Take for instance the issue of human sacrifice. No, I have had no personal experiences with that (thank goodness!). But I have read and heard enough non-fiction stories to know that there are people who believe they will gain more spiritual power by sacrificing someone to a spirit being.

Or how about the issue of shape-shifting? I remember the first person who told me about the possibility of shape-shifting. He was a friend of mine from Ghana and told me the following story. He was traveling to a village by foot one day, when he felt an iguana or lizard climbing up his leg under his trousers. He reached down and through the material of his trousers, twisted and broke the creature’s neck. The little beast fell to the ground dead and lay along the side of the road. Later, when he was in the village, someone came running in and accused him of killing a man who lay dead with a broken neck on the road to the village. I don’t remember how my friend got out of that predicament, but he did tell me he was foolish not to have cut off the creature’s tail. If he’d cut off the tail, he could have proved he’d killed the man as an animal, and not a person. Yes, I think I was staring at him blankly and dumbfounded by the end of that story.

Over the years, I’ve heard similar stories from other trusted friends in other parts of the world backing up what my friend claimed. I can’t call all these friends of mine liars, so I’m left thinking that somehow, maybe it’s true. And that is just one of the things I’ve woven into The Realm. Somehow, I have no desire to experience shape-shifting first hand. I like my intelligence level just where it is, thank you, not at a monkey or iguana’s level.

And as for the good side of the spiritual stuff in The Realm . . . again, lots of research and experience that has led me to believe LOVE truly is the strongest power of all, in real life and in fiction. I’ve seen it over and over.

To be technically accurate, I did make up the country of Kahitsa’an and the slum town of Sawtong, but the setting was meant to be modern day and as realistic as possible (In case you’re wondering, in my mind, Kahitsa’an is in the Philippine Sea). I did research for years, asking friends who’d worked with kids in settings like Sawtong, reading books, traveling and seeing things I’d rather weren’t real. It affected me, and I’ll never be the same. Which is why I wanted to share a bit of what I saw and found with others. One of the first steps of change is bringing awareness.

I remember going along the streets of Kolkata, India and seeing a mother and her children digging through a pile of garbage alongside a dog. It pierced my heart and I was speechless. I remember seeing little boys who worked as shoe-shiners in Quito, Ecuador. They were taking a lunch break and playing soccer in a park with an empty plastic bottle as their ball. Not far away, a very young boy and girl found a discarded mushy banana under a bush and ate it ravenously. These are the kinds of things that left me altered . . . and longing to tell some of their story.  We can make a difference.

You might ask, “What can I do?” Well, besides just writing about it, I decided to sponsor a child. Sponsoring children can allow them to get an education when they might not otherwise get one.  What you want to do might be something different. There are myriads of ways to make this world a better place. You can check out this page where I’ve listed a bunch of ways I’ve found to make a difference. But I’d love to hear your ideas as well!

Next week . . . in Part II of this blog, Are the spiritual elements in The Realm: The Awakening Begins based on reality too? Come back next week or subscribe to my blog and find out!

But what is a person to do when they find out they are pregnant with a second child before the first has made it into kindergarten? Tell the second one to come back when the first one has graduated high school? Of course not, even though that would be easier in a lot of ways. You could pour all your attention on one at a time. But that’s not how families usually grow, and apparently, that is not how my brain works either.

I like new things, diversity and challenges. About a year ago, I was daydreaming about what a fun challenge it would be to write a futuristic book in the first person, present tense. I mean, who wouldn’t want to make up their own futuristic technology and try writing in a completely different style than they’re used to? Okay, well maybe a lot of people wouldn’t . . . but these are the kinds of things that make me drool.

So out of my daydreaming, has come a second “child.” Another mouth to feed. Another set of diapers to change . . . I mean, a second story to nurture, another story line to wander around in in my imagination. A second maze to figure out. I think my brain is happy. I’m a little nervous, as I’m sure most new moms of two kids are. But I’m also excited. Very excited for this new addition in my life. I hope you will be too! It’s been so much fun to write. I can’t wait to share my little “bundle of joy” with you all in a couple of months! I’ll get to introduce you to Jewel, Forge, Hope and heaps of other new characters.

And for those of you who are fans of The Realm Series, book two is already written and just needs to be edited. THAT is the next project. I can hear that child crying in the other room, needing some attention.

Can I write two series at once? We’ll find out. If you are an author or know of other authors who have done this successfully, please let me know! It would be encouraging. I might feel like I’m part of a parent support group or something.

The supernatural. I love the supernatural. I love learning about it. I love asking questions and diving in deeper through research … and experience. I believe the supernatural is real! I don’t want to just make up the supernatural stuff I write about, I want to research what is really real, and integrate that into my writing. I may not always be right. I know I’m not always right. But it’s downright fascinating to keep learning and push towards what is really real.

The practical. My goodness. I didn’t know a person could keep learning about the art and craft of writing forever and ever. I guess I somehow believed I’d reach a certain level and simply become “a good writer.” But this fountain seems absolutely endless. Just last night, I talked with one of my former students, and we ended up discussing my upcoming novel, 2108: Eyes Open. I told him I was hoping to make it into a trilogy. He shared ideas about storytelling and story arc that were fascinating and inspiring. Which makes me think … I should write a blog on some of what he had to say.

Social change. Since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted to somehow help orphaned or abandoned children. I’ve wanted to help make this world a better place. One of the ways I try to do this is by bringing awareness to various issues through my writing. But it doesn’t stop with awareness, does it? To bring change, we need to actually do something about it. Can we change the world? None of us can by ourselves, but if we work together … who knows the limits!

Fun. If something is not fun, I have a hard time wanting to be a part of it. Reading a good story is one fun thing I greatly enjoy, and learn from. I’ll be regularly posting reviews of good young adult books that my friends and I have been reading. Sometimes the post will be by me, and other times by a friend or guest.

This is the kaleidoscope of topics you’ll find tumbling around on this blog over the weeks and months ahead. I hope you’ll leave feedback and interact with me as we learn and journey along on this fun and unpredictable adventure together!

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