Jessica L. Elliott's Blog, page 10

Series Confessions - Part 1

I love being an author and I love delving into my stories. I'm not loving so much this wrapping up process. You know when you read the last book in a series and you cry a little to yourself? Yeah, being the author makes those emotions ten times as strong. The last book in my series is done and I won't lie to you. I cried as I typed, "And they lived happily ever after." Oh did I cry! While I know I can always return to Sanalbereth by reading my books or writing short stories (in the works) or potentially writing a spin-off series (sort of kind of really thinking about that one), these stories are finished. Writing "The End" are the hardest two words an author can write. At least, they're the hardest this author has written.

I first published Charming Academy just over four years ago. Now the last book is about to be published and I find myself reflecting back on the experience. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself at the point I'm at now. I have a Facebook fanpage with likes from people I don't even know! Well, not personally anyway. I know you through your comments, your likes and shares. I know what a tweet is and a retweet and I get ridiculously excited about both. I've been hosted on blogs by people I've met in person and others I've never had the pleasure of seeing outside of social media. I have a blog and a beautiful website that gets visited by people other than me! Slowly but surely, my sales trickle in. I'm not best-selling by any stretch of the imagination, but I haven't seen a lonely 0 in my sales in a few months, so that's got to be worth something.

This has been a learning experience, that's for sure. So much of what I learn, I wish I'd known before I got started. Like I wish I'd had all the amazing author friends I have now to help me spread the word about my books. I wish I'd gone into it knowing a little bit more about writing for an audience. While I still cherish my 240,000 word beast that was the first edition of Charming Academy, the newer version is so much better and I wish it had been the one I originally released. Especially since it has far fewer typos. I wish I'd known about blogging and sharing and tweeting and all the other things that go into marketing a book. Not gonna lie, I'm still learning and trying to figure that part out.

But I have loved this experience and I love that I've been able to share it with you. So for the remainder of this month leading up to the release of Prince Charming's Quest I am going to have a weekly blog post (and daily tweet/Facebook post) containing some confessions and secrets about the Charming Academy series. So, here goes: Character sketch of Moira. 2010 Name Change
Many of you know that the stories began as bedtime stories I told my youngest brother. Lucian's story was the first I told him and at that time, Lucian's princess was named Myrtle. My brother detested the name, which is part of why I chose it. But as I started writing the story, I realized Myrtle just didn't fit Lucian's spitfire princess. So her name was changed to Moira and the etiquette/tokens and gifts teacher at Fair Damsels Academy was given the name.

Epic Proportions
When I first started writing Charming Academy, my original plan was for the book to cover the boys' education and Lucian's quest which would weave into the other quests as well. Adrian and Kaelen were going to be the only other boys with stories of their own. Luckily for you (and for me), George and Jacobi were pretty insistent they had stories that needed to be told. That and the school years were taking a lot longer to put together than I had first thought. So I decided to break the story into a series giving each prince his own story and putting the school years in one story. The little boy's reaction in the epilogue of Charming Academy is actually the reaction I got from several readers when the book was first released. 

Tears and Laughs and Laughing Tears
Every single one of my books has made me cry at some point. Some of them made me cry a lot. Fair warning, have tissues on hand for Prince Charming's Quest. But they've also made me laugh out loud, which has prompted funny conversations with my husband and/or children. It's hard to describe what it's like when I write, but imagine you're listening to someone tell you a story and you have to write it down word for word as they're talking. Usually it's not too bad, but those emotional scenes make typing really hard. And laughing 'til you snort makes it harder.

So those are the first confessions for the series. Do you have anything you wonder about? Any secrets you'd like to learn? Ask in the comments and I'll see if I can answer you. And don't forget the costume contest (see the blog post Have Costume Will Dress Up)! Which character will you dress up as?  

Author Interview - Shanna Hatfield

Shanna Hatfield Being an author can sometimes be a lonely business. While you may run across a lot of people who enjoy reading and maybe even dabble in writing, it can be rare to run across someone who is also an author. (By the way, if you dabble in writing, keep on dabbling!) I was blessed this year to run across Shanna at a friend of a friend's release party. Shanna writes sweet romance, a genre which perfectly fits my craving for hopeless romance without making me skip pages of blush-worthy scenes. Shanna has written a wonderful story, The Christmas Crusade as part of a new boxed set by 19 talented authors called Sweet Christmas Kisses 2​ being released today. Shanna offered me an advance copy of her story and I absolutely loved it! The characters were so real and the story so fun. I laughed out loud so many times and had my heart touched. And yes, I cried a little too. She agreed to join us today for an interview so you can find out how to make this charming story part of your holiday collection. Tell us a little about yourself.
Shanna - I grew up on a farm where my family raised cattle, wheat, alfalfa hay, and me. After going away to college, I returned home, went to work for a daily newspaper as a reporter, and fell head-over-heels in love with a boy I met on a blind date (set up by our dads). Captain Cavedweller and I have been happily married for more than two decades. Although we no longer live on a farm, we do live out in the country, which provides a perfect setting for my active imagination to conjure up ideas for my sweet romances. My favorite things in the world (besides Captain Cavedweller) are roses, chocolate (the really good stuff), and the heavenly scent of babies.

Can't think of much that top those three. What inspired you to become a writer?
Shanna: I’ve always loved to read. My mother shared her love of books with me early on. The first story I recall writing was in the third grade about a raccoon (my brother had a pet one at the time). In addition, my dad frequently told stories. I used to listen to him spin a tale and see the amusement and enjoyment on the faces of others. The combination of my love of books, my interest in writing, and knowing someone who shared stories helped point me in the direction of becoming a writer.

Story-telling parents are the best! When you're not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
Shanna: I enjoying cooking and love baking. Yesterday I made a banana cake that made the whole house smell so yummy, I wasn’t sure Captain Cavedweller was going to make it through dinner before he cut a piece. Once in a while, I like to do craft projects, but nothing that requires a lot of time, supplies or attention. I’m more of a whip out my glue gun and go to town kind of girl.

