By: Colin P.
I am honoured to have the opportunity to write a piece about my best mate. This is what I know of her,
spare of any notes. I have only information gathered over a long friendship of chatting over coffee,
thousands in mobile bills, and letters proving even an ocean can't wear a good friend's shoulder.
Dayna Ranelle Joll was born the youngest of three in Niles, Ohio. Her parents divorced before she turned
age one, and at that time Dayna and her siblings moved into her grandmother’s big, old nineteenth century
house; a perfect backdrop to a frightful story or two. What I know of this town is that it is the birthplace of a
U.S. President, has a body of water named after mosquitoes and it's small-town charm and history nurtured
a young girl's vivid imagination and intellect. At age twelve, she moved to Maryland where she also got her
thirst for travel and a different way of life. During this time, she wrote extensively in diaries, scribbling
down stories of fiction and non whilst still dotting her i’s with tiny hearts. It would be these journals that
would later remind Dayna of her talent and passion, inspiring her to complete the first Tuatha book.
At fifteen, she moved back home to Ohio to her ailing grandmother, and it is in her honour Dayna has
chosen VonThaer as her pen name. At seventeen, Dayna moved briefly to Pittsburgh to begin university,
but her grandmother’s ever-declining health among other things brought her back home once again. She
started courses at Kent State University whilst living in Boardman, Ohio. In 1995 she wed Eric, a bloke who
had been her friend in school, the birthing of a phrase she oft uses; “Always marry your best friend, cos
above all, you're friends first.”
Later that year they left Ohio for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After only a year, they moved on to Virginia
where they made a home and expanded their family. In 1999, they welcomed a second son, and Dayna
continued her education whilst running a small marketing firm helping local businesses make the most of
their staff. But even still, being a mum was always her first priority, and she spent the next few years
volunteering at her local schools, food pantries, and other organisations. All the while, her love of writing
simmered on the back burner, saved for rare moments of silence between laundry and playgroup.
In 2003, Dayna and Eric welcomed their daughter into the world and as she said, an entirely new woman
was born with the arrival of her little girl. Her writing came to the forefront again, as if the birth of he
daughter had stirred up the dormant pot of her creativity. Grabbing any free moment possible, she started
writing into the late hours of the night, creating stories and characters saved in blogs and notebooks. At age
29, feeling the need to do one thing for herself before hitting 30 (and deservedly so) she took a trip to
London alone. Having loved it so much, her husband encouraged her to go a second time. It was during this
trip that we met at my mum’s Sunday dinner.
I remember my father giving her grief from the first moment. Dayna was this little speck of a girl with a puff
of blonde hair and a gorgeous smile. My dad, all six-foot-four, twenty-six stone of him, took the little five-
foot-three lass to task over her name. Informing her that Dayna (Dana/Danu) is the name of our goddess, an
idea was born in her brilliant mind. Later that year, Dayna lost her two best friends in an auto accident.
Feeling a bit lost, Dayna and her family moved to London for a fresh start where she felt inspired by the
language, culture, and architecture to work further on her books.
In 2009, a friend paid her visit, bringing her a box of old pages and unfinished manuscripts, including those
from when she was only a twelve year old girl. Of these, her friend had taken the first complete journal she’d
ever written to read during his flight, not knowing it was her diary. He said he read it, but he didn't realise it
was her diary until the very end. He’d never known a little girl to write her diary in poetic prose before.
Presenting her with the box of things left unfinished and letters of encouragement from her husband,
myself, and others, Dayna buckled down and focused on completing her book. Working constantly once all
of her children were in school, and even during another move, she finished the first in what I can honestly
attest will be a brilliant series. (I’d like to add, I was the first to read her book, a distinction I will brag about
endlessly until my death.)
Though agents showed interest in her work, she disagreed with their editing suggestions. Not wanting her
work to turn into smut-for-sale, she utilised her well-known bright personality, tenacity, and previously
acquired skills at marketing to form B.A.S.E.D. Press, an independent small-press firm to publish her work
so it may remain whole. The acronym is that of her family, an honour to them for their unwavering support.
D lives in Texas with her husband and three beautiful children. That is, until she feels the need to change
scenery once more.
