Back in August 2021, I wrote in my blog post:
“Once upon a time I had three children who married and had children of their own. Now I have eleven grandchildren. I hadn’t thought I’d have such a bonanza, but four of them came as twins to my older son and his wife. Yes, two sets. That adds up quickly. Once they were old enough to talk about books, I started requesting they give me words to use in my mysteries. Immediately, the twins decided it would be fun to try to stump me. They have since spent time figuring out which words will give me the most trouble in the setting of a fictional, small Illinois town. The harder the better, like ‘tundra.’ Now they’re able to look up words in dictionaries, so I get things like ‘ubiquitous.’”
When I wrote that paragraph two years ago, the girl twins were ten. Now they’re twelve and quite proficient at Google. Josephine challenged me to use “qwerty,” teaching me about computer keyboards. I was impressed that she knew this word and I didn’t. In fact, a lot of people seemed to know it. I tell them they are doing me a great service: keeping my mind going and teaching me new things. It’s true.
Back then, Camille asked me to use her name as a character’s name. So, I made her a podcaster named Camille Whitacre. Camille is a college student who already showed up in The Witch’s Child. She’ll also be in the book I’m writing now since she’ll do another podcast about the goings on in the small town of Endurance.
Josephine
I’ve noticed this year the tide has turned, and they are becoming more ruthless. Josephine wanted me to use her name as a character, but I couldn’t make her a killer, a murder victim, or a mean person. I decided to make her an attorney. Her name is Josephine Brinkley, and she’s one heck of an attorney. She doesn’t let anyone push her around, including the deputy sheriff, who isn’t a very nice guy. This should make Josephine incredibly happy indeed since she is a strong young lady.
Camille, on the other hand, is out for blood this time. She’s making up rules for me. I can’t use her word choice as a television show title, book title, or documentary title. Each time we do this, she produces more rules.
Wait. Who’s in charge here?
When I went out to Arizona to visit in the Fall, they were waiting for me. I thought Camille was going to unroll her new word
Camille
with a marching band. And this was it: Australopithecus. I wasn’t sure how to say that, let alone spell it. Somehow it didn’t sound like small-town Illinois. It didn’t exactly roll off my tongue, and I searched through my memory for it. Not there. I checked it out. Wikipedia says it is “a genus of early hominins that existed during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene Periods about 3.85 million years ago.” In Africa. And they’ve found the remains of more than three hundred.
This time Camille was so sure of herself she didn’t even give me any new rules.
But Grandma once again is batting a thousand. Australopithecus is in the upcoming book, and it comes out June 5. Death in a Ghostly Hue. However, some day they are going to come up with a word I won’t manage to use, and then I’ll have to raise my hands in surrender. I’m sure that day will come.
I guess you’ll have to wait to see how I managed to sneak Australopithecus into a setting in the middle of the small town of Endurance in downstate Illinois in this century. And it isn’t a time travel plot. Stay tuned… and a huge thank you to my granddaughters for keeping my brain working.
I can’t wait to read how you used that word! I can’t even spell it without copying and pasting. You are a lucky grandmother. And writer.
Thanks, Judy. After much thought, I used that word to show something about Jill Madison’s sidekick, Angie. But yes, it took a long time to figure out how to spell it, say it, and use it. My two wonderful granddaughters are putting me through my paces. They are so much fun.
I can’t believe you have two sets of twins! What are the odds? Love their devotion to challenging you. Smart, very smart.
Hi, Judy,
Yes, my children (and I) were truly blessed. It was a little crazy in those early years, but now they’re teens and preteens, and they’re doing really well. So lucky!
Susan
Now you’re getting into my area of prehistory. Maybe you’ll have to write a prehistory novel.
Ha! Actually, I did study prehistoric history in college!
Susan
It’s great to hear about the interaction between you and your twin granddaughters. My grandsons help me with my WIP. One draws the main character for me so I can imagine his lacrosse uniform and his hair. The other grandson helps with lacrosse moves on the turf. I use vocabulary words as the chapter headings for my 13-year-old MC’s vocabulary journal. I hope this trope will appeal to MG readers. Ask your twins.
Hi, Beth. What wonderful ideas. I bet this does appeal to your readers. And think about the talents they are using. They are lucky they have a grandmother who teaches them the importance of words and vocabulary choices! And we are lucky we have some great memories to share with our children and grandchildren.
Ooh… Susan, I think I would have liked the time-traveling 4-million-year-ago humanoid story. This post was so much fun. Thanks.
Thank you, Pamela, for stopping in. Not sure I do time-traveling stories, but there is a charming ghost in the next book!
Susan
Okay, this comment is very tardy. Sorry for my late arrival, Susan. Your blog post was delightful. Your twin-twin granddaughters, undoubtedly, are very smart and (I know it’s not a manly adjective, but it fits) DELIGHTFUL! My final comment is this: Grand kids run my show too.
Thanks, Jim! I imagine they will still try to fool me next time.