2016.06.11 - Background and (hopeful) Timeline for Publication

Soon SOON I'll be on track to be able to focus on finishing this set of books!

The symbol(s) are a helix fossil shell and the Circles of Dunnottar. The ancient spiral shell represents ... well ... ancient times. The Circles of Dunnottar are familiar to anyone who's read any of the books of SONG - the outer ones are Family, Friends, Freedom, Future - all interlocked - and bound together by the central circle of Faith.

That they are together in this image has to do with the times they represent ... sort of. The ancient spiral comes into play because in the upcoming set of books COME HELL AND HIGH WATER a couple of the Dunnottar Folk head back in time in search of confirmation that the Faith they share is indeed what it's supposed to be. 

They end up a LOT further back in time than they had anticipated, and find that 'Something Happened' way back then - more than ten thousand years before their own time and more than twelve thousand before ours. What it has to do with their Faith they aren't sure but they're there to find out.

The 'Something' that 'Happened' was an Extinction Level Event (ELE), the one that took many of the big mammals from us, especially those of North America - mammoth, mastodon, giant sloth, camelops, saber cats, dire wolves, many of the larger birds including the Aiolornis (look it up, you'll be amazed!), along with a whole long list of others. The Bison survived; so did the American Bald Eagle and the Crane ... so did others ... but not many of any of them. Whatever people were on North America at the time were also lost to us.

At any rate, the fictional premise of the book has a lot to do with our own incredible rate of technological advances in just the past century, decade, year - and the fact that we are no different from the people who came before us. If we can figure this stuff out, so might they have been able to, at least some of them. The Story Line premise is also based on recent archaeological findings that tell us our ancient forebears were a lot more 'advanced' than we give them credit for. 

They knew math, geometry, physics, architecture, geography, astronomy, cartography, and who knows what all else, and they were skilled enough to produce what even our most powerful equipment cannot replicate. All of this a long time before we thought they could possibly have been doing much of anything except hunting, gathering, and just trying to survive.

Fictionally speaking, we've located a small but extremely advanced society in the middle of North America back in the day - more than 12,000 years ago. 

Nobody can prove they existed. 

Nobody can prove they didn't. 

For our purposes nobody has to try to prove anything. That's one of the joys of writing fiction. It doesn't matter, not really, for our purposes, whether anything like Phi is 'real'. There's no absolute 'evidence', that anyone knows of right now anyway, one way or the other.

Because, you see, 'Something Happened' right around twelve thousand years ago - and about a thousand years worth of life on North America is now compressed into a condensed black mat of carbon way down there under our feet. Beneath that 'black mat' lie the remains of what was here before 'Something Happened'; above it lies the archaeological story of what's happened since. The black mat might have its own story to tell if we can find a way to read it.

The Little Dryas was a rather trying time for everyone but North America bore the brunt of it and was practically scrubbed clear of almost all life forms. 

The fact that our fictional culture of Phi was as technologically advanced as it was (fictionally) allowed some of her folk to escape - but they could not escape the consequences/fallout/impact to all of Earth that the ELE brought.

So that's the general idea of one of the two Story Lines of this set of books.

The other one has to do with what was going on with our fictional Dunnottar Folk  and in the world in general (sort of) starting in the year 500 CE. The Dark Ages were actually a pretty busy time, much more so than I expected when I started writing about them.

We've got the Younglings of Dunnottar following their Destinies here and there and all over the place. The Young Ones are right on their heels and the New Younglings are by no means willing to allow their older cousins to hog all the attention. 

Mythology, Legend, and History merge partly for the fun of it and partly because how do we know there aren't other Dimensions and Realms all entangled with us on one eternal Journey through Time and Space via the Spiral (PHI, the Golden Mean, the Perfect Balance, etc. known to us as 1.618...)? 

We're only just beginning to grasp the possibilities that quantum physics (for example) might present us with. Give us a few millennia (or a few years at the rate we're going!) ... which our fictional Phi Folk would have had before that ELE hit and 'Something Happened' ... the point here being that all this might be pure-dee fiction as it's intended to be - or it might not.

