Normally we deal with the paranormal around here, especially during a book tour. However, every now and again, I'll venture off on something else. Today is one of those days. One of the questions I'm often asked during interviews is: What author or authors inspired you to write? My answer is always the same. The person who must take the credit, or the blame -- according to your perspective -- is not an author. He is my beloved husband. He encouraged--and gave me the courage--to write down my stories and submit them for publication. When I finally received my first contract, no one celebrated my success more than he did—and that's when it started! What, you might ask, am I talking about? I'm talking about the thoughtful, special little gifts I received in commemoration of each book I wrote and published.
In the year 1645, after a raging storm destroyed the dunes in Domburg, Zeeland, twenty-eight inscriptions revealed the remains of a temple dedicated to the goddess Nehalennia. Again, between 1971 and 1972, more inscriptions were uncovered in Colijnsplaat. A few more turned up in Cologne, Germany, all of them giving credence to her worship. Have you ever heard of her?
Domburgs Nehalennia altaar volgens Plaat 7 Public Domain
This lovely Germanic goddess, whose origin remains murky, reigns over the portion of the North Sea where Dutch mariners make their crossing from the Netherlands. She is most often depicted with various marine symbols, a large dog at her side who gazes loving into her eyes, a basket of apples and a loaf of bread. (I don't know, maybe she's hungry.)
Can you believe it's January 2015 already? Where did the last year go...
Anyway, as we head into the New Year and the final month of our Shadow of the Witte Wieven Book tour, I thought I'd give you a never before shared excerpt, chosen by my lovely daughter. This is the part of the book wherein Wolf and Aliyana ask for a little ghostly help to catch the bad guy...
Excerpt:
“Buenos días, Padre,” he said in greeting.
“He is here?” asked Aliyana, as her eyes darted about the area.
“Yes, he is standing right in front of me. At this moment, he is looking at me with a bit of suspicion, so perhaps you might want to take over and give him the reassurance he seeks.”
On this windy, cold and cloudy, New Year's Eve, the weatherman is calling for snow. Call me skeptical if you will, but so far today, I haven't seen so much as a drop of rain here in Las Vegas. Now that doesn't mean we never get snow here. We have had some on occasion. So when we do, I sit back with a hot cup of cocoa, and watch it through the window--from the comfort of my heated home--with a fire roaring in the fireplace.
American Homestead Winter - Currier & Ives
I bet I had an ancestor or two that would've loved to have traded places with me. Long ago--when life depended on the planting and harvesting of crops--the long days of winter were filled with various magical rituals. They had rituals for the fields they hoped would ensure an increase in flocks, herds and the harvest. Rituals were held to protect hearth and home. They even had rituals meant to bring back the light of the sun.
A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens and published in 1843 is one of my favorite Christmas stories. As part of our family Christmas traditions, we either read it, or watch one of the many movie versions we own based on the story. The kids love Disney's version starring Mickey Mouse and I think I'm kind of partial to the one starring George C. Scott... (We also like Scrooged...ahem)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition. Title page.
Anyway, I',m sure it doesn't surprise anyone who knows me, or reads my blogs or books that the Three Ghosts of Christmas fascinates me. We have the ghost of Christmas Past, which takes Scrooge on a journey filled with Christmas memories. The ghost of Christmas Present that forces dear old Scrooge to see firsthand the holiday celebrations of those way less fortunate and, finally, we have the ghost of Christmas Future...a future that might be but doesn't have to be. During my childhood, all the ghosts scared the Dickens right out of me (sorry, couldn't resist) because the thought of one of them showing up in the middle of the night by my bed seemed anything but pleasant.
So, last week I waxed nostalgic about Santa Claus. This week my thoughts have taken me to my most memorable, most special, most favorite Christmas gift of all time! Nothing has ever topped it and I truly don't think anything ever will. So...
I was five years old and during that Christmas season, my mother was pregnant. Very. Pregnant. In fact, our baby was due to arrive around the middle of January. At the time, my three other siblings were all brothers and oh, how I longed for a sister. Believe it or not, my brothers wanted a sister almost as much as I did. Mom and Dad tried to prepare us for another brother should one come, but none of us were having any of it. We wanted a sister, and that's all there was to that! (At the time sonograms were non-existent, so no peeking...)
For me, the Thanksgiving week is not only filled with the hustle and bustle of dinner preparations, which takes us two days to prepare, but to also reflect on my many, many blessings. First and foremost, my family. I wished every one of you could meet them. If you stopped in for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you just might! I can't remember a single year our house wasn't filled to capacity with family and friends. With my mother being one of nine children and my dad one of four, I have more cousins than I care to count. All throughout my youth a goodly portion of them always showed up for dinner at our house. As it always does, time marched on, my childhood faded away, and adulthood took over...
My parents during their dating years...Aren't they just the cutest things?
Inkspell Publishing and I decided that an extended Second Edition of Shadow of the Witte Wieven, graced with a brand new cover, deserved a brand new book tour! We will be giving away a $15 gift certificate for Amazon at the end of the tour, as well as a few other surprises along the way, so stay with us! Today I'm answering questions at Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews so stop by, say hello and enter to win!
Despite a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent,
Aliyana Montijo must ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA
officials, as so ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The
task is a daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is,
until she encounters a most unlikely ally.
Former seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies
Company, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters
the beautiful agent during an unearthly storm in the Bermuda
triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he rescues, he pledges his assistance,
despite her reluctance to accept either his help or his heart.
Wolf must bridge both space and time to claim the
woman he loves...
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/nssl/nssl0011.htm Public domain
Last week I had such so much fun asking the characters of "Van Locken's Witch" questions posed by my beta readers, we thought we'd do it again this week! This time we'll pull questions from both my blog-readers as well as finish up the questions from my beta readers that we didn't get around to answering on my last post.
The 'Mauritius' and other East Indiamen between and
Blog reader Nicole had some great questions for the crew of the Rood Draeck. Are you listening boys? Good. Then, here we go.
1. First of all, Nicole wants to know if any of you hesitated in following Wolf as your new kapitein when Rand stepped down...
2. What were your feelings on these new circumstances...
3. Did any of you feel Rand made a mistake in his quest to help Lissa...
4. And finally, did a time ever exist when you disliked Lissa or feared her abilities?
(Joris waves a hand.) I"ll answer that first question. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that not a single crewman aboard the Draeck had any reservations whatsoever in accepting Wolf as our kapitein when that moment finally arrived. Rand taught him well, and the many instances wherein Rand left him in charge of the ship, Wolf proved more than capable of the task and many times over.
(Each crewmen nods as Laurens clears his throat.) "Boarding the Witte Wieven with Wolf at the helm seemed a natural step for all of us to take. In all reality, the only thing missing on the Witte Wieven was Rand himself, Antonis, and Hendrick. However, we drew comfort in knowing that we left our good kapitein in very good hands...very good hands. (The crew laughs as Johannes steps forward.) "Indeed we did. Now, for question three, no one ever thought assisting Lissa in the rescue of her sister was a mistake. We were all for it and so cast our vote when Rand made the proposal. Though you couldn't possibly know it, we've taken on a number of quests that had nothing to do with capturing Spanish ships. Each of those quests presented a unique set of challenges, and in turn, gave us the laudable reputation for which we were known far and wide." "That, they did," Pieter agreed. "As for the next question, although we didn't fear Lissa in the true sense of the word, that doesn't mean we didn't carry a healthy respect for her and the particular set of skills she possessed. And dislike? Not possible. We all loved her in our own way." "As long as it's in a sisterly way, I don't have a problem with that," Rand interrupted. much to the delight and laughter of his men.
But before I give you the details of the tour, I feel compelled to give you a little background because, in the grand scheme of things, the 'prequel' does not come after the 'sequel.' (I know...right?)
For those of you coming late to the party, I should tell you that I published "Shadow of the Witte Wieven" (the 'sequel') in April of 2012 through Inkspell—at that time, a brand new, up-and-coming publishing company.
This fun new company said they were looking for polished novels to publish and I just happened to have one I thought I could offer them. However, when I read their guidelines for submission, I discovered they were looking for novels of no more than 80,000 words in length. Mine exceeded that limit by about 33,000. So, I made the painful decision to cut out a great deal of the back story, submit it and see what happened. Several weeks later, the lovely founder and CEO of the company offered me a contract despite the fact the book still weighed in at over 100,00 words. Very gracious of her, wouldn't you agree?
I'm sure most of you know that "Van Locken's Witch," my historical, paranormal romance involves a dashing sea-captain, and the enchanting sorceress he falls in love with while engaged in the rescue of her sister.
But, what most of you don't know, is that Inkspell publishing has released a "second" edition of the story's sequel, "Shadow of the Witte Wieven," and updated it with a brand new cover, created by the very talented Shandra Kay! Yes, I am very well aware that most author's write the first story first, and then move on to the second, but I've never been one to follow the crowd and am quite adept at following the beat of my own drum...ahem...;)
Actually, due to the length of "Shadow of the Witte Wieven," the back-story had to be snipped from the pages. Yet, many of my readers wanted to know about that back-story. So, I picked up the tattered pieces and created a full-fledged novel.
Anyway, the re-editing of book one which is now book two, solicited thoughts of all the old, majestic lighthouses that are just waiting for an opportunity to serve our valiant seafarers. Those who read book one, which is now book two, will understand the reason for that.
Are you with me so far?
Those thoughts led to stories of haunted lighthouses (no surprise there, right?) and then finally settled on the Heceta Head Lighthouse in Yachats, Oregon...at least for the time being. (More will surely follow.)
