A Special Treat

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUEEN VIVIENNE!!

It's the Winter Solstice, which means it's also Vivienne's birth night. Tonight, Minnlin will travel through a snow storm to make sure the Guardian's birth happens exactly as prophesied.


For a special treat, here is the story of Vivienne's birth straight from the horse's mouth:

"CHAPTER ONE

Born from Death

In my nightmare, Devon gathers his cloak and sword, smiles at Hana warmly and says, ―Be patient. I should be able to find them at the field tent.‖ He smiles at the queen, and leaves to search for the king. 

Hana stares at the door, now closed behind his departing figure. Her brow furrows just for a moment as she debates whether or not to fasten the bolt. Deciding the men downstairs are protection enough, she turns back to my mother. Worried, she tries not to let the queen know how serious the situation has become. My mother writhes in the transitional pains of labor on the bed, drenched in sweat, her hair soaked. Her breathing has become ragged and uneven. Every contraction brings waves of agony crashing down upon her slight frame. She screams as unexpected and powerful contractions threaten to rip her into pieces.

Katarina is panting as Hana washes her face with cool water—cool water that, by some strange illusion, I feel on my own face. ―I don‘t think I am going to be able to do this, she moans to Hana. ―I am too tired. I don‘t have the energy to do this.

Hana croons to her as one would a small, frightened child: ―Of course you will have the strength, my lady. All mothers are afraid when they give birth to their first child. It is an experience not comprehended except by those who have already been blessed. Everything will be fine.

My mother smiles faintly at Hana. Even though they have only been together a short time, my mother understands she and Hana are very much alike in temperament and spirit. Both are empathetic Healers, although Katarina is struggling right now to bring her own training into focus. My mother‘s senses tell her she is bleeding too much. Tired, she cannot find the correct pressure point as she searches within her memories to recall how to constrict the blood vessels with elemental energy. The pain of each contraction is evident in every fiber of her body. Her gaze keeps darting to the door, waiting for my father to walk in.

The sound of men and horses clattering to a stop drifts up from the front courtyard even through the closed windows. The wind suddenly switches direction, coming no longer from the West, but instead from the North, and the cold deepens. The clouds close in, heavy with thick, wet mountain snow. The full winter moon hanging bright in the night sky becomes overshadowed as the heavy snow begins to fall and stick. Hana tosses more logs on the fireplace to keep the chill from the room. Hearing voices and thinking Devon has found the king, Hana throws open the door of the bedroom. And that‘s when my nightmare really starts.

Three darkly cloaked soldiers race up the stairs and through the open door, throwing Hana against the far wall near Katarina‘s laboring body. She slides down to the floor and stares up in horror at the nightmare walking through the door. Into the room behind these soldiers strides a tall man, dressed in the robes of a Druid Master, with three more soldiers bringing up the rear.

Hana recognizes the druid immediately, but Katarina is too weak at first to notice who the intruder is—but it doesn‘t take her long to finally see him. Both women are deeply frightened; fear the only thing keeping them from crying for help. Though they do not say his name out loud, I know only one person would be brave enough to risk the wrath of Philippe or Der and his brothers to appear at this house at this time. It is Minnlin, the renegade druid, with his personal cadre of guards. Somehow they have slipped past all the sentries and guard posts to come here. This means they are here for only one thing—the baby … me. 

But why?

The guards signal for Hana to drop her weapons, if she is holding any, and to step back from the bed where my mother lies.

―No. Hana lifts her chin stubbornly. ―The queen is in dire need. She has lost too much blood. I am a Healer. I must help her deliver the child now or both may well perish.

The guard looks at Minnlin for direction. He nods his head. They search Hana for weapons. Once she is pronounced unarmed, Hana breaks through his grasp and races to the side of the bed. Checking my mother‘s pulse, she turns her head to address the men.

―She is failing. The baby must come. Now! Do you have any Healers with you?‖ She makes her appeal to the dark man standing over her.

Minnlin judges Hana with his eyes. No feeling of malice hangs around the man, no raw lust and hunger for power is displayed across his face. Only the certainty of a man who knows what he is doing and working hard to achieve his ends. No matter how much those ends will cost. Finally, in a quiet voice, he replies, ―I will deliver the child.‖

Hana stares at Katarina and then at Minnlin and then back to Katarina. Before she can protest, a soul-rending scream comes from my mother. There is no more time for discussion. 

Minnlin crosses the room, discarding his robe to one of his guards. Kneeling beside the bed, he places his hands first on her heart then on the bulge of her belly that is me. Concentrating while humming spells to himself, he seems to be listening to the energies of the queen‘s body. Hana stands beside the bed, anxious to know what is happening, even more anxious that Devon and the king will not arrive in time to save everyone.

In one fluid motion Minnlin stands up and turns to face Hana. ―I need lots of warm blankets, hot water, gauze, scissors, and some auguere.

―Auguere?‖ Hana raises one finely pointed eyebrow. ―That herb does not ease childbirth pains. It is for headaches.

―Auguere also constricts blood vessels, and once the child is delivered, I must attempt to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible.‖ He states this calmly, as some people might discuss the weather. ―If we cannot stop the blood flow in time, Katarina will bleed out and nothing either of us can do will save her.

―Save my daughter … at any cost, Katarina whispers. ―She is the one who must live. My life means nothing; only hers is important. Her eyes bore into Minnlin, as though reminding the druid of a secret promise known to only them.

―Peace, my lady. Everything will be all right, Hana croons into my mother‘s ear. ―I will keep watch for new arrivals, she says pointedly, sure Katarina understands what she means. Then she turns to the guards in the room. ―I don‘t think anyone‘s mother would be proud to know they raised their son to spy on a woman giving birth, especially when that woman is the queen. Get out of here unless you are specifically trained as a Healer.

The six men look at Minnlin for direction. He waves five of them from the room. The last goes to the fireplace and brings over the warmed towels. His dark gray eyes glance at Hana, mocking her.

―I was trained as a Healer before leaving the Fortress to follow Lord Minnlin, he informs Hana. She glares but moves over enough to allow a small space for him beside the bed.

Now is the point at which my nightmare becomes blended with the horrible reality that is the night of my birth. For many years of my childhood, the nightmares never progressed past this point, the memories blocked by some wall erected within my mind in self-defense. As I grew older, I began to wonder why I couldn‘t move past this blockage. Eventually, when I did figure out how to remove the wall, I would come to wish things had stayed as they were. I was blissful in my ignorance. 

Minnlin looks into my mother‘s eyes, his dark purple eyes fixated on her gray eyes, as another version of that same secret look I had noticed previously again passes between them. (All true Mystics have some shade of purple eyes. The color is related to the elemental energies that run in our veins, allowing us to tap into the powers and mysteries contained in the world. The darker the shading of the purple, the stronger the Mysticism gift in that person. Similarly, all Healers have gray shaded eyes, while those who are born to War Craft have the ability to make the whites of their eyes darken to prevent reflected light betraying them to any enemy that might be around.) Minnlin bends over the bed, murmuring spells over my mother while running his hands over her belly. At last he straightens up and speaks to the guard and Hana.

―The child is backwards. We must turn her or they will both perish.

Hana blanches at the words. Being trained originally as a Warrior, she has only mastered the most basic of Healing knowledge. However, being raised in the countryside, she has seen horses and cows with breech babies. Most times the mother died. She thanks the heavens my mother is delirious, thus unable to process the danger she and I are in. Nodding more to herself than to the druid, she takes the few short steps to the bed, holding down Katarina‘s shoulders. Minnlin has removed his sword, and washed his hands and forearms. He sits next to my mother‘s right leg. He motions for his man to grab her left knee.

―No matter what, do not let go, he cautions both Hana and the guard. 

Both nod their understanding. They know what he is attempting will cause immense pain to the frail woman lying, already past her endurance, on what can be described as her deathbed.

Taking a deep breath, Minnlin pulls back the covers. Carefully, he seeks to turn me into the correct birth position. With his left hand he presses on the top of her womb while pulling me gently by my arm. Katarina begins shrieking in pain, worse than any sound previous. Even the guard averts his gaze. Tears well in Hana‘s eyes, blinding for a moment the vision of what she was already afraid to see. Blood begins to gush forth, more than it seems one small body can bear to lose. The screaming echoes off the walls, reverberating until there is no other sound. Finally, after what was a very short time but which seemed to have lasted forever, Minnlin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

―I am ready to begin guiding the baby down the birth canal. Hana, let go of her shoulders and be ready to wrap the child. My hands will be busy trying to save the queen‘s life.

