I haven't written for this blog since a year ago. I have been updating the 3 Fuzzy Solos blog which is on this website (check it out for a smile). carlasbooks.weebly.com/3-fuzzy-solos I send out a monthly newsletter and believe they deserve my latest and greatest updates since they took the time to subscribe to my newsletter. That's why I'm not going to share too much information here. The big tease on my Instagram posts have been about my secret projects. Only the newsletter subscribers are privy to what those projects are.
As 2023 is nearly over and 2024 is chomping at the bit to arrive, I can look back at all the things I accomplished and the ones I didn't. If the house wasn't always clean, or that project didn't get finished, but your family (furry or human) felt your love, then I'd say your 2023 was successful. You always have next year to clean the house, do projects, and procrastinate. Tentatively I plan on releasing The Aerowyn Tales with new covers and titles in 2024. My newsletter subscribers voted for the first book's title, which led to the theme for the trilogy: Bellarose & The Beast Bellarose & The Pirate Bellarose & The Captain
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Christmas is over and my mind is already prepping for 2023. I want to tackle the new year with a new approach, but navigating to it seems daunting. Much of 2022 I felt behind on everything and too tired to do anything about it. Sometimes I was too tired to care, but then that would follow with self-loathing. Can anyone relate?
What is the new approach? I haven't worked that out yet, but maybe it is impossible for adults to ever have everything neatly organized or planned.
I'm revealing the covers to Quinn and The Aerowyn Tales omnibus on January 1, 2023. I will also announce the winner of the complete set on that day. CarlasBooks Newsletter subscribers will be privy to all of this a day earlier--December 31, 2022. Subscribe today to be a part of the early reveal! https://www.subscribepage.com/CarlasBooksSignUp What? Goodbye to CarlasBooks? Don't panic . . . Before you think I'm deleting my website, blogs, and social media accounts read this blog.
I'm not getting rid of all CarlasBooks related things. I'm only going to take most of my published books off sale. That means you won't be able to order the paperback books or download the ebooks. First, this won't happen until January 1, 2023, so there is still time to buy my books if you want. Second, I'm offering all my paperback and ebooks at discounted prices December 1 - 31, 2022. You can own them without breaking your bank account. Merry Christmas! Why am I doing this? I'm getting ready to rebrand all my books, which means new covers and updated content. The stories won't change to the point of not being recognized, but there may be tweaks and additions. Traditionally published books change covers all the time to keep up with trends and to attract new readers. To those who have already been fans of my books, you will have rare editions that may never be sold again. Since my books are independently published, I still have control over when and where my books are sold. What books will be unavailable after January 1, 2023? The Magical Things Collection The Travelers Duology The Web of Loki Why is The Aerowyn Tales not part of this list? The completed series has not been published. I want to give fans of the series a chance to collect all the books and read them before they disappear. I also hope to attract new readers of the series with an omnibus version, which will include every book in the series (prelude & interludes) plus a new cover. The classic covers will be available too, so your set won't be a wonky mismatch. In the future, I plan on rebranding The Aerowyn Tales too. There will no longer be prelude or interlude books. Bellarose will be added to Gerard. Bellarose II will be added to Jasper, and Bellarose III will be added to Quinn with brand new covers. Independent authors pay for EVERYTHING (edits, book formatting, covers, marketing, and giveaways), and it can be rather costly. Any of the anticipated rebrands for TAT are dream projects that I may not be able to accomplish. I'm working on ways to change my independent status to reach more readers, and to help me continue doing what I love. If these "ways" don't come to fruition, this goodbye may be more permanent, but I'm not ready for that yet. I'm keeping the dream alive with all my fingers and toes crossed. In November, I told my social media followers I was going to use K.I.S.S. as my holiday season mantra. It can mean Keep It Super Simple, or if you're less polite, Keep It Simple Stupid, but you get the point. November ends up being when my books are ready to edit, but it also is when my personal life takes me away from my author life. Everyone can find the holidays stressful if they don't find ways to simplify expectations and traditions.
On Thanksgiving day, I pulled out an old decoration to see if my cats would “pose” next to it for a quick K.I.S.S. Instagram post. They definitely were curious and so I captured what I could. Instagram is usually about showing off that picture perfect setting—no mess and magazine ready. That’s fantasy. I write fantasy, but I don’t live it. Life can be messy. Homes can be cluttered. Holidays can be stressful when expectations aren’t met for the picture perfect movie scene. Here’s to the not perfect humans who find happiness and contentment in whatever life throws your way. Making plans is great, but in my 53 years, more plans get altered than fulfilled. Being thankful helps me maneuver the topsy turvy. I’m not naturally happy-go-lucky girl, but I’ve learned that 99% of life is my perspective. I can be upset or accept that not everything is how I planned. Either way, I don’t control the weather, the world, or my co-workers. Okay, I don’t control my cats either, which means the decoration has been put away—they will try to eat it 😂 Here’s to a messy but fun holiday season that actually begins in October and ends sometime in January for me! "It happens to most humans, that moment when things they believed in as children become silly fantasy." ~Elle's Magical Books. In Elle's Magical Books, Elle's books get cursed by an evil fairy. Besides the lessons of forgiveness, family, and friendship, there is another theme explained best in the book's dedication: This is dedicated to anyone who dares to dream big and keep their imagination alive. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed so don’t waste your time waiting to grow up before you reach for your dreams. This is also dedicated to the young at heart. Age doesn’t define how far your imagination can take you. Have fun and ignore the year you were born. I recently heard a podcaster say telling your child to dream big was the worst advice. He said life is hard and you need to be able to pay your rent. He said dream small—accomplish big. Where do big accomplishments start? With ideas, dreams, and imagination. I agree life is hard and we should find a way to pay our bills.
I like to say, "Dream big and work hard," because it takes hard work to create a book, write a song, or paint a masterpiece, but if people only worked hard and took dreams out of the process, life would be dreadful—creativity would be squashed. Times are tough, but even dreaming of better days while working your butt off can keep you motivated. I don’t live to work. I work to live. All the amazing inventions, innovations, and creations that bring joy came from people who dared to dream. I know we can't all be famous authors or musicians. I know sometimes we work regular everyday jobs to pay our bills. I wasn't raised to throw caution to the wind and ignore responsibility while pursuing a fantastical dream, but if books have taught me anything, you can enjoy life. Don't wait until you retire, have lots of money, or feel like you've arrived at some lofty position to write that book or go on that vacation. There may come a day when you can't. Work hard, but take time to breath, laugh, and read for the fun of it (not just to learn). In Elle's Magical Books, they read about Narnia, the Polar Express, and about a girl named Anne Shirley, who had a wonderful imagination. In each of the books, they realized when children became adults they no longer visited the magical destinations. Why? Because adults forget to dream big. I refuse to say dream small, but rather, dream big and work hard. Note to self: Don't compare my accomplishments or lack of accomplishments to anyone else. I'm here to admit that I don't always follow my own advice. Do I sometimes think I'm wasting my time trying to connect with middle grade and young adult readers? YES. That perhaps I should get off social media and stop promoting my books? YES. Do I sometimes think that my writing isn't good enough to be read by anyone? YES. That perhaps I shouldn't write at all? YES. Do I sometimes think I'll never accomplish personal goals outside of my writing ones? YES. These doubts usually get started when I compare my journey to another person's path. I'm not quitting just yet, but I've been on the brink several times in the last year. I'm trying to re-evaluate my reasons for writing, being on social media, and even doing this blog. I'm also going back to the fact that I want to bring joy to others, which actually brings joy to me. When this isn't accomplished, I may stop and find a new passion.
Until then, here is a portion from a blog I wrote in March of 2020. I will ALWAYS need these reminders. What about you? 1. Don't compare yourself to others. There is always someone else who is better, more talented, prettier, and skinnier than you--all are subjective to opinion. There are also plenty who lack in all of these things in comparison to you--stop comparing! We all are unique individuals with our own set of abilities and disabilities, but in the end, we're human; give yourself and others a break. 2. Don't let your worst day ever dictate your next move. Set-backs are inevitable and if I stopped writing books based on my worst day, I would have never published any stories. Quitting anything will always make me wonder, "What if I didn't quit?" 3. Accept other perspectives. Your perspective is your individual right, but make sure it isn't set in stone. If you are never willing to see another point of view, you may miss out on a way of making your attitude better. Admitting that your way of seeing things could be warped because of something that happened to you or because of your own negativity will help you try to look at things through someone else's eyes. Happy May the 4th Be With You day! I've been talking about villains in preparation for Save the Villain Day on May 14 and Star Wars has it's share of evil antagonists. The fictional world is full of miscreants. Dolores Umbridge, Voldemort, Biff Tanner, and Emperor Palpatine are among the worst book or movie villains in my opinion. They're the kind of monsters, I don't want to live because they're never sorry for anything they do and have no desire to change. At first, Kylo Ren was grouped with the worst, because I was angry when he killed his father, Han Solo. Eventually I changed my mind and he became a villain I wanted to save. Read to the end of this blog to find out why.
When I began writing The Aerowyn Tales, my fairy tale re-imaginings, I put myself in the villain's shoes and asked, "Why do they act the way they do?" I slowly found a way to appreciate the villains so many readers seem to idolize. Don't get me wrong, I'll never cheer for evil. I think that has become the new trend to root for a character who is truly nasty, which reflects some of the vile behavior humans have adopted as normal. Nope, that's not ever going to be okay in my opinion. I'm still in support of treating people the way you want to be treated and that will never change. Back to fictional villains. They are necessary, because each book or movie needs someone or something the hero defeats. Sometimes a rogue character is what many can relate to, because we're all flawed, but I'm not satisfied leaving an antagonist unchanged unless they're past the point of no return. Ridding the world of one more dark spot does bring satisfaction. When the righteous vanquishes a foe who truly has no regrets for their behavior, it is joyous. Yet, I like a story with hope. It's true, when the main character grows and transforms from caterpillar to butterfly, the plot can be inspiring, but when a fiend finds redemption, it encourages me that the world doesn't have to give into the dark side completely. I find promise when a villain transforms into the hero. It teaches that wrong choices don't have to be the final say in anyone's story. Redemption is the main theme of The Aerowyn Tales. Within each story, I show that maybe in a world full of pain and evil, there can be a force of light. In truth, only God can be that source of that force. In my fairy tale re-tellings, I put elements of God's character into the stories much like parables or fables do. Ultimately, it's choices rather than excuses or blame that can alter the path of anyone. When Kylo Ren chose to die to save Rey, he made the transition from villain to hero in one final decision. At that very moment, I wanted him to live, and that's when I discovered I could cheer for villains. I invented Save a Villain Day for the book launch of Jasper on May 14, 2020. It's a year later and I'm ready to celebrate the book's first birthday. I'm also still writing villain redemption stories, so this theme fits with The Aerowyn Tales trilogy. The Aerowyn Tales has several villains: Gerard, Jasper, Ulyssa, Malvina, and even the enchantress, Aerowyn, who curses people under the pretense of teaching them a lesson. She may be considered more of a gray character since she has good intentions--mostly. This trilogy has explanations with backstories of what makes the villains act so vile, but not all of them will be given second chances in this series. I plan on writing another trilogy to finish the female villain tales. Who is your favorite villain? Mine are the ones who find redemption. I like to think everyone has a chance to fix their mistakes or be given a second chance. The new cancel culture craze takes away from this idea, but as I said in December, what if you were given the treatment you gave to others? carlasbooks.weebly.com/carlas-candor/what-if Would that be forgiveness or harsh judgment? We've all made mistakes and probably don't want our sins to define us or ruin our futures. Matthew 7:1 says, "Do not judge, or you will be judged." Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fallen short." I also think cancel culture is about ruining the lives of people who disagree with you, but that is less about the lack of forgiveness and more about the lack of accepting the world is full of different opinions and beliefs. Tolerance doesn't mean you agree, but rather that you don't penalize or destroy someone who disagrees. In The Aeroywn Tales. there is adventure, romance, and fun, but there are opportunities for redemption, which is why I invented Save a Villain Day. To celebrate, the ebook of Jasper will be on sale May 14-20 for $0.99. My newsletter subscribers get the chance to enter for a free copy of Jasper. CarlasBooks subscribers also are entered to win the complete series of The Aerowyn Tales after Quinn is released. One of the settings in Travelers is Ikaria, Greece. It took only one short magazine article, The Ageless Island in the June 2012 issue of ISLANDS magazine to give me the idea. Why couldn’t the people of Ikaria, who live well into their 90s, be mythical merfolk? Ikaria’s reputation could disguise their identities when they aren’t under the sea. I loved mermaids since I was a child. I also liked the idea of time travel, so putting the two together was a dream come true. All I needed was to decide where their story could take place. The prequel was written after the duology was finished because the merfolks’ backstory wasn’t fully developed inside my mind. They came from a water planet, but where did they live when they arrived on Earth? Why were they forced to live among the humans? All these questions got answered in my books, and today I revisit one of the inspirations to help celebrate Travelers turning six on April 20. It was my first young adult book published and what a journey I’ve had since then. I have learned a lot about writing and marketing since introducing that book to the world. I sometimes wonder if I wrote Travelers today, what I would change, but I don’t go backwards. I can’t. There are too many other stories aching to get out of my head and time isn’t on my side. Ikaria, Greece Ikaria has been labeled the island where people forget to die or the island of long life. There are good reasons for these descriptions of Ikaria. The people there live on average 10 years longer than those in the rest of Europe and America – around one in three Ikarians live into their 90s. Maybe if I lived there, I would have more time to write. There are very few Ikarians with dementia, cancer, heart disease or suffer from depression. The people live simply with low stress, hard work, and they put family first. They have a combination of healthy diets, clean air, and optimism that also helps with their longevity. Despite their history of starvation due to invasions of enemies and war, they managed to come out stronger. The island is actually named after Icarus, the young man in Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun and plunged into the sea. It sounds like a truly beautiful place to visit. If the opportunity arrives, I want to visit Greece someday. Maybe I'll unknowingly meet some mermaids. www.islandsmagazine.net/ With Easter approaching, I thought about the tradition of hiding colorful eggs for children to find. Did you know this term is also used in regards to books, movies, and games? They are basically hidden references, inside jokes, or clues to the plot's development that are subtly added. In the book Ready Player One, the protagonist mentioned 'Easter Eggs' or puzzles hidden within the video games he played. When I read the book, that was the first time I had heard the term hidden Easter eggs in that context.
I add all kinds of 'Easter Eggs' to my books and will talk about them on my April Instagram posts. Since my books contain a plethora of these obvious and not-so-obvious gems, I've forgotten some of them over the years. Here are a few: Travelers “Miss Scarlett, you flatter me.” Charles blushed. Margaret, Scarlett’s sister, shot daggers at her from a distance. Triana read Margaret’s thoughts right as their eyes had met, as she had been able to do with the men who Scarlett had toyed with. It was a brief moment as Margaret said inwardly, Someday I would like to write an unflattering story about Scarlett so the men will know how selfish she really is.
I begin each book with a Disney reference. Can you tell which movie the line in bold came from?
