Marking a New Year (with Sea Glass)

A New Year is upon us. Time for new hopes, new dreams, and new calendars to mark your resolutions on. I was lucky enough to receive the Pure Sea Glass 2020 Calendar from Schiffer Publishing and have gladly hung it up for inspiration where I can see it first thing in the morning (at eye level to where the coffee maker lives—perfect spot).

Pure Sea Glass 2020 Calendar

What does 2020 look like from the near side of the year? If the pretty cobalt and cornflower blue sea glass images serve as inspiration for January, then do I look forward to a year of infinite possibilities of blue?

Far more cobalt-blue bottles were produced than cornflower-blue vessels, making the latter twice as hard to find. ~ Richard LaMotte

The sea molds whatever is thrown into it, just as life is molded by whatever waves crash into us. Perhaps we need to look harder to see the beauty created by those experiences, just as so many of us are drawn to the colourful shards of smoothed glass that wash up on beaches all over the world. Look beyond the colours to see how the experiences smooth sharp edges. We might start the same or similar colours, but it is the experiences that leave their marks on us and make us all unique and beautiful.

Color usually is the most significant emotional factor to excite the sea glass enthusiast.  ~ Richard LaMotte  

While blues rule the winter months, with their icy shades, things start to warm up with the arrival of March. I can't help but thinking of maple syrup when I see these pretty pieces of sea glass. Perhaps as winter wanes, we should sweeten the pot and embrace the warmth that promises to be on the way.

A very limited amount of red glass has been mass-produced in the last 50 years, so one can make assumptions about its age.    ~ Richard LaMotte

By May, a trip to the beach might not seem like such a bad idea again. Time to search for some sea glass of your own! I have found plenty of pieces at local nearby beaches at Port Stanley, Grand Bend, Bayfield, Goderich, and Sauble Beach. Being surrounded by the Great Lakes might make for wilder weather sometimes, but doesn't that make for more unique sea glass to be found? My eyes constantly search out for little pieces of colourful glass found along the shores of wherever I go.

The beach lures us to witness its infinite energy, constant motion, and change. We listen to its music for advice and solace. Each day is different. ~ Robert LaMotte

By July, we have hit the mid-point of the year, the weather is hot, and my birthday arrives! I love the summer months, for the long hot days and warm nights that invite as much time spent outside as possible. There are festivals to attend, campfires to spark, and lakes to cool off in just because. It has always been a time for renewal for me and reconnecting with my family. We shed the busy months, and slow down to be part of the natural world once more. Lots more time to unearth more unique sea glass at any number of beaches across southwestern Ontario and often further afield.

Tales of healing through collecting sea glass are just part of the story. ~ Richard LaMotte

After renewal comes the time to embrace our busy lives once more. The calendar gets marked with activities galore, but we still try to get outside to enjoy as much colour as we can. Leaves lose their greens in favour of yellows, reds, and oranges, in preparation for hibernation. Not without a vibrant goodbye though!

Reds, yellows, and oranges conjure up sunlight and fire, while the blues and blue greens evoke snow and ice, sea, sky, and moonlight.   ~ Anonymous

As the year winds to a close, it always seems miraculous how the time has flown. In between the holiday rush, I take time to reflect on where I've come throughout the year; the heartache, loss, success, failures, love, and joys along the way. It really is amazing how fast time flies and how all those moments add up to change who you were from the beginning of the year.

It is not merely the time in the water that creates great sea glass. Much of it remains embedded in the sand and shifts from its resting place several times. ~ Richard LaMotte

What I think I like most about this calendar though is the fact that sea glass is often hard to find, but brings so much joy to you when you do find it. The search forces you to slow down, be more mindful and observant of life around you, and offers the reminder to spend more time by the water! It changes you, but helps to smooth your edges and bring out your shine and beauty. How can you not smile at that? 

The Pure Sea Glass calendar is a delightful compilation of images of sea glass photographed by Tommy Allen, featuring quotes by Richard LaMotte. I received the calendar from Schiffer Publishing in exchange for a review, but had to make it my own. A little nod to the calendar, images, and quotes, with a bit more reflection on my part to keep it real and me. But I love beach glass and the calendar speaks to me. It truly does put a smile on my face when I look at it every morning and hopefully will remind me to be more present in my daily life, looking for the colours and seeing the beauty in how life molds us. 

Power Down for Christmas

My last day at the computer,
before the holidays
and I'm still scheduling posts
completely in a daze

I've made cookies, trimmed trees,
bought presents, and more,
but there's still wrapping, and baking,
and cheese to eat galore!

I'll never get to eat it
if I don't finish up soon,
but I'm powering through on hopes
that Christmas day I can sleep until noon!

One more tweet on twitter
and some witty Facebook quips to fine tune.
I'll be present with my children
I swear no Insta-posts of cranberry spoons!

Christmas breathing...

