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Hi, everyone, and welcome to the next season of #FindOutFriday. Here are the answers! How many of them did you get? Let me know in the comments below.

Mary and Elizabeth Tudor - The sibling rivalry between Jayne and Nora Brutrose is obvious in Casting Shadows and The Circle is Broken is not only seeped deep into my own childhood. It's also a mirror of the 16th century queens, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Of course, they were the daughters of the infamous Henry VIII (you know, the guy with the six wives). The eras they lived was filled with religious strife and civil war had been less than one hundred years before. The competition for the Crown did not help matters much either.

Catherine the Great - There are a few things inspired at this rambunctious German-born princess who became the tsarina of Russia. Inoculations are one of them. Her only husband (that we are aware of), Peter III, was a sufferer of smallpox. When the chance for inoculations came, she and her son, Paul I, became one of the first to get it. In Casting Shadows, the idea was used for a different purpose. Not only did the people of Klenard experience the extermination of the plague, but the lack thereof ensured the safety of the succession.

Crossdressing - The idea of crossdressing has been around for centuries. There are famous example in the media (here's to you, Jamie Farr) and history paints the art of theater meant for men (even with female characters). In the Wrapped in the Rays of the Sun series, some characters disguise themselves to survive, the prime example being Nora Brutrose. Faced with the prospect of death, she escapes her prison and enlists as a man in the Klenard Army. The legality of this choice would be brought up, especially since she was a woman bent to be Queen.

That's it, everyone. Namaste, and have a great day!

#History #Entertainment #Culture #BackToWork #NewSeason #TriviaTuesday #Autumn #IndieAuthor

It's weird to think autumn begins at the end of the month.

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

There have been some changes going on. Other than trivia on Tuesdays/Fridays, #BehindTheScenes on Thursdays, and #SeflieSaturday or Sunday, I mean. (By the way, #TriviaTuesday will begin this week.) Has anyone noticed??

Literary quotes are back. I used to do those 2-3 years ago. I am also asking you as readers and writers to give your opinion. Today, I asked everyone their opinion about AI in the arts. Mine is mixed, like any other technology. I am willing to debate in the comments!

This is also an election year. If you know me, you will know where I stand. Hate does not belong here.

Be hopeful, everyone. Namaste!

#NewSeason #Debates #Quotes #Distraction #LetsHearFromYou #Audience #FaithHopeLove

Wow, I cannot believe that my son is back to school. He is in seventh grade! Now, the house is all mine until he and my husband come home. That means this is the next season of #BehindTheScenes and #TriviaTuesday. I am sure you are wondering what they are!

#BehindTheScenes dives into me - some of my personal life, writing process and more. I explain the little things and sometimes, my hobbies and experiences. This will start next week and be posted on Thursdays.

#TriviaTuesday (and the sequel #FindOutFriday) are trivia questions (HINT: you need to read the books). I name the person, place, thing, idea, etc., and you tell me where in the books you see it. I post the answers on Fridays (spoiler alert). Please do not play if you have not read the books.

Them's the rules!

Most of it is on this blog. No rewards will be given. It is a fun exercise to get to know me and my books better. Stay tuned. This season is going to be awesome!

Namaste!

#IndieAuthor #AloneAtLast #BackToSchool #WorkingMom #Fantasy #ActionAdventure

This is a tough subject. People are usually divided on what is defined as standing your ground and when someone is being an obnoxious pain. When you have been traumatized as a child, this is more difficult to articulate. The journey of almost every chronic illness sufferer has been filled with gaslighting and tears.

Mine began when I was young. Many often associate trauma to chronic pain, and I am an example of this. I remembered being a child and forced to work long hours, cleaning. Once, the basement had a small flood and I was assigned to use the Wet Vac. The low bending and body movement caused me extreme pain.

At the time, I was eight years old.

Yes, I was considered overweight in my parents' eyes. Yes, I always ate right and exercised regularly. I was also assigned most of the housework. We had a lot of animals in the house at the time, and it took a lot to clean up after them.

The first accusation out of my father's mouth was that I was faking it because I was fat and tired and trying to get out of the chore. I know that I was trying hard not to cry. It was a rule growing up, that we were not allowed to cry. Yes, it brought us weird looks at school.

That little eight year old was not believed until she was on the floor, sobbing. Even then, she was watched carefully, to see if she slipped. She tried not to make a big deal out of it. Dad had larger issues with his construction accident injuries, I reasoned to myself.

Except that thinking is wrong.

By putting myself last, I learned not to stand up for myself. Told myself for years that others had it worse than I did. As I got older, I learned that I had to teach my son that he had to take care of himself. That meant that I too had to stop avoiding my problems and take care of that little girl who was left so small.

Thus began almost a year of being transferred from one office to another, just to be told it was all in my head.

My personal journey is not about calling out the doctors and their assistants for not understanding me or even listening to me. It's about how professionals respond to patients countering their results. It's the diagnosis at first glance, without asking how and why. It's about putting every person into the same box when most of us can't even fit inside.

Ultimately, this is what I was told: the pain was all in my head, despite lab results and the MRI.

Using another facility did not help much either. Most doctors look over the notes of the previous ones and cancel appointments. I cried over the phone many times, begging to keep appointments because new symptoms came up, or I had questions to ask. I pleaded not to be sent someplace where I was going to treated like an overweight diabetic who faked her illnesses, which I was not. Yes, I'll take responsibility for my weight, but the rest did not apply.

Nobody understands that trauma can make you needy. That rejection hurts more than anything else. And you get mean...REALLY MEAN...when you 1st stand up for yourself. It surprises people and makes them believe you are a troublemaker. You can explain how trauma affects you, but none of them think with empathy. When they see trouble, they want you out.

THAT is what makes chronic illness patients so difficult to work with.

Yes, I did manage to find the help I needed. I had to do the legwork because my GP had no idea what to do (no joke). Mostly, I am doing ok. I am still working through my boundaries and how to address my problems (because I possess a lack of social skill). I am still working through the endless weight of pain, disappointment and sadness.

It's a heavy weight, much more than I realized.

Like any other chronic illness, it is 1 step at a time. With a lot of time alone, I can contemplate these feelings and sort through how I need to express myself. Frustration and impatience are weaknesses and do not serve what I need.

And honesty is best when standing your ground.

Namaste, everyone! Have a great day!

#ChronicallyIll #ForeverWriting #Patience #Kindness #DontLetThemPushYouAround #IndieAuthor #BookSeries #NewBritain

Yes, yes, I said it many times before.

But this is the real thing.

From Across the Sea is set to be released late 2025. More info about the exact date will be forthcoming. I am thinking late October, but we will see. Depends on how the writing goes. The summary will be below.

This is also YOUR 1st glance at the cover! I will be revealing the full cover of From Across the Sea on New Years Eve 6 PM EST. For the time being, I will be showing pieces of it. For today, it's the upper right-hand corner and some of the bottom. Yes, it is a tan color.

Keep an eye out for updates, excerpts and more. The revolution has begun. Where are you going in this #NewAdventure?

Namaste, everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!

#IndieAuthor #BookSeries #BookFive #UnlovedDaughter #AbuseIsAbuse #EpicFantasy #ActionAdventure #NewBritain

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Victoria was best known as the Ronald family's only surviving child. Her upbringing did not indicate anything important. She spent an idyll childhood in Cennix, Vicroy, cloistered in a nursery with her mother and set to marry a man who lived in the neighboring lands. However, political, religious and social circumstances caused the loss of her mother and her home. She went into hiding with her father in Little Deef and soon was running errands for its mother organization, the United Front.

For a few years, it was chancy. Her father, the famed preacher John Ronald, traveled to various locations to speak the Word of God, while the United Front used the distraction to strike at Mother Church. The war was at an impasse until John was captured and Victoria was spirited away. John's beheading at the Ploum Prison in 279 sparked another kind of revolution. His followers initiated total anarchy in Klenard, plundering the barren earth and disregarding the United Front. Next, they turned their ugly eyes on the Klenard King, Edward, and set the kingdom ablaze.

Victoria's plans changed. Sent across the sea to the freed kingdom of Cherls, she married the pirate Black Skull and lived quietly with an old widow, Julia Gloss, while her husband was away. She was depressed and inactive with the United Front until Julia's death. After continuous attacks on her home and the recent developments in Klenard, Victoria decided to rejoin the United Front and assisted the exiled King Robert. With the help of the pirate queen, Annette Sasha, she developed the strength and confidence before being entrusted to lead a battalion of her own.

With this new support, thousands of citizens in Cherls gathered to her banner under the Ronald name alone. With the United Front, they sailed on the offensive and gained one victory after another. Eventually, they helped the United Front gain Klenard. After the 281 assassination of King Edward, his son, Gregory, held the Crown, waiting for the elderly Robert to return.

Throughout the venture, there were doubts about Victoria. It was stated that the young woman would falter somewhere and be the stooge of the last person who spoke to her. Yet, with one success after another, her reputation was seeped in respect. The Holy One was suspicious of Victoria's intentions and soon named her as an enemy of their institution, determined to blacken her name. But what Mother Church did not understand was that Victoria was unwilling to bend.

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All right, we've made it to mid-June! This will be the last #BehindTheScenes for a while. I mainly focus on my kid during the summer months. Stayed tuned for another episode in September, though! For today, due to popular demand (based on what I saw for the last post), I am doing another #BehindTheScenes with authors who have inspired me for whatever reason.

Ernest Hemingway - My father disliked Hemingway and he was not on the list of authors he recommended. Depressing was the only response I managed to get out of him. So, I did not catch him until high school, when I read A Farewell to Arms. I thought it was utterly sad...but intoxicating as a reader. I devoured The Old Man and the Sea and went from there, slowly understanding the man. While Hemingway had many flaws and was generally an ass all around, I found some of his antics inspiration for my books more than anything else. There was shooting a toilet with a picture, checking Fitzgerald's dick, and much, much more.

Ellen Marie Wiseman - This was a recent find. When I was still working for the bank, I was fond of ordering from Thrift Books. Ellen Marie Wiseman was a suggestion the website made. I bookmarked What She Left Behind and eventually ordered it and read it. I was utterly floored by the sadness, realness, and detail to the books. Ms. Wiseman chooses history to base her characters around, and often relates the story to today's events. Her words are empathetic and magical. She has inspired me to be the same way with my characters, and to never give up until the very end.

Walt Whitman - I try to be diverse with my reading. Growing up, though, I recalled reading Leaves of Grass and being awed. And who could forget O Captain! O Captain!, dedicated to Abraham Lincoln? Whitman had guts and he dove into deep human emotion. Not to mention, when he was in his mid-thirties, he decided to become a poet. Nobody cared about Leaves of Grass, though, and he had to return to being a journalist. His bravery in just jumping into a vocation that hardly had financial gain was something I could relate to. If you think being an author is a lucrative career, then you have not been watching my frustrations the past couple of years.

Bonus: who is the author pictured for this post?

Namaste! Enjoy your summer!

#Classics #CrookedMen #HistoricalFiction #Suspense #Horror #Reader #Bookworm #IndieAuthor

Today officially starts summer vacation for my kid.

After this week's edition, #BehindTheScenes and #TriviaTuesday are on hiatus until September. I will be checking in throughout the season, though. With Revolution out, you'll see more posts about the series. Not to mention, despite the humidity in CT, I love going out places - the beach, parks, everywhere! Even going downtown is an adventure.

Keep checking social media too. There might be spoilers ahead for the next book in the series (I will reveal the next book cover by the end of this year, for sure). All I can say is...after this book, there are three more books planned in this series left. Old posts will tell you a little more.