I ain't even kiddin' ya.

Trying to keep up with our Characters is hard enough once they all get on a roll - throw in trying to keep up with our own archaeologists, physicists, astronomers, technologists, and plenty of other '-ists' with all the darned recent things they're all coming out with and it's no wonder I'm wondering what the heck our Characters are getting me into this time.

Even so, it's a Journey I would not trade for all the tea in China or almost anything else.

We've got a preliminary Part One out and the 'actual' one in the works with the additions and changes. It's slated to come out at Summer Solstice; Part Two will hopefully be ready for print at Fall Equinox; with Part Three coming out at Winter Solstice to round out the year. That's the 'plan'.

Considering the fact that this is an extremely busy time for me personally, it's a good thing our Characters have proven to be effective and efficient when need be. All I have to do is write stuff down ;) 

The Mamm Books, Danann, and the Youngling Books are all about the same fictional family that has to make it through some seriously trying times as they both survive themselves and make sure the Legacy of which they are the Keepers survives - and they succeed, which isn't really a 'spoiler' because we are living proof of the Inheritance they've lived, fought, and died to Preserve and Protect on our behalf.

Just sayin' ... the Circles of Dunnottar : Faith, Family, Friends, Freedom, Future : are just as important to a lot of us today as they've been to all of the generations the SONG series is going to take us through as we share the Journey.

In case you were wondering what these books are all about, that kind of sums it up. 

They aren't 'fancy'; they aren't 'scientific'; they aren't 'provocative' (unless you're in a mood to be provoked); they don't have a lot of graphic sex or blood and gore. They're just 'family stories' that are told around the hearth fires of a lot of generations of these Characters.

Welcome to the Alianora Books of SONG!!

A side note here: all royalties generated by on-line sales of all my books go into a 'kitty account' and the current crop of 'Younglings' chooses a charity to donate them to. Last year they chose one of their own local groups, the Stonehaven Fireballs, in honor of the great job the Fireballs do to Protect and Preserve meaningful traditions, and because it was a Fireball event that led to the development of some wonderful friendships.

An Excerpt From DANANN to the Stonehaven Fireballs

...

Now among the boxes and trunks up in the balcony is one of cedar. In it are a bunch of white clothes and robes or cloaks or some such.

Sidhelagh has Danann bring it down and they explain what these ‘dress whites’ are for.

As the white outfits hang all over the place, to get the wrinkles out, the family follows Sidhelagh to the hearth-circle.

‘You see,’ she says, ‘white is the color of the Mother. It represents Her Peace and Her Mercy. So we wear these dress whites in Her honor on special occasions – like the Winter Solstice that’s coming up. You call it Short Day and that’s as good a name as any I reckon. We’ll have a little Celebration in the Grove on that evening, and then ride – yes RIDE, so practice like crazy in the next couple of days because that’s all you’ve got and nobody better fall off in front of God and everybody in Stonehaven – yes, that’s where we’re riding to after our Celebration. They have something special planned and we’re going to be there for it.’

Brann jumps up like he’s suddenly realized he’s sitting on a tack.

‘Hey! Bard told me about that! Wait ‘til you see! Just wait!’

But he won’t tell them anything more about it no matter how they pester him to.

‘Nope. I promised not to,’ is all they get out of him.

And it just adds to their excitement.

The day of the Celebration is a quiet one.

Everybody finds a spot and spends the day thinking about a lot of stuff.

There’s plenty to think about, all things considered, and the day goes by quickly as they sort it all through in their minds.

By the time they’re in their dress whites, they’re calm and serene, at peace with themselves and with each other.

Mamm and Alaric lead the way and the couples follow by age order with the youngsters coming along behind, the eldest of them carrying the babies.

Sidhelagh and Danann are technically the oldest, but they want their own places back. They coach Mamm and Alaric about the weaving but aren’t really worried.

‘It will come to you,’ they say. ‘And we will be right behind you. This is the way it’s supposed to be; it will be fine.’

