The Catalysts Series – Book III

by with No Comment CatalystWriting
Book III First VERY Rough Draft

The first draft of Book III in The Catalysts series is done! Over 97,000 words – 340 pages. I’m actually through with the first editing pass thanks to input from the editorial staff at Brown Books. Revising is sooooo much easier than writing from scratch; at least for me. Once I have my world and story built, I can move around in it and make changes. But not right away. I need a second set of eyes to look at it and tell me areas that need work. I just can’t see it right away as I’m too close to the project. Once I get the feedback, though, it becomes obvious to me what I need to do and I’m off to the races. Thank you to Sterling for her stellar input! It’s such a gift to have the support of my team at Brown Books!

Book III is different from the previous two as it’s from both Marcie and Eric’s perspectives. The two storylines are separate but concurrent and connect at points throughout the book. It’s almost like writing two novels. So at about page 310 I realized I was nowhere near being done. I could have gone on for another 300 pages. That means Book III ends in a cliff hanger for both storylines and ideas for Book IV are already percolating in my mind. I’d hoped to get a bit of a break from writing, but the muse is working in my subconscious! I’ll be back at writing on Book IV as soon as revisions on Book III are complete.

Writing for me is a lot like tapping into the flow of consciousness that my characters experience. It’s as though the story is already there and I’m uncovering it like an archaeologist. Not to compare myself to Michaelangelo, but I think he said the statues he created were already present in the marble and he was simply revealing them. I totally understand that.

I also sometimes feel like I’m getting assistance from my mom, who’s on the other side. She was a lover of words and a writer in her own right. Maybe she’s my ‘ghost-writer’? 🙂

Here’s the first page so far – revisions will still happen as the manuscript will go through three or four more editorial passes before it’s complete. What do you think?

I have a couple of ideas for the title but I’m not ready to reveal them just yet. Maybe I’ll do a reader poll.

We’re looking at a Spring 2023 pub date. Fingers crossed!

THE FIELD – Soccer Field and Universal Energy Field

by with No Comment EnvironmentScience StuffThe Field

The title of my novel, The Field, has two meanings. The soccer field and The Universal Energy Field. Nikola Tesla postulated in the last century that there is enough energy in a cubic inch of space anywhere in the Universe to power New York City for a day. This field is also called the ‘Zero Point Field’. We know that the air around us is filled with energy waves or forces. Magnetic, sound, light, radio, television, microwave, radiation, etcetera. Most of these waves are outside the realm of human perception. However, we can measure them, and we know that animals can hear sounds that are imperceptible to the human ear, and we benefit from the action of these waves when we watch TV, use our cell phones or microwave our dinner.

Imagine if we could access the Zero Point Field as a totally clean, renewable energy source. No more drilling for oil or natural gas or mining for coal. No more burning fossil fuels and the resulting air pollution. No need for nuclear power and radioactive waste.

I’m a science geek and a passionate environmentalist. The Field includes an environmental theme comparing so-called ‘clean coal’ to wind and solar power and the idea of accessing energy from The Universal Energy Field.

Quantum Mechanics has demonstrated that there is no such thing as a vacuum or nothingness. The Universe is a sea of energy. Scientists are calling it ‘Dark Energy’, and while we don’t know exactly what it is, Einstein predicted its existence when he postulated using a ‘cosmological constant’ to explain the expansion of the Universe.

As Dr. Auberge says in The Field, “We have to set aside what we think we know about the world around us and open our minds to new discoveries. Just because you can’t see it and you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

The Secret Life of Trees

by with 2 Comments EnvironmentIndian SummerScience StuffThe Field

I’ve recently been revising my novel Indian Summer to add more conflict and mystical experiences. The story is about how Marcie tries to stop development of an old growth forest on the lake where her grandparents live.

A few weeks ago I went to a film festival sponsored by the Indiana Forest Alliance and connected with the Development Director, Sandra Messner. We had a great conversation which sparked some ideas that I plan to incorporate into the novel. The Alliance’s mission is “to preserve and restore Indiana’s native forest ecosystem for the enjoyment of all.” The Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ mantra is that “for forests to be healthy, they need to be logged” which does not support preservation of our old growth forests. Sounds like a good start for some conflict to develop!

I also ordered the book, The Hidden Life of Trees – What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben, which arrived yesterday. I’m super excited to read it. The inside flap says,

“…trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.”

This begs the question of whether trees are sentient beings. In The Field I explore the Universal Energy Field and Collective Consciousness as they relate to the interconnectedness of humans, but what about other living (and even non-‘living’) entities like animals and plants (or the Earth itself)? Are they connected? Do plants have feelings? There is another book that looks interesting on this subject The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Thompkins and Christopher Bird. In her book, The Intention Experiment, Lynne McTaggart cites experiments by Cleve Backster showing that plants react to human intentions.

Research is one of the best parts of writing. The idea that plants are sentient beings and have feelings and react to danger and human activity is super intriguing! Can’t wait to learn more and incorporate it into Indian Summer.

