The Soul Revisited

To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember what triggered the idea of writing a book in which reincarnation played a major role. It might have had something to do with both of my parents dying within two years of each other. I spent a lot of time wondering what had happened to them and to the energy that had made them vibrant, living beings.

The urge to write a novel, on the other hand, has gnawed at me for as long as I can remember. Like my father, I have always loved “playing with words.” As a sixth-grade literacy teacher, I have read hundreds of books for young adults. I know what my students enjoy, what is popular and what kinds of books are already on library shelves. I wanted to write something different, but it’s not easy to find a plot that is original. So when this reincarnation thing popped into my head, I jumped on it. It didn’t take long, however, for me to realize that I didn’t know much at all about reincarnation, and if I wanted my story to be realistic, I’d better research.

I googled reincarnation on the Internet and found a lot of websites that were pretty “out there.” I’m basically a down-to-earth, logical person, so I didn’t spend long on these sites. Instead, like Goldilocks, I kept searching until I found the one that felt “just right.” I started reading about Ann Barham, who’d created the site www.pastlives.org, and decided I liked her; I felt I could trust her. Ann is a licensed therapist who specializes in past-life regression therapy. I surprised myself by e-mailing to ask if she’d be interested in helping me with some information for a novel I was writing. We ended up arranging a time for a phone interview, and when I called, a young girl answered the phone. I knew I’d chosen the right person to talk with when I learned that the girl was the therapist’s daughter, Emily. The coincidence that her daughter had the same name as the main character in my novel was too strange not to mean something!

Ann patiently answered all my questions about how an actual regression works and recommended some books that she thought would help. The accounts I read of past life regressions, especially those of children, were fascinating. I discovered that I like the idea of reincarnation, the concept that every person’s life has purpose, sometimes for the role it plays in others’ lives as their souls learn what they need to learn. That concept gives meaning to otherwise incomprehensible events, like the death of a child. I like the possibility that maybe we all have many chances to “get it right.”

So I read, took notes, wrote when I could and did a lot of thinking. When I wasn’t sure of something, I’d e-mail Ann with more questions, and she answered them all. This writing process stretched out over two years. Summer was the only time that I could spend hours at my computer, writing and revising and revising some more. During the school year, I seldom had the chunks of time that I needed to write. This isn’t to say I didn’t work at all on the book during the school year. I spent countless hours thinking about what should happen in the story and writing down ideas. Walking the dogs, taking my morning shower and lying in bed before drifting off to sleep were all incredibly productive thinking times. I had lots of ideas percolating in my head, just waiting for summer when I could pour them into my laptop. It was anticipation at its best, a delay of gratification so painfully sweet that by the time summer arrived, I was more than ready to write!

I have to tell you, a lot of details from my own life wound up in this book. The horse, the M&M’s®, sailing on Martha’s Vineyard — all come from my life. One especially fun “aha!” moment came one day when I was half listening to a Discovery Channel program about the dung beetle. For some reason, the words “dung beetle” started rolling around in my head until they turned into “beetle dung.” From there, I went to “Beetlebung” which is part of the name of a place on Martha’s Vineyard. The island, where I spent summers while growing up, was the place I wanted to be in my main character’s past life. Suddenly, I had a way to make the connection!

I don’t look at life or death in quite the same way since researching and writing this book. I wonder why certain things happen. Whose life plan are they a part of and why? Sometimes I even speculate on the reasons. And I find comfort in the idea that my soul can return someday to work on the things I don’t get right this time around.