Heceta Lighthouse as seen from Sea Lion Caves by Oregongirlmary
Construction on this lovely old lighthouse began in 1892 and in August of 1893, Heceta (named for Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta) reported for duty. The haunting of Heceta didn't begin until sometime during the early 1900's, when the "gray-lady," a wispy spirit dubbed "Rue," chose to spend her after-life within the confines of the lighthouse.
The theory behind the haunting? Some believe that death claimed the life of Rue's young daughter. In response to the tragedy and the sorrow she could never overcome, Rue took her own life in order to be with the daughter she now continually seeks, but never finds. A small grave, discovered within a weedy ravine is thought to be the child's grave.
One lighthouse historian believes the legend originated during the administration of Frank DeRoy and that "Rue" might just possibly be his wife, Jenny. The ghost, whoever she is, is not shy about making her presence known at Heceta, which now serves as a bed-and-breakfast.
Heceta Lighthouse, 1938, George A. Grant, Photographer
People have not only felt her sitting down on their beds, they see the indentation she makes upon the mattress as she does so. She's been known to move objects about the place, set off fire alarms, lock doors, make the lights flicker, and even sweep broken glass into a neat little pile. Now that particular incident occurred after she scared the living daylights out of a worker who saw her floating atop the floorboards in the attic while he busily repaired a window. Overcome with fright, he dropped the glass and broke it. He didn't care. He just wanted out. The following day the caretakers crept upstairs to clean the mess, only to discover the need didn't exist, save tossing the shards into the trash bin.
One might question this particular worker's sanity, if not for all the guests and natives who have also caught a glimpse--and sometimes far more than a glimpse--of Rue. There are several reports of guests fleeing their rooms at night, vowing never to return after one of her late-night visits.
What about you? Would you be inclined to remain for what's left of the night if Rue were to visit you?
For all those who followed the four week tour on its various stops, made comments, and asked questions, I thank you! You made the tour really fun for me! I appreciate my hosts and the sweet ladies, Cerian, Joder, and Barbara Ann, who read my book and gave it such wonderful reviews, all of which can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, and their blogs! You are all remarkable! Thank you Goddess Fish Promotions for making sure everything ran smoothly!
It'sArbor Day! And in case you didn't know, Arbor Day is a wondrous holiday which encourages individuals around the world to plant and care for trees. What better way to replenish our forests and beautify our homes and cities?
Julius Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor from
Nebraska City, Nebraska and who served as Secretary of Agriculture under President
Grover Cleveland, is responsible for the creation of this holiday. The first
Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872 and an estimated one million trees were
planted that day.
To commemorate this day, author Andrea Pearson thought it would be great fun to gather a group of authors that had ebooks referencing trees in one way or another and then offer them at a discount to all those who love to read. Exciting stuff! These books will only be discounted for a limited time, so hurry over and check out her link! You'll find "Shadow of the Witte Wieven" among the offerings because a great deal of the book takes place in the forests of Colombia. My publisher has graciously discounted this book through April 30, 2013. What is it about?
Despite
a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent, Aliyana Montijo must
ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA officials, as so
ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The task is a
daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is, until she
encounters a most unlikely ally.
Former
seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies Company, Wolfaert Dircksen
Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters the beautiful agent during
an unearthly storm in the Bermuda triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he
rescues, he pledges his assistance, despite her reluctance to accept either his
help or his heart.
And because it's such a beautiful day here in Southern Nevada, I think I'll go plant another Sapphire Dragon tree (Paulownia kawakamii)... The ones I have are teeming with gorgeous purple flowers...
What about you? Do you have a favorite tree or Arbor Day tradition?
Lovely Lisa Voisin tagged me in The Next Big
Thing Blog Challenge, wherein you get to learn all about someone’s
book/WIP/ms. Read about Lisa’s novel,
The Watcher here.
The requirements of
the challenge:
First: Answer the
questions below.
Then: Spread the fun and tag 5 more awesome people
to participate.
It’s also nice to
link back to the person because "Sharing is caring, y’all." So... here we go: What is the title of your book / WIP?
Well, let’s see...
I have two books that are already published and available. “Spirit of the
Rebellion,” and “Shadow of the Witte Wieven.” I have one book, “Spirit of the
Revolution,” that is heading into galley as soon as the copy editor is finished going through the manuscript. Once there, I will finally get a
release date. I have one book under consideration at a publishing company as we
speak, and another, waiting in line at Wild Rose Press. And..., I have just
completed the second chapter in my still untitled, WIP.
However, for this
blog, I think we’ll go ahead and talk about “Shadow of the Witte Wieven.”
I have learned so much on my journey to becoming a published author and over the coming weeks and months; I’ll share some of those things with you. But because I am looking at them right now, I think I’ll share with you what I have learned concerning the all important book cover…
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