I’m sure writers find a thousand different methods and techniques to hone and develop their craft. I read once that Agatha Christie became somewhat of an expert in poisons. She served as a voluntary nurse during World War I, where she was stationed in a hospital dispensary. There, she studied under a pharmacist, a bit of an eccentric, who appeared as a thinly veiled character in one of her novels. But for her in her writing, research was essential.
In my case, many of my books are interjected with and explore metaphysical and esoteric philosophy, Research, I find, is key for me as well. Just to mention a few, Sanctuary of Echoes was heavily influenced by the writings of the Theosophist Annie Besant. The Broken Vow leaned heavily into the history and philosophy of the Cathars from the Languedoc Region of Southern France. Dumaine Street was shaped in part by the work of Charles Leadbeater in The Astral Plane.
Research and reading are essential components of writing for me. So, if you also have an interest or even a thirst for esoteric knowledge, I’d like to direct you to my publisher, Cornerstone Book Publishers, who happen to have a huge selection of classic New Age/Spiritual Books. More than once, I’ve tapped their inventory for inspiration. I encourage you to take a little time to drop by and check them out.
Recently, I began to dig into editing revisions for the sequel to The Broken Vow. And, of course, in doing so, this led to a lot of reflections on my werewolf protagonist, Ethan Garraint, and the why of how he came to be.
Right after the resurgence of the vampire genre, or should I say reinventing of it, after the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer, many paranormal writers were dipping their toes in the Twilight pool with either vampire or werewolf endeavors. I had already written several short stories involving the same werewolf character, so I decided to try my hand at a full novel.
Now, there were several problems I had jumping into the werewolf arena. One was that I wrestled with the issue of an immortal character. Immortality itself, I think, is a problematic trope. Ostensibly, the idea of living so long is sort of depressing with all your loved ones dying lifetime after lifetime. And there is also the problem of stagnancy. As a keen believer in esoteric philosophy, I have always believed that living is not without purpose. That everyone’s life is filled with lessons, obstacles, and experiences specifically tailored to them for the purpose of their spiritual evolution. So, the idea that someone could live thousands of years and not change did not seem viable.
And evolution, or rather what I’d term spiritual evolution, doesn’t take place on a time schedule. It takes place through experiences. In the novel, The Broken Vow, Etienne (renamed Ethan in subsequent years) encounters spiritual mentors in the Cathar people during his time with them at Montsegur in Southern France. Historically, Montségur fell to a siege and the Cathars a genocide led by Pope Innocent III during the Albigensian Crusade. But Etienne’s time with the Cathars, soaking in their esoteric philosophy, becomes pivotal in his evolution and key in the plot of that first book.
Another issue I had was that I wasn’t really interested as a writer in too deeply exploring the “werewolf” problem — the mechanics of the werewolf transformation. I was determined that the character in my books would have to be the key. Ethan Garraint had to be an interesting person who just happened to be a werewolf, not interesting because he was a werewolf. As far as I am concerned, being a werewolf is sort of like having a chronic illness or perhaps a peculiar talent; it’s just something you carry around with you.
So, the issues I was determined to sort out were how to make immortality engaging, showing growth with the character, and how not to have the werewolf aspect smother Ethan Garraint’s personality.
The seeds of the sequel to The Broken Vow were sowed long ago. It was actually a story for him that I’ve always had in mind. While The Broken Vow leans more in the direction of a paranormal thriller, the new book, The Story of Enid, is in many respects a paranormal romance. It involves themes of reincarnation and brings the idea of evolution and character growth up to close inspection. After all, how would you feel if you had to actually confront your younger self? Would that be a person you would even care to know? Something to ponder.
Well, back to work. My target date for publication of The Story of Enid is hopefully this summer. I’ll keep you posted.
The Broken Vow: Vol. I The Clandestine Exploits of a Werewolf
In the heart of every man there is a history. In the heart of every monster there is a story. In this first installment of “The Clandestine Exploits of a Werewolf,” Ethan Garraint is on a vendetta that begins in the heart of the Pyrenees with the fall of Montségur and leads him to the streets of New Orleans nearly five hundred years later. But the person he chases isn’t really a man anymore and Ethan has been a werewolf for almost a millennium. With the aid of a gifted seer, he is on a blood hunt that will culminate in a journey that crosses the line between heaven and earth and ends somewhere in between.
I once read that Agatha Christie would leave notebooks all around her house in case a flash of inspiration came to her that she needed to write down. I keep a number of what are called “fat little notebooks” about and actually never leave without one in my purse in case I need to scribble something down. Sometimes, the name of a town, a street, or maybe a store we’re passing strikes me as unique.
I also take a lot of pictures, in fact, all the time. I suppose it might be irritating to some, perhaps, but I feel driven. A number of these, I’ve used in book trailers that I’ve been posting on my YouTube channel.
