Richelle E. Goodrich

“Be nice. And if you can't do that, just don't be mean.”

“Between here and there is a journey illuminated by the rising and setting of a radiant sun. Don't miss its splendor in your all-fired hurry to cross the finish line.”

“Is anything truly impossible? Or is it that the path to our goals appears too unclear to follow? It seems to me that if you seek hard enough, pray hard enough, you usually stumble across a scattering of breadcrumbs that marks the trail leading to the goal you once considered beyond your reach.”

“Disappointment is really just a term for our refusal to look on the bright side.”

“Hindsight is always easier than the dreadful moment of decision.”

“To fight discouragement, remind yourself of the basics: I can write.I have the opportunity to do so. I love what I write. Now smile and be thankful.”

“When I finally find that one willing agent, I'll have found my prize in the Cracker Jack box.”

“I'm starting to think this world is just a place for us to learn that we need each other more than we want to admit.”

“I love words.  I crave descriptions that overwhelm my imagination with vivid detail.  I dwell on phrases that make my heart thrum.  I cherish expressions that pierce my emotions and force the tears to spill over.   In essence, I long for a writer's soul sealed in ink on the page.”

“Some live for their own joy and pleasure. Some live to ease the burdens of others.  Then there are those who seem to exist for pain's sake only, that in the end the wrathful fire sent to consume their oppressors will be justified."~ In loving memory of Miss Annabelle Fancher”

“Nature awakens each day in brilliant autumn colors, making me wish the pale winter would bid adieu.”

“Why certainly, words possess power.  They do!  But releasing their magic requires combining and arranging those words in the right order.”

“No matter how loud the sirens or how numerous the hazard signs, we all touch the flames at least once to prove they're hot.”

“I’ll tell you what,” she said, prepared to make a deal. “Let’s see how your ‘diplomacy’ would profit us. If you can give me a decent solution to a pretend situation, I’ll agree to have you accompany me instead of Shanks. Although, I don’t know how wise it is to leave a Viidun captain on the Kemeniroc in your absence.” Derian agreed to the test. “Okay, what’s your question?” She thought hard for a moment; her eyes scrunching in concentration, lips pulled down to one side. Then, as a crooked grin spread across her lips, she set up an imagined scenario. “Pretend we’re down on the planet with this King Wennergren when he graciously offers to walk us through his cherished garden. While we’re there he begs me to touch his favorite, award-winning flower, hoping my powers will make it thrive and blossom. But for some strange reason it doesn’t respond to me the way plants do on our world. Instead of thriving, the flower withers and dies right before his shocked and furious eyes. Now pretend he’s easily offended and has a horrible temper…” Derian cut it. “You have no idea what his temperament is like.” “I know. That’s not the point.” Her eyes scolded him for interrupting. “Just pretend that he becomes outraged by my actions, assuming that I purposefully destroyed his prized plant. The angry king orders both of us to be seized and thrown into his deep, dark, inescapable dungeon. But, somehow we manage to dodge his line of soldiers and run into a nearby congested jungle, hiding beneath the foliage from our determined pursuers. “Finally, pretend that we trudge along for hours, so deep within the trees that we begin to hear howling in the distance from dangerous, hungry beasts. They seem to sound off all around us. Every now and then we hear weapon’s fire as King Wennergren’s men fend off these wild animals. This only reminds us that the soldiers are still in pursuit. Far, far buried within the dark jungle we spot a clearing and head for it. Unfortunately, once we reach it we come across an entire pack of ferocious animals who begin to stalk us. So we turn around, only to face a line of soldiers from behind, pointing their weapons our direction. We’re surrounded by danger on both sides, Derian! Now, what do you do?” She looked at him, wide-eyed and expectant. “Eena, you have a terribly overactive imagination,” he said flatly. She rolled her eyes, then impatiently asked him again, “Well? What would you do?” “I’d stop pretending." She fell back in her chair, groaning. “You’re still not going.” “Try and stop me,” he dared. “You know I can,” she reminded him. He glared at her. “When the time comes, we’ll see.”

“I am.I'm here.I'm me.You are the mystery. ”

“A dreadful thing one day befell me when a horse came to stand on my toe.  Having no power to remove him, I found that I could not go.An awful thing sometime later befell me when the horse was removed from my toe.  Alone and with naught to secure me, I found I was forced to go.”

“Why only gaze at the stars? Catch one!”

“No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges.  That fact may not be obvious because most people don't advertise their woes and heartaches.  But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars.”

“Mystery, why so attractive to me?You blind me with fear, place hope on my tongue, and with a cold kiss draw me forward. Wary and trembling, I follow.”

“The hours spent forming a written work can make one obsessive, distracted, compulsive, and neurotic even, especially when it comes to those rare, precious occasions of streaming pure inspiration. To have a muse moment interrupted - to watch her scuttle back into hiding with unshared insight remaining on the tip of her tongue - is a wicked irritation. When a writer's eyes glaze over, when she stares off at nothing or appears to be memorizing the lines on a blank page, when she falls asleep at the desk... tiptoe softly. For a writer's greatest desire is to receive inspiration; her greatest nightmare, to have tossed to the wind what could have been captured in words.”

“Some build their castles 'mid thunderbolts and fireworks. My worlds take shape in silence.”

“Have you noticed how children never bypass a puddle of water, but jump, splash, and slosh right through it?  That's because they know an important truth: Life was meant to be lived; puddles were meant to be experienced.”

