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In the Eye of the Beholder

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what about ugliness?

How do we define ugly? What repulses us? And why?

I posed these questions at Visionary Fiction Alliance in a review of Dean Koontz's latest release, Innocence, in which little by little, step by step, Koontz immerses us in ugly, until we are in ugly's head.

Ugly on my mind.

During my 3-mile walk today, ugly was on my mind.

I saw many sights that could easily be overlooked as too ordinary to deserve attention or dismissed as eyesores that should be destroyed, if not for lack of time and money.

But then I leaned in for a closer look.

I noticed the interplay of light and shadow, the tenacity of the weeds, and the way nature intertwined with the man-made.

 

Ugly or beautiful?

And then it hit me, as it did in my review of Innocence.

Ugliness depends upon the eye of the beholder. Sometimes we don't go deep enough to find the beauty in something ugly or the ugly in something beautiful.

Sometimes we are wrong.

Take a look at the objects around you, especially when you're in the midst of nature. Then lean in as if using the zoom feature of your camera.

You may be surprised at how something that at first glance appears ugly becomes beautiful upon closer examination.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

 

Visionary Novel Between Now and Forever is Published!

Finally, the day has arrived.

Between Now and Forever, the first novel in my Enter the Between series, is published.

If you'd like to purchase a copy for your Kindle, click here.

It's only $2.99, less than the cost of a cup of coffee. In fact, why not grab your drink of choice and settle down with Marjorie Veil, my protagonist, in her journey through The Between, which in this case happens to be in the direction of the North on the Native American Medicine Wheel, the place of knowledge and receiving.

Here's a brief synopsis:

Medicate or nurture; reform or set free? These are quandaries rookie teacher Marjorie Veil faces when she takes on an after-school class for thirteen-year-olds labeled as troublemakers, non-teachable, and hopeless. Faculty skeptics warn that all these kids need is prescribed medication for focus and impulse control. “Bring them into line,” they say. “Show them who’s boss.” But, as Marjorie quickly discovers, behind their anti-conformist exteriors are gifted teens, who are sensitive, empathetic, and wise beyond their youth. They also happen to have psychic abilities, which they have kept hidden until now. Can Marjorie help them do what she has been unable to do for herself: fight for their spiritual and emotional freedom?

Click here to read the entire first chapter.

My publisher is Philophrosyne Publishing, which specializes in Visionary Fiction.

The print version of Between Now and Forever will be available at Amazon soon.

Thanks so much, my friends, for your support. It feels so good to finally be an AUTHOR, as well as a writer.

Elk Grove Citizen : Lifestyle

Here's a nice article written by Elizabeth Pinkerton about how my family came to California from Holland and settled in Elk Grove. Elk Grove Citizen : Lifestyle