The Indiana Forest Alliance aims to preserve forests for the enjoyment of all. In Japan, the practice of ‘Forest Bathing’ is widely practiced. Spending time in nature is scientifically proven to improve your health. I’ve even read that some physicians are prescribing time in nature as treatment. This is one of the reasons that I incorporate environmental themes in my novels. The natural world is beautiful, awe-inspiring, priceless and feeds our souls. We must be the Earth’s caretakers, not exploiters.

444 and Other Messages from the Universe

by with 2 Comments The Field

Do you see number sequences repeated over and over again? Find feathers or pennies on the sidewalk? Are visited repeatedly by cardinals, hummingbirds, dragonflies or butterflies? Hear a song on the radio that eerily relates to something you were just thinking about? Do street lights blink off or on when you walk under them? I believe you’re receiving messages from the Universe, God Signs or connections from departed loved ones.

In The Field, street lights and parking lot lights blink on or off when Eric walks near them. The explanation in the book is that he has some sort of electrical energy that interacts with the lights. Like how some people can’t work with electronics because the machines always go haywire in their presence. This topic was taken directly from my own experience. Lights blink on and off for me all the time. The first time I noticed it was in college. Almost every time I went under a street light on the road I usually walked to get to class, it would blink on or off. I even confirmed it with my boyfriend. I was never entirely sure if there was any meaning behind the blinking.

Another time I was at a writing conference walking out to the parking lot with another author. I was telling her about my mother’s recent death and how supportive she’d been of my writing when all of a sudden, all the lights in the parking lot blinked on. We both got goosebumps. Was it my mom telling me she’s still got my back?

The numbers I see ALL THE TIME are 444 or 44. According the Doreen Virtue’s Angel Numbers 101, the numbers 4, 44 and 444 are messages from the angels telling me that they are helping me and reinforcing our connection. I’m not psychic, and while I do have a well-developed intuitive sense of things, I’ve yet to receive actual messages that I can perceive. I believe this is the way my angels and guides remind me that they’re all around me and always with me. Here are some examples of 4’s that I’ve seen:

I was visiting with my sister-in-law and my niece and telling them how I regularly see the numbers 44 and 444. I grabbed my phone to show them pictures I’d taken of some of them and the time displayed was 2:44. Kind-of freaky!! Was the Universe providing confirmation for us? I regularly see the time as 11:44, 12:44, 1:44 etc. Occasionally I wake up at 4:44 in the middle of the night. On the drive home from the visit, I saw this license plate:

license plate 444 Becky and Sophis

On another drive I saw this license plate:

License plate 744

Eeeww! Is that bird guts on my windshield?!?!

This past summer I was traveling in Europe with my daughter. I booked a train ticket before leaving for the trip and upon boarding the train found that I was in seat 43 – with the number tag for seat 44 right above my head. Even more remarkable was the time stamp on the ticket for when I purchased it in the US – 4:44!! I was totally unaware of this until I happened to glance at the time on the ticket. Who even does that anyway?!? Were my eyes drawn to it so I would see the numbers?

train seat 44

train ticket 444

While sightseeing and shopping in London on the same trip, my eye was drawn to  a bright yellow door. The street address? You already know – 44. That’s how it usually happens. For some reason, my eye is drawn to a highway mile marker – 344, an exit # – 244, the clock on my dashboard or on my bedside table – 5:44.

London door 44

Usually when I see 4’s, it’s in response to something I’m thinking about. A sort of confirmation that I’m on the right track.

What numbers do you see? Do lights blink on and off for you? What signs repeatedly pop up for you?

Excerpt from THE FIELD – Eric connects with the Universal Energy Field, but can he believe it?

by with No Comment The Field

Eric’s class is on a field trip to the coal gasification plant in this scene.

Finally, we’re back outside at the side of the plant where the trucks tip their loads of coal into the processing area. Our chirpy guide is saying, “There’s a picnic area along the shore of the Eagle River where you will have your bag lunches, and Mr. Asplunth, the plant foreman, will come out while you’re eating and answer any of your questions.”

Shit. I look over at Will, whose face has hardened again. The prickly feeling intensifies and, instinctively, my muscles tense, ready. Miss Chirpy continues now with an even bigger smile on her face. “I understand that one of you is Will Asplunth, the foremen’s son? Will, would you like to come inside and visit with your dad?” She looks at us happily, searching for Will.

All the students turn to look for Will as well. Standing beside me, he says through clenched teeth, “No, thanks. I’m going to eat on the bus.” He turns abruptly and starts jogging across the unloading area toward the parking lot.

No! Stop! It explodes into my brain and before I can think I’m lunging towards Will and grabbing him by the arm; yanking him back towards me. I sense more than see out of the corner of my eye, the dump truck coming fast around the corner barreling towards us.  I’ve pulled him so hard that his momentum brings him crashing into me and we hit the ground, scraping and bruising ourselves on the asphalt and landing in a tangle of arms and legs. The dump truck, going much slower now, makes a wide turn around our group and passes harmlessly by where Will and I lay on the ground.

