My Passion

“Officials recommend you stay indoors tonight.” The news anchor leaned on the desk. “We go to Tom to report on this incoming storm.”

The camera turned to a raised platform. Where a gentleman stood by a screen. “A heavy thunderstorm will be coming in tonight. Low visibility, strong winds, lightning and substantial amounts of rain…”

Elsie clicks off the TV not finishing Tom’s weather report. She started a large pot of hot water for tea. While the tea was brewing, she gathered snacks, several bottles of water, and a ziplock baggie full of cat food, putting them into her backpack. Once her tea was finished she filled her thermos. Stuffing it in the pack too. Locking up her mother’s home and pulling on her poncho. Grabbing her keys and the old calico cat. She locked the back door, and stood quietly on the covered porch looking out over the forest and her mothers now unmanaged and overgrown garden beds. The cobblestones were also being eaten up by moss on the garden path to her mothers small studio. Elsie never had the courage to come back to this home since she passed away. Looking at the sky as it grew darker. Elsie pulled the hood of her poncho down further and held tight to Kiki, her mothers old cat as she hurried down the cobblestone path. The wind pulled at her poncho and pushed her sideways. As if trying to keep her from going to the old studio. The cold rain stung as it pelted her skin.

Stopping at a large Oak door stained a dark brown and engraved with intricate floral designs. Her cold hand fiddled through the ring pushing a skeleton key into the lock with a click. Her hand touched the cold wet wood and pushed it open. Setting the old cat down and locking the door behind her. At first it was dark from the rain clouds. Just enough light lingered so she could find the desk, and flip on the lights. As the strings of lights flicked on. They all glowed soft white, blue, purple, pink, and yellow. The dim lighting made her feel sad but also at peace. She had spent a lot of time here before she moved away. Reading, writing, and doing things with her mother.

She let out a deep breath she had held. The air in the studio was chilled and stale. Walking through a small archway with a curtain and pushing into the small bathroom. Grabbing some rags and a pail filling it with a bit of hand soap and water. Standing in the archway looking over the large main room, almost all available wall space was lined with wooden shelves which held a massive assortment of books from all corners of the world. Her mother was quite the reader and dreamer, she turned that dream into a career of children's books and short stories. The wall next to her held a desk, small wood trunk, a stack of firewood, and a wood stove. After wiping down the wood stove she started a fire to warm up the place.

Turning on some music she began dusting. The rain picked up and relentlessly beat against the glass. She looked out the large front bay window. It also had beautiful stained glass sections on either side of the bay window. The roof over the curved section was glass as well. A raised platform was nestled against the curved window. It had blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Kiki had made herself comfortable in the old blankets.

Elsie felt bad for moving the old cat but picked her up and set her down grabbing the cloth items and going to the small covered porch and shaking the dust out of them. Before holding them up to the stove to heat them. Making the window bench like a bed again and letting Kiki nestle back into the warmed sheets that still smelled like her old owner. Once done cleaning she took her favorite book and joined Kiki. Watching the storm dance wildly through the trees, as the rain made a pleasant sound on the glass roof.

Emotions of the many memories filled her but there was a type of closure about being here. Elsie wanted to keep this, her mothers passion, her slice of heaven on earth alive. Turning out the lights and piping down the stove she climbed back into the blankets. Curling up with the cat and reading to the sounds of the storm and her gentle tunes, she was getting sleepy. All of a sudden she was startled to hear very loud and close by thunder. The lights flickered and went out at the same time she heard a loud crash and glass shattered around her…

* * *

I enjoy creating stories. Like the short one above. It is an idea I just came up with.

Reading is something that many people as well as I enjoy greatly. It creates a world you can escape to when you need a break from whatever reality you are living in. It lets you dream wildly. You can hike the highest mountains and dance in the forest to the joyful tunes of fairies or swim in the deep sea. There are so many choices in these different creator’s worlds. The characters that are made and the stories that are told can inspire and help people. Even if the writers didn’t mean to. Their character hardships can show us that we can get through ours too.

Writing has always been a passion of mine. Since I was a child reading and writing was my escape from a world I was unsure of. I still have an old worn three inch binder filled with all my writing while I was growing up. Everything from poems, to attempting music, short stories, and the start of a bigger story line. As I got older, I realized I wanted to finish my stories and bring them to life. I wanted to make the worlds I had made for comfort and to escape to. Something other people can escape too as well. To make things people could read and relate to or feel things they have never felt before. Characters people can fall in love with or hate, some they can maybe look up too much like I have in the past and even now. Characters that can show people that are going through hardships that they got this and it will be ok.

My dream is to become an author and maybe someday a best seller. I want to create books with comedy, love, sorrow, action, adventure, and many other things that make people connect to the characters. I want to bring joy and a range of other emotions to my readers. Just like authors have done for me so many times before. When I chose to start down the path of writing, I never really thought of making any money from writing, it was something I was doing for myself, something that I needed for my soul. However as time went by, I discovered this is my passion. I often feel the need to write. This is something I want to do for the rest of my life. I have several different ideas that I am working on now. I would like to develop one of the ideas into a series of books with a fantasy theme. I love music and it helps to inspire me to write. I have realized my mind is so full of ideas and stories. Things I want to share with others.

Ways I could monetize my dream are; to finish and publish my books and works of art. I have been looking into advertising and different ways of publishing. I have been looking into social media for all the differences they bring. I would like to have a website where I can sell merchandise and post details about upcoming works, current and upcoming artwork that gets done of my characters and their worlds. Maybe even post a few short stories that are free to readers. As well as fun things like character interviews, just everyday things. It can make the stories so much more interesting and get readers a lot more involved. Making them want to tell others about it because they enjoy it more.

I think children should be more involved with reading and I love the idea of going into libraries or bookstores to read books to a group of children and/or adults. I believe everyone should have access to books whether they can afford them or not. I would gladly donate my time to read books for people, whether they are my own or someone else's.

Thank you for taking your time to read about my hopes and dreams of what I would like to do with my future and my stories. Getting paid for my endeavors would be helpful as hopefully I could earn enough to sustain myself as a full time writer. And if I need a job to keep my writing going, that's what I would do. That’s what I am doing now. I would just love to share my comfort worlds and characters with the world and all readers.