The low tire pressure light came on.
I pulled off the highway, found a gas station and put air in the tire. But air continued to bleed out all the way home.
So I watched tv
Twelve hours later, I stared dully at a chirpy morning show in my local Firestone shop’s waiting area. After a couple of forgettable segments, the ticker at the bottom announced that the overly-caffeinated hosts would address actress Jennifer Aniston’s struggles with infertility.
My first thought was, why is this relevant? At age 56, is Jennifer Aniston still hoping to have a child?
My second thought was that her PR people call the shots. Nothing is off the table.
“What extremely personal issue can we use to boost her visibility?” one of them probably asked as they brainstormed the thorny problem of Jennifer Aniston being out of the public eye for 30 minutes. “One that hasn’t been used already.”
Now, I don’t know if that’s how Jennifer’s medical problems ended up being broadcast to my local tire shop. But the attention economy has created a hot market for everyone’s private issues and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Until I had a revelation
My main character Emilia Cruz has to be the polar opposite of Jennifer Aniston. As a police detective in Acapulco, Emilia knows that cartels target not only law enforcement officials but their friends and family.
A low profile is a survival mechanism.
Sometimes it takes courage to stay quiet when everyone else is shouting for attention. If we don’t get loud, we’re afraid of being left out, of being overlooked.
But noise doesn’t equal strength. Real power comes from within. Inner strength keeps Emilia standing when the rest of the world is crazy.
In the upcoming Emilia Cruz novel, DRAGON CARTEL (#10 in the series) Emilia’s new boss craves the limelight. Captain Cardona believes that attention from Emilia’s investigation will propel him up the ladder of success.
If that attention gets Emilia killed, well, he’ll get some reflected glory off that, too.
Related: See the Detective Emilia Cruz series
For the greater good
P.S. Re Jennifer Aniston, maybe the current buzz will highlight her wonderful longstanding work for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I’m also a supporter of this legendary hospital treating childhood cancers. My mother was one of the first fundraisers for actor Danny Thomas who built the hospital decades ago.
In addition to St Jude, my book sales also support veterans and first responder organizations. When you buy a book or invite me on your blog or podcast, you are helping me help others.
feature photo by Carsten Peters via Unsplash
