Still Rock Water is the first in the Moonstone series of paranormal novels set in the little village of St. Ives, Cornwall, England.
Liliha's life changes when she inherits her grandmother's star moonstone ring. Instead of playing the role of an Australian housewife, an apparition whisks her away to participate in a flood rescue. She dismisses the strange vision as a dream until it is repeated and grows stronger. Despite her unique ability to help others in distress, Liliha is powerless to alter her depressed, belittling husband. But transformation awaits her in the form of betrayal, losing her ring and immigrating to the other side of the Earth.
After a coastal storm, the St. Ives police discover the unique ring on a body and send it away for assessment. Experts at the British Museum offer Liliha an appointment.
Sweeping, epic in scope, spare and poetic, Liliha's story is as irresistible as the pull of her ancient moonstone ring. Still Rock Water is a whirlwind of sensory delight and mystery, told in spare and poetic prose, with characters so clearly drawn, their humanity rings across the deserts of ancient Egypt, through the annals of time and straight to the reader's heart. - Carol Kean. Author of Left on Stonehaven and Ironwolf.
Liliha's life changes when she inherits her grandmother's star moonstone ring. Instead of playing the role of an Australian housewife, an apparition whisks her away to participate in a flood rescue. She dismisses the strange vision as a dream until it is repeated and grows stronger. Despite her unique ability to help others in distress, Liliha is powerless to alter her depressed, belittling husband. But transformation awaits her in the form of betrayal, losing her ring and immigrating to the other side of the Earth.
After a coastal storm, the St. Ives police discover the unique ring on a body and send it away for assessment. Experts at the British Museum offer Liliha an appointment.
Sweeping, epic in scope, spare and poetic, Liliha's story is as irresistible as the pull of her ancient moonstone ring. Still Rock Water is a whirlwind of sensory delight and mystery, told in spare and poetic prose, with characters so clearly drawn, their humanity rings across the deserts of ancient Egypt, through the annals of time and straight to the reader's heart. - Carol Kean. Author of Left on Stonehaven and Ironwolf.
Tidal Surge is the second in the Moonstone series of paranormal novels set in the little village of St. Ives, Cornwall, England.
Full of married bliss, Liliha welcomes her edgy daughter to St. Ives. However, alerted during visions while wearing an ancient star moonstone ring, Liliha's helpful role takes a terrifying direction. Instead of putting harmful situations right by using her ingenuity, her experiences deteriorate into a skirmish to avert harm.
After secretly trying on a bracelet, Kaelyn's first vision of participating in murder drags her deeper towards addiction to vicarious acts.
Neither aware of the other's participation during each vision, mother and daughter see through a stranger's eyes and manipulate their actions to battle over good and evil.
Today I'm happy to have author Francene Stanley stop by.
1. Greetings, can you tell us a little bit about your history and how your work has evolved up to this point?
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog, Helen. I'm delighted to share a bit about myself.
I've learned so much during my long life, both bitter and sweet. Although I spent the first forty-five years in South Australia, the United Kingdom is now my country of choice. I live in the picturesque setting of Hertfordshire in outer London. Horses roam the fields around a little strip of Victorian cottages along the road.
I used to be employed in the catering business full time—hard work, which left no energy for anything else. When I retired, I needed to occupy myself. After songwriting, I turned to poetry and once I'd exhausted every topic I could think of, a novel came to mind, loosely based on my life. In 2007, I began to write my first novel. Since then, I joined the Internet Writers Workshop and have written nine novels, six of which are published.
2. What genre, or genres, do you write?
I write fantasy and paranormal. First of all, I wrote my life story for my family.
Right. Done. But what about all I'd learned during my wonderful life?
Use my story as the base of a novel. Show how a gentle, naive woman CAN survive in the face of aggression. Demonstrate how to use the power of the mind to overcome every obstacle with time, space and patience.
And that's where fantasy came in. An inherited star moonstone ring sweeps Liliha, my heroine in Still Rock Water, away in random visions where she helps someone in distress. She's so much more than a woman borrowing the story of my life. Liliha took over and created her own circumstances. Her story will inspire each reader along the way to the joyful ending.
3. What is your latest book called and what is it about?
The title of my latest published book is Tidal Surge, the second in the Moonstone series. Liliha's daughter, full of angst and resentment, arrives in Cornwall to stay with her. When she slides one of her mother's bracelets up her arm, she is whisked into another personality in a vision where her bad feelings are lived through another body. The bracelet generates negative emotions. Mother and daughter battle in visions, neither aware of the other's involvement.
4. What was the inspiration for your book?
Balance fills every part of life. The good influence for Liliha's ring needs the equal and opposite effect. Hence, the bracelet induces evil thoughts and intentions. The novel explores a battle between good and evil in everyday life.
5. Where can we buy your books?
All six of my published books are available on Amazon.
I co-wrote four post-apocalyptic novels with Edith Parzefall, a contact through the IWW.
The characters from the Moonstone series are reincarnated in the future.
Here's my author page where you can find them all: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007XP8D7C
6. What can we expect from you in the future?
I'm editing Seashell Effect at the moment. In the third of the Moonstone series, the novel explores what happens when Liliha attempts to contact and follow up one of the people she failed to change during a vision. She thinks of herself as a psychic detective, but her effort gets her into trouble.
7. Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
I love Harry, the bad boy in Liliha's stories. The way he changes due to her influence grabs your heart.
8. Do you plot ahead of time, or do you let the plot emerge as you write?
A rough idea of the story prompts me to begin writing. From there, the characters tend to take over and logic dictates what will happen.
9. Who are some of your favorite authors to read? Favorite books?
I read and read from the time I was young. Ann of Green Gables, The Famous Five and Pollyanna inspired me. In my twenties, I inherited my grandmother's Science Fiction collection published from as early as the Twenties. I devoured every one. Asimov, Tolstoy and Tolkien inspired me. Then, in my thirties, I read books about Edgar Cayce's 'readings' and the concept captivated me about past lives and what happens when we die. I loved Sarum, a massive novel about the Salisbury Cathedral through reincarnated builders. For me, characters need to be complex and to learn during each lifetime.
10. What would be your ultimate goal as a writer?
I want people to read my books and retain a clear message. If only I could share optimism with my readers. Anyone can find a way out of a dark situation if they remain steadfast.
Excerpt
Here's an excerpt from Seashell Effect, my current work in progress. It will give you a glimpse of how the visions work in the novel.
~~~~~~~~~~
Light and dark flickered. Perfume wafted into her senses. Glad about being alone, Liliha tightened her muscles ready for the impending vision. With a sudden tilt, her perception spun out of control and twisted inside the tunnel of dreams.
* * *
I penetrate the fuzzy disturbance in my sight. A streetlight illuminates houses. Slender legs carry me along. High-heeled shoes click and echo in a dark street. I'm within a woman already. She recollects a recent conversation with giggling friends, during which someone calls her name. I experience the movement as Trudy glances over her shoulder at the man following her, wishing she could return to safety.
Unlit houses stand side-by-side along the street fronted by small gardens. Trudy increases her pace toward the corner ahead, undecided about hammering on one of the doors to ask for help. Another friend lives in the next street. If she can just reach the end, she'll be safe.
With me inside, her breath comes fast. We stumble.
'You can do it', I whisper in her mind in an effort to calm her. 'Concentrate'.
Gasping, we straighten and hurry on.
Her jumbled thoughts override mine. 'Get to the gate. Someone better be inside. What if they're not? Can I reach home? Shoes are awkward ... throw them off. No. I'd have to stop'. We sob.
I generate a surge of strength to her, and then make a mental leap to deal with the follower. Thank the Lord I'm not locked into Trudy on this occasion.
In a flash, I hover over the man lurching behind, and then meld. He's young and drunk, out for a thrill. His inebriated thoughts don't divulge his name. I snatch random information. His plans for the woman ahead are lustful, possibly violent. Needing some street-cred, he'll tell his mates about his exploit.
