Ann DeFee's Blog
December 5, 2013
Mysticism and Beyond Texas
December 16 is the big day for Beyond Texas!
Magical lights that dance across the deserts of far West Texas are an integral part of Beyond Texas, my newest Carina book.
Mysticism, magic and wee ghosties that go bump in the night have always fascinated me. I was recently reminded of a high school incident concerning a Ouija board. Whoa! There are some things that need to stay in the dark. I'm more into movies like Practical Magic, the TV series Charmed, and books from authors like Sarah Addison Allen. The magic is white and the good guys always win. And that's how I chose the setting for Beyond Texas.
Marfa (aka Mirage) is a small West Texas town that's famous for the mystical desert lights that have been documented for at least a century. Tourists, scientists, ranchers, and skeptics of all ilk have reported seeing the colorful orbs that appear in uninhabited areas. The lights span the color spectrum and occur randomly regardless of the weather. They've been explained as swamp gas (in a desert, really?), car lights (in 1883?), ball lightening (I'll give them that one), UFO's, and the spirit of Apache ancestors. They've been known to zoom across the landscape and whip back almost as if to entice viewers to follow them. Whatever the cause, or the description, the miracle lights tantalize the imagination. Personally, I like to think of them as a friendly reminder that not everything is explainable.
Stay tuned for more information on Beyond Texas and tidbits about Marfa, the real Mirage.
Like they say–there's no place like Texas and there's no one like a Texan!
http://www.ann-defee.com
Magical lights that dance across the deserts of far West Texas are an integral part of Beyond Texas, my newest Carina book.
Mysticism, magic and wee ghosties that go bump in the night have always fascinated me. I was recently reminded of a high school incident concerning a Ouija board. Whoa! There are some things that need to stay in the dark. I'm more into movies like Practical Magic, the TV series Charmed, and books from authors like Sarah Addison Allen. The magic is white and the good guys always win. And that's how I chose the setting for Beyond Texas.
Marfa (aka Mirage) is a small West Texas town that's famous for the mystical desert lights that have been documented for at least a century. Tourists, scientists, ranchers, and skeptics of all ilk have reported seeing the colorful orbs that appear in uninhabited areas. The lights span the color spectrum and occur randomly regardless of the weather. They've been explained as swamp gas (in a desert, really?), car lights (in 1883?), ball lightening (I'll give them that one), UFO's, and the spirit of Apache ancestors. They've been known to zoom across the landscape and whip back almost as if to entice viewers to follow them. Whatever the cause, or the description, the miracle lights tantalize the imagination. Personally, I like to think of them as a friendly reminder that not everything is explainable.
Stay tuned for more information on Beyond Texas and tidbits about Marfa, the real Mirage.
Like they say–there's no place like Texas and there's no one like a Texan!
http://www.ann-defee.com
