe the ocean and being knocked down by its waves, it’s usually because we have felt that. Whether those waves are in California, Costa Rica or Narnia– we know how it feels.
So while I had a broken engagement, it is not the same one Audrey has in her story. But as a writer, I can tell you, I know how it feels to have heartbreak find you like a bomb in a marketplace. I had no idea that was coming and then it was just everywhere. I know how it feels to be devastated by someone and still love them. I know what it’s like to take longer to heal from heartbreak than your friends think you should.
I know what it feels like to find God and still struggle with his realness.
My experiences in Costa Rica are not Audrey’s. Though some of them are. I did not swim and see a shark, but I know someone who did. I did have a shower catch on fire.
Now about those men… Who is Gregory? Nick? Rodrigo? Matthew? Jeez, if you haven’t read the book, Audrey sounds like a slut. These men in Lemon Twist are not real. I specifically changed the details to keep the real heroes and cads in my own life separate from those in the story.
I am a writer who created a character and a story and wrote it– using my own life for fodder. Like decorating your house from the thrift store. Those items belonged to someone else once, but now they are yours and put together in a whole new way. Paint, new fabric…
They are yours now and their original owners probably wouldn’t even recognize them in your house.
So, Audrey’s story is hers.
I might write mine some day. But I’ll probably wait for some folks to die so I don’t get sued.