While I was in New Orleans, I was constantly taking pictures of houses, apartments, schools, and all kinds of places so I could pinpoint exactly where my characters lived their lives, where they walked and interacted. I also, particularly for Sanctuary of Echoes, had to figure out how the streetcar lines connected. In my mind, it was important for the teenagers in that book to be able to get from place to place.
Inspiration comes in all sorts of curious disguises. Right now, in the community I’m in, it’s apparent a great many people are anxious and upset about what is happening in the country. That changes the feel and complexion of a place, no matter how picturesque it might seem. And that is, in an overarching sense, seeds for writing.
It’s hard to say where inspiration might come from. It can be very small, like a streetlight on a foggy night, or very large, like the COVID epidemic and all its reverberations in people’s lives. It’s always there. You just have to keep your eyes open and be ready to see it.
It seems I should be comfortable now, Lying just so, So precariously. One false move, Ouch, another cut. Seems like I’m spending more time Than I ought here. Right here on the edge. And so I breathe deeply, And let it out in a sigh, And let the fear and panic dissipate, And the storm clouds go unacknowledged. Taking a moment, a quiet one, Here on the edge, My time to ponder the “why” of it all. Wonder “why” I keep coming back, Back to the same spot. What exactly was it I missed, Last time around. Eyes always fixed ahead, On the next step, on the time when everything is right again. Although I never quite get it right, What that time is supposed to look like. So instead I’ll lean back, And soak in the scenery, Maybe pitch a small tent, Build a campfire and take a long look around. After all I wouldn’t keep coming back If there wasn’t something here, Something to see, Something to know. Or maybe just a moment to learn, To learn to quiet my own heart.
Spending Time
Waiting Waiting desperately for change to come. eyes fixed on a different time, so cognizant of the anxiety of the present. Waiting Waiting for a painful stretch to end, blinded by the anguish and uncertainty of the moment. Breathing deeply and stopping thought that breeds discord. Stopping thought and moving in the present, quietly in each moment, learning to live peacefully in uncertainty.
A thousand years ago . . .
Is it a thousand years ago since I have seen your face? And I have left what should be finished hanging in an uncertain place. Is it so much time since we’ve expressed the truth? My hope was to be closer to you But it’s all fallen away. I can’t believe you’ve left. I expected the earth to cave into itself when you did. But it was quiet, somber, silent perhaps. And so gently, as was your soul. The world since you’ve gone is perplexing to me. We’ve all lost our center, our very gravity. I couldn’t have imagined this place in your absence. And while I know you’ve gone, moved onto new adventures, In some ways it feels that you’re still here, waiting quietly, To egg us on, to hold us close, to let us know you’ve never left.
Below is an excerpt from my recent audiobook, Sanctuary of Echoes. This was posted on Cornerstone Book Publisher’s YouTube channel. I hope you enjoy.
Sanctuary of Echoes
Ghosts unacknowledged do not sleep.
Corey Knight has resigned herself to a quiet, reclusive life spent living out the rest of her days in her childhood home on the fringes of New Orleans’ French Quarter. But the unexpected specter of her deceased father plunges her into a mad quest for a missing supernatural weapon unearthed long ago. And unfortunately, her only ally is a lost love she once betrayed.
Iain Shaw returns to New Orleans, a city he abandoned a decade before while fleeing a devastating past. Here, he is forced to confront it again in the visage of the woman he once adored – one that he is now determined to get back at any cost.
Follow them both in a wild paranormal tale of discovery and redemption as they confront and unearth the echoes of a buried and unyielding truth that once tore them irreparably apart.
Well, now that we’re on the downside of this year I thought I’d write a blog to catch up on what I’m working on. It’s been an eventful year, a whole lot of ups and downs for so many people. And my circle has been no exception.
Primarily, I’m finishing up the audiobook of Sanctuary of Echoes. Unquestionably, this has been the longest audiobook I’ve ever recorded. But I have to say I’m pleased with the way it’s turning out. This book has always been one I’m very connected to. In some ways, it exudes the things I love most about New Orleans, particularly its atmosphere, its architecture, just the unique way of life that exists there and for me is unlike any other place.
If all goes well, I’ll send the files to Audible in a week or two and then hopefully it will be released before the end of the year or just at the beginning of next.
In addition, I’m saying goodbye to Kindle Vella, or rather it’s winding down. For those of you who are not aware Amazon decided to pull the plug on their experiment, and all Kindle Vella books, serial stories, will be pulled off the platform at the beginning of February. Where that leaves me is with several completed books needing editing, then publishing, and several uncompleted ones. So, my work is cut out for me. I just submitted my last episode to Vella this month. It was from the collection of short stories entitled “Mystical Diversions” and the completion of a tale called “Kylie” about a woman on the threshold of crossing over, and the adventures she has in transition, definitely bittersweet.
