Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively

Artwork for Light Weaver

2012-02-15T12:26:00.000Z

Well, the magnificent muses have spoken and, if you haven't already heard upon the cyber-grapevine, my debut novel has a new title. It's now called Light Weaver.

The title was there all along, threaded through the story, and it feels so right. It feels like the way it's always been.

And, with news of the new title, comes news of the front cover art and interior map illustration.

I'm very fortunate and delighted to be working with Richard Crookes, a fabulous artist who originates from my home county. As soon as I saw his work, I knew he would be the one to produce the cover, and I hope you love what he's created as much as I do.

Would you like to see?

Well, pop over to Richard's website and scroll through Book Covers to view the Light Weaver cover and scroll through Illustrations to view the Light Weaver map. (I'll post images here on my blog in due course.)

I absolutely love what Richard has created but, most importantly, what do you think?

Is the cover what you imagined? Does the map intrigue you?

I so welcome your thoughts.

Meanwhile, the editor is at work on the manuscript and I'm busy completing the back cover text.

'Tis quite a journey bringing a novel into reality.

*** Do you have any questions for me or anything extraordinary you'd like to share? Please leave your comments here or click 'like' on my Facebook page and say hello. If you'd like to be informed when I add new content to this website, Subscribe to Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively by Email or watch out for my Twitter updates. Love and bright wishes, starlights. ***

How I Started 2012

2012-02-09T18:03:00.000Z

I'd like to share some of the things that have occupied me these past few weeks. It's a reminder to self that I'm still disentangling on all levels.

Here's what I've been up to ...

* After giving up home ownership (read about my disentangling), I moved into my new writer's nest on England's West Lancashire coast.

* I've been working with a small team of creative alchemists to birth my reality-questioning debut novel this spring.

* Following a stream of Starsong downloads, I've been enhancing my nutritional intake. I'm eating Organic Raw Food (awesome deliciousness) and choosing organic and natural wherever it's available.

* I donated to the creation of a Woodland Grove in Scotland through my Magical Giving project.

* Living joyfully ... I'm fully embracing life's experiences, seeing beyond illusion, and walking my true path.

* Switched my home's energy supply to an ethical company - Ecotricity. Too trivial to mention? Perhaps, but I'm reminding myself that what we choose brings about change.

* 'Dreaming into being' story strings for my next reality-questioning novel and reflecting upon some inspiring guides I aim to write.

* Research ... constantly inspired by the question, 'what if?'

* Remembering ... yes, remembering that our thoughts transmit energy ... our thoughts create reality.

* Spent quality time with magical kindred ~ in this and other realms. ;-)

* And, of course, I've been playing out in nature's domain (absolutely essential) and enjoying this quiet time of icicles, owl song, and rainbow-ribboned light.

Life is wonderful.

Life really is what you make it.

* Do you have any questions for me or anything extraordinary you'd like to discuss? I love to be with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or press 'like' on my Facebook page and say hello. If you'd like to be informed when I add new content to this website, Subscribe to Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively by Email or watch out for my Twitter updates. Love and bright wishes, starlights. *

Birthing a Novel

2012-01-26T13:40:00.000Z

I'm now working with a fantastic editor and an inspirational book cover designer for my reality-questioning debut novel. And, after several months of putting the work aside, the latest read-through is going well and proving revealing. No surprise then that I'm making subtle changes as I go.

There is one change, however, that I didn't see coming, and was intuitively prompted (thank you, Richard!). It's a change in the novel's title! The Mobile Librarian, which was only ever a working title, is about to change. I'm birthing a new title as I write, and I'll let you know what it is as soon as I've bonded with it.

Meanwhile, my creative energy is soaring and singing at a level I haven't encountered for some time. Coincidence that this occured during the solar flares?

And, I've been playing with images again, just to encourage you to question what you see. Here is my triptych:

Spooky, Mulder. 'Tis all fun!

My debut novel will be available as a paperback and a Kindle e-book from April 2012. If you know anyone who enjoys a bit of contemporary fiction with a fantastical element ~ a story set in England's beautiful Lake District with strange goings-on, do send them my way.

