Is It Real?

Have you ever played two truths and a lie? It’s easy. I tell you two truths and a lie, and you guess which one is a lie. Here we go!

1. Every year I have hiked a mountain with 900 foot cliffs.

2. I have 6 kids and 14 grandchildren.

3. I love clamming with a gun on the beach.
   

Which one is a lie? I will tell you at the end of the blog, pinky promise.

Someone recently asked me if a part of my debut novel was true. If you searched my books, you might find water spouts, the storm of the century, kidnapping, crabbing, and general mayhem. You would also find a red-headed grandmother, an advocate, and Officer Hart.

I write about what I know. Here is a list of truths you will find in my books. The tsunami alarm and the way it was handled are absolutely true. The storm of the century happened and left us without power and a connection to the outside world for a week. One of my books is based on an infamous local murder that made the Oregonian Newspaper. Being on a boat at sea is both glorious and dangerous. You can spirit someon`e away with a new name, driver’s license with a hidden address, and have their mail rerouted so carefully that even law enforcement are not allowed to know their home address—all approved by the state of Oregon. Survivors are some of the strongest, smartest people I know. Just ask Oprah Winfrey or Maya Angelou.

Sadly, Officer Hart is pure fiction.

Here are some things I can never tell you about. I can’t share any work I’ve done as an advocate with a specific survivor. It’s not allowed. In my small town, you would get two words of gossip out and everyone would know who you were talking about. If I tell a story about a survivor, it is fiction, a compilation of things I've seen hundreds of times.

I can tell you stories about things I have seen over and over again. I can answer these four questions in dozens of stories:

1. Why don’t they just leave?

2. Why don’t they hit back?

3. Why do kids do the darnedest things as soon as your back is turned?

4. Where did you put your keys?
   

Okay, I can answer three of the four questions. When it comes to finding lost keys or shoes, I am no help whatsoever.

I write about things I know, like the unbelievable resilience some people display, the inspiring compassion we can show each other, and the outrageous courage human beings display when they help and love one another.

So what’s the lie? I have 6 kids and 15 grandkids. 14 grandkids was the lie. The gun is a hot pink clam gun, and the mountain is a mile away.