This blog post is literally a year overdue! I meant to write this after I released Awakening, not Gifted, but as I discussed in my last post—it has been quite the year! So, since this is a year late, I’m just going to go ahead and assume that you’ve read Awakening and will hopefully be reading the sequel, Gifted, soon. I’m also going to assume you’ve read The Light Series because I’m not sure why you would follow my blog if you didn’t like my writing enough to read my books—unless you happen to be related to me😊
I want to now address what I should have addressed last year—the Awakening Series is very different from The Light Series!
When Siena and Luca started asking to be written about, I wasn’t sure how I would handle the topic of the spiritual world. Often when this is done, it comes off hokey, with an over-reliance on demons and possessions. And while I do include demons and possessions (or one possession), I have tried hard not to make it hokey! I have also tried to balance the evil with the good because I fully believe good outweighs evil every step of the way!
In an attempt to get it right, or as right as I can get it, I read multiple non-fiction books from sources I trusted. I also got a few ideas from one of my favorite podcasts—Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. I listen to lots of wonderful podcasts and have been blessed to be on some of the best! But it is only Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World that covers off-the-wall topics explored through his classic faith and reason approach—I’m a definite fan!
The links to the books below go to Amazon, but I’m sure you can get them just about anywhere. They were all incredibly fascinating!
The Holy Souls, by Frate Alessio Parcente OFM Cap
Saints who Battled Satan, Paul Thigpen
Hungry Souls, Gerard J. M. Van Den Aardweg
Manual for Spiritual Warfare, Paul Thigpen
Fire of Love! Understanding Purgatory, Saint Catherine of Genoa
The Amazing Secrets of Purgatory, Sister Emmanuel an Interview with Maria Simma