Open Window: Truth from the Shadows

Under my own control, led by my newly discovered personal power, I had crossed the defensive line which I had spent my entire life building.  Digging deeply, facing my fears, I was uncovering the mysteries that had plagued my happiness and kept me in the dark shadows of the living until now.  And it was the hand of the dead that was dragging me back to life.

        From afar, Alex Wells appears as a typical high school senior, but the dreams that invade her mind are anything but typical.  Nighttime visits from long passed relatives are commonplace.  Questioning her sanity, she struggles inside self-inflicted walls, hiding her secret from the world.  It is only her Grandmother and younger sister, Camilla, who accept Alex for who she is: a psychic-medium. 

     Reluctantly coming to terms with her ever-increasing psychic abilities, it is the latest dream of a young stranger’s violent suicide that has Alex spinning out of control.  While she attempts to take charge of her life, she is compelled to uncover his story, forcing her to face her own fears and follow him on his journey to seek redemption.  As her family and friends watch her spiral into a well of despair, she refuses to give up seeking out his truth, no matter the cost.  It may only be the new boy in school who can lift her from the depths of self-destruction, but he too has a secret to hide.

     Open Window: Truth from the Shadows is a PG-13 Paranormal Romance.  Parental guidance is suggested since it deals with issues of suicide, violence, and adult content.

To read the first chapter of Open Window: Truth from the Shadows click on the Open Window tab for a little sneak peek!

You’re an artist, why write?

Whether with poetry through high school and college, or with short stories as a child, writing has always been a release for me.  Choosing a career as an art teacher is supposed to mean I’m an artist, right?  My expression should come out in color and images, my thoughts should flow freely on a canvas.  When I was a little girl, I always knew I would grow up to write and illustrate a children’s book.  As I got older, the ideas for the books came easily.  I have written them all down.  However I was surprised to find that what held me back were the illustrations.  The words flowed with ease, yet the pictures, even with my career in art, were the hardest to extract.  I have come to realize I find my solace in words; my expression is inspired through text.  I am moved by the beauty of a great set of lyrics in a piece of music, or small words strung together to form a sentence that creates endless images in your mind.  It is words; the way they weave in, out, and around each other that send goose bumps up and down my arms, shivers of delight up my spine, or bring tears to my eyes.

 I awoke one morning in September of 2009 with a literal cast of characters swimming in my mind.  It was as though the muse had struck, and I had no other choice but to follow their lead and get every thought down as fast as possible.  The concept for Open Window: Truth from the Shadows seemed to fall from my head, and the words flowed freely.  My busy life as a mother, a teacher, a wife, and graduate student occupied much of my time, but I found quiet in the late hours of the night to sit and let the story take me away.  I initially started to write for my own personal enjoyment; it was such a fun process!  But after sharing it with a friend on a whim, her feedback made me believe maybe I could do something with this and others may like it too.  So I took a chance, and here I am now, getting ready to put it all out there.  I’m nervous.  I’m anxious.  But I’m so ready to share it with all of you and hope you enjoy it as much as I have!