Tower Lowe shares with us the inspiration for Molly’s character in No Way Out as well as ten fascinating things about herself.
What was the inspiration for No Way Out and the strong female character of Molly?
My friend Jan rolled down the hallway at the college. Her two kids, Al and Roland, scampered next to her as her husband pushed the wheelchair. We were all on the way to a potluck celebrating our college program, Access to Success. I was relieved to see Jan, because she was a good friend and I felt pretty low.
“I’m so overwhelmed,” I confessed, falling into step beside her.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Bob announced he’s leaving me.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Jan’s voice was laced with genuine concern. It was her gift. She listened and she empathized. But today at the potluck, I wanted to pick Jan’s brain. I’ll be honest. I didn’t understand how she could be in a chair with serious disabilities and be vice president of a department, a mom, and a wife. I was failing at all three – or was it four? Who could keep track?
I asked her just that. I know, I know. It sounds downright invasive. But I was desperate. Jan talked honestly about her struggle, but here’s what I still remember from that day at the potluck.
“Disability is another issue to manage in life. If there’s a task I can’t do, I get an accommodation if it’s available. This wheelchair is an example. It allows me the freedom to move about. Without it, I would be stuck in bed. My van has a lift so I can drive independently. Leadership, understanding, and psychology are my strengths. I go with my strengths and accommodate my weaknesses. You can do the same.”
That’s advice I follow to this day. Jan is the inspiration for Molly because Jan does not allow herself to be defined by what she cannot do. Her life is defined by what she can do – as it is with Molly. A new Molly story comes out next year – Don’t Come Back – where Molly uses her mental and physical strengths to hurl her way a rough crowd of kidnappers. As I like to say, Molly’s disability is a part of the narrative. It’s not fixed or cured; it doesn’t make her a villain or a hero. Molly is simply one of the characters that drives the plot.
What are ten fascinating things about you?
- Tower Lowe is a pen name, but Tower really is my name. (the middle one)
- It came from a cousin whose name was Eiffel Tower. (really)
- My family’s stories always contain secrets. (and I don’t know all of them)
- I grew up with a graveyard in the back of my house. (eery)
- When I was five, my grandfather took me to the cemetery, pointed at the largest gravestone and said, “That man was a son of a b—-.” (a mystery, no?)
- My first story was entitled Trapped in the Sewer. (a hit with fifth graders)
- My first publication was in True Romance. (and involved an ice cream cone and Xmas)
- I love fishing and kayaking but never write about them. (yet)
- I love Mexico. (but I never write about that either)
- I am writing a new story in which a detective called Ginger is hired by a man in a sailor suit to find his mother. (except she’s dead)
Recommended Article: No Way Out – a Review
Amazon Link: No Way Out
