It’s conventional fiction-writing advice. As a result, readers have asked me about the events that motivated the storyline in After the Snow Falls. I’ve been asked if I’ve gone through the experience that Celia faces: a child suffering from a serious illness. One reviewer said, “Carey handled the writing of this book as if she had gone through the trauma of a terminally sick child…[she] made the harrowing scenes so real that your heart ached for the characters.”

I’m thankful that I’ve never had to go through such a difficult experience personally, but when I was young, I lost a family friend to leukemia. The feelings of loss I experienced at that time were the inspiration for the subplot involving Caleb’s friend Michaela.

More than anything, however, After the Snow Falls is a story of the healing power of forgiveness–a hard-won lesson that definitely arises out of my own personal experience.

But what about the things a writer doesn’t know? How can she write about those? The answer, of course, is research.

Writing After the Snow Falls led me into a lot of unfamiliar territory:

• what kinds of medical interventions are taken when a patient has difficulty breathing?
• how late in the building season could one realistically expect to work in Southern Ontario, Canada?
• does alternative medicine offer a cure for cancer?
• what are some famous tourist stops on Route 66?
• what kinds of sights and sounds is a visitor exposed to in Tijuana, Mexico?
• how does an artist paint prophetically?

I found some of my answers on the Internet, some in books. Occasionally, I made a phone call–always a nerve-wracking experience because it’s hard to imagine the impression you’re making on the person on the other end of the line: “Hi. I’m writing a novel, and I wondered if you’d have a little time to talk to me about what someone would be looking for if he bought a used transport truck?” One of my favorite experiences in researching this novel was meeting with the director of Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House and taking a tour of the common areas.

With each new research challenge, I had the opportunity to explore something I never knew about before. Aside from making words sing on the page, it’s my favorite thing about writing fiction.

Some time ago, I gave a little peek inside After the Snow Falls, and told about the small Quebec town that inspired the fictional town of Point-du-Fleuve.

I’m thrilled to give you another peek inside today. You’re in for a treat, because I’m going to introduce you to my friend Elsie Underwood Naraine whose unique artwork is the inspiration for that of Adele in After the Snow Falls:

Here’s a brief excerpt:

Caleb ran straight to his suitcase, already packed and sitting by the chair, pulled it up onto the lower bunk and found the picture. His painting depicted a brilliant sunrise lighting up the sky, reflected below on a shimmering lake, and above against overhanging clouds. The clouds became darker and gray further away from the sun, but those close to the sun burst with splashes of radiant color–yellow, orange, pink and pale purple. It was spectacular. Like the painting on the easel, it stirred something inside her.

“Look.” He handed the picture to Celia and turned it over. Again, a small penciled inscription, Rising Sun, and another Bible reference: Isaiah 58:8. He looked up at her eagerly. “Do you know what that is?”

“I think so. Do you?”

“Yeah.  It says, ‘Then the light of my blessing will shine on you like the rising sun. I will heal you quickly. I will march out ahead of you. And my glory will follow behind you and guard you.’”

Celia sat down on the lower bunk, ducking to avoid hitting her head, and stared up at him, unsure how to respond. Finally, she said, “Who taught you that?”

“Grandma. When she gave me the picture.”

“And what do those words mean, exactly? Do you know?”

“Well–” Caleb looked down at the picture. “I think it means that God will protect me and he’ll make me better–he’ll heal me.”

She held the picture, drawn by its haunting beauty, yet frustrated that her mother had apparently joined forces with her father to push this message at Caleb. She’d had no choice but to leave Caleb with them this week, but she trusted them not to pollute his mind with these ideas. Caleb didn’t deserve to be caught in conflict between her and her parents.

She sighed. “Beautiful, isn’t it.”

“Yeah.”

“I hope you thanked Grandma. It was very nice of her to paint this for you. Here.” She handed it back to him. “You’d better pack it up. Why don’t you check around under the bed and at the beach–make sure you have all your things. We’re leaving soon.”

In After the Snow Falls, Adele is Caleb’s grandmother, but in real life, Elsie Underwood Naraine is a (much younger) vibrant artist and speaker–a very busy lady–but I finally caught up with her for this interview:

When did you begin painting? 

I began painting in 1979–a deal that I made with the Lord when I was 8. I had asked Him what He wanted me to do with my life and He said that I was to paint and to tell People that He loved them. I asked Him if I could wait to paint until I was 25 (I thought that all artists die if they are to become famous and I wanted to get some living in–the thoughts of children–LOL) but I promised to tell people right away that He loved them.

Do you have formal training as an artist? 

No formal training although I did take a commercial Art course to supplement the lack of art taught in our rural school. The deal was that if He would teach me and instruct me then I would do it. He was in charge of marketing as well since that was not my interest in the least.

What does “painting prophetically” mean?

