Sunset Sapphire Trilogy

I started writing the Sunset Sapphire Novel during the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge of 2011.  It was amazing to write just over 52,000 words during the month of November.  This is an annual event that has thousands of participants from all over the world.  Through this first experience of writing such a large work, I discovered the need for research, and plenty of it.  

All of a sudden I found myself asking questions about the geography of the area in the mid 1700's and needed to find accurate maps.  I realized that I had limited ideas on the decorations used to make a villa in Spain ready to celebrate the Christmas season.  No pretty red bows except those made of cloth.  No sparkling lights adorning the trees.  Come to think of it, were there fir trees available in Spain to decorate like we do today?  Many of the trees were cut down to provide wood for cooking or keeping warm.

Once I got going on this novel I realized that it was a story that could not be contained in just one book, thus the trilogy was born.

As many of you know, the challenges of publishing a book can be daunting.  I find that I am learning so much from my writing group here in Oceanside.  For those that have already been successful in this type of thing, I thank you for leading the way.  Hopefully the first of the Sunset Sapphire Trilogy will be ready for release by the end of summer.  I will certainly keep you updated on my progress.