Overheard

Call it what you want--nosy,inquisitive,curious,bored; I am an avid eavesdropper. It doesn't matter where I am--If you're within the range of my ears, I will be listening.

I blame my childhood. Actually, more specifically, I blame the youth at Bellevue. And yes, while I'm sure those kid's mouths may have contributed to this minor character flaw--the fact that I avoided them to no ends is more likely the culprit.

See, my parents had this rule. It wasn't always there, like 'don't hit your brother' or 'don't color on his face,' but was manufactured specifically for me during the era we now refer to as "Mandy's Evil Years." (1998-2009)


Anyways, the rule was: If you miss church, you're grounded until the next service.
Simple as that, 1 week--no friends, no tv, no computer, no phone, no outside.


Needless to say...I spent half my childhood grounded.

It worked out well though. Because what I was left with was books. TONS of books, most of which my mother would die if she ever knew I read (thank you, Grandma Lee). Honestly, books were like movies to me. They were stories,not meant to be put down until you finished, until you knew the ending, and experienced the bitter-sweetness of reading the last line. Which is probably why
most Sunday's when Dad would wake me up and remind me of "The Rule," I would simply shrug my shoulders and roll over in bed.

Lesson to be learned here: Don't ground readers, spank them.


I think I got off topic. The point is that reading turned me into a story-freak, which later developed into a writer, and hopefully one that will soon be published. And the better point is that EVERY writer (of Fiction anyways) is constantly aware of the people around them, for it's these people that make for the truly great characters. The real people, not the perfect versions of ones we made up in our head.



So yes, while it may look like I'm quietly minding my own business in that homey, coffee-shop chair--I'm not. Just thought I'd warn you.