Longing for the Light

How very sad that so close to Mother’s Day,  we finally got the report on my mother’s condition.  In addition to several infections, she has been diagnosed with kidney failure.   We will meet with her doctor to discuss all the particulars, but I fear it will not be easy for her.  My sister and I watched the movie “Joyful Noise” with her yesterday.  We watched with her best friend, all of us gathered around her bed.  She was in good spirits and loved the movie.  She is so very frail and is unable to eat a thing.  She asked me questions about my faith, and about what I believe happens to us when we die.  I had a few minutes to talk to her about that before we were interrupted…I’m sure there will be more talks about this in the future.  I hope today is a good day for her.  My mom has done a lot of horrible things, and has done irreparable damage to all her children-but I love her with all my heart and pray that, by his grace, the Lord will cushion her fall from this life.

Years ago, my mom asked me to sing for her services. Of course, I won’t be able to do that-however, Nathan (my son) and I are going to pre record the 2 songs she requested…hopefully this week. The songs she requested are “In The Garden” and “The Old Rugged Cross.” I need to do it now while my emotions are still under control.

Chanson news~submission is now underway for the publication of the revised series.  The entire series will be published and released at the same time.  Of course this situation with my mother complicates the timing, but I see the release date being sometime late Summer-early Fall.

Please check out my Chanson de l’Ange Tumblr page  to get a real “sense” of the atmosphere of my novel.  I’ll be posting excerpts there for my readers.  Some of the images feature comments from me when you click on them.  Enjoy!  Chanson de l’Ange Tumblr

Greetings fans and friends!  I just completed revisions on Chanson de l’Ange!  However, there is still more work to be done before submission can begin.  I have more work to do on the covers, and there are some formatting issues that need to be addressed on my end before I send the revised manuscript to my publisher.  Meanwhile, I am posting a tiny snippet of a scene from Book 4 for my readers and fans!   Hope it grabs your attention!

This excerpt is from Book 4:

“Recoiling in shock, Angelique and the audience saw for the first time that Papillon was not the angel he had claimed to be, nor was he even a man.  He was in fact, part angel and part gargoyle, with the sculpted torso and muscled legs of a tall, handsome human male, but having sharp talons in the place of smooth hands.  His skin was nearly white and he was bare-chested, with his loins girded by a skirting of silver chain mail and lunar moth wings.  Half of his face was strikingly good looking and resembled the marble features of the great god Apollo, but the other half was hideous, with a gargoyle’s scaly black visage and a yellow eye.  His hair was thick and fell to his shoulders in silvery-white waves, and bony protrusions stuck out from either side of his head like a devil’s horns.  Silvery-white webbed bat wings fanned out behind him, and he stood proudly on cloven hooves, a prince of the underworld.”

Greetings fans and friends!   I hope you are all enjoying the early spring season.  So far, ours has been quite soggy and they are predicting more of the same.  I hope it’s drier where you are!  Well, my mother is now all moved into her new assisted living home.  Watching her go through this has been a huge eye-opener for all of us as we get a true picture of what life is like for the elderly.  For a while she was refusing to eat and was becoming quite frail, and it has been a very difficult and sad experience for my mom to lose her home.  But after a few weeks of being miserable about the move and the loss of her independence, she is now adjusting and feeling much better about things. 

Her new apartment is quite spacious and very lovely, and my sisters did a wonderful job decorating it and arranging all her belongings .  She is now beginning to meet other people in residence there, and although the bad break in her shoulder will take a long time to completely heal, she is on the mend and is now able to move her arm a little.  My sister is working with her to get her sewing again…so hopefully she’ll be back to making the quilts she loves.

Meanwhile, my hubby and I are making more adjustments to accommodate the changes in our own lives as we try to make peace with the early stages of his Alzheimers.  In fact, I’m seeing some improvements in his cognitive function as we implement a few cutting edge supplemental and dietary changes in his daily routine.  Based on updated FDA warnings about statin drugs and their role in cognitive impairment, I sill believe my husband’s condition was caused by the Lovastatin he was prescribed for 10 years before the connection between statin drugs and dementia was made.  I am still hopeful that my Bill will not progress to the moderate and final stages of the disease, and despite the difficulties and disappointments of his condition, we are living our lives as if we have many more glorious years together.

