Sandy M’s Daydream
Once upon a time a TGTBTU reviewer was a young (snort!) girl named Sandy who lived in a lighthouse on the California coastline. Sandy loved to read thanks to an elementary school teacher. She loved Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew as a kid, but after a while, life began to change for her.
One day Sandy discovered romance novels. GASP! These books were so different from what she was used to! She loved how the hero took control and loved the heroine no matter what. Of course, now she knows these are called ’80s bodice rippers that most of today’s romance readers don’t care for. But to Sandy they will always have a place in her heart because they were her first romance books.
Then college intruded. Suddenly, there was a period in Sandy’s life when there didn’t seem to be enough time for reading. College had more of her than the heroes and heroines she loved so much. For years Sandy put her education first (cough::partying::cough) . But she got through them and is now a self-employed court reporter.
Sandy was finally able to pick up more books and get back into the reading habit. She discovered Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Iris Johansen, Sandra Brown, and she also got into the legal thriller world of John Grisham, Scott Turow, and the like. Thank goodness her occupation gives her some free time, because one day after trading books with an online friend, she found a historical romance chat group and from that moment on her reading world expanded. She learned of such authors as Julia Quinn, Mary Jo Putney, Catherine Anderson, Melody Thomas, Victoria Alexander, and so many others.
Not long after this Sandy picked up a book by one of her favorites, Linda Howard’s Son of the Morning a book that threw the heroine back in time to meet her hero. Sandy was enthralled and began looking for any time travel book there was to find. From there Karen Marie Moning, Diana Gabaldon, Lynn Kurland, Sandy Blair, among others, were added to her wishlist, and then came the werewolves, the vampires, the ghosts, the witches by such authors as Kresley Cole, Amanda Ashley, J.R. Ward, Susan Krinard, and a host of others.
Now with a library of her own in her cozy lighthouse, Sandy reads about 20 books a month while waiting for her knight in shining armor to travel through time and carry her away to their Happily Ever After.
The End
LOL…Great post! Reminds me of me without the court reporting part! Though I’d be interested in finding out about that part and what it entails.
LOL…Love the post!
LOL, what a surprise this morning! Didn’t think it would be posted that quickly.
Darla, I’ve been a court reporter for 21 years now. It’s very lucrative, but it’s also very stressful and can be very time consuming. Sometimes I work nights and weekends. But then sometimes I have a major free time, so it all evens out. I’m self-employed, therefore I must buy my own insurance of all kinds, but I can take time off whenever I want. Of course, I don’t get paid when I do. And self-employment tax is a bitch. But all-in-all it’s defintely worth it. Being self-employed, I’m a freelance deposition reporter, so I go from law firm to law firm or doctor’s office to doctor’s office, wherever they set the depos at, and I swear witnesses in and take their testimony. I’m certified at 200 wpm on the steno machine (they call it machine shorthand) with four voices, which means it emulates a court proceeding, the court, two attorneys, and a witness. But when people get ticked off at one another, it’s a free-for-all and I have to hopefully control it because getting the record is my responsibility. At times it’s a very difficult job, but other times it’s a dream job, all depending on the attorneys and the witnesses and how I’m writing that day. Schooling is just like going to college — it takes anywhere from two to four years depending on how well you adapt to the speed building when learning the steno machine. Some people can do it in two, others take the maximum. I was a maximumer myself. (and that was after 4 1/4 years of college!) If you’re a great typist, piano player, anything to do with dexterity, you will probably do well on the machine, but if you’re young just out of high school or no other schooling after high school, I’d suggest you get a little more living under your belt. However, being a reader will help. Your life is words, grammar, punctuation and loads of professionalism. If you’ve lived a little, you’ll do okay. My skill is very much an acquired skill, I did nothing before school as far as dexterity, I was a very bad typist. If you’re dedicated, you can do it. It’s like any job, some days I love it, some days I hate it. If you have a court reporting school near you, go visit them, ask questions, take a tour, look at the steno machine. And remember it’s like going to college too in that it costs lots of money these days, not what I know consider cheap when I started not quite 30 years ago, so be prepared for that. Student loans and grants will help. Even if you finally decide against it, it will be an interesting and worth your time.
LOL, sorry, I’m apparently a chatterbox this morning, but then you gave me something I really knew to talk about!
Thank you very much, I appreciate the “chatter” as you put it! I’ve been out of high school now, oh, say 31 years, so I may have just a bit of life under my belt…plus grandkids! LOL I’ve been toying with the idea of going back to college but may have to wait a bit longer until I get my last one out of the house…which may be, scratch that, should be in May of next year! I hope, I hope!!!
LOL, then you’ll do fine in court reporting school! I just went to my 30-year high school reunion this past October. What an experience that was, but it was fun. Good luck in whatever you do next May!
If that knight in shining armor ever does find you, Sandy, tell him to send mine back for me. LOL
And send me a lighthouse!! That has always been a dream of mine, wonderful views and a lighthouse full of books. I think a can do without a hero for a year or two…
Well, Pam, why did you boot him out to begin with that he’d have to come back to you!! LOL!
You and me both, Eve! Let me get my books read and then the hero can show up. LOL, until the next round of books anyway!