Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!

Here's another small token I'm imparting with. How I've handled unexpected dynamics discovered around publishing my work. But before that, let me plug a note about the book I just finished reading: The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber.

Did I ever say what bothered me about 'traditional' romance fiction? If not, the Perfect Christmas would be my answer. Now, just hold your horses here. I didn't say anything about not liking the book. I, in fact, LOVED the book. It's the sweetest, and funniest, short romance read I have come across in quite some time.

All the elements are there; the intriguing one sentence 'solid' premise. This would be your page-turning element. The pacing is great, dialogue even better, the story is very realistic, and the humor just rolls off the page. Any reader who enjoys escaping from the monotonies of life will absolutely love this book, just where my troubles reside. This story has to be the perfect example of how falling in love 'should' be.

On to what I took for granted.

Embarrassment. Embarrassment is a necessary ingredient I correlate to a speaker event I attended where the speaker was telling an audience about how when he hears people asking, 'why me?,' he thinks, 'why not you? Who else would you rather it be?'

At the time I couldn't place where this phrase fit in my need to know, much less could I recall where it went in the monologue, but was one of these phrases that tailed behind me just about everywhere I went; a flashback that not long ago hit me when I got to thinking about how I dealt with embarrassment.

I grew up spurning ridicule, where rather than be ashamed I would get angry, continuously doing whatever was supposed to cause embarrassment. None-the-less I'd still ask why? Why do I enjoy ripping and running wild, and smacking gum, and sitting un-lady-like? Why can't I just do what all the other nice girls are doing so I wouldn't stand out to be ridiculed?

...lending a heavy hand to this next one.

...Fear. I'm not saying aspiring this or the others should rush out to endure embarrassment to overcome the fear factor, but I am saying fear is a chasm waiting to greet, with great zest and zeal, anyone aspiring to share his or her work 'at large', zipping right back around to the words the speaker impressed me with. 'Why me?' I now know why me. Persistent ridicule numbed me to embarrassment, thus how I've managed fear.

...conjoined with another chasm I'd taken for granted.

The Orb. In short, again digressing back on the speaker, I understand that things not easily interpreted at the time I experience them, happen for a reason. And no, I don't go all out looking for meaning in every thing that happens, but do appreciate, as in this case, being able to recognize these associations.

While I always whine to myself (and okay, maybe to others as well) about how I (so badly) want to dole out Perfect Christmas type stories, I'm forever reminded of this power holding me to stay true to myself; sincere and serious about my work; and respectful of the gift.

Hope you've enjoyed this jingle. Please don't take it for granted.

Listen Out for the Drum Roll of what Tops My Lists this YEAR!