Interview with Abby Wynne, author of magical realism Awakening, book 1 in the Inner Compass series
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.
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Excerpt from Awakening
Marissa felt a huge wave of something come over her – was it excitement? Anxiety? She didn’t know what it was, only that she was relieved she was sitting down. She looked at her burrito and chips and suddenly didn’t want them anymore. She sipped her drink until the feeling passed. She wiped her forehead, yes there were drops of sweat there. What is wrong with me? It’s a gift, it’s money, I get to choose what to do with it. Calm down.
Marissa came back to her desk, still a little shaky, and discovered a brochure for Peru had been shoved under her keyboard. As she pulled it out she saw the colours and the mountains and her heart leapt as if she had discovered contraband. She held her hands out in front of her and saw that they were shaking. What is this about? She felt hopeless, whatever this was, she needed to surrender to it. She shoved the brochure quickly into the top drawer of her desk and sat down, catching her breath and bringing her focus back to the moment. She woke up her computer and there was an email in her inbox from Sarah with just three words in the subject line: Come with me. She deleted the email immediately and, still shaking, slowly opened up her spreadsheet.
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Her stomach was nauseous. As she looked at the numbers she started to feel a little more settled, the shaking subsided, then another email popped in from Sarah. ‘Well?’ it said. Jeezuz it’s as if she knows what’s going on inside me. But I have money now, I actually could go… How much money did he give me? Marissa opened a tab on her web browser and logged into her bank account, not really knowing what to expect. There was a deposit of €8,000 with a note ‘from Uncle Louis – first instalment’. Suddenly, a wave of calmness swept over her and something inside solidified. That’s enough to pay off my loan and cover my college fees, with some left over. I really could go to Peru with Sarah.
The texture of this thought felt very different from the ungrounded, anxious thinking she had been doing the past few days. I could ask Michelle from the upstairs flat to mind Tobermory for me. Half term is coming up, so I’d not miss too much college. This would be a great adventure and it would also be educational – What am I afraid of? I’ve got the money.
She emailed Sarah back: ‘When are you going and how much will this cost me?’
Like magic, Sarah was there at her desk with a big beaming smile. ‘Are you serious?’
Marissa nodded her head as the butterflies flew in droves in her stomach against the calmness, it felt like she had swallowed one of those majestic mountains.
‘Look. At. Me.’ said Sarah. ‘Are you serious?’
Marissa turned to Sarah and looked her in the eye. ‘Yes. Yes, I am serious.’ Marissa was suddenly calmer than she had been for a whole week.
An interview with Abby Wynne
-What inspired you to become a writer?
I love to read! I’ve been reading since I was 3 years old, I read everything I could get my hands on. Some books would really inspire me, other’s not so much. When I would find a new author that I love, I would buy everything they ever wrote. And that inspired me to want to be up there on the shelves with them.
-If you could visit your book’s world for a day, what one thing would you do?
My book is my world, it’s set in Dublin in 2013. I hope I made it as real as possible, because with the genre Magical Realism, the magic seeps into this reality, rather than having to go anywhere to find it. I really hope this comes across in my writing because the magic is here for everyone, if they let it in, and that’s what I want to inspire people to do.
-It’s two in the morning. What does your protagonist reveal in confidence? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell.)
Marissa is my main character and she leaves nothing hidden for my readers! She’s great at facing her problems, although she might not see the way out of them she is determined to work things out. She’s up at 2 in the morning writing things down in her notebook, working things out – asking all the dififcult questions, and trying to find the answers. When no answer would be forthcoming, she would ask a friend, or look for signs all around her. So there are no secrets in the book, unless of course, Marissa doesn’t know what they are!
-Which of your characters would you go out for drinks with?
It sounds bad when I say I love them all, but particularly I would love to hang out with Séamus. He’s a shamanic teacher with a cowboy hat and an attitude. He has secrets, I’d love to find out more about him. Maybe that will be another book, who knows!
-You’re in a tavern, and a dwarf challenges you to a duel. What do you do?
I take off my dark heavy coat and rise to my full height, showing my armour. The whole room is quiet, they hold their breath to see what happens next. I stare at the dwarf and he withers, blushes, and shrugs his shoulders, then withdraws. Everyone laughs, then I turn to the barman and buy a round for everyone in the house.
-Is there a genre you could never write? Which and why?
Science fiction I think. Because there is no empathy, no emotions. My life as an empath, as someone who cares about people, I’m always ‘feeling into’ how I feel, how other people feel, even how the room feels. So a book without feeling is just not for me. Although I have enjoyed reading some Science Fiction, Fantasy is much more my style.
About Abby Wynne
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.
You can find Abby on her website www.abby-wynne.com or www.abbysonlineacademy.com
You can listen to her podcast Healing for Healers
And find her on…
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.
Thanks for hosting!
I love the cover and think this book sounds like a wonderful read!