Whatever Happened to Monday???

I woke up this morning with a panicked thought. Monday came and went and I totally forgot to blog. I found myself wholly engrossed in a mystery manuscript, and the thought of it being Monday and my Blogday never entered my mind. That's what happens when I allow a good book to carry me away into another world. I lose all track of time and enter an almost catatonic state where nothing matter but STORY.

Isn't that what we all seek when we open the cover of a fiction book? A story strong enough to wholly and completely transport readers from their present reality into that "other" world?

And just what is that special ingredient(s) that brings about such magic? For me, it starts with a character with whom I can sympathize. They don't necessarily need to possess traits that I can personally relate to, but I need to be able to feel some sense of compassion for their plight. I need to understand why they think and feel as they do and how it is that they react to their circumstances. Yes, a good book, for me, begins and ends with a main character I have grown to care about.

When I think back over the books that have made a lasting impression on me, I recall, first and foremost, the characters. Setting is important. No doubt about it. But it's the people in the book and the impression they make on my life that stick with me long after I've finished the read.

Of course, Scarlett in Gone with the Wind is one of those iconoclastic memorable characters. And Shakespeare's Juliet, faithful unto death, made a profound impact on me as a teenager. Are there characters who impact your thoughts years later?

I'm back to reading as soon as I sign off here. I've got to find out what happens to housewife/mother/amateur sleuth extraordinaire, Trish Cunningham! (Kitty Litter Killer will be available to the mystery book-club subscribers in December. Be watching!)