Posted on by Cairenn Rhys · 4 Comments

A New Place to Write

There is no better way to begin this except to say that I have missed you.

As I was so wonderfully reminded of this evening, in a moment of unconscious sharing of oneself during a pause in slinging vino, I just need to move forward once again, and that means putting the past behind. I cannot, nor do I want to, go backward. It’s much too late for that anyway. (My apologies to the couple at the end of the bar – in my writer’s reverie I may have neglected you a bit, more than I would normally.)

And I love how the universe never stops working, sometimes so very hard for us, even when we believe it surely must have abandoned us for an easier Soul to heal.

In the last 3 months, I have become a Grand Aunt to a little goddess named Sophia (meaning “wisdom”) – how apropos. I have relocated to a beautiful and peaceful home that is slowly being decorated in a coastal theme that will also block the visions of snow in a few months. I have made amazing new friends, some of the most heart-full people I have ever known. I have forgiven the Dark One* for his malevolent trespass. The One Truest* has changed direction, but he has often done that over the years, and we will meet on the path again one day.

In short, life is good. Better than ever in many ways.

Although I have written several pieces over the last 2 years, I have yet to publish or publicly share any of them. I may never. There are others still that are unfinished, like the untitled supernatural thriller that I once thought I should write to Stephen King and let him have it. Then there is Whitehall. I am letting that one simmer.

Currently, I need a new desk chair. Hey, this is important! It is where I will be creating anew and perhaps finishing those dusty ol’ tales. As my hipster SoulSisterFriend Jordan told me tonight, it all could be about to happen and it’s time for me to sit me arse down and scribble.

Oh, and I am getting my first tattoo.  More on that later.

So, I’m back. I just needed to find a new place to write.

 

*References from my book “Warrior of the Deepsake”

Posted on by Cairenn Rhys

Hindsight Is Unforgiving

That is the first line I wrote when I sat down and began writing WHITEHALL.

As I finish this short story, I am reminded that the day that inspired it all was much like today. Sunny, spring  in the air, all was well. I was at peace walking in the city of Chicago, waiting for a friend to finish up some business nearby. I suddenly found myself in front of the Whitehall Hotel once again, some two years after staying there for a fateful weekend.

I was not alone at the Whitehall the first time.  The second time, I realized I had escaped a dark and dangerous situation – perhaps an even darker future. The two years that passed between the two visits was rather a psychic recovery. A time to regain my strength after being in the presence of a tormented and malevolent Soul that tears apart anyone in its path.

“Hindsight is unforgiving“.

Yes, it is a beautiful, sunny, Spring day.
As I head out for my daily stroll, I think perhaps I shall make a few stops along the way.

But this time, I am not in Chicago and I am safe. And I will never walk that way again.

 

whitehall entrance 2

Posted on by Cairenn Rhys · 7 Comments

Something Else In Life

“Yes, I am a story-teller and it takes no effort for me to write one,
and if there’s nothing there to write I do other things with my day.
Sorry you struggle so hard to do what should come naturally to you.
Perhaps it is a sign you should do something else in life?”

Ah, that verbal dart above has been bouncing off the walls of my mind for months – never quite landing where it was intended.

At one point, I was quite happy to help support the books of this Storyteller. He was heading into the world of publishing contracts, book tours and big advances, or so he claimed. It never happened for him, for all his boasting. That was when he picked up the dart and hurled it at my head. It’s been buzzing ever since.

Over a year ago, I stopped my own writing to pursue other projects and to assist others getting published.  I have been editing for wonderful indie authors, formatting ebooks, being a resource, helping to promote, and even ghostwriting. So, those were the other things I did with my day. I also stopped my personal writing because I did not want to put any words to paper. Just didn’t feel like it and didn’t want to share my thoughts. Is that unnatural?

Did I accept Mr. Storyteller’s advice as the golden rule of authorship?

Let’s break it down: What he really said is that it’s natural for him to stop writing, because it is effortless for him to pen a story. He does not struggle to write. To him, the rest of us are seriously flawed if we stop writing for any reason. We should “do something else in life” if we choose to step off the track.

Well, I stepped off the track, and spent my days doing  a lot of other things while I was not writing. All of these things have manifested into work I love – beyond publishing and completely offline. (More on that later)

So, here’s your dart back, Mr. Storyteller. It never landed, as you intended it. And I was writing before you were even born.

The Spirited Quill is going to be remodeled in February. It will look and feel better to visit this little space I created for my writing 5 years ago. I am a writer and always will be.

Everything has been leading up to this next phase. It has been quite a natural progression.