The world is constantly changing. And so are we. This is unavoidable. When you are part of a machine, even if you remain perfectly still, you will be forever altered by the various moving parts, the sounds within and outside your immediate environment. As the saying goes, ‘No man is an island.’ We must evolve, even if it is at a snail’s pace. We must adapt, because adaptation is a key component of survival.
Evolution. What does it mean? Growth. Watching more what we say and do… Becoming wiser, learning from our mistakes. Perhaps thinking long and hard about why we behave in the manner that we do? Something we desperately desired ten years ago, oftentimes, isn’t what we wish for today. I wrote this story during a time when tomorrow was threatened, yesterday was soaked in hopefulness, and today was pleading to come. The entire planet was gasping for breath. I am writing this in past tense because I pray that evolution will continue to occur – that we will all have another day, and then another, to make choices, to laugh, to grow.
I have no idea when you are reading this novel. It could be in the year it was written or 100 years later, but I will say this: The current condition of mother nature and humanity has bred contempt, vileness, anxiety and depression. It has also birthed togetherness, appreciation, love, clemency, awakening, truth, creativity, resourcefulness and determination. I have pulled from this time in the world, and decided to focus on stories I desperately wish to tell and that I know many would like to hear. But I’m also doing it so my cherished readers, who I absolutely adore, get to exhale.
Books are medicine. They are prescriptions that help us feel a bit better, teach us a thing or two, make us smile, laugh, feel something in a whole new way. You take one or two as needed, perhaps ten or twelve, and it gets to work right away. We escape into written worlds filled with magical places, treacherous villains, sublime characters and troubled creatures we do not know until we delve into the chapters. More times than not, if it hooks our interest, we are rooting for someone who pulls at our heartstrings.
At the same time, we are oftentimes despising another character, usually someone who is causing chaos, and wishing on a star for a few of the side characters who are carrying their own loads. Our own experiences, minds, and the way we interpret the words on the page or our e-reader device colors how we see and feel from one page to the next.
Two readers can read the exact same book, have similar taste in literature, and have an entirely different view of the novel once they are through. That’s the beauty of reading – the capability to color the pages with our own thoughts and ideas, imprint our perceptions over the pictures the author paints with words. It’s amazing, really – and all we as authors hope for is that each and every one of you get what you need, what you came here for. Your prescription is filled, and one can simply wish that it doesn’t have adverse side effects.
Instead, we hope that you are re-charged, delighted, laughing so much your stomach hurts, crying tears of joy, or frightened beyond belief – in a good way, of course. Art doesn’t apologize. But it does sympathize.
Yes, it’s our art – it is our story and we, the authors, have the right to tell it how we see fit – but there is no doubt the goal is for readers to feel just that much happier after they’ve read the last sentence of the last chapter. You aren’t the only one with a new prescription right now.
Writing is my drug. Reading is my time on the ‘therapist couch’ and interacting with my beloved fans is fuel for my flying fingers. I work with my mind and my hands. People don’t often think of authors that way, but we do. Just ask our nemesis, carpal tunnel; it’s a near certainty that the most prolific of us will experience this ailment. Oh, and another casualty is often a broken nail, but I digress. This story, “Fire and Rain,’ is about a broken man, too. We are imperfect, and so are the people in my stories.
Aries ‘Flame’ Creed has had more than his share of challenges. Though he, too, is a bit of a