Hullo Blog! I haven't been here for a while. Over 40 years ago I had a thyroidectomy - supposedly so I wouldn't have to take pills for the rest of my life. But guess what? - It didn't go quite right so I've had to take pills for the rest of my life. And 40 years with relatively trouble free health apart from the constant balancing act to keep levels right, is probably not a bad record. But in May I struck a bit of a hiccup. Calcium levels suddenly sky-rocketed and I ended up in hospital with kidney failure.

My inclinations had become dis-inclinations - big time. I did nothing for weeks but drink, drink, drink (3 litres of fluid a day!) and read books. I could barely be bothered to sit at the computer long enough to check my emails. The worst of it was the total lack of desire to write and I began to worry that the mojo was gone for good.

So I am very glad to tell you, Blog, that I am back. It has been a bit of a travail but I am finally writing again and averaging about 1200 words a day. More would be good but I'm very happy with that. So much better than a big fat zero!

I guess it was only a matter of time before Crystal Dancer began calling to me. At the end of the Atlantean past life in 'Through All Eternity' (available on Amazon B009MFQUBC) a child is the only survivor because he was miraculously transported through time and space to a lifetime 6000 years in the future - to the time of the biblical Great Flood. Crystal Dancer is Ugo's story (along with his great love, Ereka) as learnt through the dreams and spiritual experiences of their reincarnated souls, Hugh and Riki, in the 21st century.

Ugo and Ereka's story was written some years ago and it is only now that I am writing the present day component. I am constantly amazed by the effects of the deeply embedded soul memories carried forward from one lifetime to another, how a vow made in a lifetime over 3000 years ago could have such relevance and power in  the NOW.

Then again, I don't know why I am so amazed for I don't believe I am actually writing this story. I'm just the  vehicle by way of which it isbrought into physical being. And I am grateful that it is so.

And thanks, Blog, for hanging about waiting for me. :)

The Perils of the Writer's Life/Beware! Writer on the Loose!

I live in a small New Zealand country village called Piopio wherein you will find the best cafe in the whole country by the name of the Fat Pigeon.

 (www.facebook.com/pages/Fat-Pigeon.../151867164830075)

 I'm a regular. I go for a takeaway coffee every morning and am often there with a friend later in the day as well and can occasionally be found in a secluded corner with coffee at my elbow while scribbling away, J K Rowling style! (Bring that on!) It's so bad(good!) that I have my own button on the till - if you're passing by, call in and order a 'Jenny's' coffee and you will get a 'single shot soy moccachino made with white chocolate' . You get the point of the special button? It's a mouthful and I have to check and re-check to make sure I've left nothing out! And they spend several minutes finding all the relevant buttons on the till. Much easier for us all to have my own button. And if that isn't notoriety enough in a small village, today--- dammit! 

TODAY (with my head whirling with the inspirations I'd had for my novel while in the shower) - TODAY - I decided it was time TFP started doing drive-through! OMG! It was so-oo close!

Hubby has my automatic Honda CRV because his manual Daihatsu Ferroza is booked in for a warrant at the garage just behind us. I told Stu (the proprietor) he couldn't have it till I'd been to get  my coffee! I couldn't believe how strange it felt to drive manual again - like I've driven manual for YEARS! I've only had the Honda since November.

I got down to TFP okay, all of a minute from one end of main street to other, car in gear but not mind, not really!  The first park by the steps was free! I drove in and went into panic mode because I couldn't remember how to stop!!!  Thank God it WAS the Ferroza, Built like a tank and with chunky 4WD tyres, she climbed up over the quite large rocks, (which should supposedly stop people like me!), over the perfectly manicured 18" hedge and flattened the seat by 1st outside table! I missed the handrail of the steps by inches! And I could see the red wall of the building looming and hadn't a clue what to do. Good old Roza decided it was time to stop! Or maybe I (belatedly) took my foot off the clutch - or something! I stopped about a foot from the building! OHHH!!!

They all came running and now will NEVER let me forget it! They were so supportive and thought it so funny!!! All right for them! Thank God they didn't think of taking photos until after a couple of kind male patrons had got it off the rocks for me. I had to get one of them to drive it cos I was in such a tizz I couldn't think what to do! 

