Final version of my second book, “Wolf” has been approved! Yeah.

I’ll tell you what, it was some project this time. I thought I had it all together, Melissa edited the print copy twice and I a final time and then I sent the book off for a proof print.

Meanwhile, the cover design that Dave did for me did not meet Booksurge specs. Within hours of boarding a plane to Japan, Dave quickly mended the problem and I uploaded the file to the publisher.  I was very grateful.

A week later the book arrived - with at least 32 spelling and grammatical errors inside as well as the wrong cover with spelling error! Ugh! I couldn’t believe it.

Book went from approval mode backwards. I had to fix the print errors and wait for another final copy to approval while also waiting for Dave to return from his trip to fix the cover design error. This put me back so that the book would not be available for the holidays. I was initially pretty upset, but realize that everything happens for a reason and let it go.

In any event, I approved copies again and received a second copy of the book (which cost me more money to do) and only found one (okay, maybe two) errors, but you know what? I wasn’t going to spend another $75 to fix one quotation mark and a wrongly italicized word! So, I approved it and it’s going to print.

“Wolf” should be available in another week on Amazon.com.

I am planning to purchase 200 copies and do a book signing at the yoga center on Sunday January 31st, after my open house (approximately 4-7pm) as well as at some local booksellers. So, watch for details on dates.

Thanks to everyone for your support, patience and interest in the status of my writings.

Many blessings, Tracey

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It is interesting to me that in the process of writing my books I have managed to discuss some of my main childhood fears. I did not set out or intend to do so, but perhaps this is my way of letting go of the demons!  Of course by now everyone knows of my greatest fear of dolls coming to life. Stop laughing. I still say watch any scary movie and you will see at least one scary looking doll or ESPECIALLY clown doll!  There is a reason for this: they are freaky and deceptively inanimate!

Butterfly begins with our heroine cleaning out her closets. Wolf begins with our heroine hiding in a closet. Guess what? I was also afraid of closets. Funny that the heroine is not scared while in her closets and yet each story begins and ends with her in it. If my closet door was not shut completely, I couldn’t sleep…even into my thirties. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that? Oh well, its out there now.

Another more subconscious fear that seems to come up throughout my books is that of abandonment and being left alone. I think a lot of people can relate to this fear. One doesn’t have to be a child to feel it. I hope that in Wolf I was able to find that nice balance of feeling “okay” with finding one’s alone time and being with one’s self.

But what I thought would be fun would be for us to share some childhood fears and how you have overcome them…or maybe not overcome them. I think what’s important is to know that no fear is silly or undeserving. Fears are real and by acknowledging them we can begin to discover their true meaning and hopefully let them go.

So, what are your childhood fears?

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     Wolf is the second book in what I envision as a trilogy of discovery for our heroine Tia Brooks. While Butterfly concentrated on a pivital point in her life when Tia began her transformation from the shy, uncertain little girl (caterpillar) to the beginning of her journey into womanhood, finding her own voice and discovering boys, truths and what is truly “real;” Wolf rejoins Tia  at a point when she is older and yet not much wiser.

     In Wolf, Tia reconnects with her friends and family and sets about to determine what she truly wants in her life and how to find real meaning in it. While Butterfly tackled the “tween” years, Wolf jumps ahead and takes a look at the single girl in her thirties.

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    Excerpt from Introduction:

      “Tia began to cry softly, heavily moved by the experience that she was having. She felt connected completely with this animal as if it she were truly there in the clearing with it, experiencing the visualization first-hand. But it was more than that. There was something in the animal’s eyes that told her she couldn’t hide any more – hide her thoughts, her feelings or her hopes and dreams. No, looking into his eyes, Tia knew that for the first time she had truly been seen. This was not just an animal. This was an old teacher that had come to lead her back to herself. And as welcoming as this feeling was, it was also quite overwhelming.”

     And so begins Tia Brooks journey. In my second novel, Tia learns that her animal spirit guide is a wolf through an ancient Lakota Indian meditation. Throughout the book each time Tia encounters this spirit guide, she is reminded by this old teacher to trust her intuitive self.

     Native American Indians have long honored Wolf energy in their culture. The Wolf is revered as a great teacher and healer as it helps to establish balance and harmony in our lives. The Wolf is an animal tremendously loyal to its family or “pack.” It is intelligent, social and ritualistic in its mannerisms. 

     The Wolf is aligned to the moon and thus to Lunar energies which teach us to respect our urges, emotions and our unspoiled child-like nature. Wolf represents a need or willingness to accept the darkness within the self. Lunar energies rule the psyche and psychic perceptions, so Wolf medicine teaches us to listen to our own intuition, especially when our mind seems to be compelling us to think otherwise.

     Each time Wolf shows up in my novel, it is to help guide Tia through a pivital stage in her life. In fact, the entire book is a pivital stage of Tia’s life as she begins her journey by breaking up with her boyfriend of seven-years, the man that she was convinced was her soul-mate and the love of her life and begins a soul-searching quest to determine just who she is. This journey of self-discovery leads Tia to reconnect with her girlfriends or her “loyal pack” and through their help realize that she is a strong, capable woman. But of what? And thus Tia’s journey to find meaning to her life and to connect to the truth within herself really begins.

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I have started working on my second book, tentatively titled “Wolf.” Those of you familiar with Butterfly already know our heroine, Tia Brooks. Only now Tia is thirty-two years old. The story begins with Tia breaking up with her boyfrind of seven years, a guy she was convinced was her soul-mate. With the help of her friend Sarah, Tia unwillingly embarks on a journey of dating in an effort to find the man she was meant to spend her life with. Hopefully by the end she will at least find herself.

My style of writing takes it’s verse from personal stories in my own life. But then I twist the stories and add artistic liberties. So while loosely based on real-life events, they are fictional stories and should not be taken literally. And while names have been changed to protect the innocent, if you know me well, you may just find a likeness of yourself in one of the characters.

After writing Butterfly I thought keeping the theme of an animal would be an interesting direction to go.  In thinking of a single young woman dating, several animals come to mind. I chose Wolf as a working title not for the obvious male dating aspects, but because of the qualities the native american indians equated with the wolf: creativity, purification & healing. Since our heroine begins this novel in a very dark place, she will need these energies to propel her along her journey. Also, since the book will introduce new female (and male) characters in comedic tales of dating, I thought it important to also convey this animal’s fiercly loyal qualities to their pack. Because, after all, boyfriends may come and go, but in the end your girls are always there for you.

I look forward to sharing more with you soon and am interested in your thoughts about Wolf.

Sincerely, Tracey

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