What can I do to slow him? He's bilious. I send the idea of doubling over and suggest a comforting image of relief.
We stop, grunt and spill the contents of our stomach into a garden. Not pleasant. A house light flicks on. A growled curse comes from a high window. We gaze up at the twitching curtains. Humiliation withers our erection.
A sour taste produces another retch. We swerve and retreat.
All he wants is to crawl into bed. Maybe his mother will lay her soft hands on his head.
'You should be ashamed', I whisper. 'What will she think of this behavior when she hears reports?'
He listens to the voice of reason. Rising alarm causes a stumble over a jutting pavement slab.
He'll remember this lesson. I leave this revolting body.
I surge forward and rejoin Trudy, too panicked to notice his absence. I whisper, 'It's all right now. Slow down'. I hope she's listening. I empathize with the girl the same age as my own daughter Kaelyn. Before I leave, Trudy needs to conquer her fear.
Someone ahead. She pulls up, heart fluttering.
"Alright, love?" An old man stops and his dog sniffs her.
"Help me," Trudy gasps. "There's someone following me."
"Wait here," he says. "We'll take a look, won't we, Tiger?" They reach the corner and halt. "No one here. Come and see."
Trudy doesn't want to face her fear. What if the old man's tricking her? She flexes, ready to run.
I whisper, 'You're safe. The man came from the opposite direction'.
After a huge breath, we step toward the man, checking his body language. He remains impassive. His dog jumps beside him, giving the occasional impatient yip. At last, we approach. The stalker is nowhere in sight.
"Thank you." We relax.
With relief replacing terror, Trudy's open to a nudge in the right direction. I whisper, 'When alone at night, carry a Mace spray. Always let someone know where you are. Take a mobile phone to contact the police'.
With a determined nod, she accepts my suggestions as part of the normal inner voice guiding her.
I lift away.
* * *
Inside the pub surrounded by chatter, Liliha rubbed her eyes. Appealing to someone's better nature usually worked. In a roundabout way, the method influenced the stalker. Most people possessed the inner prompt, just as they sometimes acted on outrageous ideas.
~~~~~~~~~~
Links
Website http://francene--wordstitcher.weebly.com
daily blog http://511580395457358476.weebly.com
twitter @FranceneStanley
Facebook http://fb.com/Authfs
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5824616.Francene_Stanley
1. Greetings, can you tell us a little bit about your history and how your work has evolved up to this point?
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog, Helen. I'm delighted to share a bit about myself.
I've learned so much during my long life, both bitter and sweet. Although I spent the first forty-five years in South Australia, the United Kingdom is now my country of choice. I live in the picturesque setting of Hertfordshire in outer London. Horses roam the fields around a little strip of Victorian cottages along the road.
I used to be employed in the catering business full time—hard work, which left no energy for anything else. When I retired, I needed to occupy myself. After songwriting, I turned to poetry and once I'd exhausted every topic I could think of, a novel came to mind, loosely based on my life. In 2007, I began to write my first novel. Since then, I joined the Internet Writers Workshop and have written nine novels, six of which are published.
2. What genre, or genres, do you write?
I write fantasy and paranormal. First of all, I wrote my life story for my family.
Right. Done. But what about all I'd learned during my wonderful life?
Use my story as the base of a novel. Show how a gentle, naive woman CAN survive in the face of aggression. Demonstrate how to use the power of the mind to overcome every obstacle with time, space and patience.
And that's where fantasy came in. An inherited star moonstone ring sweeps Liliha, my heroine in Still Rock Water, away in random visions where she helps someone in distress. She's so much more than a woman borrowing the story of my life. Liliha took over and created her own circumstances. Her story will inspire each reader along the way to the joyful ending.
3. What is your latest book called and what is it about?
The title of my latest published book is Tidal Surge, the second in the Moonstone series. Liliha's daughter, full of angst and resentment, arrives in Cornwall to stay with her. When she slides one of her mother's bracelets up her arm, she is whisked into another personality in a vision where her bad feelings are lived through another body. The bracelet generates negative emotions. Mother and daughter battle in visions, neither aware of the other's involvement.
