Michelle Gordon's Blog, page 40

The Visionary Fiction Alliance

A little while ago I was invited to join a group on Goodreads for Visionary Fiction. One of the members there had spotted my books and thought they were a good fit for the group. I joined and met the other members there, who were trying to raise the profile of this emerging genre. As a group it was decided that the group should have a blog or a website, where readers or writers of the genre could interact with one another. And so, the Visionary Fiction Alliance was created. The website was just launched on the 17th August, and was blessed on the new moon by the founding members. I want to applaud the massive amount of effort and hard work the founding members have already put into it, and the work they continue to do now it is running. Please go along and have a look, and join us if you wish! There will be guest posts, reviews, interviews and more coming on a regular basis.

We look forward to you joining us!

A new interview from Aria!

Aria was interviewed by the World Literacy Cafe (the lucky Faerie!) and her interview has just gone live!

Simply click here to read it, otherwise she’ll get upset!

You may have to sign up for an account to read it, but it’s quick and easy and will be worth it, I promise!

This week in the Gazette!

My interview at the Ross Gazette came out this week, so I thought I’d put a screenshot of the virtual edition of the paper! Already I have had people get in touch with me, who are also readers or writers of Spiritual and Visionary Fiction. I’m hoping to meet more local people to create a regular spiritual group. Hopefully I will meet more people at the Monmouth Music Festival tomorrow, and at the Mind, Body, Spirit fair on the 23rd Sept in the Forest of Dean.

A healthier wordcount!

I’m not quite where I should be with the wordcount yet, but I’m certainly in a better position than I was! Just over 5000 words written today, and I’m nearly at the halfway mark, with 24,587 words.

The story has turned into a completely different one than I imagined, and has completely taken on a life of its own. I have no doubt that it’s going to need a LOT of work, to get it into shape for my December publishing deadline, but I know it will get there!

I think I need a break now, I think some dinner and then some more banana and strawberry cake with ice cream is in order!

The breakthrough we have all been waiting for!

Well, the breakthrough I have been desperate for, at least! I have been so very behind on my wordcount all month, dragging my heels because my initial story idea only lasted the first few chapters, then I was adrift in the sea of uncertainty.

I know I always write this way – with no plot or guide map, but I still get slightly unnerved when I have thousands of words left to write, and I don’t know what any of them will be.

But today, after pushing myself to write another 2500 words, to help my flagging wordcount, I had come to a standstill. So I figured I may as well make dinner and chill out for the evening. Until I suddenly realise I’m supposed to be somewhere in twenty minutes. In the hurry to get ready and go, just as I am about to leave, the flash of inspiration comes zooming into my head, and as I close the door, I recognise it for the genius that it is!

So I now know, where this story is going, and it’s perfect, even if I did not see it coming, at all. I hope I can do the idea justice, I guess I will leave my readers to judge that one.

All I need to do now is to fill in the rest of the story to that point that I imagined earlier.

Easy!

Visionary Author Insight – Jodine Turner

This week I interviewed Visionary Author Jodine Turner. Jodine Turner is a best-selling, multiple award winning author of YA/Adult visionary fiction, magical realism, and fantasy. She is also an Adorata Practitioner in the spiritual path of embodying divine love and balancing the feminine and masculine within; as well as a therapist, consecrated priestess, and deacon in the Gnostic Church of Mary Magdalene.  Jodine is also a fellow founder of the Visionary Fiction Alliance.

On Spirituality

Do you believe in Angels or Faeries?  

Both of them. I’ve been influenced by the Western Mystery Tradition teacher with regards to this, the Scottish/Welsh born R.J. Stewart. I see Faeries as spiritual beings from an archetypal regenerative realm that is closely associated to the natural world; a realm close to ours but different; one suppressed by our culture’s dismissal and ‘progress’. I see Angels as spiritual entities and emissaries of God/Goddess.

What is your favourite spiritual quote?

“Carry on the Flame to a new dawn. I am with you” ~ the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea.

Have you ever had a spiritual experience, involving synchronicity, angels or Spirit etc?

