Scribblings Blog

Following My Muse

2/1/2023

I was thrilled when Gerald and the Wee People started getting good reviews. Folks told me they enjoyed the book. At the time, I was involved in several authors' groups on Facebook, and we did a lot of mutual sharing, blog hopping, reviews, and boosting each other's morale. I know; a lot of my writer friends left those great reviews just because we were friends instead of being totally objective and brutally honest.

However, some people seemed to enjoy the story and suggested turning Wee People into a series. I was willing to give it a shot and sat at the computer to begin the second book.

Nothing happened. My muse refused to cooperate.

At the time, many distractions kept me from concentrating on my writing, one of which was the possibility of purchasing another home. I had inherited some money, and we thought a new house would make a good investment. Plus, it was fun touring houses and imagining Bob and me making a fresh start. One afternoon, we looked at a small mobile home that did not impress me at all, but I fell in love with the name of the street – Bo-K Lane.

My muse loved it too, and the story started flowing. As soon as we were home, she lured me to my little cubby hole of an office, and the first chapter of House on Bo-Kay Lane wrote itself.

As I've said before, I'm a pantser. I cannot plot out or outline a story. Mainly because I have no idea what will happen from one chapter to the next. That's what makes writing so exciting – the thrill of discovering the twists and turns in the plot after I’ve written it. I recall reading over a chapter I'd just completed. In the final sentence, Gerald realized the mysterious stranger lurking inside an enchanted mirror was actually himself. What? I couldn't believe it!

I asked myself if I really meant that, and where in the world was I supposed to go from there? The following day, my muse continued the tale as if there was no problem.

Unlike the two to three years it took to write Gerald and the Wee People, book two completed itself in a couple of months. House on Bo-Kay Lane continues Gerald and Vernon's adventures with the Wee People. But instead of the boys transporting to the village of the wee people, strange things start happening at an old abandoned house in their own neighborhood. Ghostly images of familiar faces gazing out the windows begin to appear, and images of their friends begging for help haunt their dreams. Their nighttime visitations compel the reluctant teens to investigate the dilapidated house. What they uncover fuses the Wee People, a magic mirror, parallel universes, and two Geralds into a tale of mystery and difficult truths no one wants to believe.

Excerpt from House on Bo-Kay Lane
Vernon couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, visions of the house on Bo-Kay Lane flashed through his mind.

Did Gerald actually see Alyson and Sheela? Sheela, maybe. She's been to this world before. Alyson? No way. What would an apprentice firestarter be doing here? Unless the little busybody started messing with something she shouldn't have. Now that, I'd believe. Alyson could get into trouble without even trying.

Vernon reconsidered his last thoughts. Nah, that's impossible. They're both back in the far-seers compound in the Wee People village. Heck, Gerald must've been daydreaming about the friends we haven't seen in almost a year. Mulling over the past, Vernon realized he sort of missed them, too. Before he let himself go too far down the rabbit hole, he said aloud, "Nah, it was just Gerald's imagination."

After tossing and turning and beating his pillow into submission for a few more minutes, Vernon went to sleep. In his dreams, a voice called out his name. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't match it with a name.

Snatches of strange images popped in and out of his head — a full-length mirror in a very fancy frame, footprints across a dusty floor, a hand reaching out towards him, and the back of someone's head. Unable to escape the visions, Vernon gave up any thought of restful sleep and sat up, totally exhausted.

Even though he was on summer break from school and usually slept in, he reluctantly dressed and exited the house through his bedroom window.

Gerald was already awake when he heard the tapping on his bedroom window. He'd had weird dreams, too. Vernon crawled through the window. The boys sat on the side of his bed. After sharing their dreams with each other, they tried to figure out why they both shared the same visions.
***
Hopefully, a third book in the Wee People series will be coming out in 2023. That is, if I can get my muse to cooperate.

Available at Amazon.com
Print
https://www.amazon.com/House-Bo-Kay-Lane-Wee-People/dp/1481214810

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AJUEXBS/

Universal link
http://viewbook.at/houseonbokaylane

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Greta-Burroughs/e/B003N3F5AQ

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My Time Travel & Psychic Mysteries Journey [Sharon Ledwith]

1/25/2023

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The journey to publication wasn’t easy for me. In fact, it took me a great deal of time and effort to get to where I am now. So, let’s go back to 1995 when I got bitten by the writing bug during a Planning Your Novel college workshop I attended just for fun. One of the exercises I volunteered for still sticks in my mind. The teacher handed me three pennies, and I had to throw them into a waste basket one at a time. I managed to get all three coins in, shooting at different angles and distances. My teacher, Tom Arnett—a NYT bestselling author—was surprised at my luck because the norm was usually two pennies in. He explained that getting all the pennies in would suggest your (writing) goals would be too easy because the person threw them from a close distance. On the flipside, one penny in (throwing too far away) suggested having unrealistic expectations/goals about a career in writing.

You could say that this penny exercise set the bar for me, and gave me some hope in a field I knew absolutely nothing about. I ended up taking Tom’s night course, Starting your Novel, and from there the writing games began.

Trying to get published looked something like this:

Write a book (a shapeshifter paranormal romance) which took about 2 years, including research and learning the basics. Lots of sweat equity!
Attended a workshop where I met an agent, and handed her a query and outline, which piqued her interest. Our relationship vacillated for four years until we decided to go our separate ways.
Around 1998, I had a dream about seven Mayan-like arches. I saw five kids and two adults with crystals in their hands, walking toward these arches. It definitely had an Indiana Jones feel. So, I thought I’d challenge myself to write a young adult time travel series based on that dream, and called it The Last Timekeepers.
Had some luck with The Last Timekeepers when an agency and publishers showed interest. However, their interest was short-lived. Rejection, rejection, and more rejection.
In 2003, we sold our graphic trade business and house, and moved to our renovated cottage. There, I started a teen psychic mystery series entitled, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls.
I decided to try my hand as a participant in the 2007 Muskoka Novel Marathon. The idea is to write a novella or novel in three days, and the winner gets a chance at publication. During the course of the marathon, our dog died suddenly and I left, only to return the next day determined to finish writing my manuscript in time to submit. It was truly a bitter-sweet experience.
I needed a break from writing, so as a distraction, I worked as an animal care attendant at the local Animal Shelter for the next fourteen months. I wrote a whole book out of my animal shelter experience, and geared it for my teen psychic mystery series. To this day, I still have an emotional connection to this book because I based my animal characters on many of the real shelter animals I cared for.
In 2011, I decided to investigate eBooks and how to go about publishing them. I learned that many authors were being forced to wear two hats in these changing times; one for business, and one for writing. I started a blog in May 2011 to create an on-line presence.
Then, I entered the 2011 Muskoka Novel Marathon and met two writers who’d just signed publishing contracts. Their good fortune fed the fire within me.
This is where hard work and opportunity collide. One of those writers shared a link on Facebook, which I thought was her publishing company. But it wasn’t. It was the link to a new epublishing company calling for submissions. I sent out my query and got a reply within seven days—Musa Publishing wanted to see my manuscript. Excited, yet not getting my hopes up, I sent my young adult time travel manuscript in. They loved it, but wanted major revisions. I agreed, and they offered me a five book deal. Wow!
I signed the contract September 13th, 2011, with a release date of May 18th, 2012. Plenty of time for rewrites, and plenty of time to learn what’s expected of an author in this new paradigm of publishing.
Time travel to 2015 when Musa Publishing closed their doors permanently. That’s when Mirror World Publishing appeared out of the blue, and opened their doors to me. Not only did they take on The Last Timekeepers series, but in 2017 added Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls to their expanding roster of young adult books. Woohoo!

Update to 2023: I’m happily juggling both series, while balancing my author life with all the promoting and marketing required to succeed in today’s publishing world. I’m truly living the dream! Thanks to Sassy Scribblers for allowing me to share my writing journey with your followers!

Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my young adult series:

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures…
Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.
Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries…
Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with its freakish power. There’s no hope for a normal life, and no one who understands. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go. Until mysterious things start to happen.
Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

Sharon's novels are available here: MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventure series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the award-winning teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, reading, researching, or revising, she enjoys anything arcane, ancient mysteries, and single malt scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her spoiled hubby, and a moody calico cat.

SPECIAL BONUS! Download the free PDF short story The Terrible, Mighty Crystal HERE

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Unraveling Memories From the Past

1/18/2023

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After Book 2 of the Brita Madison Paranormal Mysteries series, I toyed with the idea of its just being a book with a sequel instead of a series. However, a fan of the books hounded me until I succumbed to her protestations. I jest, of course, but her sincere pleas did encourage me to take on Book 3 – Unraveling Memories.

No spoilers, but after what happened at the end of Book 2, Brita Madison is ready to push back from the spirit realm, especially if it involves murders. For four years, this works out well. She and Sam Jenkins, her husband, have moved from Williams to Phoenix, Arizona. She and Linda Olivi, a charter member of their paranormal gang and now married to Roger Dawson, have been working on cases where family members were seeking closure related to a loved one. No chance of danger.

Unfortunately, the spirit realm manages to draw Brita into not one, but ... wait, no spoilers ... more than one murder through Roger Dawson, a state trooper. A detective friend of his, Nate Addison, is accosted by a ghost, much to Nate’s dismay, who wants nothing to do with this spectral nuisance. Roger reaches out to Brita, and once the vibrations lock onto Brita, things escalate. To make things worse after such a long respite, a ghostly nemesis from the past appears, threatening her family. Desperate, Brita reaches out to the spirit realm for help.

After her paranormal friends being warned of the appearance of the nemesis, one of them friends decides to join the fray in Phoenix in case her friends need backup. Plus, being an empty-nester now, she desires a taste of freedom from her somewhat boring husband, so it’s a win-win. After her arrival, the situation gets even more complex, but at least there are three of the paranormal gang on hand to deal with it.

If you haven’t read the other books in the series, grab your copies and start the journey with Brita as the learning curve for her paranormal abilities begins. Then continue on with Unraveling Memories as her world enlarges in ways she never thought possible. Book 4 of the Brita Madison Paranormal Mysteries series is in the hands of my muse at the moment. We’re hoping to have it for you by early 2023.

Available on Amazon.com
Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-Memories-Madison-Paranormal-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07T91CWHC

Paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-Memories-Madison-Paranormal-Mysteries/dp/1075965926

Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Dannye-Williamsen/e/B004KEAFE8

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Honoring My Family’s Memory the Best Way I Know How

1/4/2023

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I’m a very lucky person. I’ve been extremely fortunate in having a wonderful family and happy memories that I treasure.

In my younger days, I could always rely on my parents to fill my needs – not necessarily all my wants – but I never had to go without food, clothes, or shelter. More importantly, their attention, love, and care never wavered, even when I was a pain in the arse.

It wasn’t until members of my family began to pass away that I realized just how much I took them for granted. On Christmas morning in 2006, I decided to honor their memories by writing a story with characters named after my father (Vernon), uncle (Gerald), and brother (Tom). A couple of years later, I added my mom (Allison).

They were gone but would never be forgotten!

Hence, Gerald and the Wee People became my attempt to cherish these special people in a way I thought would make them proud. Over two to three years, my original short story gradually expanded into a fantasy novel for kids ages nine and up. I was freelancing for a couple of newspapers at the time and worked on the manuscript during my “free time.” Needless to say, it was a slow process.

I’m a pantser, so the story remained an open slate for me, developing and coming together as I went along. It was pretty mind-boggling rereading a newly completed chapter and thinking, Gee, where did that come from? Where do I go from here?

I tried to use humor, adventure, and lots of dialogue to impress on the readers the merits of trust, friendship, and working together to achieve a goal. After Gerald and Vernon tumble into the world of the Wee People, they aid the residents in their fight against the misshapen ones while also trying to devise a plan to outsmart a forest god intent on destroying all life.

The boys encounter a mystical far-seer named Sheela, who decrees that the fighting will never end until the boys fulfill an ancient prophecy filled with many dangers and obstacles. Against their better judgment, Gerald and Vernon embark on a quest accompanied by Sheela and five other companions into the volcanic realm of Miach, the forest god. Their task: defeat the demented god and restore peace. However, not everything goes as planned.

Excerpt from Gerald and the Wee People
This time the illusion did not stop when he mentioned the forest god being up to his old tricks because this time, it wasn’t an illusion. The scorching walls blistered their hands. The hot air parched their throats. The sticky floor burned their feet through their shoes. A distant sound like the laughter they had heard earlier echoed through the cave’s passages.

Cian fell to his knees, crying out in pain as the scalding liquid burned his skin. “I can’t go on. Just leave me here to die,” he begged.

