Rewrite

My ode to rewriting…

How many words would words rewrite if words could rewrite words? Would words rewrite the wrong words right, or rewrite the right words wrong? And if words could rewrite words, how long would the rewriting go on?

As I’m working on formatting my next children’s book, there are moments of downtime that I love to fill with writing for other projects.

Many of you know that I’m in the process of writing my memoir, reflecting on my time as an expat in The Netherlands. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 9 years since I returned to the United States. That’s part of the reason I’ve been revisiting and rewriting my story. There’s so much to cover, and I’m still figuring out which direction to take with it.

In 2010, fate unexpectedly stepped in when a Dutch company started recruiting my husband. They were very persistent, and we found ourselves deep in research—talking to family, close friends, and especially consulting with our three kids. In the end, we left the decision largely up to our 15-year-old daughter. After all, we would be uprooting her from high school and moving her to a country where the language was completely unfamiliar, and the people, even more so. It was a huge change for all of us, but especially for her. Two of our girls were already in college and wanted to stay in the US to finish up their schooling. Our littlest one cried for about a half hour then said…. Let’s Go!

This amazing opportunity would take us on many adventures over the span of 5 years. Stay tuned for more updates on American Girl in Holland.

Behind the scenes of

The Little White Cottage

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In my upcoming children’s book, I promised to share the backstories of the characters, so let me introduce you to the two main ones: my grandmother, Annie Laurie, and her best friend, Dolores.

Alongside them, there are several supporting characters, including my sisters Jennifer and Janice, as well as four of Dolores’ children—Bobby, Alice, Hooker, and Danny.

At the time of the story, my sister Laura and I hadn’t been born yet, nor had two of Dolores’ children, Amy and Jackie.

As I’ve mentioned before, the story is set in the northern woods of Michigan, in a cozy little cottage overlooking a peaceful lake.

Stay tuned for more snippets into my writing.

Lisa