Charles is right--Love really IS everything!

 

When you look around, what do you see? Sometimes I see chores that must be done, a yard that must be tended, a bill to be paid. But I have learned from poet and picture book author Charles Ghigna (aka Father Goose)’s latest book LOVE is Everything (published by Schiffer Kids) that “Music, silence, mountains, summer, LOVE is everywhere!”

This beautiful book shows an older bear showing a younger bear the wonders of the world, looking through the lens of love.  Jacqueline East’s soft illustrations give a warm, cozy feel as Ghigna’s rhyming text takes us through the seasons, the arts, and the interactions with each other that make life so wonderful.  “I believe in daydreams/and wishes that come true. I believe in everything./I believe in you” is the perfect ending to this affirming picture book.

This is a great cuddle-at-bedtime book and just the right tonic to help someone feel better after a bad day. It’s a confidence builder when someone has failed or is afraid, and a mindfulness giver when someone feels frantic or overwhelmed. This book is a great book for all ages, to be read with someone they love.

Thanks to Charles Ghigna for the digital copy! This book, like so many other books and supplies, has been on hold through this unusual time, and is now expected to be released in November.

Love, Light, Life, and Hope

View of Bethlehem

patrick brennan [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tonight we'll sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem." These words from that song have always stood out to me, "The hopes and fears of all the years/ Are met in thee tonight."

We all have hopes, and most of us have fears. Things don't go the way we want them to, and more things are out of our control than not.

But tonight, Christians around the world celebrate Love, Light, Life, and Hope being born into the world for everyone. Every one.

Whether or not you are a Jesus follower, who couldn't use some Love, Light, Life, and Hope?

Another song about Bethlehem touches me with these words:
"The heart is tired at Bethlehem,
No human dream unbroken stands;
Yet here God comes..."

Listen and take hope!

How to Live "In Spite" of Hardship: Happy National Poetry Month!

Teacher, poet, friend Carmen Graber graced these pages last year here, here, and here. I'm pleased to have her back with this poem, which was inspired by a friend's daughter who was having health issues in high school and maintained such a positive attitude through it all. May you also be inspired, and if you are, please leave a comment for Carmen.

In Spite

In spite of my fears, I will be brave
In spite of my sorrow, I will laugh.
In spite of my hurt, I will love.
In spite of my pain, I will face each day.
In spite of all the world throws at me,

I will LIVE!
Because:
In spite of my faults, God loves me.
In spite of my weakness, God strengthens me.
In spite of my doubts, God encourages me.
In spite of my silence, God hears me.
In spite of hard times,God blesses me.

                                    ~cjgraber © 2018

I Love LOVE!

Though a blizzard blows outside, this hyacinth gives me hope for spring, and LOVE is here!

I feel as if I have a little inside track on this book because I first heard about it when I heard de la Peña talk about it at the Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival in 2016. Then he gave an amazing session about it at last year's Picture Book Summit.  And now the book is out in the world!

This book for all ages is actually a poem about what love is in its broadest definition. Matt de la Peña's beautiful language ("A cabdriver plays love softly on his radio/while you bounce in back with the bumps of the city...") married to Loren Long's sensitive illustrations demonstrate the many ways love manifests itself in one's life through good and bad. Diverse scenarios, races, religions, and persons show that we all experience--or hope to experience--love. And it's love that gives us the confidence and hope to keep going and giving. This is a book I will read and re-read and re-read and give to others. Recommended for everyone of every age.

Here's a video to give you a taste of the book and more about the author and illustrator:


I had thought about saving this post for Valentine's Day, but to quote the song, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." Will you share it, LOVE, the book, and love the emotion?

A Summer Romance

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/1805-Gillray-Harmony-before-Matrimony.jpg

James Gillray [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons) See * for more information about this artwork.

As spring turns into summer, the weather warms up and so do hearts, making June a traditional month for weddings. Happy Anniversary to everyone who got married in June! Happy Wedding Day to those getting married this month!

With that in mind, I thought you would like to meet my friend Rose Zediker, romance novelist, from southeastern South Dakota.  I was pleased to meet her at a local writers conference several years ago and saw her recently at a book signing with other area authors, Sara Whitley (below left) and Mary Connealy (below center).

Q: Hi, Rose! You are getting a good track record for your romance novels! Congratulations! What led you to write that genre?

