Sometimes
life can be a real witch.
Meet Maxie
Duncan. Your average 23-year-old blonde. If you can call being wealthy,
gorgeous, and knowing what the future holds at times, average.
After her
fiancé blindsides her with a breakup at their favorite restaurant, she leaves
Maine for a shot at being Hollywood’s new ‘it girl.’ There’s only one problem.
She’s never acted a day in her life.
When a big
Hollywood director sends her packing, she realizes if she wants to stay in
L.A., she may have to become a normal girl after all. But normal has never been
in the cards for her. Strange things keep happening wherever she goes, a
red-eyed shadow no one else sees is stalking her, and to top it off, she may be
falling in love again, with either the bookish guy next door, or Hollywood’s
hottest leading man.
But
everything isn’t what it seems. Someone’s keeping secrets from her. Is it her
new friends at the apartment building she moved into? Or is it Ryan Everheart,
the actor who wants to sweep her off her feet? And why are her feet suddenly
floating off the ground?
It’s enough
to drive a girl insane. All Maxie wants to do is ride off into the sunset with
her one true love and find a killer pair of Manolo Blahniks on the way. But
how’s a girl supposed to focus on a love life and shopping when everywhere she
turns someone or something is trying to kill her?
IMAGINATION
By Melissa
L. Webb
I exit the
house. It's late at night. Darkness has already descended, greedily
wrapping its arms around everything in its path. Shadows dance around me, causing chills to
flutter up and down my spine. What is
lurking behind the tree beside me? Did
something just slither in the dark void underneath my car? Was that a burst of hot breath on the back of
my neck? Is something really out here
with me or is it merely my imagination?
Imagination
is one of the key building blocks in our society. If not for imagination, we wouldn't have the
technology, medicines, or scientific theories we have today. Everything we do in life, whether we realize
it or not, depends on imagination.
But what
about those of us who have an overactive imagination? Is there a downside to seeing every single
possibility in this world and beyond? Do
the benefits out weigh the negatives?
Those of us
with this kind of imaginations usually end up in some kind of a creative
field. It gives us a way to channel all
the excessive thoughts and put them to good use. I know if I couldn't focus on creating
worlds, characters, and situations, I would go crazy from all the ideas
bouncing around in my head.
My
imagination is always working. I call it
"the People in the Attic."
There isn't a time when they're not up there chattering away about
something. I can walk into any room and
see things which make them start hammering out fantastic back stories and ideas
on how any one of those things could be the hero of its own adventure.
(Incidentally,
they also point out every way a person could die in any given space. I don't know if that's because I'm a horror
writer, or if it's a OCD thing. It's not
the most pleasant of abilities either way. )
Writers get
their ideas from their imaginations, (if only I could make it happen on demand)
and the more active it is, the more ideas we get. Having an strong imagination is a blessing to
those of us who sip ideas like they're nectar from the gods.
But the
downside is an overactive imagination never stops. I lay awake at night, praying my mind will
give me a few hours of peace so I can recharge for a new day. But, no, up until the moment I am asleep, my
mind’s whirling away. It puzzles,
ponders, and creates things without any help from me. It doesn't matter that I have to be up in
five hours and I could really use the sleep.
Imaginations don't care. They
just run free whenever they feel like it.
I saw a
picture on Pinterest the other day I totally identified with. (Here’s a link, if you want to check it out
for yourself.) It’s of a guy walking
down the street and a bird is flying over head.
On the brick wall behind him is his shadow, who has a sword and is
slaying the shadow flying overhead, which is now a dragon. The caption reads, “My life is so much more
interesting inside my head.”
I instantly
connected with it because it’s true.
Thanks to my overactive imagination there is never a dull moment inside
my head. So, yeah, I might have a major
insomnia problem, and I might always wonder what lurks in the shadows at night;
but, I’m always thinking of new ideas, and seeing endless possibilities in
everything. (My four-year-old nephew
adores me because of this. To him, I am
just a big kid.)
About the
Author :
Melissa L.
Webb is a writer, dreamer, thinker, and a seeker. She is an avid fan of anything paranormal.
She loves to read and won’t be caught dead without some kind of book in her
purse. She is also a big fan of
horror. She has yet to find any movie or
book that will scare her, however, she remains hopeful that one does exists out
there.
When she
isn’t tutoring students, you’ll find her weaving words in a magical place,
between the ocean and the redwoods, called Northern California, and spending time being bossed around by her
dog, Buffy.
Website: www.melissalwebb.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/melissalwebb
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-L-Webb/193813600663672
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/melissalwebb/
Thank you for having me here. :)
ReplyDeleteThe book concept sounds good, Melissa, and a terrific post!
ReplyDelete