Life After a Series

Anyone following my blog, well they know my story.   They know about the July 2014 diagnosis of cancer, the fire that ripped through our hobby farm and the many surgeries.  All happening as I wrote the Blue Dragon's Geas Series.  I had to have a lot of push and support to get the last book out.  After the last period was placed and then the mis-release on Amazon were all resolved.  I just walked away from my computer.  The relief to finish the story before cancer finished me was a huge weight off my shoulders.

I moved to Minnesota to attend the Mayo clinic.  My health has been on a constant return to somewhat of a normal day to day that is manageable. I live with great friends who have made me part of the family.  I have learned to live in a new place with a new cultural approach to life.

Then it happened.  The story started to nag at me.   Where did Jon come from? What happened to Nightmare?  What about the baby?  Did anyone else know about Levielle's magic?  What about all the other Gods?  Why were they so absent?

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

Guess what?  I have picked up my pen.  Jon's story needs told.  A lot of these questions need answers.  I can't leave it alone.  Death's Door is now in progress.  I should have it finished in two months to begin the editing process.  That is why I am reaching out to my readers.  What questions did the series leave you with?  I don't promise to answer them all in this book.  (Maybe future ones)  I will try to answer as many as fits the story-line I am writing.

So while I have been fairly silent over the last year.  I am here to say today, "I AM BACK!"

I  can't wait to hear from all of you.

Best wishes
Cheryl Matthynssens
Creator of the world of Vesta

Writing with Cancer

I know that many of my readers are aware that I have cancer. I have kept you updated and let you know delays caused by the disease and by fighting it. My recovery counselor said something yesterday that really impacted me. In the course of the conversation, I realized that I hide the true depth of the impact from everyone. I don't want to talk about it with even my family. I think to talk about it means that I would have to accept it as real and not part of some story. I realized that I am the story. So today, I am going to get personal and let everyone have a glimpse behind the mask as a professional, as a writer, and a mom.

When Life Happens!

I am not one for being hypocritical or giving false advice.  So when I opened my blog to check on things and realized how long it has been since you all have heard from me, I was embarrassed.  It is not that I am not writing, for there is crafting of story going on most moments I am not actively engaged in something else, but I haven't been writing anything down.

Adventures of an August Writer

To say that nothing has gone as planned since I decided to leave my job and write full-time would be a great understatement.  I had put in my notice because I thought my poor health was due to burnout, a condition that happens often to chemical dependency counselors.  Little did I know when I told them it was to take care of my health how big a statement that was or how wrong I was when I said it was nothing life threatening.


Not long after giving my notice, I want to say within days, I got the diagnosis for colon cancer with a need for immediate surgery.  No worries I thought, time to write.  That turned out harder than I had anticipated due to the rigors of chemotherapy and the need to keep an income up with unexpected medical expenses.  Many of you know this part. 

Move forward.  I have just finished chemotherapy when I am told that my kidney appears to be blocked. No worries I am told, we will just unblock it.  That turned out to be impossible and the kidney further along in its dying process then thought due to chemotherapy and CT scans.  So the big day to have it removed was August 5th.

I have been working every other week as I can teaching around the country.  I have been doing book-shows such as the NW book festival in Portland and of course, writing all around that.  My plan, (Laughs cause that was the first sign of trouble... I made a plan.) my plan was to have the kidney out and spend the month writing and recuperating.  So we are on this path to healing when I somehow pull a stitch deep inside.  If you have never felt this, you do not want to.  My surgeon said basically that it is surgical level pain. IN other words, it would have felt like being cut on.  Which is what I felt, a knifing pain every time I moved any of my core.  Ever try to do anything and not use your core? 

So that put me in the hospital temporarily two nights in a row because lets face it, a little laced tylenol is not going to cut it.  On the mend from this. Yes we are on the downhill slope finally after a full year.  The kidney surgery was almost exactly a full year after the colon cancer was removed.  Woohoo - writing and travel here I come.  I will edit for beta's and write in alternation to get this book out as I am two months behind my own scheduled deadline.  See a problem here?  I made a plan.  *sighs*

It started well. I went to the doctor and everything was looking good now. I put a chapter out to my beta readers and while l were deeply involved in ripping it to shreds.  (Just kidding, they are a great group) The next day I completed a chapter I was very happy with and closed the computer with pride.  Now, what I don't mention is that a wild fire and started blowing our way early that day.  My mother was taking care of me and growing more and more concerned as smoke filled the air.  We were at level two evacuation which means be packed. She was very relieved when I shut my computer and began to help choose what to take and what to leave.  
Now mind you, I am not supposed to lift more than ten pounds. I am scared.. to twist and turn and pull another internal stitch. So this was a slow process.  However, finally we get the call. You have to go.  You have to leave your home and hope it will not burn.  This is most upsetting as my family does not want to leave. Russ lost everything to a fire when he was younger and doesn't want to face it again.  However, it looks like Armageddon.  The sky is this ghastly orange and grey.  There are spots of dark billowing black twisting and twirling up to stand out in stark contrast to the orange sky.  The sound of helocopters, the DC9/10? bringing pools of water in and smaller planes make it look like we are under attack - they are just dropping water instead of bombs.  

Now anticipating that I would need to drive, I did not take my laced Tylenol.  Wise, right.  I might have to drive.  So it is decided that I will drive my mom, the dogs and as much as I could fit in the vehicle to my mother and father's house:  Six hours away!  Woot, on the road, happy little camper driving along for about five miles.  The jostling of the car begins to elevate the pain in my eight inch surgical wound that feels like twelve inches of fire now.  So, next option, hotel that allows dogs.

Much to my surprise, a hotel in the next town called the Okanogan Inn takes us in at a reduced rate dogs and all.  I mention them by name because I am eternally grateful that they put us up, reduced the fee because we were fleeing the fire, and the room was nice with no carpet and good beds.  Still a very long night because the men in the family have stayed to guard the homestead. True wild west going on out here in Eastern, Washington.  

Morning comes and we stay in the hotel as long as we can.  About the time we have to check out, where I live goes back to level two.  Woot, I can go home.  My dad comes and gets my mom to make it easier for us. They offer to stay but everthing is calm so I send them on their merry way.  I plan (see a theme here yet?) to spend the evening with no one here. Just quiet.  Plus, my doctor said I could take a real bath in my garden tub.  See I have had a tube in my back for months trying to start my kidney which has meant sponge baths and very careful showers.  The prospect of sliding into a deep hot tub has me almost drooling with anticipation.  I will do this and then edit the next chapter. I will be back on plan.  (that word again)

I am laying in the hot bath, truly enjoying this moment of solitude and peace. No nurses at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 a.m., no family, no curious pets; just me soaking and reading a good book.  I suddenly notice the smell in the air has changed.  Everything smells smokey, but this is different.  Something has changed. Not to worried, I get up and get dressed. Time to start writing anyway.

I go out and the wind has picked up.  That must be it, I thought.  I mean it would make sense to have more smoke.  Turn on the radio to hear, that my area is level 3 - I can still here the radio announcer.  "Get Out Now!"  Now here is a bit of a problem.  The men in the family all went to work. I am alone remember?  And.. my son borrowed my car because his was down.  I am alone with an overloaded (from the night before) pickup truck with a bad suspension that is way off the ground, and the dogs, a turtle, a cat, a dragon (bearded but it still counts) two goats, and two horses.

I call Russ. Fortunately his boss sent him to help me.  As I was waiting, a policeman comes up the drive lights blaring.  "Get out now!" he says.  "The fire is coming."  He points at the far ridge and sure enough, fire is dancing at the top of it.  

Now that ridge is probably five miles off.  But I can tell you that in that moment it felt like it was the hill at the back of the property which is only 80 acres.  I am loading things into the truck as fast as I can, dragging them outside because I am certain we are losing everything.  The fire line is miles wide and marching straight for us.  No angle... no wind to fight against... it is steaming in with a good tailwind to give it a good leap and a jump.  I don't care how much it is hurting. This is it.  All the memories from raising four kids are about to go up in smoke. When at last we pulled out, we took this picture as a last memory of our home.

We made it to my son's and stayed with his family.  The dogs and we stayed in the house, the cat, the turtle and the dragon wer relegated to the vehicles.  Unfortunately, there had been no time to make arrangements for the goats and horses.  We opened up all the pastures in hopes that they can stay ahead or behind the fire.    It was a long night mourning and worrying over house and remaining animals.  At 5 a.m., I woke up to take the dogs out and checked my phone. The first picture on my facebook page is the local paper and the house burning down on the front looks just like ours.  However, the fence is just enough off that we couldn't tell if it was the angle or a different house.  

Russ could not take 'not knowing' and despite the danger and the evacuation order, he worked his way to the property.  His heart sank as he pulled into the driveway. He stopped and took a picture of the fence still on fire.  As he drove down the long drive, blackened ground is on all sides.  But... our house was still there when he turned the corner.  We are not sure how.  

The fire split as it came down the final hill then climbed the two ridges that our house sits between.  There is some minor evidence there may have been a good Samaritan or a few fire-fighters up here but nothing definitive.  So if it was fire fighters that somehow did something to make that fire split around the buildings (the only thing not burnt on 80 acres are four buildings that are spaced out over about eight out of eight of the acres) than know that we thank you from the bottom of our heart.   We could find no sign of a fire break or line but that doesn't mean something wasn't done.  If there were no men at our house last night. Then please know that my belief in a high power just went up a notch or two.  I can find no rational reason for the fire to have stopped in the places it stopped and yet burned the places that it burned.   


We are home now.  It will be an extended camping trip.  There is no lights, no water, no animals, few insects, no internet (already in withdrawal) , but we have all the amenities of camping and yet can sleep in our OWN beds.  Sounds okay to me.    




The plan (Yes, I know, I never learn) is to work on clean up during the morning hours.  I don't know how much help I will be given my wound and lifting restrictions.  IF nothing else, I can be cleaning all the soot and dust. Then I will go in when Russ goes to work to shower and then write at the library.  That will make me buckle down. Eight hour shifts of writing.   Maybe it will actually help us get the book out.   Talk to you soon ... if nothing else goes wrong!

 UPDATE:  We found out that this fire here was started by the Bellevue Fire Department in an attempt to back burn and save our house.  They thought the house as gone. They had stopped by to see how bad it was.  They took the following video right before they were forced to leave the house and hope for the best.   I wish to give my heart felt thanks to these men for saving our home, our horses and our peace of mind.

Cheryl Matthynssens - Author update!

Wow, so much has happened since I started this blog so let me see if I can catch you up!

Health wise:  I have my last dose of chemo on March 17th- 19th.  It looks like I am kicking it into remission.  I will be glad not to be sick every other week as this major impacts everything I do including writing and publicity.

Since starting chemo, I have still been able to put out two novels and one children book.  Magic Scorned (very adult), The Bloodmines and Once Upon a...Wait!  I can't wait to see what I can do full time when I am not having chemo.  Hopefully this thing will stay in remission.

The Jeweled Serpent - Live Writing!

     "He went this way."  One of the guards pointed down the darkened street of Drygate.

     "You had best be sure," the second guard snarled.  "If he gets away, it will be us on the stone for certain."

     Neither took note of the old washer woman, bent with age and struggling to hang her wash.  The two men hurried down the street looking for their prey.  The woman watched till they turned around the corner then pulled a bag from beneath the wet laundry.

     Khor had not had long, but the old woman had been more than happy to let him hang her laundry in exchange for the use of her cowled cloak.  He slipped back through the stone door and winked at her as he handed her the garment.  "I hung a fair bit of it.  You take care, elder.  I would hate for you to run a foul of those guards."  He slipped a piece of medure into her hand.  "That should keep you fed for a good while.  Just tell the trader, you found it in the sewer."

     The woman looked up at him; her eyes blank from years in the dark underground city.  "You be the one best be careful.  The priests' guards do not give up easily, and there is but one way out of the city."

     "I will try to avoid their arms."  Khor  kissed her hand gallantly and after checking the street, slipped out the door.

A New Year - New Goals!

I have been at a loss as to what goals to set for this year.  I am still under 50 and currently have everything I ever dreamed of for my life.  Well, I don't own this property I am on, but I love it here.

So, I decided I would set my writing goals which seem much easier.

In 2015, I want to do the following:

Updates and Fun!

Okay, so much is happening so fast that I feel almost overwhelmed.  One year ago, no one knew my name.  As of today, over 1200 people have purchased some format of my writing this month alone and I am beginning to get messages in email, twitter and facebook.  For those that are coming here from the information in the back of my book, here is the easiest ways to reach me.

dragonsgeas.com
@balanceguide for twitter
dragonsgeas@gmail.com

Outcast is doing phenomenal as an audio book. Paul Woodson did an awesome job and I am begging him to take on The Blackguard.

