Whenever I hear someone ask an author, ‘What inspired you to write your novel?’ my ears perk up. Like the interviewer, I’m curious to know: What was the motivating factor that caused them to shed blood, sweat, and tears to create their masterpiece? A personal experience? A story in the newspaper? A stirring from the writing muse? Or simply exploring the idea of, ‘What if’?
No matter how the author might reply, I’d lean in close and wait for the answer. Sometimes, I think I loved the story behind the story as much as the story itself!
As I prepare to release my debut novel, Perfectly Arranged, my insides go giddy when that ubiquitous question rolls my way. Not because I’m anxious to promote myself or my work, but because the events that sparked my book were years apart from one another yet collided at just the right time.
Before I get ahead of myself, though, I should probably start from the beginning.
In 2006, our family of four moved from Chatham, Illinois to Nanjing, China. It was a complete change of scenery, but one we enjoyed immensely. Sometime between 2007 – 2008, my dad called from the States and said he had a favor to ask. Since he watched my dog, handled our mail, and drove our car for us, I happily agreed.
Surprisingly, his request was simple: he had a friend, “Jill”, whose father had recently passed away, and she discovered a Chinese business card in his personal belongings. Jill found it odd her father would have something like this in his possession. As far as she knew, he’d never been to China, never had any work dealings there, nor did he have any Asian friends. She was utterly baffled and wondered if she sent me the card, could I go to the address in Shanghai (a city I went to often), take a picture of what was there, and then send the photo to her?
Intrigued by the shroud of mystery that surrounded the card, I accepted the opportunity to play detective. Despite my fervent searching, I had to report that I couldn’t find the address as Shanghai was rapidly growing and street names changed regularly. For both her sake and mine, I was disappointed I wasn’t able to uncover the card’s secret.
However, rather than dispose of it, I tucked the card away in a notebook, thinking maybe I could use it for a book idea one day. But since I had no clue even how to write a novel, I forgot about the card for a very long time.
Fast forward to early 2017.
After four years of running my own professional organizing business, By George Organizing Solutions, I grew listless. While I loved helping people bring order to their homes and lives and had tons of interesting clients, the tug of writing a book was heavy on my heart and wouldn’t let go. When someone asked me one day if I had any unusual or funny tales about working in people’s homes, of course, I had plenty to offer. As I recounted some of them, a light bulb went off.
My brain instantly connected my prior experience of tracking down the mysterious Asian location with my present reality: what if a professional organizer was helping a client go through her father’s most personal belongings and they came across a Chinese business card? And what if they decided to go to China and see what was there? What would they find?
With those questions whirling in my mind, I hired a writing coach and began working on what would eventually become Perfectly Arranged. It was a three-year journey to nail the story down and another year for it to find a home with Scrivenings Press, but I have no doubt it all came together at the perfectly arranged time.
Will Nicki risk letting go of her well-ordered life plans and embrace what God has perfectly arranged?
Short on clients and money, professional organizer Nicki Mayfield is hanging up her label maker. That is until the eccentric socialite Katherine O’Connor offers Nicki one last job.
Working together, the pair discovers an unusual business card among Ms. O’Connor’s family belongings that leads them on a journey to China. There, the women embark on an adventure of faith and self-discovery as they uncover secrets, truths, and ultimately, God’s perfectly arranged plans.
Liana George is a sought-after speaker, blogger, and author. Before pursuing a career in writing, she was a professional organizer and the former owner of By George Organizing Solutions in Houston, Texas. Her debut novel, Perfectly Arranged, was inspired by one of her eccentric clients and Liana’s love for China, where she lived for two and a half years. When she’s not putting things in order or scribbling away, you can find her reading, traveling, or playing tennis.
You can connect with Liana at www.lianageorge.com