Tag Archive | Roller coasters

Follow Your Heart

Mar18

A common theme of many of my books is “follow your heart.”

I honestly think that the reason for this is that it’s something I’ve always tried to do. To really listen to what my heart tells me. Or maybe it’s that little angel sitting on my shoulder trying to guide me through my life. Though I confess, sometimes the little devil on the other shoulder wins and I get off track.

But that’s life, right? A constant battle of decisions that keep us moving forward. Lessons learned. Love gained and lost. Hardships. Happiness. Many, many ups and downs. A brilliant roller coaster ride. Sometimes we can see the track ahead and know where we’re going, but many times we enter a dark tunnel and have no idea if we’re about to be turned upside-down.

I happen to love roller coasters. But I always have that feeling of “why did I get on this thing” after the steep climb to the highest point of the ride. I know what’s coming. Within seconds I’ll be plummeted down a steep drop and my heart will beat wildly until I reach the bottom. It’s definitely a rush. Scary and exhilarating. And I like it so much I go on it again and again.

I recently decided to try my hand at writing a young adult novel. It put me on a new kind of roller coaster. I sometimes wonder why I put myself through writing things that are so incredibly emotional. But…I followed my heart. Something pushed me to write it. I shed many tears. But in the end I fell in love with my characters and like so many others, they became real to me. I hope that by following my heart, I’m able to touch the hearts of my readers.

I really believe that being a teen is harder now than ever. They’re faced with so much more than I ever was. Lots of peer pressure and with the vast amount of technology at their fingertips, the world has been opened up to them in ‘scary and exhilarating’ ways. Talk about a roller coaster ride!

I feel for them.

But one thing hasn’t changed. Love. We all need it. Search for it. Long for it. And I love to write about it. And no matter what comes our way, if we follow our hearts, things will be okay. And if for some reason we get off track, we can get right back on again. In this crazy, upside-down world, we all need a happily ever after. And even if I boo-hoo while writing a book, I make certain it ends happy. I promise.

I once was a teen!

I once was a teen!

The Roller Coaster of Life

Jul29

I LOVE roller coasters! When I was younger I thought I wanted to be one of those people who travels from state to state looking for the longest, highest, and fastest roller coasters around. The perfect vacation would have been roller coaster hopping from one amusement park to another.

I can remember my heart thumping when we’d go on family road trips and I’d see a coaster from the road, rising up into the sky. But sadly, that wasn’t our destination and we’d press on. Lucky for me, many of the family vacations ended up at theme parks.

I’d even dream about coasters. The only thing I feared were the loop-de-loops that turned everyone upside down. But I overcame that fear when I rode the Corkscrew at Knott’s Berry Farm. That particular coaster now resides in Idaho, close to where I grew up. Pretty awesome!

So now that I’m older, I still love them, but I’m a bit more particular. I got bounced around and bruised on a wooden coaster about eight years ago, which led me to lean toward the smoother, steel rides. Maybe it’s these aging bones that can’t take the jostling anymore. But that’s okay. There are plenty of options out there for me. Even the virtual rides are enjoyable!

There’s another kind of roller coaster ride that recently has had my head spinning. LIFE. Just when I thought my life was settling into a routine, it went into a large uphill climb and then sped me down the other side so fast that I’m still reeling! Life is never dull and that’s what makes it exciting. And thank goodness I have friends and family around me sharing the ride. They’re there to hold my hand when things get rough, celebrate the thrills with me, and sometimes give me the encouragement to get back on again when the track gets a little bumpy.

I wake up every morning, have a cup of coffee, say a little prayer, and jump on the ride. And though I may plan my course of action, I can guarantee that there will be an unexpected twist or a small bump that will take me down a different path. So I go with the flow and enjoy the ride because I’ve found that the unexpected can oftentimes be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

That being said, I’ll change my usual post ending and say…
RIDE ON!!!

Yes, there was a coaster inside that mountain!

Yes, there was a coaster inside that mountain!