Second Wind Publishing discussion

1. Would you want to meet any of the characters? Did you like them? Hate them?

2. How does the setting figure into the book? Is the setting a character? Does it come to life? Did you feel you were experiencing the time and place in which the book was set?

3. Do you think compulsive gambling is an addiction?

4. Have you ever experienced a monsoon in the middle of the desert? If so, was it as dangerous as portrayed in Vendetta?

5. Do you believe a person can become as out of touch with reality over grief for a loved one as Ray Willetts became?

6. Did you feel that the book fulfilled your expectations?

Yes, I do believe a person can become out of touch with reality over grief of someone who was deeply connected to him, such as a child, especially if the bereft person had a tendency toward instability. Grief throws such a tsunami of emotional, hormonal and physical responses at the bereft, that even the strongest, most stable, and most stoic are bewildered and often feel they are going crazy. Someone who is not especially strong, who doesn't have a staunch support network, and who isn't in touch with himself wouldn't stand a chance.

#4 - I live in the Phoenix, AZ area and we have experienced several Haboob storms in the past couple of years that completely enveloped mile after mile of the entire metropolitan area with dust. Quite terrifying, and a following mess that took days to clean up.

Different people respond differently to grief.

My parents passed away within eleven months of each other. I'd been a caregiver to each of them, and so my grieving process began before I actually lost them. When Dad was gone, I wanted normalcy in my life, so I returned to my routine. That didn't mean I wasn't grieving, and while I grieved their loss from me, I was happy for them, that their suffering was at a end. Still, I was accused of not having grieved properly for them, whatever that means. Missing them, even fifteen years after their passing, doesn't mean I still grieve for them.

I never understood Terri Schiavo's parents' insistence on keeping her alive. Sometimes the greatest act of love is letting someone go.

But, in response to your question: yes, I believe a person can lose touch with reality over their grief over the loss of a loved one.