Until we commune again, be wonderful, star-brights.

* Do you have any questions for me or anything extraordinary you'd like to discuss? I love to be with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or press 'like' on my Facebook page and say hello. If you'd like to be informed when I add new content to this website, Subscribe to Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively by Email or watch out for my Twitter updates. Love and bright wishes, starlights. *

Communing with the Light

2012-01-15T23:55:00.000Z

"Amber glow flares wildly before fading into eve's horizon. The day has been full of sunbows, whispering their secrets."

Belated New Year wishes, starbrights. I've started 2012 in a new location, just moments away from the coast on the borders of Lancashire and Merseyside. I'm on the edge of each county and on the brink of other realms. It is exactly where I like to be.

Image: Into Oblivion by Mark Fenwick

At last, I've disentangled. Already I'm in love with my new minimalist writing space. The apartment is modern but the setting is semi-rural. From my windows, tall trees stand sentinel and there is an orchestra of wild hens, peacocks, and tawny owls offering free musical interludes. Nature is ever present. What's more, the night skies are darker here, which is perfect for star-gazing and important inspiration for my next reality-questioning novel.

If you've been keeping up with my news, you'll know I'm on a mission to publish my debut novel for the spring and aim to assign a copy-editor and cover designer before January's end. There is much to do and the journey to publication is just the start. I need to find all those kindred beings who love reading reality-questioning fiction. Can you help? If you know anyone who would enjoy my writing, I'd be most grateful if you would direct them to my Facebook or Twitter pages (see links below).

Right now, I'm in communion with light energies. I'm hearing starsong. So much information is swirling through my mind but my heart is taking the lead and I'm where I need to be. With each gentle step, the world is unfolding into something extraordinary.

So, here we are in 2012, this year of great transformation for all kindred and for our earth mother. It is a time for stepping into new possibilities. Here is where we have the opportunity to live from the heart and recognise our creativity and wonderful gifts. We can be so much more than we already are. So, kindred, are you shining the amazing light energy that's inside you?

Wishing you a beautiful and inspiring year. (((( * ))))

* Do you have any questions for me or anything extraordinary you'd like to discuss? I love to be with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or press 'like' on my Facebook page and say hello. If you'd like to be informed when I add new content to this website,Subscribe to Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively by Email or watch out for my Twitter updates. Love and bright wishes, starlights. *

A Rare Moment of Normality

2011-12-21T16:51:00.000Z

Winter solstice greetings, dear ones.

I'm currently in a West Lancashire holiday cottage, catching my breath, after disentangling from home ownership as well as material and emotional clutter. I'm engaged with the ordinary, such as cooking a vegetarian meal while watching geese fly in formation against a darkening sky. Later, I'll read the latest issue of The Author with its mesmerizing cover picture of the aurora borealis. Right now, my dear Mr Fenwick is travelling through cyberspace on his notebook. The wall clock ticks life's rhythms like a metronome and its hands journey stubbornly forward - unlike my last clock, which lost its hands and could no longer mark the passage of time.

Right now, I'm thinking that everything is questionably normal. This is a rare event for me; as rare as seeing a moonbow or the transit of Venus. Of course, the ordinary will not last. Something strange and curious is bound to happen soon. It always does in my world, and it will then mark the transition into my next journey. Until then, I'm happy to bask in this tranquil moment, this time of womb-like darkness, while I rest and reflect and wait for the sparks of light upon the winter solstice horizon.

The Mother Tree

Early in 2012, I'll have a new writer's nest ... a temporary space in a coastal village where I'll be (for some of the time at least) for the next 6 to 12 months. Mostly, I'll be travelling as I conduct research for my second reality-questioning novel. Busy days ahead, too, as I prepare for the spring launch of my debut novel as well as working on my other publishing projects. These are inspiring times. I'm doing exactly what I'm here to do.

So, this rare moment of normality holds me in its curious stillness. I feel on the edge of this dimension, looking in from the sidelines, simply observing, simply waiting, simply restoring my energy after the crazy mind-fusing energies of 2011. Perhaps this is where you are, too? It's not a bad place to be. Oh but I'm ready to continue my starsong journey. You see, something extraordinary is out there on the periphery. It's drawing me in. That's why I know this unsettling moment of normality will not last.

Sending love to you all and gratitude for your sparkling presence. Wishing you peace and joy this season and all that you wish for in 2012.

* Do you have any questions for me or anything extraordinary you'd like to discuss? I love to be with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or press 'like' on my Facebook page and say hello. If you'd like to be informed when I add new content to this website, Subscribe to Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively by Email or watch out for my Twitter updates. Love and bright wishes, starlights. *

Debut Novel ... Arriving Soon!

2011-12-06T23:07:00.001Z

It's already been a long journey. Some of you may have been on the brink of giving up on me, wondering if my debut novel would ever make its way into this reality. Well, after careful reflection and guidance, I've decided to publish the novel through my publishing partnership.

I know it's the right decision because my heart tells me so ... because the universe has been giving me signs ... and because it's time to share my reality-questioning fiction with those of you who've been patiently waiting.

What didn't feel right was spending the next year submitting the work to mainstream publishing houses, knowing that my quirky little novel doesn't fit neatly into a specific marketing genre and probably wouldn't have commercial appeal. A publisher would have to take a risk.

You see, my novel is for the awakened and awakening ... for those who are curious enough to look between the seams of this world ... for those searching for truth and meaning. It is a novel for a growing but still relatively small kinship. So, I concluded that in order to maintain the book's integrity, the only path was to deliver what I started.

This is the way it was always going to be. I realise this now, which is why it makes so much sense.

For the publishing process, I have all the resources and expertise at hand. I'll have full creative direction. I can choose an editor and designer who are in alignment with the story. It means I can include all those little extras that will hopefully entertain, intrigue, and enlighten. My aim is to inspire you to think ... what if?

Yes, it feels right to take this route. It will be published authentically and with love. And, as the story begins in the spring, this is the perfect time to launch. So, dear ones, there is much work to do between now and then. My novel will be with you ... in print and e-book format ... in the spring 2012. I do hope you'll stay tuned.

* Thank you for your sparkling presence. Do you have any questions for me? I love to connect with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or press 'like' on my Facebook page and say hello. If you'd like to be informed when I add new content to this website, Subscribe to Carol Anne Strange ... Living Creatively by Email or watch out for my Twitter updates. Love and bright wishes. *

A Little Starsong Wisdom

2011-12-01T21:47:00.001Z

* We are conscious energy, travelling in our biological vehicles, experiencing life on earth's beautiful physical realm.
* As enlightened beings, we are `works-in-progress', open to positive change, learning and growth.
* On the journey, we create and influence our experiences, whether consciously or sub-consciously.
* Our inner peace and joy depends upon how we respond to events and experiences.
* We can make the extraordinary happen by focusing our thoughts and energy.
* We are here to share our gifts, honour our connections, and awaken to our potential.
* Love is everything. When we love, unconditionally, we are free. When we live from the heart, we live authentically.
* When we are aligned with our true nature, we become empowered.
* We are star-children. We've travelled from the stars and will return to the stars.
* It is time to remember who we are.

I'm hearing starsong, and ideas are transmitting for my life's journey and for my next novel. Stay tuned!

Much love.
((( * )))

Thank you for your sparkling presence. I love to connect with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or click 'like' on my Facebook page or join me on Twitter.

Ready to Go

2011-11-25T22:20:00.001Z

My bags are packed. The house is almost empty. I'm ready to move.

While waiting for the legal conveyancing to complete (quite an archaic, long drawn-out process), I'm spending some of this inbetween phase recognizing redundant limiting thoughts and situations (stuff that's been holding me back) and disentangling from them. Right now, I'm mindful, present, and resonating from the heart. There's no better place to be!

I'm also using this time to visualize the work I'll be engaged with from 2012. I'm so excited about sharing this with you. Apart from progressing with my second reality-questioning novel, I'll be writing about my experiential Starsong Journey. I'm switched on, tuned in, and receiving downloads. So, it's a busy time ahead writing from wherever I'll happen to be.