So, that wraps up things for me just now. And by the way, if you haven’t checked it out yet my publishers, Cornerstone Book Publishers is having a 40% OFF book sale until Nov. 28. Drop by and check out their wide collection. I enjoy foraging around the Spiritual/ New Age section, great inspiration for writing.
Take Care, Sending everyone peace and best wishes during the holidays, Evelyn
Just a few days ago, I got an email from Amazon announcing that they were ending their Kindle Vella program. For those of you who don’t know about it, Kindle Vella was a platform for serial or episodic stories in which readers would pay to open new episodes.
I have spent a good amount of time publishing a number of stories on Kindle Vella, some of which I’ve completed and republished as books, including The Lady in the Blue Dress and Dumaine Street.
For me, my time at Kindle Vella was extremely helpful on a variety of levels. Writing on a tight schedule and juggling different stories at the same time stretched my abilities in a way that wasn’t always comfortable but extremely beneficial. Also, learning to master the pacing of episodic writing in terms of story structure I found sometimes challenging but also exciting.
All in all, I don’t believe my time there was wasted by any means. Some Kindle Vella writers have expressed a desire to migrate to other episodic story platforms and while at present I have no such plans, we’ll see what the future brings. I will keep you posted. At present I have three Kindle Vella stories that are incomplete on the platform. One is a collection of short stories, Mystical Diversions: Supernatural Tales of the Ouachita Mountains. I will be completing one short story in the collection before all the Kindle Vellas are pulled in February. The other two are The Vine: A Portent of Crows and An Unintended Witch. These two I will complete as novels on my own time.
I want to thank those who have supported my dive into the world of episodic storytelling with Kindle Vella, and I will keep you posted as to what the future brings.
I have a little writers’ club within my family, as every one of us is a published author, though granted, all working in different mediums. During our get-togethers/meetings, we often have long discussions about movies, television series, books, short stories, video game plots, limited series — pretty much everything under the sun that has to do with writing in some aspect. We analyze what works, what doesn’t, and what we can learn from it all.
And turning back the clock even a bit further, I used to appear in a number of stage plays while I was in college. During that time, I came home one summer and agreed to take part in a locally produced soap opera. It was the era of the over-the-top nighttime soap-operas like Dallas and Dynasty, so our little production on the local open channel was a bit of a parody of these sudsy offerings. What I did find interesting was that coming from a background of stage performing, it was important I adjust my acting and dial it down quite a bit for the subtlety of the small screen. On the stage, you are always encouraged to go bigger so the people in the back seats can see you, but the camera, being so close up, catches all the small nuances. And if you don’t adjust, you seem to be overacting.
Getting back to writing, just like acting, working in different mediums of writing demands its own rules. A short story is very concise and focused on perhaps one element of the narrative. A novel is a different beast, depending on its length. It can be very focused if short, though needing usually more complexity and more characters, and several threads or layers of plot — maybe more if an exceptional length. Now a book with intended sequels is really just a piece of a book, a part of an overarching narrative — big picture and little picture stuff. And of course, all of these loose rules are made to be reinvented and broken at times by a skilled writer.
In my writing, I’ve primarily come from a background of short stories and novels. Some of my novels are longer, but I would say predominantly on the shorter side. I usually have a plot worked out or at least the endgame of a book, though I have found some narratives like to take a twist and turn that is unexpected. I did write one series of books, The New Orleans Paranormal Mysteries that weren’t hard sequels as each book focused on a different character.
And this meandering brings me to my point — Kindle Vella. As you might know, the last three books I’ve been working on have been in the Kindle Vella medium, a sort of episodic/serial format. It is really up to the author how long the story goes on. For me, as I’ve said, I like to have an end game in mind. This format has brought its own “gifts” for me so to speak. As well as developing some narratives that needed to get jump-started it has also taught me patience. These stories I’ve found have to unfold at their own pace. Some episodes are character-driven, fleshing out that aspect of the narrative, and some plot-driven. There has been an interesting flow in writing this sort of episodic tale, definitely trying to always leave the reader with a reason to return as well as taking my time with developing the story without overstaying my welcome. It really has been a gift working in this medium. I suppose the old adage there are lessons in everything is true. I am about to begin the final arc in my paranormal romance, Dumaine Street. I confess, when I began, I couldn’t clearly see where this story was going but now, I see the path home. Of course, there are always opportunities for unexpected turns. And I, as well as the readers I hope, look forward to those.
Thanks for Listening,
Take Care,
Evelyn Klebert
Dumaine Street
Voices in her head, catastrophic emotions, hallucinations, Rebecca Wells is more than convinced that she is losing her mind. And as a last-ditch effort, she contacts a self-professed counselor who seems convinced that he can help. Gabriel Sutton has abandoned the world of medicine to navigate a realm filled with psychic phenomena. Diagnosing Becca with extreme empathic abilities, he struggles to help her stabilize her gifts while trying desperately not to fall in love with his patient.
Evelyn Klebert 