Message from the Otherworld

Not long ago, my best friend, Sheila, and I attended a Tarot Conference. It was a last minute trip, inspired by a random E-Mail that dropped into her In-Box. It turned out to be the best thing to happen to either of us in a long time. We have been long-time friends who share a common love--the Spiritual World of Tarot. So, off we went to the 2 day conference.

Needless to say, the experience was up-lifting and life-altering. Sheila found a new direction for her dreams, and thanks to some talented Tarot professionals, I found a new found respect for the art of divination. I also met many new friends from all over the globe, who share the same passion for interpreting messages from the Otherworld.

Interestingly, the conference also coincided with the release of my new novel, Sanctuary. (Coincidence? I think not). My novel  is a murder mystery that houses its solution in my heroine's ability to read Tarot Cards. Again, is it a coincidence that this conference came right at the same time my book was being published? I think not. If I learned anything from the conference, it is that there are no coincidences--just messages that we need to know so our lives can move forward.

Even more interesting, the conference spurred me to take a class in Oracle Deck reading from Marcus Katz, who was the impetus behind the Tarot Conference. (www.tarotprofessionals.com). Through him, I've seen spirit through the eyes of love again.  It's been an invigorating 2 weeks of learning, which has spurred me to pick up my new novel, "The Changeling" and rework it into a wonderful new story. How will it play out?

The answer lies in the Otherworld and I know that if I just quiet my mind and trust in spirit, the answer will appear somewhere down the road. Even more than that, I'm sure that when I least expect it, the message will find me, not the other way around. So, in the meantime, I'll just keep throwing Oracle spreads and wait for my next, big "aha" moment to arrive.

Book Marketing Online Course

I'm in the middle of a book marketing course and it's wonderful how much I don't know about writing and marketing. Why do I  say it's wonderful? Because my ignorance has given me a new perspective on my writing, and a whole bunch of new friends who struggle with the same issues I do. Together we are mentoring and being mentored at the same time. The adage that often the teacher becomes the student and vice versa is currently coming true. More importantly, I see that all of us taking the course have more in common than we have different. That insight will help me down the road--in keeping my characters real and vibrantly involved in their fictional lives. They will be focused, reminding me to be focused on a target audience when the story is completed and finally in print.

As much as I dislike the internet world at times, I must admit that it has its good side. On any given day, it brings together people (from all over the world) to experience the same moment at the same time and be rejuvenated by the connection. I think when you're writing paranormal romance novels like I do, connections are everything, especially between the hero and heroine personally, and the storyline spiritually....So, needless to say, taking an online course I was skeptical about taking at first, has surprised me. But it has given me a fabulous connection to a  group of strangers doing what I love to do everyday--writing stories that help people escape their problems for a few hours, or educating them to a world they've never thought existed. Either way, the goal is to create a highly entertaining story for the reader. Taking this online course proves writers' skills are limitless when it comes to selling the message to a loyal readership.

Why Does Life Always Seem to Mimic Art?

My new novel, Sanctuary, is now officially on sale through Amazon, and as I think about its journey to publication, I'm struck how life always seems to imitate art, even though we don't orchestrate the pairing.  In my novel, the heroine, Sonny Blake, is living a quiet life, doing good and helping others. As she goes about her day, she's unaware a madman is nearby, bent on destroying her and those she loves. Lately, it seems in towns across America, madmen (young and old), are doing the same

While writing the novel, I never gave a thought that when it was completed, it would mirror the happenings of the day so strongly. After all, it's a fictional piece of writing meant to entertain a reader for a few hours. Now, having a chance to step back and look at the novel objectively, I think all pieces of writing must be orchestrated by spirit--a divine connection between it and the human existence.

To its credit, spirit can't be broken or killed, no matter how many madmen pick up a gun and use it to destroy lives.  Oh, it may go underground for awhile, but I know that spirit's always there, day in and day out. And it has a way, when least expected, of slipping important themes and issues into a writer's subconscious so that when we sit down at the computer to write, snippets of those important issues emerge as life imitating art. And the glory of it is, that the person reading those words GETS the connection (deep in their soul) and is changed by them.  Or at least I hope that's what happens. No, I PRAY that's what happens.

So, from my soul to yours, let's get madmen help before they have a chance to destroy innocent lives. Like the marine motto, let's not leave one of our brothers behind. Let's reach down and give them a helping hand up. After all, there's plenty of room on the ladder, don't you think?

Is Any Place Really Safe These Days?

In the current state of worldly affairs, is it possible for any of us to find a perfect sanctuary these days?

The dictionary defines the word "sanctuary" as a "safe haven from being hunted by animals or human beings".  That definition fits my new novel perfectly. In my novel, someone is killing empaths. And Empath Sonny Blake senses she's next on the madman's list. At the same time, Meta Corps Agent Logan Reed is assigned to use Sonny's incredible empathic skills to locate the madman and bring him to justice. Their odyssey starts out with a shared empathic vision, and soon turns into a nightmare of secrets, lies, and an unexpected murder. Sound familiar?

