Fantasy gallops in on the back of a silver-white stallion
The strangest writing experience
Turmoil and rose petals swirled down Hummingbird Lane, perfuming the crisp night air, littering the shadowed streets. Soft light glowed from the second floor window of the pale yellow clapboard house at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Sarah Logan and Chloe Brinkman sprawled on Sarah’s bed as they did most nights. … On top of the cluttered desk lay a white, unopened business letter. Chloe picked it up and demanded, “What’s this? It looks like it’s from Stanton.”
“It came today,” Sarah answered.
“Well, open it.” Chloe thrust the envelope at Sarah.
One evening in 2016 as I sat alone, a day dream swept me into a fantasy of being a young girl galloping through an endless forest on the back of a silver-white stallion.
Away! I must get away … on and on we flew, branches grabbing at my hair, my heart pounding.
Strange I thought … and tried to put the vision away … but it kept returning.
Where was I going? And, why?
The next several weeks were taken over by the strangest writing experience. Knowing not where this was going nor why, words flowed and a story began to unfold, almost as if someone else were dictating it. Her name came … Sarana and she wound up in a world strange, while vaguely familiar, where danger lurked and challenges emerged as she wandered through a vaguely Mayan world, saving hatchling turtles from a hungry monster and facing an angry god who had stolen blue from the world, all with no weapons but strength and courage she hadn’t known she had.
As the fantasy came to an end, the real world returned and challenged me to figure out what to do with it. Finally, it wound up as a young adult, fantasy novella: the first piece of fiction I had ever written: Sarana’s Gift: It changes everything.
Now Free on Kindle Unlimited
The time was right so I put it up on Kindle where little happened, although at the time, my granddaughters said they liked it and my kind friends (and one stranger) left lovely comments on amazon. I even found a talented young reader who brought it to life as an audiobook of about four hours. Since then, I had pretty much forgotten about it until browsing about recently, I just found that it’s free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers (or $2.99 to buy it), in case any of you are looking for a quick read or something for a young friend.
Sarana’s Gift is a spirit journey. Sarana faces terrible challenges and discovers unknown courage and strengths. Then she is faced with the need to sacrifice what she thinks she needs most in order to restore balance to the world.
Will she be able to keep the gift that changes everything?
I’m grateful for finding this forgotten part of my writing past. It reminds me that, even though I’ve had limited “success” in this writing world, I have persisted in doing what called to me from childhood even after receiving my first writer’s rejection in the fourth grade. (The play that I submitted for our recess “drama” group was rejected because my writing was illegible.)
The world has never insisted I continue on this writer’s path, nor even lured me on with lavish rewards, but, still, I am here, still feeling the joy of seeing my words and thoughts in print, experiencing the flow of creativity, being seen and acknowledged even by the tiniest audience of others. I wrote recently about Marta Becket who created her own stage to dance on, with or without audience. I’m starting to understand what kept her going.
It’s what we artists/writers/singers/dancers/inventors/gardeners/explorers and so on do; it’s how we engage with the world; it’s who we are. What a joy to be here on Substack where there are so many of us writers, hanging out, interacting, supporting each other, seeing and being seen. Definitely a cause for celebration and love letters to the writer’s life.
Also Free: Simple Design on Substack
Thank you to all of you readers and writers on Substack and there is a gift for you in Gratitude Corner below … a flipbook (of course) of ten principles of simple design with examples from Mother Nature and Substack. The process of gathering these principles began years ago when I tiptoed into learning how to produce my own magazines … the principles were helpful to me so I hope they help some of you on your Substack journey.
Special thanks for the beautiful examples to
and apologies to all the other writers/artists whose beautiful examples I missed … the flipbook could have been endless.
Addendum: The symbol on the cover of Sarana’s Gift is called Hunab Ku and was found in the process of writing this novella and used as a sacred symbol of Ixchel, the goddess featured in the book. Most of what I knew about her came from a plaque found thirty years prior on the then almost unknown dive beach of Akumal. I liked saying her name.
At the time of writing, there was doubt about the authenticity of Hunab Ku. It now has a Wikipedia page which documents its history. The likelihood is that it was not an ancient Mayan symbol, but I was writing fantasy fiction and liked the graphic.
The imagination takes a few straws and whirls them together into a story basket.
A gift of beauty & practical guidance. Thanks for your constancy and generosity. Mil Gracias
The flip book is great Joyce! Also like how you were 'swept away' with Sarana.