The Power of Connection
Jupiter Gardens has just published my young adult novel Connection. I’m thrilled to be working with Mary Wilson on this, and even more excited to see Connection finally in print. You see, it’s a story that has a lot of meaning for me.
One day in 2005, I walked into a metaphysical store near my home in Maine. I’d been there a couple times before, seeking and trying to learn. For various reasons, I’d decided that my spiritual path lay outside the Christianity in which I’d been brought up, and I wanted to find out what else existed. However, this particular day, I returned to the store to talk to the owner about my books. On my first visit, I’d spotted a children’s book on her shelves that was written by a woman I knew from a Yahoo loop for children’s authors, and that had led me into a conversation with the owner about my own books.
Today, the owner listened patiently and with at least a little excitement while I told her more about the young adult series I’d been writing. Then a voice piped up from behind the cash register. “I’d like to read your books.” He was a skinny guy with glasses and a ponytail, and his interruption irritated me. But… he wanted to read my book! Since I just conveniently happened to have the manuscript in my car, I brought it in to him. His name was Chris.
After that, I spent hours at the store talking to him about writing. About spirituality. About a lot of things. We became friends, and then took the friendship out of the store. He practiced and taught energy healing, channeling, and yoga, and after a few months began teaching these things to me. He also used the skills to help me work through issues from my childhood and my marriage, things that I’d never told anyone about or that I’d buried so deeply I had to dig through layers of mental detritus to find them.
Over the time that I knew him, I went from a timid woman, afraid of nearly everyone and everything and unable to touch anyone other than my children, to a stronger woman, unwilling to let fear get the better of her. I worked through the issues, and I ended my marriage and moved on to a happier life. Chris and I talked during this time, and agreed that my story might help others.
So Connection and the rest of the Reality Shift series isn’t only the story of Shanna and Jonah. It’s my story as well, told about teens so that maybe even one person who’s going through what I went through–or what Shanna goes through–will read it and try to change their situation. Will realize they’re worth helping.
Sadly, my friendship with Chris ended not long after my marriage did. Our paths diverged. Still, even though I forgot to get the information to Mary in time, Connection is dedicated to Chris. Without him, the story wouldn’t exist today.
Without him, I might not either.
