Finding yourself moved by your own writing can be a surreal experience, but I believe all writers should write with incredible passion for the story they are telling and pour as much of that as they can into every scene. If you can’t create a love story and characters that move you, then it’s less likely to have meaning for anyone else.

I was driving home from the grocery store the other day when an old song from the 80s that I hadn’t heard in a long time came on. Well, twenty seconds into it, and I had tears streaming down my face. All I could think about was Jay and Linc from Breathe.

I was reminded once again how much I love this story. Which was a nice feeling. After a book is released you tend to get some distance from it. You’re busy working on something else, and you take a step back from the previous story. You are no longer holding it as close to you as when you were writing it, and that may be a good thing. It’s out in the world and people are having their own experiences with it, their own reactions, which is both exciting and disconcerting at times.

This song reminded me how much I love this story, how much I wanted to take these two men and give them the possibility of a new life, a happy ending together despite all the odds against them. It also reminded me that forgiveness and love can be such positive influences in our lives.

So I sat there listening and crying, thinking about Jay and Lincoln. They felt like these real people who had been through something, and I had merely the pleasure of helping them find their way. Yeah, call me a nut. I love this job!

So here’s a live performance for the song that had me crying while sitting in my driveway the other day: “Against All Odds.”