Sara Ellie MacKenzie's Blog, page 14

Popping In...

I have not been posting lately. I have been sick and unable to jump in on social media as much. But I am not dead yet!

Here's the load down:

The events are still on. I am tying up loose ends. Message me with anything. I am writing!

You know where to find me.

Lots of love to all of you. Namaste!

#TiredMom #NoWay #SicksDays #NoWorries #AuthorOnTheGo #MusicAndWrite

Introducing "Revolution"...

Welcome to the next volume in the Wrapped in the Rays of the Sun series, everyone. In addition to working on my grandfather's story, this is my other focus. The narrator is (still) John Ronald. He is connected to the other characters. This will be explained more later.

But for once, imagine yourself back in Klenard. Everything is going well in Queen Eleanor's reign. Then, war comes and everything changes. You lose everything you knew and loved and have to run for cover. What can you do, especially with a little girl in tow? How would you survive?

More information about John Ronald, the Redeemer, will come soon. Keep your ears to the ground. It might be a gentle rumble you hear or, it might be the revolution we've been waiting for.

Namaste!

#FourthVolume #Farmer #HusbandAndFather #OnlyDaughter #NewBook #Klenard #WrappedInTheRaysOfTheSuns

Breaktime!

Yep. I need it. There is a lot going on and I am going to be focused on a few things. I will return with Behind the Scenes and Trivia in April. You will still see me on social media, though. No, I did not decide this today. This came to me some weeks ago, when again everything came all at once.

I am sorry, everyone!

Please let me know of any concerns or questions. I love suggestions too! I am a weirdo and sometimes, people do not understand me. I am still working through the kinks.

Stay safe, everyone. Peace, love, happiness, and comfort to all of you. Namaste!

#Breaktime #AllWorkedUp #Resting #MentalHealth #FocusingOnMe #StillHere #LighterDuty #Breakdown

#FindOutFriday Answers 8

Wow, it's almost spring already. While it's been a time of cleaning, it's also time to give up the answers. This is from the last #TuesdayTrivia. How did you fare? Let me know!

Eleanor of Aquitaine - The Queen of France and England respectively, this woman was the foundation of the character of Eleanor "Nora" Lynn Brutrose. Her sense of duty as a woman and a ruler, her disregard for what was conventional, and her political involvement long into old age initially brought the Klenard Queen to life. The Archbishop of Canterbury - This important position in the Church of England was the basis for the Archbishop of Ploum. The men in power (real and in my stories) are clergy, involved deeply in politics, and give advice to the monarch. Charlemagne - If you recognize the name as a figure from history, you are right, but it goes further back than you expect (think Frankish Kings of the 8th and 9th century CE). Charlemagne the Lopetish Prince was based on this monarch, from his warlike training to his faith in Christianity. Menelaus - This is a bonus for the previous factoid for the diehard mythology readers. The middle name of the King Consort of Klenard is the same as the Mycenaean Spartan King and was the husband of Helen of Troy.

Didn't expect me to add something totally different in the mix? There is a lot more. Until next week, namaste!

#Duchess #TwoHusbands #QueenofFranceAndEngland #ChurchAndState #ChurchOfEngland #Archbishop #FrankishKings #FightForAKingdom #ChristianKing #TheIlliad #TheOdyssey #WarWithTroy

#BehindTheScenes 31 - Stranger Things

No, I am not talking about the Netflix show. I am talking about the strange things in my life. Some people go through life without the unexplained happening to them. Others can swear there are ghosts because they cannot account for how something happened. In this #BehindTheScenes, I am going to speak about 2 events that were kinda strange to me...

The first happened in 2012. My husband and I were not married at the time. We were living in Maine, on a farmhouse. Calvin was not even a year old yet. Our other occupant was my fur baby, Tabby. I had her since birth. She was orange, grey and white and had no tail (there was a stump) and was nearly 15 years old. In the summer of that year, she got sick and was dragging her hind legs.

