Life is Like a Lengthy Road Trip

 I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. I know I did.

My husband and I traveled more over the holidays than we have traveled in ages, spending over two weeks driving and flying from destination to destination. The trip was necessary, occasionally fun, every so often difficult, but definitely worth it. During the last two weeks of December, 2023, we were able to attend one son’s college graduation at Brigham Young University-Idaho as well as participate in three separate Christmas celebrations with family members. 

The last leg of our trip found my husband and I coughing, sneezing, and wheezing due to illness—not a pleasant occurrence because the virus plagued us for over a week afterwards (we have reached the productive coughing stage.) The trip, however, was still absolutely worthwhile.

While driving from Oklahoma to Tennessee to reach our little two-bedroom apartment we presently reside in, I was telling my husband that I felt our trip was a mini model of life. The whole trip was too short in some ways, yet it felt exceptionally long in other ways. We were able to spend precious moments with family members—talking, relaxing, and celebrating. I felt appreciation for the relationships I have with family and friends. We caught up on personal news, feasted on delicious dinners, and hugged each other a lot. There were difficult and disappointing moments too. For instance, I got sick with food poisoning which put me down for a couple of days (an awful way to clean out your system.) My husband felt the onset of cold symptoms on Christmas day; I was right behind him two days later. Luckily, no one else caught the virus, so we managed not to share it. There were other good points and difficult points about the trip. The airports and flights were great. The driving conditions and roads were clear—exceptional conditions for winter months in the Pacific Northwest. There was too much driving overall: one trip from Salt Lake City, Utah to Rexburg, Idaho and then back; one trip from Salt Lake City, Utah to Central Washington and then back; and one trip from Oklahoma to Tennessee. That was about 2,700 miles driven! Not to mention the two plane rides. Yes, the traveling was tiring.

 

The interesting thing to me is how both good and unpleasant moments comprised the trip. We experienced the greatest days as well as miserable days. If I wanted, I could list an abundance of blessings we received, while on the other hand I could list an abundance of hard disappointments. That is why I say it was like a mini model of life. The trick was deciding where to concentrate our attention. If I focused on the food poisoning, the many hours of driving, the friends I was unable to visit, the small and uncomfortable beds, the amount of money spent, the coughing and sneezing on the drive home, etc.—it would be easy to argue that this was a really bad trip. But the thing is, it wasn’t! it was wonderful! Why? Because I focused on the chance to see my kids and my family, the warm hugs I gave and received, the delicious dinners we shared, the gifts we exchanged, the perfect weather we were blessed with for driving, the safe travels, the chance to see my mom and sisters and nieces and nephews, the opportunity to attend a Jazz basketball game, the quick recovery from illness, etc. It is all in what we choose to focus on. Good and bad exist in everything. How we view an event, a trip, a relationship, a lifetime depends on what aspects we choose to focus on. I am truly grateful to know that life honestly feels better when we focus on the good.

Yes, life is like a lengthy road trip, filled with great moments as well as unpleasant moments. It is our focus that determines whether our travels through this life are deemed positive or not. 

Werewolves Howl, Phantoms Prowl

 

“The jack-o-lantern follows me with tapered, glowing eyes. His yellow teeth grin evilly. His cackle I despise. But I shall have the final laugh when Halloween is through. This pumpkin king I’ll split in half to make a pie for two.”  ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons   Happy Halloween!      Whether you are a Halloween enthusiast or not, this is a lovely time of year to decorate the front porch with autumn colors and pumpkins. Carving a jack-o-lantern can be a rewarding treat as well. I love the glowing faces and the pumpkin seeds we scoop out to salt and dry. Another tradition for me is reading and writing Halloween poetry. Every fantasy creature we typically pair with the holiday can inspire fun verses. They may rhyme or not, either way is acceptable. Why not try your hand at creating a Halloween poem of your own? Be creative and share your poetry with others. I hope you enjoy the poems below that I wrote for Halloweens past.  The Tarishe Curse is a great Halloween read if you are looking for one. Find it in kindle, paperback, and hardcover formats on Amazon.com. SHORT SUMMARY: The full Tarishe moon never fails to herald the arrival of werewolves, drawn to the village like greedy dragons to golden treasure. Catherine, a huntress, faces them every year, but she soon finds that the real villains are unlike any she has ever met. Vengeance is the game. A Tarishe curse, the weapon of choice. What am I working on now?        With my latest book,   A Heart Made of Tissue Paper, now published and available for readers to enjoy, I have turned my attention to another book with original quotes, poems, and some short stories for every day of the year. This new book will be titled, Hope Evermore. Expect a release date in the spring of 2024.        I am also working on a new fantasy adventure that involves some Mayan mythology. There is no release date for this book yet, but I will tell you I am about 50% through the first draft of this manuscript. I love it so far!        Keep reading and reviewing those books!  _  _  ________________  _  _

How to Leave a Book Review on Amazon

Here is a question I am asked frequently: Is it a requirement to buy a book from Amazon to leave a rating and review for it on their website? 

The answer: No, but a $50 total purchase within the past 12 months from Amazon is required. Other than that, anyone can leave a book review on Amazon, even if you did not buy the book you wish to review from them. Even if you did not buy the book at all! Of course, you should read it before leaving a review; we want honest and fair responses. But once you have experienced the story, it is a simple process to leave a quick rating and review. 

Why take the time? Because you enjoyed the book. Because you appreciate the author. Because ratings and reviews help authors receive more visibility. As book ratings climb, the book's visibility climbs with it. And greater visibility means higher chances to sell more books. So, if you enjoy an author's work and want to do something to show it, this is a BIG and helpful way to promote their work to other readers. 

HOW TO LEAVE A BOOK REVIEW ON AMAZON (Made Simple)

Step One, Read the book. 

Buy it. Borrow it from a friend. Check it out from the library. Read it on Kindle. Listen to it on Audible. Let Alexa read it to you. I am sure there are other ways to experience the author's work, so choose one and take time to enjoy the story.

Step Two, Login to your Amazon account.

If you have an Amazon account, simply login. If you do not, it is an easy process. All you need is an email address, which will be your username, and then create your own password.

Step Three, Search for the book on Amazon by title, author, or both.

The easiest way to find my books on Amazon is to do a search by my author name, Richelle E. Goodrich. You can also search for the title of a book. For example, type in The Tarishe Curse, and that book along with similar titles will pop up. Click on the book or its title when you find it, and that will open a page dedicated specifically to the book.

Step Four, Scroll down to "Customer reviews."

Once you are on the Amazon page for the book you read, scroll down until you find the section titled "Customer reviews." It is located further down then you might expect, so do not give up if you do not see it right away. Yes, keep scrolling down the page. It is located on the left-hand side and has 1 to 5 star ratings right beneath it.

Step Five, Click on "Write a customer review."

Directly below the 1-to-5-star chart is a white button that reads "Write a customer review." Click on that button. A new window that allows you to leave a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 star rating should open. There is a line for you to give your review a title. For example, "Loved it," "Couldn't put it down," "Highly recommend this read," "Can't wait for the next book," or whatever comes to mind. After the title line, there is a box where you can type in a review. One or two sentences is fine unless you care to say more about the book. 

Please, be kind with your reviews. I would ask that if you did not like the book at all, refrain from leaving a review. These ratings and reviews are a huge tool that promotes a book or hurts its chances to sell.

Step Six, Click submit.

As soon as you finish typing out a review for the book, scroll down and hit the submit button. That's it! You did it! And chances are, you put a smile on an author's face. Thank you for that. 

PS. It may take a day or two... or five before you see the review show up on the book's detail page. Amazon is not always fast about posting. Give them time.