My Precious, My own Black Tourmaline ring... at last!

I'm so happy to share with you my latest find! If you've read The Unnatural Brethren series then you know how important Black Tourmaline is for the Deveraux Witches. Black tourmaline is believed to be a cleansing stone. If we were to slice black tourmaline, we'd see its molecular structure grants it a streaked structure. These rods are believed to act as "filters" through which bad energy enters AND leaves the stone transformed into good energy.

Now, what is the most practical way to carry with you black tourmaline at all times? Why, jewelry. (Not a bad excuse to get a pretty ring too!). I had been hunting for the perfect one, and only recently, I came across this beauty.

It fits so nicely. The stone is in pristine condition and the surface is cut in such a way that it reflects light to perfection. Have I already mentioned I am super happy to have found it? Lol.

Most crystals must be cleansed after you've used them for a while because there comes a time when they're saturated with the bad energy they've picked up from other people and our surroundings. Some people know it's time to clean their crystals when they're feeling stuck emotionally, other say the stone itself will feel heavier.

Methods to clean crystals include leaving them on the windowsill when there's a full moon, or a special moon, like the blue moon. You can also dip them in salt... The beauty of black tourmaline is that it's the easiest to clean: simply put it under running water. Yes. Wash your hands and you're good! The reason it's believed to be so easy to cleanse is that due to its molecular structure, it does not absorb most of the bad energy that runs through it. It simply passes through.

Whether you trust your crystals, as most witches, black tourmaline is a precious little stone, and the perfect gift as we approach the holidays!

As if that weren't enough, the cost is amazing. Totally worth it!

I'm adding the link here because people have been asking me where I got mine!

This is an affiliate link. I'll be sharing more amazing recommendations and fun finds with you soon!

If there's something in particular you'd like me to add, feel free to shoot me an email!

Until then,

Stay magical!

x, Silvana.

Waterlilies with a green overlay

Hey there, what's new? Well, I have a few news of my own. You might have noticed I did a bit of redecorating around the website. It looks like green is the predominant shade in the color palette. Here's what I mean:

Waterlilies with a green texture overlay. I guess if I had to describe my current WIP that pretty much sums it up.

It all started when by chance, I happened to hear this song...

The song is Edvard Grieg's Solveig's Song. By the time I had listened to the first few seconds, the idea began to stir in my brain's grey matter. For a while now, I had wanted to tell Letizia Leone's story--if you've read Written in Blood, you've already met her. If not, what are you waiting for? Go read that book right now, lol! Some people say inspiration is overrated, that it's a myth. But I'm telling you, it does exist. I cannot envision the world without it. It comes to you when you least expect it. And when it happens you must seize the moment. Take hold of the idea, write it down. The work comes later.

Everything stems from the story's premise. Outlining is esencial for me, I need a basic structure and I branch out from there. Then comes the fun part: research. Okay, so maybe not everyone's favorite part, but I know many authors who love doing their research and sometimes even get lost down the rabbit hole--it might have happened to me once, or twice... err.... maybe more.

Time for teaser number one:

Letizia Leone's story is set in seventeenth-century Venice. I have done historical research of this period before, for Written in Blood. But in this case, I needed to be more specific because Letizia Leone's world revolves around the Opera scene in Venice--which was blooming by the seventeenth century. Venice happens to be the birthplace of Opera how we know it to this day.

It looked like finding the right research material was going to be tough. So when I stumbled upon this gorgeous book, I pretty much lost it.

Opera in seventeenth-century Venice, are you kidding me? I am devouring this book as we speak. It is such a great read, especially if you love the genre (which I do, and I think it should be as popularized as it was back then... but that's a story for another time, lol).

Time for teaser number two!

Waterlilies and green textures. Whenever I think of a story, it comes to me with music and a color palette. I end up creating mood-boards to visualize what's going on inside my head, and let me tell you, it works. (Check out my mood-boards over at my Instagram @silvana_md).

The Devil's Song is the title of my upcoming novel. In this story, you will find historical intrigue, wrestling prima donna's with the backdrop of the Venetian splendors of the era, the Carnaval... and you know me, the Devil has a major role in the story too. Who else would have swept Letizia Leone into her perilous journey to the Opera scene if not Il Diavolo himself?

More teasers on my next blog post.

Until then, have a great week!

x, Silvana.

#writing #author #wip #writer #outlining #writingprocess

Desk-hunting

A few months ago, we moved into our new home. We used to live in an apartment, but three puppies, a baby boy, and two earthquakes later, it occurred to us that some extra room would benefit everyone. We were fortunate enough to find a suitable house within months since my son David was born.

This new home came with a surprise: A whole room for me.

Tiled wood floors, a tall ceiling and four beautiful white walls... As I stood there for the first time, I pretty much felt like Pride and Prejudice's Charlotte... Remember her?

Two words echoed in my head: Writing Sanctuary. In that moment, I came up with a practical layout for the room: a wooden bookcase, a couple of art deco lamps, a comfortable grey velvet Chesterfield love seat, an eye-catching Oriental-ish rug... But in my decorating list, a key element was missing: The desk.

A desk is just a table, right? Four legs and a surface, maybe a few drawers... Anything would do... At least that's what I thought at first.

Minimalistic, Scandinavian, contemporary... My search went on for months. And then I realized why I was having such a difficult time making my choice: I had no idea what kind of author I was.

Was I a chic, minimalistic kind of author? Or perhaps an innovative contemporary one? There were beautiful desks in those categories, but they didn't define my personality and definitely not my writing style. I needed something practical, inspiring, and on a budget.

Uh... yeah. Maybe, Mr. S. But I was in no hurry, and I refused to settle for a quick desk solution.

Narrowing my style was easier than I had once thought. I write historical romance with paranormal elements. I write dark fantasy as well, but the sense of tradition and family history figure prominently in my writing. I had my aha-moment right then: I am a classic desk type of author, and I needed one that had history. A vintage desk was exactly what I needed.

With that in mind, my search became easier and quicker. Within a few weeks, I stumbled upon a Maple-wood twenty-year-old desk in great condition... It was love at first sight. I knew it right then. We were meant to be together.

Gee... I hope not, Jane.

So without further a do, I give to you my Maple sweetheart. This is what it looked like in its old home:

And here it is, in its new home.

There's still a lot of work left until I finish decorating my writing sanctuary, but I'm loving how it looks so far!

How do you envision your reading/writing sanctuary? Drop me a line and let me know!

Until then,

x, Silvana.

#writing #decorating #rooms #author #writers #writerslife