Well-Kept Secrets

About the Book

    Although The Ambersand Castle Trilogy, of which Well-Kept Secrets is the opening segment, is a fantasy bordering on science fiction, it is somewhat philosophical. In this first book, 14-year-old Jaiya, the story’s hero, gets a telepathic cat he calls Bingo. Her highly telepathic, guru-type kitten, ZendorDin, acts as a catalyst when Jaiya discovers the mysterious estate hidden by the subdivision wall behind his new house.

    ZendorDin is this story’s narrator and is actually a "between worlds" mystical character. His preferred form in the in-between, on the rare occasions he chooses to have one, is a mystical blue striped flying zebra type of creature surrounded by rainbow colored light as depicted in my ballpoint pen drawing of him featured on the cover of the book. However, when his destiny path involves some type of physical manifestation on his part, he takes on the form of a kitten because a flying zebra would be far too conspicuous on planet Earth.

    Jaiya’s curiosity, regarding the castle and the mystique surrounding it, quickly draws him into Ambersand and that, together with his friendship with ZendorDin and a charming 12-year-old actress named Vaieah, changes his entire life forever. Even when Jaiya thinks he knows all about Ambersand, there are many secrets still to be discovered. Although the trilogy is not a romance, it contains many of the elements often found in romance.

Being a multifaceted story, there are layers underlying the entire trilogy. Each section has its place in the overall story, especially the philosophical turns the plot takes now and then. In this Secrets scenario, the trilogy is still within its beginnings. Thus the early action, the adventure within book one, more often than not centers on Jaiya’s preliminary findings and activities and on what he at first thinks Ambersand is all about.

     The secrets that get unearthed as time moves on in book two, The Mystique Of Ambersand, are forerunners of what destiny deals out in the multiple realities of book three, From Cyberspace To Pyramids. Jaiya at first has no idea what kind of journey he is embarking on.

     My trilogy is for all ages, not just children. I think reality, plus far too many stories, contain more than enough tragedy, vulgar language, objectionable sex, and violent passages, and so I’ve made my scenario rather utopian in nature.

     It explores differing beliefs and various forms of unusual phenomenon that some might call the paranormal or factions of parapsychology, such as near death experience revelations and ESP kinds of things. My intent is to encourage my readers to think about all sorts of things they might not have been inclined to ponder on before. Although the story itself is fictitious, many of the underlying ideas and ideals, and even some of the magical elements, are not.

     I have been an avid reader of things stranger than fiction most of my life; and some of what I’ve come across in my studies over the years has been woven into my storyline and mixed with fantasy which makes this scenario an unusual blend.

As the story unfolded for me, it tended to pretty much write itself as far as inflow of ideas is concerned, and it sometimes surprised me as much as it is likely to surprise many of my readers. It comes to me the way my poetry does, in idea form only, and actually putting it to words has sometimes been a difficult task. The Ambersand narrative has surprisingly already gone beyond the trilogy and is ongoing even as this synopsis is being written.

     For the most part, my scenario builds on character development derived from opportunities rather than what I consider overused hero/villain or hero/death-threat themes. I find nothing heroic in an ability to kill, even if just to avoid being killed, and don’t

About the Author

Janet’s poem, “ZendorDin,” is included in the first section of this book. It’s about the catalyst character of this trilogy and is featured on the first page of The International Library Of Poets’ 200-verse book, The Best Poems and Poets of 2003 and their 33-poem audio set, Sound Of Poetry. The International Society of Poets also included Janet in their International Who’s Who In Poetry and honored her with an International Poet Of Merit Award bowl and Outstanding Achievement In Poetry trophy. This trilogy came to Janet the way her poetry does, as ideas begging to be put into words.