I’ve been reading a series of books by the same author for almost two years. I am so obsessed by the ongoing stories of the heroine that I have eschewed other authors as I dove into and through every one of the books published to-date in the series to catch up to the present. The next book isn’t due out for 6 weeks, so I returned the previous series I was reading to catch up on the five books that came out during my obsession.

A single chapter in and I am struck by the extreme differences in writing styles of these two best-selling authors. One is complex, even a bit cerebral, and challenges my academic sense while appealing to my dream of a world-class, jet-setting life. The other is more common and allows me to relate to the more realistic life of the heroine and her job while feeding those dreams of wealth and jet-set life the lead character finds herself in after a surprisingly fortuitous and deliciously passionate marriage. Despite the disparate styles of these authors, reading their novels compels me to write; to put pen to paper and give ink to the thoughts that occupy my waking moments. They inspire me .. and they help me realize that my style is yet a third style of writing for future readers to enjoy.

Inspiration — incentive — perhaps even a new-found enthusiasm for writing that seems to have evaded me for almost 10 years. Determination to re-find my muse and restart a process I had essentially abandoned.

Stay tuned — a novel is in the works.