No, Thanks! I'd Rather Itch!

I can't believe it's been over five months since I published my first novel.  I think about the timing and am very grateful to have published it when I did.  My husband and I have been through some trials and tribulations ranging from the health of our aging parents to piracy.  Timing was vital, so I'm glad I picked the right release date.  Otherwise, you may never have joined Hope St. Clair on her unexpected journey to find her destiny.

Do you ever take the time to read the medication guide that comes with your prescription?  I have to admit expository medical writing is not my cup of tea, but I cannot express how important it is.  Patients should be aware of the possible side effects of a new medication.  Be vigilant and let your doctor and pharmacist know if you're experiencing any possible side effects.  My husband's former colleague was suddenly having seizures.  He had tests and CT scans done over the period of a few months.  The doctors were stumped.  They finally found the culprit...a prescription drug!

I had a c-section when my youngest was born.  I'm sure many of you ladies understand when I say the spinal really made me itch!  They gave me an antihistamine through my IV to relieve it.  It made me so groggy that by the time it finally wore off, I refused to take any more.  I told the doctor, "No, thanks!  I'd rather itch!"

 I suggest the next time your doctor prescribes a medication, to do a little research of your own.  Read the medication guide and Google it.  There's even reviews/feedback for medication online.  I cannot express how vital research is to a writer.  It's the foundation to his/her career.  Always remember that knowledge is power.

Veronica

 

      

The Island of Broken Dreams

Disney Dreams was the name of the collection of paintings that Thomas Kinkade created based off of the Disney movies.  It's quite an impressive array of his talent.  You get the feeling of happily ever after.  Isn't that what's expected from a Disney movie?  You expect the couple to get their happily ever after.  For me, Disney has always given me a feeling of expectancy.  I always know the prince or the knight will always rescue the damsel, and they will ride off together into the sunset.  Those are our girlhood dreams, right?  But, what if the hero didn't make it?  What if the princess had to find a way to go on without him?  That's quite a way to shatter girlhood dreams, wouldn't you say? 

When I find myself feeling this way, I imagine myself climbing the ancient steps of a mountainous island.  It's a lengthy climb.  I can hear the waves crash against the rocks below.  I can feel the wind in my face.  I see the daylight reflecting off of the water.  I can hear the birds calling to each other.  When I reach the summit of the mountain, I see a lone, cloaked figure looking out across the ocean.  He slowly turns at my approach.  He pulls back the hood of his cloak revealing his white, wavy hair, with an equally white beard.  He looks at me with a look of torment.  Without breaking eye contact, I reach into my bag and pull out...a silver pen.  With a pleading countenance, I hold it out to him as his inner turmoil persists.

Who is the man and what's the significance of the pen? 

Veronica     

Han Solo - MAJOR SPOILERS

I'm not one to post spoilers as I hate spoilers myself but I felt the need to write this.  If you haven't seen The Force Awakens you may not want to read on.

Last Warning!

Spoilers Ahead! 

After seeing The Revenge of the Sith I was inspired to write my first novel The Whisperer of Storms.  After seeing The Force Awakens I was compelled to write letters but decided to blog about it instead.

I was ten when I finally saw The Empire Strikes Back for the first time.  Han Solo was my first Hollywood crush.  I fell and I fell hard.  The reason he's one of the most popular characters in the saga is because of his charisma. He's an attractive, funny, bad boy with a big heart.  No wonder Leia had a hard time resisting him!

I had a bad feeling when I heard Harrison Ford was reprising his iconic role of the smuggler.  I knew he had wanted Han killed in the last movie.  I kept wondering if he was coming back to finish him off.  Since I hate spoilers, I made sure to stay off sites where potential spoilers could be lurking.  That didn't stop the gears in my own head from turning.  The pattern of the first episode in each trilogy had the loss of a mentor.  I thought the mentor in Episode VII was Luke...but instead it was Han.

I cried when Han was frozen in Empire.  I got angry when I realized Han's fate as he stepped onto that bridge in Episode VII.  I was shocked.  I couldn't cry.  I actually considered walking out!  The worst part about losing this beloved character, besides that his death was partially in vain, was he didn't receive the proper farewell.  There was no memorial or tribute to him of any sort.  Didn't the fans deserve a proper goodbye?  Even youngling-killer Darth Vader got a funeral!  Han was a war hero!  I'm sure they could have made up a Corellian tradition or had a drink in his honor or had Chewie do a Falcon fly-by.  Nope.  All we got was seeing him run through, falling into an abyss, and having his remains incinerated when the Starkiller blew.  I guess I have to placate myself by watching YouTube tributes to Han Solo because the filmmakers couldn't even give us one!

