My Crazy Corner

First off, thank you for having me on the blog. I’m excited to share a little bit about my books and my writing. It’s going to be a double dose of New Mexico, but from two very different angles. In both my series, Twin Souls Saga and The Destroyer Series (book one to be released 2012 from Briona Glen Publishing), my home state of New Mexico plays a big role. I grew up in the southwest with a diverse culture and fascinating stories around me every day, but it wasn’t until my husband and I moved away that I really missed and learned to appreciate where I grew up.

Twin Souls centers on the struggle of Uriah and Claire, two Native American teenagers, and their desire to be together despite everything and everyone telling them they should keep as far away from each other as possible. Claire’s touch causes Uriah physical pain. The way everyone around Uriah seems to bend to Uriah’s will keeps Claire at a distance. That is until Claire needs rescued and Uriah is more than willing to step in. One day on the riverbank…and they were sure nothing could tear them apart.

But neither one of them counted on just how hard staying together would be. Denied permission to be together by the tribal Elders is only the beginning of their struggle. Poison, myths come to life, prophecies, and an ancient battle between gods of light and dark spring into the world of man. Claire’s life is on the line, but saving her requires a sacrifice Uriah never thought he would have to make.
Twin Souls has a huge focus on Native American mythology. I did a lot of research into mythology of a variety of Native American cultures for this book, even taking a college class about New Mexico history to find out more. Many of the stories in Twin Souls are actual legends and myths from different tribes in the area. Others are fictitious tales I created myself to fit the story, but they parallel actual legends in many ways. Doing the research for Twin Souls was one of the most enjoyable parts of writing. I got at least half a dozen ideas for other books just from the research. At some point I would love to write a historical fiction novel about Pope’s Rebellion. If you’ve never heard of it, go look it up. It’s a fascinating story.
Turning from full on mythology to alternate reality, my novel coming out this year from Briona Glen Publishing is the first book in “The Destroyer Series.” Entitled “Inquest ,” this book is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but not quite the one you might expect. “Inquest” follows Libby Sparks, a young girl with a deadly secret that is about to be revealed.

At age sixteen, law in the Guardian ruled society demands she face her Inquest, a ritual that will unlock her talents and cement her place in the tyrannical society. That is frightening enough without knowing that the seven talents she has been hiding will reveal her as the prophesied Destroyer. Libby walks into her Inquest, positive she is about to die, almost glad of it.

Libby is shocked when she’s offered a deal to stay alive at the expense of never using her powers, but she takes it willingly. Pain and destruction was never something she sought out…until she begins to realize just how much not fulfilling her destiny might cost not only her, but the entire world.

Inquest takes a step out of our reality, but doesn’t go too far away. Along with powerful talents and Guardians controlling every aspect of life, at the heart of Inquest is a young woman who wants to find her place in life, find love and happiness, and survive her eighteenth birthday…all without having to kill anyone. It won’t be an easy task.

Whether you are writing about ancient myths and stories, or creating your own epic reality, one thing I’ve really come to believe is that you have to write what you know. In Twin Souls, the main legend the book focuses on is one I came up with, but it follows patterns of real Native American myths, so it feels real and has the same appeal as the actual stories. With Inquest, the society and idea of talents is, of course, not real, but being set in every day Albuquerque instead of a post-apocalyptic wasteland helped make the story more real and make it feel like it was a society that could exist-one readers can relate to.
Not that you can’t do post-apocalyptic well-I’m working on one of those too-but every story needs to be real to the writer in order to be real to the reader. Small details like the importance of Hatch green chile in New Mexico, or the impact of a casino being built has on a small town add a lot to a story. If you want to write about something you love, but don’t know a lot about, start researching. People balk at research, but I love it. You learn a lot about the topic which lets you write a better story, but you can also get a whole batch of new ideas to write about too.

Write what you know. Write what you love. Just keep writing.

You can find Delsheree here:
My blog:http://www.theediblebookshelf.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TwinSoulsSaga

You can purchase here books here:
Twin Souls: http://www.amazon.com/Twin-Souls-Book-One-Saga/dp/1456355783/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331143803&sr=8-1 ,
Shaxoa's Gift: http://www.amazon.com/Shaxoas-Gift-Twin-Souls-ebook/dp/B004OL2KVS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1331143803&sr=8-4
Qaletaqa: http://www.amazon.com/Qaletaqa-Twin-Souls-Saga-ebook/dp/B005LAS4M0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2