Rose: I always enjoyed reading romance novels, especially inspirational romance. The more romance novels I read, my imagination started sparking story ideas until I finally sat down and wrote one of my own.

 Q: You write both contemporary and historical. Which do you prefer, and how does the research differ?

Rose: I had a lot of fun writing the historical romance novels, but I prefer contemporary. There are less character restrictions, especially for heroines in contemporary novels since women have a more active role in society than they did one hundred years ago.  I research everything on historical novels, settings, names, clothing, household furnishings/architecture, laws. Research for my contemporaries consists of occupations and setting if I place the story in an unfamiliar town/state.

 Q: Some of your novels are set in South Dakota, our home state. Was the setting hard to sell to big city editors?

Rose: Absolutely not! The line of books I write for, Heartsong Presents, prefers smaller towns to larger cities. Because they publish four books a month, they need a variety of settings.

Q: I love hearing that, Rose, because sometimes we think novels should be set in some exotic locale, not right here at home.  Speaking of home, does the romance in your writing spill over into your personal life or does the romance in your personal life spill over into your writing? 

Rose: The romance in my stories doesn't mirror my real life at all! My husband and I have been married for thirty two years and our romantic gestures tend to be 'small' scale, like carrying the full laundry basket upstairs for me, than the big grand gestures found in most romance stories. To be honest, our romantic gestures have always been on the smaller, daily living scale.

 Q: That’s probably true of most couples, and it’s what sustains relationships—the daily caring. Besides daily caring, you are a daily writer, and I think you are one of the most disciplined people I know. You set goals and often exceed them. Would you tell us a bit about your regimen?

Rose: Since I work a full time job, I have to treat my writing like a part time job so I devote at least ten hours a week to my writing. That’s less than two hours a day! So it’s very doable. Sometimes, I use thirty minutes of my lunch hour to work on a project otherwise I work on my manuscripts from seven to eight in the evenings.

Basically, I set monthly goals then break those goals down to daily goals. Goals should be obtainable. If they’re not, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated which usually results in giving up. I know my limitations. I can’t write an 80,000 word book in a month so I’d never set that as a monthly goal.

I also place a huge importance on my writing career so I don’t allow my social calendar to fill up and crowd out my writing time. I’ve learned to say no volunteer projects unless they are near and dear to my heart.

 Q: Your discipline sets a good example for the rest of us! What romance authors, living or dead, inspire you?

Rose: Melody Carlson inspires me because she writes all types of inspirational romance and also books for children and teens.

 Q: I haven’t read anything by her. Thanks for the tip. What should we be watching for from you?

Rose: I have another historical coming out on August 1, Sweet on the Cowgirl. It’s available for preorder now. I signed a contract for a rodeo themed four book series. The first one will release in 2015.

Q: That’s exciting! Congratulations! Where can we follow you online?

Rose: I’m part of a group blog. www.inkspirationalmessages.com. My blog is: www.roserosszediker.blogspot.com. My author page on Facebook is under Author Rose Ross Zediker.

Thanks for having me on your blog today, Jane!

Thank you, Rose! Best wishes as you keep those love stories going!

* "Harmony before Matrimony", an October 25th 1805 caricature by James Gillray depicting a musical courtship. The woman plays a harp, and the man and woman sing together from "Duets de l'Amour". On the table, a book is open to Ovid (who would not have been considered suitable as reading-matter for girls or unmarried women in 1805). The hanging floral wall decorations include torches of Hymen (the ancient Roman god of weddings) on the left, and the bow and quiver of arrows of Cupid on the right. An oval-wall painting shows Cupid having dropped his bow and arrows, and shooting at a pair of cooing doves with a blunderbuss! At the left are two goldfish in a bowl, above a heart-shaped imitation-antique vase with a female sphinx decoration. Two cats do not appear to be influenced by the musical harmony, and are quarreling on top of music scores left on the floor.

Thanksgiving Is Many Circles of Love

The title of this post is the title of this work of art found here and used under Creative Commons agreements. It celebrates the way many of us spend Thanksgiving Day, feasting with family and friends, visiting, appreciating each other.

I'm looking forward to one of those Thanksgivings, too. I'm thankful for family, friends, food, home, health, job, and so many other things. I try to give thanks every day, not just one day in November.

Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it. --Ralph Marston

Thank you, reader! Happy Thanksgiving! For what are you thankful?