Kate Willis's Blog, page 109

Short Story: The Least of These

Merry Christmas again! It’s still close enough to the actual day, right? Good, because here is a Christmas story for you all…

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May you be very blessed as you embrace the coming of Christ our Savior!

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'” (John 1:29)

Book Review: Our Christmas Bear

[image error] “For three years, the widow and her two daughters, Rosetta and Bianca, have lived alone in the cabin on Mr. Heaton’s vast estate. But this winter they have a visitor. What would bring a man to their lonely home in the bitterness of sub-zero weather? Is he the only man who is in the forest this winter? And why does he have such a mysterious name?

Loosely based on the old tale of Snow-White & Rose-Red, this is a Christmas story the whole family can enjoy. When good and evil come face to face in the snowy woods, which will prevail?

*Note for parents: this story is based on the original fairy tale, and there is brief reference to death in one scene.” (from Goodreads)

This book by Sarah Brazytis was such a sweet, non-magical retelling of one of my favorite fairytales! I loved the sweet portrayal of family life and the cozy, winter descriptions. The illustrations were a nice touch too. I found the mystery surprising, and I loved the way everything turned out. My favorite part was definitely the description of mother and daughters making presents with their backs to each other, but the SPOILER ALERT! mismatched mittens were adorable too. I didn’t trust him for a little while, but Bear ended up being so sweet! Just a note that there are children in brief danger and a mention of an SPOILER ALERT! outlaw being shot.

Best quote: “Where will you sleep tonight?” Caroline asked suddenly. Bear turned to look at her. “Out,” he said laconically.

Altogether, I really enjoyed this Christmas-y short story! Something I will definitely be reading again.

6 Free eBook Deals to Snap Up

Can you believe it’s only six days until Christmas?!! Merry Christmas!

Seeds of Story

The Christmas lights sparkle half on the tree and half off as the decorating begins this evening. Soon we will turn on Christmas carols and hang ornaments. We have a tradition where our parents give us a special ornament every year. I love reliving the memories of past years as I find a place on the crowded tree for each one of them.

I’ve never written a proper memoir (I’m much too young and ordinary to write one unless it were about kitchen mishaps); but as I look at my stories, I realize a part of my life has been used in each of them.

Every cute toddler, every insecure Christian girl who must grow in her faith, every picnic, every birthday, every church service… it’s all happened to me in some way or another and just needs a slight bit of re-imagining for the setting and characters I’m using at the moment.

I read an article the other day about finding inspiration from other works by building off elements of the story and making them our own. (Fairy-tale retellings are my favorite example of this.) How much more realistic and grounded our stories would be if we used our own lives as the basis!

Take your favorite memory of receiving a doll for your sixth birthday and turn yourself into a Dickens character who was orphaned the week before. The setting, the character, and even the doll will be completely unrecognizable from the original; but the joy over the gift is the same–probably even stronger.

Sometimes a story takes us so far from our own experiences that research is needed. (I’ve had to look up how to make flaming arrows and what fainting feels like.) But humans are the same, and the seeds of story are to be found in every life.

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Book Review: The Old Mansion’s Secret

[image error]“Taking a shortcut on a lonely country road, Daniel, Esther, and their cousin, Moni, stumble upon a mystery! A glimmering, sparkling, brightly lit Christmas tree is framed within the window of an old, long-abandoned, dilapidated mansion. The children are determined to solve the mystery and discover the old mansion’s secret–before Christmas.” (from Goodreads)

This book by Rebekah Morris is so sweet! I was immediately transported into the Christmas spirit and just as fascinated with the huge, sparkling tree as the main characters were. I especially loved how something just as simple as a Christmas tree blessed everyone so much! (Don’t tell anyone, but I cried over that scene.) The mystery was a lot of fun, and just when I thought I had it solved there was more to it than at first glance.

Christmas in My Soul

This past week, I’ve been busier than Jade chasing kittens. (Which she did get to do in the tiny bit of writing I accomplished, but more on that later…)

I’ve been busy with…CHRISTMAS! We decorated the outside of our house with a ton of icicle lights, three great wreaths, and a sign my artistic dad did in calligraphy years ago proclaiming “Glory to God in the Highest”.

We’ve also been to Hobby Lobby too many times to count as well as a few other less important stores for Christmas shopping.

A Cautionary Tale for Bloggers

I am not a photographer. Although I often blame my poor picture quality on the camera or the lighting, I don’t even have the photographer gene. It’s my fault. Just let me stick with words.

When I first started my blog in late June of this year, I knew I wanted pretty pictures. Gobs of pretty pictures. That beautiful featured image thingy? Count me in! Less pictures of me looking like a dork and more of beautiful stacks of books? Sounds really, really awesome.

Fortunately I did some research…

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Book Review: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

“Steve Brixton always wanted to be a detective…until he found out he already WAS one.

It all starts here: The thrilling story of Steve Brixton’s first case. Our hero has a national treasure to recover, a criminal mastermind to unmask, and a social studies report due Monday — all while on the run from cops, thugs, and secret-agent librarians.

Since when can librarians rappel from helicopters? Does Steve have any brothers or sisters? If not, then why is this series called The Brixton Brothers...

Plate Update: Dragons, Mexican Train, and 11k Words

Eek! It’s December already! Christmas is coming up very quickly and the New Year after that. Are you excited? I sure am!