S.A. Larsen's Blog, page 3

MMGM ~ BAD FAIRY with Author Elaine Kaye

Welcome to another edition of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday! #MMGM Super glad you're here because I've got the cuties new middle grade release that puts the sweet back in bad.
Amazon / Barnes & NobleBad FairySeries: A Bad Fairy Adventure (Book One)Author: Elaine KayePublisher: The Wild Rose PressGenre: Fantasy Middle GradeLength: 66 pagesAge Range: 8-12
Description: Thistle Greenbud is not a bad fairy. She simply doesn't like rules, and it's just her luck that her homework is to create a new rule for the fairy handbook. But first, she has more important things to do. Like figure out how to get back at Dusty and Moss for playing tricks on her. Before she can carry out her plan, though, disaster strikes and she finds herself working alongside the very fairies she wanted revenge on. Can they work together and trust each other, or will things go from bad to worse?



In Bad Fairy, we meet many different kinds of fairies, including pixies and brownies. Other magical creatures are mentioned as well, because many creatures (from fauns to boggarts) live in Pinecone Grove, where Thistle Greenbud, the main character of Bad Fairy, lives.
Check out this glossary of magical creatures and what they are:
Boggarts - evil spirits that cause mischief in houses, from spoiling milk to kidnapping children. They also live in marshes and fields.
Brownies - industrious fairies that help in farms and houses.
Fauns - half-human, half-goat. They protect wildlife of the woods and fields.
Flower Fairies - plant spirits that live and sleep in their own special flower. They even wear dresses to match the flowers they care for.
Gnomes - earth spirits that live underground.
Goblins - scary-looking, mischievous creatures that are greedy for gold, jewelry, and anything that sparkles.
Ogres - cannibalistic, brutish monsters with human features.
Troop - a group of fairies.
Trolls - unfriendly creatures that dwell in mountains and caves.
Pixies - house fairies that only wear green and love their pointed hats.
 EXCERPT
I turn at the sound of talking behind me. Shock flits through me. There is a line of fairies at our back door—pixies, brownies, house elves, gnomes, even a few flower fairies. What in Fairy Land is going on? Well, at least there aren’t any goblins, boggarts, trolls, or ogres! I turn back to our kitchen.
The fairy Mom is interviewing now is a pixie, the most beloved of all fairies. They always wear green, and this pixie’s dress is a bright green, which matches her pointed hat. Pixies are never seen without their pointed hats.
Standing at the counter, I eat dried mushrooms with a glass of cold chamomile tea. After a few minutes, the young pixie walks out the front door, with her head hanging low.
“What’s all this about, Mom?”
“I knew you couldn’t wait to ask.” She gets up to stretch her legs and fluff out her wings. “Your dad and I have been doing a lot of talking lately about getting some help here at home.”
“But why?” I interrupt. “I help you all the time. Why do we need someone else in our little home?” I feel hurt that all the help I do doesn’t matter.
“My sweet bumblebee.” Mom puts her arm around me. “All this has happened so fast my head is in a bee buzz. Your dad found out from Mr. Thorn at the factory that they need someone to tie ribbon onto fairy dust bags. It’ll give us extra money.”
My mom working? I want her at home, with me. But one look at her and I can’t deny the twinkle in her eyes at the idea.
“Mom, that’s great, if you want to do it. You are so good at crafts, and I know how much you love creating with ribbons. You would be great at this new job. I’m so happy for you.” I give her a hug.

Love picture books? Here's a chance to WIN 3 Signed Paperback Picture Books! Pea Soup Disaster, Doctor Mom, The Missing Alphabet Giveaway deets: One winner, International, Ends - July 1, 2020 12:00am Eastern Standard Time
GIVEAWAY LINK

Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She first created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup, thus inspiring the story Pea Soup Disaster. Bad Fairy is her middle grade debut and the first of A Bad Fairy Adventure series. Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher’s assistant in elementary schools in the Sunshine State. She currently lives in Florida, but she has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home. She is a grandmother of three boys.

