If you know much about me, you know that I’m an escapist. I love to experience books because there are no limits, unlike real life.
But I also love to read and write because it helps me to make sense of the world around me.
In a little over a month, I hope, some of you will be reading CAUGHT IN CRIMSON, the first book in my new series “Spellbinding”. A theme that runs through the story is doing what’s right for you versus what’s expected of you.
Now, I’m not one of those people that writes to theme. The stories come into my head, and they tell themselves. I’m usually just along for the ride. Like INDELIBLY INTIMATE. That one turned out to be a story about refusing to let bad choices define your life. And SINFUL TRUTH. That turned out to be a story about a murderous group of psychopaths. Okay, not everything I write has a clear-cut theme. But still.
image from Dreamstime free
I haven’t gotten a lot of criticism on my stories yet (most people that talk about them seem to like them, hurray!) but one of the things someone complained about in INDELIBLY INTIMATE was Quinn’s choices. They didn’t like that she made bad decisions.
I don’t know why this popped into my head today, but it did, and I felt like I should address it.
In good stories, the characters feel real. Real people make mistakes. So, my characters make mistakes. If we only wrote about perfect people, the stories would be very boring. Our flaws make us human. They give us depth and meaning. They are what drives us to become more, better. Quinn LaBrea is very, very human. But you know what? So am I. I haven’t led a perfect life, and I’m willing to bet NOBODY reading this blog has led one either. If you have, please contact me. I have a very large wheelbarrow you can borrow for that load of horse manure you’re toting. 
Delia, the red witch and heroine of CAUGHT IN CRIMSON, has made mistakes. She’s got ideas that don’t really mesh with reality. She’s going to screw up, she’s going to fall. But I hope you read because in the end, you know that she’ll climb out of the hole she’s made. And in the end, isn’t that what all of us want to do? Move on, move up, move forward? Make up for past mistakes and drive toward the end, doing our dead-level best to be happy?
I think so. I sure do.
Caught in Crimson will release in February or March. Keep your eyes peeled on the new “Coming Soon” page for details. And let me know if you think I’m full of crap below. I can take it!