Now, on to Chanson news:  The woman whose photo I’ve posted above is beautiful silent screen actress, Miss Maude Fealy.  I had originally discovered a different photo of her a few years ago (which has been previously posted here) which then became the muse for Christine in my book, but at that time I did not know who she was.  Upon discovering photos of her on Pinterest that were labeled with her name, I’ve started my own gallery of her photos, and this particular one is my favorite.  Does she not make the perfect Christine as written in my book?

I am now just ONE chapter away from being finished with revisions.  There have been MANY unavoidable interruptions…but I expect to begin submissions by May. 

To view more stunning, evocative images that will make the story come even more alive for you, please visit  Chanson de l’Ange on Pinterest

My best wishes to you all!

Swannie

Somehow I’ve been able to keep up revisions and am happy to report that I have only 4 more chapters left to revise!  I confess there are days when I don’t have the energy to work on Chanson, but I do when my brain is working well and when I’m not so stressed.  Also, I hope you will all visit my boards on Pinterest where I have been pinning images that pertain to Chanson de l’Ange, my retelling of Phantom of the Opera.  There are some hints about what is to come in the revised 4 part series, so check it out! (no spoilers though)   Here is one of the images from my Pinterest board:

And here is the link where you can see much more:  Chanson de l’Ange Pinterest

Greeting fans and friends!  So how many of you have received your POTO 25th anniversary DVD?   Mine will be arriving on Thursday and I cannot wait to see the production again.  Seeing it one time at the theater was not enough.  It amazes me that after all these years-and from the time I was 11 years old, I still have Phantom on the brain!   Good thing too, because my passion for the Phantom story fuels my efforts in getting the revisions done for my own POTO retelling.  Revisions are going well, but as you will see, the challenges in my life are many right now, so it is often difficult for me to really concentrate on what I am doing.  Still, I am persevering and WILL get the 4 part revised series published and released within the next 6 months.

Now I must bring up a personal matter and I would like to invite those of you who have been following me here, to follow me on my new personal blog as well: Alzheimers From Darkness to Light  This is where I will chronicle my husband’s battle with Alzheimers Disease, and my own personal challenges as I too, deal with the many changes in our lives.

As always, thank you for your support and encouragement.  Keep checking this site for updates and announcements!

Swannie

(this hat was made for me by sister Reba!  One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year!)

So…..what did you get for Christmas?????

Greetings fans and friends!  I hope this New Years Eve finds you recounting all the blessing in your life, and if your 2011 was miserable….then may I say along with you…good riddance, 2011!   With all the upheaval in our world, I pray that you and your loved ones have managed to establish your own little “postage stamp of peace”  regardless of the insanity that has become planet earth.  Throughout this holiday season as my family has been grappling with one personal crisis after another, I am thankful to have a hand full of very close friends who always stand beside me, and I am thankful to have a very great love…a love that many never find in all their lifetime.  I am also thankful that despite my own weaknesses, fears, and shortcomings….my faith in God somehow remains, even though at times it seems a puny, inadequate thing.  In times like these when all is being shaken around me, I reflect that I do not live by my own faith….but by the faith OF Jesus Christ.  The very same faith that rose him from the dead is the faith that upholds me.

And so, we….you and I, will move onto the next year not knowing what is to come.  Know however, that after taking a much needed break from revisions,  this author is back to work on the revised Chanson de l’Ange 4 part series, and it is my aim to bring this series to its completion and publication early this year.  At the time of release, the Chanson series will be available in both paper back and ebook format, so please keep checking the site for updates…and thank you so much to those of you who have been sending me kind, uplifting, and encouraging emails and messages.

Cheers!
Swannie

Early in November I had all but convinced myself that I wasn’t going to put in as much time or effort as in past years, but those boxes of decorations managed to burst out of storage and I now sit here in a thoroughly decorated wonderland.  I guess Christmas has come to mean so much to me that it’s no longer just a “thing” I do….but it is part of who I am.  This holiday represents my fondest childhood memories, all tied up with the bittersweet realities of my past, present and future, and my deepest faith in Jesus Christ.   I am aware that there will come a day when Christmas will no longer be the big production it presently is in our home….but even if in the very distant future all I can manage is a shabby little Charlie Brown tree on the table…I will keep Christmas at my house.   So as Tiny Tim observed in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol….”God bless us, every one!”

Please enjoy photos of my abode!  Swannie

Dear fans and friends, as you may have noticed, it has been a while since I posted a new blog on my site-but just as Autumn brings changes to our Summer gardens, so has this Autumn brought about many changes in the lives of my loved ones.  It has been a season of turmoil, and regrettably that has directly impacted my ability to finish up revisions on the revised Chanson de l’Ange series in time for release this year.  Therefore, the release has been moved into early 2012.

