The Not-So-Perfect-Picture Moments

Or How Old Hairy Created a Lasting Memory

There are a number of reasons that I raised my hand to be a part of The Visitor Mysteries. The challenge of writing a cozy mystery was one incentive. This is my first cozy mystery, and I have to tell you, I loved writing it.

Secondly, I'm a rebel, and while all the other authors were wanting to dress up Connie Wright, The Visitor, in her business finest, the rebel in me said, "It ain't gonna happen. She's going out in the woods, and she's scouting for Bigfoot."

The location I chose is dear to my heart as well, and I was able to pay homage to a favorite uncle, Bill New, The International Harvester Man, may he rest in peace. He makes a cameo appearance in the story.

That leads me to the most important reason of all that I had for agreeing to the series. Family. The book is dedicated to my youngest son, Ethan, but in the character, Ethan Reagan, there is a lot of my eldest, Corey, too.

I wasn't your typical parent. If you've ever watched The Middle, you'll understand when I say that I adhered to the Frankie Heck school of parenting. I did make Pollyanna Reagan a little more motherly than I ever was, but the fictional Ethan, he is both of my boys rolled into one.

What I think I captured in the story, though, is a little of the magic that my kids and I had at just the right moments. The give-and-take of parenting while dealing with little pains in the backside, much like the time when I had had enough. They'd been fighting all day. The tattle-telling and the screeching at each other had brought on a migraine. Finally, I exploded. "That's it! That's it! Outside!"

I managed to grab both of them and wrangle them into the backyard. I stood one in place and paced off ten steps with the other one in tow to place him at a good

distance. I told them not to move and stepped out of the way. With hands on hips, I yelled, "Now, kill each other."

They stood and looked at each other and then at me and back to each other. And they fell on the ground laughing. What a memory picture that has made for me. We created a memory worth keeping, not a perfect-picture moment, but who needs those when the not-so-perfect ones give you an appreciation for the ones you love?

Pollyanna Reagan hauls her family off into the woods because she wants to make those memories with her son who is heading off to college. And when Bigfoot steps into the not-so-perfect picture moment, Polly and her family have the memory of a lifetime.

And I hope that I have brought that magic to you in the telling of the story.

More About Me:

Fay Lamb is the only daughter of a rebel genius father and a hard-working, tow-the-line mom. She is not only a fifth-generation Floridian, she has lived her life in Titusville, where her grandmother was born in 1899.

Since an early age, storytelling has been Fay’s greatest desire. She seeks to create memorable characters that touch her readers’ hearts. She says of her writing, “If I can’t laugh or cry at the words written on the pages of my manuscript, the story is not ready for the reader.” Fay writes in various genres, including romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary fiction.

If you’d like to catch up with Fay, visit her at her website, on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. Also, Fay has become a “novel” gardener, and she shares her adventure in her newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden. You can sign up for her newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden, here.

You can order The Visitor Meets Old Hairy here, and be sure to send your receipt to TheVisitorBooks2023@gmail.com to receive a gift with purchase.