You can hear his work at: Paul Woodson
There are samples for everything he has done.  Help me convince him to do book two.

Update on The Blackguard

I am getting a lot of questions now on the release of The Blackguard, second in the series for The Blue Dragon's Geas.  My editor and I have chosen May 1, 2014 as our release date.  The illustrator is working to achieve this date as well so if all goes well, this will be the true release.

Some things I have been asked:

Where does The Blackguard take place?  

The home capital of Lerdenia - Silverport?

Is this the end of the story?

No, this is the next chapter in Alador's journey to becoming a full mage.

Are there still dragons in the story?

Alador continues to have dreams so yes, the dragon cameos are still occurring.

Does he go back and get Mesiande?  

That is a spoiler, you are going to have to read to find out?

Who is your favorite character in The Blackguard?

Hands down, it is Jon.  I love his matter of fact answers and the way he thinks.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

There were a lot of threads put out in the beginning, the hard part was making sure that all the threads were tied up other than those that were designed to carry on into book three.


Those are the questions I have so far.  Feel free to to post more if you have them. I will answer those that are not spoilers.  I also just got my business cards so thank you to Becky Hunt who drew Keensight for them.  I will soon have two views of Keensight as Heather Scoggins is working on her rendition of him as well in a redesign of Outcast's cover.  Feel free to email me or write. I look forward to corresponding with all my fans.

A Wondrous Journey of an Independent Writer!

Fear - That is the word that drives home.  I have never sent my books to a publisher due to straight out fear.  However, I had read an article out of Woman's Day Magazine about a woman who worked from home writing books.  She had put her kids through college, bought a house all through Createspace and Amazon.

I thought, wow, my mom has this little story she has always told. We should try that.  So my friend, Rebecca Hunt who drew dragons that would appeal to a child's eye, agreed to illustrate and the two of us set about creating How the Dragons Got Their Colors.  A rework of my mom's bedside story.  It was mildly successful.   We immediately got to work on a second book about the angst an older child goes through when mom is expecting and Not An Egg! was born. Later we converted them for Kindle download as well and made them part of Amazon's Kindle Select Program. 

This gave me the confidence to go ahead and tentatively put out my first Novel - Outcast.  I figured I had nothing to lose, if it did not do well, the only thing I lost was some time. There is no upfront outlay to Createspace.  I followed the forums on how to self promote as an independent author.  I got another friend to do my cover, Heather Scoggins.  I think she will be a bit surprised when she gets April's percentage that she and I agreed upon. I think she didn't expect it to really go anywhere.

Yesterday, for a time, Outcast was in the top 30 in the US in coming of age, it was #25 in the UK and had crawled it's way up to #16 in Epic Fantasy in Australia.  As I sit in amazement and wonder, the downloads of the ebook just keep rising.  I have been furiously working on the sequel per reader request.   My editor, yes I have one, pushes me constantly to re-describe and to re-work. I have him to thank in the success of Outcast as well as my own creativity and the support of good friends!

No, not all my reviews are good.  Either you love the way I describe the slow journey into adulthood and the details of culture and the intertwining of the characters or you hate it. There has been little in the way of middle of the road reviews.  Another writer told me not to sweat that, everyone has a taste for the type of books that they like to read.  If you want a frantic tale of battle and climax and a sweet ending, well I am not the writer for you.  The Blue Dragon's Geas books each have a minor climax but the main story is spread out over them.  We don't grow up over night, so I refuse to have Alador do so.

I guess the most wondrous part for me was at my day job, someone was telling me I needed to knuckle under because I "need this job."  I stood there for a moment and slow smiled.  Then I responded. "No.. actually.. no I don't." I am going to make it as a writer.  Maybe not every book will get the accolades of Outcast. Maybe not everyone will love my style.  But today, I realized Ms. McDonald, my English teacher in High School was correct.

 I was born to WRITE!

My First Bad Review

Today I got my first bad review.  You expect them.  But I had jumped into the limelight with such a solid start that it still caught me off guard.  I was luckier than some writers.  My first reviews from strangers, not friends and family, were highly complimentary and positive.  I still have some things to tweak in that first novel.  Being self published and without a budget, you use friends, family for feedback.  You proof your own work again and again and again.  But friends are kinder then they should be, and well once you have read your own work so many times it gets harder to see the errors.

I have two things I know to look for: Homophones and Question Marks.   I totally know exactly what word goes there and where a question mark really goes.  However, sometimes my question marks pop in when I am hearing the character's tone of voice.  And as far as the homophones, my brain when I am in the zone just seems to grab the first spelling; right, wrong or indifferent.  If I catch it, then I totally know it is the wrong one.  These two errors are deadly for me as a writer because proofing programs do not catch them. It takes the human eye to catch them.

I expected this to be the topic of any first bad review, surprisingly it was not.  As I read it, I realized that this was just a case of a reader with a different eye for a story than my previous non family/friend reviews.  My publicity editor pointed out he actually did me a couple of favors with the bad review.   The first favor he pointed out was the mating rituals in the book.  Though I try not to get vulgar or explicit, my mentor pointed out that sex sells.  The second favor is that it can look contrived if all the reviews are good reviews. I had not thought of either of those.

So today I have weathered my first bad review.  I am sorry that the individual did not like my book.  I am grateful for the honesty.  I look forward to future reviews as my skills seem to only be improving based on feedback and practice.  I am also grateful that it was not my very FIRST review.  I was really frightened as many new writers are, to put my work up for public scrutiny.  However, the joy I get in knowing that for the most part, people are liking where I am headed gives me the energy to continue to write part two.  Coming soon.... The Blackguard - Part Two of The Blue Dragon's Geas.

Fear of Rejection

Fear is the bane of any unpublished writer.  I have started many books and left them on the wayside. I wish I had copies of them as a few were pretty good ideas.  But I would get to that point of decision; I am either going to finish this or toss it.  I would toss it every time.  Why?  It was not that I did not think it was a good story. It was that I knew if I finished it, I would have to do something with it.  So despite teachers telling me to finish, friends... family... doing the same,  I would give up and not write for awhile.  

The problem is, I am one of those people that can't live without creating.  So I channeled that energy into roleplaying games and SCA for a time.  It was never quite the same but it eased that need to create. Overcoming this fear was the biggest hurdle in my life and I am not young.  I am a grandma, really not young.

A popular positive thinking guru taught in one of his seminars that FEAR stood for false evidence appearing real.  He went on to teach that surveys showed that people feared speaking in public more than death.  I feared rejection of my writing more than death.   Rejection and speaking in public rarely cause death.  I mean for speaking in public you pretty much have to be assassinated.  Yet this fear feels so very real, as if behind that rejection letter or that podium is a real tiger lurking. 

When I overcame my fear for the first time, it wasn't even with my work.  I took something my mother had written and with her permission reworked it.  However, when I didn't receive instant rejection, I tentatively put out a second children's book of my own.  I have a great illustrator named Rebecca Hunt that created a friendly looking children's dragon type for my work. 

Emboldened by that experience, I finished one of the many novels I had started and with great hesitation, put it out there.   It got positive acceptance.  I realize now that even if it didn't get positive acceptance, it was not the publishing of it I needed most in my life.  It was the writing of it.  When I pushed that send button to send it out into the world, I achieved a life goal.  I realized my goal was to be published,  being liked was the icing.  

I still had one real fear left.   I had to get myself out there.  I created a website, a blog and learned how to use twitter.  That done, I braved my last real fear, I stepped into a bookstore and sold myself.  I walked out with my book on their shelves and a book signing scheduled for March 22, 2014 in Omak, Wa.  The last of my huge fears had been conquered.  I could have danced all the way to my car. I might have actually.

For those still writing but not publishing, I actually recommend if you want to independently publish that you look at bookbaby.com.  I started with Createspace but that limits you to Amazon.  I have no objections to Createspace.  They have been great and supportive.  But they want to corner you into the Amazon world.  I want Nook readers to have my book too. 

I have one fear left, flying. But I have learned I can handle that one.  So, if any of you want to meet up, just find a bookstore willing to let me sign for a day and I will come where ever I am bid.  After all, it will give me more opportunities to put this last fear down as something I have overcome!!

A Whirlwind of Change!

All my life I have been told I should write.  My English teacher in High School, Ms. McDonald, actually had a published author come in and work with me rather than taking regular English courses.  Unfortunately, at the time I did  not see the gift this was in all areas as the teenager in  me saw that I had two teachers to give assignments to for English rather than one like everyone else.

However, these private lessons stuck with me as I continued on in life.  Yet, no matter how well I did in some individual work for an employer, a boss or even in writing; I could not quite bring myself to face the dreaded rejection letter.  I know those are a part of writing but I was so scared of them that I just didn't do it.  So over time, many stories were written and left by the wayside.

