Why humor?

Almost everyone benefits from humor. Laughing puts us in a good mood and relieves stress. The only time I can ever remember humor having an adverse effect on me was when I visited a Vegas comedy club. The presenter was brilliant and the acts were superb. I laughed do much that my ribs hurt almost as much as my jaw. I was glad to get out of there, but for the very best reason. Laughter is indeed the best medicine. Therefore it is my belief that humor goes hand in hand with several other genres, but lends itself more to romance and relationships. We all tend to take ourselves too seriously and the ability to laugh at ourselves is a precious commodity, I think.

Humor is a versatile weapon in a writer's arsenal. Not everyone has the ability to make it work, though. Having said that, not everyone can write love scenes or fight scenes. Humor's versatility can be shown either between two people who both may have a sense of humor or between a funny guy and his straight man. It can be displayed with dialogue or actions, with situation or by comparison.

Here are the titles of a few of my books.

Romance (The Lady's Man) Romance with tragedy (The Love Legacy) Romance with humor (Dear Roz) Romance with consequences (Betrayed) Humor with an unusual thread of romance running through it (The Emergency Hotline) Humor from characters with questionable attributes--i.e. assholes-- (The Idiot Savant of Dating) I have tried them all. Some do not mix too well with humor. Tragedy falls into that category. (It's a bit like laughing at someone who trips and falls. It comes across as mean-spirited even though such a response was unintentional)

Add to that fact, that we don't all find the same topics amusing. Some people appreciate dark humor more than others. Some are offended by certain types of humor, which is why I preface my stories with honest intent. If I warn you ahead of time that this story contains a fair amount of dark humor or pokes light-hearted fun at certain topics, I do so for a reason. I have no desire or intention of offending you as my reader. Why would I? Therefore I tell you the book's premise upfront and allow you to choose whether or not to purchase this book or that novella.

Having been forewarned, should (I hope) reduce if not eradicate hate mail and one star reviews (at least for subject matter as opposed to writing skill). Many topics can be considered controversial. My character's take on such subjects reflect his or her views on the subject, and may come across as insensitive. My own views as the author may well be in direct opposition to those of my characters. Please bear this in mind as each story unfolds. Take Howard Stern (the radio shock jock) for example. Fifty percent of his listeners disagree with what he says and find him offensive to varying degrees... but can't stop listening to his shows. Why? Simple. Because he is always controversial, people can't wait to find out what outrageous rhetoric he is going to spew next. That's it. He never shies away from any subject matter, but confronts it head-on. Listeners either love or hate him, but they all tune in, regardless. Colorful beats bland every time. Howard is a rainbow.