How long is a good joke funny?

My dad told some funny stories when I was a young girl, and I still remember some of these. When they pass through my mind, I smile. Sometimes I chuckle.  My mother told some good ones too.

As I’ve written novels in the Covington Chronicles about life a little more than a century ago, a few scenes from my joyful youth have crept into the books. A few months ago, I decided it was time to try my pen at writing a book that was primarily humorous—House of Seven.

Even though I wanted it to be all funny, some of the characters took over and showed their outrage about social conditions. I cannot write without exposing humanity’s cruelty to fellow human beings. As a result, House of Seven contains satire.

Dictionary dot com defines satire as “a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.”  Usually, I think of satire as poking fun of contemporary events, but House of Seven is historical.

When you read it, ask yourself this question: How does the cruelty in this book resemble the inhumane events in our current world?

If I think too hard, I notice that all jokes show something negative about some person or situation. Except for the obvious pokes at the meanness of some of the characters, the humor in my new novel is innocent and not meant to be unkind.

House of Seven is scheduled to be available by the end of July 2017.  I hope it makes you laugh.