I finished The Witch’s Trilogy not so long ago, and I’m rather happy with how it came out. (Yes, there are four books because there is a prequel.)

Now I’m on to the next series, but I thought I’d share a little bit about the influence on the last series.

When I was a child my parents use to take us to the coast every summer. We’d camp out next to the ocean in an old tent, and I’d play on the sandy dunes, and hunt for sea shells in the rocks. I woke up each morning listening to the waves pounding against the shore, and went to sleep with the ocean breeze rocking the tent back and forth.

As a little girl trapped in long car rides with my sisters, and then stuck in the middle of no where with no TV or game console (I was a gamer even then) I didn’t appreciate those opportunities as much as I do now. Today I look forward to these long trips, and just take a kindle to keep me occupied.

While writing the Witch’s Trilogy I was able to draw on those memories. The smell of the ocean, the wind in my hair, the taste of the salt water and kelp. Since the Witch’s Trilogy is set in a group of islands that look a lot like the beaches I went to as a child.

I hope that the same experiences and influences can seep into my new series. She’s a fire sorceress, and there are fire breathing dragons, so I’ll be dreaming of camp fires, and burning logs. I’ll be remembering living in California during the major forest fires, and the inability to breath when the smoke got so thick. Not all memories we pull from need to be happy ones, after all.

Speaking of the past, I’m going to California to see my mom this weekend. I haven’t seen her since I left Cali. I miss her, and it’s going to be good to see her again.