Writing, or rather story telling has always been a love of mine. Being a hopeless romantic, most of the stories I create will define my ideal of falling in love and overcoming life’s challenges to make it work. This fantasy fiction writing is a little different from the usual romance stories which I love to write. I have found that adding a little adventure and mystery helps me to enjoy the crafting of a story.
I am an old TV baby, growing up in the 50’s. I can remember when we didn’t have TV and the excitmement of getting our first black and white screen back in 1954. Serialized stories were still a big part of radio and early television. I have loved the ‘cliff hanger’ ever since. It allows the imagination to run wild while waiting for the sequel.
I have been a big fan of Beauty and The Beast since the inception of the TV show in 1987. The recent release of the DVD’s was instrumental in motivating me to write into the present time to give Jacob his mother back. The story line was inspired by a friend who took a similar journey. I hope I have done her justice while remaining true to the characters in her life and those of BATB. The concept of lost and found has a great deal of resonance for me. I believe that in birth we lose something of our connection to a greater world and our time spent on earth consists of a yearning to reconnect either with people who drive our life story or a desire to find a higher energy power which to some is known as ‘God’. I did not have the heart to rewrite what others have done in the past. We can’t alter history but we can refashion the future from our vast store of knowledge.
When the show first aired, I was so taken with the love story, it pushed me to fulfill a life long dream of writing my own book. I find it strange that the book was not published for twenty years. I put down the manuscript when the show ended. When I was able to sit and soak up the BATB stories on DVD, I was again inspired to refine and complete that book. At the same time, I felt an obligation to create online BATB stories of my own using some characters from the past as well as new ones who invade my dreams asking for release.
When I started writing in Fanfiction, I was motivated to publish my book, The Will to be True/In the Shadow of the Blackbird. It is also crafted as a complex love story and set locally in Southern Ontario. Visit my blog page for more information. http://crossroadsofpastpresentfuture.com
In July/2011 I also completed another novel, Suspect, Love first published in May 2011 in FictionPress but is now available from http://www.Authorhouse.com or Amazon.com. More information can be found at my blog site above or at http://discoverthepath.com
I love to receive comments and reviews. I will try to answer anyone who has a question about my stories and I welcome your emails. Thanks for reading
Vetivera
p.s. The avatar is Vasily Stepanov, a Russian actor featured in the movie Inhabited Island, who looks just like the Jacob of my stories. I change his image from time to time to give a different visual of his life. The numerous pictures of him help me to formulate how he/Jacob would look in any given situation. I wish him well in his burgeoning career. When I started writing these stories there was only a few photos of him from the movie. Now there are videos and images in all situations and he is on facebook, happy to interact with fans. He is quite a handsome young man. I am grateful to Pinterest which allows me to find visuals of characters who help to make the stories easier to write.
The Will to be True Blog 
Writing a series
Posted in Beauty and Beast fanfic, Comments, tagged Beauty and the Beast, catherine, cathy, jacob, tunnels, vincent, writing on July 30, 2012| 32 Comments »
Last night or rather early this morning, I completed chapter 19 of my 10th online book in the Beauty and Beast series. After a few days, my mind will turn once more to another chapter which I hope will keep readers from all over the world coming back. My thanks to fanfiction for allowing us to see where in the world people are enjoying the stories.
I don’t know what it is about series writing that I love but I think getting the chance to watch characters evolve, change and grow is exciting. Of course, having a sort of superhero and now heroine make for interesting challenges. I want them to be believable as people as well.
The original TV series Beauty and the Beast was inspirational to so many. It inspired me to write two published books and of course this series on fan fiction. I doubt that this love of writing could have returned to me without sensing someone elses underlying love of the printed word.
There are many who write in this genre in fanfiction. There are some who revision or add to the stories which already exist in the time frame of the original series but my stories differ because they are current.
The idea that Catherine and Vincent had a child whose adult life could be remarkable drove me to create just such a character. And, because I am also a balanced person, he needed to have a wife/partner who could balance his energy.
The original series was chock full of interesting characters who provide fodder for ongoing stories. I hope that Jacob and his amazing wife Cathy will continue to grow and find their full range of gifts even as their own love story grows.
I am always grateful to the backdrop of Vincent, Catherine and some of the original cast of characters who brought love to life in a way that moved all of us and when I can give them active parts in the new series I will do so to honour the originators of the series and the writers who produced the TV program from 1987-1989
Lastly, I have to thank that handsome Russian actor Vasily Stepanov whose face, hair and stature gave me the initial impetus to pursue this story line. He is the epitome of Jacob. I am still looking for a visual of Cathy but she is a remarkable woman, coming into her own.
This past year, I was able to add some Canadian content to the series. I have to admit being proud of my home having a place within the context of the story and one that didn’t feel contrived.
These plot lines continue to evolve from one another in the recesses of my mind. I can’t tell you how one will end until I write the last lines of each book. This also makes it fun for me and the readers who enjoy the cliff hanger type adventure.
Thanks to all who read and write me with your comments.
Read Full Post »