Within the next little while, some changes are coming to my site and my novels. I have decided to re-publish my book Snowed In under the pen name: Olivia Oakley. The next book in the series will be released soon as well. I am doing this to make it easier to separate the genres I wish to write in. I hope everyone understands. My new project is well underway and I hope to have it to you by the end of summer. In this book we travel from England to Denmark in/about 936. The world was a very different place back then. For example, the castles we know about today were not yet built - even the Tower of London was merely a distant dream.
As always, this is the story of a woman ahead of her time. Despite her conventional upbringing she would have a spectacular life but would be doomed to becoming a footnote in history. Though fictional I wish to reconstruct not only the world of the 10th century but also her life.
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Personally, I have always found redemption arcs compelling but never gave them much thought. In a recent discussion with a friend an interesting point was brought up; what is redeemable?
In recent shows, largely geared to the YA crowd I've seen a lot of redemption arcs where the character in question is not only redeemed but rewarded in the end. The crimes they had committed seemed to have been forgotten. Crimes which include murder, acts of violence/abuse, and many more. Should someone who had murdered several people including family members of the main protagonist, gain their redemption? Often times they basically get to walk away having won the protagonist's heart over. Their hands wiped clean of all their bad deeds with an apology. It doesn't seem right. Nor, does it seem realistic even in a fantasy world. I simply can't get it out of my head that terrible acts such as, brutal murders are simply brushed under the rug. It is interesting to see a bad guy turn good but depending on what they did or the circumstances surrounding their actions I don't agree that they should get that fairy tale happy ending. Of course, that's just my personal opinion. In the end, media featuring these redemption arcs from TV shows to movies to books are works of fiction written for enjoyment. But I'd love to hear what you think... What is redeemable?
More recently, you can now find me on Instagram at the link below...
I will be posting updates and my many writing adventures there. “Since we are having a deep conversation I’d like to know when you are going to visit? Home I mean,” Ethan said. He sounded ready to scold her. “You know I want to go home but I just...I haven’t even taken a vacation in years. I’m trying really hard to make things work here. It’s been tiring. I don’t need distractions.” “I know you are waiting to have accomplished your goals so you can go back home and rub it in everyone’s faces. But they didn’t believe in you or support you, so screw them. You don’t need them. Clearly. Besides, they will never give you the validation you are looking for. Your grandmother is still there. She loves you and needs you.” “I regret ever having heart to hearts with you,” she said. She was teasing but there was a heaviness in her chest as his words struck home. As they usually did. “Why did I even invite you out here?” She peered up at him at last. “Because it’s beautiful,” Ethan said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Coming soon...I've been trying to keep up with my writing challenge set for myself at the beginning of the year but unsurprisingly I have stalled. Life has stalled.
It feels as though the world is waiting. Waiting to release that in-held breath. We are waiting for time to pass and inevitably it will. We shall settle down to a new redefined normal. In the meantime, I am pressing on hoping to be as productive as I can. One thing I am most afraid of is wasting time. I don't care where you stand on the events of the last few weeks. What I think we can all agree on is how fragile our world is and has always been even if we didn't realize it until recently. Now we must pick ourselves up and begin again. Hopefully, we will mend and come out stronger. Upcoming Projects: - Contemporary Rom-Com: Coming in May or Early June. - Historical Fiction: I have been working on another book in my Forgotten Women of History series. Stay Tuned. I shall be posting more about it soon. :) I have been exploring new genres and the latest is contemporary romance. It definitely has a place in the rom-com subcategory. Currently, it is only available as an ebook on Amazon. You can read it for free on Kindle Unlimited. Winter might be coming to an end but for two unsuspecting people a chance winter storm may lead to something more... Please enjoy a excerpt from "Snowed In: Chapter One" ...
“We have a guest room, and I promise no one will bother you if you want your space. I just don’t want to explain why a woman was found frozen in one of my cabins. It might not be good for my rating.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience.” He smiled. It struck her how serious he usually appeared. The smile suited him better. She grabbed her small suitcase and purse, slinging it around her shoulders. “Luckily I’m ready to go.” He frowned, looking at her thin coat. “Don’t you at least have a hat or something?” It’s -10 degrees out there and at least a five-minute walk.” She shook her head. He looked around the cabin and pulled the thick throw cover over her. “Hey,” she said, a bit startled. “Better than nothing. Come on.” Just wanted to let everyone know that paperback versions of The Stars Above and Fortuna's Queen are now available. I added links in the post below. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and supported me through the process of formatting and putting everything together. Currently, the ebook for Fortuna's Queen is also on sale until Friday March 24th for 99 cents. The last few weeks I've been working at adding some 6,000 new words to my novel "The Stars Above". These are previously deleted scenes I thought deserved a second change. I've also reformatted the novel and created a new cover. A paperback version will also be available on Amazon soon! Above is a picture of the building called Our Western Home which appears in The Stars Above. It was used to house the 'Home Children' who came to stay with Maria Rye until they were placed with families or found employment. Nearly 4000 children passed through these doors until Ms. Rye decided to return to England in 1895. It would be easy to imagine Sara Roth as one of the many home children in the picture below. Photos are courtesy of the Library and Archives of Canada.
Week 7 & 8 -- 10,000 out of 20,000
The challenge will have to be put on hold...due to unforeseen circumstances. I am a bit disappointed but I tried one week to meet my goals and it caused me more stress and pain than it should. I hope you are all staying safe and taking care but also finding ways to have fun. I for one am going on walks with my dog a lot more than I used to just to get out of the house. Hello! I hope everyone is keeping safe.
I wanted to announce that I have republished To Crown A Rose under a new name: The Lady's Crown. Please contact me if you have recently purchased a paperback version and have had any issues. I shall update the links as soon as possible as well. Please bear with me. |
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