On the last morning of her life, she was in our mud room. We made her comfortable. Her food and cat box was nearby. Around 5 AM, I woke up to the strong feeling that a cat was next to me. Tabby was a heavy cat and she loved nothing more than to headbutt me. ALL THE TIME. I did it with her too. Other times, she'd climb on my pillow and wrap herself around my head.

There was the headbutt. Half-asleep, I went to scratch her head, but she was not there. Then, I remembered that Tabby was dying.

I went downstairs to see her. A few minutes later, she was gone. My heart went with her.

The second actually happened sometime last year. I think it was last summer 2022. I have been working on my family genealogy for the past 4 years now. My main agitation is the lack of information for my German relations after a certain point. Sometimes, I'd get a clue, get excited, and find the next dead end. It is a LOT of research into borders, language, culture and more.

I was folding the laundry and thinking about a point where I was stuck. I cannot tell you which 1 it was because there were so many of them. Brian and Calvin were in the basement, playing. I turned to put the towels away in the closet across from my bedroom. That was when I heard my name.

It was definitely a female voice. The neighbors had not called for me. Brian and Calvin were not paying attention to me. We had no company over. The phone was off the hook and cell phones had not rung. The cats were even sleeping downstairs. The accent was German, like English was a second language for her.

There was no fright. Nothing funky was moved. The house was at peace and very warm.

What do you think? Did you have anything strange happen to you? Did something was ever explained? Talk about it in the comments section. Namaste!

#BehindTheWall #AuthorExperiences #TheUnexplained #DoGhostsExist #ReligiousBelief #SomethingAndNothing #LovedOnesGone

Now, For the Audience...

I need opinions, everyone.

As an author, I am always looking for ways to reach you. I have some questions. Please answer them in the comment section below. Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your feedback!

What topics do you want to know more about? What preferred social media format do you like best (poll below)? About what time do you consume online/social media content? How do you like to read your content? How often do you like hearing from me?

Namaste!

#YourTurn #Polls #BackToYou #LetMeKnow #Feedback

#BehindTheScenes 30 - History Buff

We are in the last weeks of winter up here in CT. March 20 will mark the beginning of spring. People see it as a time of renewal. It gives me an opportunity to be in the warmth. My research goes from indoors to the outdoors. This is what this #BehindTheScenes is about: my love of history.

I will admit that this was 1 of my favorite topics at school. Depending on the year, it was the only. The idea that people in the past had real emotions and motives was exciting. Royal families fought over who was right. Borders were erased and changed. A decision from a peasant, or even the change in the wind, turned history around. It shaped us and should be teaching us lessons.

Again, here I am not debating what is right or wrong with how history shaped us into what we are today. For a moment, think about everything you have. You probably have a phone or tablet. You live in a building, maybe a house with your parents.

Where did it all come from?

Was it a part of the town's heritage?

Is there some sign of the old occupants?

Over the years, friends and family have found pieces of history. Construction work did not always bring headaches of lead paint and mold. We've found letters. Invitations. Pieces of people's lives in the words they wrote decades before. For a moment, you can imagine what kind of life these people had, their emotions, beliefs, anything! Even if you look at the decisions of kings and queens, you'd find personal logic involved.

This is where most of my ideas come from. I make no secret of it. The past is the inspiration of much of what I see, not just behind my stories, but today as well. Margaret Atwood had done the same. In The Handmaid's Tale, she placed together the worst elements of humanity at the time and created a dystopian society, which we face in many corners.

Don't get the past take you down. Learn from it. Study it. You can view it any way you like. Just do not harm anyone and put down your bias.

Namaste!

#HistoryBuff #Learning #ThePastBeckons #DontLetItBringYouDown #NoApologies #KeepLinking #YouAndMe #IfYouDoNotLearn #HistoryRepeats

#FindOutFriday Answers 7

Friday again? Wow. Time is flying this year. Well, here are the answers to the last #TuesdayTrivia. Did you guess any of them? Let me know!

