Inspiration for Book 2

I wanted to take the time to talk about what inspired me to write Book 2 of the Dolphin Princess series.

First of all, I had already had the idea of making this into a book series. So, having a sequel was warranted, because I wanted to see Princess Silhouette move towards her destiny of destroying evil and becoming the face of her kingdom, Dolphin Grotto.

Another reason why I wrote a sequel was because I wanted to develop my characters more. For example, how does Silhouette live her new life without her adopted parents, the Lofts? In fact, what happens to the Lofts after they send her on her way?

But then, as I was writing the rough draft of the story, I was beginning to notice a motherly theme in it. Princess Silhouette wants to get back a tiara that once belonged to her late mother, the queen of Dolphin Grotto. She wants to get back the tiara, but she then finds herself looking after a girl who had been living on the streets for some time. She would come to have a relationship with this child, but then the time will come when Silhouette must choose what's more important--becoming the next queen of Dolphin Grotto, or being a mother to a child that has never known how to love (or trust) people.
This idea came about, because that was I wanted to be someday--a mom. So, this story meant a lot to me, when I was writing it. I even put a dedication in Book 2, saying that my mom was "the Queen Valeria in my life," because it meant so much to me.

And then, on December 26, 2018, my grandfather passed away at 102. And during his funeral (at visitation), my dad asked me to dedicate my next book to my grandpa. I go home, and I was already set on submitting my final draft of Book 2 to my publisher; and that was when I immediately added the dedication to my grandpa who passed away. So, in Book 2, I'm honoring my mom and my late grandpa.
It was sad to see my grandpa go, but I was glad that he got to hear about me writing Dolphin Princess. Dad told me: "Yes, Veronica. He got to hear about you seeing your dream come true." Coincidentally, my character Silhouette goes through the same thing with grief (By coincidental, I mean that I had already had my story thought out. I was hoping that I could show my grandpa a copy of Books 1 & 2, and tell him, "See, Grandpa? I wrote two books already!"), and honestly, I never thought that my grandpa's time would come, but it did. So he passed, and it made the grieving part of Book 2 even more emotional.

And this goes back to what I was saying about wanting to be a mother someday. My grandpa, as old as he was when he died, will never get to see my son or daughter, because... Well, you guys get the idea. It's sad, but that's the way things are.

Now, I just want to say thank you for sticking around, and reading my blog. Book 2 should be available to pre-order real soon.

In the meantime, if you'd like to support the series by buying Book 1, here's a link to purchase it through Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dolphin-princess-veronica-gonzalez/1129202183

And God bless!

Veronica Gonzalez