DreamRovers and the Utah War

 When I was a kid, my mom bought a cassette called "Mormon Heritage" that included folk songs and narrations from history. I loved to listen to the exciting Western stories. One of my favorites was about commander Lot Smith tricking the United States army. He made the army enter the state at night, and then set up campfires along the top of a canyon.  His men rode in circles around each campfire, and as soon as the army passed, they rushed up the canyon to circle the next, making only a few men look like a huge army. 

The original idea for DreamRovers included taking this and other beloved stories and turning them into a fantasy novel (religion is fantasy-ized and only a tiny part, for those who are concerned). I wanted to write a book that included the scope of history and how effects such as predjudice and persecution can affect everyone. That's why DreamRovers is about a family, not just a single person. The point-of-view characters are two adults in their early twenties, plus one fifteen-year-old. The young and old people in the family make appearances and are important to the plot. 

DreamRovers 3 follows the Bridgley family to a safe haven for those with dream-traveling abilities, but their enemies at court haven't given up. The story was loosely inspired by the Utah War. Indra discovers her roots, Walker learns that he can be a hero, and Norma is torn between her farm and her associations with griffins. It's now published!

DreamRovers began as a single novel, but I quickly realized that the rough draft was too busy and needed to be split into three. I had a goal to publish all three volumes in 2021, and just barely made it!

Also, I (Christie Valentine Powell) will be teaching a class on Character Personality Systems at the Storymakers Converence in Provo Utah in May. I'd love to see you there!

Book Recommendations from December 2021

 Here are a few books I've read, enjoyed, and reviewed this month:

Goldmayne: A Fairy Tale by Kate Stradling. My mother loves Kate Stradling. I asked which book she'd recommend to start with, and this was her pick. It's an adorable retelling of a little known fairytale. I loved the relationship between the main characters.

Where the Stars Meet the Sea by Heidi Kimball: a historical romance that has some Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast vibes (apparently I liken everything to fairytales now). The relationship is good and wholesome, and I loved the leading lady's motivations to care for her brother.

Chasm by LL Standage: This is the second of this series (the first is here). This urban fantasy about mermaids left me guessing who can be trusted.

Poem: Receive

Gail Carson Levine challenged her blog readers to write a free verse poem about their horoscope for the day. Here's my offering:

It's not popular anymore to accept advice,

like it's a weakness,

like the offeror must be overbearing, out of touch, offensive.
Even after asking, I have to take a breath,
open my mind,
sift through their words and translate them into my voice.
Help comes,
financial, practical, emotional,
even intuition, maybe.
Complexities become clear
if I am willing to receive.