Caitlin gulped. ‘Okay.’
Steven walked off and left her in an abyss of emotions and confusion. She wondered if that had been his way of telling her he still loved her.
She could not regret having left the community, she was not meant for this life of isolation. She did regret leaving without saying goodbye, there were things that should have been said. She whispered into the breeze, ‘I never forgot you either.’
In the distance, she saw him turn around and smile. His distant reply surprised her, ‘Well, that’s a start.’
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Main Cast of Characters
*The Originals – First inhabitants of the community
English
Roberts Family
*Jeff Roberts, founder of The Community
*Judith Roberts, his wife
*Emily Roberts, their daughter
*Ian Roberts, their son
Carmen Roberts (nee Clausen), Ian’s wife
Enrique Roberts, Ian’s oldest son
Joaquin Roberts, Ian’s younger son
Thorn Family
Steven Thorn, Emily Roberts’ son
Paul Thorn, his father
Clara Thorn, his step-mother
Other
Caitlin Chance, Steven’s girlfriend
German
Abel Family
*Isaac Abel
*Catherine Abel (nee Roberts), his wife
Benjamin Abel, his son
Lina Abel (nee Santos), Benjamin’s wife
Susanna Abel, Benjamin’s daughter
Gideon Abel, Benjamin’s son
Jan Abel, his son
Beatrice Abel (nee Santos), Jan’s wife
Tobias Abel, Jan’s son
Else Abel, his daughter
Spanish
Santos Family
*Franco Santos
*Elena Santos, his wife
*Juan Santos, his son
*Anna Santos (nee Roberts), Juan’s wife
Francis Santos, Juan’s son
Lucy Santos, his daughter
Swedish
Clausen Family
*Morten Clausen
*Arla Clausen, his wife
Eilif Clausen, his son
*Lana Clausen (nee Santos), Eilif’s wife
Ingrid Clausen, Eilif’s daughter
Tomas Clausen, Eilif’s son
Doctor Johannes Clausen, his son
*Hortensia Clausen (nee Santos), Doctor Johannes wife
Jenson Clausen, Johannes’ son
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Acknowledgements
I have found a lot of inspiration through music for this entire Trilogy, and I have to mention my favourite radio station and soundtracks. I have to admit that, to my family’s despair at times, I have had an obsession with all of The Twilight Saga soundtracks. For this book, I splashed out and also got a copy of the Carter Burwell Soundtrack for Breaking Dawn, Part Two, and the music from the Twilight Saga (by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra). My favourite radio station is CINEMIX, found via Classical music in iTunes – I have listened to this station a LOT.
As I have mentioned on my blogs, I was inspired to start writing after watching an interview with Stephenie Meyer in the Twilight DVD back in 2010. I figured if she could do it, then so could I. Being a stay at home mum can be a very lonely and soul-searching job.
Writing has liberated me and through social media I have made many friends from all over the world. I find it hard to look back now and remember a time when I did not write books, short stories, blog and use social media.
To anyone with the desire to write – DO IT, and if you want to self-publish, then go for it!
A warning though, if you are not prepared to do the groundwork then use a formatter, or hire someone to do your covers. I have chosen to do it all myself, and have had some excellent help from friends, fellow social media users, and family. This was a self-imposed challenge and I have always been a bit of a computer geek so I enjoyed figuring it all out, whilst using the helpful advice on the web. I thank Mark Coker, for his free guidelines when I first started, and the writing community on The Word Cloud for their support, advice and encouragement.
Some people express anger at authors like me, who choose to self-publish, but I think I have climbed the mountain and flown my flag at the top. I am proud of what I have achieved. I hope you see the merit in my novels, formatting, cover, and editing.
A special thank you has to go to my friend and main editor, Adam, who found my story via Facebook when I first published. Even though he had not been in contact with me in fifteen years, he took a chance and read Hybrid. Other supportive friends are Kay, Katie, Kathryn, Lynn, Julie and Donna. Their advice, feedback and support have helped me immensely – I am too grateful for words.
In my opinion, the most important thing is to enjoy the story – without a good story you have nothing, no matter how beautiful your prose is. I sincerely hope you do.
Another thank you has to go to my daughter, Elsa, who read my story with vigour and challenged my decisions. She helped me soundboard a lot of ideas in the final chapter (and even tried to write it herself). She believes there should be another book, but, as I explained to her, sometimes the end is meant to be the beginning. This works for me anyway.
Finally, I have to thank my dad and sister-in-law, Minka, for allowing me to use their pictures for my covers.
To all of my “fans” online – you are the best. I did start to write a list but realised there was not enough space… you know who you are.
I guess it’s time to come up with something new.
Keep reading and writing,
Vanessa Wester
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Connect Online
Whatever you thought of THE EVOLUTION TRILOGY I would love to know. It would really make my day if you left a review.
Thank you very much,
Vanessa Wester
Find out more about me here…
Main Blog
The Evolution Trilogy Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
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REFERENCES
In my books I have had to research various topics. The following links on the internet helped me create my works of fiction:
HYBRID
Southampton University
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/
Los Alamos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos_National_Laboratory
Amazon Rainforest
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/1139/109159/Brazil%3A+Rio+to+the+Amazon+Rainforest?destId=363150
Albert Einstein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
Manhattan Project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project
Tapir information
http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/tapir_attack_in_Oklahoma_City_PartTwo.html
http://www.tapirs.org/tapirs/tapir-faq.html
COMPLICATIONS
History of Manaus, Brazil
http://www.manaus.info/history-of-manaus.html
Bolo de macaxeira or Cassava Cake
http://tudogostoso.uol.com.br/receita/64457-bolo-de-macaxeira-facil-e-rapido.html
http://www.halfhourmeals.com/recipe/bolo-de-macaxeira--cassava-cake
AA Route planner
http://www.cutthorne.co.uk/default.htm?welcome.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_Exmoor
British Empire
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britsh_Empire
RETURN
Borneo
http://www.borneo.com.au/
Multiple Births
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_birth
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/vaginal-triplet-birth/81859?field_pages=2
Amazon Rainforest Monkeys
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/amazon-rainforest-monkeys
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_anyone_please_tell_me_what_monkey_meat_tastes_like_specifically_as_I'm_researching_for_a_short_story
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 93