The Inspiration: Marigolds

I’ll admit that the first line of my story Marigolds contains a startling aspect. Have you read it yet? No? Then you can find it here.

Or, if you’d rather start by learning the story behind the story, keep reading.

Why on earth did I name a girl ‘Moses’?

Short answer: I didn’t.

Once upon a time—about six years ago—two girls sat behind a market table under a tent in front of a gift shop, trying to sell things. They had one problem: there was no one in sight.

So they decided to tell stories. And when a day is hot and boring and hours pass slowly, stories are apt to be a little strange. That’s how Moses, the girl who loved marigolds, was created—not by me, but by my sister, who handed the unfinished story off to me.

I took the skeleton of it and fleshed it out. Moses wouldn’t go to boarding school, she would go to a relative’s house. I found out her father was a train engineer and her mother had painful times in her past that Moses knew nothing about.

You see, I start with characters, and they end up telling the stories themselves. I laugh at some of the things they say, and I’m shocked by others. I find out memories when a character brings them up in conversation with a friend. I guide them and try to discern their hearts to see why they are the way they are.

Those are the best moments of writing—when your inspiration and your pen run away with you, and you look back later to see how God connected all the dots.

Marigolds holds a special place as my first published story, a step of faith in the midst of many fears. It won a contest in 2024, giving me confidence through the following months as God led me toward Calla Press Publishing and a book contract.

You might still be asking, “Why the name ‘Moses’?”

Don’t worry: the sequel, Uprooted, is in progress, and it holds the answer.

Have you read Marigolds before? Do you have more questions about it? Please drop a comment below!