Hey!
I’m in the midst of writing at the moment on several different projects, editing, and racking up hospital miles but wanted to drop in and say hi.
Whatever I’m writing, it teaches me something new and the experiences day to day seem to filter into the book.
With Aeron’s series, I talk about captivity and slavery often. It’s a big theme in the series but nothing I explore is quite as it seems…
The Empath explored the rawness of being out of place. Something that a lot of people feel, especially when learning to embrace who they are. It is a book on how Aeron learns that the very parts of her that she felt separated her, the very reason she was hated, was the one thing that made the difference and made her a hero.
Blind Trust was the next baby step in learning how to interact with the world around her and, that by trusting in herself and her differences, she was able to, once again, be a hero. On a personal note it was about her finding new people who took her for who she was and helped her to see that she could bring light just by being herself.
Untrained Eye then took her to someone else’s prison. A prison she could understand because she’d been oppressed herself. She began to use the experiences she had to lift others and help them break free from their own captivity. By being herself… even undercover… she could reach people in a way that only Aeron could.
Hindsight then called on her to explore her uniqueness further, that all the goodness and light she shared helped her to help someone she loved dearly but, it was also about her facing how that difference now affected her and impacted on her health and her ability to help others.
Noble Heart showed her determination and defiance to continue helping in spite of how damaging it was to her, and how, underneath, the new found confidence in herself began to open the door to love which she’d never thought possible.
If you can see the pattern to it, you might realise exactly what inspired her journey and how her journey reflects my own. Every detail on the page means something, from Nan’s words of wisdom to Renee getting frustrated and fiery, and Frei finding her detachment a shield. The girls reflect something in particular, each one different, yet pulled together by their love for each other. That bit, I hope resonates from every word, that love bridges all divides.
With my romances, I take a different slant on things: La Vie en Bleu was about having the courage to give true love a chance and take the risk of being outcast because of it… along with some kayaking and rugby shirts.
Best Maid Plans explored how important it is to be happy with yourself before happiness, true, golf victory-sheep loving-life enriching love-filled happiness could be found in a grand manor house.
Beached was about new love and how love doesn’t come with a price tag but it does come with swimming lessons and a slinky lifeguard. It was about how love for family sometimes feels in opposition to finding romance and how it is overcome… with hiding behind plants…
Jack’s Girl is about having the courage, even when life has continually thrown jellyfish at you, to keep the hope that love can reach, rejuvenate and romance anyone open to it. The heart is always ageless.
In Fashion… as the tagline says, it’s about “facing and embracing your own unique design.” I can tell you that writing it really made me think about the way we see each other, the way we see ourselves and how we present that to each other… but you’ll have to keep a look out to find out more!
Each book teaches me something about writing and about myself. It’s one of the umpteen reasons why I love just sitting down and discovering a new land in my head (or visiting a familiar one.) To start with that sketch, that idea, and slowly add in depth, colour and texture… then keep working on layers until you can stand back and see something that fills you with a deep, incredibly moving, smile. My hope is that readers discover that story with me, that they too are moved and uplifted and that, when they see the cover, like me, they are filled with a big, satisfied smile!
Big Smiles!