Whether I'm writing fiction or experiential fact, one of my main goals is to inspire you to think about the what-ifs? ... to see other possibilities and realities ...to recognize the amazing conscious being you already are. This is part of the work I'm here to do. I so hope it resonates with you.

Today has been filled with rainbow light and the elements have been vocal with the promise of change. I'm ready to go. The time of new beginnings is near. Can you feel it?

* Thank you for your sparkling presence. I love to connect with kindred spirits so please leave your comments here or press 'like' on my Facebook page or join me on Twitter. Love and bright wishes. *

Embracing Change

2011-11-17T00:01:00.001Z

Life is ever evolving. Few things remain constant. Not even standard weights and measures stay the same over time. (Read the story of the disappearing Kilo.) So, when faced with inevitable change, it makes sense to accept and embrace it.

In my disentangling journey, I have initiated many of the current changes taking place in my life. I've been listening to starsong and clearing the path of redundant thoughts, feelings, habits and expectations that do not support the work I'm here to do. It's prompted such a radical and surprisingly quick succession of changes in my life, which requires a whole new perspective.

How I live and work will be very different to how I've previously lived and worked. More about this in future posts. Right now, I want to share another significant change ... the opting out of Christmas. Before you shout 'humbug', let me explain ...

I'm completely at odds with the whole commercialism of the Yuletide season. I've felt like this for some time. Perhaps you feel it too? Apart from the opportunity to meet up with family and friends and give gratitude for all that is, the occasion has no meaning for me. After all, I'm a spiritual being but I'm not religious. I love to give but do so in many different ways throughout the year without succumbing to the commercial circus.

So, I'm opting out of Christmas. I'll not be participating in the exchange of cards or gifts from this year on. Instead, I'll be supporting ventures and environmental schemes, which I'm passionate about and have wider benefits for all. I'll be giving in various ways (not just monetary but in time, expertise and support) throughout the year. And when it comes to giving physical gifts at other times, I'll consciously choose to buy from artists and smaller ethical ventures.

My opting out might not be popular but it is part of my disentangling. Some may regard it as a little extreme or sad but that's okay. Each to their own. I respect others' views and beliefs. For me, the yuletide season will continue to be a time of gathering with family, friends and co-travellers ... to share food and stories ... to be grateful for life's goodness and nature's bounty. It will continue to be a reminder of our capacity for peace and love. To me, that's what the season should celebrate. And that's what life should be about ... all year round.

Right now, I continue to disentangle. The big move is imminent and I'm embracing change. I'm on my starsong journey, looking towards 2012 and the writing of my second reality-questioning novel. I'll be journeying between realms and gathering inspiration. As always, the future is a work-in-progress.

* Thank you for your sparkling presence. I love to hear from kindred spirits. Please leave your comments here or on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarolAnneStrange.Writer

Finding a Place to Be

2011-11-11T12:11:00.001Z

11.11.11 Greetings. In just a few weeks time, I'll be moving from my writer's nest and travelling into the unfamiliar. This is part of my disentangling from life as I've known it as I fully embrace my starsong journey.

I will be leaving these beautiful views, which kept me inspired while I was writing my debut novel.

I'm breaking convention and saying goodbye to the illusion of security and home ownership.

Madness? Mid-life crisis? Some might think so but this is me, Carol Anne Strange, living creatively. This is me, listening to starsong, and doing the work I'm here to do.

Right now, I'm not sure where I'm going to be. I still need to find a place to rest my head at day's end. All I know is that, initially, during this transition phase, it's likely to be somewhere in this little corner of north west England.

The requirements for a place to be are simple: A small living space is suffice. A few home comforts are desirable. Ideally, the atmosphere must be conducive for writing and creativity. Depending upon where I am on the journey and the wishes of my co-travellers, I may stay at a place for several months, a year, or perhaps longer. Right now, anything is possible.

