"The fortune you seek is in another cookie."
Happy National Fortune Cookie Day!
The other day, my son opened up a fortune cookie only to find there was no fortune in it. What's the point of a fortune cookie if there's no fortune? It's not like they're incredibly delicious or anything. Merely 'meh' at best.
So rude.
Was this email forwarded to you?
We did laugh about it, but it made me think...
We all have those times where we're expecting something, but it either doesn't pan out or we get something completely different. Including who we think we are. Having to reconcile this new reality can be somewhat jarring.
For example: When I was a young 20-something, I completely believed I would love camping. What was there not to love? Being out in nature, sitting by a fire eating s'mores, breathing in the fresh air, listening to a gurgling stream while lying in a tent, looking up at the stars and identifying constellations...
I knew I would love it. Who wouldn't?
But then, when my husband and I tried tent camping, the reality didn't quite match what I had pictured in my mind. While we were out in nature, that nature included biting insects, moose strolling through our campsite, and being flooded out by an unexpected deluge of rain in the middle of the night that soaked through all of our clothing and bedding.
I also discovered I do not do well without indoor plumbing.
Yes. I am somewhat of a diva like that.
Through the years, I've had a lot of revelations about myself along the same lines. Things I absolutely knew to be true about myself that ended up not being as true as I thought.
And that's okay.
Knowing who you are isn't a once-and-done kind of thing. It's a lifelong process of discovery. It's learning who you are, how people and events have shaped you into, well, you.
If I hadn't been open to learning about myself and who I've become, I never would have become an author. I never would have realized that I do love history and doing research. Or figuring out I love antique stores and wandering farmers markets. And exploring. Finding new places. Traveling and meeting new people.
I also wouldn't have discovered the seek-the-positive mentality that helped me through my darkest times - back and hip problems, cancer, deep depression.
All of those things have shaped me into the person I am. The person I'm getting to know every single day. And even though sometimes I'm not what I expected, I love who I am. Surprises and all.
The World of Truthtaker
Truthtaker, coming this December, is the first of my Displaced History stories.
I hinted at the world in my last newsletter - "A ship full of passengers from Regency England is displaced from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to a landlocked lake at the end of the Ice Age."
Creating this new world, where people from one time and place must learn to survive in a new environment, has been both challenging and intriguing.
People from the more refined culture of Regency England dealing with Ice Age megafauna...having to discover new resources to support the lifestyle they had always known...throw in some magic that only women can wield...magic that can drive men mad...
[insert giddy squeal here]
The story takes place three hundred years after the initial displacement (which was really fun to write, by the way). A matriarchal society has emerged from the literal and figurative wreckage, ruled by the Guild of the Gifted and led by the Lady Regent. Secrets that could shake the core of their established beliefs are now at risk of being revealed.
It's freakin' awesome and I can't wait to share it with you!
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Keep chasing your dreams and slaying your dragons, my friends. I believe in you.
Coming soon...
Truthtaker by Lysandra James
Regency culture in an ice age environment. Magic that drives men mad. Secrets that could unravel society. Truth that can’t be…Revealed.
Coming December 2025. Subscribers will be the first to know when and where Truthtaker will be available. If you haven't done so already, subscribe now!
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