We all know that laughter is cathartic. No matter what’s
going on in our lives and in the world, a good laugh or even a chuckle has the
power to make us forget about whatever challenges we’re facing if only for a
short time. The more we laugh, the better we feel.
Kate, the main character in Secrets in Storyville has what she calls “a healthy sense of
humor.” I have to agree with her because I found myself laughing out loud as I
wrote many of the scenes in the book. I
hope, as you escape into Kate’s world, you will too.
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
I pushed the
button on my radio for our local oldies station. As I drove back to work, I
cranked up the music and sang along to the strains of Frosty the Snowman.
The song
reminded me of the “anatomically correct” snowman Bobby had built in our front
yard when we were in our early teens. As long as I lived I would never forget
the expression on my mother’s face - a combination of shock and rage - when she
pulled into the driveway that day and saw the snowman.
She slammed
her car door, stomped over to us, grabbed one of the two carrots Bobby had used
– it wasn’t the one for his nose - and tried to pull it out. That carrot
must’ve really been stuck because she yanked and yanked before it came out in
her hand.
Bobby and I
exchanged glances, trying so hard not to laugh out loud because we knew better
than to do that. Somehow we managed to control ourselves until my mother had
stormed into the house. Then we both lost it. Thinking about it now as I drove
back to work, I couldn’t stop laughing.
