Love Finds You in Camelot, Tennessee

Summerside Press
^™
Minneapolis 55438
www.summersidepress.com

Love Finds You in Camelot, Tennessee
© 2011 by Janice Hanna

ISBN 978-1-935416-65-4

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written
permission of the publisher.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version
^®
, niv
^®
. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

The town depicted in this book is a real place, but all characters are fictional. Any resemblances to actual people or events are purely coincidental.

Cover Design by Koechel Peterson & Associates |
www.kpadesign.com

Interior Design by Müllerhaus Publishing Group |
www.mullerhaus.net

Photo credits.

Summerside Press
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is an inspirational publisher offering fresh, irresistible books to uplift the heart and engage the mind.

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To the only wise King,
the One who sits enthroned upon my heart.
You’ve taught me that sometimes we have to
go backward in order to go forward.
Thank You for sending me back to Camelot.

To my choir and drama directors from Milligan College, 1977. Your willingness to place me in the fall production of Camelot as a lady-in-waiting changed my life and gave me the foundation for this story.

To my daughters and grandchildren. You are the true ladies-in-waiting and knights in this fairy tale that my life has become.

To my mom. Thanks for humoring me when I insisted upon driving through Camelot on our way out of Tennessee. That beautiful scenery is forever etched in my mind.

To my critique partners. Thanks for holding my hand and walking me through this one. Tough stuff, writing about Camelot.

To my agent, Chip MacGregor. Thanks for the role you continue to play in my writing life. In so many ways, you are a true knight, championing my “writing cause.”

To my copyeditor, Connie Troyer. Thank you for adding your sparkle and shine to this fanciful story.

To the wonderful team at Summerside—how can I thank you? You’ve given me opportunity after opportunity to weave these fanciful tales. I’m so grateful.

To the only true “King” in my life. It’s been worth it all, just to sit at Your feet.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2
CORINTHIANS
4:18
NIV

My tie to Camelot goes back to the fall of 1977 in East Tennessee, where I played the role of a lady-in-waiting in Milligan College’s production of the Lerner and Loewe musical. The story is rich with personal symbolism and always reminds me of that precious season of my life. And though I’m a Texas girl at heart, there’s something about East Tennessee that leaves me breathless. It calls out to those who’ve wandered away in much the same way a loving father welcomes home his wayward child—particularly in the fall when the leaves are turning.

The elusive kingdom of Camelot has always been shrouded in mystery. Perhaps that’s why we love it so much. Within its boundaries, we’re swept up in a world of knights and ladies, chivalry and dreams, romance and sacrifice. And in the tale of Camelot, we find a symbolic portrait of a very real King, One willing to give His very life for those He loves, even those who break His heart. What an honor to dedicate this story to Him.

T
ENNESSEE BOASTS NOT ONE BUT
THREE
C
AMELOTS, ALL IN THE
Knoxville area. I knew from my research that they were all very tiny, so I chose what appeared to be the largest of the three. Then I crafted my story idea, using my college memories of the Knoxville area. In the fall of 2009, while on a road trip with the seniors’ ministry from my mother’s church, I was given the opportunity to make a trip to Tennessee. I detoured off of Interstate 40 so I could see this elusive place called Camelot up close. What I found was more of an area than a town. Still, I couldn’t help but be enraptured.

Camelot is nestled near the spot where the Oak Ridge Highway meets the Pellissippi Parkway. A gorgeous bluff with towering pines kept me mesmerized as I meandered up and down streets with names like Excalibur Circle, Lancelot Drive, and Merlin Circle. My imagination was stirred. I could see my characters interacting in this breathtaking place. Their dreams of grandeur would parallel those of the real—or was he imagined?—King Arthur. Like the town of lore, the Camelot I stumbled upon was little more than a dream rising up from the fog. Oh, but what a lovely dream!

Janice Hanna

Don’t let it be forgot
That once there was a spot,
For one brief, shining moment
That was known as Camelot.

F
ROM THE MUSICAL
C
AMELOT
BY
A
LAN
J
AY
L
ERNER AND
F
REDERIC
L
OEWE