Good Afternoon Friends and welcome. Thank you so much for your continued support! Today I am presenting a guest blog. Meet author Mavis Applewater.
First, I’d like to thank Lynn for inviting me to meet all of you. I thought it was exceedingly kind and brave of her to encourage me to talk about anything. I thought long and hard trying to decide what I should talk about. Given these troubled times, there is so much I could talk about. There is so much going on in the world little of it positive. There’s a pandemic, racial tensions and a political arena that makes a sideshow at a third-rate carnival look like an inspired experience. At this moment in time the world is repeating things we should have resolved a long, long time ago.
I think we just need a reason to feel good about something. It could be something as simple as falling in love.
If you’re guessing that I’m a lets all hold hands and sing Kumbaya kind of gal, you’d be right. To be completely honest, I’m more of a Beatles, Motown woman but you get the point. I hug trees, kiss girls and if kept properly caffeinated, I’m a happy camper. That doesn’t mean I don’t need a break from all the negativity.
Right about now we all need an escape for me it is telling stories. I love telling stories, my work has crossed several genres. I ventured into mystery/thriller with the Caitlin Calloway series. I’ve dipped my toes into historical with The Plaza and Tempus Fugit. Granted Tempus was more than a dip. I am also known for Whispering Pines where I explored the paranormal. At the base of all my stories there is one common theme, romance. Yes, I combined ghost hunting and falling in love.
Falling in love. It sounds simple. Easy in fact. Said no one ever. Thank goodness or I would have nothing to write about. Think about it. They met. They fell in love. That’s not even a short story. It’s more of a pamphlet really. You see I’m not talking about erotica. I may have penned one or two hundred PWPs. In the mix there is a fair share of romances. I just get a thrill when two characters seem destined to be together.
The ups and downs along the way. The ex-lovers, crazy friends or the world surrounding two women who just can’t stay away from one another. The couple you can’t help cheering. Who each time they fail to get it together you’re so mad that you curse like a drunken sailor. Okay, maybe not that extreme. Perhaps it is just a matter of questioning the character’s sanity.
You know those moments when you sit there and shout, ‘why can’t you see that she loves you?’. We know that it is a part of the journey. It can be the best part of the journey. I love taking a character from that first step to the end of the journey where they are hopelessly completely in love. Of course, along the way there are a few missteps or in the case at least one my stories the occasional dragon.
Dragons, ghosts, and a serial killer or two. Don’t forget the very real obstacles such as ex-lovers, world events, distance, crazy family members and of course the occasional friend who feels that they should be more. These things happen and are all part of the road that leads to a happy ending.
I can’t help recalling an email I received early in my writing career. I had run a story online it was a romance with an incredibly happy ending. The person who emailed was disappointed that the main characters lived happily ever after. She claimed that wasn’t the way the story was supposed to end. My response was polite although I did point out that I was the one telling the story and I was certain that was how the story ended.
It was surprising for me since in that novel there weren’t any killers lurking in the shadows. No, ghosts or dragons. Neither of the lead characters was a nun. Just a couple of happy go lucky college professors. I don’t think that by saying this it is a spoiler. It is after all a romance. I feel that if I offer a story, call it a romance then end it with one of the main characters being hit by a bus I’m looking at a lot of hate mail. I doubt it would get past the editorial process.
I can hear it now, ‘so she literally walked through fire for her and you killed her?’ I must confess and I know that I’m not the only author who by the end of the process wouldn’t mind setting a character or two on fire. More than once I looked at my computer and screamed ‘I hate the both of you’. If you are just starting out it is completely normal to feel this way.
So, why is this important now? I think that most of us would like to look across a crowded room and feel that moment. Or remember what it was like the first time you looked at her. Twenty-Nine years have passed since the first time I saw my wife and it is still there. I think that is what I try to bring to life. It is that awe-inspiring feeling that most of us want to feel.
In the end after we’ve followed these women around through good times and bad times. We can feel good, rejoice even that they finally love one another. I know its fiction. It’s a goofy romance and it is so much better than turning on the news.
That is my take on things. All is love. In our books. In our lives and yes, I know. I did tell that I am a Beatles fan.
Just a little about myself other than I have a habit of hugging trees. I grew up just outside of Boston. I earned a degree in theatre. After a somewhat lack luster acting career I turned to another outlet, tending bar. I also with the encouragement of a wise woman I tried my hand at writing. I’ve since retired from the service industry. That wise woman, whom I had the good sense to marry and I live in Las Vegas.
My published works include, ‘Finding My Way,’ ‘Tempus Fugit,’ ‘Whispering Pines‘ and ‘The Brass Ring.’ I have new titles slated for release in the fall. Look for ‘East Lake Road,’ ‘Angel’s Heart’ and ‘Wake me When we get to Memphis.’ To find out more please visit my website www.yomavis.com
Thank you again, Lynn.
I want to thank you, Mavis, for being my guest blogger today. Readers, be sure to click on Mavis’ website and check it out.
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog 