Celebrity: Why do we think it is important to be important?

As I write A Wild Dream of Love, the sequel to my novel A Chance to Say Yes, I am more and more fascinated by the idea of celebrity and its impact on our culture. The life and recent death of popular-music icon Michael Jackson is a case in point. It is amazing to realize how many lives can be impacted by one individual, one whom most of his fans don't know personally and will never know on a personal level. What does such an indiviual bring to the lives of his followers? Is it okay just to be a regular person? Why does the cult of celebrity matter to us? What does mean to us? Does nothing matter but popularity? Because it translates into sales and money? Or does it always? Some very famous people have died broke. What does it mean to be center stage? The focus of the Public Eye? Is it about fashion? Style? In my books A Chance to Say Yes and A Wild Dream of Love I am writing about the interface between the celebrity and the unknown individual--how it can happen, what happens when it happens, and the effects of its happening. Of course, one of the main answers--in my stories--is romance. But there is a lot more going on that just love and lust --granted there is a lot of that. In my stories, however, I explore, within the context of contemporary fiction, a number of celebrity-related issues. Please join me in this exploration by reading my books, avaiable from Amazon.com and fine booksellers everywhere. If they are not in stock, they can be ordered easily. Please visit my website at http://www.tinamurrayauthor.com/. Thanks! Oh, yes, and I've just joined Twitter. Please follow me if you'd like: www.twitter.com/tmurrayauthor. I'm already on Facebook. Friend me at www.facebook.com/tinamurrayauthor.