Tomas reached out to his brother to help him stand up. It was no use. Both of them were too weak and exhausted. In a weak voice he rasped, “You all go on. I’ll stay with Cian. I can’t go another step anyway.”

No one else said a word. The other boys were too tired to talk, too tired to walk, too tired to care.

This was not supposed to be happening. Gerald did not remember this from his nightmares. Something was wrong. He yelled to whoever was listening, “Did we take a wrong turn or something? Stop it, Miach, stop it! You want me. Leave my friends alone.”

His words just made matters worse. The scampering, unseen creatures came out of nowhere. They did not run past this time. Instead, they scampered back and forth, pinching and biting the legs and arms of Gerald’s companions. For some strange reason, though, the creatures did not bother him.

“Stop it, stop it now,” pleaded Gerald. “Please. I’ll do anything you want, Miach.”

Laughter echoed through the cavern as a voice inside Gerald’s head hissed, “Anything I want, huh?”
***
Be sure to get a copy of Gerald and the Wee People to find out how Gerald and his companions escape from Miach’s volcanic realm.

Available at Amazon.com
Print – https://www.amazon.com/Gerald-Wee-PeopleBookone/dp/
1480210617

Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JKMT0Q

Universal link - http://viewbook.at/geraldandtheweepeople

Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/Greta-Burroughs/e/B003N3F5AQ

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Mary Had a Little Turkey?

1/1/2023

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That’s a pretty strange name for an article, but it did catch your attention, right?

Back in 2019, I answered a call for submissions from Spider Magazine. The editor was looking for a Thanksgiving story suitable for early readers that wasn’t the run-of-the-mill Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving saga.

So, I sent in a manuscript I was sure no one else would duplicate. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving passed, and I never heard anything back. After that disappointing rejection, I forgot all about the article.

A couple of years later, I received an email from Stacey, the editor of Spider, complimenting me on my wonderful children’s story and asking if it was still available.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

Stacey apologized for the delay in contacting me. It took a while for her team to fact-check my article. It seemed no one on her staff had ever heard of Sarah Josepha Hale except as the author of the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

After reading the email several times, I vaguely recalled writing the article but had to dig through my ‘rejected articles’ file before finally finding it. Then, after reading the story, it dawned on me why I liked the piece so much.

Sarah Hale was a fearless activist/author/magazine editor. She spent 36 years writing governors, senators, presidents, and anyone else she could pester on why Thanksgiving should be a national holiday. Finally, in 1863 Abraham Lincoln passed a proclamation declaring the last Thursday in November as a “Day of Thanksgiving and Praise.” Mission accomplished!

That’s how “Mary Had a Little Turkey” came into being. Spider bought the piece and came up with the catchy title.

I wanted to tell you all about this in November but had to wait 60 long days after publication before announcing it. So now, here it is:

“Mary Had a Little Turkey” by Greta Burroughs, published in the November/December issue of Spider Magazine.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:9e47ebab-9a9d-34a4-879c-e08158e52d05

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Finding Buzby Beach by DW Davis

12/28/2022

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My writing journey began when I was twelve years old when my seventh-grade language arts teacher complimented my writing ability. One of the pieces I wrote then was selected for the school literary magazine. It may not seem like a big deal, but that story was my first published work. It took another 35 years before I sat down and started on my first novel.

There were stops and starts along the way. During my first attempt at college, my composition professor encouraged my writing. Years later, after dropping out of school, working dead-end jobs, a hitch in the Army, and returning to school to get a business degree, I took up writing again at the urging of two of my college writing professors.

The story that grew to be my first novel, River Dream, and then the River Dream Trilogy, started as a short story about the time a storm caught my father and me while we were fishing along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. That story wouldn't stop morphing and growing. I kept asking myself questions about the characters' lives before and after the storm. In the end, the original story was edited out of the manuscript.

After the River Dream Trilogy set at Wrightsville Beach, I realized that creating a fictional town would allow me more independence in establishing a setting for my characters. Thus, Buzby Beach was founded.

I located Buzby Beach on an undeveloped island between Wrightsville and Carolina Beaches near Wilmington. The town and its familiar, reappearing characters have grown with each new Buzby Beach book.

