A Force of Nature, by Lori Roberts Herbst

Next month will mark twelve years since I lost my mother, but all this time later, barely a day goes by that I don’t think about her. I wish I could talk to her about the big things—the great grandchildren she never got to meet, her four grandchildren, our extended family. Even as I plod toward my own senior citizen status, I still crave her wisdom and advice. I’d love to laugh with her again, to do a little harmless gossiping, to hear her vent over the current state of the world. 

 

Mom was a force of nature, and when such a force departs the world, it leaves a vacuum in its wake.

 

Since she died, I’ve fulfilled a dream I had for most of my life. I’ve become an author—almost five times over. NEGATIVE REACTION, the fifth book in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series, releases on April 25. As happens with each book I publish, the imminent publication has given rise to a particular longing for my mother. Mom was a voracious reader, and I think she would have been crazy proud of me for writing and publishing these books. She dabbled at writing herself, producing essays and short fiction that my sister and I didn’t even know about until we cleaned out my parents’ home in 2011. Her writing was, in my opinion, pretty remarkable. She never tried to publish, though, and she would have loved that I did. I believe she would have seen some of her own passions blossom through me. Sometimes, when I’m pecking away at my keyboard, I feel her presence, her genes running through my fingers and into my writing.

 

I wonder if Mom would recognize herself in Maggie Cassidy, my protagonist’s mother. Even if she didn’t see the obvious similarities, I know she would have loved the sarcastic, funny, headstrong, fiercely protective character. She would have raised an eyebrow and nodded when Maggie scolds her daughter for taking too many risks, at the same time as she encourages her to do what she knows is right.

 

In a way, these books are a gift to my mother, an offering to her legacy. She’s not here to read them, but I hope somehow she knows about them, and that they give her a smile.

Do you have people who inspire your pursuits? I'd love to hear about them.

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Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. To find out more and to sign up for her newsletter, go to www.lorirobertsherbst.com.