The Broken One was inspired by how my own daughter lost her stuffed wolf. . .aka Wolfius.

Once upon a time my eldest child had a stuffed wolf she didn’t want her little brother to play with. Somehow, perhaps only because he was told not to touch it, it became my son’s favorite stuffed animal and she eventually gave it to him.

He sat on my son’s bed for years.

When my youngest daughter first met “Wolfius” he was off limits to her—her brother’s untouchable, treasured stuffed animal. Funny how cycles repeat. At three my daughter would beg to just hug him.

Eventually, my son passed “Wolfius” down to his younger sister and he gained even more importance in our family.

Other toys have come and gone, but Wolfius remains. My youngest one falls asleep hugging him each night, takes him with us on every trip, and when her older siblings went off to college she hugged him even tighter. Somehow the love she has for them has become intertwined with her love for the stuffed animal they handed down to her.

You can imagine the panic that struck my family when we made it to baggage claim in an airport only to discover my daughter had put him down somewhere along the way. We weren’t allowed reentry to retrieve him. We went straight to lost and found. . .which turned out to be a bit of a mistake, but we all learn as we go through life, don’t we? I didn’t know that airlines hold things for 24 hours then ship to a main holding area rather than lost and found. So, by dealing with the airport rather than the airline Wolfius set out on a multi-state adventure.

I still get teary when I remember how supportive everyone was. I knew he wasn’t the type of stuffed animal someone would throw away—or want to keep. He looks too well loved. One look at him and you know some kid is missing him.

When no one could locate him, I turned to social media and offered a reward.

First, I’d like to thank everyone at Southwest Airlines for spreading the world far and wide. Really, the outpouring of messages from people throughout the company was heartwarming.

Special thanks to : Melissa DeJesus-Blanc and Tricia Kingston Arrigo . Two of the nicest women who kept us in the loop on where he was and made sure he made it to us safely at our hotel.

I’d also like to thank everyone who shared the post and who offered us their own stuffed animals.

The messages that came in during that time were so touching that I knew I had to write Wolfius into a book. I took the emotions from our experience and poured them into The Broken One.

Authors put a lot of themselves into their stories. We change names, ages and circumstances, but the essence remains the same.

I have my own stuffed animal I'd be so sad if I lost. Here's the story of my JUDY BEAR. 

Back before texting, when phone calls were crazy expensive, we used to write journals to each other then mail them every few weeks. It was spring and I was sitting outside Notre Dame when I read about her visit to the doctor where she was told the cancer was back and it was everywhere. She told me to stay in Paris. She told me she'd be there when I got back.

I was on the next flight I could get, all my stuff in tow.

It was the hardest time of my life. I didn't understand back then that some things couldn't be fixed with optimism and faith. I was at her side, cleaning her house, helping out with her kids, simply being with her expecting it to save her. She got sicker regardless of how much love I poured her way.

And it made me sad. . .every cell in my body cried when she hurt.

One day, I selfishly gave in to tears in front of her and she told me to go to the closet to retrieve something.

It was a musical teddy bear with a heart that said, "I love you." She said she knew when she'd heard her diagnosis that it would be hard for me so she bought it for the day when I needed to know how much being there for her meant and so I'd know how much she loved me.

I believe I ugly cried then.

My sister has been gone for thirty years and I still miss her every day. I don't like to think about the sad times. I'd rather remember all the laughs we had and spend time with the children and grandchildren she left behind.

But when things get tough, I take my "Judy bear" down from the shelf, wind up the music box and hug it close. I like to think she hears it and comes down to sit with me.

I thought about that bear as well when I wrote about Ava and her Wolfie. "Judy Bear" feels like my connection to the other side.

Do you have a stuffed animal that means something to you? I'd love to hear your story behind it. . .even if it's only that you've had it since childhood. If you have a photo, please share it!

My youngest daughter has already asked me if she can have "Judy Bear" one day and I said yes.

I'd like to think when I'm gone he'll watch over her as well. Wolfius (aka Wolfie in THE BROKEN ONE) fully approves.

Hope you enjoyed reading about how my real life inspires the journeys I send my characters on.