Coming Soon - Autumn Harvest Blog Hop
Join us November 9th - 12th as we blog hop with our friends from Carrie Ann's Blog Hop. Right now they are doing an "Alpha Male" hop. If you want to read several fantastic writers blogging on their ideal male characters!
But later this week, I'll let you in on the struggles I'm having working out the backstories in Book Two - "The Price for Redemption."
Monday, October 22, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
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!
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!
Monday, September 17, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, September 7, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Happy Blog Hop Day!
Today I am guesting blogging at Keith Publications Blog Site.
The topic of the day is:
How I Spent my Summer Vacation!
Follow the link below and I will be back here again on Friday with another update on Vivienne, Devon, and the world in which they exist.
Until then - Happy Labor Day Everyone!
http://keithpublications.com/blog/?p=2552
The topic of the day is:
How I Spent my Summer Vacation!
Follow the link below and I will be back here again on Friday with another update on Vivienne, Devon, and the world in which they exist.
Until then - Happy Labor Day Everyone!
http://keithpublications.com/blog/?p=2552
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Working, Working, Working...
It's amazing how many things I can find to do which help contribute to my master's degree in procrastination. While I am currently working on Book Two in The Guardian Stories, I am in re-writes. Personally - I would rather have a dental procedure done without any Novocaine. I decided to ponder on the triggers and resolutions for procrastination.
Book Two is faster paced than "Catalyst", moving our heroine to her inevitable showdown with our villains. I have written and deleted and written and deleted for a little over a year. When I decided it was ready, I sent it out for editing. (I like to have my work read through before submitting to the publisher. It makes the re-writes easier.) After getting her recommendations back it soon became obvious there is a large section of the story which must be switched around.
When I am in editing mode, the best conditions would be late at night, nothing going on with the family, nothing going on television. I am easily distracted. I didn't realize it until I began writing for a living. A song on the radio, a comedy on the television, conversation in the same room, a fly walking on the wall beside me - all these and more can drive me to distraction if I am not focused with laser intensity on the work at hand. And if my own personal shortcomings weren't enough, living with my Helpful Hubby and his TiVO obsession can slow down the process to a snail's pace.
So, the work is going slow. Now there is a political convention on television and I really want to watch the speeches. Okay, well I can plod through some pages after that. So what if it's midnight? So I'm falling asleep over my keyboard, so my fingers can't type anymore - just one more chapter tonight means more three day weekend to myself. Or, maybe I should stop editing for a while and read something fun, something that has nothing to do with Vivienne and her predicament?
Well, maybe tomorrow night will be better!
Book Two is faster paced than "Catalyst", moving our heroine to her inevitable showdown with our villains. I have written and deleted and written and deleted for a little over a year. When I decided it was ready, I sent it out for editing. (I like to have my work read through before submitting to the publisher. It makes the re-writes easier.) After getting her recommendations back it soon became obvious there is a large section of the story which must be switched around.
When I am in editing mode, the best conditions would be late at night, nothing going on with the family, nothing going on television. I am easily distracted. I didn't realize it until I began writing for a living. A song on the radio, a comedy on the television, conversation in the same room, a fly walking on the wall beside me - all these and more can drive me to distraction if I am not focused with laser intensity on the work at hand. And if my own personal shortcomings weren't enough, living with my Helpful Hubby and his TiVO obsession can slow down the process to a snail's pace.
So, the work is going slow. Now there is a political convention on television and I really want to watch the speeches. Okay, well I can plod through some pages after that. So what if it's midnight? So I'm falling asleep over my keyboard, so my fingers can't type anymore - just one more chapter tonight means more three day weekend to myself. Or, maybe I should stop editing for a while and read something fun, something that has nothing to do with Vivienne and her predicament?
Well, maybe tomorrow night will be better!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
At Long Last - Published!
After a long, long road my first novel, CATALYST: Guardian Rising, has been published. It is currently available through Keith Publishing and their genre label D'INKWELL PRESS. Later this week it will be available through Amazon.com.
Writing is my first love, and this story and its interwoven characters have been a part of my life for many years. When my children were young and I was up at odd hours with them, Vivienne was the one who entertained me as I slept in chairs and curled up on the floor beside the crib. As the story began to expand and the notebook grew and grew, I began to regard this as a project, then a quest. Now it is a dream realized.
There are many people to thank and many more to acknowledge, but there is room and time for that at a later time. Right now I just want to thank three people: my family.
First is helpful hubby, who patiently waited and picked up my slack as I spent hours staring at the computer and walking around with my thoughts selfishly turned inward. From our first 'official' date I knew he would be my soul mate and these past twenty-five years have been all the sweeter for being with him.
Then comes darling daughter, who has suffered the most for the all meals I haven't cooked and the dusting I haven't done. Thank God she is self-sufficient and does her own laundry and preparations. But she learned a more important lesson - go for your dreams. If it is meant to be, then fight for it. It will be!
Last but certainly not the least is my soulful son, the musician and poet whose departure from our family nest brought my own personal catalyst to the forefront. He will always be a 'beautiful soul' to me.
So, head on over, purchase my premier novel then settle back for a good read. And let me know if you have questions. If they haven't already been answered her let me know and I will be happy to provide more information.
Writing is my first love, and this story and its interwoven characters have been a part of my life for many years. When my children were young and I was up at odd hours with them, Vivienne was the one who entertained me as I slept in chairs and curled up on the floor beside the crib. As the story began to expand and the notebook grew and grew, I began to regard this as a project, then a quest. Now it is a dream realized.
There are many people to thank and many more to acknowledge, but there is room and time for that at a later time. Right now I just want to thank three people: my family.
First is helpful hubby, who patiently waited and picked up my slack as I spent hours staring at the computer and walking around with my thoughts selfishly turned inward. From our first 'official' date I knew he would be my soul mate and these past twenty-five years have been all the sweeter for being with him.
Then comes darling daughter, who has suffered the most for the all meals I haven't cooked and the dusting I haven't done. Thank God she is self-sufficient and does her own laundry and preparations. But she learned a more important lesson - go for your dreams. If it is meant to be, then fight for it. It will be!
Last but certainly not the least is my soulful son, the musician and poet whose departure from our family nest brought my own personal catalyst to the forefront. He will always be a 'beautiful soul' to me.
So, head on over, purchase my premier novel then settle back for a good read. And let me know if you have questions. If they haven't already been answered her let me know and I will be happy to provide more information.
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