Telling stories

I love stories, always have.

I was an only child until my mother remarried a man with children when I was 16. That left me at the mercy, so to speak, of the neighborhood kids. They all had siblings so if they weren't with me, they weren't alone. I, on the other hand, did not have that luxury. So, I became something of a loner. But I digress.

I remember sitting long hours on the steps to my patio, usually with Carolyn and Julie Wentz from across the street.

"What shall we play?" someone would ask.

And for the next hour, or even more (which is a long time for a kid), we'd create the elaborate "what if" scenarios that we would eventually "play." The creating was, inevitably, more fun than the actual playing.

I always went to sleep playing "what if" in my head, using characters from my favorite television shows, plugging myself into the stories.

Television was my sibling, I guess.

My grandfather worked very hard trying to instill in my a love of reading. I guess my short attention span worked in favor of the stories I saw in the screen rather than those on the pages.

Until I read "To Kill a Mockingbird." At least there I discovered how magnificent a book could be. It didn't last long, though, and I continued to ignore reading in favor of tv.

I married young - an Army man who was stationed in Germany. Again I was along for long periods of time. And that is when I discovered reading. It all started with "The Green Darkness" by Anya Seton and moved through Jean Plaidy and on to my love of romance novels. Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers. . . on through the years. . . Diana Gabaldon, Suzanne Brockmann. The list is unending and the To-Be-Read pile is a TBR Room. So many stories, so little time. . .

I still love television, probably spend way too many hours enthralled with the stories there. I love movies - where I can have a story experience in a couple hours rather than the longer time it takes to read a book.

I still have stories playing in my head non-stop. Some of them have made it into my own books and have entertained you. Some are coming in future books. Some just play in my head and will never entertain anyone but me.

Most stories come, entertain, and then flow on into oblivion. Others stay with you longer. Some change your life. Some hang with you like family. I'd love to hear the stories that have grabbed your heart and never let go. Feel free to post. . .

jax