Summer is here. The pool, the lake, meat sizzling on a grill, baseball, and beer. Lots of beer. In East Tennessee, we are fortunate enough to have four seasons, and summer and autumn are hands down the most fun.
In a few days, May will roll into June, and then, my favorite month, July. July is the most spectacular month. I mean, come on: the 4th, fireworks, lightning bugs! And the air is so humid and the grass is an almost startling green…ahhh, it just makes me so happy.
But, I try to savor the months leading up to July. So, I want to talk about what summer means to me. For as long as I can remember, I always loved to go to the library when school let out for the summer and pick out my books I would devour over a few months. I always love being near the pool or the lake, and sitting outside at night, watching the lighting bugs, and breathing the sweet smell of honeysuckle and grass. And one of the most splendid parts of summer is sitting beside the pool or the lake with a good book.
Right now, I’m reading The Outsider by Stephen King. So far, I really love it. It’s a strange, dark mystery that features characters only King can truly bring to life.
Isn’t the cover art creepy? I am lucky enough to have the hardback copy (thank you, Cheryl!) and the jacket is thick and glossy, yet rough and kinda disturbing when you close your eyes and rub your hands over it! It reminds me of the lake. When you first get in, you have to step gingerly over pebbles and dirt then muck, and finally you make it into the smooth water. But the silky water is very unpredictable; your foot can scrape against something slimy or sharp, or God forbid, something with teeth. Or worse. For those of us in the south who don’t live near the ocean, lakes are a luxury that we truly appreciate.
Back to King, he was the first author that really imprinted himself into my mind. I fell in love with his books. And his books continue to cause me nightmares, inspire me, challenge me, and most of all, push me to write from the soul every day. I want to be able to affect people in the ways he has affected me.
That’s summer to me: secrets; heat; mystery; a lightness that can so quickly turn into darkness in the time it takes for heat lightning to flash across the sky. A season so brief yet long and memorable that we ache for it all year long, and sit and reminisce about when it’s cold outside.
Speaking of lakes, I am polishing up a short story of mine. It involves a lake with many secrets. Lakes are both beautiful and kinda creepy.
I mean, you can’t see what’s underneath the water. But, maybe you don’t want to!
Boo! 😉
That’s all for tonight.
MMM
