Elizabeth Atkinson's Blog, page 11

Letting Go of Summer

Each summer, unlike any other season, I feel a sense of loss as it comes to a close.  Especially since I began spending my summers in rural Maine, a place I treasured as a child.
Summer represents youth, a state of mind we carry throughout our lives as adults, but a reality that disappeared long ago.
While I feel fortunate to revisit my childhood every June - in the woods, by the lake, down a dirt road, over to the coast, near a brook, up a mountain - it’s always difficult to say goodbye again in September.

What will you miss most about summer?

teeny tiny itty bittys

I can’t get enough of imaginary tiny worlds.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with miniature anythings . . . from tiny doll house furniture

 

to fairy houses in the wild.

 

 

I adore tiny hummingbirds

and tiny turtles

but the one real-world critter who comes closest to my miniaturized fantasy realm

is this wee little fellow:

A perfectly formed diminutive version of the everyday amphibian.

They catch my eye as I hike through the Maine woods, offering delightful inspiration and magical possibilities.

 

I often wonder what is it about teeny tiny itty bittys that we love so.

Do you know?

 

 

 

 

Beast vs Bird

My favorite room in any house is always a screen porch… I love being immersed in nature while enjoying the shade and bug-free environment. It’s often where I work during the day.

 

However, we haven’t been able to enjoy our own breezy, lovely porch for the entire summer – and I bet you can’t guess why?

 

I’ll give you a hint: it has to do with my doodle dog, Obi, pictured below (in said porch) and a certain wild bird.

 

Anyone want to guess?

Only for Subscribers:

My new website is up and running! If you subscribed to my blog on my old website, you’ll need to sign up again here (to the right). To give you a little incentive, the first 10 NEW SUBSCRIBERS will receive a signed copy of THE SUGAR MOUNTAIN SNOW BALL coming in 2015! The setting of this new novel was inspired by a well-known winter destination in New England… can you guess where?

One of my all-time favorite books!

My son and I have been Lois Lowry fans since he was assigned to read THE GIVER in 6th grade – a gem of a book! In fact, a few years ago my son was so surprised to find out some of his college friends had never read THE GIVER, that he invited a group of them to stay up one night and read the entire book out loud together. As an author, I can’t think of a greater compliment…. If you haven’t read the novel, make sure you do before you see the movie coming to theaters on AUGUST 15th!!

 

 

My New Website!

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be launching my NEW & IMPROVED website here in exactly ONE WEEK! Here’s the catch – I’ve accumulated many subscribers to this website since I began in 2008 (original photo shown here with my sweet black lab, Chinaberry). However, I’ll need all of you to re-subscribe when the [...]

Where I long to be . . . .

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life,
and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau-

 

Where I long to be

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. -Henry David Thoreau- Do you have a special place where you [...]

Summer News!

*I’m very excited to announce I have a new middle grade novel coming from Islandport Press in the fall of 2015! THE SUGAR MOUNTAIN SNOW BALL is the story of two best friends – Ruby and Eleanor – whose lives change forever when they meet the astonishing and mysterious psychic, Madame Magnifique. More details to [...]

One Year Later

A year ago today I flew to Shanghai, CHINA with 3 other American teachers. I chose to go for many reasons, not least of which, I needed to find “my joyla” . . . just as EMMA FREKE needed to find hers. Twenty-two hours or so after the four of us departed Boston, we arrived [...]