Novelista

  A look up the beach Approaching Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Greater Antilles shared by the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, by air, we get our first glance at the lush green mountains that give way to lush flatlands.  Farmland backs into cities.  We lose sight of the ocean as the plane descends. The Punta Cana International Airport promises us a magical tropical stay.  As we walk under its palm frond roof to stand in line at customs, air conditioning is relatively non-existent.  The baggage carousel is mostly open-air as the walls don’t reach the roof.  I, however, am more concerned with my bag not taking the ride yet.  Once it finally showed, we rolled our bags to the shuttle that would take us to our resort. From the airport to the resort, our shuttle drove past beautiful new construction and crumbling shacks.  Tropical trees turned into shopping centers.  Gates to private communities and sprawling resorts sat...

Pain has been my constant companion for almost a year. Like a character in an adventure novel, life keeps throwing obstacles at me.  Since the release of Hope (The World In-between 5), both my parents passed away and I got divorced.  As I have been healing emotionally, my body has been going the opposite direction.  Specifically, my back. I am under doctors’ care, and I have seen a reduction in pain.  However, my journey is far from over.  Perhaps it would be best to explain how I got here. Back pain seems to have been a steady thing for me for years.  I always thought it was my stress residing in my back muscles.  My back was so bad last year that my boyfriend got me a massage for my birthday.  It was glorious.  Then, a month or so later, the pain started to return.  Not just in my shoulders, but in my lower back as well.  After a couple more massages, I decided that I needed to do more for my back.  I started yoga. I love yog...

Berty and friends continue to adventure in the world in-between the portals.  I can feel myself reaching the climax of the sixth book in the World In-between series.  Exhilaration rushes through my veins while dread weighs my hand.  It’s a weird feeling knowing that your time with your friends is coming to an end.  Perhaps that is why so many authors write series. In my head, I know what should happen.  I have planned the moment.  With every word, every sentence, every paragraph, it advances.  My heart races as my pen scribbles on the page.  Rawness flows through a rough draft that will never be felt again.  In the rawness, the best of plans change. After a good number of books with the same characters, I wonder how much new can be left.  What else can these characters face or experience?  As an author, the terror of having nothing else to write creeps into your mind at times.  Those fears have to be combatted or the ink wil...