Wednesday 5 October 2011

Lyndi Alexander - Guest Blog


Today, I welcome Lyndi Alexander to the blog. Over to you, Lyndi


Every Little Bit of Change, Changes Everything

Many of us read stories about epic quests, like The Lord of the Rings, where each being’s fate seems to affect the entire world as they know it, or international spy thrillers, where people juggle the end of the world like a grenade in their hands. We enjoy stories about how an entire nation’s slaves were freed or justice on a grand scale is done when a serial killer is caught. These are exciting stories, and sweep with a broad brush onto the page.

In my day job, I’m an attorney practicing in the area of family law. I have the privilege and opportunity to see so many dramatic stories come to light in court each day, probably none of them on as grand a scale as the examples above. But their importance and the changes that drama brings to life in that family is stunning, sometimes shocking, and always impacts the participants to the core.



When I’m writing, even if I’m writing stories about ordinary people taking on the drug cartel, (in SECRETS IN THE SAND, The Wild Rose Press) or an everyday barista discovering the mystery of her history in Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains,(THE ELF QUEEN, THE ELF CHILD and THE ELF MAGE, Dragonfly Publishing, Inc.) I like to follow those small changes, to see how each man or woman reacts to the changes that impact their daily lives.

For example, in the Clan Elves series, the heroine has a pair of friends who are child abuse survivors, two men who grew up together in foster care and have continued caring for each other ever since. Each day is a struggle for them to let go of their horrible past and open up to the possibility of a good future. One of my greatest joys is when reviewers pick up on Lane Donatelli and Ron “Crispy” Mendell, pointing out their warmth and humanity even in the face of what seem like overwhelming odds.

So they’re not saving the world today. How many of us get to do that on a regular basis? But what we can do, every day, is take control of our own lives and bring that drama to bear in a constructive way to remove ourselves from an abusive situation or one that is not fulfilling us. We can stand up for those who are weaker, who cannot stand up for themselves. We can choose to make ourselves healthy, so we can take care of those depending on us. Each of these choices impacts the world in some way, even if this day it might be small.

Who can see the long-term course of a change we make today? By rescuing a child from abuse today, one might provide the world with a great teacher or politician in the future, one who might change our world. By saying “enough” to a marriage that’s sucking the life from you, you might open the door to a potential move, career change or other opportunity. By saying “yes” to a marriage proposal, so many new possibilities open up, that it’s exponential, the good that can come of it.

So enjoy your stories, those of your friends and neighbors, and those authors who bring their characters to life on a page, even if they’re not strong or powerful or all-knowing. They might be changing everything, right before your eyes.

The Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series

Dragonfly Publishing, Inc. www.dragonflypubs.com
THE ELF QUEEN Fantasy (276 pages) [80,000 words] Rated PG
THE ELF CHILD Fantasy (276 pages) [80,000 words] Rated PG

THE ELF MAGE Coming in early 2012!

Order at Amazon.com, your favorite online retailer or bookstore.


Like us at Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Elf-Queen-
Clan-Elves-of-the-Bitterroot-Series/158076904227479

Visit http://clanelvesofthebitterroot.com



The moment Astan Hawk accepts his clan’s challenge to protect the young Elf Queen Jelani, trouble dogs his heels. Jelani’s human upbringing clashes with clan tradition and spurs dangerous intrigues within the Circle of Elders.
Seeking revenge against Jelani for the loss of his mentor Bartolomey, outcast Grigor Biren finds powerful elf mages deep within the forest and sets out to prove himself worthy to learn their secrets.
When Astan finds that his father Daven supports the agenda of the Circle, he has no choice but to turn to Jelani’s human friends for help. Paranoid Crispy, empathetic Iris, and computer whiz Lane complicate Jelani’s unexpected pregnancy and the young queen’s attempts to rule her people. After the child is born, everything that could go wrong does.
Can Astan carry through on his promise to keep Jelani safe when the whole world seems to have turned against them?

Read a excerpt here! http://www.dragonflypubs.com/excerpts/elfchild.html

1 comment: