The finished product of any creation is intrinsically a dream come true… an idea comes into form; the manifestation of thoughts and collaboration. Sometimes the best ideas seemingly appear out of the blue, from unexpected sources, and at surprisingly serendipitous times. And that is exactly how this blog came into being.
The idea came one Friday night in November of 2017 when my husband and I were having a lovely dinner with friends we had not seen in a long while. It was a special treat to spend time in the company of our vibrant young friends. We enjoy sharing travel stories and adventures. But the idea laid in wait.
For the past year, I had been working hard on tedious edits and rewrites in book two of the Temple Chronicles. Meanwhile, I was also trying to keep up with seismic shifts with home, family and in the world at large. Somewhere in my wonderful conversation with Lulu that evening, I confessed that I was feeling a bit bogged down, and hoped to find a way to clear my mind. When out of the blue, she asked, “Do you have a blog?”
At first, I could not see what a blog had to do with writing a book. Of course, I knew what a blog was… or I thought I did. I already had an author website/blog, for the purpose of selling my books. But it was less than creative. Nor it had ever occurred to me that others might be interested in reading anything more than my books. Would they really be interested in reading about the life of a reclusive woman of a certain age, who not only reads weird books about medieval history and mysticism, but writes about it?
I stood at a choice point: I could either keep my nose to the grind with writing my book or give my curious soul a break from the tight box I had placed it in. So, I put that in my pipe and smoked it (figuratively speaking) for a few weeks. I sat with it and pondered the pros and cons. I made lists of what I might write about beyond marketing my books and realized that it was worth a shot to branch out…. All thanks to a suggestion out of the blue!
The Regiment Arrives
Once I decided that I wanted a blog, I added the project to my handwritten list of intentions for the month of December. Then I did something that I rarely do… I asked my super-smart adult daughters for a blog for my birthday. Alice May and Katie opened their hearts and schedules to make this happen for me. It was a huge request and a learning curve for all three of us. But what a joy to work with my girls and to benefit from their youthful wisdom!
They helped me launch this blog from a completely fresh perspective…through the eyes and vibrant energy of the younger generation. How powerful is that?! From concept to templates, to navigating through building it, I felt their loving support. And of this I am certain… Lulu’s out-of-the-blue idea gave rise to a beautiful collaboration. My daughters’ creative ingenuity has expanded my creative potential and I am grateful beyond words.
Now I am ready to grow even more through working with this blog. So… here we go!
L.S. Berthelsen 