Writing Process

Overview: The Creation of PortusThe first book, the one that started it all, The Last Voyage of the Betty-Lou, was written because of a dream I had about a flying boat. In the dream, I remember that I was standing on top of a mountain, and this flying ship, like the old time sailing boats like the Nina or the Pinta of Christopher Columbus era, flew by. The sun was setting and the puffs of clouds were glowing yellow and orange. I saw the ship’s brilliant outline as it flew by the setting sun as the ship floated by me, and I wondered, “How is this ship flying?” Then it turned around and came back. It gently floated so near that I reached out my hand and touched it.I woke up with this viv...

The story has been with me for quite some time, perhaps as long as fifteen years or since about 2008. In one of the initial plot ideas, I mentioned that I did not have any grandchildren yet, so I can be sure it was before my eldest granddaughter was born in 2010.I had a kind of vague idea about a group of special children whom I referred to as “Aurora’s Children” at that time, because Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn and also of childbirth. In fact, I wrote, “Legend says that every 1000 years, there will appear an ennead of related children with exceptional abilities. These children will change the world.” Interestingly, at that time, I don’t think I was fully aware of th...