“Artistry exists in everyone. What makes it blossom is a soul's personal desire to find an outlet for expression.”

“A daydreamer is a writer just waiting for pen and paper.”

“No misery compares to staring at a clear night's sky with arms stretched toward a coveted star, wishing on what is forever out of reach.”

“No matter what you write, no matter how meticulous and painstaking the creation process, someone is going to laugh, scorn, and dissect your work with criticism while another quietly falls in love with it.”

“Happiness depends upon two things—pleasing God, and then pleasing yourself.”

“I have lost my spark, I'm told, and should seek to rekindle it.  Respecting the messenger, I wonder if this is true.  I feel as if my spark endures, but having opened up to the world so bright, perhaps it no longer shines by comparison.  So, without a word, I slip back into seclusion to nurture my beautiful inner glow.”

“The bitterest hardships, the most daunting trials; none of these are burdens if it means being with you.”

“True love asks no question of the heart.  It knows with surety.”

“Hope is a fire more ravenous than the flames of temptation.  For if only a portion of it poisons your veins, it is enough to make you stand against ridiculous odds again and again and again.”

“Truly there are different kinds of pain.  But the most agonizing is the pain of regret, for which there is no lasting relief and no remedy.”

“There are people who are never content, never appeased, forever dissatisfied—who continually look to what escapes them, convincing themselves that if only they could attain that one desire outside of reach they would be happy.  It seems almost pointless to give to these people because their eyes immediately shift from the gift to stare miserably at the portion held back.  Their wants, demands, expectations, appetites are never satiated, thus they refuse to be happy.  And you cannot make them so.”

“Service is a smile.  It is an acknowledging wave, a reaching handshake, a friendly wink, and a warm hug.   It's these simple acts that matter most, because the greatest service to a human soul has always been the kindness of recognition.”

“Eena!” Recognizing Ian’s voice, Eena turned to find him approaching her from behind. He was entirely clad in body armor and gauntlets, cradling an open-faced helmet in one arm. Painted on his chest plate was a flaming, gold sword. From his side hung a leather sheath, a golden hilt peeking from the top. “I’m glad you’re back. You are going to stay and watch us play, aren’t you?” He looked hopeful she’d say yes. Eena smiled brightly. “I didn’t know you were talented enough to be on a dueling team. Nice sword,” she teased. Ian blushed a degree. “Thanks. They call us the Savage Warriors!” He rasped their team name in a semi-ferocious voice. “Jerin’s team captain.” She laughed at the showy designation. “And who’s your challenger today?” “The Dragon Slayers - Derian’s team.” Eena’s face fell. “Derian is playing?” She groaned internally, knowing she should’ve guessed as much. This was starting to look like another setup.”

“Are you what others say and think you are?  Or are you who you are regardless of what others say and think?”

“Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled.”

“What's the point of changing who you are in order to impress a woman, when your intention is to return to who you were, a person she was never attracted to in the first place?”

“Of Woman and Chocolate "Chocolate shares both the bitter and the sweet.Chocolate melts away all cares, coating the heart while smothering every last ache.  Chocolate brings a smile to the lips on contact, leaving a dark kiss behind.  Chocolate is amiable, complimenting any pairing; berries, peanut butter, pretzels, mint, pastries, drinks...everything goes with chocolate.  The very thought of chocolate awakens taste buds, sparking memories of candy-coated happiness.  Chocolate will go nuts with you, no questions asked.  Chocolate craves your lips, melts at your touch, and savors the moment.  Chocolate is that dark and beautiful knight who charges in on his gallant steed ready to slay dragons when needed.  Chocolate never disappoints; it leaves its lover wanting more.  Chocolate is the ultimate satisfaction, synonymous with perfection.  Chocolate is rich, smooth pleasure.  Chocolate has finesse - the charm to seduce and indulge at any time, day or night.  Chocolate is a true friend, a trusted confidant, and faithful lover. Chocolate warms and comforts and sympathizes.  Chocolate holds power over depression, victory over disappointment.  Chocolate savvies the needs of a woman and owns her.   Simply put, chocolate is paradise.”

“I don't so much mind looking back on having lost the election, or having been denied a role in the play, or having had my novel repeatedly rejected, or having been turned down for a date, or recalling laughter at my expense when I attempted some silly challenge.  Those things simply prove that I lived life.  What I do mind, however, is looking back on the lost opportunities where imagined concerns kept me from even trying—lose or win.  I've learned that there is no regret in a brave attempt, only in cowering to fear.”

“World peace, true love, and happily-ever-afters amount to wasted wishes, failed endeavors, and most precious dreams.”

“I am grateful for the rare opportunities to look at my circumstances from a higher perspective, one detached from the dim outlook I normally insist on seeing. These periodic glimpses show me life's grandeur.”

“Conundrum:  A fun word to repeat over and over again when no one's listening. Actual meaning is as puzzling as the need to chant the word.”

“Prayer:  The act of falling to your knees in pleading fashion, seeking help from a greater power than all else to have failed you previously.”

“One thing about a skunk—once you recognize the markings, you know things are gonna stink.”

“Love tickles parts of you that, prior to its influence, you didn't even know could feel.”

“Tomorrow is an illusion suggesting that another chance always exists.  It is a dangerously false illusion.”

“Laughing in the face of danger doesn't negate the fear, it simply enables you to smile at it.”

“Because gray clouds hang heavy with misery, blue skies seem bluer.”

“It is human nature to try hardest to accomplish the very thing we are told is impossible.  Why?  Because innately we know that nothing's impossible.”