Another Twitter Milestone, Another Comic!

I’m a huge fan of Max Huffman’s Mocktopus webcomic, so last summer, when Max’s laptop died and he turned to Kickstarter to raise funds for a new one, I was more than happy to chip in for a customized comic. I asked him to do one starring me, loosely based on his very first Mocktopus comic, except with a cat in it. And here we are!

Thanks, Max, for this awesome webcomic—the rest of you reading this, keep an eye out for when he’s able to resume Mocktopus, or follow his long-form stories at AAAA. He’s a fantastic comics artist, and you’re going to want to know what he’s up to in the years ahead.

14 February 2011 | housecleaning |

Syrie James: 15 Ways to Keep Love Alive

Nocturne opens like a Bizarro World production of Misery—this time, it’s the fan who gets into the accident, and finds herself in the secluded home of the bestselling author—but Syrie James takes the story in a more romantic direction… and a more supernatural one, as well. Because, let’s face it, if a handsome, charming and brilliant writer goes out of his way to make sure there isn’t anybody else around for miles and miles, there’s got to be a pretty compelling reason, right? James’ own love life isn’t anywhere near as tortured as that of her protagonists, though, and in this essay she shares some of the things she’s done to keep it that way.

I love writing about love. My new novel, Nocturne, is a passionate love story about two wounded souls who, for four magical days, find shelter together from a raging storm, both literally and figuratively. They share a profound, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that is destined to change them both forever. I loved writing about Nicole and Michael; by the time the book was finished, I felt so close to the characters, and had delved so deeply inside their minds and hearts, that I felt as though their life-altering encounter had really happened.

With Valentine’s Day here, I’m reminded that the characters in our books shouldn’t be the only ones experiencing romance and passion in their lives. We all have to make the time to keep our love alive. My own, personal love story began in college. I met Bill when I was 19 years old. We fell in love overnight, became engaged three weeks later, and married eight months after that. I managed to graduate from college early so I could begin a new life with Bill in southern California—a life that was sometimes difficult and complicated but was always nurtured by our mutual love and respect. We literally grew up together, navigating the challenges of building careers and a home while raising a family. Every day of the journey has been a great adventure.

I feel blessed that the adventure is still continuing. “Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be” (Robert Browning) is a perfect way to describe our relationship. My husband and I just celebrated our 35th anniversary. We have two talented, terrific sons who are married to lovely young women. But Bill and I both work very long hours at very different jobs. Is there time in the mad rush of life for love and romance? Are we doing all that we can and should to nurture our marriage? I’ll say this: we really try!

(more…)

14 February 2011 | guest authors |