Hello, my name is L.A. and I’m a planner. I like to know the who, what, when, where, why, and how before entering a situation. Of course, that isn’t always conducive to the way things go in life. Sometimes, we run into roadblocks or fate throws us curveballs, both good and bad. I’ve mentioned how I’m forever a work in progress regarding patience. The same can be said for embracing the unknown.
“I choose chaos!” the girl who rarely, if ever, chooses chaos cheekily exclaims.
That’s part of what I love about writing. It’s safe to choose chaos in fiction. Flaws can be overcome. Disappointments and trauma can be worked through. Mistakes can be more easily managed.
On a similar note, I love writing deeply flawed characters and throwing them into chaos. They’re more realistic. I think each of us can see something of ourselves in the imperfections of a character. We empathize with their raw emotions about family, loss, the way they’re treated by other people, and the struggles they carry with them in their day-to-day. Through their mishaps and their emtionally charged response to the unknown, we feel less alone. Flawed characters are like each of us; imperfect, but still trying.
Book three marks a shift into the unknown for Ash. It’s a little scary and kind of thrilling, to be honest. Writing his character through the changes from books one and two into the rest of the series has made me analyze the way I handle life’s curveballs. I admit I don’t always handle them with the grace I wish I did. Like Ash, I become an overthinking mess when I’m uncomfortable. I can put on an Oscar-worthy performance of pretending everything is fine when I have to, but on the inside, I’m a tangled ball of anxious nerves.
Handling life’s plot twists with grace is another thing I need to work on…imperfect, but still trying. It’s that last part that’s important, the trying.
The good news is that beautiful things can come out of the unknown—new friendships, successful work connections, gorgeous scenery, laughter, love, and general good times. On the other side of the unknown, whether good or bad, is bravery and fortitude we ofttimes forget we possess. One step, then another…we are resilient through the unknown.
Although he’s a fictional character, I admire the resilience of Ash Bennett. Are y’all ready to step through the portal with him? Are you road trip with alien friends ready, as Gem would say? I know I am! Book three will be here soon, and I couldn’t be more excited if I tried.
Love and light!
L.A. Goodman
PS: If you’ve read and enjoyed Old Souls or The Nothing Place, the first two books in the Ash Bennett series, please consider leaving a review for both on Amazon. Each review helps. Thank you!
