At Last Meet Gabriella and Sophia

Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

Drum roll!!!! Meet Gabriella Maria Moncrief and Sophia Camila Denton Stewart.

Gabriella: Chaos and Symmetry

Crawling out of the gutter to build a life off the streets takes stamina, courage and guts. Gabriella knows it takes even more because no matter how far away you’ve crawled, the gutter still clings to you.

How do you heal from childhood abuse? How can you accept love when you see yourself as unlovable?

Wow!!! What I had to learn to bring Gabriella’s spiritual path into focus in this book. I detail my journey in “Gabriella’s Sacred Geometry.”

I’m also indebted to Mikhaela Asheena who spent time talking to me about sacred geometry. Check out her amazing Sacred Geometry Patterns here!

Sophia: Every Ending Is A Beginning

Having loved and lost once in her life, Sophia guards her heart. But even though Cam is surrounded in darkness, she sees a glimmer of light and she is attracted to him.

When you’ve personal knowledge of the pain of the death of a loved one, how do you put your heart on the line again?

Ever heard of the ‘blue bird of happiness’? Sophia’s personal totem is the blue bird. Happiness seems beyond her when a longtime friend dies. Nothing brings her the joy she so easily manifested even a few months earlier.

Sophia might follow the Wheel of Life but that is much different than risking her heart in a relationship with someone whose very profession courts death. Is NOW enough? My thoughts on writing Sophia and Now.

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I’ve been asked if I have a favorite character or story. At one point my answer was the one I was working on. With all seven of the original series available in digital and print and I look back on the stories of The Circle, I can honestly say “No, I don’t have a favorite.”

However I do have favorite scenes in each book, favorite bits of dialogue, favorite threads or maybe even themes. But those are topics for another day — or not.

Turning the tables, I’m asking you:

Which is your favorite and why? 

What speaks to you about the lives of these women?

And, I’m encouraging you to share your thoughts here and in a review at your favorite e-retailer?

Sign up for Connections, my newsletter, and download a free e-copy of Lily.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Follow Judith on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB!

Meet Ashley and Hunter

Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

This week you get to know Ashley Ann Carlyle Kenner and Hunter Knight Compton as well as read more about my writing journey. Enjoy!

Ashley: Dragonflies and Dreams

Darkness threatens Ashley’s life as she once again faces a battle with breast cancer. The only light? Her children, the unconditional support of her women’s circle and dragonflies. But is it enough for her to win back her life and find unconditional love?

How do we keep going when all seems lost? How do we keep going when the odds are against us? How do we accept support and love when our youth and beauty fades, when we are ravaged with disease?

Writing about recurrent breast cancer took some research and soul searching. I’ve had cancer and also had breast cancer scares. Read more about my own journey in “Writing Ashley’s Story.” 

Where do the dragonflies come into the picture? Ashley must call upon her personal totems the dragon and damselflies to find the light in the darkness of her life. When you finish reading Ashley: Dragonflies and Dreams you’ll have a new appreciation for the power of belief.  

Hunter: The Drum and The Dancer

From the moment Hunter felt the first flutter of life, her actions have focused on her daughter’s safety. She’s created a good life for them doing what she loves—dancing. When her past shows up at her dance studio, she risks losing her daughter forever.

Where do we find the courage to confront our past and our mistakes? How do we move past doubts to know with a certainty we can trust another? And what about ourselves? What price do we pay when we doubt our every decision?

Check out “Dancing With Hunter” to see how I wrote a story that had little basis in my own life. A leap of faith was needed more often than not!

And I love Hunter’s cover. The drum reminds me of my own horse drum – one I made with my own hands from a horse hide. The sound reverberates through me and sometimes I just drum for the pure please of feeling the beat in my bones.

Sign up for Connections, my newsletter, and download a free e-copy of Lily.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Follow Judith on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.


You can also find Judith on FB!

Meet Lily, Elizabeth and Diana

Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

Over the next three Mondays you are going to meet the women who created their own sacred women's circle.

This week meet Lily Renee Langdon Hughes, Elizabeth Mary Magdalen Elliott and Diana Louise Richards Pettybone.

Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl

Terror ratchets up Lily’s PTSD symptoms. Hypervigilance during the day. Nightmares in the dark. If she doesn’t do something different, she’ll lose her mind and maybe even her son.

What happens to us when we blame ourselves for choices we made that turn out to haunt us? How can we trust ourselves to make the right decision now? Where can we find the strength and support we need to confront our past and seek our future?

You can learn more about The Creation of Lily here. And where did The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl come from? Your hint: Lily has always been sensitive to the vibrations around her, especially from the land. Her gift is her ability to visualize the protective energy of the land on which she stands.

Elizabeth: The Lady and The Sacred Grove

Visions of The Lady haunt Elizabeth’s dreams. What does The Lady want? “Come be with me. Find me.” How? As the messages become a nightly experience, Elizabeth’s desire to travel to Ireland and find The Lady becomes an obsession.

What happens when your childhood dreams come true? What happens when your heart and your soul are on opposite sides of the world?

Learn more about Ireland and Elizabeth here. Read that short piece and you’ll know why the subtitle is The Lady and The Sacred Grove.

But what is Elizabeth’s special spiritual gift?

Her ability to create sacred space from simple, everyday objects.

