Cat Johnson Braves Doll Lil’s Word Association Challenge!

What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving season Doll Day asks? My family of course, good health and friends, but this is a literary blog after all and as such I must confess that I am thankful for art. I am thankful for the artist who toils to perfect and expose that seed that is germinating within and shares their gifts with the rest of us; allowing us to take adventures through their thought processes. What a sad place my world would be without music, books, paintings, movies, dance or theater.

I have often pondered the life of the painter or sculptor who must part ways with his/her work in order to gain recognition. How could Rodin part with his sculptures? How did Van Gogh bear the pain of seeing his paintings walk out the door? The cinematographer or photographer who spends hours perfecting a shot to have its truth validated or dismissed in a blink of an eye? The stage actor who imbuse each performance with a feeling that is in itself seemingly tangible for the space of those hours and within the confines of that venue.

But the writer is a different being from the actor, sculptor or painter. This artist produces a work that will be published and distributed but can still be altered innumerable times. Much like a singer or musician who can re-interpret the renditions of their songs during a performance an author can add epilogues or prologues to their works well after they have been originally published.

I am thankful for these artist more than ever because in today’s day and age the Average Everyday Joe has an unprecedented amount of access to artists because of the internet. What a double edged sword! Why? Because now our artists/writers have been flushed out from their cozy studios into the wide open range where we greedy vociferous fans await them like hunters with our electronic devices at the ready to collect every Tweet, blog post, Facebook status and forum update. We can’t get enough! We want to know everything! And there perhaps lies the rub.

Imagine if DaVinci were around today we could badger him on Facebook to explain why The Mona Lisa is so enigmatic? After a barrage of Tweets, Shakespeare would be forced to justify the deaths of the young lovers in Romeo & Juliet (Really – couldn’t you have made it an HEA?). Jane Austen would have to answer countless questions on her forum regarding Mr. Darcy and the significance behind his choice of waist coat. Readers are merciless, impassioned fanatics in relentless pursuit of the why for every detail and provocation an author throws our way. The joy of minutia! We are the original conspiracy theorists!

The best whether it is in art, sports, business, cooking, teaching – the best at anything – make it look effortless. The more access we have to understanding the motivation behind every letter – the greater the risk that the fan will become contemptuous of the process. And as the saying goes “Everyone is a critic.” Before you know it the revered author is now the clueless buffoon. The enfant terrible of the art world is now the commercial sellout. SO – I am thankful that in spite of these issues – artists and authors still choose to move forward with sharing their creations.

In particular this holiday season I am grateful to the authors who have graciously allowed me to interview them for Paperpbackdolls.com: Karen Chance, , Chloe Neill and Emma Holly. Each author graciously gave of their time and their books to connect with our dear readers.

I am especially thankful for Charlaine Harris and her Southern Vampire Series. Harris is a most gracious being who has enjoyed a huge commercial success during the last 4 years and a career of over 20 years. Her personality is full of self-deprecating humor and generosity. She writes every day and still manages to find time to interact with readers on Facebook, her own forum and via email. She regularly gives advice to aspiring writers on her site, even including a complete section of recommendations. She also regularly updates her site with book reviews and links to other authors. Her robust web site is managed by a team of dedicated volunteer moderators who attempt to guide the traffic in the right direction (Shout out to Aislyn & Crossfox).

 But my thanks for Harris and her SVS is primarily focused on three things. The Southern Vampire Series is perhaps the most diverse and inclusive series of PNR/UF currently published. Her cast of characters spans races, nationalities, genders, and sexuality. Whether this is a conscious effort on Harris’s part or simply a reflection of how she views the world, I do not know. What I do know is that the world she has created is inclusive and more often than not – non-judgmental. Secondly, her forum during the years in which I actively participated allowed me to meet a world of intelligent and passionate readers who became great friends. That is in fact how I came to meet The Dolls. And through those interactions I was introduced to a multitude of other authors I have greatly enjoyed. Lastly, my interactions with Charlaine and her assistant, BFF Paula, have been funny, insightful and, incredibly enough, consistently inspiring.

And so dear readers, I wish you a most wonderful, peaceful and loving Thanksgiving because after all I am thankful for you.

XOXO – Believer

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to read story books. She devoured them because they were full of magical possibilities with every turn of the page. Then the little girl grew up and school work occupied more and more of her time. Eventually the little girl graduated from school, trading in poets & prose for business management & autobiographies. Magic was left behind in her quest for the top and the world became a place filled with “paradigm shifts”, ROI & financial reports. Before she knew it, the girl was a woman who felt out of touch with the world’s magic until she met Birth and her sister Death. While Birth filled her with wonder & happiness; Death filled her with sadness & loss. And so one day she set aside the management books and instead picked up a paperback story filled with vampires, shifters & telepaths. Lo and behold, her passion for these stories blossomed and the woman became a believer in the magic of reading, again. My name is Believer9200 and I believe in the magic of stories because they give me hope.

Doll Believer

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