Friday, December 1, 2017

Writing Exercise - November but technically December

Deck the halls with lots of crazy, fa la la la la, la la la la.
'Tis the season to be busy, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Ain't it the truth? I think that some sanity is preserved or created when doing something artistic. Which means, I should be doing these every day! haha.

Anyway, here is a new prompt to kick off the holidays, let it lead you where it may, saving sanity along the way. 

Words: spy, thin, kneel, imperfect

     Lizzie sat on the stairs weighing her options. Do I hide and spy or do I go to bed like Joshie? she wondered. Her tiny arms were visible through her thin nightgown. Lizzie shivered but didn’t complain.
     The makeshift Christmas tree made from a worn wood coat rack stood in the corner taped with homemade snowflakes. Lizzie was proud of the ones she and her younger brother had folded and snipped.
     In front of the tree was a shoe box on its side. Lizzie had glued a popsicle stick nativity scene. A cotton ball stuck on a stick for a sheep was her favorite. Imperfect as it was, she knelt down and stared at the manger and smiled. A chorus of O Little Town of Bethlehem grew in volume.
     She listened for a moment then flew to the door to thank the carolers. No one was there. Lizzie looked down. At her feet were two presents addressed to her and Joshie. She pulled them inside and closed the door to the cold.
     On either side of the manger, Lizzie set the gifts down. She wished there was a gift for her aunt who worked two jobs for them.
     Just then, Lizzie got an idea, and not just any idea, a brilliant idea. 

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

October-Adjacent Book Review

I should have been telling you about this book series years ago when it first came out. But maybe you're already a fan.

The Lockwood & Co series are some of the best middle grade books out there, written superbly by Jonathan Stroud. They are perfect for the season with ghosts, creepy things, humor, and suspense. These exciting adventures starring the Psychic Detective Agency are filled with great characters and incredible character arcs continuing throughout the series. Lucy, Lockwood and George are smart, have secrets, and fabulous paranormal talents. Not a series to miss, it’s one of my favorites!
        
    

From the Publisher: There is an epidemic of ghosts in Britain. Their touch brings death, and only children have the power to fight them.

Lucy Carlyle, a young psychic investigator, joins London's smallest agency, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood and his ever-hungry assistant George Cubbins. Together the trio must investigate some of the spookiest and deadliest spectral hauntings in the city, armed only with the tools of the ghost-hunting trade (magnesium flares, iron filings, chains and salt bombs), their courage and a thermos of tea.

Ghosts and ghouls beware!