You want to see a proper hero's sendoff watch this clip from (SPOILER ALERT) How To Train Your Dragon 2.  I'm borrowing it for Han.  I found quite a few similarities between the two films.

Now I hear they're planning Indiana Jones 5.  Of course Harrison Ford is going to jump at the opportunity to sport the fedora again.  Indy is his baby.  He doesn't have to worry about being bothered ever again about Han Solo.  That ship has sailed.  Now imagine how his fans would have felt if Harrison had died in the plane crash.  The Force Awakens would have been his last movie.  Think about that.

I will give credit to the filmmakers for the cliffhanger ending.  I left the theater wanting to see Episode VIII.  It will be bittersweet without Han.  At least we'll always have Empire.

In closing, I loved the relationship between Han and Leia and borrowed a little from them for my own characters in The Whisperer of Storms.  She even refers to him as a scoundrel!

Happy New Year,
Veronica

Research

Those who have read The Whisperer of Storms have remarked on the amount of research I've done.  Here's a list of some of my sources.

Gypsy Magic by Patrinella Cooper  http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Magic-Romany-Spells-Fortune-Telling/dp/1578632617
Gypsy Witchcraft and Magic by Raymond Buckland  amazon
Adventures of a Psychic by Sylvia Browne  amazon
Psychic Children by Sylvia Browne  amazon
Don't Kiss Them Goodbye by Allison DuBois  amazon
Crossing Over by John Edward  amazon
ESP:  Fact or Fiction by Terry O'Neill  amazon
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen/David M. Shapard
The Jane Austen Handbook:  A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World by Margaret C. Sullivan:  amazon

One of the best places to look in the library is Junior non-fiction.  It's direct and gets to the point.
England (Enchantment of the World) by Carol Greene:  amazon

Online sources:
Gypsy Names  Ilona means beautiful one.  Mirela means admirable.  Zale means power of the sea.
Romani-English Glossary

Last but certainly not least was an interview with a clairvoyant.  This individual is psychic under hypnosis.  I was skeptical myself as I listened to this person's extraordinary life.  That was until I started reading the books listed above and finding common similarities.  The human spirit is truly remarkable.

Veronica

Inspiration

The Whisperer of Storms started out in my head as fan fiction. That's the reason why I chose this fall for the book release.  I debated even putting this story down in writing.  My dream was to publish a book, but how could I do it without permission?   

It was Memorial Day weekend of 2005 when I saw The Revenge of the Sith.   Many Star Wars fans hated the prequels, myself as an exception.  I think I got more involved in the story and the music.  I saw The Phantom of the Opera movie later that summer.  I realized the Phantom was very much like Darth Vader.  One line summed it up ... 

“The tears I might have shed for your dark fate…grow cold and turn to tears of hate!”

One day a few years later, I had an epiphany.  I had enough to create my own characters in my own setting.  Rather than have it be a space opera, I’d make it into a historical fiction.  I loved Regency novels, so I decided to set it in 1800s England, when it was still ruled by the British Empire.  There were many Star Wars characters with English accents.  Plus, many of the movies were shot in England.  I named my protagonist Hope.  It was unconscious on my part.  I didn’t even think of the title of Ep. 4 when I named her.  Hope needed to have the power of the Force, so I made her clairvoyant.  I have an Anakin/Darth Vader inspired character, in addition to an Obi Wan.  Of course my lead male character, Hunter, is a bit of a scoundrel.  I needed to have a little bit of Han in him.
   

I look back now and am bewildered how I came up with all of it.  Now here I am in the advent of The Force Awakens with the release of my debut novel, which started out as fan fiction.  It’s funny how you never know where inspiration will come from … or where your imagination will take you.  

Veronica      

The Day Is Here!

Finally!  October 27th is here!  The Whisperer of Storms is now available:
Amazon in Kindle and paperback
Barnes & Noble Nook
Smashwords in various eBook formats
CreateSpace in paperback

I've received positive feedback from three people who read advance copies!

The Whisperer of Storms Book Trailer