How The Number 14 Changed My Life

Do you believe in numerology? Up until recently I’d dismissed it as nothing more than grasping at straws, a desperate attempt at assigning order and meaning to what is nothing more than random chaos. Humans, by nature, look for patterns where there are none. This is how optical illusions work. The idea that there might be a correlation between numbers and observed or perceived events in one’s life seemed absurd. Lately, however, I’ve changed my tune.

And it’s all because of the number 14.

Fourteen, you see, has played what I deem an unusually significant role in my life. And I never made the connection until recently.

Appropriately enough, one year ago today – August 14 – I published my novel, No Time For Kings, the culmination of a lifelong dream. Oh, and the title contains 14 letters.

Tara and I began dating on 9/14. Not only is our anniversary the 14^th, but the numbers in the date add up to fourteen.  9+1+4=14. How about that? Not only that, she moved in with me on April 14. And the fateful day that changed everything, when our friendship gave way to passion and laid the groundwork for a relationship? August 22, 2011. 8/22/11. 8+2+2+1+1=14. Our date, by the way, lasted 14 hours.

Whoa. Trippy, huh?

It gets better. The first time we met in person was in March, 2011. 3/11. 3+11=14. Still think I’m making something out of nothing? Well, guess which day we got together? The 9^th. A-ha! 3/9/11. 3+9+1+1=14.

Call me crazy, but how can all of this be a coincidence? I already believe that Fate brought us together. Is it much more of a stretch to believe that a number plays a special role in our relationship?

We had already bonded over the number 14, anyway. Guess how long I was married? 14 years. And how about Tara? Drumroll, please…(but you already know the answer). 14 years. Of course. And while some might consider 14 an unlucky number in that regard, given that it signified an ending, she and I instead celebrate our divorces as new beginnings. After all, they led directly to the two of us getting together. 14 has been working its magic on us in numerous ways, it appears.

Remember how we first met while blogging? Her original screen name had 14 letters. She then changed it to a different name that consisted of 4 letters. My screen name had 10 letters. 4+10=14. We still sometimes call each other by those names, too. It’s a little cute and also a little nauseating, I suppose. But it still adds up to 14.

And wait…there’s more! I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii (14 letters) at 1:14 PM. Tara was born in ’77. 7+7=14. We were both born on the 27^th. 2×7=14.

Most intriguing of all? Everybody knows that Pi (π) is 3.14. And I love pie!! Especially banana cream pie. Which, I can’t help but point out, contains 14 letters.

OK, that last one’s a stretch. I’m just trying to show that I don’t take this 14 stuff too seriously. But it’s certainly interesting and more than a little bit intriguing.

Speaking of my book…

(I was. Or I meant to eventually, when I began this post 14 paragraphs ago).

Hard to believe No Time For Kings been available for a whole year already. I remember the giddy rush of holding that first copy in my hands. Reading it was surreal – there it was, an honest to goodness paperback, not just a collection of double-spaced 8.5×11 pages of copy paper stacked together to form a manuscript. Royalty checks began rolling in, as well as positive feedback and a couple of excellent print reviews. It’s been a great ride, and perhaps I haven’t acknowledged that very often with everything else going on in my life over the past year, but it truly has been wonderful. Every writer should experience this sort of high!

I am grateful to everybody who has supported me. Many of my blogging buddies bought the book and/or helped promote it by featuring me on their blogs, and that exposure has been invaluable. I can’t thank you enough. If you’ve been meaning to pick up or download a copy but haven’t done so yet, please click here. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the book’s publication (and also to pay homage to the number 14, which has already figured so prominently in my life), I’m offering a special sale: No Time For Kings will be priced at $14 for the next 14 days. Including shipping. That’s a savings of $3.95 off the list price, plus an average of $5 in shipping costs. I’ll send it from my own private stash, and personally autograph a copy for you! You can’t beat a deal like that. My college business professor would kill me because I’m losing money on the deal, but I don’t care: I’d like to give something back to the people who have supported me this past year. Plus, I’d like to drum up some new interest in the novel. Ideally, I’d like for a traditional publishing company to give it a shot, but that’ll only happen if I can impress them with sales figures. Let the begging for dollars commence!

I kid, I kid. (Even though the book would make a great gift). Seriously, everybody who has read it has liked it. A lot!

OK, not everybody. My grandmother said it contained too much sex and swearing. I don’t know about you, but I happen to think that’s an unintentionally great selling point right there. Thanks, grandma!  (Might I also mention there are references to alcohol, too. You know you want a copy now!).

If you’re interested in this special offer, please email me directly or leave me a comment with your contact information.

Even if you don’t care a hoot about the book, you can at least tell me what you think of this whole numero fourteen business. Is there something to it, or am I off my rocker?