I grew up in a Mississippi suburb of Memphis. I’ve always loved the river, the bridge, Beale Street, Graceland, and all the other funky southern things that went into the writing of this story. My very first published novella was set in Memphis, and I’ve always wanted to go back there. So here’s Matt’s love story, which begins next to an Elvis-themed clock shop (a product of my imagination) on Beale Street, just around the corner from the Peabody Hotel — where the ducks still parade every afternoon at five on the dot.
The riverboat as I’ve described it is not any particular one, but is instead an amalgam of several cruises that I’ve experienced over the years. You can go to just about any Mississippi River port and catch a sleepy, relaxing dinner cruise. Most of the restaurants and hotels Matt and Natalie patronize on their adventure are made-up; however, the Memphis Rendezvous is legendary for its ribs, Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale boasts a beer-drinking goat, and Chamoun’s Rest Haven Restaurant is a landmark outside Clarksdale, Mississippi.
The Beale Street Waterfront Mission was inspired by the Beautiful Feet Ministries of Fort Worth, Texas, founded and run by my friends Mike and Sarah Myers. A mission that serves the physical and spiritual needs of the residents of low-income east side neighborhoods, including homeless individuals and families, the “Feet” is a functioning church with Sunday and weekday ministries. In addition to church services and Bible studies, Beautiful Feet offers a clothing and food ministry, mission trips, and outreach projects to local shelters, prisons, and halfway houses. For more information, contact Mike Myers at (817) 536-0505.
As always, I pray that Christian readers will take this story as a challenge to hands-on faith and to finding the source of truth in the Bible. I pray that readers who aren’t sure of their relationship with Jesus will meet him face-to-face. He loves you!
Comments about the story are welcome via my website, www.elizabethwhite.net.