Fiction often arises from two places: experiences of the author and the results of asking the question, “What if?” Picture Imperfect is no exception.
Picture Imperfect is the story of 12-year-old JJ, a girl who loves photography and has an opportunity to win the dreamed-of camera that her parents cannot afford. However, she faces obstacles in the forms of an annoying aunt who becomes her roommate, a beloved great-grandmother in failing health, and a cat prone to wander. Can she overcome these challenges and prove herself through her photographs?
When I began writing Picture Imperfect, my husband and I had an unexpected housemate of our own, a relative who was out of work and out of money. While she was a decent person, her presence caused tension and seemed to bring out the worst in us. “What if?” I wondered. “What if this happened to a preteen girl? What if this person was super-annoying and the girl actually had to share a room with her?” And so Aunt Lissa was created.
Around the same time, my favorite aunt became ill. As we spent time together, I recognized how important she had been in my life. And I thought of women from my church who had encouraged me and strengthened my faith. JJ’s Gram grew from these memories.
Many of the settings are from my own life—the church, the school, the county fair site, and, of course, the Columbia Gorge.
And JJ? Is she modeled after me? Perhaps a little bit. I do love photography—and cats. But JJ is a stronger girl than I was. And I never had a wacky but caring sidekick like Kat—although I wish I had. My faith also plays a big part in the story, as JJ searches for the God her Gram seems to know so well. I admit I’ve been more like JJ than Gram in this area.
As for the plot, that’s where the “What if?” questions came in. What if JJ really needed that camera? What if her best plans kept backfiring? What if she and Kat let their suspicions about Aunt Lissa override their good sense? What if every possible thing seemed to go wrong?
Picture Imperfect was fun to write, because it was a mixture of experience and possibilities. And I hope it will nudge my middle grade readers a little closer to God.
This piece was first published at carolemarie.com.
