Diane Chamberlain's Blog - Posts Tagged "private-relations"
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life. . .
When I was a kid, my dad would take us out in the back yard of our summer bungalow in Point Pleasant, New Jersey to star gaze. We had these big Adirondack chairs and he’d tip one against the other so that when we climbed into them, we’d be nearly prone–perfect for looking up at the diamond-lit sky. This is such a sweet memory for me that I had a couple of my characters do the same thing in my very first novel, Private Relations.
Fast forward to this week. We’re at our place on Topsail Island, where the sky is jet black at night and perfect for star gazing. The long broad bench in the picture runs nearly the length of our deck, so the other night I took a big comforter, stretched it out on the bench, and lay down in the pitch black night to watch the stars.
I can’t think of a better activity for putting one’s life into perspective than star gazing. It makes me feel inconsequential, and for some reason, I find that inconsequential feeling strangely comforting. I lay there thinking about those people thousands of years ago who watched the same stars and listened to the same waves, and those people thousands of years from now who will do the same. I thought fondly about my Dad. I thought about one of the themes in the book I was revising–how we change, how we’re not the same person we were a decade ago, or even yesterday. My mind was filled with giant thoughts and giant questions, the sort that overwhelm in a good way and make you grateful for every breath you’re lucky enough to take.
And then I began to notice something out of the corner of my eye. On the railing above the bench where I lay, I saw a small dark mound, a silhouette against the slightly lighter sky. A shell one of the kids left on the railing, I thought, and I started to reach for it.
But then it moved. I turned on my flashlight and illuminated the biggest honkin’ cockroach I’ve ever seen. I was off that bench and back to reality so fast I nearly tripped over my feet. I had to laugh. I mean, what else can you do? Talk about putting things in perpective. Thousands of years ago, there were cockroaches under the stars. Thousands of years from now, they’ll still be here. Hopefully, we will be too.
So, that was the end of my deep reverie on the mysteries of life. I went inside, shuddering a little from my run-in with the natural world. I snuggled into bed (after checking under the covers for critters) and turned on my iPad to read. It was time to lose myself in someone else’s mysterious life for a while.
Fast forward to this week. We’re at our place on Topsail Island, where the sky is jet black at night and perfect for star gazing. The long broad bench in the picture runs nearly the length of our deck, so the other night I took a big comforter, stretched it out on the bench, and lay down in the pitch black night to watch the stars.
I can’t think of a better activity for putting one’s life into perspective than star gazing. It makes me feel inconsequential, and for some reason, I find that inconsequential feeling strangely comforting. I lay there thinking about those people thousands of years ago who watched the same stars and listened to the same waves, and those people thousands of years from now who will do the same. I thought fondly about my Dad. I thought about one of the themes in the book I was revising–how we change, how we’re not the same person we were a decade ago, or even yesterday. My mind was filled with giant thoughts and giant questions, the sort that overwhelm in a good way and make you grateful for every breath you’re lucky enough to take.
And then I began to notice something out of the corner of my eye. On the railing above the bench where I lay, I saw a small dark mound, a silhouette against the slightly lighter sky. A shell one of the kids left on the railing, I thought, and I started to reach for it.
But then it moved. I turned on my flashlight and illuminated the biggest honkin’ cockroach I’ve ever seen. I was off that bench and back to reality so fast I nearly tripped over my feet. I had to laugh. I mean, what else can you do? Talk about putting things in perpective. Thousands of years ago, there were cockroaches under the stars. Thousands of years from now, they’ll still be here. Hopefully, we will be too.
So, that was the end of my deep reverie on the mysteries of life. I went inside, shuddering a little from my run-in with the natural world. I snuggled into bed (after checking under the covers for critters) and turned on my iPad to read. It was time to lose myself in someone else’s mysterious life for a while.
To E or not to E! That is the Question
I need your opinions, whether you read e-books or not. I have seven books that have long been out of print and I’ve now made four of them (Secret Lives, Reflection, Brass Ring and The Escape Artist) available as e-books. Very soon, I’ll have a fifth book up (Fire and Rain). Now I’m trying to decide whether or not to make my first two novels, Private Relations and Lovers and Strangers, also available, and that’s where I can use your honest thoughts.
The reason for my hesitation is that they are quite different from my other books. Although they’re not what you’d think of as traditional romances, they have much stronger romantic elements than my other books–particularly Private Relations, which won the RITA award (from Romance Writers of America) for the Best Single Title Contemporary Novel of. . . gulp. . . 1989. I was so young and such a green writer! I am extremely proud of that book as well as of Lovers and Strangers because I know I put my heart and soul into them, but as I said, they are different. Starting with my third novel, Secret Lives, I think my books grew into deeper stories with richer characters and stronger elements of mystery and suspense.
What do you think I should do? Make these two early books available for e-readers or let them stay as the impossible-to-find little paperbacks they’ve been for many years? I’d love to hear your opinions. I know you have them, so bring ‘em on!
The reason for my hesitation is that they are quite different from my other books. Although they’re not what you’d think of as traditional romances, they have much stronger romantic elements than my other books–particularly Private Relations, which won the RITA award (from Romance Writers of America) for the Best Single Title Contemporary Novel of. . . gulp. . . 1989. I was so young and such a green writer! I am extremely proud of that book as well as of Lovers and Strangers because I know I put my heart and soul into them, but as I said, they are different. Starting with my third novel, Secret Lives, I think my books grew into deeper stories with richer characters and stronger elements of mystery and suspense.
What do you think I should do? Make these two early books available for e-readers or let them stay as the impossible-to-find little paperbacks they’ve been for many years? I’d love to hear your opinions. I know you have them, so bring ‘em on!
Let’s Perk Up the Private Relations Cover
It’ll still be a month or so before I’m able to make Private Relations available for those of you who have e-readers, but I’m excited about freshening up the old cover. Private Relations was my very first novel. It’s the story of two men and three women who live together in a big house on the Jersey Shore, and it focuses on the romance between two of them. Private Relations won the RITA award for best single title contemporary novel from the Romance Writers of America. It’s very different from my current novels, but I hope you’ll still enjoy it. I’m looking forward to bringing it into the twenty-first century with a fresh new cover. These images below are made from rough comp pictures and of course, they’re missing the title and my name, but I hope you’ll vote on your favorite so I can polish into the perfect cover.
http://www.dianechamberlain.com/blog/...
http://www.dianechamberlain.com/blog/...