Painting prophetically means that when I am inspired it is coming from God’s thoughts joining with mine and it is conversation. It is relationship unfolding about His activities in my own life and the lives of others. He likes to talk about His creation and His loved ones and when I paint….He is always talking and I am generally listening. He speaks to me in colors and shapes and movement and I just record what is impressed on my spirit. The paintings carry the message and are posted like declarations into the atmosphere…of God’s intentions.

When did you begin to paint prophetically?

I began painting prophetically right away but did not understand what that meant until years later. God asked me to put scriptures on the back of each piece (discreetly) because they would prophesy to the individual or business even though they were not aware of it in. The scriptures were my inspiration. Psalm 19 was my instruction from the Lord when I asked Him what I should paint: The heavens declare the Glory of God and the earth His handiwork.

Is it ever hard to part with a painting?

It is not hard to part with the artwork since it is painted with a mission…in fact it is difficult to have then for long periods of time since they need to go to the right people at the right time and that requires that I wait for God’s timing. It is during that maturation time that I get discouraged. He still speaks to me about my life if a painting lingers. As I trust Him…they are eventually sent out. In all the years that I have been painting…33 years…there are none that have remained with me for longer than 10 years. Timing and maturation can also be more about the person receiving the painting.

Where do some of your paintings hang today?

The paintings are in so many places that I cannot recall–both private and corporate–they are in most nations and it is fun to watch how they have gone on their little journeys. My favorite project of all time was being asked to paint protocol gifts for the Israel Keneset.  The Canadian Government and Israel-friendly churches joined together to commit themselves as friends and I had the honor of presenting them personally to each of them. They were told that the artist was given their names and that she prayed for each one of them personally and God gave her scripture and the painting. The Israeli ambassador at the time had tears in His eyes from being given Psalm 139. There are many stories and hopefully many more to come.

Thank you so much, Elsie, for visiting with us here.

Thank you Carey for asking me to share. Now back to the drawing board!!!

When I wrote After the Snow Falls, a good portion of the people and locations were from my own imagination, but I did take a trip one year around Christmastime to an area in Quebec close to where my husband grew up. It was this place that became the inspiration for the fictional town of Point-du-Fleuve (in the real region of Pontiac) where Celia and her husband Jeff built their dream home, and where part of the story occurs.

I thought it would be fun to share a few photos of that area so you can what’s so inspiring about this beautiful region.

While Jeff and Celia live on a rural property, they live outside a small town much like this one:

Here is the town church, the kind of church where Father LaFontaine was the parish priest:

When Celia and her husband are driving back and forth to Toronto, they would travel in and out of their town on roads like this:

The railroad no longer runs through this area. In fact, in After the Snow Falls, Celia and Sarah ride bikes down the old rail trail. This is a picture from the railroad’s early days when a working station functioned in the town:

Part of the appeal of the area to me is the water, in some places fierce, in others, beautifully calm.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the inspiration behind my story. Some readers are beginning to leave comments at the website for After the Snow Falls. If you enjoyed the read, don’t forget to leave your comments too. I love to connect with readers.

It’s not terribly original: I write.

But I need a blank page. I need the freedom to make mistakes and think my idea out as I write or write as I think out my idea. I guess it’s kind of a chicken-and-egg thing.

This used to result in Word doc after Word doc floating around on my computer. But recently I’ve discovered a couple of great writer’s tools. Both free (my favorite four-letter word).

• www.750words.com – This is a version of the “Morning Pages” suggested by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. Only instead of long-hand in a journal, it’s online. The idea behind the 750 words is that Ms. Cameron suggests writing until you’ve filled three pages and three pages is…you guessed it: 750 words. After you set up a free account, simply begin writing. The counter lets you know when your brain-dump has reached the magic number. (I use this little technique to break through writer’s block too, or to think out a new plot twist.)
• Evernote – I’m still getting my feet wet with this program. I’ve been waiting until I get my new computer to really dive in, but I can already see the possibilities. All my ideas, the webpages I’m using for research, all in one place. Hold on while I grab a napkin because I’m salivating here. Brilliant.

Vote by sending an email to graceawards@aol.com with the following information pasted in, accompanied by a minimum of 25 words explaining why you like After the Snow Falls. Be sure to include the title of the book and  my name:

Womens Fiction Title (serious women’s issues, can have humor and/or suspense elements). Why you like the story: (At least 25 words)

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Thank you for your support!

Three years ago, when our family uprooted itself and moved to China, After the Snow Falls was almost finished. While there, and when we returned home to Canada, my husband and I encountered circumstances that were very trying. Circumstances through which we had to walk out a lifestyle of forgiveness—not just once but over and over…

To read more, visit:

Last evening, I was featured on I Meant to Read That, and today there is an author interview at All Things Books.

See you there!