Storyteller's Journey

Objects in our Lives, 
Objects in our Stories

As I continue to mourn the passing of my mother, I've found that I find comfort in looking at some of the objects she passed on to me. This old copy of the children's book, Heidi, is the actual book I first read as a child. My mom said, "this is the first big girl book you're going to read - take care of it." (It doesn't look like I heeded her instructions!)

Consequently, this book is one of my most prized possessions. It was given to my mom by her first-grade teacher, when my mom was in fifth grade, in 1945. Little did Emily Elfstrom realize at the time, that eighty years later Sheila's daughter would hold the book so close to her heart.

That's the thing about keepsake possessions; their true value is always given to them by the humans that own them. We cherish them for the memories they conjure up and the people they bring to mind, not for their monetary value. It's almost like they hold a bit of our loved ones within their substance. In a strange way, they're like J.K. Rowling's horcruxes, only in a super positive light.

When I first began to write my series, The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle, I realized that I wanted to include special objects in my story for a similar reason. An antique locket, an old tome, and a sibylline scroll. Objects give an authenticity to our tales, especially if they're close to our protagonist. (If they're magical, all the better!)

This Japanese jewelry box is another object my mother gave to me. My father brought it back to Coronado, CA (where I was later born) from Okinawa when he was in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. My mother loved it.

Keepsake objects have a way of holding our loved ones near to us. 

What objects do you cherish?

Storyteller's Journey

A Moment to Mourn

It's been three weeks since I last posted anything here on Writ of Whimsy. In that short amount of time, my family buried my mother, there's been a terrorist attack in New Orleans, unprecedented urban fires hit Los Angeles, and yesterday our nation said goodbye to an extraordinary public servant, the 39th  President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. 
(Roses in Blue Vase by Michael Lindstrom - 20 X 16 Oil on panel. Not for sale.)

It seems that tragic events are to be our lot, at least for a time. For anyone that is having trouble dealing with it all, I would share this:

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love." Washington Irving

To fully recover, we must express our grief through mourning.

Storyteller's Journey

Season's Greetings!

There's so much for which to be thankful for this holiday season. For me it's all about friends and family. However, I've also experienced the pain of recently losing my mother, Sheila Cardon. (Winter Pond - 12 X 16 oil on panel by Michael Lindstrom)

Therefore, I'll be away from my blog for the next few weeks. I'll be back on Writ of Whimsy in January.

Click here to read my recent quarterly newsletter.

Wishing you and yours the love, joy, and peace of the season!

Storyteller's Journey

Work in Progress Update

Just this week, I completed the first draft of Nimbus Over Normandy, the second novel in The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle. After the holidays, I'll begin the arduous task of revising and editing. Then, sometime in February or March, I'll send my transcript to my editor. By the time he's completed his edits, it will be spring. While he's got my transcript, I'll begin outlining the third novel in the series. Right now, it feels good to take a break, do some reading, and enjoy the holidays. Cocoa anyone? 

Below is the flap copy description of Nimbus Over Normandy:

Livvi, Caden, and Mia have barely returned to Chilcott's Academy of Creativity for a new year before the magical and the mysterious again confront them. Lord Abaddon gas assigned the demise of Livvi Biddle to a new antagonist: the shrewd 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 on Livvi. However, it is the 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!

Storyteller's Journey

A Bit of My Hometown History

After the war of 1812 the British-owned Hudson Bay Company controlled the Oregon Country which includes my hometown of Vancouver, WA.

Two hundred years ago, in 1824, the HBC headquarters was moved from Astoria, Oregon, to the north bank of the Columbia River, in what is now Vancouver, WA, USA. Fort Vancouver was a bustling hub of commerce during the early 1800's. The British plan was that south of the river would be United States territory and north would be British territory. However, the Treaty of 1846 made that area part of what is now Washington and Oregon. The ties to the British, the military, and the diverse culture that was prevalent during the time of the Hudson Bay Company is still felt in many ways in this area, both big and small.

One way is in the paranormal phenomena that permeates this community. After the Treaty of 1846 it didn't take long for the United States Army to establish a major garrison near Fort Vancouver. Ghosts from that time linger in the Vancouver Barracks, as well as Officers Row in the Vancouver National Historic Reserve District. The oldest house on Officers Row is the Grant House - with its numerous ghosts!

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Ghost Tour at the historic Grant House, presented by author and historian, Jefferson Davis. Jeff has been investigating ghost hauntings and writing ghost stories for decades. Since my current work in progress is a middle grade fantasy series that includes a scene set at the Grant House, I was anxious to hear about the presence of ghosts at the historic site. Learning that the Grant House has numerous reports of the presence of several ghosts, was exciting!

The day after the Ghost Tour at the Grant House, Mr. Davis had a book event not far from where I live, so my husband and I set out to purchase one of his books. Vancouver USA Ghosts Volume I is a fantastic resource of all kinds of paranormal activity in our community! While I was aware of many spooky stories and tales set in this region, I had no idea of just how prevalent the presence of ghosts in Vancouver, WA really was. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, since it's the oldest town in the state of Washington. (Dating back to British rule.)

Many thanks to author-historian, Jefferson Davis. He has a unique style of being curious and open-minded, while not accepting evidence without his due diligence. If you're interested in learning more about this author, check out his website: www.jeffdavisghostguy.com 

On a side note, several years ago my fine artist husband, Michael Lindstrom, painted the Grant House. It's in a collection in the Hudson Building in downtown Vancouver, WA 

The Grant House 24 X 36 Oil on canvas by Michael Lindstrom. 

Storyteller's Journey

Season of Gratitude

Each year at this time I usually post something about gratitude, thankfulness, or even just about my Thanksgiving holiday. To be honest, sometimes my posts feel similar to those of previous years.

But not this year. This year my heart is full of genuine gratitude and an over-abundance of joy after an extremely difficult 2023. 

At this time last year, I had just had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and had begun preventative chemotherapy treatment. While I labored to keep a stiff upper lip, the truth was that most days I didn't get out of bed. When I was able to move around a bit, my days looked nothing like my previous life. It was discouraging, depressing, and even frightening. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, while I did have a middle grade novel published in the fall of 2023, I was unable to have a book event or promote it much at all. However, at that time my mind was on more serious matters, like whether I was going to survive or not. I'm still not out of the woods but will take my quarterly and annual checkups in stride as best I can.

Fast forward to 2024. By March I had not only completed my chemotherapy treatment but had learned that my son and daughter-in-law were expecting their first child. (My first grandchild.) As each month passed this year, I could feel myself getting stronger. By the end of summer, I nearly felt like my old self. By October, I was thrilled to welcome my granddaughter, Adeline Joy, into our lives. I was able to have a belated book event earlier this month, and just last week learned from my oncologist, that my quarterly blood work looks good.

While I always have much to be grateful for, 2024 has been something special. Spending Thanksgiving Day with family this year is something I'll always cherish. As the phrase goes, "my cup runneth over."

Hope each of you has a happy holiday weekend!

Storyteller's Journey

From Time to Time

Being a person with a passion for both fantasy and history, it makes sense that I gravitated towards writing time travel into my current work in progress. Historical/fantasy fiction requires research, which I thoroughly enjoy.

When an author delves into time travel as her genre (or part of it), she must establish rules. When you research what other authors' rules for time travel have been, the only true similarity is that they all stay consistent to the rules that they set. How does the time travel occur? How does the main character travel to a specific time or place? 

And on and on...

Researching time travel in general, and not specific people or places, was the most difficult for me. (Science was never my strongest subject!) It required that I study (at least a bit) of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. 

His theories on time include:

1- Time is relative: The rate at which time passes depends on your frame of reference. For example, time passes more slowly for an object in motion than when it is at rest.

2- Time is not absolute: The perception that a second is always a second everywhere in the universe is not true.

3- Time is an illusion: The distinction between past present, and future is only an illusion.

4- Time judgments are based on simultaneity: Judgments of time are based on judgments of what happens at the same time.

5- Time is a construct: Our brains construct a sense of time as if it were flowing from our experience with rhythmic phenomena.

The third theory mentioned that time is an illusion, is like music to my ears. Then, when you add Arthur C. Clarke's quote: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" adds to the thought that maybe, just maybe, time travel is actually possible! (This idea assists me as I'm writing to make my story more believable.)

A paraphrased version of Arthur C. Clarke's quote is "Magic is just science we haven't yet discovered."