And so it is.

The Grove Celebration is relatively short, but very sweet as the Song of the Trinity weaves its medley and their Voices Sing in harmony.

Having saddled their mounts before getting in to their dress whites, it’s just a matter of getting up onto them with the long cloaks in the way.

Danann and Sidhelagh give them a hand and then it’s off to see what Stonehaven has in store for them.

I have to say they make an impressive sight as they clip clop into town.

People have already been gathering for quite a while and the crowd grows rapidly.

When Dunnottar arrives, there’s a hush as they slowly make their way through town. Dressed as they are, they seem to glow in the dark as they ride two by two with Mamm and Alaric in the lead.

Bard is going to head this special event, so it is to his house they ride.

‘Will you accompany me to the opening?’

‘Of course, if you want us to.’

‘I do.’

In the square of the town is where all gather to begin.

Bard’s Voice carries in the night air.

‘We have only just recently done battle against a foe of darkness and of cold. It was defeated by the warmth and light we helped to generate. So it’s fresh in your minds what this night is all about. Tonight we cleanse our town as we have recently helped to cleanse our world. Let us begin!’

In the center of the square a big fire suddenly springs to life.

Bard’s Voice rings.

‘The warmth and the light of this fire burns the things that have been just getting in our way!’

From out of the crowds come many with things to add to the fire.

Also from out of the crowd come others.

These are strong men and women from the town, representing all of the families, and there are quite a few of them. They have prepared packs of burnable items securely fastened into wire cages at the ends of chains. Together they form a circle around the central fire.

Bard turns to the family.

‘Who represents Dunnottar on this night?’

Everyone looks at Danann but Danann looks at Thann.

‘I’ll hold your cloak, Thann. Your ball and chain is right over there.’

Thann doesn’t bother arguing but goes to pick up the end of the chain. Gathering the length of it, he goes to stand with the others at the fire.

‘What am I supposed to do?’ he asks the man standing next to him.

‘Just do what I do,’ comes the answer. ‘We’ll light our fire-balls and then swing them, over our heads and all around about, through the town. They catch whatever bad might be in the air and take it into them as they burn. Then we heave the whole works into the harbour. It’s a cleansing of our town, getting rid of unwanted or dangerous things, giving us a clean fresh beginning.’

‘That sounds like something we all need to do now and then.’

‘That it is, but few do it. Get ready, we’re soon to start. When the Bells Sound their Voices, we’ll light our fires. People throughout the town are going to be yelling and screaming so don’t be shocked by them. They’re chasing things for the fire-balls to catch. Now listen, Thann. Listen for the Voices of the Bells.’

In a very short time every Bell in town starts ringing, tolling, striking, clanging, booming … whether there’s anyone to attend them or not, the Voices of the Bells ring out. It is Winter Solstice and the turning of the darkness.

And the fire-balls are lit while the people yell and scream like banshees.

Thann follows his new friend, but not too closely, through the streets assigned, swinging the fire-ball at the end of its chain around his head, around his body, spinning with it at times, dancing aside if it gets too close. When one arm gets tired, he switches to the other. When both get tired, he uses both for a time.

‘Whew! Glad I didn’t try this before we built that roundhouse!’

After what seems forever, they make their way to the harbour, and fire glows over the water as the balls of flame are cast into the deep and extinguished with a lot of hissing and steaming.

The screams and yells of the people turn to cheers that sound kind of hoarse – this night’s event has been as hard on their Voices as the swinging of the fire-balls has been on the bodies of those who carried them.

Danann comes to find Thann, easily seen as he is taller than everyone and dressed in white.

Thann goes to him and slides his smoky sooty self into the white of his cloak.

‘What now?’

‘Now the bonfires. All around the edges of the town are fires just lighting now, like the one in the square. People are getting rid of rubbish they don’t want any more – and it’s symbolic of getting rid of any bad feelings or whatever from inside of themselves. It all goes up in smoke, you see. We’ll start at the nearest one and make our way all the way around the town. Some people bring along things to put into each fire as they go, but we’re pretty much spectators tonight.’

