Friday, June 20, 2008

Happy Summer Solstice


Happy Solstice everyone. Right now it's raining with a little summer thunder and lightning. I'm grateful for the rain because we're having a bit of a drought here in North Carolina. It's a great way to start off the summer. Now if I could get to the beach real soon, I'd be perfectly content--waves lapping against the shore, lazy clouds drifting overhead and maybe a sailboat sliding through the water. A happy chill just ran down my spine. LOL Any way, have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beginning of summer.


Sarah McNeal


Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day



I wish you all a happy Father's Day, whether you are a dad or you want to celebrate your dad. Unlike my mother whom I miss so desperately on Mother's Day, I miss my dad mostly on our birthday instead of Father's Day.
I know we often write about our own experiences and the influences of others in our stories. I know this is very true of me. Without thinking about it a great deal, I know that I put Pop in many of my stories. I was the only one in my family who called our father "Pop." He called his father Pop as well.
I noticed that my characters almost always refer to their fathers by the name "Pop." My dad comes up in a character in almost every story I've ever written, but none as much as THE VIOLIN. I wrote THE VIOLIN for my dad. It's about his middle brother John. The boy, Jimmy, is a character based on my dad. Pop banned birds as a kid, had a dog named Guess and a red tail hawk whose wing was broken. Pop fixed his wing and, when it was healed, forced himself to let the hawk go free.
Today I think of my dad and the gazillion things he taught me, most of them by his own example, some by explaining to me how the world works. He had a great respect for nature and was a conservationist before it was popular. So, in gratitude, I just want to say to Pop wherever he is in the universe, I love you. Thanks for everything.
Sarah McNeal