Storyteller's Journey

Update on Livvi Biddle

As I continue to revise the manuscript for Book 3 of The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle, I also composed a flap copy description. I thought those of you who are interested in my journey as a writer might find it interesting. The time-travel portion of the middle grade novel is set in Venice, Italy. Here's the current description of A Vigil in Venice:

Traveling back in time to 18th Century Venice, Italy, turned out to be a more menacing experience than Livvi Biddle ever expected! While the girls from Chilcott's Academy of Creativity did meet Antonio Vivaldi (the famous composer and violinist) as they'd planned, what they didn't plan was to become permanent residents of the Ospedale della Pietà - an orphanage! Meanwhile, the Legion of Dark Angels were still on the hunt for Livvi Biddle; they caused havoc to the Biddle household by intimidating Sadie and Granny to reveal Livvi's whereabouts...with truly disastrous consequences. Will the girls from Steamboat Landing escape the Venetian orphanage? Can the Dark Angels be successfully dealt with? Trouble seems to follow Livvi and her pals whether they're in the present or the past!

When I traveled to Europe in 2014, Venice, Italy, was one of my favorite cities. Of all the places we visited and researched that summer, it was the spot that seemed to hold its history the most. It was as though I had stepped back in time like my protagonist! From the Venetian Lagoon to St. Mark's Square, to the extraordinary architecture, the beauty is otherworldly.  

Stay tuned for more updates, including the cover art!

Storyteller's Journey

What the World Needs Now...

Since the beginning of 2026, there have been a number of significant stories in the news - most of them negative. However, witnessing Americans defend Bad Bunny, support Savannah Guthrie's search for her missing mom, and donate to World Central Kitchen to help Gaza, have all, at least the for the moment, reminded me of the power of love.

Enjoy this timeless song from Jackie DeShannon in 1965:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Storyteller's Journey

My 15th Blogiversary!

Fifteen years ago this week, I began Writ of Whimsy. This is the photo I featured with my first blog post back in February 2011. In the ensuing years I've had six children's books published, moved to another town, become a grandmother, traveled to numerous countries, survived cancer, and lost loved ones. So much has happened in those fifteen years.
 

That being said, so much has remained the same. Spending time in nature is still the main inspiration for my writing. Moving to our rural property - Fern Hill - nearly five years ago, was a dream come true. During these challenging times I find refuge amongst the tall evergreen trees that surround our home.

I've learned so much about life from the beautiful black-tailed deer that live on our property. Their simple and peaceful lives remind me that contentment is found with family, friends, and Mother Nature.

To mark this anniversary milestone for my blog, I've donated to Kids for Peace. Given the dark days we're all living through right now, I felt I wanted to focus on a global organization whose mission is peace.

Storyteller's Journey

This is Not a Dystopian Novel

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley; 1984, by George Orwell; and It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis, are three of the most well-known dystopian novels of the 20th Century.

Lest we forget, here is the definition of Dystopian:

An imagined, often futuristic society characterized by dehumanization, oppression, fear, and misery, where life is as bad as possible.

That being made clear, what we all are living through, particularly in Minneapolis, is not a dystopian novel. The abhorrent killing, violence, lawlessness, disrespect, and chaos is really occurring, though it feels like a nightmare from which we're unable to awaken. 

For my younger followers, here are two young adult dystopian novels:

"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth." William Faulkner 

Storyteller's Journey

An illustration by Michael Lindstrom from The Scandinavian Santa

When Fantasy Meets Reality

Last fall, my husband and I booked a trip to Scandinavia. We had hoped to take it in 2023 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, but cancer intervened.

So, we'll be visiting Denmark, Sweden, and Norway for fifteen days in late spring. We also want to research our ancestral roots - mine in Norway and Michael's in Sweden. A final reason for the trip is that the fourth book in my middle grade fantasy series takes place, at least in part, in Sweden. I look forward to researching Varnhem Abbey.

What began as an exciting adventure to anticipate, has now turned into a situation that we must monitor. The current state of affairs with Denmark, Greenland, and our other NATO Allies, has us cautious about visiting that extraordinary corner of the world. So far, I've been able to conduct research in the featured country for each of my books in The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle. Seeing a sign on the news, "Yankee Go Home!" is quite disconcerting...but totally understandable.
 

Storyteller's Journey

A Bookworm from Way Back!

Over the winter holiday, I took a trip down memory lane. I finally went through all the photographs I obtained from my mother's estate after her death a year ago. This one pictures me at my maternal grandmother's home when I was five years old. It's the only childhood photo taken of me reading. (At least as far as I know.) Since my grandmother was the one who taught me to read at the age of four, this photo is precious to me.

Over the holiday I also caught up on my TBR list. This middle grade novel, The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen, is well worth your time. It was a Newbery Honor Book in 2014 and was written with a beautiful lyrical language that made it feel like listening to an older person telling a story fireside. A lovely, heartfelt tale.

I highly recommend The Winter Room to readers aged eight to eighty!

I also read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, like so many other adults this winter! Many times, I'm disappointed when I read a popular novel, not this time. This fantastic book is written in epistolary style, which makes it even more intriguing to read. Learning about the characters, their history, and ultimately the plot of the novel through letters - by Sybil Van Antwerp - is a wonderful way to take in the story. It felt a bit like finding a bunch of my mother's old letters in her attic and piecing together her history. I highly recommend The Correspondent to readers 18 & up!

Wishing you a Happy New Year... of reading!

Storyteller's Journey

Honoring Renee Nicole Good

After the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good on Tuesday, it didn't take long for the narrative to become political. In the process, the life of Ms. Good was lost in the rhetoric. When I looked into who this woman was, I learned that she was a mother, a writer, and a graduate of Old Dominion University. After discovering that, I penned a simple poem in her honor. 
Photo: Renee Nicole Good/Public

Ode to Renee

She was a writer, a poet, a mother of three,

in that regard she was a lot like me.

But when Renee drove out on the street that day

she was shot in her car trying to drive away.

An American citizen who tried to do right, 

has now too soon entered the kingdom of light.

Godspeed to you, dear brave Renee, 

may Eternity allow us to meet one day.

V.L.

Rest in peace, Renee Nicole Good