What you might learn from 'Friends and Neighbors': An inside word

Ever since I wrote the musical "It's Your Time," and the drafts to "The Teenage Love Diaries," I would often find the moments within the story, come to life. Usually, they would come to life AFTER they were written. It's strange how every time I write a story, or something, it eventually comes to life right before my very eyes. Now, I'm not saying that I am Nostradamus, or a prophet, but sometimes it is strange to even look at. This past weekend, I went to Country Stampede. I had a fun time, and If you don’t know what Country Stampede is, it’s a four day, outdoor country music and camping festival, where people from all over the state come to watch famous country stars sing. In Friends and Neighbors, this festival is mentioned several times throughout the story.

 I always mention that characters within a story will always become a part of the author. Sometimes, it’s a matter of stepping in that character’s shoes to find the inspiration of emotion.  Last night, I felt a slight glimpse of emotion from the main character, Riley Johnson. In the book, there’s a chapter titled “An Unexpected Surprise.”  This chapter contains a lot of conflict, emotion, and twisted scenarios. In this chapter, there is a scene where Riley and Rachel meet each other for the first time since leaving College for the summer, but Riley encounters the feeling of him being unwanted at a party because Rachel’s friends "Prejudge" him based on the color of his skin. Last night, I actually walked into Riley's shoes, and felt the exact same emotion when I encountered a group of strangers with a friend. It was interesting to feel what the moment was like.  Now what’s the message behind the story? Well, I'm not giving out spoilers of the story, but it left me with this thought that I had Tweeted and even dusted to all of my Cyber Dusters. I said, "It may involve your life being on the line and at risk, but always do the right thing for others." When you save someone else's life, you're risking your own life. No matter what the situation is, where, who, big or small, your life is somewhat on the line. Think of a Soldier going out to battle. When a soldier runs out to rescue someone, the enemy is always firing back at the soldier.

An unexpected surprise, was actually the first chapter I had wrote for this book, and this chapter allowed me to expand around it. It introduces one of my favorite characters in this book, and that is Rachel. Like I said, I’ll throw in hints, but I’m not giving out spoilers. The only person who has read both the draft and revision of this chapter, was my professor. To be honest, this chapter is still being updated and revised as we speak. So what will you find in this chapter? Regret, Fate, and Racism…Okay, don’t believe it. Just think about it and you answer it all for yourself. Sorry, I’m not going to truly give away the juicy secrets.  Just know that it’s all an “Unexpected Surprise.”

Stay tuned for more updates of Friends and Neighbors

Ronald Atkinson