This Book = Too Much of a Good Thing?

Once in a great while you come across an author who writes a fantastic book. The plot is full of twists you didn't expect and the characters are, well, WOW. But then something really bad happens. The author decides to make a series out of that one terrific story.

Ms. Kenyon's first few books in her Dark series had a unique take on vampires and vampire hunters. Although they were well written, they were predictable, and I kept reading them. By the time Book 5 rolled out, I hoped that something would happen to recapture my waning attention. Not a chance, bucko.

Then came Book 6, and ditto. Which brings me to Seize the Night, Book 7 in the series. After the build up from the author's website and the anticipation of meeting a different kind of hero, I went to the bookstore and flipped through the pages.

Oh no, it was from the same cookie-cutter. Again. It was the same storyline ... set in the same city as all the others ... with the same tragic hero and feisty heroine ... same villians ... and the same rescue the hero so they can live happily ever after ending. I nearly gagged.

Needless to say, I did not buy Book 7, nor any book she has written since then.

I'm sure Ms. Kenyon's loyal fans are at this moment taking up arms in preparation to storm my door, but I ask them to take a moment and think. The storyline might be great once, maybe twice, but enough is enough. What ever happened to a writer's imagination?

As an author myself, I wrack my brain trying to come up with unique plots in order to keep things fresh. Even the characters in my three-book miniseries evolve from book to book. My publisher tells me not to try so hard, to find a "formula" and stick to it. That if I did, I could be on the NYT Bestseller List like Ms. Kenyon and all the other writers who stick to a theme ad infinitum.

No thank you. I will continue to write my own stories, each of them its own little gem (even if it's only in my mind) so that in years to come someone will not be blogging about how my Book 7 was a disappointment.

The Best Advice I Ever Received

It's a Great Big World Out There

Sunset on Huntington Beach, California, Pacific Ocean

A lot of people give you advice on monumental occasions, such as graduation and getting a new job. Some of the wisdom comes straight out of the "Giving Advice on a Monumental Occasion" manual and is repeated many times throughout your life because people feel they need to give advice. Once in a while, however, someone tells you something that makes an impact upon you.

A very wise person once told me to follow my own path, no matter where it leads. At the time, I was more than content to be just like all my friends, to do the things they did, and to surround myself with people who were of the same cookie-cutter design.

Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to belong, to be surrounded by people and things with which you are comfortable, but it often leaves you in a rut. You do the same kind of work, go to the same places every night, like the same people. You start to wonder what's out there in the great big world beyond your small circle of familiars. You start to hear those words of advice given to you long ago.

In a daring move, I listened to my heart and began to follow my own path. To my surprise, it led me far, far away from everything I had known. I found new friends, more interesting friends. I changed jobs and found an entirely new career that left me feeling as if I actually accomplished something each day and made a difference in other lives. I grew as a person and liked what I saw in the mirror. I discovered that I wasn't the person I had been so comfortable being.

I found the man I love who will love me forever.

Now, when I am in a position to pass on a pearl of wisdom to another person, I tell them the same sage words that were told to me: Be yourself.
Break away from the mold you are in and see what's out there. You might come back to familiar territory, but you might also find a world that is truly spectacular.

My Dream Vacation

[St. Stephen's Green Park, Dublin. County Dublin, Ireland] (LOC)

My dream vacation is actually a dream that came true, and I relive it every day. That's because I met my husband while I was on vacation.

I wasn't supposed to go to Ireland; I had planned on spending a week in Spain. I had paid for the tickets and everything. But then, one night I saw one of those commercials for Irish Spring soap on TV and I had an overwhelming desire to go to the land of jigs and brogues and cabled sweaters.

Needless to say, it was a chore to change all my travel arrangements, but it was worth it. The country was beautiful, the culture was charming, and the pubs were ... fantastic.

On my last night of what had been the best vacation I had ever taken, a man walked into the pub where I was feeding my new addiction to Guinness Stout. I caught a glimpse of him standing at the door where he was staring at me. All of a sudden, he pushed his way through the crowd to my table and asked if he could buy me a drink (even though my glass was still full). I hate being hit on in bars, and had turned away several other young men that night, but I looked up at him and said "I'd like that." It was like a scene from a movie and I knew in that moment he was the love of my life.

Twenty-five years later, he is still the most romantic man in the world who can sweep me off my feet with a smile. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a vacation I was not supposed to take turned from a dream into reality.

What's My Work-Life Balance?

Country Home - RELT

If I had been asked this questions a few years ago, I would have said, most emphatically, that what I do for a living was most important. I had a high-power, high-pressure job in the big city and spent fifteen hours a day doing that job because I was good at it. I wanted to make a name for myself and nothing was going to stand in my way as I accomplished thatq goal. Where I lived was a small studio apartment that served as a place to change my clothes and have my mail delivered.

Fast forward to today, and my priorities have swung 180 degress due to unexpected personal events. I've moved to the 'burbs and cut way down on my billable hours. I work for a steady paycheck, but my passion has now shifted to things like gardening and enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck in the quiet of the morning. I have also rekindled my love of writing and have had two novels published.

Looking back on things, I realize that living far away from the bustle of the city has done wonders for my health and my outlook on life, and I wonder why it took so long for me to move here.

How I Feel About Swear Words, Goshdarnit

There are times when profanity offers relief that even prayer cannot provide.

AndrewDiceClay

There are times when profanity offers relief that even prayer cannot provide.

I don't remember where I read this, but it is so very true. Once in a great while, a situation arises that needs a really good swear word to relieve the tension, frustration, absurdity (fill in your own favorite word here) of the moment. The problem is that today, people use swear words in place of an adjective -- "That was a f***ing great movie, wasn't it?"

If used in everyday onversation, what do these people say when they really need to let out a good curse? Using the same word after, say, dropping a hammer on one's foot seems almost anticlimactic after using it three dozen times in the past hour to describe more mundane things.

We have comedians, such as Richard Pryor and Andrew Dice Clay, who helped to make cursing an acceptable part of everyday conversation. When they first began used profanity in their monologues, people laughed because it caught them by surprise and made the tale being told alarmingly funny. Lately, however, I've stopped going to comedy clubs because the so-called comedians use swearing cosntantly and nothing after the word is particularly funny.

So, where do I stand on swearing? I firmly believe that there are times when it is warranted. The rest of the time, when it is used in the course of a normal conversation, it is completely uncalled for.