The heat has turned up. Are you ready?

Namaste!

#SummerVacation #SchoolsOut #MomAtHome #Writing #SpecialNeedsMom #SunshineDaydream #IndieAuthor #NewBritain

We are in June already! I cannot believe it. My son finishes his 1st year of middle school later this month, and then he has summer vacation. I will do another #BehindTheScenes next week and then, for a few months, I am on vacation, from this at least. I will return to #BehindTheScenes and #TriviaTuesday when Calvin returns to school in September.

For now, check out the answers. How many did you get right? Answer in the comments section!

Cheka/NKVD/KGB - The many Soviet "policing" units were the basis for the Elmwood and the Crows. From their mission, to the uniform and the scare tactics, these Russian groups were painted in both fictional organizations. In Casting Shadows, Nora also described how her father demanded her to report any treason to her Elmwood, Jerry. This too was not only a tactic used in Nazi Germany. In the fictional kingdom of Klenard, everybody was encouraged to report on one another.

Joan of England - This is an obscure one actually. In Casting Shadows, Nora spoke of her father's attempts to marry and sire a male heir. While adding that her sister Jayne was joyous when he failed, she mentioned the fate of one of the women. She died on her way to Klenard, before she could meet her new family. This I grabbed from history. King Edward III of England (1312-1377) had a daughter, Joan, who died of the plague on her way to her new land.

Henry Darnley - The 2nd husband of Mary, Queen of Scots (of Elizabeth I fame), was doomed the moment he married the Queen and caused political and social unrest. I won't get into the secular and religious aspects of the act. His connection to the books is to Prince Charles of Lopet. Much like Lord Darnley, he was killed during civil unrest. While the two fates are different, their confident and bombastic attitudes got them into trouble.

That's it, everyone. Namaste! Have a great day!

#Trivia #FromRealLife #History #Worldwide #Organizations #Peace #BookSeries #IndieAuthor

It's out now, on paperback and Kindle.

Revolution is out!!

Catch up and read the next volume in the series that defines death and destruction. Grab a #BeachRead and dive in! If you have not caught up, there are three other books in the series! They are , and , all in order. They begin with a Klenard Queen and stop here (for now) with a landowner who benefitted from the Queen.

Keep an eye out in the autumn for #BehindTheScenes and #TriviaTuesday. A lot of material will reference this new book. Ever since the publication of Through the Meadow, there was so much I learned, especially from a man's perspective. I hope you all enjoy it.

The next book in the series, From Across the Sea, will be set for next year. More details on that later. A cover reveal will be set for the end of the year.

Namaste, everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!

#NewBook #VolumeFour #Revolution #NewNarrator #SingleFather #Hardship #IndieAuthor #BookSeries #NewBritain

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to #BehindTheScenes Thursdays! Today, you are probably wondering about the title. Needs/wants and a cartoon picture of me is not about you. It's about the wants and needs of writers and how they survive their work in progress. I cannot speak for other authors, but I will for me.

Tea - My drink of choice, no matter what (except when I'm really under the weather, need to hydrate, etc.). Anything I do, from blog posts to social media, I am drinking tea. I go out, I have tea. I am writing, I have tea. Writing notes? Yep, I have tea.

Music - Based on my musical inspirations, you should know by now that I CANNOT live without music. My tastes run all over the place. The mood sometimes dictates it, even when I am writing. Sometimes, I am repeating a song over and over again, if only to get the scene right too! Music is life and it is meant to be shared.

Meds - People sometimes look down on people who used medication to get through the day. I use it as a tool. Once my mind is clear, I can tell myself that it's not about me. I am worthy and I have light to share. My meds are more than pills. They run from meditation, sometimes walks and stretches, and sitting outside. It is what makes the soul happy.

Namaste, everyone! Have a great day!

#WriterGoneChild #ComfortsOfHome #EveryWriterNeeds #IWant #Music #Spiritual #IndieAuthor #NewBritain