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Best of luck to Elaine and Fairy Thistle! Good luck with the giveaway to all who enter.

Interested in being part of Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays? Click HERE to join in and for the other participants.

IWSG ~ Unity

“Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking.” – Mahatma Gandhi

IMAGE CREDIT
LINK

*Insecure Writer Support Group aka IWSG is a safe haven where writers share their fears and insecurities, hopes and dreams through a monthly post. Want to join in? Click on the image to find out more or to find other participating members.

I'd planned on giving some humorous answer in response to this month's optional question about a deep, dark writer secret I have, but my heart is too heavy to be funny, right now. I'm not going to go on and point out all the current wrongs in the world or preach on how we should handle them. I just want to offer you a silent nod of encouragement and comfort. 
Thinking of you all . . .

IWSG ~ The Zone

Well, we've arrived at our third Insecure Writer Support Group post of this pandemic. Maybe it's the fourth. Guess that depends on where you live. Any hoot, today we're exploring this question:

Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE?Care to share?
Finding my muse was never an issue for me for the first few years - and numerous manuscripts - I wrote. Blogging was my big go-to for getting the zone in sight. But it seemed after my first two books were published that my inspiration to draw me into the writing zone vanished. Like literally POOF! I've dissected the possible reasons for this distress and have whittled it down to this - after two big years of seeing my books out in the world and with all the marketing and promotion I had to do, the reality of what it really means to be a published author hit me. That realization zapped me hard.
I have come up with a few things that help me find my zone again. The biggest one is to simply sit in the chair and write. Write anything. It doesn't matter. Sometimes it's even an entry for my daily journal. Whatever. It's almost like seeing the words type or write out on the page reminds me that I can do this.
Other, more mundane things I do are: read a book (Not online, either. That is just a temptation to check my email or whatever to procrastinate.), take the dog for a walk, do housework, or listen to music. Sometimes I watch a movie that's similar to my genre or scene I'm writing. Helps me feel what needs to be written.
OTHER PARTICIPANTSThank you to this month's co-hosts!  Feather Stone, Beverly Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken!
Want to join in the fun of posting once a month about your insecurities, goals, fears, and progress? Or want to read what other participants have to say? Click on the link in the teeny logo.
What about you? Any secret methods to pull yourself into the motivation and inspiration of the writing zone?

It's O-Kay To #ReachOutToConnect

***I was inspired by Cheryl Rainfield, one of the sweetest and kindest authors I know, to share my thoughts and feelings about how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting so many. Find Cheryl's post HERE.***
Fear. Isolation. Loneliness.Anxiety. Apprehension. Lack of motivation.Sadness. Confusion. Depression.
You may have felt some or all of these emotions during your lifetime. You may be feeling then now since #socialdistancting and #selfconfinement began. Since your daily routine stopped abruptly, leaving you reeling with unknowns and what-ifs.
It feels like yesterday. And then like forever-ago.
That's normal. Understandable. It's O-kay.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 

It's hard. I totally get it. There is plenty to fear, plenty to feel isolated over, and plenty to box each one of us into the confinement of any of those emotions. But we can battle our way through this.
TOGETHER.Give yourself permission to feel. Yes, feel whatever it is you're feeling. #NoShameInCopingTake comfort in knowing there are many out there feeling as you do. Revisit old photos, journals, or newspaper clippings. Remember the good, and know more good will come your way. #ShieldYourMentalHealthReach out to others through email, a phone call, or even set up an online virtual meeting. #ReachOutToConnect Loneliness and the feeling of isolation (or even of claustrophobia) can hit anyone, even someone in a busy household. I'm married, a mother to four, owner of three cats and a GSD puppy, and a business owner with my husband - plus I write. We're still coming in virtual contact with customers and with each other, yet at times I feel alone. 
Solution:A few of my good friends and I have been setting up a virtual call at least once a week since the pandemic began. I can't tell you how therapeutic these cyber chat sessions have been. We even share a drink together. Our kids, husbands, and even our dogs and cats steal the screen to make their own virtual appearance during our meetings.
SELF CAREFor most of us, life is one big ball of hurry up. We are running here and there, whether during work hours, family time, or adult time. So much so that we find it hard to slow down, let alone come to an almost complete standstill like during our current world pandemic. Here are some suggested activities to help with self care during this time. read a bookjot down your thoughts in a journaltake a walk with the dogmake yourself a special sweet treatclean or rearrange rooms in your housedo a craft you've always wanted to doknitting or sewinglearn calligraphyexerciseplay an instrumentvirtually taking up yogawatch an old movie you used to loveflip through old photographsdo a treasure hunt in your basement or atticlight candlesdrink plenty of waterprayHelpful Self-Care sites. OCD Stress Mayo Clinic Stay-At_Home Ways To Stay Healthy *Some information previously share in my newsletter.*I also have a Young Adult Health (Mental & Physical) Page on my website with helpful links to mental health & illness, eating disorders, drug addition, healthy teen project, and more. Please feel free to utilize that page. FOUND HERE.
I'm hoping you connect with some of this and that you find it helpful. If you do, please share it with others you think could benefit from it. Want to share this information or have some helpful thoughts or links to share? Please use hashtags #NoShameInCoping, #ShieldYourMentalHealth, & #ReachOutToConnect.
My hope is that you believe you are not alone. We are much stronger when we stand together. 
Wishing you health, happiness, and peace . . . 

IWSG ~ Focus On The Brilliance

Fear. Isolation. Loneliness. 
That's mostly what I've been hearing or reading since #socialdistancing and #selfconfinement began a few weeks ago. I get it. It's hard. It totally stinks. There is plenty to fear, plenty to feel isolated over, and plenty to box each one of us into the confinement of loneliness. Well, I mean we writers kind of exist in a self-confined world for the most part, but you get what I mean.
Here's a different way to look at all this. Someone I consider one of my life mentors once said to me, "It's all about priorities."
Photo CreditIf we focus on the worry, the unknown, and the pictures in our heads of what might be, we will spend the rest of our days for however long this goes on sad and depressed. We need to find the good within the devastation. 
Do not take my words for meaning that this virus isn't a big deal. It definitely is. I'm beyond saddened by the lives that have been lost, for the jobs that have and will be no more, for the lack of security we all feel right now. But I'm thankful for the precautions that are being taken, for the people that are working ungodly hours to beat this thing, and for the kindness within neighborhoods that we've all been seeing. 
Seriously, the writing community totally RAWKS! So many have offered free material and readings to parents who are now in the position they must home-school their kids. Everyone has been amazing.
OTHER PARTICIPANTSBefore I get to this month's IWSG question, I'd like to thank Diane Burton, JH Moncrieff, Anna @ Emaginette, Karen @ Reprobate Typewriter, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard for co-hosting this month!
This month's IWSG optional question to answer: How are things in your world?
As for me, my children are older - two work with my husband at our family business and the younger two still live at home (a junior in college and a sophomore in high school), so we're pretty much the only people we all see. A few for the business, but we are super careful. The real downer is my mom in the nursing home. We haven't physically seen her for three weeks now and it looks like it's going to be a long haul before they'll let any visitors in again. It's very hard on the residents, especially those who are confused by all this - like my mom. She's doing okay. We've been able to FaceTime with her a few times, so that's helped. I worry about my dad, being home alone and worrying about her. But it is what it is, so we'll deal.
Wishing you all the best of continued health! Be careful, take care of yourself and those you are self-confined with, and stay positive. I'll see you on the other side of this thing. 