The first draft of The Boy from Buzby Beach was my initial attempt to reach the NaNoWriMo Winner's Circle. Also, at my wife's suggestion, some might say insistence, I named the main characters after our family's dog and cat members at the time. Jacques, the main character, was named after my wife's French Brittany. Ginger was named after my youngest son's dog. The veteran of few words, Scout, got his name from my older son's dog. My cat, Joe, lent his name to the man who drove the bakery truck.

A good deal of the story was set inside Jacques's mother's coffee shop. Marie O'Larrity owned and operated what was, during the time The Boy from Buzby Beach took place, the only coffee shop on the island. She called her establishment the Parisian Bean. Marie's family history with the coffee business dates back to French Colonialism in Indochina. Opening a coffee shop after her alcoholic husband abandoned her and three-year-old Jacques was the natural thing for her to do.

My inspiration for the Parisian Bean was Janeen's Majik Beanz in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Over the years, I have spent many hours sipping coffee and writing on my laptop in Majik Beanz during my visits to the beach.

The coffee shop is one of four businesses in a decades-old building along Sound Street, one of the island's three main north-to-south roads. The two-story building backs up onto the sound. The three other businesses include a sandwich and ice cream shop, a t-shirt and hat shop, and a bicycle rental store.

On the building's second floor are three apartments: two one-bedroom at each end and the two-bedroom apartment Jacques shares with his mother.

Across Sound Street from the Parisian Bean is the News Stand, a book and gift shop owned by Cienna's grandparents. Cienna visits the island every summer and is one of Jacques's best friends. The News Stand is modeled on Carolina Beach's Island Book Store.

Buzby Island also boasts a fishing pier, a high-class resort, a county park with a campground and freshwater lake that still puzzles scientists, an eclectic collection of restaurants, stores, shops, vacation homes, hotels, an arcade, and a small amusement park.

The most iconic spot on the beach is Iggie's Cheeseburgers and Onion Rings. This walk-up, take-out-only burger stand claims that its cheeseburgers were the ones Jimmy sang about but never have the owners specified which Jimmy. Iggie's is the only business besides the fishing pier allowed on the ocean side of Ocean Street. It has occupied the same piece of sand since the days before Ocean Street was paved and has been rebuilt numerous times after Atlantic storms knocked it down.

Over the years, readers have asked me for directions to Buzby Beach. With a smile, I tell them the only way there is to open one of my Buzby Beach books and dive in.

All the Buzby Beach novels can be found on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.

DW Davis' Amazon Author page : amazon.com/author/dwdavis

You can click here to follow Douglas' blog, "The View from Buzby Beach."

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So Many Shattered Hearts

12/21/2022

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When I wrote Shattered Hearts, Book 2 in the Brita Madison Paranormal Mysteries series, I had been caregiving for my husband for eight years after his strokes. Needless to say, my own heart was certainly fractured, if not shattered. My emotions were being manipulated by every circumstance that presented itself, a lot like balls in a pinball machine, being flipped hither and yon. My writing has often served as a release valve at some level. It was only in retrospect I realized how often.

Shattered Hearts incorporates many of the emotions I was feeling then. Loss at slowly losing my husband to his health issues. Frustration at not being able to fix it. Rage at a few bullies in the medical profession. Joy for the small victories. These are only a few. Writing this novel not only served as an outlet for my pain and tears, but also restored my hope.

Surprises, Betrayals, and Unexpected Twists and Turns Await You
After Chasing Shadows, Brita Madison’s exploits lead her to a new experience in her life – women friends. Her abilities have always forced her to be a loner. Chief James Weston and Sam Jenkins in Book 1 of the series were her first real friends. After the Inside Edition segment, her newest editing client brings her four writer friends onboard as clients. Since they all write novels with paranormal twists, the Dabblers & Scribblers, as they call themselves, felt Brita would be a perfect editor! So does she when she discovers each of them has abilities as well.

A year after they became her clients, they decide to meet in Phoenix, Arizona, so Brita can join them. It proves to be a watershed moment in the relationships between all six women. A ghost boy appears to Brita in Phoenix igniting an adventure which drags everyone in her world into the dark underbelly of a pedophile ring. Trying to rescue the children puts all of them in the crosshairs, including her boyfriend Sam and her unofficial partner, James Weston. Many hearts will be shattered before this case is put to rest.

