Settings for novels and dreams

This house above was almost mine. Instead, it will be my protagonists. My husband and I toured it for the potential use as a shared domicile. Not for us:-) But for his heating business and my dream of owning a teahouse. He would have used a couple of the rooms and I would have had the rest as a restaurant.

For those of you taking the Real Tour of Montana with me, this is now the Osprey business offices. (The Osprey are Missoula's baseball team.) Going to one of their games is actually quite fun and another adventure in Montana.

After the viewing, the poor old house just needed way too much TLC to make it work. And I? I needed to decide which dream to chase, a teahouse or my writing. Obviously the writing won out:-D But for a moment, I stood inside this beautiful old building and imagined running a business there. How I would do it, which room would be used for what, how to do the necessary upgrades to the ancient kitchen.

The turret, oh the turret! We opened the door/window and walked out onto a decrepit balcony. Summer nights up there would be bliss. I still want a house with a turret one day. It's one of my true dreams. Personally, I see it as a reading/writing nook with a window seat. But for this old house, I saw it as a special, private dining room. A place where proposals happen. Young people would walk in for dinner and walk out engaged. Ah, sigh.

We considered, we talked, we thought it out with the many things that needed to be handled. Then we walked away. But one of my characters stayed there like a ghost at the window. She waited. She plead in silence until one day, I settled into my newest story. Then she flung wide the curved windows of the turret. She let in the sunshine and swept away the flies from the sill. She saw me and caught my attention. "Here, here I am. Write about me."

I went back to that house. I took this digital photo. Why? I needed to see it clearly. Do you see her? She has long black hair. Her greatest joy is bringing joy to others, as a respite from the rest of their day, through the art of Afternoon Tea. She bustles around serving guests and introducing them to unusual fare. So fun, so peaceful, and utterly care free. The art of tea.

What makes your imagination blossom? Is it a place? Music or art?

I love that something happening in the past can slip into the present. I love old houses, ghost towns, and mysterious forests. I guess it's the ambience that sparks creativity for me. I love to imagine myself living with the people in those houses or ghost towns. That's just magic to me.

What is the magic for you? If you don't know, how will you make an effort to discover this about yourself?

Angie