The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Be honest, how many of us have heard this saying… “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter?” Did you know where it came from? Yep, me either. So I looked it up. It’s the title of a 1940 novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. A.) A literary sensation from the moment it was released. B.) Written by a woman (with a cool androgynous name). It’s about a deaf mute and his experiences in a small town in the 1930’s.
Among its themes exist two that struck a chord with me, loneliness and our choices, probably because I deal with similar themes in my new book The Dragon in The Garden. No matter what our choices in life, at the end of the day we are always alone, even in a crowd. That reality doesn’t stop us from trying to connect however briefly, at varying levels and in different ways. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail, but we continue to try.
Many of our choices involve love, or least, sex. It is simultaneously one of the easiest and hardest ways to connect, to forget the loneliness for a time. That’s why so many writers deal with love, loss, and desire. Those desires are profoundly simple, even basic, yet the choices we make in the sexual arena are most fraught with consequences, especially for women.
One thing I have loved doing this tour across the internet of various writers’ sites is the number of women writing strong women’s stories. Their books are unapologetically sexual with protagonists in touch with and unashamed of their needs. These women are making their own choices and living with them.
The main character in my book, Siobhan, is a strong woman. She has to be given the whole forces of good and evil extravaganza that is the backdrop of her story. She’s not the marrying type, but she is loving and sexual without being ashamed about it. That’s what I would wish for everyone, men and women. Make your choices and understand that to a greater or lesser extent we are all alone in the end. The heart is a lonely hunter and that’s okay.
Here’s a little bit about The Dragon in The Garden. I hope you enjoy!
There is magic beneath the mundane and in The Dragon in the Garden, Siobhan Orsini witnesses it all. No lie can fool her, no glamour or illusion can cloud her Sight. She sees through them all and wishes she could close her eyes. Returning to face her past, Siobhan inherits her grandparents’ house in California’s wine country. She encounters a talking dragon, a hot fallen angel, a demon lord, a Valkyrie, and, oh yes, her ex-boyfriend. And that is just in the first twenty-four hours.
It’s time to find out why she has this power.
Siobhan seeks out the Oracle and learns that only her Sight can help mankind navigate the travails of an ancient war. Our world is the prize in a battle between the dragons, who would defend us, and Lucifer’s fallen angels, who seek to take the Earth for themselves. Using her gift, she will have to make a choice that will decide humanity’s future.
Please click on this link to purchase The Dragon in The Garden.
This post was written by Erika Gardner. She’s a native Californian, lifelong lover of fantastical adventures, and a dedicated Whovian. If you enjoyed it, please sign up to receive updates on www.erikagardner.com You can follow Erika on Twitter @Erika_Gardner, “Like” her Facebook page Erika Gardner- Writer and Storyteller. Or check out her contributions to the BBB Blog.
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