Two coffees later, one of them on Mel, (owner and the most amazing cook you could hope to meet!) I drove home - consciously thinking about what I was doing. And I did it all safely of course.

A pity I wasn't present in my mind in the beginning! And extremely grateful the only casualty was the seat. Wonder how that would look on an insurance claim?  LOL

And come to think of it, drive-through would be quite cool......

Thanks Mel and Staff!!!

Words

'A day without words, written or read is like a night without stars or hunger unfed.'
I was feeling a little poetic and the above sentence came to me. Once written I realised it is a basic statement of who I am.
Then I remembered something I'd seen on Facebook which had struck a magical chord within.
It's a photo by Upworthy - I scrolled back to find it and share it here.

 


So much knowledge, wisdom and just plain entertainment is found between the covers of a book - might have to change that to 'the screen of an ebook reader'!!!
Doesn't have quite the same ring, does it? Like an ebook reader doesn't have the same feel as a book.
But the blessing of the new technology is that it makes so many more WORDS available to us.

Dreams and Goals

Last day of 2012 - and our 29th wedding anniversary! Love is a wonderful thing - it thrives on love. (Love you, honey! :)
I set a couple of goals at beginning of the year - to publish Crystal Warrior and get a handle on social media! To my great surprise I achieved them both - sorta! Crystal Warrior is available on Amazon though it's now titled "Through All Eternity' and I've gained a pretty sloppy sort of handle on Twitter and FB - sloppy cos I still get confused by how they work and what I should be doing! I also started a blog ...!
Better start thinking about my goals for 2013 - the next 'handle' I need to get is why one writes one's stuff in a blog and expects other people to want to read it! I also intend to publish 3 contemporaries I have tucked away in my pc, and finish Crystal Dancer and publish that too by the middle of the year.
What are your dreams for 2013? Do you want them enough to manifest them? Race ya!!!
 Remember - The success of goal-setting depends on how badly you want the dream.

So set goals that are really important to you. Success breeds success.

Have an awesome 2013.

Atlantis Exists - in the Soul of every one of us. : Crystal Dancer - Bk 2. of the Crystal Series

Atlantis Exists - in the Soul of every one of us. : Crystal Dancer - Bk 2. of the Crystal Series: Welcome to my new page for Book 2 of the Crystal Series. Crystal Dancer is the story of Ugo, a small child saved from the destruction of At...

Free on Kindle

For 5 days from Sunday 18th November to Thursday 22nd November "Through All Eternity" will be free on Amazon Kindle. So now would be a good time to get your copy. Hopefully you will feel able to 'like' it or 'tag' it or tweet it or whatever you might be able to do to help me with this promotion.
The absolute tops of course would be a review on Amazon!
Thanks everyone.

When I first wrote 'Through All Eternity' it was called 'Crystal Warrior' and was an ancient story with no modern day component. I changed the name because there were other books of that title around, but even now, it is still 'Crystal Warrior' in my heart.
When I had finished it and killed off all except Ugo in the final great earth convulsions that destroyed Atlantis, I thought the story complete.I gave it to a friend to read and realised that the ending was too horrific when she rang to tell me between sobs, that I'd "killed everyone, even the baby!"
Not sure how the outcome could really be anything else, I revisited and wrote an ending where the child Ugo, still went forward in time and there was no other baby. Gynevra and Taur were able to use their priestly powers to apportate to Crete and finish out their lives there, continuing to build a culture based on love as they had begun to instigate in Atlantis. . . .
Somehow it never felt right and so it got shelved again. But it would never leave me completely. I cannot now remember what gave me the idea to turn it into a time-travel type story but I realised that by so doing I gave the characters a satisfactory way of completing the lifetime so cruelly cut off in 9644BC (or thereabouts ;-). Not only this, there was now a reason for Gina and Torr to relive that ancient life and return to the 20th century with the paranormal powers that would enable them to free Gould and Fran from the strange energy warp of the Bermuda Triangle.
To me it felt much more satisfactory and I hope it does the same for my readers.
I am now using the motivation of NaNoWriMo to write Ugo's story and am really delighted at how the modern day component of his story is shaping up.
Because of course, Ugo is another larger than life hero, 'the king's miracle, a man out of time, out of place'. Watch for him in 'Crystal Dancer'.