The Mimosa Journeys

The Mimosa is a fictitious resort loosely based on the Chalet Suzane in Lake Wales, Florida. Several unrelated dreams all lead to the formation of this resort in my mind, which is most thoroughly discussed in "Forever Tormented" . In a nutshell, it is a sprawling, all inclusive retreat for high school band people that includes every amenity imaginable plus some that would never come to the average person's mind.

The town of Lake Wales itself is quaint, surreal and mysterious. It is home to some of the most romantic, unusual and peaceful landmarks on Earth, including the Chalet Suzanne, Historic Bok Sanctuary and Spook Hill. The roads almost seem to lead to nowhere, yet while driving around aimlessly, you sometimes find the most interesting things. With all this intrigue, romance and a semi-secluded location in Central Florida, it is no mystery why Lake Wales is the setting of this turbulent saga.




The women in this saga are far from average, as well, and these Journeys (as I call them) show the power the Mimosa has on them. The first woman, Camilla, ends up at the Mimosa while adding some professional performances to her resume in "Lovers' Ball" , but one chance meeting completely shifts both her purpose for being there and how she views all the aspects of music (especially its socioemotional implications).

In "Forever Tormented" , we meet the second woman, Wendy, whose stay at the Mimosa started out as something a bit more suspicious than a professional musical performance. Wendy's tendencies for muckraking land her in a troubling position when she learns a lot of her band director's proclivities, but that is sadly just the beginning of her troubles. Her "private eye work" at the Mimosa causes her great psychological pain, and she loses much of the most fruitful time in her life because of what her sole venture to the Mimosa did to her psyche.

The other three titles to be released in due time are Solstice, Champion's Quest, and Return to Mimosa. However, I will not post summaries for these until they are posted.

Couple little things

Why are they called Journeys?
Transition is the core element of this Saga, and the first four stories ("Lovers' Ball" , "Forever Tormented" , Solstice, and Champion's Quest) are meant to be stand alone works(although I will sometimes allude to the other stories in one of them). The final work, Return to Mimosa, is the culmination, the end of the cycle, if you will.

Are the stories listed in chronological order?
No, and if you decide to review this folder or "Forever Tormented" , there is one thing on which I need some guidance. "Forever Tormented"  was written first, so a lot of description of the Mimosa grounds is established. This worked when it was a stand alone story, but then I decided to write "Lovers' Ball" . The biggest challenge I am facing is in regards to the time in which these two stories take place. "Forever Tormented"  actually takes place in 2011 (with constant flashbacks and dreams of events in 2001) while "Lovers' Ball"  takes place in 2001 (even though circular time shows us in great detail the events of 1976). I've been trying to find a way around this without breaking apart the description of the Mimosa found in "Forever Tormented" , as it does serve a purpose. So far, my most practical option seems to be applying the same amount of description in "Lovers' Ball"  even though Camilla isn't nearly as aware of the environment of the Mimosa as Wendy is due to age and vastly different experiences at the Mimosa. If you have any ideas, I would really appreciate reading them.

With that in mind, enjoy