Welcome back to this journey in which we learn what it is like for a writer to create a character and the world in which she lives. But wait, you say, you are not creating a character! Lucia Santos was a real person! That is true. Many books have been written about the children of Fatima and the apparitions that changed the world forever. How is my book Lucia of Fatima, different from other books on the subject?
I have read stacks of books on Fatima in order to deeply understand the thoughts and feelings of a little girl who encounters the supernatural. What did she see and how did she feel when Our Lady first appeared? I try to imagine her emotions as she is ridiculed by her sisters and chastised by her mother. At times it is difficult to comprehend what it was like to be a child threatened with immersion in boiling oil. Change your story or I will kill you! That was the strategy of the mayor. Lucia has to witness the deaths of her beloved cousins. She then must live to the age of 97, foretelling and witnessing the carnage of World War II.
For 87 years she straddled life with one foot in heaven and one foot on earth.
In my next installment, I will unveil the cover. It will be designed by the fine artist John Folley who created the cover art for my other books.
Stay tuned!