I write because life is both simple and complex. People are fallible. We misbehave, misinterpret, and misunderstand. We want to do the right thing, but sometimes the right thing is the hard thing. We sin, repent, and sin again despite our best promises to do better. We are not superheroes, nor are we saints or angels and sometimes, we are not very likable. We keep emotions hidden often to our detriment. If only we’d had that conversation, with our children, our best friend or our loved one, perhaps the ‘awful thing,’ (whatever that might be) could have been avoided. Dialogue is key in what’s not being said.
I deliver sensual details – the stink of the rotten peach left on the counter, the stiff dead bird tangled in weeds, the dullness of an earring missing a jewel, or the giggle of a child climbing to the top of the sliding board. Pay attention to these details for they forecast the heart of my stories. Suspense sings truer in short sentences; world building and the unraveling of a mystery hums better in longer passages. The rhythm of a sentence is as essential as the rhythm of a song. Listen closely and you’ll hear desire.
The lies in my stories rumble below the surface and subvert truth telling. Still, you must recognize truth as the only way to frame life, to continue on, however flawed we may be. My stories dwell in the unreal. A window bursts to release a loved one’s spirit trapped by a confused mind or a full moon howls a mother’s grief. You will question what's real. Isn’t that the fun of it?
My hope for you, dear reader? Be entertained.