Sara Ellie MacKenzie's Blog, page 7

#BehindTheScenes 47 - Furry Family

It's weird to believe that it's October and autumn! This is the season that the animals here love. The cats watch the scenery from the window and Tips loves jumping in and out of leaf piles. It's getting cooler, so they are also huddling near the heaters and blankets.

My husband, Brian, and I treat these three furry creatures as part of our family. We grew up with animals, both cats and dogs. Brian had a snake when he was in the Air Force. My parents had a cat and two dogs when I was born. Over the years, the amount has increased and decreased in size.

This is ours.

When I left my parents' house in early 2012, I took my cat, Tabitha, with us to Maine. She was the first pet we had living together. She was old when we moved, and she died six months after we settled in our new home. Brian had no pets when we started living together because he had been homeless.

Some weeks later, Brian's brother (from another mother) said his cat had kittens. When she was weaned, we went over and allowed Calvin to sit with the kittens. Only one came to him - a calico, who we named Myra. Her life was short. She passed before Christmas the year we moved into our current home. Another cat living here found her.

The cats we have now were abandoned by their previous owners. We allowed people we thought were friends to

come live with us. We thought they were in trouble. When we found out they lied, they were told to leave. They did not take much with them past 2/4 cats they brought with them. This is how we got Rory (fat orange tabby) and Skaara (skinny calico asshole). Rory is my son's cat and Skaara is...well, not really into people unless he comes to you and rubs.

Earlier this year, I had an itch, something my husband mentioned he wanted: a dog. We could not afford the prices of a shelter and found several free pet groups online. Mostly, there were pit bulls and small mobile footballs. I found Drako and immediately fell in love. I did not care if he was a pit bull/bulldog mix. He was a cuddly baby and he was mine.

Drako had a problem, though: too much walking made him tired. No matter how much water I gave him, it was never enough. Vet mentioning keeping him out of the humidity and keeping him cool. All of us thought it was an overheating issue...not cancer. The previous holders did not tell us about the cancerous lump on his leg.

Calvin and I were walking him to Price Rite. We wanted to get some snacks. Drako was getting tired every few feet. We had to stop and let him rest or, I sometimes picked him up. By the time we reached the shade of the store, Drako was shaking and weak. I thought it was the normal problems...

We could not go without a dog now. Calvin had gotten so used to that routine and was freaking out enough that I checked the Facebook groups again for another furry friend. Lo and behold, we found another pit bull: Tips. We brought him home 2 days after Drako died.

For me, it was a bad choice. I felt immense guilt and pain about this decision. It was too soon for me. I had been crying nonstop on and off. Sometimes, when I disciplined Tips, I thought it was too rough - the yelling, the tears and the frustration bubbling underneath.

It's been over 2 months since that time. I have gotten better with my anger and grief. Tips is a part of this family, as much as Skaara and Rory are. We will always be open to more.

And that is all we need.

Namaste!

#PetLover #DogMom #CatMom #GoneNeverForgotten #HereAndNow #FurryChildren

#FindOutFriday Answers 24

Yes, it's that time again - Friday and answers to the trivia. How many did you get right? Comment below!

Anne Boleyn - I make many references to this infamous Tudor Queen in many ways. However, one of them stems from Casting Shadows. In it, Nora talks about the fate of her mother, Vera Lynn. She was beheaded in the woods by sword. While Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London, the accusations are the same - incest, adultery and treason against the King.

Valek - This is a tough one actually, unless you have read Maria Snyder. Valek is the name of a character in her books on Ixia (and beyond). I am not spoiling much, but the character was a master spy. He was my inspiration for Jerry the spy in Casting Shadows and The Circle is Broken. The idea of having such a strong man on Nora's side was too tempting. Jerry's role was much different than Maria Snyder's character, though. He most certainly was not Nora's lover either.

Prince Charles, now King Charles III - To be honest, His Majesty was the inspiration behind the character of James Howe in Through the Meadow. It was not for his cruelty, though. I took the historical love triangle between him, Queen Camilla and the late Princess Diana and used it as some of the tension between James, Constance and Miranda. While the current monarch did not have children with his wife, the character dared to reach that far...and pass them off as another man's children.

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

#History #CurrentEvents #InMyLifetime #FictionBasedOnFiction #Fantasy #ActionAdventure #IndieAuthor

#BehindTheScenes 46 - Tarot III

You did not expect that, did you?

