Have you ever thought of writing a poem about your favorite fruit? Maybe one of these days I ought to write a poem about apples or strawberries. I just need to look at them from a different angle and notice the reddest parts of their skin or the size and texture of their seeds.
Oh, and maybe I ought to write an ode to dates. They count as fruit, right? And they’re delicious.
In the meantime, enjoy this poem by John Malone. I don’t think I’ll look at figs the same way again. *smile*
You may have read the original The Hundred and One Dalmatians (I’ve listened to the audiobook version myself. It’s good, by the way.), but did you know there’s a picture book version for five to eight-year-olds? Check out my review on this book, featured on Jennifer Hallmark’s blog.
There’s a new young adult book coming, full of phoenix flames!
Kara Swanson, author of the Peter Pan retellings Dust and Shadow, will release this story August 20, 2024.
Summary:
Can Mara survive in a world where the fire in her veins is worth killing for?
In a frozen wasteland suffocating beneath a dying sun, Mara is a young phoenix raised by her father to explode at his command. He’s the only one who can help her control her fire, and Mara desperately follows his orders to protect their phoenix family from relentless human hunters.
Her sheltered existence is shattered when her family mysteriously vanishes, thrusting Mara into a perilous quest to find them. Along the way, she unravels a devastating truth: her people may not be the innocent victims she’s been taught to believe.
When she comes face-to-face with the kindhearted Eli, she begins to wonder if the humans aren’t the monsters she’s always feared. What if the greatest danger doesn’t lie in the icy world outside—but in the truth of who Mara really is?
To preorder your copy, here’s the link:
Take a look at this fiery cover. 🙂
May you have a fun day today, spending it with friends and loved ones. Here are a few picture books, read by various YouTubers, that celebrate the holiday of love. Not just romantic love, but all kinds of love.
Here Comes Valentine Cat, written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Claudia Rueda
“I know he’s a dog. Maybe he’s a nice dog.”
Read (or watch) this book to see if Cat befriends his new neighbor.
A Charlie Brown Valentine by Charles M. Schultz
“Charlie Brown is too scared. ‘She’s something, and I’m nothing,’ he explains. ‘If I were something and she were nothing, I could talk to her. Or if she were something and I were something. Or if she were nothing and I were nothing—’
‘You know, Charlie Brown, for a nothing, you’re really something!’ Linus says.”
Will Charlie Brown ever tell the little red-headed girl he likes her? Find out in this book.
Note: Don’t tell your friends that your dog is really a kid in a costume. It won’t work.
If You Were My Valentine, written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by Jennifer L. Meyer.
“If you were my valentine, there’s something you should hear. You would be my valentine…EVERY day of the year.”
I shared this book with you in a past blog post, and it’s worth mentioning again. Look at all the gorgeous illustrations.
In the spirit of my work-in-progress, The Galdur Snow Dog, here’s a video of cute husky puppies. The dogs in my book are more like Malamutes, but huskies are similar, right?
The main character in my story is a magic, Malamute-like dog named Joy. She starts out as a little pup, then she grows into a teenager and finally an adult. Aah, the sweetness of growing up.
The dogs in this video are ordinary huskies, but imagine if they’re like my fictional dogs. That is, dogs who can sneeze colors into the snow, run across water, and smell like vanilla peppermint. Oh, and some of them are cherry-red and gold-speckled white, while others are deep blue and silver.
Thank you, North Yuki Husky, for sharing your doggies on your channel.
For all of you who have looked at my beta copy of The Galdur Snow Dog, this Wednesday is the last day to submit your input to my email. Don’t you love it when I keep reminding you? 🙂
Again, thank you for your help. You are very much appreciated.
Hi, all.
To all of you who are reading my manuscript of The Galdur Snow Dog, thank you very much! If you haven’t sent your input to me yet, don’t forget to send it no later than January 31. 🙂
Which of these books do you want to read? I want to read Fortress of Snow by Melanie Dickerson, and I would try out the adventure in The Architect by Jonathan Starrett. If you’ve visited my other blog posts, you may have seen me post Allen’s review on Starrett’s story.
Here’s a prayer activity that’s great for any Christian, young and old. You write prayer requests on cards, complete with photos of people and things you’re praying for. Keep them in a box, then pull the cards out as reminders on who or what needs prayer.
Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Magazine has the directions on how to make these artistic cards. Check it out here:
Hi, all. I hope you are all enjoying 2024 so far.
Throughout this year, I’m giving sneak peeks of my story-in-progress. It’s a middle grade novel called The Galdur Snow Dog, and the main character is—that’s right—a dog. Only this dog has golden sparkles in her fur, can sneeze colors into snow, and run across water.
The dog’s name is Joy. She starts out as a puppy on the island Galdur, then gets taken by humans who sell her to a human family on the island Brinnacla. The family owns a tailoring business, and they need Snow Dogs to pull their sled for transporting tailored clothes. Joy can talk, though her words are garbled at first (if you’re familiar with how huskies and Malamutes vocalize, you would have an idea what that sounds like). But when the family sprays Velvet Maple Sap at her, she speaks human (though she starts out talking with a toddler’s lisp).
This video I found captures how I’d imagine her speech sounding like before the Velvet Maple Sap. Video is from the channel Floofin Fools.
What is Joy’s personality like? Her passion in life is to have fun and eat yummy treats. She’s a go-getter when she wants to be, and as long as she gets rewarded with a toy or a treat, she’ll do what you ask her. However, she is expressive about her dislikes, and the following video is how I’d like to picture Joy the puppy when she’s having a fit (though she uses more words than this video’s puppy, ha-ha). Thank you, Dylan Anderson, for the laughs.
If you’re bored this January, there’s still time to beta read a copy of The Galdur Snow Dog. Click on the link to learn more. The deadline for sharing your input is January 31.
K.A. Ramstad 