Guest Blogger - Morton S Gray

A warm welcome back to Morton S Gray. Morton has a new book, Summer at Lucerne Lodge, and she's here to talk about some of the inspiration behind the story.

Life Defining Moments As a writer, I find I think a lot about what makes individuals exactly who they are. I ask myself questions. Why is that man always frowning? How did that woman get that scar on her lip? Why do that couple never speak to me, even though I say hello to them almost every day? We are all on the same earth, but our experiences of this life are vastly different. Part of that is due to the circumstances of birth and the way your parents bring you up. Some of it is in your genes. The part of a person I find myself drawn to as a writer is the part determined by life defining moments. I love nothing better than to give my characters at least one of these defining moments in their backgrounds, one of those episodes in a lifetime that can make or break you, an instance that can change the way you feel and exist in the world. Those instances which can make a person wither and never fulfil their potential, or else even more determined to succeed and prove any critics wrong. I recently tried to write a list of these defining moments, but I can’t claim for it to be in any way complete, more a start, so if you can think of any others then please comment on this post. The idea being that the event or happening changes the way you see the world and react to others in your life. Loss – this might be the death of a child, parent, friend or sibling, a miscarriage, the door closed on a dream, crippling debt, or finding out someone isn’t who you thought they were. Luck – an unexpected windfall, everything falling into place, being at the right place at the right time. Witnessing Something – death, a murder, an accident, knowing a secret, prejudice, bullying or violence. Love – falling in love, falling out of love, experiencing unrequited love, falling for the wrong person. Hate – hating your job, your boss, your family, your lifepath, or wanting to murder someone. Making a Mistake – accidently killing someone, betraying a friend, losing money, causing someone to lose something. All of these things have a multitude of variants, but each one can cause you to live your life differently after the experience. If I look at my own life, I can cite some of my own life defining moments, my dad being made redundant when I was a teenager caused me to fear being short of money, going to university showing me new ways of living, getting divorced when I had a small child making me more self-reliant, resilient and determined. I could go on... What are your life defining moments? And next time you read a book look out for what makes a character react in a certain way.

Summer at Lucerne Lodge is available from: HERE About Morton S. Gray Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors. You can find her on Facebook or Twitter or instagram