It stays with you.
The characters stay with you.
When you love a book it has the potential to imbue into your
DNA.
There are moments when I’m tucking my kids in bed when I
swear I hear Holden say something about the gold ring at the carousel. Or other
moments when he coughs and says, “Phonies” under his breath.
And then there are times of breaking vulnerability when Little
Bee reminds me that my scars mean
I’ve survived.
Every so often when I’m admiring my neighbor’s green thumb,
Victoria Jones will whisper the names of the flowers to me and if I’m real
quiet, their meanings.
These are the treasured takeaways of books. Their gift to
me…these lingering characters. These powerful messages translated in my life.
It’s what I strive for as a writer—to create characters who
leap from the pages of my work into the lives of my readers.
It’s what makes reading a book a multilayered experience.
Because as I’m reading I wonder if I’ll meet the characters again at another
intersection, foot of a bed, or flower bed.
I know when I get to the last page of a book and read the
words The End not to take those words to heart. Incredible reads don’t end.
Good books live on inside us.
Have you ever loved a
book so much the characters are still with you?
*photo from Rachel lone Johnson
**Teaser: You won't want to miss my post next week!