‘Speak for yourself, spectator! You weren’t the one swinging that ball of fire all over the place! My arms are never going to be the same, nor the rest of me, either.’

‘It’s good for you. Wait until you see what you get to swing in the smithy!’

‘Oh goody. I’m so excited.’

Danann laughs.

‘Here are the others, and here’s your mount. You can ride and rest for a while. Each fire will want us to stop for a moment. They have warm drinks to share with us. Take them, but I warn you, sip sparingly from each. They’re potent, I tell you – and there are a lot of fires surrounding this town on this night.’

‘What about the kids?’

‘They’ll get spiced cider or hot fruit drinks of different kinds. Ours have been warned to sip sparingly as well; they’ll get belly aches if they don’t – and spend half the night having to pee.’

Now Thann’s laughter rings in the night, adding his Voice to the many who are also laughing and singing.

‘And after the round of fires?’

‘After that, we all go back to the square and make a big circle.’

‘Like the one on Northwest, I bet. What a great way to finish cleansing your town!’

‘Yes, it is. It wraps it all up. Now you know why we spend the daytime of this night quietly.’

‘If I’d known we’d be doing all this, I’d have spent it sleeping!’

Danann’s Voice grows deeper but Thann can still hear him clearly through the on-going din.

‘Stonehaven does itself proud on this night, Thann. The people, they are just doing what they do, but they are blessed. They have kept what the rest of the world has for too long been sadly lacking. They don’t realize how special they are … or maybe they do.’

‘I think they know, Danann. I think they know. Else they wouldn’t do what they do, right?’

...

Danann is for Stonehaven

And the Fireballs

Who Protect and Preserve

Things that matter

You have gifted me this book

I gift it to you in return

With respect

And admiration

Thank you Stonehaven.

Here's a link to the event that sparked DANANN - the 2015 Fireballs ...
a time lapse from the webcam - things really start moving at about five and a half minutes into the video ... :) It covers nine hours in seven minutes or so ... stonehavenfireballs.co.uk will take you to some great photos and YouTube vids. Flickr also has some terrific photos, along with scads you'll get with a simple search for them!

Here's just one:

Here's a link to another preview of DANANN, one that has a bit more of the 'story line' ... enjoy!

Well well ... 'INFJ' giving way to 'INFP' ... good news for me ... from my perspective ...

The book that 'changed' me.

The personality type 'test results' you'll find below are From HERE

This is the first time this test has resulted in the 'P' being so strong, edging 'J' almost completely out of the picture. The I, N, and F have always consistently been way high in percentiles with J being less extreme, then edging into P ... and now ... what the heck!

I'm glad to see these popping up in people's social media feeds. There are a variety of free 'MBTI tests' on line - they're all pretty darned accurate and consistent - and surprisingly USEFUL.

Knowing, being able to get a handle on, your own personal style, gives you insights about yourself that you may not have thought about much, or at all for that matter. At least that's how it's been for me. We all are simply a we are, as a general rule. Yet that 'J' always bothered me a little about myself, which the tests have consistently shown over the years ... it was always sort of borderline. 

So, curious me, I'm wondering what has 'changed' in the past couple of years, with that 'J' edging closer to the 'P' end of the scale. Aren't our 'personalities' supposed to be basically cast in concrete? How come mine seems to be changing?

When I stop and analyze it, look at it from where I'm at now, the answer stares me in the face.

I've made some changes in my life, my lifestyle, and my general outlook. 

It was a couple of years ago (2013) that I dropped down to part time at my shift-work job, to begin with. Right about then is when some of my artwork also 'went public' for the first time, not an easy choice and fraught with both anxiety and the antithesis of that anxiety (let them think what they will; until they see it they can't think anything at all, right?). It was a good move as it turned out, and gave me the confidence and determination to follow through on a project that came into my mind at just exactly that time.

And so the Mamm Books happened because I had the time and the energy (from dropping to a more reasonable shift-work schedule) and because the art project morphed into the writing of books.

Last summer (2014) brought another change - a too-long-delayed trip HOME home for me, time off from shift-work, and a further drop in hours there in order to at long last achieve a predictable schedule that I could plan an actual LIFE around. 

Yes it was incredibly expensive ... but quite very necessary. The path I had been on, and at the time not having the internal resources with which to walk such a path without paying an enormous internal price, was taking a dangerous toll. I needed the time I took - to heal and to strengthen both physically and emotionally. In my condition, brought on by my own choice to stick with it no matter what, the struggle almost did me in. It was either give myself a break and a chance or spend at least the equivalent (of the income I was giving up) on therapy and pharmaceuticals I have NO desire to put into my systems.

Until I had been HOME home (the CO Rockies and down in the Arkansas River Valley) for a while and started to feel more and more like my own self, I'd had no real idea of the extent of damage I had been doing to myself.

At any rate, those are the 'changes' that have happened in the past couple of years which are now showing up in the MBTI testing process.

Not only have I given myself permission to not be so VERY strait-laced, I've also done a LOT of research.

*laughing*

I've also 'met' some Characters who don't always follow the straight and narrow path I plan for them in plot lines. 

Writing Mamm of Dunnottar, I realized that Mamm needed a husband if the rest of the books (already written and published!) were going to 'happen'. He had to be from her time, he had to be strong enough to handle Mamm, and he had to have the same values as the rest of the Characters. 

Alaric dropped into my lap from out of the clear blue sky when I skeptically took a 'Which Conqueror Are You?' quiz on line. I'm not exactly 'Conqueror' material and wondered what the heck they were going to be able to come up with for me, the most peaceful and non-competitive person I know. What on earth could I have in common with the Conquerors of our world? I didn't WANT to have anything in common with any of them, to be honest.

Then I met Alaric. And said to myself, 'This is Mamm's mate.'

Little did I know what I was getting myself into. It was akin to finally finding Dunnottar, a fleeting vision from years ago that I kind of assumed wasn't really REAL but turned out to be quite very REAL. Same thing with Alaric. He fit EXACTLY into Mamm's lifespan. Research confirmed that he would indeed be a good match for Mamm, who wasn't about to marry just anybody. 

At first I was tickled pink. Then I realized that this was an actual historic figure here, not totally fictional like the rest of them. I would have to follow the real events of his recorded life. 

Oh my. 

Alaric sacked Rome in 410 CE.

How to reconcile that with the peacefulness of our Characters?

Well, they'd already had to fight more than one battle, were formidable Warriors ... it would be okay ...

And so it was.

Alaric did sack Rome, but all things considered he wasn't mean about it. They opened the gates to him for cryin' out loud - how mean does that sound?

Anyway, the combination of having to stick to an actual course of events while at the same time putting said course into an already existing fictional framework had the effect (in retrospect) of making me figure out how to do it.

Yep.

Then, after I had that whole half of the book's dual story line written, I happened across references to Ataulf that I hadn't paid enough attention to before. 

OOPS.

Had to go back and write him into the story line.

Okay, Ataulf's in there, Mamm's brother who picked up where Alaric left off. We're good to go NOW!

No.

No?

No.

Mamm had to have ANOTHER brother, Waleis.

WHAT!?! 

Are you KIDDING me?

She's already got two much older brothers (besides Ataulf) - one in Albann (Scotland) up in Chattan territory and one in Tarnos of Gaul. Her parents have bloody well LEFT FOR THE FAR WESTERN LANDS and aren't going to come back. Where is this younger brother going to come from, the one who has to take over in Aquitaine after Ataulf gets murdered? The one who later spawns legends as Walther in the Germanic lands? What the heck.

So I had to write in Wally of the West and get him from what would come to be recognized as North America back to the UK and Europe. 

Good Lord.

