Intersection Column | When a Dream Won’t Die
- mtlmagazine
- 26 minutes ago
- 4 min read
by Sara Brunsvold
“Have you ever had something you’ve always wanted to do? An idea that wouldn’t leave you alone? An experience you wanted to have that you were sure would make you feel alive and fully appreciate your time on earth in ways you can’t even imagine? … Have you ever had a dream?” – Chloe Vance in The Atlas of Untold Stories
When I set out to write The Atlas of Untold Stories, a contemporary novel about a mom and her two adult daughters embarking on a literary road trip around the Heartland, I called upon several personal experiences. One was my own motherhood, and my two teenage daughters were top of mind as I crafted the story. I also drew heavily from my college days when I was pursuing a degree in English.
But there was another experience I drew from to pen the novel, and it’s one I haven’t talked much about until now. Like the youngest sister in the book, Chloe Vance, I held a dream in my heart that some people close to me said was impractical, because the odds were against me and the payoff too uncertain. I dreamed of being a novelist.
The dream first took shape when I was in middle school. Someone introduced me to John Steinbeck. At that age, I didn’t understand the mastery of his work, but I was riveted with the way he painted word pictures and evoked emotion. I wanted to learn to do that. I felt called to learn to do that.
Believing you were meant to do something and realizing it are two points in time often separated by a distance as wide and unpredictable as the ocean. Though I received early encouragement from my teachers and parents, it was not enough to keep my sails full. By the time I graduated college, the distant dream seemed further off than ever. Then I got married and started a family. Though I loved my family and the writing-related job I had at the time, my dream never died. The biblical phrase “heart’s desire” felt more like a “heart’s fire.” The embers refused to quiet, and it hurt not to stoke them. Even walking into a bookstore was a painful reminder of what I had tried to put aside.
When my daughters were preschoolers, I began to understand better the importance of stewarding my gifts, talents, time—and yes, my heart’s desire—for the glory of God. Stewardship started with surrendering my desire to Him. Trusting Him with my all included trusting Him with my dream. Stewardship also required me to commit to doing my part—to put time and discipline to writing—in faith that He would lead me according to His will. Even if no one else could see what I saw, even if they told me how impractical it was or that not all dreams were meant to come true. Even if the results God ordained for me looked nothing like what I imagined. I kept taking steps of faith. Even if.
About 10 years after I made that commitment, my first novel was released. Was that moment exactly like what I imagined? No. It was better. Because His dreams for us are better.
The Atlas of Untold Stories is my third published novel, praise God, and Chloe’s journey captures many of those fears, doubts, and lessons in unshakable faith I experienced.
Even sweeter, during research for the book, I discovered something as I revisited the classic American literature I first read as an English major. When I studied the lives of the authors behind the literature, I found parallel tales of fellow dreamers sailing that same sea of pain and discipline. They, too, knew the headwinds of rejection, enormous odds, and naysaying.
Willa Cather’s journey particularly stood out to me. The author of O, Pioneers! and My Antonia, who is featured in the book, would never have produced these enduring novels if she had caved to the cruel criticism of a powerful editor who insisted she would never be a great writer. I’m no Cather and don’t aspire to be, but I find companionship in her story.
Sometimes we are wise to listen to the counsel of those around us. But always we are wisest when we listen to the voice of the Creator. That voice sometimes sounds a lot like a dream that won’t die.
About the Author
Sara Brunsvold is the Christy Award-winning author of The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip and The Divine Proverb of Streusel. She creates stories that engage contemporary issues through the lens of hope and unshakable faith. She lives with her family in Kansas.
About the Book
As two sisters and their mother embark on a trip to visit significant literary sites, they experience firsthand the adventure and wonder of the classics and discover the value of being honest with themselves—and each other—about their losses and failures.
Did You Know?
Despite the dog-eat-dog competition at dog shows, there are no documented cases of a human being murdered at a dog show. There are, however, several notable incidents involving the suspicious deaths of dogs under circumstances suggesting foul play.
Jagger at Crufts (2015): A three-year-old Irish Setter named Jagger died shortly after competing at the prestigious Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England. An autopsy revealed that Jagger had ingested poisoned meat, leading to his death. The incident shocked the dog show community and led to increased security measures at subsequent events.
Choo-tai of Egham (1913): Choo-tai, a champion Pekingese, was poisoned after winning Best Champion at Crufts in 1913. The dog's owner received a postcard claiming the act was committed by suffragettes protesting for women's voting rights, threatening to target other prize-winning animals until their demands were met.
Cruz at Westminster (2013): Cruz, a Samoyed who competed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, died a few days after the event. His owners suspected he ingested rat poison, possibly during the show. However, without a necropsy, the exact cause of death remained unconfirmed.
While the competitive world of dog shows has seen its share of drama, the victims have been four-legged. But what if the stakes were high enough to turn deadly for humans, too? That’s the question at the heart of Dogged by Murder, a cozy mystery where a veterinarian finds herself sniffing out the truth behind a suspicious death at a dog show.
-Ellen Fannon, Dogged by Murder