The set up...
I've been dying to see the TOLKIEN movie for a while now. Since it wasn't released widely, I missed the opportunity to see it in a theater anywhere near my hometown, so I have to wait until it is released as a rental. I've got a couple of friends who are eager to see it too, so I'll probably do a viewing party at my house and make a celebration of it.
(Don't share any reviews of it. I want to see it through my own eyes, thanks.)
The interesting part...
The other day I was exhausted, absolutely drained physically and mentally, from moving out of the house we've spent the past 23 years in, the nest out of which we kicked four of our children and welcomed our first 6 grandchildren into. And that stress had me grasping for some distraction, something I could look forward to. I needed a light, any light, at the end of the tunnel.
And I remembered the TOLKIEN movie.
I thought about how it was going to make me feel, how completely it would make me forget my present stresses (if only for an hour or two), and I was instantly cheered. It was almost as exciting as hearing there would be another Harry Potter movie!
The "ahah" moment...
I suddenly realized that my humble contribution to the world of fiction is providing the same service for some readers!
Some terribly kind folks have told me they enjoy my work and it lifts their spirits, but I never really believed it until now. Rather, I imagined myself sitting on a stoop somewhere, holding out a tin cup and cardboard sign that reads, "Will tell silly stories for Pepsi and/or chocolate."
Believe me, I've appreciated every little coin dropped in my cup. But I doubted it would make much difference if I stopped writing and went back to arranging flowers for a living...
Until now.
Bottom line...
Now I have a bigger job to do. I have happiness to spread. No longer will I write just to expel stories from my brain in order to make room for new ones. Telling tales isn't simply a reason to have a sit-down job after decades of working on my feet. Or for bragging rights, to prove to a now-late brother that I wasn't so stupid after all, that I was smart enough to write a book, to finish it, to publish it. And do it dozens of times over.
Although many of those reasons got me here, especially the last one, I'm shooting for something bigger than vindication. My goal now is to inspire that TOLKIEN FEELING. I plan to stir up giant cauldrons of hope and happiness and ladle it out generously. I want your chest to expand when you hear L.L. Muir has a new release, a new series, a new audiobook. And I want to make sure my stories give you all the feels you were hoping for.
Hold on.
~L.L.R.R. Muir
*snort*
P.S. Here is the link to the movie trailer that has me so excited. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Girzu81oS8Q