Anastasia the Romanian Snake Countess is not a major character in my book; I would hardly even call her a minor one. But she comes up now and again, and so I've been doing a little research on "lady snake charmers" of the circus. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, these female snake charmers seem to have special relationships with snakes. They can communicate with them, dance with them, "hypnotize" them, and hold them. At a time when women's bathing suits consisted of bloomers and baggy blouses, these women's outfits were downright sexy. My character Anastasia died in a circus fire when her daughter was only 12. But I like to think of her, a young mother, charming snakes and wearing glitzy outfits, making her daughter proud.

It's been over a year since my car accident, and I've just gotten back to working on my novel. Although I still get headaches if I spend too much time at the computer, I can't tell you how good it feels to be thinking clearly and writing creatively once more...