Hana rushes to the fireplace, grabs several towels and returns to the bedside. Shuddering from her distaste at being so close to the one who has caused so much death and pain in the Five Kingdoms, she kneels beside him. She looks up at the druid, nodding in response to his raised eyebrow.

Minnlin looks into my mother‘s eyes. The look she gives him probably constitutes why I have nightmares about this night. It is the look of someone who knows she is nearing death, one who has lost all hope of saving herself. She is allowing her husband‘s mortal enemy to deliver her only child. She has given all her hope to me. All that remains is to hold on long enough to see the birth through. With a curt nod in Katarina‘s direction, Minnlin begins guiding my head down the birth canal. Slowly at first, then with more confidence, I begin to appear. Head first, then shoulders. After the shoulders the rest of my body slides out easily. 

Minnlin cuts the umbilical cord, ties it off, and hands me to Hana. She wraps me tightly in the clean, warm towels, and brings me around to the top of the table, where my mother can see me. One look and one smile is the sum total of my interaction with my mother prior to death. When she tries to raise her hand to stroke my head, she is simply too far gone. As Hana grips me closer I can see the light extinguish in my mother‘s eyes. After struggling with every portion of her earthly body to bring me into this world, there was nothing left for her. My mother is dead. And I appear to be alone in a room with my father‘s mortal enemy. 

Minnlin reaches over and closes my mother‘s eyes. Head bowed, he doesn‘t look like the most dangerous enemy of the Kingdoms; he looks like a broken, grieving man. But how did he know my mother? How did he know I would come this day? How did he get this far behind the front lines? But the most important question to me was never asked out loud: why did he come to deliver me? What is so special about me? "

Excerpted from "CATALYST - Guardian Rising", published by Keith Publishing, all rights reserved.

A Glimpse Into the Future

The Ten Families

The ruling class within the Eastern Empire is governed by a council comprised of members from the original Ten Families. Each family controls a specific region within the empire. The emperor can be a male member of any family, but once a ruler is cursed with no male heir, then upon his death the other Nine Families will put forth a Challenger to compete for the Throne in a contest decided upon by all parties.

At the time of the ascension of Vivienne to the title of Guardian, Adal of the Family Fisal is emperor of the East. His son is Crown Prince Zhan, a strong contender for his father’s throne. But dissension is growing among the families lead by General Yuan and his Family. A lesser House, it has been seven generations since the Family Yuan ruled the Empire and the general is anxious to change the future. But to challenge Adal is to bring the other Families into open warfare.

In a bid to force a new competition for the Empire, Yuan approves the assassination of Adal and his son Zhan. While the emperor is killed, the crown prince escapes. Mortally wounded he makes his way to the Priory of Cassandra where he meets Kai, daughter of Family Heret. Kai is the only virgin daughter in the Ten Families; her fate is to be married to the next Emperor.

 Zhan has known Kai all of his life; their fathers are best friends. For most of her twenty-four years it has been assumed Zhan would be her husband. Now with Yuan’s treachery spreading rumors of Zhan’s fratricide, only a miracle will save the young prince’s throne and love from being ripped away and given to a lesser Family. Forced to flee the empire to save his life, Zhan promises to return for Kai.

But General Yuan has an ally none of the other Families have met, a druid exiled from his place at the Druid Fortress, a man whose attempt to wrestle control of the Books of Forbidden Knowledge has already toppled one kingdom and brought unimaginable power forth in the person of the Guardian. Alastyre has survived and intends to unleash the full might of the Eastern Empire upon the other four Kingdoms.

At the time of Vivienne’s conquest of the Pinnacle Valley, the Families are firmly divided into two camps: those who support Family Yuan and those who support Family Fisal. They are as follows: For Family Yuan is: Yuan, Asan, Shaud, Landa and Bechts; For Family Fisal: Fisal, Heret, Pavan, Vasra and Tshen.

