interesting facts about "What Once Was Lost"

• Barrett Mathewson's character was created in memory of my grandpa Darrell, hence the two double letters in the name. My grandpa used to call me "Pinkie" when I was a child. I'm not sure why...maybe for my red hair or blushy cheeks or something. My memory is not the best in the world, but I love looking at pictures of him and my grandma. It always makes me smile. I love them both so much. I miss him.
• None of my characters are actually me, but you will find several of my traits meshed into the other characters.
• The brief mention of Susie Adams was for my mother-in-law Susan, who is an amazing gardener. Mark, my husband, loves to follow her around in late spring to hear about all the different types of plants and flowers and now plants his own garden of flowers and herbs. They are both so dedicated with the process. It's very admirable and worth acknowledging.
• The idea of Gwendolyn's particular accident—head injury and amnesia—was created when I realized my memory wasn't as sharp as it had always been. It's been really hard on me, and sometimes I create memories and claim them as factual without even knowing it. It was very interesting doing research for this particular subject—retrograde amnesia.
• My inspiration for the story and Gregory's character came from Marcia Lynn McClure, a clean romance author whom I admire and try to emulate. Out of all the books I've ever read, hers are some of the few I read many times. Her male characters are usually gentlemen with a sense of wild authenticity about them. They come across as gruff strong men but are really softies. And there's a mischievousness/playfulness about them I find endearing.
• The mention of canned apricots and nectar were for my grandma Emma Jean, Darrell's wife. She always told me how much work it took to grow and prepare the apricots for canning, but the smooth nectar was always a delicious treat when I went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. The canned kind you can buy at the store cannot even compare with how decadent my grandma's apricot nectar was. 
• The Tylers' dog Caramel was named in memory of my mini lop bunny and is a German Shepherd in memory of Mark's dog Charlie.
• I chose for Gwendolyn to play the cello because it is one of the more beautiful sounding instruments, I think. It's been one of my life ambitions to learn to play the cello, and I am finally fulfilling that...slowly.
• The phrase "Pray for rain..." mentioned is in memory of Adam my brother. Funny story.