Have you ever seen a picture of someplace or visited somewhere and felt instantly drawn to it? A feeling deeper than déjà vu, one that makes you ask, ‘have I been here before?’
I experienced this strange phenomenon one day about four years ago. I was among the stacks at my local library and a book about mysterious places in the world caught my eye.
I found an empty table by a window, sat and flipped through the pages. There were several amazing places, the Giant's Causeway, the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, but when I saw the picture of Mont Saint-Michel, I stopped cold.
That prickly feeling on the back of my neck was up. I recognized this place, with it’s gothic abbey sitting high atop the island’s peak. I have never been to that part of France, and definitely not to the strange land that was only reachable at low tide. Not in person anyway, but I have had reoccurring dreams of it.
Digging deeper into the page, I learned that the eighth century structure had several ancient lore that had followed it down through the ages. One in particular struck a chord. It was the legend telling of how Aubert, Bishop of Avranches had built the abbey to honor the spot where Archangel Michael in his shining suit of armor had led the heavens in the battle between heaven and hell. Hell was led by a fire-spitting dragon.
Okay…so, in my dream, I am there fighting alongside Archangel Michael with sword in hand. I leap off of a dock and into the air (think Kate Beckinsale in Underworld), only to be swallowed whole by the foul beast. I have moments to act before its acidy gut takes my life. I pierce and slice through its stomach and scaled hide freeing myself, then I fall into the salty sea below. A legion of angels descend onto the weakened Darkness as it retreats back into a deep ocean trench.
I open my sketchbook and jot down this strange coincidence. Thinking to myself, I never realized there was such a place on Earth. A real place.
Now jump to several years later, to a time when I am outgrowing my career as a greeting card writer; be it a wonderful, joyous job and one that led me to the love of my life, my husband Erik. It was time to move on.
That quiet push from the voice deep within me was telling me to write a book. A book that would speak up for nature — the bees, the koalas, the trees, the oceans, all the magicalness I’d loved as a child and still hold close to my heart each and every day.
I needed a place for my hero, Perl, to begin her story. It had to be somewhere special, and someplace that made sense for the future Earth setting, with dystopian effects of climate change and rising sea levels— Mont Michel instantly came to mind. Yes, it fit perfectly.
For the following two years I wrote Perl the Awakening, building my characters and places from the natural world with some twists of the imagination. For me, and hopefully all of us, there is nothing more miraculous than the life that exists on our planet. My hope is that Perl will shine a light on its wondrous beauty, and make all who read it, stop, take notice and want to protect it.
Today, I find myself at a re-birth of creativity, (someplace I know I’ve been before), the only way now is forward, towards my dream.
* Take the 3D model tour of Mont-Saint-Michel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8uskAYFvAk