Lazy Days

Today was a lazy Saturday. I had big plans last night when I went to bed, but somehow they all went down the drain upon rising this morning.

I had intended to clean my house, organize some of the junk I still haven't unpacked since I moved in a year ago, and I was going to work on my latest novel. That was just my morning and afternoon - I fully intended to go out for dinner and a movie tonight.

What I did do, was wake at 9am. I let my dog Jack out and decided I was still kind of sleepy. I picked up Karen Marie Moning's 'The Immortal Highlander' (the story of Adam Black, known to some as Puck), crawled back into bed and picked up where I'd left off the night before. That was apparently my undoing. Karen's books have a way of sucking me in faster than most (and that's saying a lot.) I realized two hours later that I hadn't done a thing.

By now though, I'm truly feeling sleepy, so I napped. When I woke up an hour later I again opted for Adam Black. I didn't stop reading until 4pm when I'd finished the book.

Now, some of you may be laughing in disgust at my penchant for Romances, but I'm addicted through and through. I love suspense, I love mystery and fantasy, but Romance is just guaranteed to make me feel all 'glowy'. As a writer, I should probably be more cynical of the 'Happily Ever After' syndrome. But I'm not. I love a happy ending and despite the critics who would try to sour the whole world on them, I think most people enjoy a happy ending.

Karen Marie Moning has the Happily Ever After down to an art. The characters usually face insurmountable odds and suffer greatly for being loyal and brave, but I don't think you can say her happy endings are formulaic. I find them very satisfying. After 300 some pages of wanting the Hero and Heroine to finally reach a place where they're safe and in each other's arms for good, it feels incredible to read that perfect Happy Ending.

So I didn't clean house, I didn't organize anything and, other than this post, I didn't write a single word. But I did have a happy ending. I went out with friends to an Irish Pub and watched 'Cut Throat Island' while eating tiramisu cheesecake. What better ending could I have asked for?

Besides, tomorrow's another day. I deserved a day of laziness after the week I had at work. My list isn't going anywhere. Yes, excuses one and all - but in the end it all comes down to one truth. I'd rather live a day in one of Karen's novels, with a bigger than life Scottish man that could squash the annoying people in my life with a flick of his sword and then carry me off into his castle to play Cinderella.

Yep. That's way better than cleaning my basement. Sweet dreams, ya'll. I have another book calling my name...

A.

P.S. Check out Karen's books at her site...
www.karenmoning.com