When the Words Made Me Cry

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I sat down at my desk this week to write the final chapter of my Patriot book, and I had to stop. Not because the words wouldn’t come, but because they poured out of me, literally. The kind that make your hands hover over the keyboard while you wait to see the words on the screen clearly again.

Just as a reminder, Ann and Edward — the two central figures in this book — are not fictional creations. They are, in fact, my fourth great-grandparents.

I won’t share the passage here because it belongs to the ending, and the ending belongs to the book. But I will tell you this: writing the final words of Ann’s story, I felt the full weight of who she was. A woman who carried burdens quietly, who loved fiercely, who gave thanks even when she had every reason not to. And Edward, my great-great-great-great-grandfather, faithful to the last.

That faithfulness, that quiet love — it did not disappear when they left this earth. In some way I don’t fully understand, it found its way down through the generations and into me, sitting at this desk, trying to do them justice with words.

This is why I write about patriots. Not just the ones who shouldered muskets or signed declarations, but the ones who carried quiet, impossible burdens with dignity and faith, who loved imperfectly and deeply. These are the people who built this nation. These are my people. And I am so honored to tell their story.

Now that the ending has been written I need to start editing. If you’ve been with me long enough you know this is the part that, frankly, I hate. So be prepared for me to pull my hair out over the next few weeks. I’ve already looked back over the plot and I have enough holes that I can officially call this work of art Swiss Cheese. Time to pull out the putty and fill those suckers.

I also worked on the cover this week. It will probably undergo a few more tweaks to get it just right, but here is a sneak peek. I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

Yours Truly
Amy Crooks
amygennut@gmail.co

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