Black Death - In Casting Shadows, there is mention of the plague, before inoculation of the kingdoms. I based this off of the Black Death that overshadowed Europe pre-1500 (not the sweating sickness) and created it as the same scourge the Black Death was. Smallpox Vaccine - Back to Catherine the Great of Russia and her innovation in helping the eradicate the disease! This vaccine, much like the one against the plague in the books, was injected the same way and used the same idea of poisoning for immunity. Queen Isabella, She-Wolf of France - The mother of King Edward III of England managed to escape the injustices of her husband and gather her forces in France. Nora did the same going to Lopet, although she did not have a son to hold hostage in another kingdom. Weaponry - Throughout the series, I reference weapons big and small, but none of them modern. I used weaponry found in Europe pre-1560, but did not rely on muskets or any other type of firearm (despite some being used in the Tudor ages).

That's it, everyone. Namaste, and have a great weekend!

#MassExtinction #RatsLiceAndFleas #NoKnownCure #IAmSafe #VaccinesSaveLives #Immunity #FrenchPrincess #EnglishQueen #SheWolf #FireBalls #CannonsAtTheReady #HandToHandCombat

#FindOutFriday Answers 6

Hi, everyone! Here are the answers to #TriviaTuesday. How many did you spot? Let me know in the comments sections. Also, let me know any suggestions and questions.

Cardinal Wolsey - Archbishop Bray is a huge character in Casting Shadows and the family name throughout the series is highly regarded. The power and bits of the life of Bray is based on Henry VIII's counseler, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who held tremendous hold until his downfall and death in 1530. Wardships - The concept of wardships was mentioned throughout the series (so far). This system is based on the European model, pre-1700, where orphan nobles or landowners underage were sold to the highest bidder. Refugees - Pick an event in history and now and you will find civilians fleeing with families and nothing on their back except their clothes. It was most pronounced in Through the Meadow as Miranda and her friends ship and receive refugees, all of from the world war. Stonewall - The sight of the famous 1969 rebellion against the NYC police was the inspiration behind the secret meetings for the LBGTQIA+ in Through the Meadow. It is not the uprising itself, but the locations for like people to gather and be themselves without the law on their backs.

Namaste, everyone. Have a great weekend!

#TudorTimes #TheRiseAndFallOfHenryVIII #TheManInCharge #Sold #HighestBidder #LittleChildren #WartornHome #UpsideDown #Refugees #StonewallRiots #Liberation #NobodyIsFreeWhenOthersAreOppressed

#BehindTheScenes 29 - Personal Philosophy

I cannot believe that it is March already. I am still wondering where the year has gone already. With spring coming, I've had to rethink things. One of them is part of this edition of #BehindTheScenes. It is about my personal philosophy.

I used to tell people that I will respect you if you respect me, no matter what. At this point, in my mid-thirties, it goes deeper than that. There is the kindness, empathy and compassion you show to others. It is seeing their plights and not feeling threatened. It is standing with those same people and saying that the treatment they are receiving is wrong.

In this world we live in, we all have different philosophies and experiences. I am not here to pick them apart or tell what is right or wrong. As long as there is no hatred or oppression, that door should always be open. As many religions have stated, we must be kind to others, in the same way we are kind to ourselves. Love thy neighbor.

There is a bumper sticker that I remember my father had on his VW, when I was little: "Nobody is free when others are oppressed." I asked him what it meant. He told me that we might have the freedom to do this and that, but there is always somebody else who does not. We are supposed to live in harmony and unity, by just laws, and the world continues to live under corruption.

This was in the 1990's. The Cold War had ended less than a decade ago. We were beginning to open our eyes to the plight of those who screamed in the previous decades. Only, we were beginning to grow in acceptance.

Nobody is free when others are oppressed.

Remember that when someone claims to be taking something away...and you still have it while others do not.

Namaste, everyone! Have a great week!

#WeDontNeedToSayThis #YesYouMatter #StandWithTheLost #MindYourWords #NobodyIsFreeWhenOthersAreOppressed