So the stage is set, for a world war encompassing the Five Kingdoms. For the Prophecy of Aedan still stands hanging over the earth, awaiting the touch of purifying fire to gift the land with the promised second rebirth. The path of destiny has been set.

New Characters and a New Storyline

Zhan - Crown Prince of the Eastern Empire, talent - Warrior.

 

Kai, daughter of the Regent of Heret, Eastern Empire, talent - Healer (empathic).

 

 

Zhan's father is murdered in a coup instigated by the head of the Imperial Army, General Yuan; who seeks to place his own nephew on the throne.  On the run for his life, Zhan intends to defect to the West and ask Vivienne to back his claim to the Eastern throne.

 

Kai is the only daughter of the emperor's best friend, the regent of Heret. Gifted with the talent of enhancement, she can grow a mighty oak within weeks, but her talent can be deadly to humans. Destined to wed the next emperor will she stay with Zhan, her childhood crush, or hide from Yuan and his strange nephew Narum?

 

Two strangers whose lives will intersect with Vivienne and Devon before the final showdown between the Guardian and Alastyre.

On A Related Note

Sometimes I find pictures that remind me of my characters, and as they appear I will post them here for your opinions. If you agree with my selections, let me know. Likewise, if you don't like my choices, tell why not. I'm open to discussion.

For my first choice - Devon:

The clothing is wrong, he should be in leather pants and a linen tunic, but here is our hero, waiting beside the lake for a clumsy 16 year old acolyte to follow the wrong set of tracks. Waiting under the tree for true love to awaken, Devon only wants to see Vivienne again.

So, what do you think?

The Nature of Insecurity

Book Two of the Guardian Stories is ready for the last edit before submitting, oh happy day! This story has been up and down on my ladder of attention for most of this year. Now all I need is to work my way through my fabulous editor's suggestions and Vivienne will be ready to continue her adventure across the Kingdoms in search of Devon and her enemies.

Becoming a writer has been a dream come true in many ways. Perhaps the most drastic change has been in my relationships with other people. I have never been the most gregarious one in the group. Now as I find myself writing and promoting, I've made friends with other writers around the country. I admire each of them, not just because they are living their dreams and writing, but they all seem so confident about their abilities.

Big confession time here people: I have always been insecure. There are a variety of reasons, some of which are environmental, others are organic. When in college I found out "Speech Class" meant to give one, not just write one, I dropped the class rather than face my fear of public speaking. Even now, giving speeches or being on a question and answer panel requires days of mental preparation.

I used this crippling sense of unworthiness when formulating Vivienne. Born into a man's world, asked to complete a hero's quest, daunting tasks for anyone, much less a woman whose sense of self-worth is crippled and weak. Only as she grows in experience will confidence begin to mature. Much the way I feel as I navigate the oceans of literature.

Identifying with characters is important. If we don't feel their struggles then we cannot adequately tell the story to others. One of the things I insist in all my personal book choices is a good story line. I call it "The Well Told Tale". The characters I spend the most time listening to are the ones with which I feel the most in common. Such as Vivienne.

What other elements are required for a story to grab your attention? I'd love to know what entices other readers. Leave your thoughts and let's start a discussion on elements. Every story needs them, what happens when they don't meet your expectations?

Writing, Writing, Writing...

I just wanted to post an update on what's going on both in my world and Vivienne's. Since we are busy working on book three, Vivi wanted everyone to know what's coming in book two. She is so very thoughtful that way.

Book Two, "The Price for Redemption" is almost ready for submission. I was content with how things were progressing, but at Vivienne's insistence, we sent the story out to the fabulous Greta van der Rol, my editor for "Catalyst - Guardian Rising" for a sanity check. She made some excellent suggestions and so another month was spent revamping. After the final sanity read, it will be off to the publisher.

I must confess book two is my favorite of the first trilogy. First and foremost, Vivienne finds she has more power than she imagined. Alone, separated from Devon, bereft of Minnlin and his plans, she must rely on Theirran to help her reach the Valley of the Pinnacle Library. But that poses its own set of problems.

