A Mixture of Madness

“An apt quotation is like a lamp which flings its light over the whole sentence.”

-          Letitia Elizabeth Landon

I wanted to say another thank you to the people that entered the Sin No More contest.  When I set out to give away copies of my new book, I wanted it to be a chance to get to know some of my readers and find out what their favorite moments were. I was delighted to see my favorite book on the list. What surprised me most were quotes that I hadn’t thought about. It was a pleasure to go back and see stories and characters through someone else’s eyes, learning what quotes resonated and stuck with the readers long after they finished the book.

One thing that I have been blessed with in my life is a plethora of wise friends who deliver a surplus of sound advice along with much needed support. Whether or not I listen to that advice depends on the scope of the situation surrounding it. What is for certain is that in most, if not all of my books, there is a sage secondary character who doles out life changing advice with ease and sometimes the sweetness of honey. It isn’t always the best advice, but it’s always with the best intentions.

Someone asked me if I would share my favorite books and quotes. It would take a while to do and I would probably bore you all in the process, so instead, here are a handful of my favorite lines.

My favorite book is Love’s Abiding Spirit, and Gay is perhaps my favorite character of all. She shows us just how easy it is to give advice when the situation isn’t about you. Much like a dear friend, whom she is patterned after, Gay is quick-witted, endearing and all together charming. She is sarcastic to a fault, affable and impossible not to like. Here are some of my favorite Gay quotes the ones that, for me, made the story memorable:

- “Honey, I reckon that’s like me saying I just want to lose a couple of pounds.”

- “Sure do. You don’t want your bush to outshine the house. And, darlin’, no one wants to get tangled up in overgrown bush.”

- “I figure we’re all responsible for our own actions. No one can make us do anything. In the end, no matter what anyone does to us, it’s the individual that chooses how they react to it.”

- “This aging lesbian’s opinion is about as useful as goose shit on a pump handle.”

- “Darlin’, if my cousin is not half way in love with you herself, I’m not Gay. And that’s a major feat in itself, considering that’s what my birth certificate and half of Savannah’s rec softball league say I am.”

- “Some of us are nesters and some of us like to rattle the cage. I’m a rattler. Plain and simple. Now don’t think that I’m not a romantic at heart though. I’m pulling for you two kids.”

- “Well screw it then. I forgot you were God… I reckon you must think you are with the harebrained crap that’s coming out of your mouth. Guess I forgot you can control everything and guarantee no one will get hurt. Pretty powerful credit you’re giving yourself. While you’re at it, would ya mind ending war and reversing the greenhouse effect?”

-“Course tryin’ to convince you of that’s like trying to boil corn in ice water.”

Sure, I like Carrie in Immediate Possession, she’s like my mom away from home, Tess in Secrets of the Heart will always remind me of my older sister and how could I not adore Carmen in Twist of Fate, but Gay will always be closest to my heart, mostly because she makes my friend seem a little closer and probably a little because she wouldn’t let me get away with stupid stuff.