Blog
December
Monday 4th December 2017
My father always said I was "a day late and a dollar short", and so, keeping in character, I am 'late' with my blog! I love the sense of peace I feel during Advent when the days are short and the sun teases as it barely clears the treetops. I love Christmas!- the music, the Christmas plays, shows, movies, the hand-crafted decorations, and the hand-made food.
I love the story of the birth of Jesus, and the sheer incredibleness of God appearing to man in the form of a baby. I love listening to the gospels that tell of this astonishing birth, this gift from God to us mere mortals.
It is also a time when I think of another gift from God, less important in the wider scheme of things, but of great significance to me: this is the gift of writing—the ability to share my thoughts and imagination with others. 'Creating stories', whether actually written down, or just swirling around in my head, is a part of me, of my soul. When I'm writing, I 'escape' my boundaries and I become part of my story as if I've actually entered another world. I lose track of time and my surroundings—as my character's life and problems, temporarily, become my own.
My books have now diverged down three paths, my stand-alone books, a series of mysteries, and books for all-ages (junior through adult). But the over-arching theme of all of them is the idea of ordinary people being asked to do extraordinary things. I give my main character(s) adventure, mystery, and quests, which they (have no choice but to) undertake with integrity, a sense of humor, and some of them even have time for romance!
I know I must write a Christmas story, with love forming its nucleus. It must have a happy ending (because I can't imagine writing a sad ending), it must have joy, and there must be a challenge. Watch this space, because something is brewing!
The photo is of my 2nd Christmas--my last one as an 'only' child! The fun kicked off with the birth of my twin brothers 4 months later! And then two years after that with the birth of my twin sister and brother. Then Christmas' really became lively!
Many blessings to you for a lovely Christmas and best wishes for 2018!
