Story Behind The Book
Imagine a young woman, Mary, buries her father after nursing him the last year of his life. Imagine that on the day of the funeral, Mary sees her father crawl from his grave. Imagine Mary's reaction when she realizes she is the only one who can see him... --- Haunting Miss Trentwood began as an exercise to understand how my parent felt about losing both of their parents. I researched adult (or midlife) orphans, which is such an important, and under-recognized topic. I'm certain the public library thought I was going through some deep trouble because I read every book on the topic. I became fascinated and terrified by the idea that one day, my parents will die, and with them goes the only people in the world who have seen it all happen to me. They exist as a living record and archive of the traumatic moments in my life. They are my anchor. I asked the questions: What happens to someone who loses both their parents? How do we continue, knowing there will never be anyone who knows us entirely? How do we keep the spirit of our parents alive? Soon thereafter, I began dreaming about ghosts. Specifically, one ghost: the ghost of Mary's father. I didn't know why he was there. Mary certainly didn't know why he was there. But we both knew his presence would forever change the plot and purpose of Haunting Miss Trentwood née Trentwood's Orphan. Looking back, I can see influences of Hamlet involved in the inspiration of Haunting Miss Trentwood. We so often underestimate the importance of the role our parents have in our lives, or the lack thereof if our parents are not a part of our lives. We underestimate the influence our parents have on our judgments and decisions. This book is my attempt to understand and cope with the idea that one day, my parents will be gone, but I hope to keep their spirits alive within me. Is that crazy? Am I alone in worrying about this? Are you wondering how in the hell can I make an entertaining read about such a morbid topic? Don't worry, I wonder the same thing all the time. It's a challenge, but it's one I'm excited to face. Which, in retrospect, seems kind of weird, doesn't it?