I’ve only done a few first-person narratives, but sometimes a story just seems to beg for the immediacy and character reveal of that voice. STORM DOG definitely wanted it. It’s a contemporary novel told through the eyes of a slightly quirky, whip-smart, 14-year-old misfit named Ariel, who finds her self-definition through nature, music, her creativity, and a lost dog. Oh, and dog-dancing and the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Parade. The first-person voice allowed me to really play up both the whimsical and philosophical in Ariel’s personality and story. Writing it was a real joy, and took me back to some of my first loves—the hills and streams of Virginia, school bands, and the embrace of a dog in need of love.
If you enjoy STORM DOG, you might also like one of my earlier works, FLYING SOUTH, set in 1968. You can go to that page here: https://www.lmelliott.com/book_landing_page_historical/flying-south