Passion and My Platinum Card

Posted by Christine

Being an author, as any other author will gladly tell you—at length and even if you beg them not to—is a lonely business. We spend our working days solo, at our keyboards, opening veins, digging deep in search of…the right word, the right scene, the right title, the right name for each character. We struggle to hit our daily page goals, to make our deadlines. And yeah, I know. Haven’t you heard all this before?

I'm sure you have. But there’s more…

All of us on DD write popular fiction, which drags along with it a whole other set of challenges. As authors of popular fiction, we not only have to do the heavy lifting of getting it all just right—but we also have to make it look effortless. There has to be depth and texture, but it must never be allowed to get in the way of our story’s forward motion. Because we know if we can’t keep our readers turning those pages, they might very well just yawn and put that book we sweated blood over aside. And never pick it up again. (violins here, please)

I’m tellin’ y'all, it’s hell. A daily battle. You oughtta see my scars...

All this to say, hey. At the end of a grueling, lonely workday (violins swelling here), I need fun. I need distractions. I need my passions.

And I have them. Passions. I like to lose myself in uplifting, spiritually improving activities like…shopping.

And let us not forget…going out to eat.

It’s true. I’m not the deepest fork in the drawer…er, fish in the sea. (?) I love a good shoe sale. Great shoes make me happy. I love to wander the racks at Dillard’s. I especially love to find a bargain. A gorgeous coat at half the price, a cute little t for a song…

The bald truth is, it doesn’t even matter if I actually buy anything. How odd is that? I just like the feeling of promise, of limitless possibility, I get strolling the displays in a department store.

And about eating out. Oh, be still my beating heart. I love…walking into a restaurant, hearing that cute girl behind the reservation podium ask me, “Table for…?” I love to be led to my table, to see the snowy-white napkins folded into triangles, propped on the plate, pure as sleeping doves. I love a well-made Cosmo (fresh lime and real cranberry juice, please) to sip before dinner. I love a pretty menu, all those choices in a great-looking font, listed and described in mouth-watering detail for my dining pleasure. I love that the food comes and I eat it—and the dirty plate is swept away.

Oh, yeah. The best, the richest, the most decadent part of eating out is not having to clean up after myself.

After a little shopping and a great dinner out, I’m ready to face that blank computer screen again and open another vein.

How about you? What passions do you indulge to fill your well, to get you revved and ready for the next day’s work?