“We rise by lifting others.” Robert Ingersoll
Today’s Inspiration
#advent
Today is the first week of December, which means you should be three days into your advent calendar. If you light the advent candles, you should have lit one candle last Sunday.
My advent calendar this year holds 24 packets of tea. I love to drink tea and I’ve been tasting new flavors every morning. In the afternoon I’ve been combining Vanilla Comoro with cocoa bean hulls. It’s a tasty treat that smells so good! The cocoa bean hulls came from Peru and give off a wonderful aroma.
If you want the smell of chocolate with a slight hint of the yumminess, but not a cup of hot chocolate, then the cocoa bean hulls fill the need perfectly.
Have a sweet day. Sonja
Happy Birthday, Georges Seurat!
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
Just For You
(c) 2019 
(c) 2019 
(c) 2019 
Available exclusively on Amazon! 
(c) 2019
I have so many good stories for you to read!
All three books from The Fairies of Carlow, including The Gilding, The Outsider, and The Commoner, are all available now. The Voyage is newly released! The Guinness the Therapy Dog series is coming soon!
I hope you get the paperbacks or download the ebooks (all available on amazon.com) and enjoy these stories.
Use the links in the left margin to go to the book sites on amazon.com, or search for my name ‘Sonja Danielson’ in the Amazon search bar.
Let me know what you think of these stories. I would love to hear from you! Sonja
Publishing Your Story
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
Favorite Things
Today is a day to remember your favorite things. Since it’s the day after Thanksgiving, I like to remember watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show.
What’s interesting is today is Square Dance Day, which melds nicely with the parade memories! You can try all those moves you saw on T.V., or, if you’re lucky enough, live while in New York City!
Guinness likes the dog show, too. A Bernese Mountain Dog has yet to win Best In Show, but I think Guinness has a shot at the title–especially if they score big points for lovability!
We spent Monday evening at the library and Guinness listened to some good books–read by some good readers! Those kids really know their words and even acted out the dialogue. It was fun! Guinness likes to lie right alongside the kids as they read. He rolls onto his back and hopes for a belly rub. He always gets one.
The Fairies of Carlow: The Commoner ebook is still under special pricing until midnight tonight. Hurry to the amazon.com page and order your copy! You can also use the link in the left margin of this website.
Have a great day after Thanksgiving! Sonja
Happy Thanksgiving!
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash 
It’s an important day for all those in the United States. Today is Thanksgiving. My new book, The Voyage, would be a wonderful read to mark this day. It tells of the trials of a man who traveled throughout Europe as he searched for religious freedom.
His family settled first in Plymouth Colony and then to Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. This illustrated easy-to-read book is available exclusively on Amazon.com.
I’m also offering Book 3 of The Fairies of Carlow, The Commoner, at special pricing starting today. This book is a middle-grade chapter book and takes place in a fairy kingdom. The Commoner tells the story of a fairy princess who chafes under the restrictions placed upon her. She flees the palace and lives as a commoner. Will she return to her royal life?
I hope you take advantage of the special pricing, which ends on November 30, and also take a look at my newest book.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. friends! Sonja
A Question For You
This is for those readers in the United States.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? I would love to hear your thoughts. You can leave a comment below or send it to me at sonjadanielson@gmail.com.
I would love to hear from you! Sonja
The Voyage is Now Available !!!
I’m proud to announce the release of my latest book, “The Voyage”. This illustrated book chronicles the travels of the Reverend John Wing and his family as he ministered through England, Germany, and The Netherlands. After his death, his family traveled across the Atlantic Ocean on the William and Francis.
It took them 88 days to travel from England to Boston. They settled in Plymouth Colony before resettling in Sandwich, Massachusetts as founders of that town.
This is written as an easy-to-read book and has multiple vibrant illustrations by Emma Crick. Miss Crick lives in England and was born near Sandwich, Kent–the namesake city of the settlement on Cape Cod.
I hope you enjoy this story. Sonja
Happy Pricing!
I’m celebrating this holiday week by scheduling a special pricing event for book 3 of The Fairies of Carlow!
Starting at 12:01 on Thanksgiving Day (MST), the price of the ebook of The Commoner will drop to $0.99. The price will increase gradually over the day and November 29, so jump on this special event as soon as you can!
The link to the ebook, available exclusively on Amazon.com, is in the left margin of this web site.
I hope you can take advantage of this offer! Sonja