4. What was the inspiration for your book?
Balance fills every part of life. The good influence for Liliha's ring needs the equal and opposite effect. Hence, the bracelet induces evil thoughts and intentions. The novel explores a battle between good and evil in everyday life.
5. Where can we buy your books?
All six of my published books are available on Amazon.
I co-wrote four post-apocalyptic novels with Edith Parzefall, a contact through the IWW.
The characters from the Moonstone series are reincarnated in the future.
Here's my author page where you can find them all: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007XP8D7C
6. What can we expect from you in the future?
I'm editing Seashell Effect at the moment. In the third of the Moonstone series, the novel explores what happens when Liliha attempts to contact and follow up one of the people she failed to change during a vision. She thinks of herself as a psychic detective, but her effort gets her into trouble.
7. Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
I love Harry, the bad boy in Liliha's stories. The way he changes due to her influence grabs your heart.
8. Do you plot ahead of time, or do you let the plot emerge as you write?
A rough idea of the story prompts me to begin writing. From there, the characters tend to take over and logic dictates what will happen.
9. Who are some of your favorite authors to read? Favorite books?
I read and read from the time I was young. Ann of Green Gables, The Famous Five and Pollyanna inspired me. In my twenties, I inherited my grandmother's Science Fiction collection published from as early as the Twenties. I devoured every one. Asimov, Tolstoy and Tolkien inspired me. Then, in my thirties, I read books about Edgar Cayce's 'readings' and the concept captivated me about past lives and what happens when we die. I loved Sarum, a massive novel about the Salisbury Cathedral through reincarnated builders. For me, characters need to be complex and to learn during each lifetime.
10. What would be your ultimate goal as a writer?
I want people to read my books and retain a clear message. If only I could share optimism with my readers. Anyone can find a way out of a dark situation if they remain steadfast.
Excerpt
Here's an excerpt from Seashell Effect, my current work in progress. It will give you a glimpse of how the visions work in the novel.
~~~~~~~~~~
Light and dark flickered. Perfume wafted into her senses. Glad about being alone, Liliha tightened her muscles ready for the impending vision. With a sudden tilt, her perception spun out of control and twisted inside the tunnel of dreams.
* * *
I penetrate the fuzzy disturbance in my sight. A streetlight illuminates houses. Slender legs carry me along. High-heeled shoes click and echo in a dark street. I'm within a woman already. She recollects a recent conversation with giggling friends, during which someone calls her name. I experience the movement as Trudy glances over her shoulder at the man following her, wishing she could return to safety.
Unlit houses stand side-by-side along the street fronted by small gardens. Trudy increases her pace toward the corner ahead, undecided about hammering on one of the doors to ask for help. Another friend lives in the next street. If she can just reach the end, she'll be safe.
With me inside, her breath comes fast. We stumble.
'You can do it', I whisper in her mind in an effort to calm her. 'Concentrate'.
Gasping, we straighten and hurry on.
Her jumbled thoughts override mine. 'Get to the gate. Someone better be inside. What if they're not? Can I reach home? Shoes are awkward ... throw them off. No. I'd have to stop'. We sob.
I generate a surge of strength to her, and then make a mental leap to deal with the follower. Thank the Lord I'm not locked into Trudy on this occasion.
In a flash, I hover over the man lurching behind, and then meld. He's young and drunk, out for a thrill. His inebriated thoughts don't divulge his name. I snatch random information. His plans for the woman ahead are lustful, possibly violent. Needing some street-cred, he'll tell his mates about his exploit.
What can I do to slow him? He's bilious. I send the idea of doubling over and suggest a comforting image of relief.
We stop, grunt and spill the contents of our stomach into a garden. Not pleasant. A house light flicks on. A growled curse comes from a high window. We gaze up at the twitching curtains. Humiliation withers our erection.
A sour taste produces another retch. We swerve and retreat.
