Just one question for you this holiday season: what have you done to share joy and happiness?
It doesn’t have to be a monetary gift. It only needs to be time spent with you or a homemade gift made with love.
This is the time for you to spread your own brand of happiness.
Take the time to recognize someone you love. Sonja
“We make a living by what we get,
But we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Every good act is charity. A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.”
Moliere
I hope you find inspiration in at least one of these quotes. ‘Tis the season of charity and giving.
Be the person who helps people smile. Sonja
It’s different when you write the text for a chapter book that doesn’t include pictures and writing for an illustrated book. The illustrations help the reader visualize what you’re writing about.
I didn’t have to describe the clothing in ‘The Voyage’ because the artist did such a phenomenal job with her research to show the clothing and the colors that were true to the period.
For ‘The Fairies of Carlow’ series, I took literary license to use clothing that was suggested by the Victorian period and was able to modify it as necessary for the stories.
The ‘Guinness the Therapy Dogs’ stories will be modern-day and the dress of the people he interacts with will be easily drawn. I probably won’t mention the clothing unless it directly affects the plot of the book.
And dogs don’t wear pants! Hey, that’s a good idea for a story!
The illustrations in ‘The Voyage’ also show the world occupied by John Wing as he traveled through Europe as a preacher. It helps the reader see where he stood in The Hague, Oxfordshire, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts (for his family).
Take a look at the beautiful illustrations of ‘The Voyage’. The illustrations for the first two books of the ‘Guinness the Therapy Dog’ series are being drawn by the artist right now!
I can’t wait to show you. Keep a lookout for the logo that will appear on the front cover of every ‘Guinness the Therapy Dog’ book. It’s spectacular and I will unveil it here on this website soon!
Keep writing! Keep reading! Sonja
Giving doesn’t have to mean spending money. The best gifts come from you or ARE you. The people who are happy to see you, who are happy to accept a gift from you, are the people who merely want to spend time with you.
The time this season to give yourself as a gift to someone special. Visit a friend or relative at their home, wherever they may live. Guinness the Therapy Dog and I like to visit people at the library, the hospital, and a transition home.
Wherever they are, that is home–at least, for them. Help them feel special and visit them where they are. Do they need a candle or a wreath? Bring them one. Every time they look at it, they will think of you and it will be another warm and happy memory.
Celebrate your ability to give. Sonja
It’s time to have fun! Play with your dog (like Guinness the Therapy Dog), dance, or play under the blue sky. I hope those of you who are digging out of the winter weather are able to spend some time playing in the snow.
I hope for good weather and good times for you and yours. Sonja
Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Above is the USS Arizona Memorial. The memorial building straddles the rusting hull of the USS Arizona. You can see the ship below the water. It entombs most of the sailors and Marines that were killed during the surprise attack on the harbor by Japanese pilots.
The memorial was commissioned in 1949 and was funded by public and private donations.
Some survivors of the attack have chosen to be interred with their shipmates on the USS Arizona. More than thirty have chosen to have their ashes placed under one of the gun turrets. Those who served on the USS Arizona, but were not assigned to the ship during the attack on December 7, 1941, can have their ashes scattered above the site.
The ship continues to release fuel into the waters of Pearl Harbor. Sometimes called “black tears” or “tears of the Arizona”, this oil is constantly monitored to prevent an ecological disaster if a large amount is suddenly released from the rusting tanks.
The entire band was killed. This was the only time all the members of a band were KIA. The members of the band were on the ship and most were on deck in preparation to raise the flag. When the attack began, they ran to their battle stations beneath one of the gun turrets. The band had been a finalist in the “Battle of the Music” competition between all the ship bands in Pearl Harbor.
Twenty-three sets of brothers assigned to the USS Arizona died. One father and son duo was killed. As a result of these deaths, the U.S. government attempted to discourage having family members serve aboard the same ship, but no official regulations had been made.
Mark the sacrifice of these men and their families. Sonja
What do you think of when you wear flip flops? (Sometimes called thongs.)
I think of sand, beach, and relaxation. I hope you are able to find one of those things during this holiday season.
It can be hectic to get everything that you think must be done–done. But don’t forget the foundation of the holiday: peace, love, and joy.
Don’t get too crazy with all of your “I should–” and “I need to–”
Take a moment to enjoy. Sonja
“We rise by lifting others.” Robert Ingersoll
Do you know the work of Saurat? He was a neo-impressionist painter and devised pontillism.
Pontillism is a technique that uses small dots to make a picture. It’s fun to stand back and see the entire work and then go up close (don’t touch the original work) to see all the dots. I would post a photo but they’re all copyrighted.
Seurat also created a theory that utilized chromoluminarism, also called divisionism. The dots work together to build an optic illusion.
So, what’s the difference between pontillism and divisionism? Pontillism refers to the actual technique of using dots to build an image. Divisionism refers to the separation of color. Pontillism emerged from divisionism.
Still confused? I am not an expert but I see it this way: divisionism is a dog and pontillism is the breed. If I’m wrong, please feel free to let me know in the comments.
If you want to see some of Seurat’s work, I recommend that you use your favorite search engine to see some of his works, or, even better, go to a museum that has some of his originals hung on the walls and take a look.
Have a good day! Sonja
I’ve been asked by a lot of writers about how to get their story published. I always say to take the next step and get it out there.
No story is perfect and if you wait until yours is, it will never get published. Don’t wait for years to go by, edit that story and put it out into the world. Take the plunge. Take the risk. Take whichever overused saying will get you going.
If you want to write for yourself, that’s great. Do it.
If you want to write stories that others will read and enjoy, the only way to realize that dream is to publish it.
Stories take drafts, but it shouldn’t take you years and years of scrutiny over each word. Make it the best and then publish your story. Will it take you years to make it the best? Nah.
Find some friends who will read it for you, point out slow places, where they’re bored, and misspellings–fix those and then publish it.
You will never realize your dream unless you take that step.
Be brave. Go for it. Sonja