So yeah, it MADE me HAVE to take myself out of what had become my comfort zone and use the more 'organized' part of my brain because I HAD to get the sequences right - I couldn't just use vague references or flat out make stuff up (although as it turns out what I thought I was 'making up' was not exactly as 'made up' as I thought, but I wrote a whole other book about THAT and am NOT going to elaborate here). Alaric, Ataulf, 'Wally', Stilicho, the Emperors East and West, the battles, the 'situation' of the times ... all are real documented history. Being INFJ (at the time) with that INFP starting to come to the fore, I could not, would not, ignore reality completely just because I happened to be writing fiction.

And this whole long spiel is simply to illustrate how in the world one's 'cast in concrete' personality type can 'change'. It's not so hard to 'get' how the J & P blend - they have to. I had to 'go with the flow' to write in unexpected Characters after the fact, not to mention coping with the stuff the different Characters pulled on me when I thought I had their roles all cut and dried. I also, at the same time, had to follow a darned strict timeline - and get the book done and out when it was supposed to be done and out.

Then the Younglings took the bit in their collective mouth.

Then DANANN, in response to the Hogmanay celebration at Stonehaven and the Fireballs, blew *my* book timeline out of the water and dragged the lot of us ahead with him three thousand years.

To top it off, I suspect J and P in collusion with I, N, and F as being behind my total conviction that Science and God are totally compatible and are in fact one and the same. Linear Logic and Mystic Magic are NOT mutually exclusive, folks. The more we learn the more mystified we become about the stuff we don't know yet, and the more determined we become to keep on searching, only to be baffled by what we find - so we search even harder for both the biggest and the smallest ... and 'round and 'round we go - following PHI because the Spiral is what we have to go by.

And BadaBingBadaBoom as Brooklyn Bill would say.

No wonder my head is spinning and it's a relief to be back full time at that shift-work job.

I kid you not. It's kind of like being on vacation, even though it's really hard work and directly related to having specific goals. Again, the J and the P are 'taking turns' - or something ... At least the INF is absolutely stable and unchanging, thank God. Those three aren't going anywhere. They're still riding at or near the 100% markers. And I'm perfectly fine with that.

INFP

Philosopher - Living in your own ideal world.

You are an idealist. You are loyal to your values and the people who are important to you. You hope you can live in a world which could exactly match your own values. You are very curious about the world. You can always find more possibilities and drive yourself and other people to make these ideas come true. You try to understand other people and help them to maximize their potential. When there is nothing threatening your own values, you are quite flexible and good at accepting other people.

Introversion I or Extroversion E - You can get your energy from where you focus your attention.

You are Introverted Tendency, that is concerned about how the changes of the outer environment influence yourself: concentrate your psychological forces and attention on your inner world, and focus on your inner experience, thinking, idea and emotion. You prefer to think independently and read.

 People different from you are Extroverted Tendency, that concerned about how you influence the outer environment: concentrating your psychological forces and attention on the outer world and communication with other people and like meeting, discussion and chatting.

Sensation S or Intuition N - What will you notice more when you receive and perceive the information from the surrounding world.

You are iNtuition Tendency, that likes abstract theories and principles. You are concerned with the entirety of things and the tendency of change and development. You are concerned about inspiration, imagination and creativity. You like implication, analogy, connections, possibility, inference and prediction.

 People different from you are Sensing Tendency, that are concerned about the detailed information gained through sense perception: things that you see, hear, smell, taste and touch. You notice details and descriptions more. You like to use and develop the skills you already have.

Thinking T Or Feeling F - How do you make decisions.

You are Feeling Tendency, that attaches the most importance to the feelings of yourself and other people. The value and harmony will be your standard for evaluation.You are very sympathetic, kind, friendly and considerate. You always think about how your behavior will effect the feelings of other people.

 People different from you are Thinking Tendency, that pay attention on the logic relationships among things. You like to evaluate and make decisions through objective analysis. You are very rational, objective and fair. You think principles are more important than being flexible.

Judging J or Perceiving P - How do you organize and design life.

You are Perceiving Tendency, that needs to collect more information before you make a decision. So you try to understand and adapt. You focus on process and change your goals based on the information changes. You always allow for unforeseen circumstances in your daily life. You like a loose and free life style, which may be bit disordered.