My focus is on doing the work I'm here to do. So, mostly, I'll be out and about gathering inspiration and research for my next novel while also working on creative collaborations and other publishing projects. Where I happen to stay while I do this work is secondary but I realize there are many options. Some of them appeal to my curious self.

Suggestions for the future include a yurt, caravan, historic building, gothic apartment, lighthouse, beach hut, mobile library (which would be a perfect tour bus for my debut novel!) or haunted inn. One of my personal favourites, however, is the UFO tree hotel. You probably guessed!

I'm sure that wherever I happen to be is where I need to be at that given time. Isn't that the way it should be?

If you also find yourself on a journey, right now, remember that the real place to be is in your heart. Find peace and contentment there and you'll always be at home.

I love to hear from kindred spirits. Please leave your comments here or on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarolAnneStrange.Writer

Disentangling ... The Journey So Far

2011-11-07T00:10:00.004Z

About two years ago, I began 'the great declutter'. I started by reducing my personal and household belongings (not that I had much to begin with). I recycled, freecycled, sold and gifted my stuff. Along the way, I gave up television. At the time, people asked why I was doing this and I wasn't able to provide a clear answer. You see, I didn't fully understand what was happening but just knew, instinctively, it was something I had to do.

Day-by-day, the decluttering extended into other areas of my life as I became mindful of routines, thoughts, habits and conventions that no longer served me (or perhaps never did). And so began the disentangling ... also known as untethering, unravelling, or detaching from the life I'd known.

Looking back, although I've always been a creative spirit, I realized how much my life had been restricted by thoughts and habits or expectations (mine and other people's). Something was changing within me. It gathered pace while I was writing my debut novel as if some magical force flew on the coat tails of my muse. Even over the course of 2011, in this amazing year of change, my evolutionary journey has been incredibly profound. I'm seeing through the veils. I'm clearing the way. I'm listening to starsong.

Not everyone understands what I'm doing. Not everyone approves or wants to follow. And that's perfectly okay. I'm on my starsong journey. Without realizing it, I've been on this voyage for a while now. Many kin spirits are experiencing this intriguing shift in consciousness or perception. They, too, are disentangling.

In the boldest leap so far, I'm about to embark on the next part of the journey. It is exciting but scary in the same breath. The house is sold (subject to contract). Soon, there'll be no mortgage nor attachment to one place. My nest, where my debut novel was conceived, will become home to a new young family on the start of their journey. I'm sure they'll love the place, especially for its peace and beautiful views. And I'm leaving with gratitude for the time I've had here and with a good feeling in my heart.

As I give up the notion of ownership and continue to disentangle, I'm reminded that we are only guests on this planet. Experiencing life's magical moments, sharing gifts, doing work that matters, and living from the heart, is what truly counts. Right now, I'm not certain where I'll be living in the next few weeks but I'm trusting in the journey and, as ever, focused on living creatively. All I know is that it feels right.

Always love to hear from you. Please leave a message on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarolAnneStrange.Writer

New Beginnings

2011-11-05T21:37:00.005Z

Aloah, and welcome to my new online journal. I'm so excited to be here and even more excited that you're present with me right now. Whether our connection is new or we've already been travelling together for many moons, I'm looking forward to offering insights, inspiration and plenty of 'what ifs?' with all you kindred spirits.

In time to come, I'll be sharing my Starsong Journey as I answer a heart-resonating call into living my truth. There'll be snippets about my reality-questioning novels and some revealing insights about how I live creatively. I'll also be talking about disentangling, curiosities and inspiration, and how to capture life's magical moments. There may even be some surprises along the way.

Ultimately, I'm engaging in the work I'm here to do this lifetime and it's my heartfelt wish to use my gifts in a positive and inspiring way.

So, as we walk together on life's most amazing journey, I'd like to thank you for choosing to be here. I'm most grateful for your sparkling presence and I'm hopeful you'll find some glimmers of possibility between these lines that will enrich your life.

Wishing you all that you wish for.

Much love,

Carol Anne xx

Always love to hear from you. Please leave a message on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarolAnneStrange.Writer