CAMEO began with the kernel of an idea—a brief scene that popped into my mind and was so vivid that I was compelled to write it down. In this case, it was the scene of Rosalind—after she has realized Sully’s identity—staring at his image in the wedding photograph, and then opening her cameo with shaking hands to reveal the portrait of the young girl inside, her resemblance to Sully unmistakable. However this fragment—though it had intriguing possibilities—needed to be expanded much more if there ever was any hope of developing it into a story. The fact that I had the courage, and the discipline, to tackle this challenge and stay with it—rather than just abandoning it as I might have done in the past—is due partly to my family, but most especially to some very special people I have come to know through, or because of, the DQMW List.
First and foremost, I must acknowledge and thank Beth Sullivan; whose remarkable vision of a courageous woman physician tilting at the windmills of 1860s and 70s society—and the enigmatically heroic mountain man who loved her—touched and captivated me so deeply and completely, that I was inspired and compelled to write about them.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Jane Seymour, Joe Lando, and the entire brilliant ensemble of DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN, who breathed such vivid life into their characters, and made it so easy to bring these characters alive on the printed page.
Next I owe my thanks to the members of the List as a whole; whose opinions, episode reviews, topic discussions and historical references entertained me, educated me, enlightened me and kept me riveted from the moment I became a member of this community. But a particular segment of this group had a special impact on me: the fiction writers. I would read pieces of fiction like Becky Wittenburg’s THE ENGAGEMENT, Gypsy’s “After the Rain,” or Debby Kennedy’s “How Do I Love Thee”—among many others—and I would wonder if I had what it took to attempt my own story. It was with these powerful examples constantly before me that I finally decided to take a chance.
Once I had a few chapters under my belt, I got up the nerve to share what I’d written with one special person, Mary Ann Marino—and it was because of her supportive reaction and constant encouragement that I not only kept writing, but finally screwed up the courage to post my story to the List. And once I started posting, the incredibly warm reception I received from all of you both validated me and reassured me that I, like others, could make a special contribution. And I also realized that I had a responsibility not only to craft the best story I could, but to see it through to its completion, because I owed it to all of you.
Still, I began CAMEO with the intention of making it just a short story, or at most, a novella. However, when I was debating whether to end it after Sully and Roslind were reunited, or instead throw in a new plot twist and keep going, it was Mary Ann once again who urged me to keep at it. I listened to her advice, and this over-300-page novel is the result. I never would have dreamed when I began—having never attempted this type of fiction before—that not only would I be capable of writing such a story, but that I could actually take it so far. It is because of all of you on the List that I had the courage to challenge myself, and take this voyage of self-discovery. CAMEO will never be published, but that’s not important. Just to know that I wrote a book—soemthing I always dreamed of doing but never thought I could—fills me with a great pride of accomplishment. And the story itself has become very precious to me over this past year. But far more precious has been the kindness, generosity and support of so many of you who took the time to write to me and let me know that CAMEO touched or entertained you in some way. And I’m grateful, and humble, to be able to count myself among the many bright and talented Listers who have created so many of the stories that have enriched us all.
I owe special thanks to people like Jane Winter, my “constant reader,” who generously and faithfully wrote to me after every chapter and did such wonders for my ego; to Marilyn Levinson, whose shrewd critical eye and penetrating episode/character analyses and historical contributions were a constant source of inspiration; and to those like Kai, Gypsy, Becky Wittenburg, Scout, Jo Ella, and so many others, whose contributions—whether fiction or otherwise—were like works of poetry to me, constantly reminding me of the beauty, and the power, of the written word.
I am tremendously grateful to Pat Blankenship, who—when I got a new e-mail program and temporarily was having trouble posting to the List—very generously offered to post the text of CAMEO on her website. Thanks to Pat and her efforts, both Listers and non-Listers alike have been able to access and read my story. As an example, in the past few months I’ve read forwarded messages from two different people in France, not on our List, who would never have known about or read CAMEO, if not for Pat.
Last but not least, I thank my patient and long-suffering husband—who, though not strictly a fan of the show (not enough “action”)—nonetheless always respected my feelings about it, faithfully read each chapter of CAMEO, and constantly encouraged me to keep writing. And I thank him for designing an attractive and stylish cover for the notebook that houses my printed copy of the story; as well as for printing numerous copies of my manuscript to reflect my constant changes and additions. I hate to think how many reams of paper have been sacrificed to this cause over the last year!
To all of you who have supported me, encouraged me, and enabled me to discover and develop this very special side of myself, the story of CAMEO is affectionately and gratefully dedicated.
Carolyn Williams
&nb