The Unexpected Origin of my Debut Novel

I never expected to write Please Return to the Lands of Luxury.

When the idea came to me, I was actually hard at work on a completely different book. But a strange sequence of events led me down a different path.

After visiting my family for Christmas, I brought home some things from my childhood bedroom including a battery-powered replica of Rex, the dinosaur from the Toy Story movies.

Unfortunately I discovered it had endured a few too many humid summers at my parents’ home. The old batteries had corroded inside, leaving behind some crusty white powder and goop.

I considered cleaning it, but my fears about toxic battery ooze led me to throw it away instead.

In that moment, a wave of guilt washed over me. Perhaps because I don’t like throwing things away or perhaps because I grew up with animated movies that pretended this exact toy was actually alive. (I'm sure the scene where they're almost destroyed at a dump didn't help!)

In any case, I ignored the feeling. Despite Pixar’s best efforts, I knew a hunk of plastic did not in fact have consciousness.

But when trash day came, everything changed. I happened to be looking outside just as the truck came and took away the garbage. I knew Rex was in there, and I couldn't help but fixate on the situation.

Before long I completed the first draft, and Please Return to the Lands of Luxurywas born.

We tend to want to ignore bad feelings. I was hoping to forget all about throwing away that toy, but instead it became the origin of my debut novel–something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

This idea even became a theme of the book as I explored Jane's past and memories.

We can always use a reminder that good things can come from sour circumstances. I still don't love that Rex's batteries corroded or that I threw him away, especially after I discovered there are methods to clean up that dreaded ooze. But I also recognize that without that moment, I'd never have been inspired to write Jane's story–a book that has connected with people around the world—my first novel!