Storyteller's Journey

VOTE - Make Your Voice Heard!

If you're of voting age, the time to vote is now. (If you're a younger person, tell the adults in your life to vote!) The office of U.S. President is not the only item on this year's ballot. Depending on what state you reside in, there are numerous other candidates and issues for which to cast your vote. Women and minorities fought and sacrificed so much for the right to vote. The least we can do as U.S. citizens is to honor them by voting. There is too much at stake this year not to.

I voted over a week ago.

Storyteller's Journey

 Family Ties

In the past I've mentioned the balance I employ to juggle my work as a writer and my life as a wife, mother, and daughter. Well, now I'm blessed to add another role to the mix: Grandmother!

While I've shared the extraordinary news of my granddaughter's arrival on a few other social media sites, I've not mentioned it here on Writ of Whimsy. 

Adeline Joy Zimmerman was born on October 2, 2024. She and her parents - our son and daughter-in-law, David & Jessica - are all doing well.

Needless to say, we are all overwhelmed with gratitude, love, and joy for this little bundle of magic!

Prior to Adeline's arrival, David and Jessica took a "babymoon" in Seattle. We are so proud of them for the way they have taken on the responsibilities of being great parents!

Becoming grandparents was something that we thought might never happen. However, we are so glad it did! Michael and I already have plans to introduce Adeline to the woodland countryside around our home, as well as to literature, art, and music.

It's interesting how Adeline's presence in my own heart has invigorated and inspired my writing. With all that's going on in our world, she has brought a bright light to our little corner of the country.

At nearly the same time Adeline was arriving, my mother took a terrible fall that left her with a broken hip and shoulder. So last week I flew to Arizona to see her. While I was there, I also saw my son Kevin. My mother and son are like two peas in a pod! It was wonderful to see my mom recovering so well. And since Kevin has now returned to South America, it was great to see him again before he left.

While I was in Phoenix, I stayed with my brother and his wife, Kim. They are always so generous with their hospitality. Sadly, I failed to photograph my brother, D.J., my niece, Emma, and my nephew, Joseph, who I also enjoyed seeing!

With all the excitement for the branch of the family that lives on the West Coast, it's been difficult to keep in touch with our youngest son Brian, who still lives in New Jersey. Thankfully, he'll be home in a few weeks to meet Adeline and to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of us.

Brian loves to cook, so I'm hoping he'll help out with the turkey - since I've never claimed to be much of a cook!

Now that I'm back home and things are beginning to settle down (before they ramp up again for the holidays!), I've made good progress on the second novel in my fantasy children's book series.

If you live in the Portland OR/Vancouver WA metro area, I'd love to see you next Friday! P.S. That's my brother's pool, not mine. 😀

Storyteller's Journey

Fight for the Freedom to Read!

While I usually attempt to be a peacemaker, a few things can get me pretty riled up: like banning books!
As a mother, part of me sort of understands the concerns about the type of books my child reads. However, I cannot for the life of me understand why other parents feel it's their duty to ban my children (grandchild) from certain books. Fighting for this freedom right now reminds me of other freedoms that are currently being challenged.

The freedom to read is no less important than other freedoms we cherish. Think about it: Having an authority tell a child what she can and cannot read is a backdoor way of brainwashing. History tells us how that went last time!

Tomorrow libraries across the country are sponsoring a "day of action." Click here to learn more. Ultimately, the freedom to read may be settled at the ballot box, so be sure to vote!

"He who destroys a good book, kills reason itself."

John Milton

Storyteller's Journey

A Fantasy World

Since I live in the corner of the country made famous by Bigfoot, vampires, and werewolves, it's not surprising that when I began to write, I wrote fantasy stories, and still do.
Public Domain Photo

Writing (and reading) can not only be a form of entertainment, but a way of escaping a world too difficult to deal with - like the one we live in right now. For the most part, I try to stay out of the current chaos. It's not that I'm sticking my head in the sand during these tumultuous times, it's just that after a while, listening to the constant rhetoric reminds me of children saying, "You did it first!" However, I find the recent racial bent to the rhetoric, deplorable. This is not the example the young people of our country should be seeing! If adults act like this, how do we expect the leaders of tomorrow to act? Our youth are the future fabric of our nation. Will it be strong, or will it be torn apart?

This was, in part, my motivation for the protagonist of my middle grade novel to bring an era of peace to the world. It's sad to think that that idea would be set in the plot of a fantasy novel, but here we are. Maybe, by some miracle, my middle grade fantasy series - The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle - will not only entertain young readers, but might introduce them to iconic historic figures, customs and cultures of different countries, and might plant a seed in their minds as to a better way to understand different types of people. We'll see...

(I'll be away from Writ of Whimsy for a few weeks. See you soon!)

Storyteller's Journey

Autumn's Arrival!

As I've mentioned many times on this blog, autumn is my favorite season! While that might seem strange to folks who know I live in the Pacific Northwest with its infamous rains, it's true.

This season with its cold, crisp air and colorful leaves, reminds me of my school days so long ago. It also triggers me to begin writing again in earnest.

Click here for my most recent quarterly author newsletter.

If you live in the PNW, I'd love to see you at my upcoming book event!

Wishing each of you a fantastic fall season!

Storyteller's Journey

New Book Cover Reveal!

Last June I posted about the cover art for my next novel; well, here it is, and I absolutely love it! Nimbus Over Normandy is the second novel in The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle Series. While it won't be released until next year, I thought you'd enjoy seeing the cover. Below is the flap copy description of my new middle grade fantasy novel. (Original Art by Michael Lindstrom Copyright 2024)
 

Livvi, Caden, and Mia have barely returned to Chilcott's Academy of Creativity for a new school year before the magical and mysterious again confront them. Lord Abaddon has assigned the demise of Livvi Biddle to a new antagonist: the shrewd female agent, Lilith. In addition to the threat posed by that dark angel, the three friends encounter an enigmatic neighbor in the form of Mrs. Dinwiddie, who bestows a peculiar prophecy upon Livvi. However, it is the three girls' unexpected trip back in time where they meet an iconic artist in his French country home that presents a truly colossal problem to their survival. Livvi and her pals desperately search for a path back to the present, while dealing with the customs of the past, all as time is slipping away!

Creating and publishing a novel independently is not for the faint of heart. I couldn't do it without the efforts of my creative team! Many thanks to Kriston Clark of Tattered Page Ink for her incredible cover and book formatting. You're the best! (As always, I owe a big debt to my editor son, Kevin Zimmerman, and my artist husband, Michael Lindstrom, for their extraordinary contributions.)

Stay tuned for updates of my path to publication!

Storyteller's Journey

Sights of Summer 

The summer of 2024 proved to be productive as well as entertaining. The photo on the left is from my visit to Cannon Beach, Oregon last month.

One of my favorite things to do each summer is to enjoy a beautiful nature setting while reading, as my husband sets up his easel and paints plein air. Our trip to the Oregon Coast was particularly enjoyable this year!

Since we live in an extraordinary setting, at the base of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, there's never a shortage of beauty next to our home. We love sharing our property with several black-tailed deer.

I'm grateful to live in the PNW where there's no shortage of nature settings that have been set aside for the enjoyment of its people. (Salmon-Morgan Creeks Natural Area.)

We also journeyed to the center of Washington State, specifically to our state's capital of Olympia. Since my cousin lives north of there, and we live south, it makes a great destination to meet for lunch.

We enjoyed most of these sights in August. June and July were spent doing yardwork and landscaping. It's always exciting when fall returns; I treat it like the beginning of school and again begin writing in earnest! 

Stay tuned for more Writ of Whimsy blog posts coming soon!