 People different from you are Judging Tendency, that like to make judgements and decision. You like to make plans and would like to manage, control and drive for the results. You focus on accomplishing the task. In your daily life, you hope your life is organized, step by step and respect the timeline.


 Yep.

That's my analysis for the time being.

A Man and a Dream ... Help This One Follow His ...

How I wish I could do something, anything to help this young man get to where he's going!!

This LINK will take you to information about him and his dream. Meanwhile, here's a bit from the Mearns Leader ...

07:00 Friday 24 July 2015

A Stonehaven music student is close to securing his dream of attending prestigious New York university NYU Steinhardt.

Ben McMillan (28) has been awarded the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York Scholarship Fund to study in America on completion of his Masters in Vocal Composition course at the University of Aberdeen.

He has set his sights on a career as a film composer and was accepted onto the Masters in Film Composition and Music Technology at NYU Steinhardt, a specialist institution which has produced alumni including Disney’s most prolific composer Alan Menken, who has worked on films including The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, and the composer and producer Mark Ronson.

The scholarship covers Ben’s first year of tuition, however he is now faced with the task of raising the remaining funds needed to pay for his accommodation and living costs.

His family have rallied round, and with the aid of his brothers, he has organised a fundraising ceilidh in Stonehaven Town Hall, to take place on Saturday August 7.

...

For those who may not know what a 'ceilidh' is ... here's the dictionary definition:  a party with music, dancing, and often storytelling ... and it's pronounced 'KAY lee' ... if I'm wrong somebody please set it right ...

This is one event I would DEARLY love to attend; alas I cannot, but would like for Ben to know that I'll be thinking of him and his Dream, not only on August 7th but as he makes his way along his path. 

'Go with the protection and blessing of the Holy Trinity - wherever you travel - in safety and in joy!'

God bless you and keep you, Ben. Follow your heart and your dream, wherever they lead you. 

If you'd like to help this young man on his way, please use either of the addresses below.

benjamin_mcmillan@hotmail.co.uk

www.gofundme.com/vtz7us

Proud and Pleased ...

I'm not quite all the way sure that WE are ready for THEM, but the

YOUNGLINGS OF DUNNOTTAR 

ARE READY AND RARIN' TO GO!

(sneak peeks coming right up!)

God Took A Whole Extra Day ...

He did, I know it. And never told anybody.

He had to have, just to get Dunnottar put together exactly right.

The Dunnottar/Stonehaven Area Has Again Charmed This Woman

First it was the Fireballs; then it was the Mearns Leader (a continuing joy because I get to see what's going on clear over there from clear over here); then it was on line friends; then it was finding Dunnottar's on line sites ... 

And now I'm sitting here at my desk, in my writing study, clear over here, and I'm stunned to my very soul because of people, clear over there, who have stepped into my heart and brought to it warmth and kindness.

You see, I've had a pretty specific need ... the Younglings of Dunnottar have to have faces for the covers and illustrations of their books. And (believe it or not) fictional Characters really can and do develop into their own 'selves' over time. The Younglings wanted 'faces' from their OWN area, not just any faces.

And me, I'm going, 'What the heck. How many kids do I know around Stonehaven/Dunnottar? In Scotland at all? Zero, that's how many.' 

WHY have I been 'blessed' with such demanding Characters?!

So, me being me, I said a prayer and went on line to ask for help.

WOW.

I'm pretty sure there are words to describe the gratitude I'm feeling, but for the life of me those words are at present beyond my grasp.

Soon the parental permissions and photos will provide these young Characters with the faces they've been wanting.

WHEW - big sigh of relief. 

I tell you true, I'm more impressed than I already was, and I didn't think that was even possible.

And so, again, a HUGE thank you goes out - from me, but mostly this time from the Younglings of Dunnottar who will soon be mounted on their horses  and ponies (wearing the faces they want to be wearing!!) and on their way to adventure!

We're doing this for the fun of it, and the biggest part of the fun is turning out to be the making of new friends along the path.