Diving into a Unique World
Diving into a unique world that is bottled up in the pages of a book is a personal experience. What you feel, how someone processes the words, the emotions that swirl around in your head…those are the power of words. I have been lost in authors’ words for years. Escaping the stress of my job, seeking a moment of adventure and piling up details to put together an imaginary crime puzzle is the hidden treasure of opening chapter one of a new book.
My father introduced me to chapter books at a very young age. Every Saturday for years, my dad would pick me up to spend a couple hours with me each week. There was a used bookstore about 10 miles from my house. I remember spending hours touching the spines of hundreds of books. Stepping up on a small step stool, reaching up and pulling a book down off the shelf was a special moment in itself. Sitting on the linoleum floor and getting lost in the words was my special place. My happiest moment was accepting the plastic bag from the cashier as she handed me my weekly picks. Sitting next to my dad’s dog and riding in his pickup truck, I would immediately crack open the hardcover as we rode over to a nearby park to spend hours reading books by each other’s side. Those memories are cemented in my mind.
When I had children of my own, I filled our bookshelves with an endless supply of books. I visited bookstores, perused yard sales and consignment shops for weekly new additions to our home library. I started a used book sale at our elementary school, collecting hundreds of books from the community to sell for $.50 to $1.00 to the younger generation. It brought me so much joy to sell books to six and seven-year-olds who only had a handful of dimes and quarters in their pockets. To enlighten others to the joy of reading is gift of boundless opportunity.
I wrote my first book, The Panhandle Predicament, with no predetermined aspirations. I simply wanted to create a story that sprinkled breadcrumbs of intrigue and lit tiny fires of curiosity while depicting the natural beauty of the Florida Panhandle. I hope readers kick back, take a couple of hours for themselves and leave their own reality. Whether I make five or five hundred people happy, I will have succeeded in inspiring others to continue to pick up a book.
The Panhandle Predicament is available now on Amazon and in select stores in the Scenic Highway 30A community area.
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