For nearly ten years, I have had a intimate relationship with a woman named Anita. A  strong, beautiful woman. A fighter who does what needs to be done.

I have been with her so long that I can’t imagine life without her.  We have spend so many hours and days together. More than once, I have gone to work bleary eyes because we stay up into the wee hours. She has taught me so many lessons and in turn I have given her my devoted attention, well, at least a couple of times a year. She lives in St. Louis…and is a fictional character.

Like any couple we have our little rituals, when she comes in town, I rush to meet her.  Thanks to Amazon Prime I can have her delivered without delay.  Sometimes, though I am not able to meet her right away and have to wait.

The wait is always worth it, well, except for Micah; I did feel a little cheated by that book.   All the other Anita Blake books are wonderful.  Ok, that book is wonderful as well, just not the same.

The night that I met Anita, I didn’t believe the rumors. Like all my friends, she grabbed me and didn’t let go until late or early in the morning; depending on your perspective.

Every book has been like for me and other fans.  Each time a new book comes out, I reread the other books from the first one until I am ready for the new one.  I relive her journey and reflect on my own journey through the last decade as read those pages.  I get lost in them and forget whatever is going on.

Somehow at the end of the book, I have gained something more than the satisfaction of being entertained,well again, except for Micah.  Each book shows me something about myself that I needed to learn.  That is the gift, that all good fiction endows its reader with a morsel of wisdom, a view of the mirror into oneself.

Sometimes it is the repetition of an age old lesson.  Harry Potter appealed to our sense that the underdog should always come out on top.  Anita’s stories have taught me that I need to make the best out of the life that I have; instead of torturing myself with dreams of the life I could have had.

If you haven’t read the Anita Blake books by Laurell K. Hamilton then you should check out her site.  Her books are available pretty much everywhere.