IWSG~Personal Traditions in Stories

We've all heard the phrase Write what you know, so it's no surprise when parts of an author's personality, experiences, hopes, dreams, fears, and goals sneak into a character, scene, or world he/she is creating.
This month's Insecure Writer Support Group's (optional) question is:
Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?
For me, the answer is yes - I have included traditions/customs in my stories. And it's funny, too, because I never planned that out. 
image creditIn my YA novel Marked Beauty, my protagonist is plagued with doubts about life and its meanings for a bunch of reasons that I won't get into here. One way I decided to nudge her into facing her doubts was to have her butt heads with her grandmother, who is a devote Catholic. I did that in a subtle way by having Mem, as she was called, carry her Rosary beads everywhere with her and to have my MC find her praying with them a few times. 
This was such a thorn in my MC's side. But the annoyance and eventual anger it produced made her question her doubts and then explore them. This action was pivotal in her inner growth so she would decide to forge into the climax and do the right thing.
What about you? Have you ever used a personal or family tradition or custom in your writing? How did it affect you when you noticed this in a book you were reading for pleasure?OTHER PARTICIPANTS

I'd like to thank this month's amazing co-hosts:  Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence! Make sure to stop by and visit them, too!
Sheri~

Imagery & Writing

I'm late, IWSG!
I know, and I'm super sorry about that. I sat down to write up a post, life happened, and then my aging memory totally forgot about it. #slapsforehead
This month's IWSG question is all about the visual. 
Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?
When I do classroom Skype visits, one of the first things I share with the kids is that I consider myself a visual writer. Lots of my inspiration comes from flipping through family photos, images of nature on the internet, or fantastical drawings or paintings. I'm also a huge history buff, so sometimes I even search out events in history to scan through old photos or depictions that had been captured by some long-gone soul.
So, yes, I'm very inspired by the visual. And, yes, my stories have all been inspired - to some degree or another - by what I see. 
creditThis image inspired the relationship between Fleishman (one of my middle grade character's in Motley Education) and his legless lizard Nigel. It didn't inspire what Nigel would eventually look like, but how the lizard felt about his owner, and how his owner would grow the feel about him. Anytime I wrote a scene where the two were together, I'd stare at this image first. It got me in the emotional mood I needed to carry their sweet relationship from my brain to the page.
The visual life is a great tool writers an utilize. It's all around us . . . all the time. We just have to pay attention.OTHER PARTICIPANTS
A big thank you goes out to this month's co-hosts! Sorry I can't link you here. I visited the site, today, and your names were already gone. But you RAWK! Also, sending Alex J. Cavanaugh lots of writing mojo for all his efforts with the IWSG. 

New Year, Same Old Thang - NOT

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
What is one of the most common questions people ask when a new year rolls around?

Can you believe it's the beginning of another year? Where did last year go?

This can churn all sorts of emotions: joy, excitement, growth from reflection, and sometimes angst in the gut - especially for writers. All those goals you set the previous January are now starring you down, boring a hole through your confidence and asking you why some didn't get accomplished. And the ones that did don't seem as important now as when you reached them.

That is just wrong, right? #lifeangst

Is it that you'll never be satisfied with achieving a goal? Or that the goal was a mere stepping stone to the next goal, which makes the first goal seem . . . yeah, fair-weathered? Or could it be setting goals at the beginning of the year, which gives these particular goals so much value? I mean, you set and reach goals everyday. You decided the groceries need to be done and you go do them. You have to drive kid#2 to practice, so you make that happen, too.

Yeah, little decisions are setting little goals that lead to something more complete.

Think of your writing life like that.
***This month's IWSG question: January 8 question - What started you on your writing journey? Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series? Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent? Did you just "know" suddenly you wanted to write?
OTHER PARTICIPANTS


The awesome co-hosts for the The awesome co-hosts for the January 8 posting of the IWSG are T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, Renee Scattergood, and J.H. Moncrieff!


Wishing you many blessings and growth throughout this new year!

IWSG ~ Recapturing Your Love of Writing After Major Life Changes

This year has been a dud, at least for me and my family. I don't like stating that out loud, let alone writing it the way I just did. But, as my husband often says, "Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade."