Diana: The Queen of Swords and The Knight of Pentacles

Jealousy flares when Diana faces the reality that her marriage is not and never will be based on unconditional love. If she can’t rein in the green-eyed monster, she’ll lose the only truly safe haven she’s ever known.

How do you find your true self after decades of molding yourself into other people’s expectations? What must happen before you can accept someone else’s unconditional love?

My journey in writing Diana is a bit different. Learn how different in Diana, The Tarot and Me.

If you know anything about The Tarot you’ll understand more deeply the subtitle: The Queen of Swords and The Knight of Pentacles. Even if you don’t understand The Tarot, you’ll know much more when you finish Diana.

Sign up for Connections, my newsletter, and download a free e-copy of Lily.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Follow Judith on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB!

The Power of Reflection

Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

My journey includes figuring out how to talk to people about my books. The Sacred Women’s Circle series has a strong spiritual element to each of the books and the heat level (sensual, sexual scenes) varies dramatically.

Add to that I was raised with the admonishment that talking about one’s self isn’t attractive, tooting your own horn is vulgar, etc.

Oh, and pricing? That has been a gigantic hurdle to overcome.

But I’ve been working on these cultural barriers.

While at the Desert Dreams Writers’ Conference I figured out how to talk about my books in a different way.

In preparing for the day long “Readers’ Experience” I worked with Paul Iarrobino at True Path Consulting NW. After brainstorming ideas and some time to reflect, I decided on the following question.

What would it be like to be in a place where you were unconditionally accepted, unconditionally supported and unconditionally loved?

Take a minute and seriously consider this question.

When I asked this question of readers at the Reader Experience Event, I watched as they went within, their eyes drifted closed, their gaze became unfocused, some even sighed. What did they say?

“I’d be dead.”

“Heaven.”

Or a combination of the two.

Struck by the reality that none of the people said “Oh, I have that XXX,” I initially was shocked.

How different would our lives be if we had that place of safety? That haven where we are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. I will admit it is not in my life 24/7 but I have been places and experienced the profound sense of love and safety that comes from being in a sacred space.

Upon reflection I also realized another truth.

There are sacred women’s circles and there are women’s circles. In both women come together and engage in spiritual practices.

What’s the difference?

In a sacred women’s circle there is unconditional acceptance, unconditional support and unconditional love. And that is the foundation for The Circle, the sacred women’s circle these seven women create.

If you start with Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl and read each book, when you finish the series you’ll have the framework for creating your own sacred women’s circle. You’ll have prayers, ideas for altars, information about the Eight Sabbats or pagan high holy days. You’ll see how having a strong spiritual practice and a sacred women’s circle supports each of these women as they face the real life challenges that are part and parcel of our daily lives.

I’d love to hear your comments about unconditional acceptance, support and love.

Please share where, if any, you have these places in your life. And, equally important, if you don’t, what would your life be like if you did?

Check back next week to learn more about the women in The Circle.

Sign up for Connections, my newsletter, and download a free e-copy of Lily.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Follow Judith on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB!

Another Lesson and Oxygen Masks

Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

Last month I talked about Lessons Learned On Many Levels during my trip to Arizona in May. In some ways the reminders or lessons I’m sharing with you today and next week are even more important than the effort it has taken to untangled my friend's affairs.

What could be more important than that?

Me.

Some of you, when you see my focus shift to be entirely on me, may think I’m being selfish or unkind or any number of negative traits.

But bear with me and see if you can look at this shift from a positive perspective.

If you’ve ever flown, when the flight attendants are doing the safety talk, they always say the adult should put on their oxygen mask first before helping their child or another. Why?

Because if we don’t take care of our self, we cannot take care of others. At some point, no matter how selfless we are, if we neglect our own well-being, we will not be able to help others.

Of course there are those short-term situations where we put 100% of ourselves into the fray, but what if that ‘short-term’ situation turns out to be long term?

What if there is no end in sight?

What if the demands grow instead of lessen?

At what point do we stop and assess what is going on and what our role is?

Where we can get help and support?

The end of October 2016, I started living by myself in my own house. Until that point I had lived at home, in a college dorm, with my husband, with my child, with my grandchildren or my house was full of their stuff.

At the end of over seven decades of having someone living with me or taking care of their pet, storing their belongings and even keeping their room ready (when my child went to college), I was alone with only my things in the house.

In the early years of this century, even with, what at times seemed like a cast of thousands in my house and/or vying for my time and attention, I kept writing Lily the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series. Certainly not every day nor even every week, but I plugged away.

Now all seven books are published in both ebooks and print. Since the spring of 2014, I’ve written and published the last four books (Ashley, Hunter, Gabriella and Sophia). That’s over 700,000 words! (Yes, I write long but these women have amazing stories to tell).

After accomplishing so much, why do I need to take time for myself?

Because there are more stories I feel compelled to tell!

In addition, while I’ve written and published these books, I’ve not put time, effort and energy into marketing and promotion i.e. letting people know about my books.

That’s changing!

I can put on my own oxygen mask (write and promote my books) before helping my friend with his oxygen mask (unraveling financial affairs, legal issues and continuing to monitor his health and well-being).

Stay tuned as I figure out how to find balance so that my oxygen mask supports my writing and letting the world know about my books and my friend’s oxygen mask stays in place.

Sign up for Connections, my newsletter, and download a free e-copy of Lily.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

 Follow Judith on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB!