As research for my current WIP, I spent a Friday morning at a local coffee shop. Kansas Coffee Company sits on the corner of Park and Cherry in downtown Olathe, Kansas – across from the Johnson County Courthouse.
I like this place because the owners support local artists and keep my Reverend G books stocked on the shelf under the counter.
But I also like the peaceful ambiance of this local establishment where I can write alone, sip my chai latte and smile at the customers who rings the bell when they pull open the door.
The smell of mocha and espresso provides a comforting backdrop to the sounds of a thriving business. Still, this place breathes the atmosphere of small town America and reminds me that hope resides within the characters and temperaments of small towns.
I appreciate the healthy menu of hummus and almonds, cottage cheese and toasted ciabatta, but I am tempted by the muffins that perch on the top of the bakery case. Giving in would put me a day behind on my after-the-holidays-try-to-be-good-diet. So I resist and gripe inwardly about my abstinence-imposed misery.
The tables and chairs, an eclectic mix of glass-covered art invite customers to sit and chat a while. No booths isolate us from each other. We temporarily connect, virtual strangers who have nothing in common other than our need for a hot drink on a cold January day.
For me, the writer in the corner, I find escape from the chores at home, the electronic buzz of machines that rule my world and try to stifle my creativity.
Somehow, being the writer at the cafe and persisting in my craft while in a public place somehow gives me credibility. Like Hemingway and his tromp through Paris with journal in hand, I find a peaceful momentary existence among strangers who somehow relate by giving our business to this place of connectivity.
And because two of the major characters in my WIP plan and dream at their fictional coffee shop, I find new relationship with my characters. For a few hours on a Friday morning, I share reality with fictional people.
Hope brews in this setting, hope that more customers will support this coffee shop and buy my books while they’re here. Hope beats within me that my new novel will encourage readers and because I do research here, my words will retain their honesty and authenticity.
In this place, anything seems possible.
©2015 RJ Thesman – author of the Reverend G books – http://amzn.to/1rXlCyh
What a lovely, peaceful way to begin my day at the computer. I’m putting the Kansas Coffee Company on my list of places to visit.
So glad to hear it, Jane. I think you’ll love it!
I could catch the fragrance of caffeinated aroma, reading this piece. Thanks for posting!
Yep! Definitely a pleasant aroma of caffeine, scones, hummus, chai – oh my – getting hungry now !
What is a WIP work in process?
From: “RJThesman.net” Reply-To: “RJThesman.net” Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 4:09 AM To: Jill Bergthold Subject: [New post] Hope Brews in a Local Coffee Shop
WordPress.com RJ Thesman posted: “As research for my current WIP, I spent a Friday morning at a local coffee shop. Kansas Coffee Company sits on the corner of Park and Cherry in downtown Olathe, Kansas across from the Johnson County Courthouse. I like this place because the owners su”
Work in Progress – whatever writers (or artists) are currently working on.
This post made me smile. I can smell the roasted coffee and hear the background chatter you described.
Thanks, Shanna. Maybe we can share a cup of cocoa there some day.
It truly is a special place with two of the most wonderful host. They don’t just serve you they become your family.
I agree. They make you feel as if you’re the only person in the world and an honored customer.