This #BehindTheScenes is brought to you by a writer's other activities. Tarot is an activity I use for clarity and guidance. They are not the paganist tools of the Devil or anything of the sort.

I admitted once that I had some strange things happen to me. I will do another #BehindTheScenes on that later. For now, tarot and oracle are my focus today. For those who do not understand, please set aside all of your knowledge about them. Look at the picture on the left.

This is my Akashic deck, so it is different than a traditional 1. The Akashic is explained as the field of knowledge, of everything in the universe, and the idea behind it is that there is knowledge within us that will prompt us forward. This card in particular talks about 2 sides facing each other - what we know in our minds and what we know in our souls.

Read the pictures below, from left to right. What evil do you see in it? How does it go against your holy books? If anything, I love the artwork. It's historical in basis. The message behind the card isn't bad either.

Did you read through all of that? If so, what do you think? What connections do you see with other religions? The reason why I ask is because each holy book, from the Koran to the Bible and even the philosophies of Hinduism, Taoism, etc., says the same things, only in different languages.

It is the same with tarot. Each card can have the same messages. But each different deck can say it another way that is more understandable. It does not always follow the traditional meanings that history placed on them.

Religion and spirituality is a personal journey. Some people share it together. Others are silent in their faith. Every one of those walks is perfect. Just as long as you harm none, walk. I will be beside you, walking you home.

Namaste, everyone. Have a great day!

#ToolsOfTheTrade #Religious #Spirituality #MessagesFromAngels #YouAndMe #PersonalChoice #IndieAuthor

Chronically Writing: Another One?!

Just when I thought life could not get any weirder...it does.

I was diagnosed as Neurodivergent.

Wait...how did that happen?!

I've mentioned it a few times. I used neurodivergent instead of autism because I was unsure. I never wanted an excuse, but an explanation for how I thought. I felt like this was the only thing that defined my weirdness and acceptance of all things in left field.

When you have someone who is in your corner and believes you, anything can happen.

Brian and I always wondered about Calvin's autism. We knew that a great uncle of Brian's was autistic. There was mention of something else. Then, someone my father said before he died and a simple internet meme changed that view.

Before he passed, my father told me something he vaguely remembered. My mother used to jump and wave her hands, like Calvin. He mentioned to her how cute it was and she stopped doing it. She never did it again through their years of abuse, kids, and drugs.

The internet meme? Well, I am sure that Big Brother has got enough tracking on me to know that I am a special needs mom and throws me special needs memes and websites. Something caught my attention. It simply said, "You know, autism is genetic."

GENETIC!

Like, holy shit, if my son was mid/high functioning, then someone closer than a 2x great uncle could have passed it. We had another theory until I started researching adults with autism. The list of symptoms was familiar to me. Then, there was more digging. TikTok videos. YouTube surfing. Reading books. Connecting with other women diagnosed as adults.

Then, some piece of my life became clearer.

The bullying from my peers and the inability to retain friendships. The petulance in doing my work and the punishments that made me fear. Clothes that made me uncomfortable and the vocalness I had about it. Repeating songs I love nonstop for days. The want to fidget on every occasion I needed to sit still and be quiet. No, I do not do well in churches.

That little girl never knew safety. She always sought for attention and approval. That way, she would somehow get a shred of the love she craved. I wish I could have told her that she was perfect the way she was...and that the future was better than she realized, even for her uniqueness.

Namaste, everyone! Have a great day!

#Confessions #AnotherOneBitesTheDust #Autism #Neurodivergent #LittleGirl #Masking #IndieAuthor

#FindOutFriday Answers 23

Hi, everyone! Here are the answers to this week's #TriviaTuesday. How many did you get? Comment below!

Teuta - A town that John Ronald visited was surveyed by the Duke of Brenton's son. Teuta was a figure I 1st heard in a documentary by Henry Louis Gates. Historically, she was Illyrian Queen who fought the Romans. There are few reliable sources about her because all of them are hostile. We do know that she held the regency for her stepson and that she was a center figure in the First Illyrian War against Rome.

IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles) - It was a sect of Christianity founded by Bill Gothard in 1961. It was made more (in)famous by the Duggar family with nineteen children. This was the main basis for the Christianity in the series. To have as many children as God allowed was what kept the character of Miranda Bryon in the limelight (in the story's context anyway). The idea of having twenty plus children is not farfetched either. Mariam Nabatanzi and Barbara Stratzmann are examples of such mothers.

Pelkey - This 1 was pretty obscure unless you are fluent in Tudor history. Pelkey was the name of Miranda's dog in Through the Meadow. It was also the name of Anne Boleyn's dog (albeit it was Purkoy, not Pelkey). While the name was slightly changed, the fate of the canines did not. Anne Boleyn's friend died from a fall. Miranda's passed via nefariosu means...

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

#History #CurrentEvents #Christianity #FreedomOfReligion #AncientTimes #TudorHistory #Trivia

#BehindTheScenes 45 - Book Covers

Welcome to the new season of #BehindTheScenes everyone! In this edition, I am going to talk about my book covers. I have always received mixed reactions to them. I mean, they are pretty plain with a generic picture on each.

Let's look over my first book, A World So Bright and Dark. Basic title, author and picture on the cover. Yes, nobody could see why I would choose a black and white picture of empty benches. Marketing experts that I spoke to did not let me explain why I chose what I did, stating strongly that it was plain, had no meaning, and would not get me any readers.

They were right. I am not criticizing that. But it left no room for me to say that yes, there was a meaning to the picture. The book is written in the voice of a young girl. She is bullied and abused, seeing herself mostly alone. The picture of the empty benches is the equivalent of her speaking to a friend, i.e. her journal.

They are fictional characters. But in Lizzie's world, the journal is a real friend versus invisible. She is telling her friend all her secrets. Since it is between the two of them, nobody else would know.

Does it make better sense now?

Well, that would not have brought the right readers, come to think of it. The same thing happened with the other books. Casting Shadows had the spiral staircase. The Circle is Broken had candles. Through the Meadow displayed the butterfly on the flower. Revolution is less exciting with its forest view.

Each of them had meaning. The staircase was what I imagined Dorth House had, a location close to the main character of the first two books. The candles represented not only the light in the dark, but also the secretive nature of the escapade. The butterfly in the meadow symbolized vulnerability in open spaces. The explosive revolution isn't so boring once you knew that the main setting of the latter half of the book was set in the woods.

None of those told you what kind of book I have. Most of you would not catch the symbolism, to be honest. But set to the background of stone and light, you can clearly see crowned books.

It's a work in progress to make an author marketable. When you are on your own, nobody is always going to understand you. You WILL be judged. You WILL experience ups and downs. But someday, you WILL understand how to do something without thinking about it...because we got better with practice. It's the same with me. Besides, I plotted the rest of the series much the same way and will continue to advertise the books the same way, even if the color and the schemes don't make sense to you.

PS Watch out for the next piece of the cover for From Across the Sea. I am planning to post it here on the blog middle to end of October. Again, the full picture will be revealed 6:30 PM EST on New Years Eve 2024.

Namaste! Have a great day!

#BookCover #BoringYou #TooBig #PrintTooSmall #BooksTooBig #NotForYouDoesntMeanNotForEveryone #IndieAuthor #BookSeries

Sunday FAQ 1

Well, I've been getting asked a lot of questions about being a full time author. And it's not just from people I meet. Even my husband is (mostly) ignorant of the work I do. To him, it's a lot of work without compensation. He is more understanding of my needs and knows the industry sucks.

So, I thought every Sunday, I'd allow you all to ask me questions and I can answer them here (because my videos and #BehindTheScenes sometimes does not cut it). Later, I might do lives on TikTok or some other social media to continue this. For now, I like the written format. Any questions can be emailed to me at saramckenzie1982@gmail.com.

Do you really sit around all day?

No. While I sit a lot writing, editing, etc., I do not do it all day. I have housework I do on my breaks, and I take a lot of walks. I also get up and answer the phone and email. Yes, I do it standing sometimes. Yes, I love dancing to music and typing.

Do you make lots of money?

Hahahahahaha, no. I have made less than $1000 in 5 years. A person has to be lucky and know a lot of people to get into a traditional publishing house and have an income. They also need support and a lot of luck.

How do you handle the work/home life?

Very carefully. I have to discipline myself and set a schedule for everything. Some time is allocated to social media or my website. Others to the craft of writing and editing. My priority (because I am home) is my son, Calvin. He is autistic and has a routine between here and school. When school is out, I am the primary caretaker and that is a LOT.

Let's see what kind of questions you have! Please comment below or email me. Namaste, everyone, and have a great rest of your weekend!

#IndieAuthor #QA #AllAboutMe #AskYourQuestions #WorkHomeLife #WifeAndMom #NewBritain

#FindOutFriday Answers 22

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

A New Season

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

Them's the Rules

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