From 6 to 51...

As an author I’ve often used sudden life changes as plot thickeners, playing with people’s lives by throwing in tragic and unexpected twists. These calamities make my characters seem more real, more vulnerable, and they help to keep my readers turning pages.


But Friday morning’s deaths in Aurora, Colorado didn’t need an author’s imagination to make the victims any more human or any more vulnerable. Twelve innocent people died – real people as young as six years old, not characters a writer can play with. Fifty-nine more people were vulnerable and now have to recover from the injuries received during this horrible act of violence. Hundreds more in the Aurora community and friends and families of the victims will forever be traumatized… for real, And their nightmare will not end because some author types the words “The End”.


It’s the real life horror story that make an author question the glee she normally feels as she manipulates her pretend people. Life imitates art, then why can’t everyone have a Happy Ever After?


My heart and prayers go out to the survivors, my tears are spent for the victims. And even this author’s fertile imagination can’t answer the question “Why?”, nor can I say how to prevent such carnage from ever happening again.


Proponents of stricter gun laws will point to the fact that the killer used rifles and handguns purchased within the state – opponents will argue that someone who plans such an attack for so long would have found a way around gun laws. We’ve already had an out-of-state politico blaming the moral fiber of our nation. And proponents for tougher penalties have been countered by those who say mental illness usually doesn’t allow for concern over potential punishment. Finally, we’ve heard how the violence of the movie confused the victims into thinking the initial outburst was simply part of the show – so much for hyper- vigilance.


It would be so nice to be able to re-write the scenario, it is so frustrating not to have control over these lives…


Take the time to let your loved ones know how you feel every day, dance like no one is watching, and live each day as if it’s your last...


Tomorrow is an unknown.