Weathering Old Souls, by James J. Cudney and Didi Oviatt… Character Intro: Penelope

Weathering Old Souls is a co-written book that James J. Cudney and I wrote in 2020. It’s a multi-genre tale featuring metaphysical, historical fiction, past-life regression and more. The manuscript has been finished and polished for a couple of months now, and we’re choosing the publisher and launch plans this month. For the last few months, we’ve been releasing character introductions, and this month, we have an intriguing woman to share with you. Before we jump into her profile, you can take a look back at the previous few and prepare for big news on February 11th regarding the timing of this release. The number 211 is important in the book, so it’s fitting that we share key details on that date. From the past, you can meet:

• Abigail: Main Character
• The Fashionista: Serial Killer
• Sarah Brown: Elderly woman who provides clues from the past
• Nadia: Abigail’s Mother

New Character Intro – Penelope

Penelope is an angry woman from the early 20th century. She’s become sickly and suffered a great loss recently. When Abigail connects with an object of hers, she is able to envision Penelope’s story… or at least part of it. Penelope is a supporting character who helps Abigail learn more about herself and understand what happened in the past. Can you figure out what she’s trying to share below?

Excerpt from Weathering Old Souls

The woman glares at Abigail, who’s inhabited the form of this soul-bindingly familiar man. “They’re both gone now. You will be alone forever, a just punishment,” she warns, inhaling a deep breath and sinking further into the cushion. An oil lamp flickers by her side as the woman’s eyes close and she wheezes.

Abigail, as the man watching the woman, rushes across the room. Everything around her swirls, as if she’s been caught in a tornado. “Penelope!” He shakes her to no avail, nothing but a sickly moan does she respond.

Abigail’s true physical form, as it continues to press against the linoleum, twitches and wakes itself for only a flash. A tear drips from Abigail’s eye onto the watercolor painting, blurring her vision momentarily as if wavy distortion consumes reality. Like peering through running water on the opposite side of a glass pane. Slowly, methodically, her mind slips back to the cottage.

Abigail hears herself mumble in Maxwell’s voice, “They couldn’t have died. I will not accept it, Penelope. I helped design and build the lower decks. I did not play a part in my own sons’ deaths!” He scampers away from the lady’s cloying presence and dashes outside the cottage.

A horse-drawn carriage treads across the cobblestone streets, the hooves pounding and stamping against the ground. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. The once cloudless sky grows grayer and more ominous as…

Overview

Abigail has always struggled with strange voices appearing inside her head. From the relentless tyranny a woman faces on an antebellum plantation to the unknown prison camps in America during World War II, our heroine discovers the past in a way that forever changes her future. There are moments from previous periods that serve as guiding posts for the country’s growth, but they also mark the transitions for Abigail’s own personal history. Her best friend, Margaret, partners with Abigail to discover the identity of these voices while focusing on her passion and quest to become a United States senator. Through it all, a serial killer torments the country, romance blossoms between some of the people they meet during the journey, and secrets long thought buried come to light in devastating ways. With the twisting of elements, numerical alignments, and the trauma of spiritual entanglements, no one will be the same… and just a few might not even be around anymore.