P.S.S. I read Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson and his character made a Disney Lion King reference in Chapter 30. I was shocked and pleased. Everyone deals with life and its pain differently. We could walk a mile in someone else's shoes and still not have their perspective on grief, evil, and stress. We know the Ukranians are suffering while many of us only have to deal with the cost of everything going up. It isn't life or death for most of us. Some decide they can't handle being happy-go-lucky on social media while people are suffering tremendously in another country. Others decide we must keep our day-to-day routine and if that means posting a silly book photo on Instagram, that is what we will do. No one can be the judge of what works and what doesn't work for individuals to process something that seems senseless and horrific. If dancing in the rain barefoot is your way of dealing, do it. If reading how Harry Potter defeats Voldemort gives you a way to empathize and grasp onto hope for better times, then do it. If singing, screaming, and writing helps you, then do it. What I'm trying to say is that you can't look at someone who reacts differently than you do as wrong or unsympathetic. Accept your strengths and weaknesses. Accept their strengths and weaknesses. Learn to be a better person by trying not to force the world into your box of perfect. It won't fit and you'll go crackers trying to make it happen. “Note to self: You do not have to continuously monitor all the disaster and heartbreak in the world. You are not in charge of outrage and grief. Witness it. Feel the feelings. Take action. But remember, love is where you live.” ~Nanea Hoffman
Ecclesiastes 3: 2 & 4 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Isaiah 40:29-31 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Until I began sharing my childhood stories of mermaids, fairies, and gum trees in this Then vs. Now blog, I thought Elle's Magical Shoes began my whole author experience. I see now that my life has been my writing journey. Everything I created as a child, the times my mind wandered, or the jokes I made to co-workers about visiting fictional places, I was preparing the stories that are now bursting to get onto paper. Then In sixth grade I wrote a story about a fairy named Isis who was tinier than your thumb. Since Isis was smaller than all the other fairies, they made fun of her. The rules were that she had to help a human to grow as big as the other fairies. It goes on to tell of her adventures in New York City and where she eventually rescues a boy on an island. He ends up being the prince of the fairies. They fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after. I was eleven when I wrote this. I typed the story on my mom's old black typewriter. My best friend, Vicki, illustrated it, and my other friend Laura colored the illustrations. Our book was put in the school library and comment cards were provided at the back of the book for readers to review our work. I forgot about this and how proud it made me feel until I was putting together this blog and a reel for Instagram. Now
Several years ago I wrote about a fairy named Florena, but she's sassy. No one would make fun of her. She does end up helping a human, but the plot is quite different from my childhood one. Even at that, I find some of the same elements in my two stories. When I was creating Elle's Magical Shoes I didn't even recall my silly little book, but yet my imagination held on to some of the same whimsical ideas. I guess in some ways I will never get old. What kind of music do you enjoy? Anything from your teens? Then I liked mostly the pop and rock music of the 80s when I was a teen. The photos below are a compilation of artists I listened to and remembered playing on the radio. I wasn’t allowed to listen to any music but my parents’ 1950s and elevator style tunes. That meant I definitely couldn’t dress like an 80s pop star, but I put together some clothes to try and imitate Pat Benatar. My friend took the photo and I made sure my mom didn’t see it after picking up the pictures at the store. Film was developed, not digital back then. I was a lot like Lane on Gilmore Girls when it came to music. Now
I like all kinds of music: classical, oldies from most eras, and most current pop, rock, and country. As a teen, I was pickier and hated country. It wasn't until the 90s that I began liking Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, and Faith Hill. I think before then my exposure to that genre was my dad's twangy oldies, which I'm still not a fan of today. The photos best explain my Then vs. Now in music. I continue to listen to and like my teenage music, but I've found some new artists in different genres I really enjoy. ❓Did you do like a mythical creature as a child that you still enjoy reading about now?
~~~⏳~~~ Today's "Then" was the first mermaid book I wrote as a child. It’s mostly illustrations, which demonstrates why I didn’t pursue art. I put a reel video on Instagram of the whole book. Basically the story is about a mermaid knocking a human man into the water and turning him into a merman. They go to a dance, fall in love, and get married (LOL). Then her parents die, so the mermaid and her new merman husband become king and queen. She gets pregnant, craves gross food combos, and they have twins. I hadn’t read mermaid stories at that age, but I saw a real one at Sea World in San Diego. This was before Disney’s Ariel. I'm not sure where my crazy imagination came up with that goofy story because it is hilarious. The "Now" is the first YA book that I published. I waited to mature before trying a newer mermaid tale, but it had been brewing inside my imagination since I was 8 years old. You can go to my YA books section on my website to read the synopsis of those books. ❓Have you ever used a rotary phone?
❓How many phones did your family have/has? ~~~⏳~~~ ☎️My family phone (only one) hung on the wall in the kitchen. My mom talked to my grandma daily on it while getting dinner ready so we had to walk under the cord. We didn’t get cordless phones until I went to college. I carried change for payphones in case of an emergency. You wonder how we survived? We managed. My mom and I got stranded at a mall in a snow storm but my dad happened rescued us. I thought we called him on a pay phone because he was home, but Mom said he drove by at the same time we got stuck and rescued us. Either way, we didn't have a mobile phone and still survived. We also had a party line that was shared with everyone in the neighborhood so the neighbors could listen to our conversations and vice versa. 📱My husband bought me my first mobile phone, but it didn’t connect to the internet. It was for emergencies, so I left it off. My first smart phone was an iPhone 5c that I got in 2014. I just replaced it last year with an iPhone SE. Yes, it’s possible to live without the latest technology, but I'm sure many don't try. ❓What was a popular slang word used in your teen years? ~~~⏳~~~ For me the Valley Girl lingo became popular: “like totally tubular” and “like gag me with a spoon”. The TV show Square Pegs starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Jamie Gertz gave insight into the more extreme 80s culture of preppies, squares, jocks, and Valley girls in true exaggerated form. I was a square peg. 🤓 Some words still are being used from the 80s, but now I find Instagram has its own set of vocabulary. THEN NOW
Wonder Woman has stood the test of time and not because the character is immortal. Her popularity in entertainment has lasted a long time. This blog will only cover the WW of my lifetime and knowledge.
Then 1. Lynda Carter starred on November 7, 1975, in the Wonder Woman television pilot. 2. I watched her on a small screen in-home weekly. 3. Wonder Woman's powers were mostly from her rope, tiara, and bracelets. She was supernaturally strong and fast, but she didn't do a lot of paranormal feats. 4. Her clothing was patriotic with colors of the American flag; similar to a fancy swimming suit. 5. She twirled to change into Wonder Woman from her alter-ego Diana Prince. She did have a weekly villain to fight in-between her day job. 6. Steve Trevor never knew Diana Prince and Wonder Woman were the same person. He crushed on WW but viewed Diana as a co-worker even though she loved him. Now 1. Gal Gadot starred as Wonder Woman in a movie on June 2, 2017. 2. I watched her on the big screen in a theater. 3. Wonder Woman is a badass physical fighter and her supernatural powers are more impressive than the 1970s WW. She also has more weapons than the prior WW. Her sword is brilliant in action and makes me want one. 4. Her clothing is darker-toned and more like a gladiator for sexy cosplay. 5. We never see her change from Diana Prince to Wonder Woman in a supernatural way, but there isn't a need for a quick change. The movies don't show her working a weekly job that gets constantly interrupted so she can fight bad guys in-between. Her fight is against one villain plus minions per movie. 6. Steve Trevor in the newer movie is much cuter than the TV show, and he knows Wonder Woman is Diana Prince. He knows all about her past and who she is. They share their feelings openly. Even though she's immortal and can't be with him forever, their love is worth the heartbreak. My interest through time: I wanted to take Lynda Carter's place after she retired from the TV show because at that age, I didn't understand that programs got canceled. I even asked God to make me beautiful like her. I still follow this fandom in the general sense. I'm totally ignorant in all aspects of the DC or Marvel comic world. I really like the new movies and the book written by Leigh Bardugo, but that's as far as my knowledge goes. I started following Wonder Woman during the Lynda Carter era. I began my pursuit of reaching for big things when I saw her on the screen. Though I didn't become famous for a role as Wonder Woman, I realized that my dreams could change to different ones. Each of us have to find our strengths and nurture them. As long as anybody breathes, "Then vs. Now" is a part of life. We sometimes find ourselves taking two steps forward and one step back, but change is as inevitable as the Earth rotating around the sun. Can we ever burn all the bridges to the past as long as our memories are able to pull things up from former years? I doubt it. In 2022, I plan on filling up a year worth of monthly blogs with past vs. present. My blog will be about random things that I relate to personally. I hope it will entertain you or maybe even teach you something new. Then: From my writing journey, I can go back as far 5-years-old. At that age, I didn't know how to write most words, so I asked my mom to put a story down on the pages I had already illustrated. I made it from construction paper and crayons. I stapled the pages together and it had to be read backwards--right to left, and then sometimes left to right. Oy vey! I plan on showing my masterpiece in full on an Instagram reel (video) since this photo does not display its true genius (LOL). I don’t know where the idea for the tale came from because my parents weren’t bibliophiles. My grandma was, so she started giving me a book for my birthday every year after I learned how to read. That was after I created this homemade tome. My 5-year-old story also inspired an idea I used in my first published book. Now: I wrote about a lollipop tree in Elle’s Magical Shoes, but it was a gum tree in my original story. I discovered the error in a childhood memory box after EMS was published. I now have eleven books published that are sold at major online retail shops - no more construction paper or crayon copies for me. Now I write daily and it wasn't until almost forty years after the Valentine Story that I attempted to share my imagination with the world. I had written several stories in elementary school for my entertainment. I even got my best friend involved to illustrate some of them since she drew better. I wrote about fairies, mermaids, and I also wrote a story about the Dukes of Hazzard, which came from my crush on the Duke boys in that old 1980s TV show. I still write about mermaids and fairies, but the pop culture references are not used as the whole premise for a plot. I even put my scary nightmares into a Viking mythology book, which is far off the path of anything I ever conjured up in my early days. Do you have any "Then vs. Now" stories like mine? Did you do something as a child that is still part of your life today? Please feel free to share in the comments or find my post on Instagram and comment there. I'd love to hear from you. Pictures:
"Then" bubble gum tree in Valentine Story / "Now" cover of Elle's Magical Shoes What if this Christmas you received the same treatment you have given others in the past rather than presents wrapped in paper and tied up in bows? Would your life overflow with kindness? Would all your mistakes be forgiven? Would you be thankful to be alive? Would you end 2021 with the best present ever? What if every person asked before they reacted, "Do I want to receive the same treatment I'm about to give to this person?" Would they hold back their comments? Would they decide their opinion doesn't always need to be shared? Would their words show a benevolent nature or a hateful one? Would you find graciousness and gratefulness? I wish everyone could receive the gift of sight; to be able to see their actions reflected to them. With this gift, I would hope people could be reformed or rewarded for their behavior. I also pray that I can follow the golden rule, "Treat others the way I want to be treated," with the hope that I can be the person I want to see more of in this world. Here's to Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Peaceful New Year.
The alternative to having a birthday is to find some enchantress to turn me immortal or to die. That's the cold hard facts no one can avoid. This blog is for people who ignore birthdays like that will turn back the clock of time. I wholeheartedly admit I'm getting older on November 11, but I don't have to grow up. Instead of fretting about things I can't control, I'm striving to enjoy my life as is. I'm not looking for a big birthday hootenanny. I just want to be able to cuddle with my cats, spend time with my hubby, and have a birthday treat. Okay, three more things: take a guilt-free nap, write, and read! I really am greedy, aren't I?
As other holidays approach, many people are becoming stressed out about what they can't afford or what might not be delivered in time because of supply chain issues. Believe me, you can enjoy special days without emptying your bank account or getting exhausted shopping for the perfect object. Count each breath you take as the ultimate gift while you spend time with those you love. Hubby and I savor our moments together and feel that is enough of a present in a world of uncertainties. If you still want to exchange stuff, I have some low budget and stress-free ideas. If you don't like my suggestions, maybe they will inspire something else that works for you.
"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” ~ Unknown September 22 was the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Sometimes we love the season for whimsical things like pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters. My town rarely has sweater weather in September, but I always dream of cooler temps. If you’re not into pumpkin spice, you may be like Winnie the Pooh, "It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" I get an extra pep in my step approaching the cooler temperatures. Autumn also brings out the deep thinkers. “Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.” ~Shira Tamir "Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” ~ Unknown If you live in a place that has seasonal changing weather— a place where the trees shed their leaves. You’ve seen the picture these quotes paint. I think it is good to grasp the fact that nature can teach us lessons. Recently, I was reminded of the need to “let things go”. Even someone at the age of fifty-one can and should continue to learn if they’re wise. I had someone comment on my 9/11 Instagram post that I was "insensitive". I felt they misunderstood the intention of my post. I also thought they were an account I followed who was against censorship and for free speech. Rather than defend myself in the comments, I private messaged them. They told me that my explanation was ridiculous. After researching their page further, I saw that they dedicated their time to things I oppose. One of those things is censorship and wokeism (inspired by Marxism). They slander and critique anyone who doesn't have their viewpoints. They were using a similar profile picture of the account I do follow and that was where I got confused. Here’s what I hopefully learned:
"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” ~ Unknown The past few months have been what I call a Steel Magnolias kind. If you haven't seen the movie starring Julie Roberts and Sally Field, you may not understand the reference so let me try to briefly explain. There's a scene where Sally Field is overcome with grief after her daughter's funeral and she screams in angry agony, "I just wanna hit something. I wanna it it hard!" You feel her depths of despair even if you've never lost a child before, and your heart wants to break at the thought of it. I always cry during this scene, and I'm not much of a weeper with most movies. Just when you think it will be too overwhelming, her friend replies, "Here! Hit this!" as she pushes Shirley MacLaine's character towards Sally. Tears turn into laughter instantly, and the all encompassing pain lightens.
The last two years have thrown many of us some moments to rant at and maybe even scream, "I just wanna hit something." Between Hobbes dying, pandemic issues, and the daily negative reports from the news, my normal, "I'm not much of a weeper" turned into a daily cry-fest last month. Then I adopted three mischievous and super loving cats and my tears turned into laughter. I had tears sometimes while I had a new fur baby making me laugh when wrestling with me at the same time. I know missing Hobbes doesn't go away over night. At times it does seem there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, but then something new pops up on the world stage of tragedies. "Laughing through tears is my favorite emotion." ~Steel Magnolias I don't have any sage wisdom on how to deal with grief, stress, sorrow, or anger, but if you're like me, a purring fur baby can alleviate the ugly stuff so you don't implode. My three new fur babies have given me a little reprieve from it all. They didn't need me to rescue them; they actually rescued me. I know if you believe in God as I do, turning to Him can also be your salve. No matter what, don't give up. Find what gives you a respite from it all, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. I heard this quote by CS Lewis on a podcast that encouraged me. Lewis wrote many books beyond The Chronicles of Narnia and had great insight on life. Though the world falls apart around us, we must keep living life. Fear and despair won't fix all that is wrong in the world and we can't let evil and negativity win. Written by CS Lewis in 1948. Very applicable to today: “In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. ‘How are we to live in an atomic age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.’ In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty. This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.” July 19 was the worst day of 2021. I don't normally have days I can call, "worst", but I'm not able to give it any other title. We had to say goodbye to our sweet, intelligent, and mischievous Hobbes. He gave my family laughter and love that words aren't adequate in explaining. We will always miss him.
Would I have chosen to take Tigger and Hobbes home from the animal shelter seventeen years ago knowing how it all would end? Yes, a million times over. That's the thing about love. If you want to have it in your life, you have to be willing to get hurt someday. No one lives forever, but what would I have missed out on if I had put a wall around my heart to avoid goodbyes? What if I had decided that I didn't want to risk the pain of losing a loved one, so I rejected all forms of love? I would have passed up on a fuller life of living for someone other than myself. I have experiences no one can just read about in a book but have to dive into fully for themselves to understand. Love is the reason I get up in the morning and fight through the daily grind. Love is why I don't give up on life the moment it gets difficult. Love is what gives me perspective and makes me a better person. If I reject love, I may not cry over losing someone; the deep canyons left in my heart may not exist, but my life would be one-dimensional and dull. Unfortunately, losing love to death rips out a part of your heart that never gets replaced. The hole may get scarred over, but it remains as a reminder of how much you loved. Despite the grief, you can't worry about the endings because you'll miss the story with all the in-betweens. Thank you, Hobbes and Tigger for giving me so many splendid in-betweens. You don't want to miss CarlasBooks 2021 Christmas in July!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR July 5 - 11: Every ebook in The Aerowyn Tales $0.99 July 12 - 18: Every ebook in The Magical Things Collection $0.99 July 19 - 25: Enter to win any of my ebooks for FREE by telling me on Goodreads, or on Instagram what your favorite thing about summer or Christmas is. Goodreads The Magical Things Collection have birthdays in July! Elle's Magical Shoes turns six on July 3, and Elle's Magical Books turns two on July 26. I thought I'd share a little from each book to celebrate. This is copyrighted material. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission in writing to Carla Reighard. Section From Chapter 2 Are Fairies Real? Elle couldn’t stay in bed when her mind was wandering, so she got up to look out the bedroom bay window to ensure the things in the yard weren’t blowing away. The wind was horrendous in Lochbuie as it often blew creating an awful howling sound, which sent a chill down her spine. There were lots of open fields in Lochbuie, which produced plenty of tumbleweeds. Elle didn’t like the ugly brown prickly things so in her mind she changed them into soft fluffy animals she called, Tumbees that came in all kinds of colors: blue, purple, red, orange, yellow and green. Elle also pretended she had fairy friends who would talk to her through her bedroom window at night. In Elle’s Dreamland everything was brightly colored. Colorado might have been called Colorful Colorado, but in many places it was anything but colorful, so Elle used her imagination to spruce it up. In the winter, the snow had become glittery fairy dust that had given all the creatures of the meadow warm clothes and fire to help them endure the winter. Her mind had created quaint hearths and wee coats for the fairy folk. These tales had given Elle a cozy feeling much like she had gotten when snuggling under a soft warm blanket. In the summer, the Dreamland trees had grown unique fruit, lollipops and candy bars. When Elle had gotten too hot, she had imagined that some of the fruit had been like blended flavored ice drinks that had caused her tongue to freeze, and had cooled her body as the juices had slid down her throat. Her thoughts had been so powerful she had physically felt a part of the world she had created. The hollow, isolated feelings had wafted away as her mind had explored a world full of impossibilities. It was during day time that Elle had struggled to pretend. She had known she couldn’t be like Anne Shirley in the Anne of Green Gables books where imagination had gotten her into trouble. Elle had kept reality close and had known when it had been all right to pretend and when it had not been beneficial. Even though the wind continued to howl and her roommates’ loud breathing persisted, Elle’s eyes finally began to droop as fatigue washed over her. Just as she was about to leave the window to go to bed, a little blue light in the distance startled her into being wide awake. As the light moved towards the bedroom window it grew. Is it a strange firefly? Elle hadn’t seen too many fireflies in her life and never in Lochbuie. The blue light headed straight for Elle’s window. Before she could blink, it seemed the light was in front of her. Suddenly a loud bump sounded as the unidentified object hit the glass. Elle then realized what was producing the strange glow as a dazed miniature blue face peered at her. She jerked back in surprise, and her heart skipped a beat. What in the world? Elle thought. She hoped the noise wouldn’t wake her roommates. The blue face began to mouth the words, “Come outside.” Connected to the face was a small delicate body of a tiny girl who wore a sparkly azure dress. Elle thought she might be a fairy because she had wings. After looking closer, she realized the fairy’s skin wasn’t really blue, only her hair was. It was the illumination produced by the wand that made her skin appear that way. Elle rubbed her eyes and blinked, hoping she wasn’t seeing things. Dreamland had never looked so realistic, and Elle was afraid she might be hallucinating. Could my mind games be causing me to lose a grasp on reality? Again the little mouth formed the words, “Come outside.” This time the little fairy showed irritation. Elle decided it wouldn’t hurt to follow this figment of her imagination. She slipped into her shoes and put her coat on over her Tinker Bell nightgown. Elle moved slowly down the stairs away from her