So far I have written two stories from dreams I've had.

The Wraith's Forest and now The Witch Within. Both were picked up immediately after I wrote them. Tell me something? I guess it does.


I believe in dreams and the messages they carry. Years ago, I would watch my Mom looking up her dreams in a dream dictionary. I don't mean these new age versions of a dream dictionary, I'm talking about the ones written to coincide with what the ancient oracles noted.



One of my favorite dream dictionaries is the one by Lady Stearn Robinson. It's great and hits the mark with the interpretations 9 out of 10 times.

Putting these dreams into stories was intriguing and very stimulating, pushing me as a writer. I started with a fragment of the dream with The Wraith's Forest and it turned into a 17k word story. I've had excellent reviews for the story and two publishers grabbed it (Chippewa Publishing for a 90 day slot and ComStar Media for the anthology, Tavern Tales).

As for The Witch Within, I was thrilled to have it accepted so quickly by The Wild Rose Press. I incorporated the majority of the dream into the story adding and deleting very little from the original dream. Hopefully, those who read it will fall in love with it just as those who read The Wraith's Forest.

Our minds are complex. Because of this whenever we receive messages within our dreams, we need to listen carefully. It may not necessarily pretain to our everyday life, but it might concern what we love to do which for me is writing. So if you have a dream and a story forms from that dream, write it. You just might be surprised what will happen.

Dragon Wish Cover

Here is the cover for my newly contracted book, Dragon Wish!

Do I need to say I love it?

Dragon Desire

This is the second book in the Avaris series. Dragons play a huge part in these stories. This one has a twist to it. Want to find out what? Sorry, you’ll have to wait until it published and available to read.

I’m halfway through it and don’t have a blurb for this one yet.

In it, I’ve revisited the planet where Dragon Wish is set. The hero is a character from the first book. Honestly, I’m having a blast writing this book. The main characters are great together. Here’s to you Ren and Caudal. May the Golden Dragon keep you in the shelter of her wings.

I started and hopefully will have Dragon Heart after this one. The storyline is before Dragon Wish’s. The story will be shorter than the other ones.

There are two other books on my list for this series. Dragon Redemption and following after is the one about the True Dragon King, Dragon Destiny.

To Thesaurus or not? That is the question.

I have a three inch thesaurus. LOL! Makes me envision dinosaurs when I see the word. Of course, the size of my thesaurus is a match for any extinct reptile. My book is titled, The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale. Do I love it? You betcha!

The pages are marked with colored tabs (I put them there) to make places I go to often. Yes, I have a terrible habit when I’m writing to use the same word over several times. The thesaurus helps me find another word in its place. I also think it adds a wonderful flavor to the story too.

I even found a name for my hero in the my novel Dragon Wish from this thesaurus. I searched the words brave, honorable, warrior. When I reached warrior, the name popped out. Paladin. Perfect match for my character so thus the name.

My thesaurus have over one million synonyms along with their acronyms. I’ve had it for about eight years now and the pages are a little yellow and bent. Did I say how much I loved this book? It was an excellent investment to my writing. I’ve tried the computer’s synonym finder but it’s not the same. The selections are small and don’t work well with what I’m searching for. Sort of like having an affair. I feel guilty using any other word search. Did I tell you I can be a little warped?

Do you have a favorite thesaurus? How often do you use it? Let me know.

Contract from Wild Child Publishing!!

Wild Child Publishing is contracting the first book in my Avaris series, Dragon Wish.

Do I need to say I'm thrilled?!

My novel. Book one in the Avaris series. It’s almost 100,000 words of excitement, adventure, heartache, and love. This book has taken me four and a half years to finish. Completed last year, I held on to it. I suppose I was too afraid to let this baby go. This is the one I mentioned the other about waiting to hear about a contract. I found out late yesterday they definitely want it.

Here’s the blurb for the story:

A vision, a wish, a journey plagued by evil.

Cold, desolate cliffs and a white dragon’s blue gaze captures Seren Jordan in a terrifying vision. A universe away, Captain Paladin Fulcan struggles to overcome his grief after losing his wife and son. Seeing a shooting star, he makes a wish. But here on Avaris, wishes are forbidden and love forsaken. This throne less dragonseed king’s destiny is intertwined with a mortal mate to create the One True Dragon King.




Of all my books, Dragon Wish has developed into a massive creation with its own heartbeat. Set on a different planet, it’s a journey of finding love and inner wisdom. I love my characters, especially the hero, Paladin. He’s very special to me. No, he’s not modeled after a real life person. He’s a characteristic compilation of what I believe a hero should possess. He turned out wonderfully. Most of my critique partners who’ve read the story fell in love with him too.

