Guest post: Wendy Delsol

Hi! It's Hilda. Yes, unlike popular belief, I'm still alive! Due to health issue, I have to limit my time on computer. Hopefully I'll be good and running fine soon! Please pray for me, lovelies. <3

Today, I have a guest post from Wendy Delsol, author of famous Stork series! :)

Destiny, Prophecy, and Karma

I am intrigued by the concepts of destiny, prophecy, and karma. All should probably be added to the cast of characters, they’re such an integral part of my narrator Katla’s story.

In fact, the very creative spark for the series has to do with destiny. Years ago, on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries, there was a story about a very young boy who claimed pre-birth memories of hovering and choosing his mother. Yes! Choosing! This rocked my world. And it got me thinking that we normally consider the soul from a post-death perspective. But what about pre-birth? Much later, when brainstorming for something fresh in the YA paranormal genre, I tweaked the idea to invent my human Storks, white witches charged with pairing souls and mothers.  And when Candlewick Press asked me to provide an author’s quote for Stork’s book jacket, this was my response: “The concept of destiny is fascinating, as is the idea of magic. It’s fun to think that we’re fated—or chosen—to be with those we love.”

But I don’t personally believe that we are helpless puppets to the forces of destiny and prophecy. Nor do I think any self-respecting protagonist should be powerless or without free will. Ever! And this is where, for me, karma comes in. Hulda, my wise leader of the Storks is one of the books’ prophets and sums it up best: “Karma is the turning of the wheel and is very important to the ancient religions of the Orient. Is much like fate, but they believe karma is our will as we swim in the river of our past and present. We cannot change the course of the river, but the strokes of our swim influence our destination.” 

Note: I made up the bit about the river (fiction is such a lovely thing). The Storks have their own cosmology, after all. It has roots in Norse mythology, but I may have dropped a realm (or two) if they didn’t serve my purpose.

And the idea of destiny sure gives an author some excellent material when it comes time to flesh out a love interest. Katla and Jack first met when they were just ten years old. Katla was visiting her grandparents at the time, and Jack was instantly smitten. Present day, he recalls the experience (in Stork): “It’s hard to explain,” he said, “but from the moment I laid eyes on you skating, I felt this unshakable sense of fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it.”

In Flock, Jinky—a character who is equal parts wise and wiseass—says to Katla: “As spiritual beings, we have to act on our premonitions. To ignore a gift, to not rise to the calling, is a willful defiance of our true purpose. For us, there is no coincidence, no chance.”

In the end, Katla’s journey is to embrace her gift, to accept the journey it requires, and to kick butt when butt-kicking’s necessary. Happy reading!

Thank you for stopping by my blog, Wendy! Destiny and prophecy have always been hot topic in YAs. And instant-smitten is just soo cute! ;)

You can learn more about Wendy Delsol here:

A Little Bit About Wendy Delsol

 

Wendy Delsol is the author of a young adult trilogy: STORK (2010), FROST (2011), and FLOCK (2012). The books are inspired by Norse mythology, adventure and Icelandic folklore. STORK was one of 25 titles out of over 1000 to receive a 2010 VOYA Perfect Ten and one of ten to win a 2011 Westchester Fiction Award. Delsol’s adult novel, THE McCLOUD HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS, was named an August 2011 Barnes and Noble Pick of the Week. The book is set in Iowa and tells the story of three generations of women and the secrets that bind them. Wendy has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a graduate degree from California State University, Long Beach. She was born in Canada, grew up in Michigan, lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and now resides in Des Moines with her husband and two teen sons.

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Grab your copy of Flock!

The climactic conclusion of a supernatural romantic trilogy starring a savvy, sharp-tongued heroine who taps into ancient Norse secrets.

After surviving her (shall we say) intense adventure in Iceland, Katla is psyched to be back for a blissfully uneventful senior year of homecoming and fashion explorations. But her hopes of dodging unfinished business are dashed by the arrival of two Icelandic exchange students: Marik, an oddly alluring merman-in-disguise, and Jinky, a tough gypsy girl. It seems Katla not only enraged the Snow Queen by rescuing her boyfriend, Jack, she also was tricked into promising her frail baby sister to the water queen — and Marik has come to collect. What’s worse, Katla doesn’t dare confide in anyone lest she endanger them, so even her soul mate, Jack, is growing suspicious. And now Katla’s stork dreams, her guide for matching babies with mothers, have become strange and menacing as well. Hold on for a thrilling finale as the heroine of Stork and Frost calls on her wits (and her wit) to protect those she loves and face a final mythic disaster.

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Thanks for reading! <3 Have a wonderful Friday, everyone! :)