Manifest the Magic book trailer

The second book in this series is due out Thursday, December 20th. Yes, this week! Woo hoo. I'd like to share with you the book trailer for the story. Enjoy.

Boy Scout in Blue

What would you think if Superman lost his "boy scout in blue" image? I blogged my thoughts here.

Groundhog Day - again

Here we are, a week out from Groundhog Day. I was supposed to write this for that day, but it kind of got away from me, so we're going to repeat.

It is often said that we must learn from history or we are doomed to repeat it. But I ask you, who writes the history?

The victors, right? History is always written by the winning side, from their perspective.

But I would take a position that even the villain in a story believes he/she is correct and doing the right thing. So do the losers of a battle. They must believe that their fight is the one that is right and just. They aren't strong enough to prove it though.

History is always one of those things that has two or more sides. Once time has passed, who is to say if that history is the true history or one built on lies. This is a fundamental point in the Sacred Knight series. A lot of what Steigan "knows" in the first book may or may not be true. That's what the reader will discover in the following books. Steigan himself will be doomed to repeat the past if he can't change it. If you've read book one and are waiting for book two, then I know this sentence has left you salivating! :) Mean author! Yes, I will say that book two is about Saint Steigan's life, but do you know what you think you know? Mawhahaha!

I love my evil laugh! I'm sure that like Groundhog Day, it will repeat again, and again. It's such a paradox. We'll just have to see if Steigan and Saint Steigan can ever escape their paradox. Or will it forever be Groundhog Day on his world?

Writing

Seth Godin's blog today is a good one. If you haven't read it, here's your chance. If you don't read his blog regularly, I suggest you do. You don't have to agree with everything he says all the time (I certainly don't, and it aggravates me when I want more from him and he doesn't nudge through with just that little push), but he does have a unique view of the world that will open your mind.

Then, after you've read his blog for today, go write something! I did.

Fitting into today's world

At the heart of my Sacred Knight series is the metaphor that we are all looking for a place to belong within the world. Steigan, my main character is an orphan who has been taken in by the Temple, by his mentor, and by a family in a nearby town. He loves each of these deeply and realizes that he owes his life to all of them. But he also doesn't feel like he belongs with them; he still feels separate and that he has to work hard to please them.

I think we're all looking for that in our lives. We want to be part of something. We want to have something that we believe in, something we can support, something larger than ourselves.

The work always begins in our own lives. There is nothing out there in the world that we can be part of -- that which we seek is in ourselves. We always hope someone will come to rescue us, that we'll go somewhere to belong (why do you think the Cheers tv show ran for as long as it did? The lyrics said it all with "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name."). But that space is never ever out there. It is inside you. You have to know why you feel like you don't fit into the world. Once you know why, then you'll realize the change you want to see in the world. With this knowledge, you can be the change. Then you'll fit in. You'll find the message that you need to take to the world and you'll find the people that need to hear it.

So look inside yourself to find out why you don't fit into this world and challenge yourself to make a difference so that you do fit in. The world needs your courage now more than ever.