One of Joy’s favorite songs is “All Creatures of our God and King.” She will go around the house humming it for hours, breaking into words only at the “alleluia, alleluia” part.
Grace, being three, likes to imitate her sister in all things, so when Joy starts caroling “Alleluia, alleluia,” Grace immediately joins in.
Only her alleluias don’t always sound the way they’re supposed to. From Grace, it sounds more like she’s singing, “Holly Grayson, Holly Grayson …” (Or, technically, “howwy gwayson,” because she’s still working on her “l”s and “r”s.)
After I checked all their books and TV shows to see if she was singing about some character (she wasn’t), I decided it was just a trick of her hearing alleluia slightly differently, pronouncing it more differently yet, and my ear trying to arrange her nonsense syllables into something that makes sense.
Then I started thinking about what a good name Holly Grayson was for a book character, decided I’d use it sometime.
A couple days later, I decided Holly had long, dark brown hair, and either blue or hazel eyes.
Few days after that, I knew she was strong-willed and sharp-witted, often speaking without thinking, but with a warm heart underneath.
An investigator, I realized shortly thereafter. Not an ordinary investigator, either, but either a paranormal or supernatural one.
Nope, I decided a short time later. Time-traveling investigator, working for the InterGalactic Time Police (what, you didn’t know about them? Oh, they exist, my friends.), except they only let her stay on because of her ability to always get results. They don’t like the way she flouts their rules and doesn’t always respect authority. You can’t fire your top investigator for being a smart-mouth, though, so she stays on, even though they’re always looking for reasons to get rid of her.
Then I decided that her time-traveling machine broke down on her last trip, trapping her in the Victorian Era until she is able to fix it, and that she uses her skills and abilities to help those who can’t help themselves – in fact, that becomes her agency’s motto. Holly Grayson Investigations: We help those who can’t help themselves.
Saturday afternoon, I caved and started writing the story that landed her in the Victorian Era. It’s going to be novelette or novella length, I’m not sure yet. I’m having so much fun with it.
Hey Grace, got any more songs you want to mangle? Just imagine the stories you could inspire!
Isn't wonderful how real life intrudes on literary life? It sounds like a wonderful story!!!
My daughter has started bouncing around saying "EEE boing, EEE boing, EEE boing" instead of "Boing-y Boing-y Boing-y," but that's not quite the same thing.
I am having fun with it, that's for certain 🙂
Oh, I LOVE it when they switch syllables. Joy used to do that sort of thing a lot, and it never failed to crack me up.
What a cool evolution of a character and an idea!
Amazing how they just grow and grow. (Characters, I mean… but kids too!)
Certainly not how my plots and characters usually develop, I can tell you that!
Characters and kids do seem to have rather a lot in common at times … for one, they rarely do as they're told, and they're always full of surprises!
*That* is oresome.
Thanks 🙂