A Rave About Heroines and Life
In my family, the role of wild child was ably filled by my sister. From a young age, she not only got into fistfights with neighborhood boys, she was also the first to be kissed by one (or more).
I was the mild child. In first grade, when the boy next to me accidentally smashed my hand in his desk, I actually raised my un-smashed hand and waited to be called on before telling the teacher. I didn’t learn about kissing until later (much later), and even then it was from a book.
In high school, my sibling smoked under the football stadium bleachers.
I gulped watery hot chocolate huddled next to our parents on the metal seats above.
Wild child and mild child — we were so different that, though we were only two years apart in school, no one ever realized we were related. And in many ways, we continue to fill these positions as adults.
I remain the cautious one, though I now understand the value — even necessity — of stepping outside my comfort zone. Still, most the wildness in my life is the direct result of stupidity, naiveté or sheer unadulterated contrariness.
Unsurprisingly, the heroines in my book tend to be mild childs (“mild children” just doesn’t sound right). Smart, strong, wiseass mild childs, but mild childs nevertheless.
Does this make them happier? No. Does it make their lives any easier? No. Does whether you’re a wild child or a mild child have any effect at all on the way your life turns out? I say, for the most part, no.
The trick, I think — in fiction and in life — is to learn to like who you are and play to your strengths while occasionally challenging yourself to do something you’d rather not do.
What do you think? Were you a wild child or a mild child? What challenges have you faced as a result? (If you leave a comment with your answer, you might win a $10 gift card to Starbucks.)
In Wild Child, Molly O’Keefe has written a tale about Monica Appleby, a girl who is — as the title suggests — a wild child. I’m sure Monica’s past holds more hot kisses than hot chocolate, but like every mild child and wild child alive, she’s looking for happiness and love. I hope you’ll read the book to discover how she goes about finding both.
Now, onto the good stuff! Click the link below for your chance to win a $20 gift card to an eTailer of your choice, a preview copy of Wild Child or an ebook preview copy of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (a short story).
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c46e0b24/
And keep on hopping for more chances to win more great prizes. Visit the rest of the blogs on this blog hop by clicking here: http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=1C3A1BE0-0152-4D1C-80C1-D885C7A2C7C8 Or click the cover of Molly’s book below for more info on the #WildChild Hop.
The hop continues through 29 October, so stop back for more fun. Who knows? I may manage to come up with a few more prizes to be awarded here on RWRR!
Related articles
- Review of wild child by Molly O’Keefe (dedicatedreaders.wordpress.com)
- The Book Tart: http://thebooktart.com/blog-hop/wild-child-blog-hop/
- Molly O’Keefe: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5031704-it-s-a-wild-child-hop
- My Written Romance: http://mywrittenromance.com/2013/10/14/wild-child-by-molly-okeefe-blog-hop-and-giveaway/
- Girls Gone Wild: http://travelspirit333.com/2013/10/16/girls-gone-wild/
Reading, Writing, Ranting and Raving 
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Kym, I was the “Mild Child”. But inside I was the “Wild Child” still afraid to step outside my comfort zone. My siblings were all “Wild Children” going too far to the darkside that I feared I’d be like them if I crossed the line, even a little.Throughout my years I regretted the loss of those life experiences that I denied myself.
Thanks for this, now I don’t need therapy.
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It’s never to late to be a wild child, Barb! And now that you’re a little older, you can do so without worrying you’ll go to the dark side. 🙂
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I think I was a mild child with a few bursts of being a wild child. I think it’s healthy to challenge yourself to do something that you don’t think you can do but want to do. What a great feeling to discover you can do it and love doing it.
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Thanks for the comment, Susan. I should have, but didn’t, mention the fact that I had a few bursts of wild child too. I distinctly remember suddenly deciding to do a backbend over my chair in the middle of class when I was 4th grade or so. Not only that, I got miffed because the teacher called me out on it because I can recall grumbling under my breath something to the effect of “A person ought to be allowed to do a backbend when they feel like it.” Honestly, what a weird kid! As for challenging yourself, I agree wholeheartedly. I’ll never be a thrill baby, but I force myself to try something every now and then simply because I don’t want to. It keeps you alive and learning.
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I love this blog mild sister of mine. I agree as we grew up you were mild and I was wild. As you remain mild, I remain wild. I think changing gender goes under the wild category. I am sure mom and dad were grateful to have a mild child considering some of the things I put them through. Which side of the fence do you think Andy is on? I think one of the reasons Kristen and I get along so well is because she is mild and I need that to keep me grounded. Anyways, I enjoy reading all of your blogs!
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True. All true. As for Andy, he’s definitely a mild child.
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I was definitely the Wild Child. Much to my mother’s dismay
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Oh, well, there’s one in every family. 🙂
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