S.D. Smith's Blog, page 21

Slumping Sunflowers

Slumping sunflowers in our victory garden,
I understand. 

How well?
I hope you never know. 

Like them I will fade away and take,
The memory of all my pain,
Safely away from you. 
And all will someday be,
Peaceful and unafraid and,

Flourishing forever. 

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Crying at Stories

Did I write something that made you cry? Good. If, while crying, you dreamed of becoming more than you were before you were reading, very good. If it’s a spark in your heart and then tears come, good. If it’s laughter, I am glad too. 

Tonight I cried after receiving, in a film, the work of a man’s art. It worked itself into my heart. I made commitments then, jotting them down through blurred vision and sniffles. And I thanked God for it and him and I thought what a gift this life is. What a gift is receiving and giving and I feel more blessed to have been privileged to give something of my heart to precious people, many of whom I will never meet in this life. But I love them. And I bless them for the gift they’ve given me, the gift of receiving my heart and art into their homes. 

How precious is a child? How blessed are you, if you love and protect and provide for these little ones? Thank God for you. Keep on. Keep on living, loving, and crying. Keep on deciding and trying and fighting for their lives. Keep on letting them be children, and keep on feeding their souls with stories. Keep on giving them light. 

I love these kids. I’m so grateful for them. I’m so grateful for you who love them. Their need is keen. You aren’t enough, and neither am I. But we go again every day and lean on the only one who is enough. We trust him and go again. Keep on going. Keep on believing. Keep on leaning. 

And cry, sometimes, because something beautiful moves you. And after being moved, you look around and see you aren’t where you were. And you go again. 

Cry and smile and carry on. Life is beautiful and fleeting and full of mysterious meaning. I commend joy. And gratitude. And humility. And hope. 

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A Crooked Tree

I like this common, crooked tree. 
It’s already poetry. 
Doesn’t need a thing from me. 
It shows and tells us,
Everything. 
But writers make words,I guess,
Because we cannot bend,
And rise,
And bloom,
And die inside the fire,
Of a family making s’mores. 

Still, for us, storytellers all,
The sparks fly up,
And bends will come,
And sadness seeps,
Into all our songs. 
Until both we and trees,
And Everything,
Are finally free,
And born into,
The True New World. 

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A Tapestry Behind

The conspiracy of goodness that has been my life,
I recollect in silence.
For once my frustrated sighs are quieted,
In holy reverence.
Gardens grow on graves.

The true New World is my home and hope,
This shadow I have seen,
And loved and hated all my life will,
Only be a place I’ve been.
When beneath my vine, I fear not.

So the terror that now threatens me,
Is only another day, I find,
Another chapter in the tale,
A fine tapestry on the wall behind,
The inevitable, eternal feast.

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Seeds and Harvest and Minimum Wage Writing

The words from the screen grab and the picture are many years apart. During the time of that post, I was working very hard (battling discouragement constantly) and planting seeds. The picture below is a little evidence of the harvest that God provided later. 

I’m happy to say that I now make more than minimum wage writing. Seriously, that is a gift. I still can’t spell very well. (Perhpas that will change someday.) But I’m working on releasing my ninth book soon, and I’m so grateful to be able to do this kind of work. 

I could leave you with an inspirational directive, but I think you’re smart enough to find the sum for the 2+2 I gave you. I will say that I’m rooting for you. Thanks for rooting for me. 

Sam

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#GreenEmberKidArt winners for Q2 of 2020

Our Randomly Selected Kid Artist Winner for Q2!



Heather and Picket
created by Kaelyn.



And Now…. Our Best #GreenEmberKidArt Winner for Q2 is…



Ellisha, age 8 — from The Green Ember



Congratulations to the winners!

Follow this tag: #GreenEmberKidArt to see the wonderful art by the kids (posted by parents) on Instagram.

And here for the same tag on Facebook.

#GreenEmberKidArt 2020 Official Rules

Official Rules: To enter, simply share your child’s Green Ember art (publicly) on Instagram or Facebook. Use the hashtag #GreenEmberKidArt (along with #RabbitsWithSwords and #TheGreenEmber if you would) and tag Sam’s author account in either Facebook or Instagram (both for more entries). Please indicate the child’s age. Use of child’s first name or picture is optional, and up to parents’ judgement. Parents are entering for kids. Kids may not enter on their own. Good luck!

Quarterly Winners

1) Randomly Selected Kid Artist!
EVERYONE who does the above is entered to win this! Any age. Any skill-level. Just have fun!Prize: Wild Glee, Contagious Joy, and $20 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!

2) Best #GreenEmberKidArt of the Quarter
This will be the piece judged (by our secret, unscientific formulas) to be the “best.” Age will be considered, so each will be judged against expectations appropriate for the artist’s age. Come all ye diligent artists!Prize: Unimaginable Glory, Prodigious Esteem, and $25 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!

