An Introduction to the "House"

I have written stories all of my life. I think that comes with the territory of growing up in a creative family. But, I have never been able to fully explore this side to my creativity. I have had the opportunity to play a bit with my theater background, but my heart has always been in prose. Now, I am taking a page out of a friend's book and am starting a blog in the hopes of being able to tell the story that has been the major driving force of my creative world for nearly a decade.

When my father passed away in 2009, the internal conflicts I wrestled threatened to consume and destroy me. I would not have survived, being so inexperienced and unprepared for the world, if it had not been for my roommate. If she had not been behind me every step of the way encouraging me to write down this tale, just hoping to keep my mind off of everything that was going on around me, I would never have made it this far. 

Now that she is my wife, the encouragement has only gotten stronger.  Sketches and portraits of characters lay scattered about our apartment and full on painted scenes sit safely in sketchbooks. This story is dedicated to her.

The story began as a conflict between two brothers, torn apart after the death of their father, but has evolved over the years into a tale of intrigue and romance, spanning over 1500 years of French history as we follow these two brothers and their family through the eras. But, the story's center has remained the same: coming to terms with oneself and accepting who you truly were born to be. It has been a very cathartic and therapeutic exercise that has turned into a beloved project that I want to share with anyone who will read it.

With the writing came a great deal of research. For every chapter I write, hours and hours of research went into every detail, from how the people greeted each other, to how the rooms looked during the Dark Ages. I hope to not only post the story but bits of research that pertain to what has either been posted, or what has contributed to the story as a whole. I hope the findings are as interesting to others as they have been to me and I hope the story is just as entertaining, if not more.

Thanks so much for your time and happy reading!