A Christmas Breath

I am trying to breathe.

with days intent to race.

time - ever fleeting

Hours stripped to seconds double-paced

My mental list reams off the rails

even as tasks tick,

tick, tick

and the clock steals another minute - curtailed

breathe

just breathe

see the silver

grasp the linings with wispy fingers

my dervish whirls away

on sweet-laced cookie dreams

as I dance through to Christmas

on eggnog and mulled wine streams

Sleep divine people

Peace beautiful friends

May the spirit of the season

keep you going until New Year's end...

Knives and Needles

Knives and Needles: Tattoo Artists in the Kitchen by Molly Kitamura, photos by John Agcaoili, © 2019, Schiffer Publishing

Today, you are in for a treat; a most delicious treat at that, both visually and gastronomically! I received a review copy of 'Knives and Needles: Tattoo Artists in the Kitchen' from Schiffer Publishing and was thrilled when it arrived. If you have any foodies on your Christmas list this year—who also happen to be tattoo fanatics—this right here will win you best gift of the year! You will be drooling as soon as you crack the cover—over body work and recipes galore.

Molly Kitamura started the blog Knives and Needles back in 2013. It featured tattoo artists with a penchant for food. She mixed together glossy images, culinary tips, and plenty of great recipes. It should come as no surprise then, that she wanted to take that space one step further. That step was this gorgeous book.

Ever Alice

Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay, © 2018, Red Rogue Press

Have you read Alice in Wonderland? Who hasn't been swept down the rabbit hole by Lewis Carroll's classic novel written in 1865. Well, you are in for a treat today. This much-loved book has finally got a sequel with the help of H.J. Ramsay. Only 'Ever Alice' is a little darker than Carroll's original version.

When Ramsay reintroduces us to Alice, she is locked in an asylum; put there by her concerned parents. Alice can't stop talking and thinking about the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and everything she saw in Wonderland. The inhabitants of Wonderland haven't forgotten her either. But the Queen of Hearts has stepped up her game. Heads are rolling faster than ever. It seems like the only way to stop her is for Alice to return to Wonderland. If Alice is willing...

Intrigued? You should be. Maybe you need a little more to whet your appetite though? How about a little taste of what Alice and the Queen are up to.

Ever Alice Excerpt

Chapter 1

Alice

Warneford Asylum, Oxford

September 15, 1888

Alice stared at the spoonful of red syrup. It may as well have had a note saying, “Drink me.”

Nurse Hazel said, “Open wide.”

Alice took the medicine into her mouth and let it pool under her tongue while she made a show of swallowing. The taste of nutmeg and something metallic, almost like blood, made her eyes water.

“That’s a good girl,” the nurse said. She wiped the spoon, capped the bottle, and left the room.

The lock clicked.

Alice waited until the nurse’s steps faded into the symphony of shrieks and moans that always rang down the hallway, and then she spat the medicine in the sink before her thoughts could curdle like an overheated custard.

She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and reached under the bed, wiggling the loose floorboard. Her tattered notebook lay in a cavity between the joists. She dusted off the cover and flipped past her drawings and recollections until she came to a fresh page.

Her hand itched to fill it, but she waited with her eyes closed. At last, he came to her, like he always did. She drew the White Rabbit, a timepiece in his paws, the chain dangling from his waistcoat pocket.

Chapter 2

Rosamund

House of Hearts, Wonderland

Lilly of the Valley 11, Year of the Queen

A light drizzle misted the air while the drummers played “March-O Death-O.”

Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts, tapped her fingers to the beat.

So very appropriate.

Of course, Rosamund wouldn’t have expected anything else. All ways were her way, and whatever way she wanted, she generally got, even if only in the end.

Her perch on the tower balcony gave her the best view of Thomas as her guards led him to the block. Her lips melted downward when she saw the proud expression on Thomas’s face.

The traitor.

Rosamund wanted Thomas to look afraid, pathetic even, but he appeared exalted, as if he were walking to his coronation, not his death. It would be better if he acted a little remorseful, but that was Thomas’s problem—he never did what she wanted.

She bit her lip until she tasted blood. Tears sprang to her eyes, and Rosamund dabbed them ceremoniously with her handkerchief. She glowed with satisfaction as her people followed suit, shaking their heads and giving her their bravest faces.

They’ll always love me.

Rosamund forced more tears to flow until she could taste them. She took a breath as the drummers rattled out a long, steady beat that reminded her of a purring cat.

She hated cats, but that didn’t concern her at the moment.

The traitor stopped before the block, and the drumming ceased. A dreadful calm lingered in the air. Slowly, he dropped to his knees and rested his chin on the chipped stump.

Thomas’s eyes flashed toward her.

She expected to see anger in them, perhaps even hatred, but there was only pity.

The executioner raised the axe and the drummers started a low and steady roll.

Brrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuummmmm…buh DUM.

The axe sliced through the air, and his white head dropped into the basket in a baptism of blood. No one turned away. Not even as Thomas’s legs twitched on the ground. They watched her, waiting for what she’d do next. She draped a black veil over her face.

“Lower the drapes,” Rosamund said to a palace servant. “I am a widow today.”

And just so you know, Ever Alice is available now on Amazon.

