Lucky omen or mascot? Nope, I have angels. :-)

Dianna's question for me today: Do you have a lucky omen or mascot that helps you write?

The short answer would be no. I don't really feel I need a particular item with me, or that I need to see or do anything before I can write. But one thing that I did actually decide on at the beginning of this year was to put positive items around and on my desk.

As some of you may know - through one of my earlier posts - I suffer from depression. I use to think it was just that I was sad. I spent my entire teenage years thinking that, but it wasn't until my mum - who suffers from OCD - read something out to me about it. I googled the symptoms and when I read the list is actually dawned on me that the reason I sometimes feel tearful, low, helpless, hopeless, restless, and don't want to do anything at all, not even get out of bed, is because I do have depression and it is a lot more debilitating that what I thought it was.

And what it is is a major energy suck, which is one of the symptoms along with losing interest in your hobbies and things you usually enjoy, ie. writing, which is something I naturally love doing. I have actually found it rather difficult to concentrate these last two years and I know it is a little to do with stuff that is going on with my personal life/family and my work, but basically, my depression plays a big part.

I was brought up in a very open minded family, well, the half I spent the majority of my youth growing up with were very open minded. My beliefs are still rather open, I suppose. I believe in fate. I believe we all have a reason to be here. I believe in soul-growth, in reincarnation. I believe in energy, and spirits, and I believe in angels. Anyone who has followed me for quite sometime and has read some of my guest post may remember the ones that I wrote when my angel book "The Collector" was released. I talked a little about my beliefs then.

Why am I talking about depression and beliefs all of a sudden? Don't worry I'm not going off point, I just needed to state all of the above so that when I tell you that I decided to make one side of my desk in to an angel altar you might understand rather than think I'm crazy.

What's an angel alter? It's basically a space in your house - a desk, shelf, windowsill etc - that you choose to make into a tranquil space. A lot of people use them to help with meditation. They bring a sense of calm to the room, I find.

I realize to some people this may sound a little crazy, but just think of it as a positive corner. They're very easy to make. I have a couple of candles, some stones (rose quartz, moonstones etc) I have a couple of angel figurines, my favourite being my angel Michael, which I purchased at a Mind, Body and Spirit fair. You can add plants, flowers, water features, statues of fairies or in my case some mini Buddha. Anything you like that makes you feel at peace of uplifted. The goal is to create a space which brings high energy, and peace . . . Things that I have found I need now I'm older and I have finally accepted that when I feel like shit and I'm in a place that I can't get myself out of, it's okay. I'm having a bad day. So, I light a candle and I sit in my positive space and I tell myself I'm going to be fine tomorrow, and nine out of ten times I am.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my post, I put my alter on my desk, next to my computer, my place of work and pleasure, because writing is what I love. When I am not at work - the retail job - I'm sat here at this desk trying to make things happen, and because it has been hard making words flow for longer that I like to admit, I need that positive energy, I need to feel at peace and capable of doing anything.

So, it's not that I have a lucky omen or a mascot; I don't have anything I feel I need to have to write, but what I do have is a handful of angels sitting around my desk keeping this area clear and positive because my desk is where my energy is needed the most. :-)

The angel in the marble.

I am beavering away at The Last Dragon.

Over 21,656 words complete - a lot more still to go.

I've booked two days away in July, so I can stay in London City near Canary Wharf - the place where The Last Dragon will be rising ;) My partner will be looking after our daughter when I'm away, and I'm having one of those moments where I'm feeling so very grateful for the man in my life - his patience with my whole 'being an author' thing, lol. (We're not easy to live with, folks, are we?)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to two days of solid writing (well, as solid as possible). I don't believe I write as fast as many others, but I do know that I'm thorough with every single sentence I write, in its action and meaning. So here's to an action-fuelled, meaningful two days away :D

Up until then, I'll be chipping away at this book, shaping it into what I want it to be. On that note, I shall leave you with Michelangelo's words (very fitting for The Last Dragon, I'm sure you'll agree) -

"I saw the angel in the marble

and carved until I set him free."

My new series, Project Veil

This is a bit of a lazy post, but I just realised that I've mentioned nothing on this blog at all about my shenanigans last week with my cover reveal for my new, upcoming series for next year. It's very exciting! I'm 25% of the way through writing it, although it's taken a back seat while I get The Demon Bride finished.

Anyway... here's the blurb, and cover for book one, plus a mini (very mini) excerpt - enjoy :)

~*~

The following excerpt is © copyright to Dianna Hardy, 2012. All rights reserved.

The angel leaned in closer, never breaking her gaze. “And what of your future?” he whispered, softly. “Who do you love completely in your future?”

The question startled her, despite the fact that she didn’t fully understand his reasoning behind it.

“They're my family,” she continued, irritated that she felt she had to justify her actions to this man. “They're my blood.”

His head bowed down towards hers. She was almost flush against his chest, his neck just centimetres away from her cheek. His scent took her by surprise. It was an intoxicating blend of coconuts and palm trees on a hot summer's day, with a hint of sand and sea. In fact, if she closed her eyes, she was sure she could hear the sea.

When he spoke, it was directly into her ear. “There are far greater things in your future than those that come bound by blood. Remember that.”

~*~

Published by Satin Smoke Press
eBook released 28th June, 2013
Paperback released 30th September, 2013

Jennifer Darwin has lost everything: her husband, her daughter, her entire life. A victim of the secret and illegal medical experiment, Project Veil, she has awoken from a coma, five hundred years into an unprecedented future.

Vampires and angels fight for dominion over the Earth, and over the humans that used to rule it. Mankind are fighting to survive.

Jenny just wants to go home, but finds herself caught up in a prophecy that leads her to the beautiful and dangerous Singeon, who harbours a world of dark secrets, and the stoic, otherworldly Arden who is seemlessly able to instil strength, peace and comfort into her grieving heart.

Torn with guilt over her burgeoning feelings for the two men who now eclipse her life, she struggles to maintain both her freedom and independence in the face of a fate she has no control over. But in this new world, trust is scarce, light does not always mean love, and the dark can hold the secrets of salvation.

To make matters worse, the effects of Project Veil still linger in Jenny's bloodstream. She's transforming into something ... non-human. And it seems as if her past is not as dead as she thought.


You can keep up to date with this project, either on my own website, or over at the series blog site, ProjectVeil.co.uk