Awakening

 

 

Awakening

The Inner Compass Book 1

by Abby Wynne

GENRE:   Magical Realism

When Marissa’s fiancé leaves her unexpectedly, she is left trying to put the broken pieces of her life back together again. The magical years of her childhood are now lost or long forgotten and, trapped in a downward spiral of worry and anxiety, nothing seems to be bringing the magic back any time soon.
Training to become a therapist, Marissa discovers an unforeseen talent for helping others and, for a while at least, she puts her own needs and concerns to one side. An unexpected windfall prompts a spontaneous trip to Peru, and an encounter while she is there triggers an astonishing series of events. Shaken but excited, Marissa embarks on a wonderful journey of revelation and adventure – after which, her life will never be the same again.

Marissa’s story is your story, is my story, is everybody’s story: we each must find our own true path through life, our one true way.

Abby Wynne, author and Shamanic Psychotherapist, brings all her wisdom to bear on Marissa’s amazing tale of discovery and healing. A catalyst for people’s healing processes, Abby is a problem solver, a creative artist, an alchemist, a healer, a mother, a daughter, a lover of life - and it shows in this, her first novel.

Excerpt:

Marissa looked out the window at the moonlight. It was half a moon and seemed to glisten through the tree branches. The leaves were falling, the days were getting darker earlier and earlier. A single star blinked in the pale sky, but the sky was too bright with light pollution to see anything more. She looked at the cloud as it crawled towards the moon, shifting and changing its shape. She could see a dragon in it for a moment, then it turned into puffs of smoke, and then the moon was hidden. 

She put the notebook down beside her laptop and climbed into bed, leaving the curtains open. She liked moonlight. Her room in the half-light felt like an in-between place, her breathing slowing down, her body relaxing. Tobermory jumped up beside her, looking straight into her eyes. She stroked his back. 

‘My familiar, my friend, my cat,’ she said, ‘what do you think? Do you have an answer for me?’ 

As usual, Tobermory was silent, but he held eye contact for a moment longer than Marissa expected him to. Perhaps he understood her? He mewed, then curled himself into a black circle on the bed beside her and began to purr. 

Training, she thought to herself as she settled under the covers. But who is going to teach me?’ 

About the Author:

Abby Wynne is the bestselling author of the “One Day at a Time Diary”, “How to Be Well” and “Energy Healing made Easy.”  The Inner Compass Trilogy is her first novel, weaving her knowledge of shamanism, psychotherapy and energy healing into an exciting, fast-paced story which spans across many dimensions. Abby’s based in Ireland and lives with her husband, 4 children, a dog and a cat!  Abby offers many ways to feel supported while you are on your path of healing; her mission is to empower people by teaching them how to heal themselves.

Q&A With the Author

Who is your favourite author and why?

Currently I don’t have a favourite author. I go through phases. When I was younger, I loved Paul Theroux and Stephen King, more recently I’ve enjoyed the early books by Wilber Smith. For some reason, perhaps because I’m writing, I’ve not been drawn to anyone to the extent that I’d call them a favourite. Some of my favourite books of late would be ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern, ‘I shall wear midnight’ by Terry Pratchett. I also love ‘The Signature of All Things’ by Elizabeth Gilbert, and ‘Perfume’, by Patrick Suskind. 

What is your favourite quote and why?

Again, I don’t tend to have all time favourites, just things that I resonate with in the moment. I write a healing diary filled with affirmations and my publishers ask me to add quotes to it for each month of the year, to illustrate the theme of that month. For my newest diary, 2023, which will be available at the end of this year, the opening quote I used is this:

“You have walked through fire, survived floods and have triumphed over demons- remember this the next time you doubt your own power.” 
Jung Pueblo

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

Likeable characters, an interesting story arc, and twists in the tale. Something plodding, where the story is clichéd and predictable doesn’t enthral me. Writing for me, is not about clever use of vocabulary, or showing off how much you know about something. It’s more about bringing you into another world, where you can experience something that you would not otherwise have the opportunity to.

What is your favorite part of this story?

The Inner Compass is one story which spans over three books. Part three is written and will be published next year. Each book has a beginning, middle and end, and the trilogy itself has a beginning, middle and an end. Understandably, the middle of the middle was the most difficult part to write. But overall I think I got through it. I love how Marissa talks herself out of things, and then gets drawn back into them again, she’s patient and open to listening and willing to change her mind. My favourite part was watching her mature into someone more contained, able to manage life, and be spontaneous, and happy. I guess you’ll have to wait for the third book !

Which Character was the most fun to write about? Why?

There are many characters in the book, all of them have key roles at certain moments. I didn’t introduce anyone just for the sake of it.  Funnily enough, I think I had the most fun writing Cliona, who was one of Marissa’s therapy clients. She cursed a lot, had her own style, and a cheeky way of looking at the world. I became very fond of some of the clients in the book, particularly Margaret and Mary R. The readers won’t meet them until book 2, I think!

Which Character was the hardest to write about? Why?

Not knowing who was going to walk through Marissa’s door when a new client showed up for a session was difficult. I didn’t want to base any of Marissa’s clients on any of my own, each persona had to be intrinsic to the story, have something new and interesting as far as their issues were concerned, and add something to Marissa’s increasing knowledge of psychotherapy. I would imagine myself as Marissa, sitting in the therapy chair, those few moments before the knock on the door, and then see who would show up needing help. Other than these cameo roles, I based several of the main characters on archetypal energies, rather than on people. The elders in the book – namely Dolores and Olive are very different to each other, and I wanted to make them both caring and wise, but in very different ways to each other. All in all, I sat back and listened as the characters appeared, and got to know them as the story developed over time. There’s no one character that I love the most, nor is there one I dislike. They were all worth the effort, and writing the story, for me, was a magical experience, and one that I hope that many people will share with me, when they read it.

You can find Abby on her website www.abby-wynne.com or www.abbysonlineacademy.com

You can listen to her podcast Healing for Healers https://shor.by/healingforhealerspodcast 

Instagram: http://wwwinstagram.com/abbynrghealing

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbbyEnergyHealing

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCERq5P7DyYu7capgJHIFijw

You can buy The Inner Compass Trilogy on all good online bookstores.

GIVEAWAY

Abby Wynne will be awarding a International - €50 off any of the digital products on the author's website www.abbysonlineacademy.com to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway