Are you a loud or quiet hero?

We are currently neck-deep in Little League. It’s the first year we’ve had three kids in baseball, which means we’re averaging six games a week. 

I love my kids, but sitting at a game that I wouldn’t choose to watch otherwise is tricky. There’s this expectation to cheer them on, but there’s also this fear to shout anything, because maybe I’m wrong and they didn’t have a good eye when they chose not to swing or maybe they shouldn’t keep running the bases.  This feeling gets exaggerated tenfold when it’s my turn to be “snack mom.” There is nothing more anxiety-inducing than looking for a parent-approved “healthy” snack that’s also kid-approved and comprised of mostly sugar. And then bringing it to the game and having ten kids tackle you in their effort to get the strawberry flavor over the cherry flavor. Which is probably only differentiated by the amount of dye put in. I’m likely operating out of some mild PTSD. The first time I brought snacks six years ago, another parent stepped in front of me and handed out different snacks. When I very nicely pointed out the fact that I had signed up for snacks that day, she laughed and said, “You can never have too many snacks!” Yes, actually, you can. But that’s beside the point. The point is that it was my day to bring snacks and I spent money and time and effort and now they were all ripping open her snacks instead.  So what did I do? I yanked her around and punched her right in the face. No. That’s not actually what I did. But you believed me right? Because you’re reading a story, and that’s what people do in stories. I feel like we’ve come to expect characters to do the craziest thing possible in books. And while that might be more exciting, it doesn’t speak to the fact that fifty percent of the world is made up of non-confrontational (mostly) introverts, who will steam about something like that all night and wonder what they would have done if they were the hero in a book. I tend to write quiet characters, because I like them that way. Characters who lead by example more than words. Characters who stew about things and have regrets about not speaking up. Or the ones who speak up and then feel terrible afterward. So many characters these days are unapologetically loud, to the point where I no longer hear when they say something with extra value. It’s overstimulating. Sometimes quieter characters can sit back more easily and see where they went wrong. They can learn and grow in ways that are profoundly simple. In the writing world, it’s called a character arc when you see that shift, and I like when the arc is subtle. I may have slinked away from that woman who stole my snack-mom limelight. I may have weaseled my way out of dozens of snack-mom games by sending my husband those nights instead. But I will say that this year I nailed it. Not only did I have a healthy snack and a yummy snack for each kid, but I put them in brown bags and passed them out in ten seconds flat. A mom even complimented me on my snack efficiency. See, look how I’ve grown. Are you a loud or quiet hero? And yes, you’re a hero. I guarantee someone thinks you’re a hero.  Goddess of Myth & Magic by Angela J. Ford came out last month! It’s the second in a duology, so if you haven’t read the first one, check out Princess of Blood & Blade first. I haven’t read either yet, but I’ve read other books of hers, so I’m pumped to read these as soon as I turn back on my Kindle Unlimited subscription (they’re free on KU)! Here’s the back cover blurb for Princess of Blood & Blade (I’d put in the blurb for Goddess of Myth & Magic, but SPOILERS): An outcast princess, a dangerous goddess, a mysterious iceman and a half-demon. Royal blood is potent. But eighteen-year-old Evie Mor is unaware of the power she carries. Abandoned by her parents to be raised by centaurs, and unsure how to use her magic, she eagerly awaits the day she can leave the sacred forests and reunite with the humans. However, on the morning of her departure, she learns a horrific truth that leaves her questioning her true identity.Frustrated, but taught not to question the will of the gods, Evie travels deep into perilous lands in search of her birth mother.Along the way she accidentally frees a dangerous goddess, befriends a mysterious iceman, and meets a magic-wielding nymph. But threads of betrayal and corruption run deeper than Evie imagined. As she faces trials and tribulations, she questions everything she’s assumed to be true… Welcome to the land of Labraid, a war-torn world where demons rise and the gods and goddesses toy with the desires of humans.

A spellbinding fantasy adventure infused with Celtic Mythology and blood magic with wild plot twists and slow burn romance. Perfect for fans of character-driven fantasy with mythical creatures, treacherous royals and mischievous immortals. If you know someone who might enjoy these posts, please share this link or send them to my Choose Your Own Adventure game – everyone likes wasting time on the internet, right? Maybe that’s just me… Until next time,

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