Barbara Jean Weber lives in Skagit County with her husband and two daughters, where she works as a speech and language therapist. Her novel, The Welcome Sign, was inspired when she was gifted a mermaid welcome sign. The more she studied the sign, the more her story evolved. She is currently an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Visit her website at https://www.barbarajeanweber.com/.
Can you tell us a little about your main character and supporting characters?
Molly Parmell: Angela's 10 year old daughter- adventurous, brown haired girl, always exploring, owns a cat: Cuddles. Dad left when she was 2. Very close to her mom and grandmother. Similar personality to her grandmother. She is always seeking adventure, action. Has powerful magic like her grandmother but doesn't know it initially.
Margaret Ellen: Molly's grandmother who disappears-In her 60’s. Descendent of the special bloodline of the first union of merfolk and humans. Molly and Angela do not know about her magical past. Margaret is a special friend to the magical beings. Worked undercover for the Rebels to find out their secrets. She has been hidden away due to the dangers increasing with the rebels. She has been working with the magical community for many years. Her husband was killed early on in their marriage in a battle with rebels.
Angela Parmell: Mom to Molly- In her late 30’s. Single/widowed mom, reserved, not adventurous at all. Very close to her daughter, very skeptical of the unknown. Angela enjoys a calm, peaceful lifestyle, nothing wild or adventurous. She also has some magical powers but doesn’t know about them. She is a very kind and generous lady. Very likable and encourages Molly to have a relationship with her grandmother.
Garreth Simmons: Protector of Molly and her mom. Molly and Angela's landlord, mid 60’s, Owns the rundown house. More like a father figure to Molly and her mom. He has some history with Margaret and was asked to protect and watch over the Parmells.
Trista Deevins: One of the main Magical Guardians to Molly and Angela. She is a mermaid but now lives on land as a guardian. She is one of their neighbors-sent to keep an eye on the Parmells and keep them out of danger. Trista is stunningly beautiful and she has the same piercing green eyes as her son, Taran. Her long black hair is pulled to the side and braided over one shoulder.
Taran Deevins –Trista's son. One of the magical guardians. He befriends Molly. Taran is very adventurous. He has long, black hair, eyes are green as the grass. He is about 11 years old.
Crystal Perkins-Investigative reporter-works for Warren Tracer. She has short, black curly hair. Crystal is tall and slender. In her early thirties.
Warren Tracer- He is investigating strange and unusual events happening in the city. He is in his mid-late 60's. Beard, dark brown hair, handsome, rugged, in good shape.
Valis Tar- He becomes the leader of the rebel group. Tall, muscular, long dark hair. Dressed completely in black. He wears a long faded black overcoat that comes to his knees. He wears long, black boots that are worn and dusty and black, leather gloves.
Caylius Aquarus-Empress, Ruler of the Water Realm-beautiful mermaid but can change to look human. Accompanied by 2 guards on each side of her. Long golden hair with highlights of light brown. Wears strands of pearls draped over her shoulders and entwined in her hair. As a human: Wears a tight fitted bodice shimmering with blue and green with a long flowing skirt of aquamarine. Attached to the back of the dress is a lightweight cape of iridescent, aquamarine colored fabric that trails elegantly behind her. She wears a small pearl covered crown, her hair swept up into a loose bun. The bun is entwined with pearls and seaweed like strands. Ringlets of hair hanging down, giving the Empress a soft, warm look. She wears a clear strand of beads like bubbles around her neck. Kind and elegant.
Atamos Nimbus-Rulers of the Sky Realm (MAN-husband to Cumular Stratus) Fairy (Ethereal figure. Graceful, exquisite and refined. His delicate iridescent wings are barely visible. Dressed in white and silver clothing, almost as if it was made from the very clouds they were traveling in and moved as if carried by the very wind itself. He wears a vest of silver against his white billowy shirt. He wears shimmery white pants and white, knee-high boots complete his royal outfit. Wears a delicate crown of silver and diamonds. He has wisps of airy clouds around them.)
Cumular Stratus Rulers of the Sky Realm- (WOMAN-wife of Atamos Nimbus) Fairy (Ethereal figure. Graceful, exquisite and refined. Her delicate iridescent wings are barely visible. Dressed in white and shimmering, flowing gossamer gown, almost as if it was made from clouds.
ProAsis Geofirma -Ruler of the Land Realm-Centaur (A regal looking centaur clad in a leather vest). heroic figure. An intricately woven crown of vines and twigs intertwined with emerald stones sits lightly on his head. Covering his back is a deep red cape and he carries a longbow over one shoulder with a quiver of red tipped arrows. Around his neck and chest hangs a necklace made from a single piece of curved wood, intricately carved with various charms. He carries a long staff of twisted wood and vines in his hands. He has long dark brown hair.