Finally, I had a chance to have my mother's story illustrated and published through Createspace.  While it is a cute story, How the Dragons Got Their Colors, I really wanted it published to give to the grand kids an have a piece of my mother saved. She is getting older and I wanted a memory of her that lasted through time.  But the benefit of this is I realized I could submit the novel I had almost completed without a rejection letter.   If no one liked it, it could fade back into obscurity and while it would hurt, no one would be the wiser.

So imagine my shock when it didn't fail.  Outcast has been getting four and five star reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads. The comments back launched me to get the next part of the series out as people asked me when it was coming out.  I learned how to publicize and tripled my sales in the second month.  My free time is now spent in publicity and writing.

With that has come new friends and mentor; my editor, Alex Hunt, is relentless but has honed my skills and continues to do so as I pick up knowledge that had become rusty by not creatively writing.  Most of my work the last two years has been for employers or non-fiction.   I met this dragon on Twitter named, Farloft.  Turns out his best friend Theresa and I are very much alike.

So yesterday, I faced my last big fear.  The first being to put my work out for judgement had been successfully mastered and now if I get a bad review, I know to take it in stride.   However, taking a bad review and facing a real person and asking them to sell your work was way different.  I dressed up and stood quivering outside the bookstore. Finally I gained the courage and went in with the children's book and Outcast.  She took them.  It will be on commission so she is not out the expense but I am good with that. Then... she asked me to do a book signing.  I have heard of these, of course, what writer has not. I just never considered I would do one.    Now I am scheduled to do a book signing in March.  If this continues, I am not sure how to keep up my forty four hour a week counseling job and keep up with all the things I am being asked for as a new writer.  Today, I did my first author interview.  It was a good thing for me, they asked questions I had not considered before today.

If you had asked me a year ago if I would be doing a book signing, thinking of cutting back work hours and enjoying reader feedback. I would have laughed. Wow, what a difference a year can make!

My Magic Exists! You Will Not Convince Me It Does Not!

“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that... there are many kinds of magic, after all.” ― Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

People may say there is no such thing as magic, but I disagree.  There is magic in art of all forms.  A theater that takes you away to another time and for a short time you suspend reality.  A piece of music that transports you to a memory.  A book that is written well enough to take you to another place and time.

When I write, I do not see words on the page.  I see Alador struggling with a magic he doesn't quite comprehend.  I see the teenager who wants to believe that the world is a kind and wondrous place.  I see emotions play out and wreak havoc when good sense should have prevailed.  This is magic!  My magic comes when I can cast that spell for another. When I can take them to my world and they can see, feel and hear what I cast for them, that is magic.  You may call it what you will, but I know it exists.  I know that the world they see will be unique for them.  A spell all their own!

Science is man's effort to explain what is not understood.  Before science dissected how a seed became the tree, it was magic.  But there is much in this world that science has yet to explain.  Added to this, how is a seed far less magical knowing the components of its spell?  How does it differ from the sound and murmur of a mage's sleep spell?  One could work to discover the components at play.  The sand, the words, the movements that draw the target into sleep can be dissected.  

Our world is a magical place.  Books bring to life worlds that only the reader can see.  Let us never become so focused on science and reality that we lose the magic and wonder of the world we live in and the stories we read and write. 

Wizard's First Rule - A Review and Comment

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is not one for the squeamish or those with a history of unresolved physical abuse.

That being said, Terry Goodkind's understanding of the human psyche showed in numerous places throughout the book. This book had many elements I liked, man vs man, man vs self and of course, plot twists. It is rare for me to read an author who can plot twist without me seeing it coming, and this book did it more than once time. I would recommend anyone who does not mind seeing the darker side of human nature to pick up this book. I would also suggest if you are upset by torture and crimes against women and children, that you do not!

That being said, working as a counselor, I can tell you that for the most part the Wizard's First Rule is in many ways true. Words have more power then we has humans give them credit. The old saying that sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me was an attempt by our ancestors to protect us from this magic.

The human brain is an amazing thing. No matter what mental ailment you seek to treat, if you do not break the false beliefs that the person has accepted as truth, you will not help them. If a person with depression truly believes there is no hope of anything better, you must target that belief before you can ever help them. Politicians know this and prey upon it in their home countries. Cult leaders use it to control.

