Guest Blog - Anna DeStefano

It appears that Blogger had technical difficulties last week when Anna was here so we're reposting her blog today and welcoming her back again.

Anna DeStefano has long been a great friend to the Playground. She's one of the sweetest people that I've ever met and I love it when she visits with us. So, let's clear off a place on the slide and enjoy!

Secret Legacy:
Book 2 in my now fantasy series...

Like a Dream...

I can't tell you what it means to be back in The Writing Playground, for this guest blog and for this book. It's been a long time, too long a time. But if you told me it was only yesterday that I chatted with you ladies about my first psychic thriller, Dark Legacy, I might just believe you.

Time's passage can be that way, in reality and in dreams. Fey, illusive, while we cling to what seems more tangible. Yet if life has taught us anything, it's that focusing on the abstract can at times be a more healing choice.

I've come to consider the pursuit of the surreal to be absolutely necessary for good mental health ;o) The dreams I've based my Legacy series on came from a life long fascination with first the concept and then the science of lucid dreaming. I've always tended to believe in the near-there more than the next person. And in the 18 months since Dark Legacy's release, I've found myself living more in the in between now than ever before.

I was saddened along with so many others when I heard of Beverly Barton's sudden passing. I felt for her family as I read of her pride in being an active wife and mother and grandmother. And I felt for the Heart of Dixie Romance Writers and the Playground's "children" that she loved so much. And then came the recent storms and the violence and devastation they showered on Alabama and beyond. And there you all were again, in my thoughts every day as I hoped and prayed you were well. I wished then as I do now that there was more I could do besides sending positive vibes your way.

I wished, too, that I could dream you into a better place, and that I could somehow step into the stress and fear and pain you were experiencing and take it away. That’s how things work when mayhem strikes in books like mine. In my fantasies, characters must conquer their fears, of course, and fight their own battles. But past pain is always rewarded with future dreams come true and a happy ending.

Alas, my psychic twins have supernatural abilities that give them a fantastical leg up over us mere mortals. My wish for The Playground remains, nevertheless, that you, too, could wield the same power over reality and the hardship that life inflicts from time to time. I'd dearly love to send you ladies a flash or two of pixie dust ;o)

This was supposed to be a "blog tour" post for my new psychic fantasy, Secret Legacy. So:

• Follow this link to my blog for book info and lots more about the Dream Theories and Psychic Realm that feed my contemporary world building.

• If you're interested in a .99 cent download of Book 1 in the series, go here.

• I've sent Kira a link to the fabulous author interview/book trailer Sheila and her group at Circle of Seven put together for me, hoping it could be added here.

• And I’m talking about the business side of this journey with my publisher, Dorchester, over at my Publishing Isn't for Sissies (PIFS) blog series. Chris Keeslar was just over for a visit.

There... Business done. Now, let's get back to my real reason for being here.

I hope all my stories speak to readers about creating their own reality out of their dearest fantasies. I hope I inspire them to dream beyond the every day we're often forced to endure. And I hope this post has somehow inspired you to do the same.

Harshness and loss will be part of our lives now and again. But these realities can't define us, if we refuse to cling to them. The healing and love that thrive in the energy around us—these are the building blocks of our futures. These are the beginnings of a bright, powerful tomorrow. Whether you call that inherent goodness awaiting our attention the "collective unconscious," as dream scientists do in my books, or if you think of it more simply as positive juju, I wanted my Playground post this time to be about dreaming the world into a better, calmer, promising reality for all of you.

That's what I wish for, as I create and share every story—for myself and my readers and my writer friends. And today most especially for Beverly's "children."

That's my dream for you ladies of The Writing Playground most of all...

Anna, I know I speak for everyone on the Playground when I say thank you for your thoughts and dreams for us. In tough times, knowing that there are people out there supporting you can make all the difference.

Anna's publisher, Dorchester, is offering a free download of Secret Legacy for a randomly selected commenter so be sure and leave her a message!

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P.S. I just found out that Dark Legacy is #1 on the Gothic Romance Kindle list, #20 on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Kindle list and #22 on the Contemporary Romance Kindle list. That's awesome, Anna! Definitely great reason to celebrate!