When I was in college, I spent some of my free time working as a swim instructor. To clock in for my shift, I had to leave the pool area and go upstairs, to the main office, where the time cards were located. I’d pass through the gymnasium along the way. Going to clock in one Saturday morning, I noticed that the gym had been transformed into a beautiful, romantic vision. Men were dressed in formal wear, women in gowns–the ballroom dancing team was having a competition. Never having been a dancer myself, I had not yet before had the pleasure of seeing, or being a part of such an inspiring vision. As dances are no longer the norm for our society, such events are reserved exclusively for those few who seek them out. I stood, watching in awe of something I hadn’t before realized I’d wanted to be a part of. Anything where lavish gowns played a role was an instant draw for me but it was the grace by which the dancers moved that had me longing to be a part of their world. It was enlivening. It was romantic!
Shortly after my chance happening in the gymnasium, I found myself romantically involved with someone who was a member of the team. Though this occurred purely by coincidence, perhaps I’d willed it into being as the man I was then dating encouraged me to join the team as well. We competed in one competition together, and though we did get call-backs in a couple of dances, I soon decided that without formal training, (or any training, for that matter) I didn’t possess the skills it took to make it in the world of dance, and so I locked my passion in a box and stuck it on the shelf. In fact, I didn’t take it out again until years later, when I was writing the Rabourn Theater Series. Like myself, Victoria Morrow, heroine in A Sultry Performance, possesses a great passion for dancing. But unlike me, Victoria learns to dance at a very young age and through the hardships she endures during her very challenging life, dancing is the thing that keeps her grounded. The people around her may come from more privileged backgrounds, but Victoria knows who she is. Dancing plays a large part in that. Though she is forced to work as an exotic dancer to support herself, she also dances on the stage of Rabourn Theater, and through a tremendous amount of work and dedication, she makes her dreams come true.
Staying inspired and motivated can be challenging for anyone. Though my own dreams of being a dancer were long ago abandoned, I’ve since adopted new dreams, namely with regard to my writing. I found Victoria to be a great inspiration to me as I developed her character–though she possesses incredible talent, she is the victim of 2 very manipulative men, and though the odds are stacked against her, she holds her head up high. Seeing the way that this character who has been forced into a life of poverty and servitude manages, with the aid of her determination and good-hearted nature, to achieve her dreams and find love along the way, I am encouraged to believe that those of us reading her story have a lot more power than we might realize. Completing A Sultry Performance in the midst of an unexpected career change, I am reminded that I too have the ability to beat the odds. I honestly wasn’t sure if I had the time to continue writing at all at this point in my life. But if there will ever come a time when I must put writing to the side, that time is not today!
Shortly after I completed A Sultry Performance, I found true love of my own. And irony to end all ironies, the man I fell in love with is a dancer as well! In his own words, Bill told me, “You dance so you can have someone to share it with.” And that is exactly what we’re doing!