I am honoured to have the opportunity to write a piece about my best mate. This is what I know of her,
spare of any notes. I have only information gathered over a long friendship of chatting over coffee,
thousands in mobile bills, and letters proving even an ocean can't wear a good friend's shoulder.
Dayna Ranelle Joll was born the youngest of three in Niles, Ohio. Her parents divorced before she turned
age one, and at that time Dayna and her siblings moved into her grandmother’s big, old nineteenth century
house; a perfect backdrop to a frightful story or two. What I know of this town is that it is the birthplace of a
U.S. President, has a body of water named after mosquitoes and it's small-town charm and history nurtured
a young girl's vivid imagination and intellect. At age twelve, she moved to Maryland where she also got her
thirst for travel and a different way of life. During this time, she wrote extensively in diaries, scribbling
down stories of fiction and non whilst still dotting her i’s with tiny hearts. It would be these journals that
would later remind Dayna of her talent and passion, inspiring her to complete the first Tuatha book.
At fifteen, she moved back home to Ohio to her ailing grandmother, and it is in her honour Dayna has
chosen VonThaer as her pen name. At seventeen, Dayna moved briefly to Pittsburgh to begin university,
but her grandmother’s ever-declining health among other things brought her back home once again. She
started courses at Kent State University whilst living in Boardman, Ohio. In 1995 she wed Eric, a bloke who
had been her friend in school, the birthing of a phrase she oft uses; “Always marry your best friend, cos
above all, you're friends first.”
Later that year they left Ohio for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After only a year, they moved on to Virginia
where they made a home and expanded their family. In 1999, they welcomed a second son, and Dayna
continued her education whilst running a small marketing firm helping local businesses make the most of
their staff. But even still, being a mum was always her first priority, and she spent the next few years
volunteering at her local schools, food pantries, and other organisations. All the while, her love of writing
simmered on the back burner, saved for rare moments of silence between laundry and playgroup.
In 2003, Dayna and Eric welcomed their daughter into the world and as she said, an entirely new woman
was born with the arrival of her little girl. Her writing came to the forefront again, as if the birth of he
daughter had stirred up the dormant pot of her creativity. Grabbing any free moment possible, she started
writing into the late hours of the night, creating stories and characters saved in blogs and notebooks. At age
29, feeling the need to do one thing for herself before hitting 30 (and deservedly so) she took a trip to
London alone. Having loved it so much, her husband encouraged her to go a second time. It was during this
trip that we met at my mum’s Sunday dinner.
I remember my father giving her grief from the first moment. Dayna was this little speck of a girl with a puff
of blonde hair and a gorgeous smile. My dad, all six-foot-four, twenty-six stone of him, took the little five-
foot-three lass to task over her name. Informing her that Dayna (Dana/Danu) is the name of our goddess, an
idea was born in her brilliant mind. Later that year, Dayna lost her two best friends in an auto accident.
Feeling a bit lost, Dayna and her family moved to London for a fresh start where she felt inspired by the
language, culture, and architecture to work further on her books.
In 2009, a friend paid her visit, bringing her a box of old pages and unfinished manuscripts, including those
from when she was only a twelve year old girl. Of these, her friend had taken the first complete journal she’d
ever written to read during his flight, not knowing it was her diary. He said he read it, but he didn't realise it
was her diary until the very end. He’d never known a little girl to write her diary in poetic prose before.
Presenting her with the box of things left unfinished and letters of encouragement from her husband,
myself, and others, Dayna buckled down and focused on completing her book. Working constantly once all
of her children were in school, and even during another move, she finished the first in what I can honestly
attest will be a brilliant series. (I’d like to add, I was the first to read her book, a distinction I will brag about
endlessly until my death.)
Though agents showed interest in her work, she disagreed with their editing suggestions. Not wanting her
work to turn into smut-for-sale, she utilised her well-known bright personality, tenacity, and previously
acquired skills at marketing to form B.A.S.E.D. Press, an independent small-press firm to publish her work
so it may remain whole. The acronym is that of her family, an honour to them for their unwavering support.
