The Fishing Pond

Sometimes, the places and people we write about are closer to home than anyone realizes.

I took this picture here on our ranch, and the moment I saw it, I thought of Levi and Emma fishing together in Return to Home.

The children in the book were inspired in many ways by my own grandchildren—their personalities, their relationships, and those little moments between them that a grandmother notices and holds onto.

When I wrote about Levi and Emma sitting by the pond with their fishing poles, I was creating a fictional story, but the heart behind it came from something very real: my family, our ranch, and the life we share here.

Looking at this pond, I can almost see Levi and Emma there. And maybe, in a way, I can see a little bit of my own grandchildren there too.

That’s one of the things I love most about writing Return to Home. Pieces of the people I love and the place I call home found their way onto its pages.

If you’ve read Return to Home, is this how you pictured the pond?