From the Mind of James

If you were to ask me to sum my life up in one word, I'd have an easy answer for you. Well, actually, I'd start by looking at you funny and asking you "Why? And which one?" Obviously, I couldn't tell you about my secret life as a magician (as that is strictly forbidden by the Council Rulebook, Section LXVI, Paragraph CIIV, Clause XV) but I could describe my normal life.

Boring.

Yes, normal life is boring. Why? Because I'm not an easy person to please. Since I was little, I've wanted action. Adventure. Suspense. Fear. Triumph. Reward. Treachery. Feasts. Cookies...

And, of course, all those must be on an epic scale. My mother keeps trying to convince me that walking around the block qualifies as an adventure. I have yet to dignify that statement with an answer.

I think that this was the reason I first turned into a writer - the realm of books simply has more... meaning than our lives (which is not to say that I believe that our role as spreaders of God's Word is unimportant in any way. I'm just griping for your entertainment). In real life, you spend 20 something years in school, 40 something years working, and then die. Doesn't that sound exciting? If you just answered yes you are in greater need of physiological help than I am. In a book, you get hurtled into an ever-shifting environment of battle, strategy, plots, and prophecy...

Which brings me to my second point. In practically every modern-day book (excluding Harry Potter) the main characters actually complain about being different. They wish they were normal. And that just annoys the heck out of me. I'd give just about anything to be a demi-god, or a Vampire Slayer, or what have you. No, being normal isn't fun! It just isn't! I don't care if you don't like almost getting killed every half-second! I would! So just go away! Yes, I'm talking to you, Percy!

That said, I may over-apply this focus on para-reality. I have a tendency to run real-life situations through my fantasy world in a kind of what-would-Sam/Armageddon/Geric-do kind of scenario. Now that I think about it, that really might not be good for my mental health...

So, in short, walking around the block is not an adventure. Saving the world from an evil warlord is. And that's that.

In other news, you people may be wondering how the Valentine thing went with Mia. I believe the most appropriate way to describe it is a non-event. Not meaning it didn't happen, meaning that nothing major came of it. Heaven didn't open up, and the earth didn't spontaneously combust. That's a good thing, right?

In conclusion, if any of you know of any magical worlds that exist alongside ours, I want in. Until then, I will spend my time dreaming of worlds more fun than ours...

James
Writer of Epic Tales, Desirer of Something More, Slightly Insane (But Totally Amazing) Person, etc, etc.