I have a couple of themes that pop up in my writing. One is I like to put at least one character through a roller coaster before she lands on her feet. Despite the challenges the protagonist might face, there is always a happily-ever-after ending. Seeing an imaginary person rise over the odds and get the girl gives the reader a warm, good feeling at the end. And if that reader is going through a rough patch, maybe it will give them a feeling that they can make it through their own challenges.
Another theme in my writing is chosen family with generational characters. In my novel Cabin Fever, Kate discovers hidden secrets about her grandmother through her grandmother’s journals, and about relatives through DNA testing. An older character helps her out with the genealogy. Uncovering family history is one of the reasons that Kate decides to stay in Merrick, Idaho, instead of going back to Chicago.
The main reason is Kate falls in love Riley. Merrick is a fictional town but the Sawtooth Valley within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area is real, and it’s a stunning, rugged area surrounded by several mountain ranges.
I’m presently working on a second book set in Merrick, Return to Idaho. It’s focused on Charley, a secondary character from Cabin Fever, who left in her twenties and became a hotshot wildland firefighter. She’s come back to Merrick, supposedly for a short time. When Charley meets Rose, a teacher, there’s an immediate attraction. But Charley fights her temptation because Rose is a straight woman…or so everyone thinks. Rose has always dated guys and been disappointed. As she gets to know Charley, feelings stir that causes her to question her sexuality.
Will Rose’s sparks burn out or light an eternal flame? Will Charley stay in a town that holds fond and hurtful memories?
In my writing, I believe it’s important to show flaws in a character. It gives a reflection on real life. No two persons have the same experiences. In Return to Idaho, Rose realizes her family problems are small in comparison to what Charley has gone through. Rose’s compassion and Charley’s gradual letting down her tough defenses allow them to become close and fall in love. I’m shooting for the summer for the release of Return to Idaho. I hope that readers enjoy it as much as Cabin Fever, which has over 1.3k ratings on Amazon.
Writing about chosen family and finding blood relatives was a theme in Cabin Fever and Return to Idaho. In my genealogy research on my family, I found the immigration westward fascinating. I have to remind myself that they traveled by horse and carriage or wagon pulled by oxen. The first Transcontinental Railroad wasn’t completed until 1869. And since most of my ancestors were poor farmers, they probably still used horses for transportation through the 1930s. Cars were too expensive and used mainly in the cities. I also have found ancestors who were Protestants, Catholics, Seventh-day Adventist, and Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).
Like my character Kate in Cabin Fever, I’ve uncovered secrets in my own family tree. I was adopted and met my half-sister and two brothers in college. We’re close now, and everyone has done DNA tests. Over three hundred DNA matches revealed my brothers and I had a different paternal grandfather than the one on the marriage license. It just goes to prove that people were just as flawed back then as they are now.
Despite what challenges I’ve faced, I keep moving forward and drawing strength through friends and family—especially chosen family. I wish you, dear reader, health and happiness. Please stay safe in these unprecedented trying times.
And thank you for reading my books. I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d leave a rating and a short review. It helps.
Sincerely, Addison
Addison M. Conley 
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