Night Owl Romance

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Entertainment by Ashlyn Chase 

 

Not long ago we had a wind storm to rival some tornadoes. It was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen here in New England--and we see all kinds of weather. Large trees were ripped from the ground by the roots. We had some ninety footers beside the driveway topple over. Thank goodness they fell away from our house!   

 

And, of course, the power went out. Hundreds of thousands of homes lost power, ours being one of them. People were recalling last year's ice storm with horror. We went without power for 7 days. My husband stood in line for two hours to get one of the precious generators being shipped up from Massachusetts where they weren't as badly affected. Fortunately, we had it for this year's "event."  

 

My mother-in-law lives a couple of towns away...alone. So we had her come over right away. My daughter and her boyfriend called to say they were at his mother's house, so they were safe! But as soon as they heard that we had ENTERTAINMENT, they came right over. It was fun to have everyone "camping" in our home.  

 

I have a gas stove, so I was able to cook. We have a gas fireplace, so there was ambiance. The generator provided heat and hot water. It's funny what you decide you value when you have to pick and choose what to turn on and what to live without.

 

We have an electricity cleaner. (The "dirty electricity" coming from the generator can't power electronics which are too apt to be damaged by energy with surges.) So, we had to decide on one electronic item to use with the electricity cleaner. 

 

The choice was easy! My husband powered up the movie room and suddenly we had stories. We watched one comedy and one drama. Before we knew it, the day had flown by and we were that much closer to having normalcy restored.

 

What is it about stories we love so much? I remember hearing something Michael Creighton said several years ago. He believed that no matter how bad things got, people would still need entertainment. During WWII, dance halls sprung up all over Europe. Native Americans from long ago would sit around a campfire and tell stories. The traveling bard in medieval times was valued for the entertainment he brought and was fed for the price of his gift. (That's where the term 'singing for your supper' came from.)

 

So, the point of this rambling post (and I did have one) is to highlight just how important storytellers are. Without us pulling new ideas from our imaginations and experiences, the world would be a boring place. I hope all authors realize their value. Sometimes I think we forget how much we're needed. We're more apt to judge brain surgeons or research scientists as important people--but even they need entertainment. 

 

Please check out my website www.ashlynchase.com and my newest release, Strange Neighbors. 

 

 

STRANGENEIGHBORS BY ASHLYN CHASE—IN STORES JUNE 2010 

 

He’s looking for peace, quiet, and a little romance…

 

There’s never a dull moment when hunky all-star pitcher and shapeshifter Jason Falco invests in an old Boston brownstone apartment building full of supernatural creatures. But when Merry MacKenzie moves into the ground floor apartment, the playboy pitcher decides he might just be done playing the field… 

A girl just wants to have fun…

 

Sexy Jason seems like the perfect fling, but newly independent nurse Merry’s not sure she’s ready to trust him with her heart…especially when the tabloids start trumpeting his playboy lifestyle. 

 

Then pandemonium breaks loose and Merry and Jason will never get it together without a little help from the vampire who lives in the basement and the werewolf from upstairs… 

 

About the Author

 

A multi-published, award-winning author, Ashlyn Chase specializes in characters who reinvent themselves, having reinvented herself numerous times. Among her many day jobs, she has worked as a psychiatric nurse, run blood drives for the Red Cross, and now uses her degree in behavioral sciences to avoid writing exhaustive character sketches.  She lives with her true-life hero husband in beautiful New Hampshire.  For more information, please visit http://ashlynchase.com/.