bedroom, trying to avoid the places she knew creaked in the floor. She didn’t want to wake anyone in the house and have to explain she was going outside to talk to a fairy. As she exited the back door leading from the kitchen, it emitted a tiny squeak, but luckily no one seemed to stir in the house. As soon as Elle was outside, the fairy led her into the garage and yelled, “Finally! It’s too windy for me out there! Why didn’t you come sooner?” The fairy had a surprisingly loud voice for a being so small. Elle responded tentatively. “Um, I guess because I didn’t believe what I was seeing.” “Really? That stings. Since I have ways of spying on you, I know you tell your roommates stories about fairies and other creatures. I figured with your imagination, you would believe what you were seeing with your own eyes. Besides, how many miniature girls have you seen fly into your window with wings? That hurt too! You saw me so I assumed you would open the window and the next thing I know, whack, I’m hitting glass!” the feisty fairy said as she smacked her hands to imitate the sound. “I’m sorry you got hurt, but despite the stories I tell about fairies, I know how to separate reality from fantasy. Fairies only live in my dreams, until now.” “This is your lucky day, Elle. We don’t show ourselves very often to people. Sometimes a person with true imagination and character gets a chance, but we can’t trust just anyone. If the wrong person knew, they may hurt us.” “So you know my name, what’s yours?” “Now I’m being the rude one. My name is Florena, but you can call me Flor. You won’t be seeing too much of me, this is a one-time mission, but I was given a special job to present you with a gift.” “A gift?” Elle was bewildered. She didn’t know if the twirling feeling in her stomach was from excitement or nervousness over the possibility that this was some kind of prank. Was she going to turn around and see a camera while someone yelled Gotcha? “Besides the gift of seeing me,” Florena chuckled, “you get something of great value. Tomorrow a package will be delivered to you.” “What will be in the package?” Elle’s curiosity replaced her doubts. “Shoes of course!” Florena said as if it were the obvious answer. Section From Chapter 18 Creatures Island Cameron and Maddie were on top of Shimmer. Elle and Rebekah rode Glisten as they flew into the sky above. The horses went straight to the cloud portal. All of them, with the exception of Maddie, had arrived through the same opening earlier that day. As soon as they disappeared from the realm of magic, Rebekah felt and smelled the difference in the air. Glisten led the way, but she wasn’t taking them to Lochbuie, Colorado. Rebekah noticed the clouds change colors the farther the horses took them. The air felt thicker and smelled unfamiliar. Glisten spoke, “I’m taking you to the place where I was born. My kind are not original natives to Serenity Island. Our realm is full of magical animals.” Rebekah asked excitedly, “Why?” “I’ll tell you once we are safely there.” They entered another cloud portal. As soon as they passed into the magical land, Rebekah knew it. The smell of magic was in the air once again. It was a blend of sweet and clean with a little mischief – if that could be an odor. It was delectable. There was a rainbow off in the distance with a pink unicorn grazing on grass that looked like green straw candy. Rebekah thought it looked like an illustration out of a storybook. Then a crimson colored majestic bird flew by them with wings that reminded her of fire. Rebekah recognized that is was a phoenix, an immortal bird that died in flames of its own making and then was reborn. “Did you see that?” Elle exclaimed. “Yes, and I believe we are now in the best magical place of all!” Rebekah replied. Just as she said it, a purple and green polka-dotted dragon zoomed by, singing a familiar song about being late for a very important date. Elle looked at Rebekah and laughed. “Did I hear that dragon sing a Disney song?” Glisten replied, “Yes, we are big Disney fans here on Creatures Island. We love to see our relatives on the big screen. This place is where all magical animals are born. Some of us get to live in other realms. I’ve been lucky enough to live in two other dimensions besides this one. Many take vacations to the human world, and some glamor themselves – like I camouflage my wings – so they can live around people. You would be surprised how many spoiled pets aren’t really cats or dogs.” Glisten gently glided down near a waterfall where a patch of plush moss grew along a stony bank that edged a lake. The small body of water seemed to swallow up the falls. Fish that looked like actual cats jumped in and out of the water, frisking about like kittens having playtime. Rebekah was stunned into silence from the magnificence of the island. She was hardly ever at a loss for words, but this time, she didn’t know what to say. Her senses were in overload. Shimmer landed near Glisten. Cameron and Maddie got off her and looked at Elle and Rebekah with bewilderment. Cameron asked, “Where are we? Why aren’t we home?” Glisten explained, “You’re on Creatures Island. Florena whispered into my ear to take you to a place where we can’t be spied on by the fairies. The crystal flowers were only designed to look at the humans so that the fairies could make sure the plants they made for people were surviving. Cameron probably doesn’t know this, but the fairies main joy in life is to create all the things that grow on earth. They make the seeds, the petals, the stems, and the stalks of each plant. That is their main purpose. Although sometimes their other inventions, like marshmallows, get brought into the human realm, but they are never as good as the fairy-designed ones.” |
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December 2023
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