If you haven’t read book 1 in the series, Chasing Shadows, grab your copy and start the journey with Brita as the learning curve for her paranormal abilities begins. Then continue on with Shattered Hearts and then Unraveling Memories as her world enlarges in ways she never thought possible. Book 4 of the Brita Madison Paranormal Mysteries series is in the hands of my muse at the moment. We’re hoping to have it for you by early 2023.

Available on Amazon.com

Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Hearts-Madison-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01N7K0R2P

Paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Hearts-Madison-Paranormal-Mystery/dp/1542366259

Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Dannye-Williamsen/e/B004KEAFE8

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All It Takes is a Desire to Help Others

12/14/2022

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Even if you’re not a fan of country music, you’ve heard of Dolly Parton. During the last 30 – 40 years, her music has opened the way for other artists to break through the stereotyped twangy, hillbilly, country music barrier to appear in other popular top 40 rankings. Added to that, she’s been in movies, on TV, and her Dollywood Companies have theme parks and tourist attractions peppering the countryside across the US and Canada.

What you may not know is that this same person is the driving force behind the Dollywood Foundation, a non-profit organization formed in 1988. Through the foundation, Dolly wanted to thank and give back to her hometown community around Sevierville, Tennessee for believing in and supporting her dreams of being a writer and singer.

She began by distributing scholarships to high school students. She also challenged local high-risk teenagers by offering $500 awards to “buddies” who signed a contract promising to graduate high school. (Incidentally, the Buddy Program reduced the drop-out rate to six percent in surrounding high schools and initiated the community to develop other incentives to keep kids in school.)

Dolly wanted all kids to have a chance to live their dreams as she had and believed “the seeds of these dreams are often found in books.” So in 1995, the hometown celebrity founded her Imagination Library to promote a love of reading among preschool children and their families. Dolly knew that reading would open up the young minds to the infinite possibilities ahead of them and allow them to reach for the stars.

From there, Dolly’s humble desire to help children blossomed into a global venture. One that you and your family may be able to benefit from.

How the Imagination Library Works
What started as a small project in Sevier County, Tennessee nearly 30 years ago has now grown to encompass five countries around the globe (Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, and the United States) and is still expanding. The premise is straightforward – every child who signs up for the program receives one free children’s book a month from birth to age five, no matter the family’s income.

Since its inception, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has mailed more than 184 million books to one million plus children. The Dollywood Foundation provides the infrastructure and resources for the worldwide endeavor and works with local businesses, school districts, organizations, and individuals to bring the program to children in cities, towns, and communities across the country. Not every geographic region is covered yet, but as new affiliates sign on with the program, more and more kids will benefit from the program.

For me, what makes the Imagination Library so distinctive is that each book is personalized with the child’s name and mailed directly to the child’s home. Can you think of a better way to make a kid feel special? The American Printing House for the Blind makes many of the books in the program available in audio format and braille so blind and visually impaired kids can also benefit from the Imagination Library.

It would take more space than this post will allow to give all the specific details. The website provides a more thorough, complete rundown for anyone interested. For US residents, click here to check for an Imagination Library affiliate available in your area. If the program isn’t currently available in your area, enter your zip code here and provide your contact information to receive a notification when the program does become available.
Naturally, details vary from country to country, so please check the website for the UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada, and Australia

As an Indie Author, Can I Donate My Book?
Every author’s dream is to get your book into the hands of every possible eager reader you can find. When I first started researching the Imagination Library, one of my goals was to get Patchy and Calico included in their inventory. Unfortunately, that ain’t going to happen. They do not accept Indie authors in their review process.

The books are chosen solely from works published by Penguin Random House. A hand-picked committee of early childhood literacy experts takes great care to select age-appropriate books that cover various themes and concepts but are limited to that one supplier. Bummer.

However, this is still a fantastic program and needs to be praised for the great job they do.

And they have been. This book gifting organization has won countless awards, including the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and the Best Practices award from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards.

It’s incredible how simple things can make such a big difference. Dolly Parton’s father could not read, but that didn’t stop his daughter from dreaming of being a writer and singer.

She never forgot her roots and wanted to help other kids with the same hopes, desires, and dreams of being successful. Through the Library, she’s giving every child a chance and encouraging them to let their imagination take them wherever they want.