I would definitely say yes – many. A significant one for me was when I visited Chalice Well, the holy well in Glastonbury, England. I had several surprising and spontaneous visions while seated beside the well. A sort of spiritual emergency or spiritual deepening. From that initiation, I came to discover the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea, who inspired my writing, as well as my life. I feel a kinship and affinity for Glastonbury that I have not felt for any other place I have traveled to. Most of my novels take place there. I eagerly grabbed the opportunity to move there for 13 months. What an exquisite experience that was!

Do you believe in life after death? Why?  

Yes. Because of past life soul remembrances I’ve had, and…just because it makes sense and feels right to me. My Goddess of the Stars and the Sea series are stories based on the reincarnation of a young priestess during three crucial periods in human history – the time leading up to the demise of Atlantis, the suppression of the Dark Ages, and the turbulence of today’s world. Who knows but that I called upon deep unconscious (and sometimes conscious!) past memories to flesh out my stories!

Do you believe in God?

Yes. And in God’s expression in our world as the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine and in their sacred union. I have a particular affinity for the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea, as I have mentioned. She is an ancient Goddess who is the evolutionary force of embodied Love. She is very often called ‘Mary’, and one of her ancient names, Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), gave rise to such deities as Isis and Mother Mary. Whatever the name, it is the essence of that ‘Mary’ that I align closely with.

Do you believe you came from a different realm in a past existence? That maybe you were an Angel, a Faerie or a Starperson?

Perhaps an ancient star lineage? Who knows?! I say this because of the story that came to me for my first book, The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis. I had the inspiration that those who lived in Atlantis came from six different Star Tribes. My main character, Geodran, had ancestry from one of these original six Star Tribes. Perhaps I pulled upon a personal ancient memory for the Star Tribe piece in the story.

On Life

If you won several million pounds in the lottery, what would be the first thing you would do?

Buy a home on the ocean (no surprise as my Visionary Fiction series is based on the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea!). Then tithe 10%, mostly to animal rescue charities.

Have you ever experienced the ‘dark night of the soul? If you did, how did you get through it?

Oh, yes. I made it through by keeping my heart open amidst, (and despite), my pain, fear, and anger.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

To Glastonbury, England. Surprised?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. It happened to me. I met my husband when I lived in Glastonbury, England. I knew there was something special between us from the start, when I met him in a boutique in Glastonbury, owned by a mutual friend.

Do you believe in magic?

Yes. And the ultimate, most powerful magic – love, both divine and human.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Actually, I love the in-between times, like twilight, and dawn, and midnight. These are the potent times in the day’s cycle, the time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. I do especially love the peace and quiet of the night time.

On Writing

What inspires you to write?

I can honestly say my series of novels chose me. But what initially inspired me was when I first read The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I became enthralled with Glastonbury, England through Marion’s story. That land and its sacred sites captivated my heart, my soul, and my imagination. That’s what led me to move there for a year. I experienced inspiring dreams and waking visions about Glastonbury. I studied its folklore and legend, and sacro-magical knowledge. I built upon my natural writing ability by studying the craft of writing. And using all those experiences, I began to write my Goddess of the Stars and the Sea series. My very first novel was published by Glastonbury Press.

I have visited the locations and ancient sacred sites that readers will find in The Awakening, The Keys to Remember, and both Carry on the Flame  books – the coast of Wales and some of its quaint villages like Betws-y-coed, the Orkney Isles of Scotland, and of course Glastonbury. Each locale I visited informed my scene descriptions with firsthand knowledge. And each location imbued my story with its own brand of magic.

Do you believe that your work is divinely inspired? That the words come from a higher source?

Yes, divinely inspired. Not channeled, however. My work comes from more of a deeper source, because I believe my creativity originates from my infinite ‘within’…from the depths of my body, my cells, and the spaces that go even deeper, where the Divine Feminine resides as the divinity within matter. I reach my muse and passion for writing from that deep well.

My goal is to embed my stories with meditations, techniques, and sacro-magical workings so that those who are interested may find and use them. I try to provide a transmission of energies, and a direct initiatory experience for readers to undergo as the characters undergo them. That is one of the hallmarks of Visionary Fiction. I hope to help others learn how to embody love through the stories I write.

Are any of your characters based on yourself?

