Day Seventy-four: Not-so-wasted Time

"Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow." ~Lawrence Clark Powell

I promised myself, "Just an hour." That's how much time I'd steal today for the pleasure of reading. I picked up the book and within fifteen minutes, I was lost at the Black Castle in the gateway to the Abyss (from the novel Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh). The characters and plot of this book could have easily turned into a steady stream of cliches under a lesser writer, but Nalini Singh has a way of weaving her own magic through her tales that I find captivating, satisfying, and holds me firmly in her grip until the last word has been read. It is a moment I always find bittersweet, as I am rarely ready to look up from the page to discover I am not actually transported into whatever world she's been meticulously weaving around me. Another of my favorite authors, Gena Showalter, described this novel to the New York Times, "...as rich as chocolate, as tasty as champagne...and I want more!" I wholeheartedly agree! So, instead of giving the Dark Lord and his lady, Lily, only an hour, I happily sacrificed my afternoon to spend time with them. Nary a moment was wasted, not just because of the pleasure it gave me, but also as it was a potent example of the kind of writer I aspire to be.

There are many cynics in this world (...with good reason), who don't believe in concepts such as magic. To them I would say the moment the spell of powerful words written in such a way transports you, willingly or unwillingly, to another place, your heart, soul and bones will know that magic exists. It will also open up your eyes to seeing magic in other people and places all around you. That simple fact is worth a super-sized happy in my world, one that has nourished my day and reminded me that we should never outgrow the joy to be found in a fairytale.

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