The Weaver’s Apprentice, the Shade, and the Sisters of the Pool:

Behind the Story (Part 1)

At this point, you’ve read about one-third of Tinley’s story and how she arrived at the magic pool and enchanted bridge.  We’ve left her asleep in the forest, but she has many more adventures before she gets there, with friends and enemies to meet along the way.

In early March of 2023, Chloe (my daughter) shared a set of photos she had taken while on a trip to the west coast with friends—specifically Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon.  I now have a strong desire to go walking through forests in Portland; even in winter, with patches of snow on the ground, the woods were vibrantly green and lush, with bridges, stone-lined paths, waterfalls, and observation decks.

One of those photos opens this month’s story.  While making comments in the shared Google Photos album, I began to write about a wizard who enchanted three ladies to watch over a pool of water; the bridge I fictionalize about can be seen in the distance.  And thus, this story was born.

Somehow, I found Tinley at the pool and she sat down beside me to tell me her story.  It seems that I only transcribed the events of her life.  Besides being plucky, she also turned out to be somewhat long-winded, and for that I make her apologies.

Writing in the fantasy genre is definitely a new path for me and one I did not see in my future.  I had been pretty comfortable in my fiction, preferring to explore people and their relationships while trying to find deeper meaning in things and provoke thoughts in my readers.  This one took me by surprise.

When I wrote my first lines, I’d like to imagine that’s how Tolkien felt when, bored of grading exam papers, he picked up his pen and wrote, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”  Not that I can compare to the father of modern fantasy literature, but still it felt good.  Speaking of which (a small teaser), there will be additional nods to my favorite fantasy author in Part 2.

Late at night on April 11th, I finished the first draft of the entire story—all three parts—and went to bed and slept soundly for the first time in a while.  It felt for the first time like I might be a writer.  Hope that happens again sometime.

Since then, I have been in constant editing mode on Tinley’s story.  (Turns out, it may take me longer to revise than to write!)  To help, I have enlisted around six early readers who have offered comments and suggestions on the draft of Part 1.  The story is better for every single correction, edit, and idea that they have provided.  I cannot be more grateful, and I hope that they are willing to follow me and Tinley all the way to the pool so that they, too, can properly meet the sisters.