The township of Merciful, Georgia is the home of 41 families, 15 state football championships, 11 flourishing businesses, 6 farm festivals yearly, 3 hopeless romantics and a dog named Donut.
Oh, none of that (except Donut) actually exists.
Yet.
It's an idea that's been with me for a couple of years now but I haven't really fleshed it out. A place where people come for all sorts of reasons and find the things that matter most - love, faith, friends and themselves.
Not as slow paced as Mayberry not as fast talking as Stars Hollow, I see Merciful as a lovely blend of all the wonderful small and midsized towns that I love to discover as I wander the American countryside. (where I find gems like the Crump Theater in Columbus, Indiana).
The characters? Quirky, of course. And kind. Familiar, I hope and yet just different enough to reveal something unexpected to us about ourselves and the people we love (or hope to love ;)). I have a few story lines cooking. Have been speaking with an editor I've never worked with before who is just lovely, and has given her thoughts and have been trying to decide if I want to develop the story as a women's fiction series or as a romance series.
This is the fun stuff. That time when anything is possible. Like the anticipation of the perfect snowfall, a delicious meal, a romantic dance in the arms of a man who makes your heart skip, or a good book.
Ahhhh.
Welcome to Merciful - it's out there. Think I should try to find it? I have a map and some mental postcards and a few stories from people telling me it's worth the trip.
