Moonstones, Intuition, and My Upcoming Novel

By Lisa Alber

I'm cheating this week. This post comes from my blog. I ran out of time to write an original post -- yeeks. I'm hard at work on my novel for next year. AND, Whispers in the Mist comes out in less than three weeks! Midnight Ink is hosting a Goodreads giveaway for Whispers. Cheers!

***

I recently visited my favorite local coffeeshop, Driftwood Coffee, to splurge on an iced mocha. I love walking there with my dog on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The shop is a feast for the eyes because of the way the owner has decorated it. An old ladder hanging along the ceiling festooned with lights and dangling trinkets, a colorful collection of shutters arranged on the wall like a mosaic, shelves of locally made arts and crafts.

This moonstone necklace caught my eye, and it reminded me of my second novel, Whispers in the Mist. One of my protagonists, Merrit, wears a moonstone necklace that came from her mom. In fact, the necklace is one of Merrit's most cherished possessions. In my first novel, we learned that Merrit's long-lost father gave the necklace to her mother just before their relationship ended tragically. We also learn that moonstone is said to enhance intuition.

Intuition is a funny thing. Whenever I hear someone say, "I'm intuitive," I suspect they're talking about being psychic or highly empathic, as if "intuitive" is a superpower code word. Maybe thousands of years ago, when we were closer to nature, we were kind of psychic--this was our norm as a species ... I don't know. It just gets me thinking, is all. Like, maybe our world is so full of stuff and sounds and sensory inputs and social media and JUNK, that there's no way for the still, small voice of intuition to get heard.

I picture Merrit's necklace looking something like this.

Maybe people who do hear their intuition believe it to be a superpower because it's such a rare thing. Again, I don't know.

I believe intuition is an aspect of our humanity, but we're far away from our true natures, most of the time. The closest I get to feeling intuitive (and in those moments I do feel empowered) is within my writing process. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons I'm attracted to writing fiction--I get closer to my core. Sometimes I feel a welling of knowingness about some plot point or character insight. A-HA! My body reacts in a happy way, all tingly and excitable. I like to think my body is rewarding me for paying attention to my intuition.

Intuition is a sub-theme in my novels. It's something Merrit thinks about quite often. In Whispers in the Mist, coming out August 8th, she could use more intuition when a mysterious women steals her necklace right off her neck. Merrit is about to discover that her necklace has a connection to a past murder.

Do you consider yourself an intuitive person? What does "intuition" mean to you?