Perseverance

 Perseverance

By Cathy Perkins

We’re living in crazy times right now. The world feels turned upside down and inside out by the pandemic and I refuse to mention the horrible political climate in the US. When I talk with friends about writing, the publishing industry, and life in general, I hear a constant refrain of how difficult it has become.

Last week, my husband and I finally ventured out of our bubble and visited my daughter’s in-laws. (Yes, we like our kids’ in-laws!) One of our many hikes ventured into ancient lava flows – stark, alien terrain. Obsidian faces as bright and shiny as a new penny belied the 7000-year-old explosion that created them.

But amid all that desolation, there was a tree.

A small tree, it put down roots and built a home. And slowly, slowly, it thrived.

The lesson is obvious but still so hard to hear. Patience. Determination. Willingness to take a risk.

As an author, I’ve slowly built a library of books. I’m so grateful to the people who read them. They’re the reason I write. If you’ve read one or more of them, thank you for rewarding me with your faith in my ability to tell a story and offer a few hours of escape and entertainment.

This picture, however, reminds me that even in these uncertain times, it’s up to me to find a way to thrive.

(And for a tiny bit of shameless self promotion, So About the Money, book 1 in the Holly Price mystery series is on sale today. http://bit.ly/AllAmazon_SATM ) 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Claymore Award.

Change

by Saralyn Richard

In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a multitude of tragic, life-changing events:  hurricanes, assassinations, explosions, riots, terrorist activities, and deaths. And now a pandemic and outrageous acts of racism, both of which shake our value systems to their very roots.

The phrase, “May you live in interesting times,” often attributed to the Chinese, comes to mind. The first time I heard this platitude, it was meant to comfort me after a devastating loss. I researched its origin and learned that its meaning is misleading. Instead of consolation, the phrase is actually a curse, the extrapolation of which is: “It is better to live in uninteresting times.” In other words, times of peace and tranquility are uninteresting, while people are more fascinated by times of trouble.

The one aspect of life-changing experiences that offers hope for the future is the term “change.” Events bring opportunity, in real life and in fiction. This fact has led me to examine quotations about change, and I thought I’d share some that resonate with me.

1.     If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. -Maya Angelou

2.     I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. -Mother Teresa

3.  Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or       strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. -Robert Kennedy

4.      Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future. -Alice Walker

5.      No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. -Robin Williams

                               

In my opinion, authors have an extra layer of opportunity, an extra layer of responsibility in troubled times. Our words, our ideas, our plots, our characters have the potential to reach numerous readers. We may bring light to readers in darkness, hope to readers in desperation. We indeed can change the world.

In conversations with my Muse these days, I ask for extra doses of inspiration, sensitivity, compassion, patience, persistence, and good-heartedness. In addition to good health and safety, I wish these same doses for you.

Saralyn Richard strives to make the world a better place, one book at a time. A member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, she has won several writing awards, including the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Readers' Choice 2019 award. Her children's book, Naughty Nana, and her Detective Parrott Mystery series, including Murder in the One Percent and A Palette for Love and Murder, have earned her a world of readers, both young and adult. Look for A Murder of Principal, which will be released in January, 2021. 

Visit Saralyn’s Amazon Author Page at https://www.amazon.com/Saralyn-Richard/e/B0787F6HD4/ref or her website at http://saralynrichard.com.