Moms

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in the US, and I want to extend my best wishes to all moms, whether you’re a stepmom, a single dad, a guardian, a mentor, or your babies have fur, feathers or scales. If you’re not any of those then take some time to be thankful to someone in your life who filled one of those roles.

My mom is the reason I became a romance author. Wickedly smart, but with no opportunity for education beyond high school, she found herself in books—read anything and everything she could get her hands on. Throughout her life, she never stopped learning. Though we had our share of discord, I'll always be grateful for what we shared. She taught me to read and never set any limits on what kind of words I consumed. To my young self, that was the ultimate gesture of trust and freedom.

More than anything, my mom loved history and romance. Happily married for 56 years, she believed in the power of love, and shared that with me. She was sneaking me Harlequins by fourth grade and historical romance by sixth or seventh. Obviously, it stuck. So did her quirky sense of humor, and her practical outlook on dealing with adversity, both of which have stuck with me in real life as well as showing up in my characters from time to time. Maybe a little stubborness and impatience with red tape as well.

As a mom, mother-in-law, and grandmother myself now, I can appreciate my mother more than I did when I was younger. I was probably a huge pain in her backside as a teen and I know some of my decisions as a young adult went against her judgment. My brothers contributed their own shares of stress and pride, but she always seemed happy to see any of us, no matter what trouble we’d gotten into.

My mom passed before I was published, but I know she’d be proud—even if some of my books wouldn’t be to her taste. She didn’t like paranormal, science fiction or erotica, but she loved her historicals and modern cowboys.  My amazing mother-in-law, on the other hand, loves my steampunk and paranormal, but keeps wishing I’d leave all the sexy stuff out. She’s still one of my biggest fans. My two moms couldn’t have been more different, except for both being funny, loving women who love to read.

That’s what I hope I’ve passed down to my sons, my surrogate offspring, and my granddaughter. Love. Laugh. Learn. Happy Mother’s Day, everyone.

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Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and brings that to her writing. Multiple award-winning author of the best-selling Gaslight Chronicles, she has released about fifty novels and stories, which blend fantasy, adventure, science fiction, suspense, history and romance. Cindy lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three spoiled dogs. When not hard at work writing she can be found restoring her 1870 house, dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book.
Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CindySPape 
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