SOCS: Afraid of the Dark

Today’s (Optional) Writing Prompt: Have you ever gotten so engrossed in a book that is seemed to spill over into your real life? Tell me about it.

I’ve just finished reading an advance reader’s copy of Karin Slaughter’s new book, Criminal, (full review later) and once again I am sleeping with the lights on, the curtains fully shut, very, very, very mindful of my surroundings and anxious about strangers. You see Karin (we’re buds) writes crime fiction in such amazing detail that I often find as I read, and then again after I finish, I am worried that the horrible things she has imagined will actually come true to me.

Shudder.

People are some weird, sick bastards and Karin fleshes them out in her books with descriptions so real that you can almost feel the Georgia heat suffocating you as you ride along with the characters as they bump along on patrol. The smell and grime from the poor neighborhoods coats your body as the police (yes, I’m routing for them) attempt to help some poor someone who found themselves the object of some sick twisted nutter.

Like most I find that I am often complacent and lax in my

Karin is deep, yo.

I guess it’s good to be reminded to keep your guard up. I’m notorious for losing my keys only to find them in the door lock from the night before. When it’s warm I fall asleep with the back door open lucky that only Lil made her way out on the deck and NO ONE made their way into my house. I need to be vigilant, not a victim or paranoid, just aware. And if I have to suffer a few sleepless nights, then so be it. At least Karen’s writing is fantastic.

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