I know a new recipe I'll need to try. My sweetie loves banana. Who is your favorite author?
Shanna: I can’t pick just one. Honest. There are just too many wonderful authors out there. But I’ll give you a list of some I’ve enjoyed the past few weeks and they include Melanie D. Snitker, Lia London, Marcia Lynn McClure, and Karen Witemeyer.

Too many favorites is a common predicament with readers. Tell us about the books you write.
Shanna: My fiction books are all sweet romances. I write both historical and contemporary. I don’t have a favorite of one type over the other. Because I love history and research is something I enjoy (yes, I’m weird), the historicals are fun to write. It’s fun to envision all the beautiful clothes of yesteryear and the polished manners. On the flip side of that coin, the contemporary stories allow me to incorporate sassier, sarcastic characters. When the bug bites, I also write humorous stories and a random cookbook or two.

Where can readers go to learn more about you and your books?
Shanna: I would love it if they’d pop on by my website: http://shannahatfield.com/books
They can browse through all my books there and find fun extras like character info sheets with the “faces” I used as visual inspiration for the stories as well as little tidbits about the characters.

Congrats on your new release! Tell us about your contribution to Sweet Christmas Kisses 2, The Christmas Crusade.
Shanna: In the story, Levi Clarke has recently taken over as the director of Center For Hope — a community outreach center that helps families in the Portland, Oregon, area. Desperate for funding to help bring Christmas to the needy families, Levi seeks support for a large corporation in the city and ends up face-to-face with Kathleen Kingsley. Kat and Levi have a bit of history. He fell in love with her, she dumped him because she needed to focus on her career, and neither one of them have gotten past their attraction to each other.
​
What was your inspiration for this story?
Shanna: A few years ago, I wrote a sweet romance called The Coffee Girl. The hero had a friend named Levi. The heroine’s best friend was a girl named Kat. In the story, when Kat and Levi meet, sparks fly… but then we don’t really know what happened to them because they were only secondary characters in the story. They became increasingly insistent that their story needed to be written — so here we are.

Those minor characters have a habit of doing that. I know some of your books have snippets from your life experiences in them. Were there any true experiences in The Christmas Crusade?
Shanna: Several years ago, I served on the board of a philanthropic organization. We collected toys, clothing, food and monetary donations for families in need. Generally, we were able to bring Christmas cheer to about three hundred needy families. Seeing how our combined efforts brought so much joy to others always touched my heart. That’s where the inspiration for Levi’s crusade for Center for Hope came to life.

What a wonderful Christmas gift to give! You mention several popular Christmas carols in your book. Is one of them your favorite?
Shanna: I love (LOVE) Christmas carols and would play them year round if no one would complain. And I have so many of them that touch my heart or make me smile, or evoke a sweet memory. One of my all-time favorites, though, is Mary Did You Know? Makes me cry every time I hear it.

My children would join you in playing Christmas songs year-round. Sometimes I humor them. Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?
Shanna: Throughout my growing up years, my family always went to the wood to cut down a Christmas tree. We lived in a part of Oregon that grew sagebrush, not lush fir trees, so we’d pile into trucks and drive almost two hours to the woods then spend the day. One year, my brother brought different flavors of soda pop and made us all snow cones. Another time I went with a cast on my foot. A few weeks later when the doctor removed the cast, it contained an ample supply of pine needles. It wasn’t just picking out the trees and bringing them home, it was spending the day doing something fun with all of our family.

I love family fun too. What great memories! What is your favorite Christmas story?
Shanna: My favorite all-time Christmas story is one of drama, disappointment, perseverance, surrender, and love beyond comprehension… the birth of Jesus. My favorite holiday romance is a wonderful little story written by Kathleen Morgan called The Christkindl’s Gift. And reading it always makes me crave German food.

The story of Christ's birth is one of my favorites too. The characters in this book are so easy to love and relate to. Was one of them your favorite to write? (We won't tell the others.)
Shanna: (LOL!) I didn’t plan on it, but I became quite attached to Levi’s brother, Mike. He’s been hinting that he’d like his own story next year. We shall see… Of the two main characters, though, I’d probably say Levi is my favorite just because he grew up in a middle class home with a “normal” family structure which is easier for me to relate to than Kat’s background.

Ooh, I'll have to keep watching to see if Mike gets his wish. There are so many beautiful and fun scenes in The Christmas Crusade. I'd share mine, but I don't want to spoil the ending. What was your favorite scene to write?
Shanna: The ending is one of my favorites, but I also got a kick out of writing the scene where Kat shows up for a meeting with Levi wearing a One Direction T-shirt. Normally, she’s so professional and the T-shirt is so far out of Kat’s realm… I think that’s what made it so fun. I think anytime we can take characters out of their comfort zone, it makes them seem more realistic, more relatable.

That was one of the scenes I laughed the hardest at! I understand there's a Facebook party celebrating the release of Sweet Christmas Kisses 2 today. What can you tell us about it?
Shanna: All nineteen authors are joining in the fun… so there will be many giveaways, prizes, games and tomfoolery. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. The party runs from noon to 10 p.m. (ET) and I’ll take over hosting duties from 2:30-3p.m.
https://www.facebook.com/events/888200137916178/

I'm definitely going to be there! Right now The Christmas Crusade is an eBook in the anthology. Are there plans to release it in print?
Shanna: Yes! Kat and Levi’s story will be available in paperback next week.

Yay! That will be exciting. Where can readers go to order Sweet Christmas Kisses 2?
Shanna: Everywhere!  Amazon B & N Kobo iTunes Google
​Thank you for joining us today! Good luck with your release.
Shanna: Thank you so much for hosting me today! It’s a pleasure to be here!

​Be sure to check out all the fun at the release party on Facebook and definitely add this sweet story to your reading list. It's a fun Christmas tale you won't want to miss!

