Welcome to my website!
I'm Franki deMerle, author of Deception Past: A Novel. Also Ripples On the Surface: A Collection of Poetry to help women in Uganda, and Dragonfly Dreams, a novel. I'm also a Featured Author of the Independedn Author Network. PLEASE VISIT THE BOOK PAGE ON THE MENU TO YOUR LEFT! (Thank you) Please scroll down on this page for a list of books by other authors.

Please check back from time to time as I make changes occasionally. Please also feel free to visit my blog, Deception Past, at www.wordpress.com. I welcome your comments. If you're so inclined, Deception Past has its own Facebook page, and you can follow me on Twitter (I try to follow back).  

I'm on YouTube!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8HaN5MNLUA

I'm currently working on another publication of poetry and my next novel, Five Flowers.

About Dragonfly Dreams:

"There are places we can only reach in our dreams while our bodies sleep." Dreams can connect us. Dreams can come true. Dreams can reveal the past. Dragonfly Dreams is a story of changes required to break old patterns. Deandra, an Army officer, helps her sister Daphne escape an abusive marriage. Daphne finds the man she has been seeing her dreams, and they fall in love. The two sisters explore their past through past life regression and discover a surprising connection from the past between Deandra and her fellow soldiers that has brought them back together in southwest Washington state for a reason.

Reviews of Dragonfly Dreams:

"When Major Ursa finds himself lucky enough to retire with financial security, he relishes the prospect of freedom from having to cope with difficult people and situations every day.  However he soon discovers that retirement isn't a simple act of letting go; rather, he finds himself faced with new challenges.  Can he let go of past resentments? Will he free his spirit to embrace new opportunities for love and friendship?  Is he ready to act compassionately toward a stranger who is coping with pain and danger that he himself has never faced? He begins to realize that the keys to unlocking his new dilemmas are to be found in his previously unexplored and unexpressed dreams and emotions. He explores a new world of symbolism, ancient myth, psychic premonitions, past-life memories, and true love." — Karen VunKannon

 "Hey everybody - buy it and read it. You won't be sorry! (This is an unsolicited testimonial...)"-Gayle Starker

"Franki deMerle has done it again with a book of mystery, love and a certain air of suspense.  The more I read, the more I wanted answers to the character's dreams but I wasn't really expecting what the dreams actually turned out to be."- Martha A Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Settings:

Dragonfly Dreams in the present takes place in Oregon, Washington, and Scotland. The past life regressions go back to Scotland, England, Kansas, and the Little Big Horn River in Montana.

About Deception Past, my first novel

"Deception Past is a unique novel of reincarnation and past life identity theft told through tarot cards, as those involved learn to resolve betrayal with forgiveness."-New York Times

"Deception Past, a unique novel of reincarnation and past life mysteries, tells the mind-bending story of a woman reborn with the name Sand."-ForeWord Reviews

"Sand's mantra:  No one is unforgivable. No one is unlovable."-Leading Edge Review

"Franki deMerle wrote one of the most thought provoking books I have read in a long time. Deception Past made you think about society, history, and the tendency we as humans have of deceiving ourselves throughout our life. It covers birth, death, and reincarnation, leaving one wondering about life, death, and our purpose here on this earth. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in human nature or just interesting thoughts. Kudos to Ms. deMerle for her courage in taking on such a interesting subject." -Marta Moran-Bishop

"Great story! I gave it to my Mom and she cannot put it down. Beautiful story and message."-Elizabeth Weininger Frakes

"A tale written straight from the heart."-Karen VunKannon

"There is so much to like about it. Some of my favorite parts are the narrative philosophical entries about the need for peace; just allowing time to take you on the journey of life."-Victoria Lindstrom

Past Life Memories

Sometimes children remember their past lives, like Sand, the main character of this story. She remembers having worked for the French Resistance in World War II. This puts her in conflict with the religious beliefs of mainstream society.

Sometimes people remember their past lives through their dreams. Sand's friend, Chrissie, remembers writing poetry in 19th century Amherst, Massachusetts, as Emily Dickinson.

Sometimes people identify themselves with the wrong person: past life identity theft. Sand finally learns her past life identity when a former friend claims it as her own.

Dream Interpretations

Some dreams are premonitions. Sand experiences these.

Sometimes the same dream is shared by different people. Three women in the story have the same dream, but each interprets it differently leading them to make completely different choices.

Tarot Card Meanings

Sand's story is told by Brenda Campbell through the symbolism of her Tarot cards. The book is twenty-two chapters. Each chapter uses the meaning of one of the twenty-two Major Tarot to tell the story. The cards are not used for fortune telling, but rather for what they represent.

There are so many different renditions of the Tarot these days, but all trace their roots back to some basic symbols. The artistic diversity is a testament to human creativity. Brenda uses her own deck, but she never mentions which deck that is.

The Narrator

Brenda has an alternative perspective on society, religion, and politics. She shares her opinions as she tells the story. As you learn about her family background, the reason for her point of view should become clear. Remember, as she says in the first paragraph of Chapter 1, she's the daughter of Delusion and Chaos.

Settings

Sand is born in Memphis, Tennessee. As a child her family moves to Hunstville, Alabama, where most of the story takes place. Her high school friend Isabel Akbey moves back and forth between Huntsville and the Pensacola, Florida, area.

RIPPLES ON THE SURFACE, a collection of poetry. Author's proceeds go directly to Global Partners for Development to help women in Uganda with HIV/AIDs start their own businesses.

Recommended

The Art of Racing In the Rain by Garth Stein

The Star Rover by Jack London

The Reincarnationist & The Memorist by MJ Rose

Through the Third Eye by Lynn Boston (more books at http://bit.lyr94dT2 )

A Wish in Time by Laurel Bradley

The Rozabal Line by Ashwin Sanghi

The Three Gentlemen by A. E. W. Mason

I Remember Love by Mollie Hardwick

Threads by Nell Gavin

Where Biology and Reincarnation Intersect by Dr Ian Stevenson

Life Before Life by Dr Jim B Tucker, University of Virginia

Marilyn Monroe Returns by Dr Adrian Finkelstein (please see Author page for more)

Looking Out the Back Door: Visions of Past Lives by Ann Richardson Davis

Soul Survivor by Bruce and Andrea Leininger with Ken Gross

The Return of Marie Joelle by Chritiane Angibeau-Thompson

Looking for Carol Beckwith by Captain Robert L Snow

Someone Else's Yesterday by Jeffrey J Keene

Children's Past Lives by Carol Bowman

Love Is the Best Medicine by Dr Nick Trout

Beyond the Ashes by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom

Wheel of a Soul by Rav P.S. Berg

The Soul Genome by Paul Von Ward

Another Place, Another Time by C.D. Montana