I thought it would be fun to share something completely different with you. It's been a while, but I used to dabble in poetry. One of my favorite forms of poetry is the sonnet. It's a challenge to choose the perfect words to fit into the strictures of the form, but when they do, it can be breathtaking! I thought it would be fun to share one that I wrote many years ago. It is A Sonnet to Music:  

My fearful heart a ragged drum does beat
Yet sweetest music beckons, so I try;
And so I find my way with wooden feet
My place I take and deeply do I sigh.
The music plays, my eyes I close
As melody 'round my soul entwines;
It weaves its spell, my fears I do compose:
I am transported to a world sublime!
Her heavenly sunshine warms my face,
Her gentle breeze my soul revives,
And wrapped within her sweet embrace
My spirit soars, and thus my song does rise:
     And for a fleeting moment I may touch the sun
     And I am blest for She and I are one!





 

     I’ve been struggling with this blog post for the last week.
     At first, I was simply overwhelmed by the emotional tsunami of having my story published. Strangers can now read a story that was carefully guarded for years, shared only with trusted friends. Putting it out there feels right, but it’s still nerve-wracking; I think I’ll just see it as having a much broader circle of friends to enjoy my stories.
     The second time I sat down to write, I was feeling a little low. I spent the last four months laser-focused on publishing Lizzie’s Surprise. About a week after publication, I started to feel lost. My head understands that it will take time for my story to find it’s audience, but my heart felt a little wounded that sales were slow and that I wasn’t connecting with my readers.
     And then tragedy struck Orlando. Lives ended, families ripped apart, because of hate. It makes me sad. It makes me angry. I’ve never understood why people are threatened by who other people love.
     As Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda said so eloquently, “and love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.” Love doesn’t care about race. It doesn’t care what you look like, how fit you are, what limitations you may have. And it certainly doesn’t care if you are gay or straight or trans or bi.
     I write stories about love and, while romantic love is the central theme, it’s not the only form of love represented. Love of friends, love of family, love of community – all are vital to my characters. Some of them love easily, others are more guarded, but in the end they all choose love.
      Choose love. Choose to look beyond the neat little boxes that society tries to push us into and to look instead into the person’s eyes. Choose to accept and appreciate the differences which make us unique; we don’t need to be the same, to believe the same things, to be valuable and beautiful and loved.
     Choose love. Always. 

     Endings are tough. Oh, I love tying the story up in a neat-and-pretty bow (complete with happily-ever-after). What I struggle with is saying goodbye. When my characters work out all of their issues and head off into the proverbial sunset, I hate the idea of never hearing from them again.
     Lucky for me that hasn’t happened. As I was writing Lizzie’s Surprise, other characters from her world begged me to tell their stories and, since Lizzie had become a dear friend by this time, I was thrilled to do it. 
     Lizzie is the keystone of her group of childhood friends, and she takes her role as mother hen very seriously. As the people she loves search for their own happy endings, she’s ever-present with a cup of tea, a shoulder to cry on, and some sage advice. Trust me, most of them need the guidance.
     Like Lizzie, her friends find themselves at crossroads in their lives, facing challenging choices. Can a lost love be reclaimed? Is it possible to let go of old wounds and take a chance on love? What are you willing to sacrifice to be with the person you love? These are only a few of the many questions my characters face as they take their chance on love. 
     Lizzie’s Surprise releases tomorrow, an ending in some ways, a beginning in others. Is it time for me to step away from this story? Absolutely. I could (and have) continue to tweak it forever. As I let it go, I do so knowing that I get to start all over again next week with just as much passion, but with experience and knowledge that will make the process much simpler.
     My first novel is ready to share. Read it. Enjoy it. Tell your friends.
     And then come back for more.