Sunshine and Darkness

I spent my morning on a deck overlooking the ocean, finishing Keri Arthur's Deadly Desire. I give it two thumbs up. Riley Jensen works on two cases in this installment, and I enjoyed the artful way Arthur wove them together. The ending was terrific. I can't say much with out spoilers, so I'll just say Riley ends up in a delicious romantic pickle. The next book is scheduled for a September release. I'll be the first in line. Karen Chance's Embrace the Night is next up for my beach reading.

The urge to write has been riding me hard, but there are no outdoor power sources for my laptop, and I refuse to stay inside very long. I actually wrote this blog entry longhand on the pool deck and am only typing it as I take a quick respite from the sun.

Sunday night I took a late night walk on the beach with my younger son. We spent the day at the baseball expo for a double-header, then dinner with a group of friends, and it wasn't until 11pm that we finally returned to the hotel. We were both itching to put our toes in the ocean, so out we went. There are no lights on the beach, and once you cross the dune and get 100 feet or so away from the hotel, it's very dark. No moon that night offered any natural light, only stars. A few other people shared the beach with us, but the only evidence was the occasional glimpse of movement and their muted voices underneath the wind and crash of waves.

The stars were brilliant, and we picked out Orion and the Big Dipper. I grew up on a farm, away from the city, but now live in the suburbs. It's been a very long time since I've seen stars like that. True darkness is hard to come by when you live in proximity to a town or city. This was true darkness. Except for a flash of foam here and there, even the ocean was invisible. The night wrapped itself around us until there was nothing left but the stars and the wind and the crash of the sea. My romantic writer's soul stirred to life, and I have the beginnings of an entirely new story pinging around in my head.

The idea is growing, knawing at me, but as of yet, I've resisted the urge to give it words. I'm letting it simmer, letting the pressure build, so that when I do release the valve and write, I will have some steam. I am a tangle of contradiction (but aren't we all, really). I love the sun. Being in Florida has renewed my spirit. The long, cold winter in my florescent classroom tends to beat it down. But as much as the warm sunshine fills me with a sense of joy, it is the darkness that captures my imagination.