The best lies ever told, the best cons ever created all have a measure of truth in them. You add to that something that the person you are targeting wants to believe and they are yours. As a counselor, I work to reverse this, however, sometimes the belief is too deeply entrenched much like a powerful spell and cannot be reversed. This is what makes a true zealot so scary if their beliefs include bringing harm to another. If they truly believe that what they do will further the cause of what they believe, no matter how erroneous, only death will stop them.

The best authors know this fact. You can see it in their writing and in the manipulation of their characters. Terry Goodkind has some insight into this but used it more in the darker sections of his writing. With this are some themes that are popular: True love can conquer all, the truth shall set you free, and the greatest enemy is yourself. I learned a lot from reading this novel as an author. Some things that I should consider as elements to my writing and I definitely saw a few things I wish to avoid.

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Fantasy Quote - Torturing C, U, and E

“I often fantasize about torturing some of the lazier letters of the alphabet, like C, U, and E, because together they only manage to accomplish as much as the solitary letter Q.” ― Jarod Kintz, It Occurred to Me

Outcast - It is alive and ready to read!

So today is a day where dreams come true.  All my life I have wanted to be an artist.  When I was 16, I was so advanced in my English classes as far as creativity went, that my English teacher had a writer coming in twice a week to give me private coaching. I loved it.

However, fear is a powerful thing.  I have feared rejection and so I have published some poetry.  I have dabbled in ghost writing.  It wasn't until I met Rebecca and Alex Hunt that I got the courage to put my mother's story out.  After that, I had mentioned my novel half done sitting in my computer.  Alex began to push me.  He pushed and pushed and at times I remember cursing his persistent.  Then he took on the role of editor and ripped it all apart and pushed me to put it back together again.  After all the hours of bemoaning how much I hate editing, the baby was born today.

We finally settled on the first cover though I loved the second one that Heather did as well.  Heather has done her own set of cursing as the file size allowed versus the quality was a dance that was difficult at best.   Heather is a very accomplished artist and each time she creates, I see her grow.  I am so proud to have her as my illustrator.   Right now the book is being added to Amazon Prime, Amazon and Kindle select.  However, for those who have been waiting, it is available now directly from my publisher.

Thank you for all of those that gave me pre-release feedback.  Thank you to my family who has put up with many hours in front of my lap top.  Thank you to Heather for your artwork.  Thank you to Alex who is a wonderful but pushy editor.  Yes, yes, I know.  That is how he was supposed to be!  

For your reading pleasure, I give you:  The Dragon's Geas: Outcast. 

Cover Art Complete for Outcast

My illustrator for Outcast has done  a magnificent job of lining up her artwork to my novella.  The cover will be a wrap around.  The book is scheduled to hit Amazon on December 2nd and the kindle version will be out by the 15th.  I am very excited.  Those who have done a previewfor me have had good feedback and minimal changes were needed.

Now that the editing is done, I will be working on more background content here on the blog. I will be giving short stories and snap shots the paint the world and create a rich backdrop for the novel series.  Thank you all for your patience and support.

The Joys of Editing

My favorite part of writing is.. well writing.  Watching the story unfold in my mind is like watching a movie.  I totally enjoy the first reread, seeing it in a constant flow rather then broken up over the time it takes me to write and work.  I hate editing.

Do not get me wrong, I totally understand the importance of fleshing out the story, checking grammar and spelling, and insuring no discrepancies, but the whole time I am thinking but I just want to write the next part.

That is where I am now.  I am lost in a round of editing and comments from my editor to correct or 'add more meat'.  I love my editor, don't get me wrong but I just want to see the book release.  I am excited and at the same time, I do want it right the first time.

I dream of the day, like any writer, that my books take off and have popularity.  It would be a crowning day to see something I have written on the best seller's list.  But truthfully for me, what I really dream of is the day I can write all day if I chose.  Right now, I have to squeeze writing and editing around a four day - eleven hour work schedule.  Working these kind of hours often depletes you of any creative energy.

I try to right something every day.  Whether I am doing a little role play on World of Warcraft or just adding a page to a story.  But the true joy is when one can sit and just watch a story fly from your finger tips.   I am a very visual person, so it is like watching a movie.

Thank you for everyone who stops by here and encourages and supports me.  You truly are my family as much as any family by blood.  Remember, never stop dreaming.  The world was built on the dreams of others.