Theirran is no gentleman. A known womanizer, a warrior with the heart of a poet, he exudes sex from every pore. Never married but certainly never alone unless he wishes it, Theirran is the opposite of his loyal and loving younger brother. His actions tend to be reckless, his adventures extreme. Will long miles across the emptiness of the Central Plains guarding Devon's wife teach Theirran responsibility or will the challenge of the unobtainable woman bring out his brash and roguish side?

Vivienne is alone, still weak from pneumonia contracted during the long winter trek from the Citadel to Pitaq in the Northern Territory. Knowing only she must find the Library ahead of Sauk and Sionn, she turns to Der and the other generals of the North and West for aid in defeating their enemies. But something still isn't right; there are too many things that make no sense. Such as how Sauk always knows where to find her, if the information is secret then who is the traitor? Who has betrayed her? How deep does Sauk's treachery run?

Stay tuned for more insights into Book Two!

The First Rebellion, pt.1

For thousands of years, the Druids maintained the peace among all the Kingdoms. Most people were still struggling to build new lives on the reconstructed surface of the earth. They only brought out from the Sanctuaries the basic information needed to create gardens, build homes, and form new towns. Instructions for sanitary facilities, drainage facilities, even governmental structure were all released piece by piece by the Druids. But eventually a movement began to sweep across the lands, wondering why the keepers of the knowledge were reluctant to give the people wider access to their history.

Inside the Druid centers, the same debate was being carried out. As select students and Masters began to open more and more of the past, it became apparent some of what they were discovering was being hidden from the wider population. Soon the whispers and secrets began dividing the centers. Stealth became the order of the day. Acolytes were selected not for their talents but for their ability to ferret out information.

Soon whispers among the druids began to speak of a library, of books that contained more information than anyone could imagine. But the location was supposedly a deep secret. The druids who maintained this library were members of a closed society. Outsiders were unwelcome, no acolytes from the Five Kingdoms were admitted to their center. The more these stories were told, the more people began looking for this library.

Four thousand years past and the whispers grew stronger. Soon people began to claim this story was no myth, that they had seen the building for themselves. Soon the governments of the Kingdoms began pressing the Druids, asking and then demanding these books be released to the growing human populations. Each demand was met with the same answer. "No, we will not give potential harmful information to the land which could bring about another destruction."

Five hundred years before Vivienne's birth, during the reign of her ancestor King Padrik, an acolyte entered the Druid Fortress. Bright, ambitious, driven to learn all he could from the Druids, this young man was given special permission to study more than one talent. Obviously gifted in Mysticism, for his second talent he chose War Craft. The young man's name was Minnlin.

Given permission to enter the history section of the Druid Fortress, Minnlin used his intelligence to learn the location of the hidden Pinnacle Library. When he was certain of his information, when he had learned all he could, Minnlin started gathering other disgruntled druids to his cause. As their numbers swelled, they approached the Master Druid. Their demand was the same as before: open the library. Denied once again, the dissenters took the ultimate step.

They rebelled against the established Druid Order.

So, What About the Ghosts?

First of all, let me say I do believe in some form of life after death.  The laws of physics tell us energy cannot be created or destroyed only changed. The human brain runs with electric waves of energy. If our bodily energy cannot be destroyed, then upon death it must change. In Catalyst - Guardian Rising the dead return to visit Vivienne in spirit, using their physical forms to identify themselves to her.

Vivienne can see the death easier than others because she can see residual energy in all forms. Attunded to the vibrations of the dead, she speaks with them on a frequent basis. They have provided her with companionship and support since she was sixteen years old. For her, seeing and speaking with ghosts is normal.

Other people can see these assembled ghosts if they possess one of three abilities: 1) if they are master level druids; 2) if they are closely connected to the spirit such as family; or 3) they have the ability to accept that life can exist on more than plane of reality.

Mediums often say they are bombarded by spirits in their everyday activities, wanting them to pass along information to their loved ones. So I removed that barrier, allowing Devon and Vivienne, along with others as needed, to interact with their ghosts as though the dead were still living. They pass along the information Vivienne needs to complete her journey as Guardian.

Ghosts cannot see everything. They can only report on what they have been assigned to watch. Hana and Katarina watch over Devon and Vivienne personally. While forbidden to carry message between the two lovers at first, the women spirits keep our hero and heroine reminded they are not alone with their burdens.