All he wants is to crawl into bed. Maybe his mother will lay her soft hands on his head.
'You should be ashamed', I whisper. 'What will she think of this behavior when she hears reports?'
He listens to the voice of reason. Rising alarm causes a stumble over a jutting pavement slab.
He'll remember this lesson. I leave this revolting body.
I surge forward and rejoin Trudy, too panicked to notice his absence. I whisper, 'It's all right now. Slow down'. I hope she's listening. I empathize with the girl the same age as my own daughter Kaelyn. Before I leave, Trudy needs to conquer her fear.
Someone ahead. She pulls up, heart fluttering.
"Alright, love?" An old man stops and his dog sniffs her.
"Help me," Trudy gasps. "There's someone following me."
"Wait here," he says. "We'll take a look, won't we, Tiger?" They reach the corner and halt. "No one here. Come and see."
Trudy doesn't want to face her fear. What if the old man's tricking her? She flexes, ready to run.
I whisper, 'You're safe. The man came from the opposite direction'.
After a huge breath, we step toward the man, checking his body language. He remains impassive. His dog jumps beside him, giving the occasional impatient yip. At last, we approach. The stalker is nowhere in sight.
"Thank you." We relax.
With relief replacing terror, Trudy's open to a nudge in the right direction. I whisper, 'When alone at night, carry a Mace spray. Always let someone know where you are. Take a mobile phone to contact the police'.
With a determined nod, she accepts my suggestions as part of the normal inner voice guiding her.
I lift away.
* * *
Inside the pub surrounded by chatter, Liliha rubbed her eyes. Appealing to someone's better nature usually worked. In a roundabout way, the method influenced the stalker. Most people possessed the inner prompt, just as they sometimes acted on outrageous ideas.
~~~~~~~~~~
Links
Website http://francene--wordstitcher.weebly.com
daily blog http://511580395457358476.weebly.com
twitter @FranceneStanley
Facebook http://fb.com/Authfs
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5824616.Francene_Stanley
Still Rock Water is the first in the Moonstone series of paranormal novels set in the little village of St. Ives, Cornwall, England.
Liliha's life changes when she inherits her grandmother's star moonstone ring. Instead of playing the role of an Australian housewife, an apparition whisks her away to participate in a flood rescue. She dismisses the strange vision as a dream until it is repeated and grows stronger. Despite her unique ability to help others in distress, Liliha is powerless to alter her depressed, belittling husband. But transformation awaits her in the form of betrayal, losing her ring and immigrating to the other side of the Earth.
After a coastal storm, the St. Ives police discover the unique ring on a body and send it away for assessment. Experts at the British Museum offer Liliha an appointment.
Sweeping, epic in scope, spare and poetic, Liliha's story is as irresistible as the pull of her ancient moonstone ring. Still Rock Water is a whirlwind of sensory delight and mystery, told in spare and poetic prose, with characters so clearly drawn, their humanity rings across the deserts of ancient Egypt, through the annals of time and straight to the reader's heart. - Carol Kean. Author of Left on Stonehaven and Ironwolf.
Liliha's life changes when she inherits her grandmother's star moonstone ring. Instead of playing the role of an Australian housewife, an apparition whisks her away to participate in a flood rescue. She dismisses the strange vision as a dream until it is repeated and grows stronger. Despite her unique ability to help others in distress, Liliha is powerless to alter her depressed, belittling husband. But transformation awaits her in the form of betrayal, losing her ring and immigrating to the other side of the Earth.
After a coastal storm, the St. Ives police discover the unique ring on a body and send it away for assessment. Experts at the British Museum offer Liliha an appointment.
Sweeping, epic in scope, spare and poetic, Liliha's story is as irresistible as the pull of her ancient moonstone ring. Still Rock Water is a whirlwind of sensory delight and mystery, told in spare and poetic prose, with characters so clearly drawn, their humanity rings across the deserts of ancient Egypt, through the annals of time and straight to the reader's heart. - Carol Kean. Author of Left on Stonehaven and Ironwolf.
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