So here’s to you, Paladin, Seren, Leo, Ren and all the other fantastic characters which make this story rich. May all who read this book come to love you as much as I do!

I will keep everyone updated!

How much do you want it?

Do you stew every second of the day, thinking about it? Do you imagine grandeur moments of receiving a phone call from a huge publisher seeking to publish your book? Taste it with each typed word? Well, if you’re a dedicated author, determined to succeed, then yes, you do. And why wouldn’t you? Like me, you’ve worked hard to hone your craft.

You prepare a submission, send it off and wait. After a few weeks, most of the time months, a response arrives. Sigh...it’s a rejection. So, do you give up? Hum, your determination isn’t great and powerful enough if you do.

So you join a critique group. After posting some of your novel, you wait for your fellow critique partners to comment on the story. They do and the blinding red splotched across the pages inspires a defensive reaction. Why? Don’t you want to hone your craft? Remember, all the people whom you hope will buy your book will each have a different interpretation of your story. So what do you do?
Give up? Or look through the comments and see which ones are common and which ones are opinionated. You make the corrections and repost. You’re learning and growing with your craft.

Hurray! You’re finally published and the finished product sent off to a reviewer. You wait for what seems like forever. A review shows up on your Google alert. Yes! You zip over to read it and your mouth drops open. The reviewer hated the story. So was your book that bad or was the reviewer having a bad day when she read your work? Time to look inside and see if the problem is with yourself and your writing. It’s your call on whether you’re being honest and admitting maybe, just maybe there’s some truth to the reviewers comments. If not, then ignore it. Not everyone will love or understand your story.

Next, you receive your cover. Omigod! It’s the worse cover an author can have. The hair color for both hero and heroine is off. Their faces aren’t what you described in the book. The colors are hideous. Embarrassed, you rush an email to the editor but it doesn’t do any good. The cover stands as is. Do you accept it and move on or complain and whine until you make the editor and publisher angry?

Writing takes a tremendous amount of discipline and dedication. There are many ups and downs. An author must realize this at the start. If you don’t then the trip down the writing yellow brick road will end up worse than Dorothy’s and Oz simply a mirage along the horizon. Writing also takes some intense soul searching too. For me, writing is humbling and reminds me I’m not perfect. I strive everyday to improve my ability by learning more and more about the craft. Why? Because I want the reviewer to love my story, I desire my critique partners to love my story, I yearn for readers to develop a passion for my books, but most of all, I crave to do the best I can with my talent.

So, how much do you want a publishing contract? Do you step on the roller coaster ride to publication or do you talk the talk but skip away from the walk? Let me know what writing and seeking publication means to you.

Reel Treats.

Most people have a favorite film. One which affects them, one they enjoy viewing over and over again, even one whose dialog invokes a response from them.

Me? I love movies with eye treats. Uh huh, (insert snicker here ) I know what you’re thinking. See, the words stirs up some interesting thoughts. No porno here.

I’m thinking of films with sensory details. Right off the bat, I envision The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).


Oh, yes, Vin Diesel. Hot body, handsome features, ante-hero character; wow, what a man! Definitely an eye treat! But why this movie and not say ‘You’ve got mail’? Easy. The director used the details and different locations for almost every scene to bring the scope of the story to life. The movie starts with Riddick on a frozen planet. The attention to minute details are superbly portrayed with the icy landscape from the snow and ice inside the cave to the same coating Riddick’s long hair and beard. This scene lasted only a few minutes but the impression stayed with me.

I love that movie. Now I want to watch it again. I need my fix of reel treats.

This is what I desire whether reading or watching a film. I want to capture the moments in the scenes with my visual sense. Yes, I know how cold some places can be, and yes, even the maximum security prison on a fire planet reminds me of how fire can burn. This is what appeals to me.

For instance, take the city Riddick travels to seeking the ones who sent the bounty hunters after him. The place appeared calm and peaceful on the surface, a normal city on an ordinary planet, but the talk on the streets denied this fact. Then the entire atmosphere changed in seconds with the arrival of an evil force.

I found all the aspects of the film excellent for my senses. In turn, I can use this as a template for my own writing. Adding small details to give the story flavor helps place the reader within the story. When I write, I see the scene played out in my mind. The stronger the images, the better the descriptions, and I have accomplished what I hope to by producing read treats for the reader.

What film inspires this in your writing? Does the story play out in your mind also or does it come out when you’re writing? I really want to know.