She believes in the power of the written word and so do I. Keep the spark going. Inspire children, one book at a time.

Be sure to subscribe to the Sweet & Sassy blog, so you never miss out on any of our posts!

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There’s More to Christmas than Santa Claus

12/7/2022

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When I was a kid, Christmas was special. I loved waking up early on Christmas morning and seeing all the presents that had magically appeared under the Christmas tree overnight. When I was around five years old, I got my very own bicycle, complete with training wheels.

That was such a thrill. I couldn’t wait to ride it. The problem was getting it outside. Luckily, my dad came to the rescue. Everything went smoothly until he got to the training wheels. That took some wiggling, jiggling, and lifting. He eventually wrestled it out the door and down the steps to the driveway. Watching him maneuver the bike through the narrow doorway started the wheels inside my head churning. If it was so difficult to get the training wheels through the door, how did Santa get it down the chimney?

I asked my father. I think that was the first time he was at a loss for an answer. My older brother came to the rescue and explained how Santa had a bag of magic dust that made the chimney expand large enough to get all the presents into the house. After climbing back onto the roof, Santa sprinkled a little more dust into the chimney, returning it to its normal size.

I believed him.

My folks were terrific. I couldn’t ask for better parents. Through them, I learned that Christmas wasn’t just about Santa and receiving presents. It was family. Spending the holiday with my grandparents and uncle made it complete. Exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve opened my eyes to how nice it was to see other people opening presents and being happy.

My father had nine brothers and sisters. The week before Christmas, I’d go with him as he visited and wished them a Merry Christmas. I loved seeing the smiles and getting hugs. Even at that young age, being around happy people made me happy.

My parents also visited some older members of their church who didn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with. Seeing the eyes of these lonely, forgotten people light up when they opened the door to our cheerful Christmas greeting made me giggle.

I learned at a very young age that receiving presents was great, but giving was even better. It made both me AND the recipient happy. As I got older, the joy of giving, sharing, and caring stayed with me. Being kind and doing whatever I could to make someone else happy remained an important part of Christmas.

In Christmas with Patchy and Calico, I wanted to pass that idea on to the kids who read the book. So I tried to show by example, as my parents did for me. For instance, when Patchy and Calico set aside some of their treats to give to their friends, the dog and cat discover that giving and sharing are just as much fun as receiving presents.

The last thing I wanted was to sound preachy. So, I snuck in these small lessons around the primary storyline: the mystery of the gift snatcher. Someone is sneaking into houses and stealing all the presents under the Christmas trees. The scoundrel even stole Patchy’s teddy bear with a missing ear.

Their woodland friends aren’t safe from the sneaky thief either. Stashes of nuts disappear, leaving the animals with no food for the winter. It’s up to the dynamic duo to solve the mystery. Patchy and Calico investigate and discover who the culprit is. The question is, can they convince the gift snatcher to return the presents?

Excerpt from Christmas With Patchy and Calico
Patchy answered, “No, we don’t have any more nuts for you today. We’re looking for the raccoon that took all our Christmas presents.”

The two young raccoons hugged each other, and one of them replied in a shaky voice, “Oh, you don’t want to find him. He’s big, mean, and very cranky. His name is Rocky, and he lives under the thorn bush in a great big hole all by himself.”

The other raccoon added, “Rocky doesn’t talk to anybody. He doesn’t share with the rest of us either. He took some of my chestnuts and wouldn’t give them back. He’s a bully.”

“WHO CALLED ME A BULLY?” a voice boomed out from behind the thorn bush. The two young raccoons ran away, leaving Patchy and Calico alone to face the gift snatcher.

Calico and Patchy were afraid of the big fat raccoon that stepped out from behind the thorn bush. They were so scared they couldn’t talk or move.

Rocky Raccoon was a lot bigger than they were, and he looked at them with two black, beady eyes. “WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?”

Another voice from behind the two scared friends answered, “We want our Christmas presents back.”

Patchy and Calico recognized Marty’s deep voice. He’d come to help them.

“NO, YOU CAN’T HAVE THEM!” Rocky’s loud voice hurt the other animal’s ears.
***
You’ll have to read Christmas with Patchy and Calico to find out if they convinced Rocky to return the gifts.

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday. Does anyone have a Christmas memory you’d like to share in the comments?