I placed the action in the story at a spiritual retreat, but rather than being a safe haven, I made the retreat the perfect hunting ground for a madman. Now that the novel is finished and about to be published, I've had a lot of time to consider why I would choose a spiritual retreat as the backdrop for a story centering around death and madness. I think it's because the world is in such a maddened state right now, that I don't believe there's such a thing as a safe haven anymore. Witness the immigration of tens of thousands of families leaving Syria and Africa to seek a safe haven in Europe. Watching the videos of their struggle to find a better life than one dictated by madmen, I feel sad and discouraged. And more than anything I wish I had a gazillion dollars and access to a huge spot of land that could house a million people. I'd love to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

So I ask again. Is any place really safe these days? If you watch the nightly news--the killings, the hatred--you'll agree with me and say "not anymore". Off the soapbox now. 

 

The Sanctuary

I've been off the blog radar for some time now--finishing my new novel. It's called The Sanctuary, and like its title, I took "refuge" in writing it. For awhile, I didn't think I'd ever finish it. My real life went into "stall" mode, while I helped my sister battle some of her health problems. That stall made my creative life stall as well. But now, as the year comes to an end, I'm filled with hope and optimism. Little by little, day by day, hour by hour, I worked on the manuscript. I figured if I couldn't write for hours at a time, I could at least write one hour at a time. It's funny how your creativity understands that, and gets on board. I managed to finish and edit the manuscript in less than a month. I still have one final rewrite before sending it off to my publisher, but I'm pleased that I didn't abandon the project half way in (which would be SO not like me. Good, bad, or indifferent, I always finish what I start).

Like the characters in The Sanctuary, I can sense a new adventure awaits in 2015 for me (and my readers). I can sense it with every fiber of my being. I wish, though, I had empathic talents like my heroine, Sonny Blake. I'd love to touch a person and be hurled into a vision of that person's life. What an adventure that would be! Or maybe not. What's the old adage? Be careful, what you wish for? My hero, Logan Reed, certainly got what he wished for, but not in the way he expected.

Tomorrow is New Years Day, and my greatest hope is that our world manages to fix itself in 2015. I don't know quite when the human race became so hate-filled, but now that it has, I long for peace and love to fill her hearts once more--like the good old days. And yes, there were good old days. They were days when we didn't judge our neighbor, or our spouse and children, and we cared more about helping them, rather than killing them to solve a problem.

So from my house to yours, Have a happy and safe New Year.     

Saying Goodbye

I've been silent for awhile due to my best friend, Ellie, being terminally ill. She passed away last week. She had been suffering from Cancer for a long time, and she finally gave up the good fight. Her death has me remembering all the wonderful, remarkable times we had together--56 years of them. Whew! Has it really been 56 years? We met when I was 12, and she was 11, so I guess it has. It was a friendship that endured from the 1950's until now. And during all that time, I'm proud to say we only had one argument. 56 years with only one argument? Again, whew! How many people can say that?

Ellie was the kindest, most caring, and decent person I've ever known, (next to my best friend, Sheila), and I miss her. She was truly my "other world" soul mate (her hubby, Larry, took the prize of her soul mate while here on Earth). She was my biggest fan and supporter (again, next to Sheila), and I like to think I returned the favor. 

Though she's moved back to the astral world, I can still feel her all around me. Not even death can part soul mates, you know. I'm sure I'll see her again on some distant plane, and we'll forge a new friendship. We'll go out and live those new adventures with as much fun and zest as we did this lifetime.

As you know, I've always tried to make this blog center around the theme of Between Two Worlds. And today, that theme is more relevant than ever, because Ellie is one world and I'm in another. Yet the connection between her and I stands strong. She knows she can "communicate" with me through one of my Tarot card readings, or influence me through the characters in my novels. I must admit I look forward to her bold, brassy insights--even if they're just bubbling up from my sub-conscious. It means our friendship hasn't been broken, and never will be.

I love you, Ellie. And when you're not busy bossing everyone around over there, let me know how you are.... 

Magic and Mayhem

Some days being a writer is nothing but frustration, disappointment, and the desire to chuck your writing life and go do something easier with your time. But then your heart reminds your head that if it was TOO easy, there'd be no satisfaction in doing it. It's the hard things we do that define our lives, as well as show us that words strung together in a specific manner, can have a far-reaching impact on the person reading those words.  So, on those frustrating, disappointing days, I let my head and heart each have a say in what I'm writing (or editing), and before I know it, I'm in the writing "zone" again, feeling refreshed and renewed.

And then there are those days when you get  an E-Mail from your publisher which reveals that your book is now part of a wonderful box set of other paranormal romance novels. They send you the cover of the box (which is awesome), and you feel that same euphoric high you felt when the book was first published on its own. Why? I think it's because your work is now part of a much bigger family. You are in tune with other writers who had frustrating, disappointing days, and rather than chucking it all, they let their whole being spur them on.

Having said that, take a peek at the cover of the box set that "The Kindred" is now a part of. Magic and Mayhem--uh, yes, an apt title for the novels bundled together. I am so proud to be part of this set of novels, and I'm so proud that seven other writers have become members of my "writing world".