My mother was just diagnosed with dementia, so the family is not only dealing with her decline, but also the fallout from family skeletons, recently unearthed in the wake of my mother’s worsening condition.  Moreover, another close family member has been struggling with serious mental health issues, so I’m afraid most of my energy has been geared toward making myself available to my family.  But despite these significant setbacks, I have been enjoying a beautiful Autumn here in the NW, and have been snapping photos to capture some of those special moments.  Please enjoy the photos posted  below and have a lovely Thanksgiving!

Swannie

Taken from inside my house.  Hubby raking leaves!

Our front porch on Halloween!

My cat Nicodemus!

Hubby on a walk in Columbia Park near our home.

Columbia Park near our home

More from Columbia Park

Random people in the park

Greetings fans and friends!  Have much I want to blog about in the next few days, but until I get the time to do that, I am now posting the new synopsis and all 4 cover designs for the new series.  Still no release date yet…but working it!

Cover designs by Frances Wheeler and Nathan Allen Pinard

Chanson de l’Ange by Paisley Swan Stewart is a four volume epic retelling of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Drawing inspiration from The Opera Ghost in all his incarnations through book and film; and remaining faithful to key story elements from the classic original, the author weaves a haunting tale of Christine Daae’s companionship with the mysterious Angel of Music.

Book One~Orphan in Winter: opens with the tragic death of ten year old Christine Daae’s father, ushering in dramatic changes when she is left in the care of Madame Louise Giry, ballet mistress at the Paris Opera House.  Christine makes her new home in the opera’s conservatory where she encounters a bohemian world of singers and dancers, and where she is visited by the unseen Angel of Music.

Book Two~The Bleeding Rose: continues Christine’s journey into an unorthodox attachment to her invisible teacher, and a bond of obsession and music is forged as her dark Angel methodically makes himself known.  Through the illusory dreams of her adolescent desires, Christine will discover that not all angels have wings and not all devils are what they seem to be…for there are two sides to the Angel’s enchanted mirror.

Book Three~Firelight Through Diamonds: As Christine takes center stage in the Joan of Arc opera, events swirl out of control, having dire consequences.  The Angel of Music steps out from the shadows and mirrors become the portal into both heaven and hell.  Caught between the two greatest loves of her life, Christine is torn between the light and darkness of her own soul.

Book Four~The Angel’s Song:  In the concluding chapters of Chanson de l’Ange, Christine confronts the ghosts of both her past and present.  As she performs the starring role in her Angel’s magnificent opera, she must brave a future where all those she loves are thrust into a soul stirring crescendo that will leave readers breathless.

So now it’s on to revising The Bleeding Rose~Book Two of the new Chanson de l’Ange 4 part series!  You know, as a writer I must confess that it is much more enjoyable to write fresh material than to be constantly revising, but at the same time I’m so thrilled that the work is being done for my readers, who deserve the best from me!   I expect my revisions on Book Two to be completed by November. (books 3&4 have already been revised and formatted and are now in the hands of my publisher)

In other Chanson news, work on the CD is going well!  Toni Gibson, the guest artist who will be performing The Bleeding Rose has just completed her recording session of the song, and now Nathan will engineer her vocal recording with his orchestral accompaniment.   Michele Karmin, who will be performing Firelight Through Diamonds, has now received Nathan’s accompaniment track and is in rehearsal for the song, which she will record in the near future.  Next we begin work on composing the song for Carrie Shaw’s lovely voice, That Summer by the Sea.

Along with all this great news, just today I received the mock-up cover design for the new Book One~Orphan in Winter from Frannie, the same amazing graphic artist who designed my previous covers.  Let me just say that I cried when I opened the file because it so perfectly captures the title!  I am soooooo blessed to have all these amazing people working with me on the Chanson projects!

I literally sent Frannie a whole bunch of individual images and left it up to her to piece together the cover idea!  I could not be more thrilled!

Now, because I’ve been keeping you all in the loop throughout Chanson’s creative process, I’m going to give you a sneak peek of the cover mock-up, but please remember that, because this idea is only a quick sample image, we used low rez water-marked photos straight off the istockphoto site.  The final version will be highly detailed, utilizing very high rez images, and it will be much larger.  Again, this is only a mock-up and it will likely undergo a few changes on the way to publication.  Also, there is no cover text on this sample.

So what do you think?  It’s going to be gorgeous, yes????