I've despised the way I've felt about writing throughout this year, but even-more-so about my lack-luster approach to all of you - my cyber friends. Some of you have been blogging with me for over ten years now. 
Wow. That's kind of cool. And special. And worth doing this living (and blogging) thing together. I'm sorry I haven't been a loyal commenter on your posts this year. I've missed you so, so much. Some of you have published stories and books. Others of you have had babies or shared how your young ones have grown. I haven't missed it. I've been reading lots of your posts, but the grief my family has gone through this year zapped my desire to comment and connect. 
image creditMore honestly, I've come to realize that grief is a thief, and as it steals your very essence and pieces of your soul it leaves crumbs of fear and uncertainty it its wake for you to choke on. At times this year I've felt as though I were dying. Smack! Out of the blue grief would attack, and a little more of me would disappear.
Grief has changed every one of my family members and each in different ways. It's been a struggle to just do the essentials like getting up in the morning, cleaning the house, working at our family business because - as we all know - writing doesn't pay a lot of bills. 
And I'm angry that grief has taken so much from us. That it's isolated my family members into our own private living quarters where we all simply exist - my husband losses himself in our family business, our youngest escapes into his video games, and our three oldest kids just don't call as often.Grief is a master at dividing and conquering.
I'm angry that it has taken the focus off the ones we've lost to death this year and all the good they brought to our lives for so many years. Mostly, I'm angry that I've given grief permission to do all that . . . yet again.
You see, I grew up in a huge family. We had aunts and uncles coming out of our ears from all sides of the family. I have fond memories of family gathers (on both my mom and dad's side). But once I entered middle school all that changed. Death began to visit our family and with it, grief. I remember when the first aunt died. She was actually my grandmother, my best friend in the whole world.
She was there. And then she wasn't. But I believed in Heaven and that she'd always be with me, so I carried on. And in my own little mind I think I did it specifically for her. Then we lost another aunt, an uncle, and another until we'd lost eight family members in two years time. It was only as an adult that I realized that I'd turned myself off somewhere in between all that death and grief. Don't get me wrong, I could smile and laugh with the best of them. But the smiles and laughter didn't sink below the surface anymore. That is the first time I gave grief rule over my life. 
This has been the third. (There is a second time, but that's for another post.)
Remember when you first felt that stirring in your chest to write something down on paper? You could smell the flint as your heart stroked it across your brain, igniting a feeling, an idea, a story. Grabbing the closest writing utensil you could find, you jotted down your thoughts until your fingers ached. 
I recently felt that again. 
The grief that's imprisoned my love of story and creating gave way every so slightly, and let a little light speckle in. Suddenly, I began to write a new story idea. This gave me courage to promise myself that I'd finish the edits to the second book in my middle grade series by the end of this year. It's time to work on this new story, to make grief earn its keep and inspire me to spill all the feels on the page about a boy in search of his recently departed grandfather and what death really means. It's an old ache - a middle grade personal one for me - I've let churn for much too long, and I invite you to join me on this journey. I look forward to blogging more, reconnecting, and celebrating all of you. 
Thank you for always being you. ❤️ Wishing you a safe, joyous, and blessed holiday season. See you in 2020!






OTHER PARTICIPANTS
I never intended to write this post, but when it began coming out I knew I had to let it. Thank you for listening.
Major 'Thank you' goes out to the awesome December IWSG co-hosts: Tonja Drecker, Beverly Stowe McClure, Nicki Elson, Tyrean Martinson! You all rock it in a major way!

IWSG ~ The Strange

Time for another Insecure Writer Support Group post, where we explore all the joys, angst, and insecurities of being a writer.
A huge 'thank you' goes out to this month's co-hosts  Sadira Stone, Patricia Josephine, Lisa Buie-Collard, Erika Beebe, and C. Lee McKenzie! Thank you for keeping everything in-line!
This month's group question is: What's the strangest thing you've ever Googled in researching a story?
Oh geez, there are so many. I mean, if you know me you know that i LUV to research! It's number 3 on my writing procrastination list under reading and walking the dog. ;)  
I've researched:
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The Third Eye - which was kind of freakyTarot cards and their history - had to have an open mindDreams and Magic - felt like I could relateGypsy history - very, very cool MORE PARTICIPANTS
Every mythological creature known to manThe strangest would probably be the Lazarus creatures - insects that are literally 'undead', but roam around spreading their undeadness. I'm strange, so I love this!
What about you? What's the strangest subject you've ever researched?