I snuck in some time yesterday to read a library book - His Dark Desires by Jennifer St. Giles. I'd been wanting to read her ever since I listened to a presentation she made back in 2004 on the gothic novel. Since my Gunshot Grange is a contemporary gothic, I wanted to see what St. Giles' approach with a historical gothic would be. What really struck home was how friendless the heroine is on all sides during the events of the book. She has people in her life, but they are all dependent on her, so all she can get from them is emotional support, and in fact their existence leaves her vulnerable. The only person helping who has power is the hero, and it's a gothic, so can you really trust him?
   At any rate, this brings home the true danger of isolation. I had a rotten time with the day job today, realizing bad stuff and knowing there's nothing I can do about it because no one has power to help me fix things. I've been in a depressed mood all evening as a result. But then a fellow author sent me a fabulous thank you note about a book review I did for her (www.romancereaderatheart.com is where I review) and it really made me feel good. When things aren't going great in one profession, it's nice to have another one where things are going well! It made me feel not so isolated. After all, it's one thing to have your husband be really nice and take care of you, but it's great to have a little power back when someone says you did something well, rather than just blanket sympathy, though the movie and pumpkin pie courtesy of hubby were nice too!