Obsessions

Everyone has them.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  They change as we get older.  We are proud of some of them.  Others, we blush at the thought of.  We either keep them close to the vest and hide them away in secret compartments, taking them out when we think no one is looking, or we expose them for the whole world to see, not afraid of showing them off (even if some people may think you are a little crazy because of it.) 

I have my own list.  It starts with chocolate and ends with episodes of Downton Abbey (with karaoke singing and red wine added in there for a touch of flavor).  These are my obsessions, things I can’t do without.  My guilty pleasures. Some I’m very proud of-cholocate covered strawberries, anyone?  Others, I keep hidden out of view.  If you heard me singing, you’d understand why I don’t let many people know about my karaoke obsession.

But still, these are the things that make me happy.  These are the things I look forward to. These are the things that I savor, enjoy. They bring a smile to my face, a laugh to my lips. 

And just like with any obsession, it can be a hard habit to kick, even when you know too much of it can be a bad thing (giving up chocolate to lose a few pounds is impossible for me.) You find that your once rational mind starts to become cloudy, murky at the thought of it.  You may find yourself salivating at the prospect, even daydreaming about it. You may be in total denial over it, invent excuses as to why you simply can’t do without it (chocolate is good for the heart and so is that extra glass of wine!)  You may hide it away because you don’t want to witness the canny glances exchanged by your family and friends (my husband once caught me eating an entire box of Godiva in the basement laundry room and gave me that look!).

My latest book deals with this very dilemma.  It’s about my main character’s, Sadie Rollins, who happens to be obsessed with a celebrity.  Sadie is rational and intelligent in every sense of the word . . . rational except when it comes to her obsession (sounds familiar?)  She is a college professor who seems to have everything she would want out of life; everything except that her life is boring.  She’s missing out on that kick, that sense of adventure, the living on the ledge; the exhilaration and adrenaline that only an obsession can provide. So, in order to add color to her otherwise very black and very white life, she decides to “let it out” and pursue the object of her obsession . . .

What transpires is a journey that has her questioning everything she believes in. And perhaps so will you. As with my other books, “The Twelve Step Plan” is a romantic comedy (another one of my obsessions-a great love story that gives you a laugh or two along the way) and it’s available for pre-sale on Amazon, just in time for the Valentine Day season.  (Thanks again to Littera Designs for the wonderful book cover!)

Erin