In the dirt
In the Dirt is Amanda’s first full-length work of fiction.
A novel, if you will.
But better.
She has created ten main characters for you to love and loathe… until you get to know their secrets, of course.
With the main setting in a community garden, you can watch as these gardeners plant, water, weed and grow their vegetables while growing and pruning their souls.
Because nobody is exempt from the ups and downs of everyday life, Amanda showcases the characters’ internal struggles and promotes their differences as the norm. The ways they find resolution – if possible – is magical to watch.
But watch out for the twists...
It ain’t over til it’s over. And you better believe you’ll experience all the emotions along the way.
Don’t miss what happens in the dirt. Coming this summer.
Preface:
I have a burning desire to show people we are all connected.
We all live on the same earth. On the same floating, rotating mass. That’s spectacular.
While viewing this earth from afar, many astronauts have experienced the “Overview Effect.” As their rocket travels through space, they can witness Earth simply as a blue, green and white swirled sphere.
A sphere they just departed from.
A sphere where they may have had a disagreement with a loved one. Or a negative thought about their neighbor. Or a prejudice about another country. A sphere where boundaries and disconnection were rooted in their brain.
This Overview Effect transforms many space travelers’ minds and hearts. As they view the earth as a whole from far away, they can no longer fathom the separation they once knew.
The connection is in plain sight.
What a beautiful shift to experience first-hand.
I have never been to space.
Chances are, neither have you. But we don’t have to travel lightyears out of this atmosphere to see the importance of this effect.
Because, as the astronauts know, it’s simply the truth.
One day, as I was tending my plot in the community garden in beautiful Copper Harbor, I thought about how much our perceptions play a role in this principle.
Nearly a dozen people had a plot in our garden – twelve plots, one garden – but worms, weeds and water traveled seamlessly from one plot to another as if plot lines didn’t exist.
Only we gardeners needed those plot lines, so we could work “our” space.
We had a rule that stated, “If you find a rock (which we often do), place it outside the fence, not in the path.” The path is still in the garden. That rock can roll to another plot or back to yours.
Because it’s all connected.
That got me thinking about the many types of people in the world and how they might view this theory differently. Some people already understand. Some resist.
So what would happen if they met in the same garden? How would they react to each other? What would they learn? What kind of conflicts could I impart on them to see how they react?
I sketched some character ideas, and soon they came alive.
Once they started talking to me in the middle of the night, I knew we were ready to write this book. I wrote it in just over four months.
I already have notes for the next one.
In the Dirt is the first in a series, so I can try my hand at normalizing as many different types of people and as many human struggles as I can.
I want people to know they are not alone when they suffer. They are not alone ever.
Please enjoy getting to know these magnetic characters and navigating the challenges they face. I’m sure you will find someone to relate to. If not in this book, maybe the next.