Year-End Winners

A GRAND PRIZE will be awarded in both categories at the end of the year. All quarterly winners of the “Best” Category are entered for one Grand Prize.

Everyone who posts (according to the rules) is entered for the Random Grand Prize!

Grand Prizes will include an on-line Author Visit with S. D. Smith and a signed set of the The Green Ember Series.

Note: Q1 (Jan-March) Winners will be announced in April, Q2 (April-June) Winners will be announced in July, Q3 July-Sept) Winners will be announced in October, and Q4 (Oct-Dec) Winners will be announced in January. 2019 Grand Prize Winners will be announced in January as well.

The post #GreenEmberKidArt winners for Q2 of 2020 appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Best Reading Order For ALL EIGHT Green Ember Books?

Thanks for caring to find out! People search for this often on the web and we get LOTS of messages about it. We try to address as many popular questions as we can at our FAQ. But we’ve got the answer for you right here about reading order.

Series author S. D. Smith recommends publication order.

The Green Ember The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia 1) Ember Falls: The Green Ember Book II The Last Archer: A Green Ember Story Ember Rising: The Green Ember Book III The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner (Tales of Old Natalia 2) The First Fowler: A Green Ember Story Ember’s End: The Green Ember Book IV

Here it is, straight from the horse’s well-respected author’s mouth…

“By far the most enjoyable way to experience the series is by reading the books in publication order. There are lots of examples of why this is the way (this is the way), but I’ll share one. I saw a recent reviewer complain about ‘the sudden introduction of dragons’ in Ember’s End, but they would have enjoyed that if they had read The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner, which set it up. Of course you can go back and read the other books after you’ve just read the main four and that will be fine. I’ve heard from folks reading them in various orders and enjoying the journey.” —S. D. Smith

Did you know? You can enjoy ALL EIGHT of S. D. Smith’s Green Ember adventures for FREE on Hoopla (if your library uses it). And, because there is NO WAIT, you can listen to every audiobook in its recommended (publication) order.

Enjoy!

The post Best Reading Order For ALL EIGHT Green Ember Books? appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Green Ember Ebooks Free (or 99cents) THIS WEEK on Kindle!

You can get seven of S. D. Smith’s bestselling ebooks for less than $3!

Get in on this exciting action for the week of June 15-20.

The post Green Ember Ebooks Free (or 99cents) THIS WEEK on Kindle! appeared first on S. D. Smith.

#GreenEmberKidArt winners for Q1 of 2020

Our Randomly Selected Kid Artist Winner for Q1!



“Heather and Picket looking at a window in Lighthall”
by Gunner, age 10



And Now…. Our Best #GreenEmberKidArt Winner for Q1 is…



Zahara, age 13 — from The Black Star of Kingston



Congratulations to the winners!

Follow this tag: #GreenEmberKidArt to see the wonderful art by the kids (posted by parents) on Instagram.

And here for the same tag on Facebook.

#GreenEmberKidArt 2020 Official Rules

Official Rules: To enter, simply share your child’s Green Ember art (publicly) on Instagram or Facebook. Use the hashtag #GreenEmberKidArt (along with #RabbitsWithSwords and #TheGreenEmber if you would) and tag Sam’s author account in either Facebook or Instagram (both for more entries). Please indicate the child’s age. Use of child’s first name or picture is optional, and up to parents’ judgement. Parents are entering for kids. Kids may not enter on their own. Good luck!

Quarterly Winners

1) Randomly Selected Kid Artist!
EVERYONE who does the above is entered to win this! Any age. Any skill-level. Just have fun!Prize: Wild Glee, Contagious Joy, and $20 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!

2) Best #GreenEmberKidArt of the Quarter
This will be the piece judged (by our secret, unscientific formulas) to be the “best.” Age will be considered, so each will be judged against expectations appropriate for the artist’s age. Come all ye diligent artists!Prize: Unimaginable Glory, Prodigious Esteem, and $25 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!

Year-End Winners

A GRAND PRIZE will be awarded in both categories at the end of the year. All quarterly winners of the “Best” Category are entered for one Grand Prize.

Everyone who posts (according to the rules) is entered for the Random Grand Prize!

Grand Prizes will include an on-line Author Visit with S. D. Smith and a signed set of the The Green Ember Series.

Note: Q1 (Jan-March) Winners will be announced in April, Q2 (April-June) Winners will be announced in July, Q3 July-Sept) Winners will be announced in October, and Q4 (Oct-Dec) Winners will be announced in January. 2019 Grand Prize Winners will be announced in January as well.

The post #GreenEmberKidArt winners for Q1 of 2020 appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Heroes Are Old Fashioned And Kids Need Realism?

Kids don’t need cynical so-called “realism.” They know about evil and villains, let them know about heroics. Let them get a taste for hope.

Kids need heroic, hopeful stories.

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