Darkness and Light (and a New Release and Contest!)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Philosophers and artists are very aware of the contrast between darkness and light. But we normal mortals go about our lives, weathering the ups and downs, without thinking about such things all that often.

This past year, however, has brought the contrast between darkness and light into sharp relief. I don’t know about you, but 2020 was the darkest of my 68 years on this planet. It was a major challenge to remain optimistic and hopeful.

But the grim realities of 2020 also helped me appreciate the “light” in my life. I was grateful for the little things—a sunny day, a warm breeze, the comfort of my home. And for the bigger things—Zoom sessions with friends, the companionship of my husband, and the giddy relief when my son and daughter-in-law came out the other end of mild cases of Covid without any long-term side effects.

We couldn’t go to Texas for Christmas with them and our grandkids, but I was very aware of how the holiday was more relaxing, without adding the stress of travel to it. Again, the dark reality brought the positives to light.

I hope I can maintain this attitude of gratitude going forward.

I was particularly grateful for my writing talent this past year. It kept me sane, gave me something productive to do. But I noticed that the words flowed readily only when I was working on my lighter cozy mysteries. I readily finished the one I had started the fall of 2019, then wrote another novella and started yet another novel.

But the romantic suspense my alter ego, Jessica Dale, had started in 2019 came to a grinding halt. Jessica represents the darker side of my muse. Her stories are fairly grim, full of the evil deeds that humans are capable of, but they are romances after all, so they have happy endings.

Somehow I just couldn’t get to that happy ending. I’d work a little (oops, I mean Jessica would work a little) on the story, off and on. But it was slow going.

Then finally in November, over a year after she’d started the story, we got to the “lighter” part—the heart-pounding climax where good begins to triumph over evil. And suddenly fingers were flying over the keyboard.

So Jessica is now ready to release her new book, and I’m pondering the interplay of darkness and light in life—how darkness makes us appreciate the light and how light gives us courage to fight off the darkness.

Please check out Jessica’s book below, and may your 2021 be filled with light!!

Oh, and something else that should brighten things up. We have a new Winter Wonderland Contest. Check that out below as well!

Bartered Innocence, A Romantic Thriller

An innocent errand—to pick up her young niece at a children’s birthday party—plunges P.I. Jenny Glassman into a gruesome scene and sets off a desperate search for a kidnapped woman and five missing children.

Police detective Hunt Morgan certainly doesn’t need a civilian cluttering up his case, not even one who’s a licensed investigator. But this particular P.I. keeps coming up with good leads. And she’s the first woman he’s felt attracted to in a long time.

Meanwhile, Deanna Roberts is dealing with the terrifying reality that she has been kidnapped, along with her daughter and four other little girls. She can’t afford to wait for the authorities to find them. In a few days, they will suffer a horrific fate, unless she can find a way to escape…even if it means sacrificing herself.

Warning: This story contains a few graphic scenes that some people may find triggering.

Releases Today! Only 99¢ for a limited time!!

AVAILABLE ON: AMAZON ~ APPLE ~ KOBO ~ NOOK

~~~

And Our New Winter Wonderland Contest is Here

From Jan. 9th to Feb. 13th ~ Winner will be chosen randomly.

Prizes are:

A cute mug and “literary” tea bags.

And FIVE Free ebooks, Winner’s Choice.

Click HERE for more details and to Enter!!

Posted by Kassandra Lamb. Kassandra is a retired psychotherapist turned mystery writer. She is the author of the Kate Huntington psychological mysteries, set in her native Maryland, and the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries, set in Central Florida. She also write romantic suspense under the pen name of Jessica Dale.

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