The Christmas Crusade by Shanna Hatfield
Levi Clarke is on a crusade to create a merry Christmas for the patrons of Center for Hope community center. He’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen, even if it means seeking a sponsorship from Kat Kingsley, the woman too stubborn to realize she’s still in love with him.

Excerpt:
Levi pulled her to a halt. “Are you limping?”
“It’s nothing. I know better than to wear such high heels to an event like this, but they matched my dress.”
Levi bent over and placed his shoulder against Kat’s midsection, lifting her like a sack of potatoes.
She shrieked and grabbed onto the first thing she could reach, which just happened to be his firm rear end. He jumped at the unexpected touch, but didn’t set her down, continuing to the front door of her building. The doorman grinned so broadly, Levi thought the old gent might drop his dentures.

Have Costume. Will Dress Up

Halloween 2011 Ah, fall! I love fall, much like the beloved hero of the Charming Academy series, Lucian. I love the colors, the smells and most of all the cooler temperatures. This is the time of year I start harvesting my pumpkins and turning them into pies, breads, muffins and more. Apples turn into butter, cider and applesauce. My house almost always smells like something is baking whether cookies, bread or cake. The air outside becomes crisp and it starts heading toward cocoa season. And there's always football to cheer for. 

It's a beautiful time of year. Perhaps because during this time I prepare for the holidays. I start looking to Thanksgiving and Christmas, planning out what I'll do and who will be on my lists.

And of course, there's Halloween. 

It was never a big deal in my house growing up. We never went Trick-or-Treating or dressed up. Instead we stayed at home with homemade goodies and watched the old Disney classic, Blackbeard's Ghost.  It was fun and I loved it. But you know, I always kind of missed the dressing up. I guess it's the girly-girl in me that loves getting all dressed up. The imaginative side of me loves games of make-believe. So costumes always satisfy both sides of my personality. As much as I enjoyed our family's tradition, I couldn't help thinking that getting all dressed up would have made it even better. 

Now I'm grown and yes, I dress up each year for Halloween. Mostly because it's fun to play pretend with my kiddos. I love seeing what they'll do. This year, Halloween will be even more fun as I celebrate the release of the final book in the Charming Academy series: Prince Charming's Quest. 

My children are already begging to be part of the fun. My daughter insists on being Moira while my oldest son is set on being Lucian. The baby will be Torch, possibly a frog prince. We'll see. I'll be dressing up as Allegra and, if I can manage it, my Prince Charming will become Adrian.

But why should I have all the fun?  With this being the release of the final book in the series, I want you to have lots of fun too! So there will be giveaways and games, but I'm going to tell you about the big one so you can start preparing. We're going to have a Costume Contest!

That's right! You get the chance to dress up as your favorite character, or any character from the series. And you've got lots of options. There are princesses, princes, witches, fairies, mermaids, dragons and, in the coming book, there will even be dwarves. You can be the hero or the villain, a friend or foe. It's all up to you. And it doesn't have to be complicated. The year Charming Academy was released, I decided I wanted to dress up as Phillipa Rosepetal, one of my favorite characters. Much as I would love to have one, I don't own a riding habit. So I modernized her. Jeans, inexpensive fairy wings, riding boots and a fluttery cardigan later Phillipa emerged.

Here are the rules:
1) Choose a character to dress up as. Don't worry if someone else is dressing up as the same person. If we have 15 Moiras it will still be a lot of fun! 
2) Assemble your costume. It does not have to be expensive or handmade. And it doesn't have to be true to the time period. Want to bring Lucretia forward to the 21st century? Go for it! But you should try to keep true to the character's personality. Lucretia's not likely to be found wearing anything frumpy and in the books is only seen to wear red or blue.
3) Take a picture of yourself in costume and send it to me in an email before 10pmCST on Oct. 25. On Monday, Oct. 26 I will set up a Facebook album where the voting will take place.
4) After the album is released, vote for your favorite character costume(s) and share it with your whole Facebook world. The costume with the most votes will be the winner. Voting for the contest will go through the week until midnight Oct. 30. The winner will be announced on Oct. 31.

What is the prize?
This is going to be the grand prize of the release party. The winner will receive an ultimate Charming Academy fan basket. I don't want to spoil all of it, but there will be a hand-painted horse figurine, signed books, and other great prizes.

Start planning now and get your costume together. Not sure who to dress up as? Read one of the books and see who jumps out at you. Haven't read any of the books yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Get a copy today and start reading!

Good luck! Comment and let me know who you plan to be. If you want help costume planning, I'm happy to offer tips. 

Welcome!

My littlest date and I enjoying our first Prom. April '15As you can see, there have been a few changes made in the Elliott world. Life is always an adventure and with adventure comes change, new projects, and excitement. I've been telling you about some of the new changes and some have been hinted at. Now I'll give you the full run-down of newness.

New Website
That's right! The clunky, but effective, website has been replaced with a new, colorful, and professional-looking website. Thanks to my amazing tech-guru (love you sweetheart!) I've been able to update the website with pages dedicated to my books, special sales (though we're still working on that page), and best of all a new blog! Look over at that, I can add pictures now!

New eBooks
You've been waiting so very patiently and the day has finally arrived. I am getting ALL of the books formatted for eBook release. A few have already been added, such as Charming Academy and Finding Prince Charming. But I still have a teensy bit of work to do before Prince Charming's Search and Becoming Prince Charming will be out. Just as promised, however, they will all be available on Sept. 18. Each book has gone through vigorous edits and some minor rewrites so that the story you read is the one I envisioned. Most (if not all) of my typos have been removed and the stories have been tightened up and polished until they practically glow! Okay, maybe not glow, but they're really good. Not only will they be available through Smashwords, and the corporations they work with, but they will also be coming available on Kindle for the first time!

New Covers
Only one of my current books has a new cover and that one would be Charming Academy. With the new revisions, I wanted to give it a cover that better matched with the rest of the series. I think you'll agree this new cover does the trick. The other book to receive a new cover is my new book, Prince Charming's Quest which I will tell you more about in a second.

New Release
While it is not being released this month, I am busily working on Prince Charming's Quest, the final book in the Charming Academy series. I've set a release date for October 31. Yep, Halloween is going to be awesome this year! Be watching the fanpage on Facebook for the announcement of the Masquerade Ball and if you feel so inclined, start preparing to dress up as your favorite character from the series. Trust me, it will be worth the effort. 

New Shop
Many of you wonderful fans have told me how much you enjoy my artwork and let me tell you, nothing boosts an artist's ego like being told people like their work! Some of you have been fortunate enough to win illustrations from me during my word count guesses (and yes, you should still watch for those to be announced). Because I am not quite talented enough to do the same drawing over and over again to perfection, I've made a new way for everyone to enjoy my illustrations. I now have a Cafepress shop, Sanalbereth Souvenirs (follow the link below). There you can buy calendars, mugs, shirts, hats and other paraphernalia related to my books. Keep watching the shop as I will be adding new designs and products as I have time. 

So, keep watching the fanpage and now my new website for news of my adventures. And be sure to tell me what you think of all the newness here in the Elliott world. Sanalbereth SouvenirsMe modeling the Allegra pajamas

Rediscovering Romance

Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm a hopeless romantic, much as I may wish to dispute it. I love a good love story, emphasis on good. I crave moonlit walks and handwritten letters of affection. I enjoy listening to romantic songs, even some of the really sappy Disney ones from bygone years. I love flowers and chocolates and those small gestures that whisper, "I love you." I look forward to my sweetheart waking me gently each morning for a kiss and "I love you" before he goes to work and then falling asleep to the sound of those words whispered lovingly from the other side of the bed. Underneath the garden gloves, hiking boots and blue jeans, I truly am a hopeless romantic.

Anyone who knows my wonderful husband knows that he is many things, but romantic isn't necessarily one of them. He's thoughtful and caring, loves me no matter how crazy I am and is the best father in the world (except maybe for my own). But he's just not romantic.

I think we all reach a stage in our marriage where the romance seems to fade a little. We still love and admire our spouse, but the quirks we found endearing in our courtship have perhaps grown irritating and the flaws we graciously overlooked start glaring out at us. Perhaps it's not that the romance fades, but reality becomes a little clearer.

I'll be honest enough to admit I've hit that. That's hard to admit, but it's true. Don't misunderstand me, I love Jonathan with all my heart. But for a while now I've grit my teeth when he's home late. I've lamented the lack of visible gestures. And I've had pity parties over how unromantic my husband is. Mostly, I've missed date night.

If you're thinking that I sound whiny and immature, you're right. I have so much to be grateful for that I shouldn't have time to be whiny and immature. But, I'd be willing to bet you've done it too. Don't we all at some point lament what we perceive as lacking in aspects of our lives? Whether relationships, occupations or milestones yet unreached, there always seems to be something.

After whining for a few days, I grudgingly admitted to myself that I was being unfair. I knew when we were dating that my sweetheart was not the hopeless romantic I envisioned myself with as a teenager. He does try, and every now and again he surprises me, like the time he texted me during the middle of the day to say he loved me. He couldn't have known that at that precise moment I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown because I had overbooked myself and was panicking about how I could possibly accomplish everything without some kind of support. Or the times he hugs me and calls me, "mi querida reina" even though I'm sweaty from the kitchen, my hair is a mess and I smell of spit-up because our baby has an upset tummy.

But it isn't fair for me to wish he'd come home spouting sonnets about my beauty or carrying the entire floral shop's inventory just because. It's not in his nature and that's okay. I realized that if I wanted our relationship to maintain the starry-eyed romance of our courtship, I was going to have to take the lead.

I was going to have to change.

Instead of lamenting everything my husband isn't, I needed to start celebrating everything he is. So he's not going to come home with flowers every night. But he does always ask me how my day was and ask how he can help. He's probably not going to write me love poems, but he does occasionally write me little notes. And he forgets sometimes to plan date night. With living in a small town and having three young children, that can be challenging. After all, there aren't any nice places in town to eat and the nearest "fancy" restaurant is half an hour away which also means trying to find a sitter.

But just because there's no where to go, doesn't mean we can't have a romantic evening. My husband and I love musicals and one of our favorites is Phantom of the Opera, though the book truly is better. Anyway, I decided to create a night out at home. Getting it planned was challenging and I got some marvelous help from Shanna Hatfield's new group of Hopeless Romantics on Facebook. After all, my hubby would never belong to that kind of group, allowing me the chance to bounce ideas around and get suggestions. And then my plans had to be pushed off a couple of times due to sick children. But I was able to pull it off yesterday. As I busily worked to get our restaurant and theatre clean and ready for the big night, my children did what they could to help. We made theatre tickets and I wrote a little note to put with them in an envelope on our door. I got dinner made, utilizing my crockpot to give more time for other necessities. And all the while, I stopped feeling so sorry for myself. I was going to have a romantic evening with the amazing and wonderful love of my life. I couldn't wait to see his face when he came home from work. With only ten minutes to spare, I finally managed to sneak away to my room to change into something a little nicer than jeans and a slobbery tee-shirt. My hair had been in bobby pin curls and for a while I fought with them to make them look nice. (I don't know about you other ladies, but when I curl my hair half goes into super amazing ringlets and the other half stays flat and uninteresting. So frustrating!)

As I prepped the salad, I heard the screen door open. Then silence. For a moment I panicked. Did my husband think I'd gone to an actual restaurant? Surely he'd noticed the minivan in the garage! Then the doorknob slowly turned. With a bright smile I turned to my very own Prince Charming. We enjoyed a fairly quiet dinner while our children were thrilled to have a date at their little table. They even got their own candle! When dinner was finished, the kiddos helped Jonathan get the dishes washed and we put them to bed with a movie in their room on my laptop. Then we enjoyed our movie together.

The evening was perfect and as I reflected on it, I thought about how different things are when you change your perspective. I wondered how our ancestors kept the romance alive. There were no restaurants or movies. And it struck me that they did the little things for each other. Perhaps he brought home some fresh wildflowers from the field on a summer day. Maybe she made his favorite dinner, just to say "I love you." They didn't go out. They didn't have fancy dates. Their love survived on the simple things done at home. They kept their romance alive with small gestures and soft words. It was the little things that spoke volumes about the affection they felt for one another.

Perhaps my sweetheart is more romantic than I give him credit for.

One thing is certain, as I embrace what makes him so wonderful, I stop pining for that supposed romantic I wished for in high school. Instead I appreciate the unintentionally romantic man I am so blessed to be married to.

So just for the record, Jonathan, I love you.

Adventures in Topeka

I'm a day late, I know. But here's the next bit of our vacation journal:

So after visiting my family we drove north to Topeka. My hubby's folks live in a countryside home and we were having a mini-reunion to celebrate his brother preparing to leave for a church mission. He'll be in California for the next two years. So if any of you Cali people happen to see an Elder Elliott, tell him his writerly sister-in-law says hello! :)

As soon as we arrived the kiddos were excited to spend time with uncles and their one aunt on that side. They enjoyed having family pictures done at the park, mostly because they got to play on a merry-go-round and a huge see-saw. After the pictures we hung around the park waiting for my brother-in-law to do his unicycle ride over the BMX course. That's right, he rode a unicycle! The kiddos have always enjoyed watching him ride it. This time it was extra fun because there was a whole crowd of people and a Kansan Olympian to boot! What an awesome opportunity. So all you people from small towns, you can still chase big dreams!

The next day was pretty relaxed. My sweetie and I went to Cabela's in Kansas City to get some camping supplies we would need for our upcoming vacation to Idaho. While there, we realized we'd forgotten to bring a diaper bag for Ben. So, I stayed at Cabela's with the baby while my sweetie made a run to Target for the needed supplies. And of course, what happened while he was gone? My baby boy had a blowout. We're talking stuff everywhere! So I called Jonathan and let him know I was going to be looking around the store for an outfit for our little boy. Cabela's is a hunting/outdoors store. It's a man's store, to be honest. Not that it stops me from loving it too, I'm very much an outdoorsy girl. But being a man's store I figured if they had baby clothes, there would be a good number of boy clothes. Oh no! Finally found the baby section and I kid you not, 2/3 of it was pink and pink camo. Seriously? At an outdoor store? Only a few measly onesies for boys and tons of outdoor hunting princess onesies and outfits for girls. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. But I found an "I Hunt for Hugs" onesie for my son that wasn't pink and took it to the register just as my sweetheart walked in with the needed diapers and wipes.

That evening we were blessed to be present for William's setting apart as a missionary. It was such a wonderful experience. There is something special about watching a young man, or young woman, make the commitment to serve God and His children. We enjoyed talking together about all the wonderful things he would do and experience and since then we've enjoyed hearing from him of his adventures.

The next day we had to start on our way home. We decided to pace ourselves and stop at as many rest areas as we could to gauge how long our days would be on vacation. In doing so we discovered a lot of really neat roadside places. We took a little hike near Wabaunsee to see a windmill statue. The kiddos thought it was great fun, especially getting to be "shoulder angels" on the way down. We also discovered playgrounds and the largest inland marsh in the United States. You didn't know it was in Kansas, did you?

Then in Garfield we discovered a little roadside chapel. The historic marker had an invitation for all travelers to stop a moment "to pray to God on the journey of life." I fell in love with that chapel and snapped many pictures. When we got home and I was admiring my work (I'm not vain at all) I noticed that on one of the pictures I liked the most, the clouds above the chapel looked like a heart.

My friends, God is real and He loves you so much. That picture became a beautiful reminder for me of that love. Faith isn't wishful thinking and it isn't naivety. Faith is a beautiful source of strength and peace. It is an openness of mind to accept that there is a Power greater than your own. I am grateful for the faith which has sustained me through the heard times and lighted my way in the good. I'm grateful for the opportunities my loving Father has given me as I've worked to share my talents. He has blessed me greatly and that little chapel in Garfield reminded of how blessed we truly are in this adventure we call life.

Check in tomorrow for a

I Owe You

Yep, it's true. I owe you two travel blogs and some info on what's going on here in the Elliott world. The travel blogs are going to have to wait a couple days. In fact, I will give myself the deadline of Thursday to have the first late travel blog posted. The second will come on Saturday and then I should (hopefully) be caught up.

Today's blog is going to be info. About a week ago I left a rather vague post on my Facebook saying that there were exciting things going on. And there are! There are lots of exciting things coming and I can only hope that I'll be able to get to all of them in time!

I'm not going to tell you everything I've got going on. The reveals will be spaced out over the next months. But believe me, there will be awesome things available for you my faithful and amazing readers. And yes, it should all happen before holiday time this year. :)

And now the first reveal:

A new edition of Charming Academy will be released in September!

Not only will Charming Academy be rereleased, so will the first books in the Charming Academy series (but I'll reveal more about them later). Some of you may be wondering why and others might be panicking that the books will be totally different. Here's what I can tell you:

Charming Academy and the first few books of the series are undergoing edits. I've been working most of the summer on Charming Academy, getting it cleaned up and streamlined. Many of you wonderful readers have told me that my writing has improved with the latest books and you are right! As I've learned more about my craft, I've been able to improve myself as a writer. The 250,000 word beast that was the original release of Charming Academy has been trimmed down and cleaned up with you in mind. All the essential parts of the story are still there but some of the extra things have been cut. Most of all, my typos have been painstakingly weeded out. While I won't guarantee having gotten every single one, I'm pretty sure I've gotten 99% of them.

So what does this mean for those of you who already have the book? While you could purchase the new edition, there is only one new scene. Everything else was there before. It's just tightened up and hopefully reflects the same quality you have found in the later books. My recommendation would be this: if you have an ereader of some kind, purchase the ebook version when it is released. I will, of course, post the release date for you as we get closer to that time.

"Wait, did she say a NEW scene?!?"

Why, yes. Yes I did. And that will be the closing of this blog post. As I was working on "Prince Charming's Quest" I realized that I had forgotten to tell you something in Charming Academy. Something important. And so I went back an added it in with the edits I was making. And now here it is, a preview to the new and improved Charming Academy:

“You’re too far to the side, bring yourself in more,” Phillipa called.
Lucian frowned as he tried to pull Zephyr closer to the rail. Once again he missed the shield set up for him. “Am I still in this class because I’m really bad at this?” he asked in frustration.
“No, you’re in this class because you need it.” Phillipa took the jousting lance from him. “Come on down for a minute and we’ll chat.”
Dismounting, Lucian tied Zephyr to the rail and followed Phillipa. He was hot, tired and frustrated. After his nightmare the night before, he hadn’t been able to get back to sleep. This was one of his long days with far too many individual classes. He just wanted to go back to his room and try to make up the sleep he’d lost.
“Lucian, I know this isn’t your favorite class.”
He snorted.
Phillipa raised an eyebrow. “However, there’s more to jousting than just entertaining groups of people. Jousting has real-life applications.”
“Like what?” Lucian snapped. “When am I ever going to use this?”
“How long have you been in dragon fighting, Lucian? Have you ever come across one outside of class?” Phillipa asked. He glowered at the floor and she continued, “As you should have figured out by now, dragons are more than likely going to be a part of your quest. If you are in a class, it is because you need the skills taught in it. You are in jousting by yourself not because you’re bad at it and need extra work. You’re in this class because it will be helpful to your quest. And despite what you think right now, you’re not bad at it. You’ve been having an off day. We all do sometimes.”
Lucian sighed, “I’m sorry, Phillipa. I just don’t understand how this is going to help me save Moira.”
“Perhaps you need a few examples of how jousting could help. For one thing, not everyone who jousts is a knight or gentleman. There are some who use jousting as a means of starting a fight. Knowing how to win at the beginning could save you trouble later on. There are also times when you might be challenged if you’re found as a stranger in a village. Some of the people in Sanalbereth are superstitious and slow to trust. There have been many princes challenged to a joust to prove their worthiness. And of course, it’s useful in dragon fighting.”
“What? How is jousting going to help me fight a dragon?”
Phillipa ignored Lucian’s question and walked to Zephyr. She stroked his neck. After a moment she looked at Lucian again. “Zephyr is a large horse.”
“Yeah, and how does that answer my question?”
“He’s also strong and as fast as the wind he’s named for. Do you think his only use in life is being a mode of transportation?”
“Of course not.”
“You’re right. Zephyr gives you added height, not that you need it,” she added teasingly. “He gives you extra strength and speed. All of these work to your advantage in fighting a dragon. The lance of a warrior isn’t blunted like the ones used in a friendly joust. In a duel against a dragon, your lance is a powerful weapon. Another chance at victory. Zephyr can carry you to that victory, but only if you understand the principles of jousting. This isn’t just about making sure you have something to do when you come home. In fact, I honestly don’t care if you never joust following your quest. This class is about making sure you have every possible advantage in whatever adventures may come your way.”
Lucian was quiet for a minute. “Why didn’t you just tell me this at the beginning of the semester?”
“I shouldn’t have needed to,” Phillipa retorted. “You’re a bright young man, Lucian. And you are normally more agreeable than you’ve been today. I had hoped you would see the need for this class on your own. Did you not notice the shield is placed at the height of a dragon’s weak spot?”
He blushed. “No.”
“I can’t very well have you practice with the school dragons. Vulcan may trust them, but I don’t. I barely trust them with you and your peers. I’m certainly not going to allow any of your horses into that arena. This hasn’t just been a class for jousting, Lucian. This has been a continuation of your dragon fighting classes. I’m disappointed you didn’t see that on your own.”
Quietly staring at the floor, Lucian considered everything Phillipa had told him. “Would you like me to try again?”
“Yes, and keep closer to the rail this time.”

Love, Canning and Zoo

There's very little in this world more fun than getting together with your brothers and sisters for some good ol' fashioned fun. It started with the drive to Derby. My anticipation grew with each mile traveled and by the time we arrived, I was giddy with excitement. Hugs were exchanged and we caught up with each other on everything that had been going on. Then the planning began. My sister would be celebrating her birthday while we were there and we wanted to be sure we had a blast! There was also a requisite trip to the zoo for the kiddos, family pictures and summer canning to get done.

Saturday (June 20) was the busy day. I had scheduled with a photographer friend to do a morning session of pictures. If you are ever in the Wichita, KS area and need pictures done, contact Pics by Bec. Rebecca does a fabulous job and captured not only my children's beautiful smiles, but each of their personalities as well! And she didn't let me forget to get pictures of just Jonathan and I. Now that I'm back home, I have to decide which pictures to make prints of and how best to display them!

After pictures, we went to the zoo. I've always loved the Sedgwick County Zoo, perhaps because it's the one I always went to as a child. It's a part of home just like the playgrounds and schools I went to. But it is also a fabulous zoo. There are tons of animals and they are always making improvements to their exhibits. Other than the fact that it was unseasonably warm for the end of June, our zoo trip was great! My kiddos enjoyed feeding the giraffe and my four-year-old just couldn't stop grinning. Giraffes are his favorite animal and being up that close, with Uncle James to keep him safe of course, was the best thing in the whole world. We enjoyed the improved rainforest exhibit, the petting zoo with the farm animals, and many other exhibits. We had hoped to see the new tigers, but a snake crossing our path changed our direction. But even with missing the tigers, we saw tons of animals, took hundreds of pictures (and I'm not exaggerating!) and had a lot of fun together. Even though it was hot and we were all tired by the end. In fact, there may or may not have been several napping by the time we all got home...

June 22 was my sister's birthday and that's when the fun really began. She and I had gone to the store to acquire the proper materials to “wash the cars”. Some of you may know exactly where this is going. But we also bought fruit and jars to do some summer canning. Ah, if you've never had homemade jam you don't know what you're missing! Nothing tops homecanned jam and jelly! Friday we had made some blueberry lime jam and Monday we were back in the kitchen doing strawberry lime and another batch of blueberry lime. The only problem with canning is it's hot work. And you have to do something to cool off. So bathing suits were donned and a mix of Schofields and Elliotts went out to “wash the cars”. After all, driving is dirty business. Look, there are bug splats! The only proper way to get out a bug splat is to shoot the car with a water gun. And if you happen to see a bug splat on your brother...

Yep, full-scale water war! It was a blast! We ran around the cars spraying water everywhere, but funnily enough, the cars didn't get too wet at first. Then I cheated, as I always do, and grabbed the water hose from Bekah who was using it to fill the chest for the water guns. If everything wasn't wet before, it certainly was now! I got our van, my daddy's truck, and every person involved in the water fight. Which was pretty much everyone but my sweetie and the baby he was holding. But I'm not a total tyrant. I allowed myself to be shot quite often. On a hot evening after canning, nothing feels better than cold water running down your back. And for those of you who like to share the stories of kids paintballing and such with their moms and being unable to take the shot, let me tell you something. My kiddos feel no such guilt! I was their favorite target! And it was fabulous! :) I love that we were able to enjoy that time together.

The next day would begin the next leg of our journey: a trip to Topeka area to visit my husband's family. So we gave lots of hugs and my sister and I planned on doing one last jam in the morning. Mixed berry with the leftovers from our jams and fresh-picked mulberries from Mom's front yard. Good heavens that stuff smelled good! As much as I love writing, canning just might be my very favorite thing to do. The smell is to die for and the results? Deliciousness that will last the whole year...if you don't gobble it up right away. We laughed and talked as we worked, as we have been doing for years during summer canning with my mom. The only difference is she wasn't there. She was out in Reno visiting her mother.

So that was the first part of our adventure. Tune in next Monday for the next Elliott adventure...

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep, it happened. This old lady turned 30 on the 6th. :) And you know, I still don't feel old! Awesome, right?

It's funny how we associate certain things with specific ages. 18 is adulthood. 21 is official adulthood, meaning you can pretty much do anything within reason. 16 is sweet and associated with dating and prom and all those fun aspects of youth. Thanks to Harry Potter, 11 is when every fantasy reader hopes to be told, "Yer a wizard."

But 30 seems to mark the end of youth and the beginning of old age, or at the very least of middle age. Perhaps that's why my dad stuck in an anchor at 29 and has refused to age since. How's it feel, Dad, knowing I'm now officially older than you? ;)

The funny thing is, my 16th birthday didn't suddenly grant me any dates and I only got one, unwanted, prom invitation. I doubt I was any more adult at 18 than I had been the year before. And 21 didn't seem to mean much since I don't drink. I'm too old to have hoped to become a wizard at 11 and you know, I don't mind. 30 came and it really doesn't feel any different. I'm still quirky. I'm still youthful. I still laugh and joke and play with my kiddos. So what is it about 30 that makes people suddenly think you've hit middle age?

I suppose if you look at averages, 30 is about the middle of an average lifespan. But is that really how you want to celebrate? "Congrats. You've made it to the middle of your life. You're now getting that much closer to RIP." I didn't think so either. And I suppose most of us by 30 have a career, or are working towards one, a spouse, kids, house, those things. We've reached the milestones that we feel truly set us apart as adults. Perhaps we feel more responsible, more experienced, more adult. Our bodies are aging too. Many of us are spotting gray hairs in our mirrors. The ability to pull an all-nighter is not only terrifying, but sickening as well. I'll take my 8 hours of sleep, thank you very much. Uninterrupted would be best, but as a mommy of littles, I won't be getting that for a long time yet. And perhaps 30 is when we start to look back and reflect more on our youth. You hear, "Remember when..." escape your lips more often. You hear it from friends, loved ones, and sometimes other people too.

But being 30 doesn't mean the fun ends. Nope! I had a terrific time on my birthday and have had lots of fun since. The great thing about my hubby being a teacher is we've got the whole summer to gallivant around. We're not using the whole summer for vacation, but a sizable chunk has been dedicated to family reunions and a research trip for my family history and a book idea I've got simmering on the backburner while I finish the Charming Academy series. And that basically meant being out of town for my birthday. It's fun when you get to explore new places. I woke up at 5:30 Monday morning. It felt like 6:30 since my body is still on central time. But I just could not get back to sleep. So I carefully got out of our tent so I wouldn't wake my children or my sweetheart and walked to the showerhouse for a refreshing early morning shower. The sun was rising and it was a beautiful morning. After my shower, I went just past our campsite to take some pictures of the mist rising off Cascade Reservoir. It was lovely and peaceful.

Soon I heard movement in the tent and my hubby emerged, ready for his morning run. "You were up early," he said.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep anymore. I got some pictures of the sunrise. I hope they turn out nice."

He nodded and started stretching. "Happy birthday," he said as he gave me a kiss and jogged away.

I smiled and went into the tent to start getting things packed up and be there when the kiddos woke up. Everyone woke up cheerful, even if it had gotten a little chilly during the night. Idaho is a lot colder at night than Kansas. Once we'd all had some breakfast and gotten dressed, we took down camp and started off on our next adventure. We drove along the Payette River, admiring again the rapids and lush greenery. We expressed awe at the sight and imagined what it would have been like to cross that river with Tom and Louisa McCall, my 3x great-grandparents.

After a long and winding drive, we arrived in Boise. Jonathan started looking up places to go for my birthday. He soon said he had a surprise for me and we started on our way. "Where we going?" my daughter asked.

"She doesn't know," Gary explained in his best big-brother voice. "It's a surprise!"

It was a wonderful surprise because we pulled into a park and I saw a lovely rose garden. My hubby knows me all too well. Take me someplace with flowers, and I'll believe I'm in heaven! My mom called while we were there and I chatted with her for a bit as I looked around at the various rosebushes and enjoyed the heavenly fragrance. My hubby snapped pictures and we took turns holding our kiddos who were now becoming hot and tired.

We went to our hotel for the night to get everything unloaded and allow everyone a little time to rest and then to Olive Garden for dinner. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed every moment there laughing together as a family. When we'd eaten our fill, we got back into our van and drove to the Boise Temple. It was peaceful and gorgeous. We enjoyed walking around and I practiced my photography skills. It's a relatively new hobby for me and I really enjoy it!

Finally it was time to call it a night. We went home and I immediately put all the photos onto the computer. We admired the pictures of Payette River, of the rose garden and laughed aloud at the picture Jonathan took of the sign which has a little addition which reads, "Absolutely no human sacrifices before 8pm." (No joke, if you're in Boise go to the rose garden and you can see it for yourself!) And then we crashed for the night.

My birthday celebration extended into the 7th with a second trip to the temple, this time so I could go in and do some temple work. I did a short session since with a breastfeeding baby, it's harder to be gone long enough for the long sessions. It was so perfectly quiet and part of me didn't want to ever leave. But I knew that I could take that peace with me.

We then went to Deseret Book where my wonderful hubby got my birthday presents. He knows I love necklaces, especially if they have any kind of meaning or message in them. So I now have a beautiful necklace with a sun pendant to remind me to, "Let your light shine." I also got The Other Side of Heaven which is one of my favorite movies, even if it does always make me tear up. And because all their Christmas stuff was on sale and I love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and I love Brian Stokes Mitchell, we got a Christmas CD featuring "Through Heaven's Eyes". I broke my normal rule and we listened to it right away!

The kiddos enjoyed some quiet time and then we went to the Discovery Center where they enjoyed learning about bubbles, tornadoes, and my little forecaster got to see himself on TV giving the weather forecast! Talk about being in heaven! :) We had a fabulous time and after going out to have some dinner we went back to our hotel room, tired and ready to rest for our next adventure.

So all in all, I had a beautiful, fun-filled birthday. I enjoyed my family, I explored new places and I even tried some new things. 30 doesn't feel like old age or even middle age. 30 feels fabulous! And to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, than you. You made this girl's day even brighter with your messages of love and friendship. And to the sweet young lady who told me I was her favorite author, I give you a huge hug and thank you. That really did make my day!

So, happy birthday to me! And thank you all for being wonderful friends and readers.

A Shout-out to the Dream-Fulfillers

Yes, I'm talking to you. You know who you are, or perhaps you don't. You're the one who makes dreams come true, sometimes without even realizing you've done anything special. But I know. And right now my toddlers know. And I just want to say thank you.

While we were on vacation, we stopped at Bear River State Park in Wyoming for a potty break. You make lots of those when you're traveling with a potty-training toddler. We walked around and stretched and played on the playground. We went inside and looked at the little visitor's center and I giggled at the "Immature Golden Eagles". We went back out to enjoy the sunshine and then my children saw them. Horses. Two beautiful horses standing by the road with their owner enjoying some time out of the trailer. Like most toddlers, mine are pretty vocal about what they want and sometimes they're loud about. "Mommy, I want to go pet the horsies!" my son yelled.

I hesitated. It's not that I don't like horses, quite the opposite: I love them! And it's not that I didn't want him to go pet them. I thought it was a great idea! I wanted to pet them too. But horses are BIG, especially to a tiny four-year-old. And some people are pretty picky about who touches their animals. I do understand why. Horses, and any animal really, can be unpredictable. I said, "Well, I don't think we can, honey. They're not our horses."

Then I saw the lady waving at us. "It's okay, they can come pet the horses."

My children were thrilled beyond words. They hopped off the playground equipment and pulled my hubby and I along until we reached them. My toddlers eyes got as big and round as dinner plates. Suddenly my four-year-old was not quite so excited. My daughter, however, was in heaven. She rubbed the horse's forehead and giggled, "Look, Mommy! He loves me! The horsey loves me."

The lady chatted with us while she held the horses' leads. The older horse, Beau, is a retired endurance racer. He's run the Pony Express trail. The younger one was getting ready for a 150 mile long race. My toddlers were fascinated! After a while, she invited the kiddos to sit on Beau's back for a while. "He's real gentle," she said. "He likes kids like you."

It was all the encouragement my daughter needed. She asked to sit on his back and I took her over. She was beaming from ear to ear and still giggling about how much the horsy loved her. She patted his back and played with his mane. "He pretty, Mommy and he loves me."

I was beaming too. It's wonderful to see my kiddos so happy. My son got over his initial fear and decided if Gail could do it, he could too. So I handed Gail down and helped set Gary on top. A big grin spread over his face as he realized that the horse really wasn't so scary after all. Unfortunately, the horse heard the bison in the field behind us moving and he moved suddenly to see them. Without a saddle, my son slid right off. Luckily the lady and I were able to slow his fall, but he was pretty scared. He cried for a while and the poor lady felt terrible.

"He's okay," I told her. "Just tired and a little scared. But he'll be fine."

And he was. Later in the car he told me all about how he liked sitting on the horse. "I'm gonna do it again. But I'm going to wait until I'm bigger so I don't fall off."

So to the kind lady who let my kiddos live a dream, thank you. To each of you out there who do those little things to make a child smile, thank you. Those moments mean so much to them and when it comes to my kiddos, these moments mean so much to me. It's wonderful to watch a dream come true, even if it doesn't quite go as expected. My kiddos are still horse crazy. They still play with their little Breyers. But now there's a new name in there. They've had Spirit and Rain for a while, thanks to the movie. But every now and then, I hear them say, "Hurry to your race, Beau! You're going to win!"