A Symphony of Frogs

I went for a run* tonight, and this is what I got to hear:

*Side note: “Run” is a very loose term for what I did.  But because “moving up and down while putting one foot in front of another at a slightly faster pace than walking” is too long, we’ll just go with “run”.

Also, I apologize for the vertical video.  I keep forgetting that iPhones record video better when turned on their side, lol!  So, you get a really skinny video.  Besides, I think it takes 10 pounds off my frame this way.

At any rate, this was what I got to hear at the very end of my run.  As I was in my final few minutes, they got louder and louder.  And I realized that whenever I put off my run, I am also putting off this sound.  And this sound is one of the happiest sounds in the world.  It brings me back to my childhood when I lived out in the country.  Whenever my parents were driving us kids home, taking the road where the town turns into country, it was there that we heard the bull frogs singing their song.  It didn’t matter that we were in our car, the radio on, the window rolled up tight.  The frogs were louder than all that.  My favorite was to roll down the windows in anticipation, just to hear them sing.

At the end of my run, I couldn’t help but pause before heading back home, just to listen to the sound and be a kid for a little while longer.

Our five senses have the power of bringing us to a different place, transporting us from where we stand to another space in time.  Sometimes it’s a place of nostalgia, and it’s easy to stay there for awhile.  Sometimes it’s a place you’ve escaped from and never want to go back.  A smell, a taste, a certain sound…  Whatever it is, our senses hold more power than we realize.

I tried to incorporate the different senses in A Symphony of Cicadas, allowing that to be the recurring theme throughout the story.  I wove in moments where a certain scent invoked memories, taste was celebrated, and even sound – the cicadas – brought on so much more than just the sound of an insects wings rubbing together.  The title of the book wasn’t always A Symphony of Cicadas, but as I neared the conclusion, I realized it could have no other name.

The book has been out for almost a week, and it still seems so surreal. In the next day or two, I should be receiving my first shipment of books.  And many of you have already purchased the books from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  And today, I got my very first words of feedback!

From a coworker:  She told me that, after just reading the teaser on Amazon (and if you haven’t checked it out, it’s almost two full chapters – for free!), she was totally sucked in.  She said she felt like she really got to know the characters, and care about where they were headed.

From my sister: (and sis, please forgive me – I am quoting you verbatim) “Ok…so my book arrived today….I whizzed through the first four chapters before B (her husband) gently reminded me I’m supposed to be working. I’ve already laughed AND cried!!!”

Both of these made my day, and I can’t wait to hear more about what people think!

As I near the end of my day, I am celebrating the sense of feeling soreness in my legs as I rediscover why I love running…or just keep reminding myself of that until I actually do.  At least, for now, I have the frogs.

P.S. Want to win A Symphony of Cicadas for FREE?  Go to Goodreads and enter my giveaway!  Ends April 10th.