*Written With Veridion Smart

 I talk a great deal about my books because they are important to me. The characters become familiar companions, the stories develop their own lives, and eventually, I want to share them with readers who might find something meaningful in their pages.

But there is another part of my writing life that deserves recognition.

The people who support me don’t always receive a mention in the acknowledgments, and their contributions don’t always appear in the finished manuscript. Yet their influence can be found all throughout the process.

My husband, Kevin, heads up my support team, which also consists of our daughter, our grandchildren, and our very close friends. To him, support means listening while I talk through an idea for the hundredth time or switch every plot detail around like I’m playing Tetris because my story has suddenly completely changed. Sometimes it means being patient when a writing project takes longer than expected or calmly accepting that an ordinary outing may turn into a literal investigation of something totally unrelated. Sometimes it simply means being there when plans go wrong and he’s doing everything he can to keep me from falling apart.

As I told you in Part One of this blog post, Kevin has been part of my life and my writing journey in ways that deserve more appreciation than a few sentences can express. I’m sure he never thought – when we met at the ripe old age of fifteen or sixteen, and ‘bad boy’ that he was – that the girl who was to become his wife would eventually grow up to write books. (Because I don’t think he’d ever read one, thanks to a long-time girlfriend who did his homework for him…)

But Kevin adapted to my world like a chameleon. He understood how much the story mattered to me and that's what he cared about, even if driving hundreds of miles to visit a historic place he’d never heard of made little sense to him. He doesn’t mind; he’d rather share my adventure than watch me prepare for it. He’s my photographer, my videographer, and even my musicologist. When companionship and support like that becomes part of everyday life, it’s easy to take it for granted.

The truth is, sometimes I just need to pause and recognize how much his support means.

We’ve just returned from our third (and final, I hope) research trip to the Texas Panhandle in preparation for Book Two of my WHISPERS THROUGH TIME series, JOURNEY OF THE HEART. One of our most important destinations was Blanco Canyon, located about thirty-five miles east of Lubbock, Texas. Nearly unrecognized just a few years ago, this was the historical location of the first and very pivotal battle between the fierce Comanche Chief Quanah Parker and leader of the Fourth Cavalry, Colonel Ranald MacKenzie. 

To someone who doesn’t know me, this might sound like a considerable amount of effort just to see a place like that. And perhaps it is. But as a writer of historical fiction, I have a habit of asking questions that other people may not ask - and Kevin understands that.

What would the landscape have looked like to someone living there during another time? How might the surroundings have influenced the choices people made? What details might be missed if we relied entirely on photographs and written descriptions? These are the kinds of questions that send me searching beyond the pages of reference books. And our journey always gives us an opportunity to observe, reflect on, and discuss details that will undoubtedly find their way into either this – or another – story.

As we prepared for this trip, I also thought about something beyond the places we hoped to see. I thought about the experience of getting there, about the plans that needed attention, the problems that needed solving, and the fact that the journey is still possible because we didn’t simply abandon it when circumstances became difficult.

And I thought about the wonderful man sharing it with me. I told you in my last blog how different Kevin and I have always been (like, the two of us combined makes one whole person), but I never appreciate those differences as much as I do when we’re travelling together. Being locked with another person alone in a van and driving hundreds of miles through unfamiliar territory gives us a lot of needed time to think and for uninterrupted conversation.

And here’s one of the things I thought about: We writers love to celebrate our achievements. We celebrate a finished manuscript, a published book, a positive review, or the moment a story finally reaches its readers. And those moments deserve to be celebrated.

But I need to do more than that. I need to recognize the man who has helped me reach them.

Kevin’s the one who always encourages me when an idea seems too ambitious. He listens patiently while I work through a problem. He helps me pick up the pieces when a plan falls apart, and he reminds me, through his actions, that a setback doesn’t necessarily mean it's the end of the road. In fact, a setback usually means we’re going to find a better way – because Kevin is going to discover it. Although he always helps me through a plot block, I know he doesn’t consider himself part of the creative process. In fact, he’d roar with laughter if I even suggested such a thing. 

His support matters to me, more than I can say.

So, now that we’ve returned safely from our latest adventure, I want to take a moment to appreciate him…

Kevin, thank you for sharing the journey with me. Thank you for your patience, your support, and your willingness to help turn plans into experiences. Thank you for being part of the life that exists beyond my books, even when my books threaten to take over everything else. And thank you for reminding me that while I may spend countless hours creating stories, some of the most meaningful parts of my life with you always happen outside the pages.

I may be the one writing JOURNEY OF THE HEART, but I certainly haven’t made every part of this journey alone. Every journey has a story – and sometimes, one of the most beautiful parts of that story is the person beside you.

*What about you? Is there someone who has stood beside you while you pursued a dream or worked toward something important? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments – or, if you prefer, send them to me privately. Email me at: Thompd2011@gmail.com.

Rosetta Diane Hoessli has written two novels, the award-winning WHISPERS THROUGH TIME (2021) and TIP THE PIANO MAN (2024), and is working on a third, JOURNEY OF THE HEART. She’d love to hear from you. You can contact her at thompd2011@gmail.com, on this website (https://www.rosettadhoesslibooks.com), or at https://www.facebook.com/RosettaDianeAuthor or https://www.facebook.com/Ronni.Hoessli. Check out her new TikTok page at https://www.tiktok.com@Ronniwrites. There, you can find a couple of personal videos. Have a blessed day!