Embracing the Mystery

There were so few mysteries left. The world couldn’t spare the loss of even one of them.

                                                                                    Greenmantle

Charles de Lint

When I first signed up for Goodreads, not knowing what I could do with it but feeling I should, one of the questions they asked was, “What are you reading now?” My reply was Greenmantle, by Charles de Lint. I’ve probably read a few hundred books since then, but if you look at my Goodreads page, it still says the same thing. Not just because I often go to Goodreads while I’m writing, not reading, and have nothing to change it to, but also because every time I think of changing it, I can’t bring myself to. Hands down, this is one of my favorite books, and one of the reasons I finally decided to let my inner fantasy writer come out into the light of day.

The mysteries, the myths and legends and questions of what, why, when, where and how, fascinate me. I’m a believer in there being more to this world than we can see, touch and completely understand. I’ve always wanted to think the fairies danced just beyond my peripheral vision, the clouds hide magical beings and the rustle of the leaves is the wind whispering secrets. Oh! If I could just interpret what it says, the treasure that awaits!

And the world is a wonderfully big place. My mysteries, the things I believe with my heart even as my head says they can’t exist, are only a tiny part of the collected mysteries of mankind. Exploring the various ideas others hold thrills and inspires me, opening my mind to life. Some of that exploration comes out in my Unveiled Seductions series--along with some of my own longings, experiences and wishes, suitably camouflaged to protect the innocent and give no glory to the guilty. 

Greenmantle isn’t a gentle fantasy novel. It’s gritty, deals with some of the worse of human nature as well as the best. As a romance author there is sometimes a temptation to not explore the difficult themes, to make everything rosy or take the less stress-inducing route to the Happy Ever After. Yet books like Greenmantle remind me it’s the struggle through darkness to light that makes the sunrise that much more beautiful, the ability to suddenly see what was hidden that much more thrilling.

While we can’t explain the mystery, exploring it, learning about ourselves as we go, makes life worthwhile.

Diversions

Well, as you can see from my dearth of blogs, I’ve been like a chicken without a head for the last few weeks! The Evil Day Job is one reason. My sideline of making re-enactment clothing is another. But the biggest problem has been my addiction to reading...

I finished a sub a couple weeks back and sent it off. It usually takes me a few days to move past that and get back to writing, so I decided to indulge in some reading in the meantime. As much as it hurts not to be reading all the time, I rarely pick up a book when I’m writing. Being immersed in someone else’s words/world tends to color my thought patterns and divert me away from my own work.

I didn’t realise just how much I missed the magic of sinking into a good book until I started on my TBR pile. It all began with Steig Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a hardcover copy of which I picked up at my local community centre for the grand price of one Canadian dollar. I’d heard of it a while back and wanted to read it, so I couldn’t resist. After all, it was in brand-new condition!

Reading it was bittersweet, because I found out that Steig Larsson died right after he delivered the edited version, and two of the planned sequels, to his publisher. Sounded rather like a lyric from Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’, until I read he was overweight, driven to working 20 hour days and had a 60 cigarette-a-day habit.

The book was intriguing, once I got into the rhythm of his prose. His style is slightly stilted—a little formal—and it took getting used to. I also found his characters a little cold, but was willing and able to put all that aside and just enjoy the book.

So that whet my appetite, and thank goodness I read quickly or nothing—no work, no cooking, no NOTHING—would have gotten done over the past few weeks. I finished my orgy, my gluttonous read-fest, with Greenmantle by Charles de Lint. Can I tell you...if I ever was going to go Fan-girl over anyone, it would be over him? Greenmantle grabbed me, held me, rocked and shook me, and now, having come out on the other side, I’m ready to go back to work. Reading one of his books is, for me, like a day at the spiritual, emotional spa. He’s washed me clean, and I can go forward into life once more.

Phew!