D lives in Texas with her husband and three beautiful children. That is, until she feels the need to change
scenery once more.
| The reason I love this picture so much is because when it was taken, it was just around the time I got the inspiration for the Tuatha series. Though it was vastly different in the beginning, that first seed had been planted during that time of tea and accents, trains and castles, cobblestone roads and stunning architecture. |
D. VonThaer on Facebook
| This site and all of it's contents, including excerpts, quotes, and titles may not be reproduced, copied, or borrowed in any form without formal written consent. Copyright © 2009 Dayna VonThaer for B.A.S.E.D. Press. All Rights Reserved. |
Julius Caesar wrote of the Celts: "The Celts were
fearless warriors because they wish to inculcate this
as one of their leading tenets, that souls do not
become extinct, but pass after death from one
body to another..."
Seven Sisters. The infamous collection of stars align
with the full moon on Hallo’een, alighting the sky for
a destiny that’s waited centuries. Dru, a gifted, but
tormented witch living alone on the coast of Ireland
wakes to find Ty, her long-time love, mysteriously
disappeared. In Paris, Katerina, an oppressed but
talented dancer bravely takes the stage in one final
performance before escaping a life of tyranny,
looking for a freedom she’d only known in dreams.
Aodh, The Dagda, a man made of ancient legends, has
slumbered for two millennia. Tonight, when the
moon is full and the stars are aligned, he rises from
his temporary grave to find the world is not as he
remembers. His people, his family, his tribe have
vanquished, along with the majority of his
considerable power.
Chance takes him to Dru, and together they set out to
find the key to reopening his world, whilst forming a
bond of friendship neither has ever previously
known. During their search, Dru learns Ty was no
mortal man, but a god with a prophecy to fulfill. Ty
died before fulfilling that prophecy, setting off a
chain of events that would forever alter the future.
Devastated, Dru abandons Aodh and the life that
should have already been hers, and finds herself in
the company of the worst sort. She begins a sordid
affair with Kas, a daemon whose insatiable lust for
power is only outdone by his lust for Dru.
Separated from the only friend he knows, Aodh is left
to search the world alone for answers. He meets the
young and beautiful dancer, Katerina, and is
instantly smitten with her grace and purity. He
stays near her, pretending to be mortal, gaining her
friendship. But on Katerina’s birthday, just as Aodh
is ready to concede to a life of mortality, Katerina is
ripped from him by Kas. Aodh’s ideas on remaining
mortal are no more; he has to unlock the secrets to his
world that will open a trove of unimaginable power to
save the two women he loves, before time is no longer
in his favour, and he loses everything.
fearless warriors because they wish to inculcate this
as one of their leading tenets, that souls do not
become extinct, but pass after death from one
body to another..."
Seven Sisters. The infamous collection of stars align
with the full moon on Hallo’een, alighting the sky for
a destiny that’s waited centuries. Dru, a gifted, but
tormented witch living alone on the coast of Ireland
wakes to find Ty, her long-time love, mysteriously
disappeared. In Paris, Katerina, an oppressed but
talented dancer bravely takes the stage in one final
performance before escaping a life of tyranny,
looking for a freedom she’d only known in dreams.
Aodh, The Dagda, a man made of ancient legends, has
slumbered for two millennia. Tonight, when the
moon is full and the stars are aligned, he rises from
his temporary grave to find the world is not as he
remembers. His people, his family, his tribe have
vanquished, along with the majority of his
considerable power.
Chance takes him to Dru, and together they set out to
find the key to reopening his world, whilst forming a
bond of friendship neither has ever previously
known. During their search, Dru learns Ty was no
mortal man, but a god with a prophecy to fulfill. Ty
died before fulfilling that prophecy, setting off a
chain of events that would forever alter the future.
Devastated, Dru abandons Aodh and the life that
should have already been hers, and finds herself in
the company of the worst sort. She begins a sordid
affair with Kas, a daemon whose insatiable lust for
power is only outdone by his lust for Dru.
Separated from the only friend he knows, Aodh is left
to search the world alone for answers. He meets the
young and beautiful dancer, Katerina, and is
instantly smitten with her grace and purity. He
stays near her, pretending to be mortal, gaining her
friendship. But on Katerina’s birthday, just as Aodh
is ready to concede to a life of mortality, Katerina is
ripped from him by Kas. Aodh’s ideas on remaining
mortal are no more; he has to unlock the secrets to his
world that will open a trove of unimaginable power to
save the two women he loves, before time is no longer
in his favour, and he loses everything.
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