Whimsical Word of the Week

Sonder - (n.)

the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Example: One day while volunteering, the young man had a sonder of the uniqueness of those he'd helped.

Bibliophile's Corner

The Last Mapmaker

by Christina Soontornvat

Flap Copy Description:

Sai has a secret.

As Assistant to Mangkon's most celebrated mapmaker, Paiyoon Wongyai, she plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a low-life con man - and in a kingdom where the status of your ancestors dictates your social position, no one can know that Sai's connection to the past is a single tarnished link. So when Sai is given an opportunity to join Paiyoon on an expedition to chart the southern seas, she jumps at her chance to sever that link and start a new life.

Soon she realizes that there is more to the expedition than meets the eye and that she's not the only one on board who has secrets. When she learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands - a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagination - she has to decide exactly what she's willing to risk to chase after her dreams. 

My Thoughts:

I found Ms. Soontornvat's new middle grade novel to be imaginative and unique. Whenever there's a female protagonist, I tend to be a bit more excited to read the book; Sai didn't let me down! Additionally, The Last Mapmaker is a novel that will inspire readers to be true to themselves and follow their dreams. I highly recommend this book to readers aged eight to twelve!

Click here to learn about author, Christina Soontornvat.

Storyteller's Journey

Claude Monet's home in Giverny - 2014

A Writing Update

Since my husband and I continue to upgrade our "new" home - and as I continue to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago - my daily writing routine had been pushed off track. 

But recently, I've been inspired to put my writing as top priority once again, so I thought I'd post an update on my current work in progress.

As I've mentioned on this blog numerous times, I've completed a middle grade time-travel novel some time ago; it is the first book in a proposed series. Each novel sets my protagonist in a different country and meeting a famous inspirational character. (The first novel found my protagonist in England, and meeting Winston Churchill.) So, while I continue to query literary agents for the first book, I've decided to begin drafting the second novel in the series which is set in France, and in which Livvi Biddle and her friends meet Claude Monet at his home.

When we visited Giverny in the Normandy region of France in 2014, I took copious notes. (When we returned home, I continued my research by reading several books on Claude Monet and his home and gardens.)

So, now all these years later, I am finally ready to put pen to paper to create the second book in my Livvi Biddle series. While I've outlined the entire seven book series - and roughly outlined this book set in France - it's been exciting to find myself back in the time-travel world I created and to spend time with my characters - my old friends.

I had thought I'd wait to write this story until the first book was published. However, I now believe I should just proceed with the second book and maintain my momentum.

Wish me luck, as I go back in time to converse with Claude Monet!

Whimsical Word of the Week

Rame - (adj.)

something that is both joyful and chaotic at the same time.

Example: Giving birth to her first child was a rame experience for the young mother.

Bibliophile's Corner

Osmo Unknown 

and the Eightpenny Woods

by Catherynne M. Valente

Flap Copy Description:

Osmo Unknown hungers for the world beyond his small town. With the life that Littlebridge society has planned for him, the only taste Osmo will ever get is his visits to the edge of Fourpenny Woods where his mother hunts. Until the unthinkable happens: his mother accidentally kills a Quidnink, a fearsome and intelligent creature who lives deep in the woods.

None of this should have anything to do with poor Osmo, except that a treaty was once formed between the Quidninx and the people of Littlebridge that neither group would harm the other. Now that a Quidnunk is dead, as the firstborn child of the hunter who killed her, Osmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods - the mysterious kingdom where all forest creatures go when they die - and make amends. Accompanied by a very rude half-badger, half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl called Never, Osmo will need all his bravery and cleverness to survive the magic of the Eightpenny Woods to save his town...and make it out alive.

My Thoughts:

Award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente has done it again; Osmo Unknown is the latest in her long list of fantasy creations - I loved it! Her dark fairy tale takes the reader on a wild and imaginative journey, where strange beasts abound! I highly recommend this middle grade novel to readers aged eight to twelve.

Storyteller's Journey

Under the Umbrella

Though I'm a Pacific Northwesterner through and through, using an umbrella is something I rarely do. However, the phrase "under the umbrella" is something I think of quite often. Especially in relation to how my writing fits into my life as a whole.

Many years ago, when I was in a very dark period of my life, a wise person gave me some invaluable advice: "You need more parts in your daily routine that pertain not only to your family, but things that pertain to you - personally. Friends, interests... possibly, a new profession. You need more under your umbrella." I took that advice and found a way through the darkness to see that an entire new life was waiting for me.

Since that time, writing has become my new profession. And though it doesn't pay as well as my former occupation, I've never been happier. However, part of the reason I'm so content is that I have always remembered to have several interests under the umbrella of my life. Beyond my family and friends, I enjoy hobbies: time in the out of doors, traveling, music, reading, and a passion for a variety of the arts.

So, while this blog is about children's literature, from time to time you may notice topics that don't quite fit into that category. 

But they do fit under the umbrella of my life.

Whimsical Word of the Week

Liberosis - (n.)

the desire to care less about things - to loosen your grip on your life.

Example: The new father felt a sense of liberosis welling up inside his soul, as the love for his infant son seemed to replace his own concerns.