Vör--the goddess of awareness and the sacredness of what is hidden

This goddess appeared in my newest book, The Hangman's Noose. Apparently she is there to reveal something important. So far I like what she stands for, which is wisdom and the ability to know when to wield it.

I'd never heard of her before--she is a lesser Norse goddess, one who seems to be involved with the Aesir. In my book she is involved with a community of goddesses who walk among us, attempting to bring knowledge and help to the human race. I wish her luck. We definitely need it!

Two other characters appeared in my book at the same time--the mate of my older protagonist, Mimi. He has been dead for a while but may appear again at a later time...and also a horse, a haflinger to be exact--small but sturdy. The enchanted forest has many secrets to reveal to those who are willing to accept what they don't know or understand. And Roisin, Mimi's granddaughter has a long way to go in order to get out of her own way. So far she's ready to run home to Papa in New York, a man who has just been revealed to be a dark witch? But how did he get that way? Possibly the corporation he works for is part of a dark network that slips under the radar. Not too hard to believe, right? All will be revealed once we get to the end.

And so the book continues, revealing itself to me as I write. What happens is anyones guess, including mine! But a horse, a Pavee caravan, a goddess and a dead lover offer many opportunities! And once we leave this small town and enter the enchanted forest, all bets are off. (expect time slips, the dead coming to life, and other strange and wondrous happenings)

I'm one third through and lately have been having more energy toward the project, despite plans to move houses and relocate to Arcata, California. Perhaps I'm already anticipating the cool misty weather, the majestic redwoods and the peace.

Thanks for reading.

Writing (or not)

Everything is thwarting me! I wanted to upload a video from my youtube channel but couldn't manage it. Ah finally--Here is one from The Library of Time...https://youtu.be/v8QBCb_YeMY?si=c3an9fUsWfiSqFqW

I have been so distracted! We may or may not be moving, and this political situation is about to drive me crazy. Prisons being built everywhere, nasty-minded human beings who think hurting people is funny. It's hard to write or get any traction in this climate of hatred.

My newest one is going way slowly than I would like. My house is ripped apart from trying to pack--I have an organizer coming next week because of overwhelm. My cat seems to think I should be patting her every second that I'm on the computer...ok enough of that.

Moving: we found a house in Arcata, Ca. that we love--we made an offer that was accepted--finally. But the roof of said house seems to be on its last legs and the quote we got was for 18,000--there may have to be a bit more negotiating done--hence the 'may or may not' move comment.

Is anyone else out there feeling this amount of distraction?

I write a line or two every other day on The Hangman's Noose. I promised it would be finished by the fall...good luck to me. One of my main characters just got a Haflinger horse to pull her old Gypsy caravan. Sorry, I guess that word is no longer used---she is a pavee--word for an Irish traveler--no relation to the Roma...She is about to embark on a trip into an enchanted forest to escape her son-in-law who is something dangerous--we don't exactly know yet what he is--also one of her herbal clients is about to poison her husband using one of my character's remedies--if it happens she will be blamed--and that's why she's planning her escape. Meanwhile her granddaughter has been brainwashed by her father--the son-in-law.

Does that whet your appetite or just confuse you? don't worry--it's all explained.

I will attempt to keep you posted more often--please feel free to reach out! and thank you for reading!

Back to the grind

After the hell of the past couple of months I am once again working--yet another book! (#31, I think!) The Hangman's Noose takes place in Ireland, a country that I have been to once, but am planning to visit in March. (It is now May--did visit and will post about it next!) So far the story is showing itself to be in line with my earlier books that have to do with gods and goddesses, witches and mysticism. Maybe somewhat along the lines of my very first series, Wolfmoon.

I won't reveal more than this because there is a big mystery and a bunch of back story and in all honesty I don't know where the story is going! I have mentioned before that I'm a pantser (someone who doesn't outline or plan my stories) But I do have a cover already:

I LOVE this cover! What does it say to you? I see a lot of themes brewing in the imagery, and the noose is a big one...it offers a clue. Mercury is in retrograde at the moment so not much work has been done...I think I've made it up to chapter 4 so far...characters are revealing themselves and the unfolding story is hinted at. But where will it take me? I love not knowing!

If you are a writer what is it that inspires your stories? I love designing the covers--not that I do the work, but I find imagery that I like and then talk with my designer about what I'm thinking. We work well together. If you need someone great and you like my book covers, this designer is on Fiverr and goes by the name Kozakura. Once I have a cover I can kind of see the trajectory of the story...I am an artist too so it helps my imagination with general ideas...no real planning, just vague rumblings.

Writing is a mysterious process. I have noticed that when I try and tell someone about what I'm working on, the correct wordage does not come, nor can I repeat a sentence I've just written...writing comes from a different part of the brain and isn't linked to the part we use for talking. So being a storyteller does not necessarily make you a good writer! It's fascinating to me and I always wonder where the ideas come from. The prologue for this one just came to me out of the blue! And then a loose idea for a story...

Writing keeps my mind active and is my outlet for the secret world that lives inside me--it is filled with animals, mystical creatures and worlds not at all like this one). I write on substack and and used to write on medium until I realized I had like one reader. Some of these are rants about how I'm feeling regarding politics! But lately I'm trying to steer away from that...it's too negative and I found myself in a dark hole of depression. I managed to climb out, and I don't want to fall into it again!

What does writing do for you? what are your reasons for writing? There are as many reasons as there are writers, I would imagine. We all have our secret lives and the unique things that interest us.

Stay tuned as I think I may be using this blog to write down tips I might have gleaned in the twenty years I've been at this...questions and responses are very welcome!

Thank you for reading!