“Write what should not be forgotten.” Isabel Allende
This quote resonated with me. Some days it feels right, some days it feels like a heavy weight I carry to the page every day.
I’ve read my share of excellent books, written by the likes of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jill Shalvis, Kristin Hannah. These authors develop great characters, quirky, believable, and real. There’s humor, lightness, and they take me away from the world.
There are some days that I wish I could follow suit but for some reason I’m compelled to write about those things that should not be forgotten. Homelessness, bullying, treatment of immigrants, civil rights, violence against women, inauthentic representation. I wrap these issues in the tissue paper of feelings and emotions, always creating strong women, with fierce voices, and men who love and respect their strength.
My new series Everyday Goddesses, raises the volume. I’ve gone back, as if around the spiral, where I delved into ancient burial sites, explored artifacts that support the belief that woman was all there was, in the beginning. She was seen in every part of the natural world, life and death, the trees, sky, sun and every golden ray. It’s one of those things that should not be forgotten. We need to tap into our cellular memory, where she still resides, rooted in all that is numinous.
Lilith, according to ancient scripts, was Adam’s first wife. Made at the same time, from the same substance, not from his rib, equal to, not inferior in any way. She left the garden when Adam tried to exercise his dominance, free to reclaim her independence. I chose Lilith as one of the goddess archetypes to develop in the series, and her essence shines through the main character in Can’t Be Tamed.
Lilith Varsela reflects traits such as intellect, logic, compassion, and independence. She allows no man to control her, and can’t be tamed. But one day she comes to believe that there can be an equal sharing, a collaboration of efforts toward a common goal and with the right man beside her, she can become more than she could ever be alone.