When I began writing I didn’t give that much conscious thought. But after publishing three novels, a woman from my writing group pointed out to me that “…of course you and your main characters are the same. I see them in you. They are your soul incarnations.” I have to admit that while I believe characters are a part of an author’s unconscious as well as their creativity, I have begun to think mine are a part of my soul’s history, too! That intrigues me. Whatever their source, they become ‘alive’ to me, and I become obsessed with them during the time I am writing my manuscripts!

Where is your favourite place to write? What’s the view like from there?

I’d love to have a home with an ocean view as my place to write…someday! So, for right now, I write from my office. I see trees, in particular an apple tree I planted in front of my window. The apple tree is a tree symbolic of Glastonbury, which is also known as the ‘Isle of Apples’ for its many apple orchards.

Do you schedule time to write or just when the inspiration takes you?

Both. I keep a notebook where I can write down inspirations for my story, plot, characters, even specific dialogue to be used in my novels. I used to write these down on little pieces of paper…what a chaotic mess! Little pieces of paper strewn all over. But somehow I made it work. Under the influence of my writing group, with my current novel, I have a special notebook to write down my inspirations and keep them all in one place. I even make collages of my novels, to tap into my creative side without words.

On Indie Publishing

What motivates you to be an Indie Author? Is it the control? The possibility of making more money?  Or just because you want to get your books out there as soon as possible?  

Getting my books out sooner and the control appeal to me. I have had a very positive publishing experience with my small press publisher, TAG Publishers.

If you could give another Indie Author some advice, what would it be?

Keep true to your heart. And polish your writing craft, always. Writer’s groups are so important. Don’t write without feedback. It may be beautiful in your mind, it may make sense, but your readers are the important people here. And then once given feedback, filter it through your heart.

Also, I would tell Indie authors to attend Writer’s conferences. I didn’t attend a writing conference until my third book, and I wish I had done so sooner. The networking and the camaraderie is invaluable. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet and pitch your novel to agents and editors. I won many of my awards through major writer’s conference contests.

Believe in your work. And definitely get professional help for the editing and copy editing.

 

Where can we find you and your books online?

Website  http://www.jodineturner.com

Amazon.com Author and purchase page  http://www.amazon.com/author/jodineturner

Blog  http://.www.visionaryfiction.blogspot.com

Twitter   http://www.twitter.com/JodineTurner

Facebook Author page    http://www.facebook.com/JodineTurner.Author

Goodreads    http://bit.ly/k1PPbJ

Book trailer link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G3Jst5VHQo

Join The Earth Angel Training Academy!

Hello! Please head to my new website to sign up for the Academy! As an Earth Angel Trainee you will receive newsletters from the Academy, full of articles, interviews and information all about Earth Angels!

Join the Academy!

Still camping…

Okay so you know I said I would update you about my wordcount, but if things went quiet it would mean that I’m behind? Well, surprise surprise, I’m behind on my wordcount, which is why you haven’t had an update!

But fear not, I WILL have 50,000 words of my novel written by August 31st!

I’ve got a few scene ideas floating around at the moment, and this evening I will be settling down to explore them. At the moment I am busy revamping my website, which I’m pleased to say is looking pretty good so far! I will post an update when it is done!

To all the other wrimos out there who are struggling – keep going! You can do it!

The Doorway to PAM Interview with Joey Pinkney

Was interviewed by the lovely Joey Pinkney, it was posted this morning, so head over to his site to check it out!

Joeypinkney.com

Also, check out Aria’s first ever interview on Laurie’s blog, and on the 19th August, her second interview will be released on the  World Literary Cafe! (I swear that Faerie will be more well-known than me!)

You can also see my other interviews on the IndieBookSpot and The Indie Writer’s Showcase.

Hello from Camp!

So after a good start – hitting the target on the first day, I hit a slump on the word count front as my life got a little busy over the weekend, you know how it is, I had Carnivals to open, books to sell… anyway, I am now getting back on track and today have so far managed to write 5187 words, bringing my word count up to 7132. I should be at 9677 words by now, so I will do my best to up the word count by the end of the day.

The novel has already taken a completely different turn, though I must admit, I didn’t really know where it was going because I don’t plan or plot my novels!

Anyway, just took a quick break to write this post, will get back to it now, want to be able to have s’mores around the camp fire later!