Mischief and Mayhem

Mischief and Mayhem: Part 1 of the Faerlands Chronicles by S.D. Nicholson, © 2019, köehlerbooks

You are in for a treat today. Not only has a new book hit my bedside table, but I have a little more insight into it and the author that wrote Mischief and Mayhem—S.D. Nicholson. As it is the first book in a series, this offers an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new world.

Meet the Faers and the world they inhabit. And meet Samuel, our author and host, as we step into a world of fantasy that is sure to pique your interest.

Mischief and Mayhem: Part 1 of the Faerlands Chronicles

Q: This is your first novel – what got you interested in writing?

Nicholson: For the few who knew I was writing the manuscript; it was all about an escape. I was a commercial real estate agent at the time and was enjoying it, but it was a relentless grind, day in and day out. Stepping away from it, I have a far greater appreciation for the brokers who survive and keep at it. Mischief and Mayhem was my outlet into a world other than my own, dictated by the rules I chose. I feel like a broken record, but I truly believe in the concept of “escape through entertainment” and I decided then that I wanted to not only escape, but become the creator of the worlds I escape into.

Q: Where did the idea for the The Faerlands Chronicles series come from?

Nicholson: It’s difficult to narrow inspiration down to specifics. From my own childhood adventures to reading Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones to “ticking away the moments that make up a dull day,” I want to say everything has been an inspiration. I believe every interaction we have, be it with others or in an activity, shape how we view the world. In this case, I feel like the realm of the Faerlands is constantly growing and evolving as I too learn and do more.

Q: Many fantasy books today are aimed at teens. Why did you choose to write for adults?

Nicholson: Honestly, I find it easier to target adult interests more than teens or young adults. Yes, adults are more complex in their judgment and preferences, but they are also more accepting of new ideas. There are two key elements here. First, there is a level of enjoyment that nearly everyone has for fantasy, whether it be creature specific, magic, or just the general world of a “Middle-Earth.” Second, people don’t like to say it, but humans are intrigued by violence. Part of you enjoys the flutter of your heart when tension rises and emotion overtakes judgment. You cheer for some characters to live and hope certain ones to die. To make a long story short (too late), I felt I could ease adults into my world and attach them to characters, before dousing them with fantasy, and then be more violent and expletive along the way.

Q: Mischief and Mayhem takes readers into a very complex world. When you began writing, was it more around character development, or world creation?  

Nicholson: It was always world building, which is weird to say now that I’m nearly finished with Part Two and I know and love the characters to death. I knew who my characters would be and their general attitude, but until you put the letters on the page and make words come out of their mouths, you only have a description. I started writing with the idea that I’m going to let my characters evolve on their own and “grow into themselves” throughout the story. I said earlier that I wanted to escape into the world, not necessarily walk with the characters. The Faerlands is only one landmass in this world, with many others hinted at. I felt that the reader needed to see what trees and foliage surrounded them in the Woodlands. They need to smell the sweet aroma of honeysuckle and shiver during a cold breeze.

Q: Mischief and Mayhem introduces readers to a lot of new characters. Which one is your favorite? And why?

Nicholson: This is difficult, because I know more characters and more importantly, who dies (insert maniacal laugh). My favorite is by far Ophelia. In short, she’s a little badass. She’s far stronger than she realizes, but it comes at a great cost. Her power forces her to relive tragic moments and nearly drives her insane. I cannot even count how many hardships I’ve forced upon her, yet she always has a positive outlook and refuses to let any loss or wrong doing define her. It hasn’t been shared on socials yet, but I had my most recent tattoo be of her. Soon it will be done with more imagery from different scenes and fights. All in all, I couldn’t think of a better character’s mindset to tell most of the story from.

Q: Mischief and Mayhem is the first book in the series. When will the next one come out, and what can readers expect from it?

Nicholson: Hopefully soon! My goal, as I’m sure is any debut author’s, is to reach a point that I’m constantly producing content. I moved to the Outer Banks at the beginning of the off-season and right when I began the publication process, knowing that I would have a lot of free time. I’m pleased to say that in the past six months I’m just over the three-quarter’s mark with Part Two and it is full speed ahead. As far as expectations go: more story. Part One ideally sets the stage of the world and lays out what surface issues are occurring. Part Two brings in a third storyline, following the forces in the Meadows as they defend against the invaders. It also follows the antagonists more, learning a little about their story. Overall, Part Two is a hurricane of emotion, violence, and mysticism. More races are introduced and understood, along with even more fantastic creatures!

Q: What do you want the reader to take away from Mischief and Mayhem?

Nicholson: I want them to take away the concept that even when the world looks bleak and empty, you only need to turn the page and find a silver lining. Our characters face far worse problems than any of us could imagine in day to day life, yet they endeavor to persevere. I know it’s cliché, but our issues are always minute in the grand scheme. Sometimes we just need to see others, whether they are fictional or not, overcome something worse and inspire them to do better and enjoy life for what it is. TLDR…don’t wait to be happy, go seek it.

🧚🧚🧚

Thank you to S.D. Nicholson for sharing some insight into his debut novel and the worlds you can get to know within its pages. I look forward to the next installments already! If you want to learn more, visit his website for a deeper dive into his world.