Steena Holmes’ on Favorite Childhood Memories

Everybody’s Talking About . . . Favorite Childhood Memories

by Steena Holmes

Ahh, summer is almost here. There’s nothing quite like it and as a child, it is one of the most exciting times of the year.

When you think back to your childhood and summer what’s the first thought that pops into your head? I would imagine that thought left a smile on your face, didn’t it? Did you remember a place, a memory, a smell? Or something that combined all three?

For me, there are three memories that seem to collide into one. The sound of the waves as it lapped the beach, the smell of the campfire that burned almost every weekend and the excitement of being free to do whatever I wanted as long as it was outdoors.

One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the local town fair. Back then, they were huge in the rural areas. All the small towns had one. I remember being able to plan my weekends by which town had a fair. I grew to love cotton candy, become an expert at eating candied apples without getting the sweet sugar stuck in between my teeth and knew what rides to not take after eating hotdogs. I remember running through the crowds with my best friends, throwing pies at my favorite teachers and I still feel the excitement of winning the largest stuffed bear in the world.

As I think back—almost every summer that I can remember has a town fair memory attached to it, even up to now, living in a city where the ‘largest outdoor show in the world’ is hosted—the Calgary Stampede. This is probably why the fair scene in my bestselling novel Finding Emma is so important to the story. It was also one of the hardest scenes for me to write.

Now it’s your turn. When you thought back to your childhood and summer, what was your first memory?

~ Steena

Steena Holmes released her new novel, Finding Emma, in April 2012. Her essay above is a part of a very special event on The Muffin—Everybody's Talking About Favorite Childhood Memories. Visit the blogs participating in this event and leave a comment with your own thoughts or memories. Each comment earns one entry into our drawing for a signed copy of Finding Emma.

Steena is a woman who believes that 'in the end, all things succumb . . . to the passions of your heart'. Steena's life revolves around her family, friends and fiction. Add some chocolate into the mix and she's living the good life. She took those passions and made them a dream come true by pouring her heart into each of her stories.

Finding Emma has quickly become a bestseller. Proceeds from each book will be donated to The Missing Children's Society of Canada—an organization dedicated to reuniting families. Visit http://www.mcsc.ca/ for more information.

To find out more info about Steena and to view a list of her published titles visit http://www.steenaholmes.com/.