“What the hell? Will says, angrily, shoving me away from him and clambering to his feet. “What was that for? I can’t believe you actually threw me to the ground.”

“That dump truck, I though it was going to hit you,” I stammer out. I knew it was going to hit him and I just reacted. But it didn’t even come close.

“What are you, like Superman or something?” he says sarcastically. “It was nowhere near me.”

“I’m sorry. I though it was. I guess i was wrong.” I can’t believe this. I was trying to save him from getting hit by a truck and I’m apologizing.  I feel like a complete idiot. The entire class is staring at Will and me. He’s glaring down at me, and I’m still on the ground, blood dripping onto the asphalt from where the skin is scraped off my arm.

Will takes a deep breath and lets out a whoosh of air. “It’s cool man. Sorry for yelling at you.” He extends his hand towards me to help me up. “Just don’t pull that shit on me again, okay?” He gives a half-hearted laugh.

Mr. Ogle comes over to see if we’re okay and find out what’s going on. Then our guide takes the class over to the grassy area by the river for lunch and goes off in search of a first aid kit. I sit down in the shade under a tree, and Renee comes over to sit beside me. She puts her hand on my wrist below a spot on my arm where most of the skin is scraped off.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes wide with concern. “What happened?” What did just happen? My goalkeeper instincts kicked in when I though Will was in danger, but how did I know that? The truck didn’t come anywhere near him. I had an uneasy feeling all day, and then the sudden flash of danger! Had I been wrong?

“I don’t know. I guess I thought the dump truck was going to hit Will and I pulled him out of the way. I didn’t think, I just reacted.” I lean my head back against the tree.

“Why did you think it was going to hit him?” It’s a reasonable question, but do I have a reasonable answer? If anyone would believe me, it would be Renee, so I decide to tell her the truth.

“It just flashed into my head when he started to jog across the parking lot. I didn’t even see the truck at first. I just knew he was in danger.” I shake my head and shrug. “But I guess I was wrong.”

“Maybe,” she says. “Or maybe you really did save him.”

theFieldfrt2final

“It’s like knowing without thinking.” ~ Eric Horton from THE FIELD

by with 2 Comments Things That Occur to Me

I thought I would share some quotes from my novel The Field about connecting with the Unified Field and ‘All That Is’. I hope you enjoy them and perhaps they will make you ponder.

This one is when Eric is describing what it feels like when he’s in the soccer goal and he simply knows where the ball is going.

“I don’t want to make too big a deal about it with Will, but sometimes I just get a feeling of knowing. It just flashes into my head. Maybe it’s from years of playing, but when it happens it feels different then reacting on instinct without thinking. It’s like knowing without thinking.” ~ Eric Horton, The Field

Do you have this kind of intuitive knowing or connection? I’d love to hear what it is like for you.

theFieldfrt2final

Work in Progress – Aliens and Earth in Crisis

by with 2 Comments The FieldWriting

I’m about a quarter of the way through with the very rough draft of my next untitled novel. Titles are really hard and I’m hoping for some inspiration to strike somewhere in the writing process!

As in my other books there is an environmental theme. I’m very concerned about what humans are doing to our planet with pollution, nuclear radiation, fracking, and burning fossil fuels. There is a lot of evidence that what we do harms the planet and I believe that there is a limit to what the Earth can absorb of our throw-away culture. There are better, healthier alternatives to plastic waste, pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and fossil fuels. Don’t even get me started on antibacterial soap! Antibiotics are turning up in mountain stream water! We just have to show a commitment on a personal level. What you do does matter. Corporations and governments won’t change of their own volition. They change in response to economic pressures – buying habits of consumers – and public pressure – how we vote. My way of showing my commitment is to include these issues in my books interwoven with stories of normal teens.

In THE FIELD the characters learn about and interact with The Universal Energy Field and the Collective Consciousness. This book will have aliens. Or star-beings, or extra-terrestrials – whatever you want to call them. If you think about the vastness of the Universe – billions of galaxies, billions of stars with billions of planets – I think it is naive, and really arrogant, as well,  to assume that we are the only form of intelligent life out there. Or that we are the most advanced form of life. These other life forms could be so advanced that they could already be here without our knowledge. At least the knowledge of the general population. There are certainly enough UFO sightings by credible sources such as airline pilots and military personnel to make one wonder about it.

A lot of books and movies about aliens have them attacking Earth. Then there are movies such as Interstellar, ET, Contact, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What if that is the truth? What if star-beings don’t mean to harm us, but want to help us? Are we ready to accept their help?

Here are some sites with more information.

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute – SETI – Carl Sagan Center

Institute of Noetic Sciences – IONS Founded by Apollo Astronaut Edgar Mitchell – Science and Consciousness