Where is your book set and why did you pick that location?
At the beginning of the story Molly and her mom are living in Popular Bluff, Missouri but as the story unfolds the location changes to the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod where the grandmother lives. As I was researching good locations for the book I read about Popular Bluff, Missouri and really liked the description of it being among the Ozark foothills, filled with spring-fed streams, having a national forest, peaceful lakes and lots of farmland. Just seemed like a nice, peaceful location for Molly and Angela's home. For the main part of the story, I knew I wanted a coastal location since the basis of the story involved mermaids. Also, my husband and I both love the coast and try to visit our Oregon and Washington coasts at least once a year. I visited Cape Cod years ago and loved the area. I had never been to Barnstable, Massachusetts but as I was researching the Cape Cod area, Barnstable sounded like the perfect small town, coastal feel for the grandmother's beachfront lifestyle.
How long did it take you to write your book?
What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?
I had always loved creative writing from a young age. The interest and energy for writing was always present in my life as I always felt like I had the heart of a writer. I had never written anything quite like this before but had always loved creative writing projects in school. Once I started having dreams about the origin story of the welcome sign that were inspired by beautiful metal mermaid welcome sign, I knew I had to write it into book form for others to read. I think it was that moment that was the most pivotal point in my writing life, when I realized the origin story of the sign, created from dreams, could truly become a fun, entertaining, adventure story that I was eager to share with my family and others. From there the story evolved, changed and developed into the final product "The Welcome Sign." This book allowed me to create magical worlds, interesting characters, intrigue and battles between good and evil. I finally had a real idea that could become a full blown book. It wasn't just ideas anymore, I had a viable concept for a real book that others could read and enjoy. It's fun to believe that my metal mermaid welcome sign might really have a magical origin story. You just never know.
What kind of advice would you give to up-and-coming authors?
I would say first and foremost stay positive, don't give up and don't get discouraged. Writing a story or book can be very time consuming and overwhelming but it's also very rewarding. It won't always be fast but it will be worth it in the end. I always jot down ideas, make outlines, leave projects for a bit and then come back and write more. I am constantly moving ideas around, changing details, developing characters and settings. I would suggest having a notebook to jot down ideas even if you don't know where they will fit into your story. When I'd get an idea I would write it down and start an outline which eventually became the part of the plot of the story. My outlines, changed, evolved and eventually became chapters. I'd recommend keeping a list of characters, names and character traits that you think of that you can use for some of your character development. Remember that writers block is a normal part of the process and don't get frustrated. Initially, I was frustrated at how long it would take me to write a chapter but I quickly realized I needed mental breaks. I needed to step away from the project to process what I had written, develop new events, characters, plot twists, etc and just re-energize. It made me a better writer when I came back to the project. Give yourself permission to take breaks to process your work and re-energize. Writing a story or book is often a long and challenging process. I found that there were days that I was super energized to write and other days I didn't want to look at anything I had written. Don't worry, this is normal and necessary. My final thoughts, have fun with your writing, try not to stress and stay positive. Good luck, stay optimistic and adaptable. You've got this! Be creative and happy writing!
Inside the Book
When 10-year-old Molly Parnell’s grandmother mysteriously disappears she and her mother travel to Cape Cod to take ownership of the house they inherited and find out answers about the sudden disappearance. But what they discover could be more dangerous and life changing than they ever imaged. Molly and her mother find a beautiful mermaid welcome sign in the attic and place it on the front door. Unusual things start to happen and they are flooded with visitors who claim they knew the grandmother. The true powers behind the mysterious sign are revealed as Molly learns her grandmother was part of a secret organization working to keep balance between the magical realm and the real world. The magical realms placed an invisible veil of secrecy over the world to hide their true identities from the human world but allowing them to live among them in secret. An angry rebel group of magical beings, tired of living in hiding is tearing down and destroying the magical cloaking fabric between the two worlds. If they are not stopped the magical realm will no longer be safe from the world. As Molly and her mom embark on a dangerous and magical adventure throughout the magical realms to help stop the rebels, she learns of her own magical powers and her strong family heritage connected to the welcome sign. Along the way, she teams up with new magical friends helping to keep the realm of magic safe from the eyes of the world and discovers that her grandmother was right all along. The world she thought she knew no longer exists, but an amazing world of magic woven into their world has always been hiding in plain sight.
- Genre: YA Fantasy
- Sub-genre: Teen & Young Adult Magical Realism Fiction
- Language: English
- Pages: 218
- Paperback ISBN: 979-8350987287
Read sample here.
The Welcome Sign is available at Amazon.