Reave and Minnlin are different. Both were Master Druids, and thereby exposed to more information on the status of the other Kingdoms. Minnlin also had the advantage of being a time walker. In his extensive travels it is not unlikely to say he had run across his own legend more than once. Knowing he would die before Vivienne completed her assignment allowed for him to travel ahead of his personal timeline while still gifted with that ability.

So our ghosts are helpful but they are not infallible. As events continue to move away from expected norms, their vision may or may not be as helpful to Vivienne as in the past. But she will see them as a harbingers of bad news; this opens her eyes to the necessity of depending on the living more than the dead. much to Minnlin's consternation.

William Shakespeare often used the spirits in his works to show  a catalyst for action, an
insight into character, and augments the impact of many key scenes. I have attempted to use my ghosts in the same manner.

So, What Is The Deeper Story Here?

Grand, complex stories have always fascinated me. I love J.R.R. Tolkien. I love how his vision of Middle Earth was complete. Different people groups, different languages, histories, mythologies - no detail was overlooked in his books. Stephen R. Donaldson does the same with his Thomas Covenant stories. Deep layers of entire cultures maintained inside the minds and imaginations of excellent storytellers.

Once of the premises I created in CATALYST and the Guardian Stories is that mankind has been re-populated with limited genetic difference. When only 40,000+ people survived on the planet, in widely spread Sanctuaries, certain genetic traits would be eliminated. (Evolutionists don't cheer too quickly!)

The most predominate trait on the planet is dark hair and dark eyes, mainly black/brown hair and brown eyes. Therefore a large percentage of the new human populations would have dark hair and eyes. As the blood began to change from the radioactive exposure, the new traits were not physical changes, such as hair or eye color. These radioactive treatments gave rise to powers of consciousness. So, let's explore these newly created powers.

Can being a warrior be a power? Of course, there are aspects to warfare that lend themselves to enhanced psychic powers. Night vision without mechanical enhancement, the ability to track the enemy by visualizing their tracks on the ground, these are only a few examples of where natural ability amplified would benefit. What if you could anticipate your opponent's moves? Is that an unfair advantage?

Healers represent the other end of the spectrum, the most wonderful reward mankind could be given. To read a person's energy, to reach into their hidden places and determine what illness or malady afflicts them without the assistance of a machine or labs to decipher a magnitude of test - oh what doctor wouldn't want that ability? To use natural rhythms of the earth and to help the body heal itself is the highest goal of a Healer.

In the next update we will discuss Mystics and their scheming to control mankind and the world they live in.

What About A Villain?

OK, so I have introduced our hero and our heroine. But what about a villain? That is going to be more complicated.

Villain is a hard term to describe. For our purposes, you must follow the old joke:

A small bird fell out of a nest. Lying on the ground wondering how he would ever get back up into the tree, a horse came along and pooped on top of the little bird. Indignant, the bird began to tweet for help. Soon a hawk came along, cleaned the poop of the little bird and then ate him. The moral of the story (and what you need to keep in mind here):

Not everyone who dumps on you means to hurt you, and not everyone who helps you out is working for your benefit!

Cryptic, but appropriate!

The Kingdoms

The aftermath of the nuclear holocaust on the earth caused many geographic changes to all seven of the continents. Land masses moved, rivers changed their course and mountains arose where previous only hills existed. While the Sanctuaries were mostly immune to these geographic shifts, the land changed in other ways. The mighty river which split the Five Kingdoms into two distinct areas was now a large Inland Sea. This separation caused not only a physical slit in the land, but a split among the people of the Kingdoms as well.

Originally the people housed in the Central Valley Pinnacle were genetically close to Northern and Southerns. All had common ancestors from the old world from the First Families of North American. The major differences would not begin to surface until many generations had already been raised. Differences in physical changes were few, but major differences came through in their philosophy.

For centuries since the rebirth, the four contiguous Kingdoms began to share opinions in the important area of what direction the remnant of humanity should take to rebuild and repopulate the planet. Prior to the desecration there were close to 8 billion humans crawling across the face of the earth. The first estimate placed the Creator's children after the holocaust at around 140,000. That did not count people groups such as the Northerners who had no regard for the Druids or their creations and had not participated in the Sanctuaries, preferring instead to trust their own histories for survival.

Divided from their fifth brother by miles of turbulent water, the Four Kingdoms learn to trade and band together as a four pronged unit. Now the Eastern Kingdom stands alone from the others, unsure of their place in this alliance and highly distrustful of the new young queen of the West and her supposed 'witch' powers. That caution will become fodder for those who seek to destroy the fragile evolution of humanities' regeneration.

Talent Is In Our Blood

There are three major talent categories: Mystic, Warrior and Healer. Each has their own physical characteristics and each has their own set of codes and regulations under which the Druids have dictated they may function. Not all become full Druids, most function within the wider context of the Kingdoms.

Healers range from full empathic to those who can diagnose and treat illness by merely running their hands over the patient. Some deal with children while others prefer the company of the elderly. Healers are born with grey eyes, which vary in shade by the intensity of the illness.

Warriors come in two types: Blood Warriors and War Masters. Blood Warrior is the term given to the Northern Tribal Warriors, recognition of the purity of their human blood and the evolution of their natural skill into an inborn trait. While not all Northerns are Blood Warriors all Blood Warriors are Northerns. (Say that fast five times!) The most identifying characteristic of Blood Warriors is their eyes. At night, the white of their eyes, along with their iris, become black to help absorb the maximum ambient light. The night vision of a Warrior is regarded as the keenest eyesight among humans.

War Masters are those from the other Kingdoms who demonstrate a natural ability with a variety of war related ares: tracking, battle strategy, swordsmanship, assassination, etc. Although these are skills which can be taught, to be a War Master the acolyte must show talent above and beyond that of regular humans.

Humanity has changed, grown beyond their restrictive natures, to embrace these new traits as simply a continuation of man's existence. This was only partially true. Genetic differences between them and us would be non-existent. The thousands of years of nuclear exposure, though filtered through the air systems in the Sanctuaries. still infused humans with new abilities. Each person is cataloged as soon as they being displaying their particular talent. this is another duty of the Druids, maintaining a roster of each talent and bloodline.

So, I want to write Science Fiction/Fantasy

Three years my oldest went to college. With all my 'free time', I decided to pursue a long hidden ambition - write a book. A life long fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, I set out to put my dream to paper. The result is the recently published saga, CATALYST - Guardian Rising. This blog will serve two purposes. One - to provide some of the back story to the novel and Two - take everyone along on my road to and beyond publication.

CATALYST is set in a post apocalyptic Earth, five thousand years after the threat of nuclear devastation became a reality. What set this idea is motion is a fact-based venture - the Seed Bank in Norway. I began thinking, if we can keep seeds secure for a cataclysmic event, what about the rest of man's works? Could secure facilities be built to house computers, animals, humans, to survive an indefinite length of time before the surface of the planet was inhabitable again?  Of course, in my world they can and were built.

These centers were Sanctuaries, and the remnant of mankind protected themselves in these secure centers for thousands of years, slowly changing as a species just as the earth evolve into a new planet. Art, music, philosophy, mathematics, poetry - all this and more saved to assist society rebuild on the surface. Each Sanctuary was provided with their own set of information and professional base upon which to rely. Some were devoted to specific studies while others were more diverse. Inside these centers man waited while the world changed.

Now, more than five thousand years after man ruined his only home, there is another threat. Has humanity learned their lesson or will they fail the test?

I invite everyone to come and explore my vision of a future and possible path for humanity. I know thousands of people out there are writing books and my odds of being the next Stephanie Meyers are thin, but if I didn't try I would regret the lost opportunity for the rest of my life. Now I am going to throw things out into the cybervoid and see what you, the reading public, think. At times I will be writing on my journey through the frustration of being an author and a mother and several other things all at one time, but mainly I will be expanding on my world.


One favor - be gentle. As a 'newbie' to both blogging and writing, I simply ask you please not to lob all your bombs at one time, but spread them out. Hopefully I will win you over and those bombs will become roses.

NOTE: CATALYST IS NOW AVAILABLE AT:   http://www.dinkwell.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_102&products_id=57. It will be on  Amazon by the end of the week.