Happy New Year!

I know that I am a few days late. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! I hope it was filled with wonder and hope. It's a new decade and people talk not just about resolutions, but also about what happened in the past 10 years. Isn't it strange?

I find it weird. A decade doesn't seem so long now, does it? 2010 seemed like yesterday! My son wasn't born yet and was driving a convertible and posting on a few websites with my poetry and fan fiction. I was jobless, had no direction and left like school was too heavy of a burden. I wanted out to the REAL WORLD.

Then, the REAL WORLD happened and I was unprepared for it. But you learn as you go and this was no exception. I hope this new decade brings something better for myself than the last. I wish the same to you!

Other news? Well, I am writing the new book. I have many projects going on and research on Salem. For the time being, I think publishing about my new world will suffice. Salem is a headache! So many theories, rumors and inaccuracies. Where's the historical facts when you need them??

For example, did you know that it was common to believe that the girls started this because they were bored? Sure, some of them bragged about missing out on chores and church meetings. But I also found that most of the accusers who initially pointed the finger also witnesses vicious Native America attacks. Mary Beth Norton's book explains it all actually. I find that theory, as well as the ergot, to be the best way to explain the trials. Well, other than the mystical and wistful fancies of religious church men.

Currently, I am reading through the Diane Foulds book Death in Salem. It talks about the private lives of each person involved in the Salem Witch Trials. This also includes those in England, such as the monarchs! So far, it's a fascinating read. It gives life to these people! Who could have thought they were like you and me?

That's the beauty of history. You find the boring facts. You also find the human element in each event. You would not BELIEVE how many of the accusers had children out of wedlock and had to pay the price for it. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it was a serious crime and each couple had to pay 40 shillings!

Well, in this new world I am creating, 2 sisters are battling for the throne. Who truly has the interests of the Kingdom of Klenard in mind? Who is truly the Queen? It's up for grabs in Casting Shadows. It will continue into a 2nd part, The Circle is Broken. Then, I'll be following through the story of Klenard after this war with different characters and a story of its fall.

Through the Meadow will go through the eyes of Miranda Bay and her maid, Julia Gloss. Miranda is excited about marrying Victor, the heir to the Brenton ducal seat at 14. But she does not realize that duty and desire are 2 different things. She has a happy life and wants for nothing. She had a happy marriage, children and a good home. She is popular and pretty too.

But when her husband died, Miranda is left with nothing more than her thoughts. She hands over the ducal seat and lands to her son and is left with nothing more than the glimmer of an old life...and her maid, who has been through it all with her. In the end, Miranda has to decide if breaking the law is worth love and why her life had been a masquerade.

Revolution brings meaning to another character. His name is John Roland. He is a peasant farmer who finds himself lucky. Most people like him don't have family close by or live well enough to support their families. John manages to. It's a hard working way of life, but he loves it. The rent isn't so bad, the landlord is kind and he feels blessed with his family.

But things change quickly when there is a coup and the royal family has been killed or banished from Klenard. The new family takes over and legitimizes their claim to the throne. In the meantime, laws change the way peasants like John live. Soon, he is out of home and a widower with a daughter. He has to think about his daughter's safety, but also what the right thing to do for Klenard is. Will revolution and treason be right? Or will he live an outlaw and an exile forever from his own country?

Things begin to change in From Across the Sea. John Ronald is dead. His daughter, Victoria, lives across the Nord Sea in Lopet with Julia Gloss. The 2 must know think of a way to restore order to Klenard. They cannot sit in exile forever. Lopet is not their home. They cannot remain refugees forever.

Thus, Victoria must take the reins from her father and continue his work. She cannot let his sacrifice go in vain. She has to bring back the royal family and end the fight for power. Once a family rumor not becomes the truth. No ruler must take the throne except the descendants of the true queen, Eleanor.

That's about it. I am also working on another world named Risoke. I think I spoke about this series at 1 point, but I cannot remember. I will definitely go through the series at another time. Spoilers for these books are enough, I think.

Until next time, have a wonderful New Year!! Namaste and Blessed Be. Bring joy to this new year and decade, not hate.