Marti Melville
Author ~ Screenwriter
Blog
An Irish Blessing
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May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
(Irish Blessing given to me from William Traveller - January 2013)
Red Thread
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"The Gods tied a red thread around every one of our ankles and attached it to all the people's whose lives we're destined to touch. This thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break" (Touch)
I really believe this is true. After 53 years of trying to figure it out, I recognize there is a plan for my life and people who are tied to it. What a tremendous sense of joy this brings, knowing those that cross the paths of our lifetime are meant to be there.
The realization that this same idea is the crux of the Deja vu series gave the "aha" moment to its author as she sat at her computer today putting together pieces of dialogue that would become the third novel in the series. Kathryn and the Captain are interwoven into each others' existence in many lifetimes. This simple truth brings such clarity to them each time they realize who one another is - the same is true when Kathryn recognizes Archer. The characters literally "see the light" - the light connecting them to each other (aka: the little red thread, as the Chinese proverb says).
I believe that the same clarity is available for all of us. If we just open our consciousness to what is, the small coincidences of life become meaningful. A wonderful study in Serendipity exists for us all...if we just allow ourself to be aware of that little red string...
The Beckon of a Distant Age
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It's nearly midnight and I cannot get my head out of the Caribbean - the 18th Century Caribbean. I recognize this "symptom" as the onset of another book waiting to be born. In fact, it already did...
Two weeks ago sitting in my favorite leather oversized chair, a fire burning brightly in the fireplace and my beagle lying at my feet I suddenly had the flood of words and sentances fill my head. The third book in the Deja vu series erupted in my mind. This happens every time I write. Almost, as if someone is dictating, the onslaught of text fills my mind and I have no option but to record it. Nearly as quickly as these sentances come into being, they are gone and I know the writing for that day is over. My mind, once racing with thoughts and ideas and phrases suddenly is blank.
This is a phenomenon not unusual for authors. I've heard (from a very good source) that Carol King's famous song, "You've Got a Friend" was given to her in the same way. The music and lyrics were provided to her and she wrote it down. What gifts her creations have been to so many of us raised in the '70's - thank heavens for her insight!
But really, the author is the tool - we listen, accept and regurgitate the images and thoughts (literally words and phrases in my case) sent to our heads. After a while of this, a novel is created. It's an amazing process - one that takes me back to a time long ago, a time of adventure and danger and piracy!
Oh history! What great gifts you give to those you beckon back into your grasp. A moment spent experiencing what must have been, to sail over the same crystal waters as the Revenge and wonder what traces lie deep beneath the surface - remnants of that mighty ship which passed along the same currents nearly four hundred years ago catches the breath of those who reminisce.
My hope is to bring a part of that "awe" that I feel as I sail over the Caribbean waters and ponder four hundred years earlier to you - the reader. My hope is also that you experience the same wonder and willingly share with me your love of history and Caribbean adventures over the high seas.
The Age of Aquarius
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A paradigm shift and the Year of the Dragon blends as we move into the Age of Aquarius.
2011 was a rough year for me...and I'm not alone. So much anxiety with economy declines, loss, illness, traumatic events in the world, (I could go on). The earth itself groans under currents of change bringing about nature's calamities. Yes, 2011 was a tough one and I'm ready bid "adieu" to the last twelve months.
As the image of myself waving "good-bye" to 2011 flashes in my mind, I see the image pivot as the approaching year comes into view, ready to be greeted with celebration. Of course, that's what most will be doing on Saturday night, celebrating the arrival of 2012.
But what does that mean? What awaits us all in the 365 days of the approaching year? The answer lies with a dragon. It's the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac and true to its name, we can look forward to a year of ambition. Unafraid of challenges and ready to take risks, this year will be one displaying itself in grandeur. Success, passion and unbridled determination follow those who live under the sign of the Dragon and 2012 will be no exception.
Indeed, major changes are occurring even now all over the world, preparatory to moving into the progressive age ushered in by the Dragon, 2012. Vibrant and positive are the characteristics of this new age, a time sung about in the annals of the late 1960's - the Age of Aquarius.
Best described as a creative period, Eric Rankin defines the Age of Aquarius this way:
"...we are shifting away from old, fear based habits and imagining a whole new reality for ourselves - a reality based on hope rather than despair, of abundance rather than lack, of peace rather than war, of contentedness rather than yearning, and of connectedness rather than separation. We are awakening to the fact that a new era is upon us, and we have the ability to co-create the hopeful future we desire for ourselves and this planet."
Hope, creation, content, abundance and connections. These are the energies we will greet in 2012. Now is the time to begin. Now is the time to take up your creative genius and move ahead with that dream. Resources will present themselves to you as you open yourself up to the endless possibilities awaiting you in this new year. Let's face it with welcoming arms and move with grace into the powerful Year of the Dragon and the innovative Age of Aquarius!
Archaeological Finds - Pirate Treasure
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"The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest, but he will brag a little if he discovers that his great-grandfather was a pirate" (Bern Williams)
Truer words were never spoken and still remain so, "says I". Overwhelming interest continues to peak as discoveries are made of buried "treasure" undersea. Not all treasure is made of doubloons and jewels, as would divers and researchers agree. Recent discoveries of long-lost ships belonging to notorious pirates peak the curiosity of landlubbers such as myself.
With the excitement of a child, I find myself scanning articles and e-posts about archaeological finds that include Capt. Morgan's lost ship discovered in waters off of Panama (a fitting end to that pirate's plunder of the area and rather ironic really) and the Queen Anne's Revenge off the coast of North Carolina.
Just one month ago, I was contacted by the amazing researcher and underwater explorer, Mike Daniel who made that famous discovery in 1996. A brilliant historian, Mike engaged me with details and facts about finding the Q.A.R. and the project as it now stands. Our conversation drifted to other "finds" he has uncovered and those still waiting to be discovered. Images of the shipwreck flooded my mind as I listened to his account of seeing the majestic vessel for the first time, an image not seen in over three hundred years!
History lies waiting for us to stumble upon it, perhaps not so accidently. The magic of the discovery is ours to enjoy vicariously through the heroic efforts of men like Mike Daniel. It is this author's hope that we support efforts to research and discover artifacts, learning more about the rich history preceding this modern century by visiting websites such as Q.A.R. Found: http://www.qarfound.com/ and local maritime museums.
"Fair Winds in Yer Sails, Mate!" and thanks for bringing history to life, Mike Daniel and those who do the same.
BOOK TOUR 2011
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Hoist th' colors, Matey! We be under full sail an' winds be fair as we make for th' Southr'n Coast!
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This week begins my six month tour throughout the Southern US coast. I'm so excited to see new places, meet new people and share the magic of the Deja vu series as I visit Pirate Festivals and Book Signings from Texas through North Carolina.
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Stay close to the site and watch for dates and locations. Of course, photos will follow which will be posted here in the Gallery and on Facebook. I hope to see some of you there! Feel free to "Contact Me" for details.
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Fair Winds in yer sails mate ~
Marti
Heros
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It's the first evening in May. News is broadcasting victory for the US and I am reposed on an oversized leather sofa watching Harry Potter. Without pause, my thoughts hover over the heros in life. So many individuals who move through our existence without thought of the sacrifice willingly given at a moment's call. I do not believe I possess that depth of courage. However, I do have sons who have been born warriors to fight both earthly and spiritual wars. I am proud of them, honor them and thank Father in Heaven daily for their safe return at the conclusion of their time of service.
Ron Weasly just pulled Harry Potter from an icy lake, rescuing his best friend. Perhaps that is the type of warrior I am...a rescuer. That has been my career as an ER nurse for more than a decade. But I believe it is those who surround me who have rescued me, supported and loved me through the years that are my heros. To those, loyal friends and family, I thank you and cherish our friendship today on this first day in May...a historic day. To the hero who stands beside me now, I thank you as well for having faith in who I am. To my warrior children, I am honored to be your mom.
And as I write of a heroine and her pirate, I embue upon your story a little of those traits that surround me in the heros in my life. How blessed you are Kathryn and your Captain.
Kathryn
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Anyone who has experienced the amazing process of creating a novel that travels along the pathway that creates the development of characters can understand when I say, "The charaters tell their own story...I merely type what they tell me to say." It's an ethereal, intimate experience akin to watching a child develop into an adult, only quicker.
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As Kathryn has come to life, I've been amazed by the serene strength she holds, the quiet force she is influencing everyone and everything around her. Her ability to keep her wits about her even in the face of almost certain demise is something I could not have created in my own head, simply because that power isn't there.
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Today, while working in my lovely little office with gentle yoga music playing and soft lights soothing, I felt my gut wrench and the beginnings of anxiety begin to envelop me. Why? I wondered, am I feeling like this, all of the sudden, for no visible reason? The answer was only vague and did not bring the needed relief from mindless worry...not until I thought of Kathryn.
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I wonder if the characters that arise from the pages are living there as reasurrance. Kathryn's focus is on the Captain, her cousin and mum...essentially her family. Is this where strength lies, I wonder? Is it to those individuals who carry our most delicate emotions encased deep within our hearts hearts that we need to remain tethered? Not literally of course. Children grow, parents pass and siblings scatter as life continues. But there are those who stand strong at the helm, the sight of their regal spirit strengthening our souls as we remember them and the love shared between us.
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To Kathryn, I give a reverent nod and tap my brow in thanks for her strength, spirit and radiance.
To Be Predestined or Not to Be Presdestined...?
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Someone asked me last week if I believed in Soul Mates.
My first gut response was, "Nah...how could there be soul mates? If there was, I'd be with mine now."
My actual response was, "Absolutely! I wrote about them!"
Since that conversation I've asked myself that question over and over again. What do I really think about soul mates? The answer is clear...I DO believe in them. I'm not convinced there is a "one and only" soul mate for every person but I also believe that exists.
Have you ever met someone that you were drawn to, something seemed too familiar...it all just "clicked"? I think of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in that last scene of Sleepless in Seattle...their hands move together and there's magic! Every woman's with a beating heart feels a twinge at that very moment, wishing it was her. (No denials here ladies...). I do.
Kathryn and her Captain have the same connection. It was written into the story but not necessarily with the intensity that has developed. As the characters have come to life under my fingertips, I've watched them evolve into their own story, demonstrating the inexplicable connection that draws them together lifetime after lifetime. Her sky blue eyes lock onto his emerald green eyes as they recognize one another once again for the first time..there's the magic!
Writing the script of our own lives we come in contact...again...with people we have never met before, or so we think. Our souls gaze into each other's eyes with intensity, burning into our unconsciousness we are once again "home". Here is the one that "fits", the one that conversation flows almost as if it had begun centuries before, the face that warms your heart through eyes unfamiliar yet recognized.
Oh, remember...remember to feel the timeless moment that brings the witness that this is indeed your soul mate...that moment of unbridled magic!
Self Survival
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January is the month for Capricorns and I always tend to think about this sign every January. The reason isn't really as random as it may seem, I have two Capricorns in my family. The are amazing men; assertive, intelligent, self-disciplined, driven, hard-working and hard on themselves. Their Saggitarian brother (born only a few weeks earlier) is my "surfer son" whose laid-back approach and live-in-the-moment attitude is a flagrant contrast to his sibling brothers.
As I researched this month's moon and planetary signs for the Pirate Prophecy (yes...I really based the piratical horoscope on actual planetary predictions for this month), I realized the personal trait of being hard on oneself isn't relegated to just Capricorns. We all do it. In fact, we tend to be so hard on ourselves as human beings that we drive ourselves to placate the guilt and injury that results, sometimes in self-destructive ways. Why is that?
Once upon a time...I heard a speech that changed my life. The speaker asked us to visualize ourselves at a very young age, say 3 or 4 years old. Once that image was captured and we were looking into the eyes of our very young selves, we were asked the question: "Would you treat that child the same way you treat your adult self?" Powerful! I wept when I thought of it and vowed to never be cruel to that little girl with big blue eyes again. Of course, it's been difficult because she's tucked away deep in my spirit, but she's still there and she still cries when I hurt her. So, the task is to protect, respect and love ourselves. Value who we are and know we are precious. Our actions could shift to a more spiritual awareness of ourselves when approached this way.
There is a famous saying that sailors are known to recite (you all know it):
Red skies at morning, sailors take warning
Red skies at night, a sailor's delight
Perhaps as we look for our own Red Skies, we can recognize the signs that fall with the "Red skies at night" and look for those delightful times. Should the morning raise crimson, it is my hope we will protect, defend and love that which is most dear - choosing joy and kindness for ourselves.
Fair Winds Be Yours ~
Marti
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Tall Ship ROYALISTE
An unfortunate accident halted the restoration efforts of the magnificent Tall Ship Royaliste. You can help in the journey as the crew strives to restore Royaliste, an interpretation of a ketch-rigged privateer typical of those in service between 1755-1812. Make your donation to the restoration of the Tall Ship Royaliste directly on the Web Store page.
***A portion of all sales of Midnight Omen Deja vu is donated to restoration and repair efforts.
