Inspiration for "Falling for Finn (and his dumb duck, too)"

 

When I began my publishing journey years ago, my purpose was to write books that were clean, light-hearted and full of humor. I wanted stories that were fun with laugh-out-loud moments for all ages to enjoy. Though the majority of my ideas come from my own imagination, occasional real-life events have made their way into my books, and the one that inspired my latest book, “Falling for Finn (and his dumb duck, too),” was too good to pass up.

I’d been driving my kids to school when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I swore that the house I just passed had a dog up on top of the roof. I looked through my rear-view mirror and sure enough, there was a black and white dog pacing back and forth! I couldn’t believe it had found its way on a roof of all places! I turned the car around and anxiously knocked on the door, but when a girl answered and listened to my frantic news, she surprised me by her nonchalance. She told me that he got up there all the time. I didn’t believe her of course, but after driving by day after day, sure enough, there he was, even appearing occasionally with another brave dog. I couldn’t believe it!

I thought this experience would make a hilarious way for a couple to come together for the first time, and as I considered the type of character this could work for, I remembered Ava Presley. She’s a character who’s been lurking in the background of several of my Honeyville High Romance books, happily gossiping and trying her best to destroy everyone’s hopes and dreams, and especially their relationships.

Writing a romance for someone with such a fiery personality, though, was going to be a challenge, and I thought the perfect way to do it would be as a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

As I thought about who would work as Ava's love interest, I knew he would have to be a pretty special guy to put up with Ava's sass and negativity, and he'd have to have a bit of sass himself. Finn Hayward turned out to be a big tease, never really taking what Ava says too seriously, and I felt like he balanced her out pretty well.

Ava was still going to be a tough egg to crack. Finn alone was going to have a hard time breaking through the walls she put up around her heart, but as I considered what might soften her tough exterior, I thought befriending an unlikely animal might do the trick. And what better animal than a terrorizing goose that everyone hates?

I grew up with pet ducks, so some of the things Ava experiences in this book with Hank the goose have actually happened to me in real life. For instance, my dad would frequently let the ducks into our house, and they’d always flip-flap their way across the linoleum kitchen floor and over to the fridge where they’d wait for him to open it up and then gobble the lettuce he’d keep in the bottom drawer. With stories such as these, I hope that, despite Hank’s initial bad temper, readers will fall in love with him and see how loveable even a mean goose can be! 

One fun thing I wanted to include in the story was the irony of Ava's last name. With a name like Presley, it's probably going to be assumed that she has inherited a voice that could land her fame, but in fact, she does not have a beautiful voice. In fact, she hates her shrill singing voice. I wanted to turn her weakness into a strength, though, and thought that with a lead in a musical with a character who was more brash and outgoing, her non-traditional voice would work to her benefit. "Once Upon a Mattress" seemed like the perfect fit.

For anyone not familiar with this musical, it's satirical rendition of the fairytale "The Princess and the Pea." I'll admit that when I first watched the musical for research, I was not impressed. It was over the top and silly. But once I caught on that it wasn't supposed to be serious, I finally began to enjoy it. It seemed like the perfect play for Ava to star in.

Writing Ava’s redemption story has been an absolute blast. Between her hilarious insults and Finn’s quick wit and occasional off-the-wall antics, this two have easily become one of my favorite couples ever written. Like my other books, “Falling for Finn (and his dumb duck too)” is full of humor and heart, focusing on forgiveness, friendship, and acceptance.