It Can Get Foggy

Dec 7, 2014 by

This morning I had the distinct privilege of watching the fog roll onto Lake Washington. From my office windows, I saw thick, soupy clouds unfold themselves from the south and blanket Mt. Rainer and everything in front of her in silvery white. The glassy lake, once a picture of calm, looked like a cauldron concealing magic of every sort. Fog. It settles in and blinds us, leaving us disoriented and unable to see those landmarks we’ve come to rely upon to navigate our lives, inform our decisions, establish our goals, move forward. Temporarily, of course. By its very nature fog is fleeting, transitory, and lasts only as long as conditions are favorable to sustain it. Fog passes, lifts, and vanishes as quickly as it appears. I’m learning a lot...

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Negative Review Positive Opportunity...

Oct 1, 2014 by

This could be potentially painful. “I read the book only because it’s for the book club, and the book club chose the book only because one of the members knows the (local) author. I’m guessing it’s younger than a YA book, even though the heroine is 13 years old. Borrowing heavily from the Pandora’s Box story, this version is revamped to Pandora’s Jar and that “Hope” was never let out of the Jar. The heroine of the story, Charis, is a reincarnated Grace whose mission is to open the Jar and let Hope out to save mankind. There, you have the whole story. Skip the book. The author attempted to make the book ‘smart’ by mixing in (borrowing) a lot of Greek Mythology. Those were the best parts. The less than smart parts were...

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The Tenerview with Kathryn Fitzmaurice...

Sep 25, 2014 by

Clearly, my life these days has been filled with all things middle grade. I don’t remember what it was that I “bing’d” on the particular day I discovered Kathryn’s blog, but I’m grateful for the happenstance.  When I read her list of favorite middle grade books, I knew I wanted to have her for the Tenerview. She’s a woman after my own heart and I’m happy to introduce her to you. About Kathryn Fitzmaurice: Photo credit: Audey England When Kathryn was thirteen years old, her mother sent her to New York City over the summer to visit her grandmother, who was a science fiction author. After seeing how her grandmother could make the characters in her books into whomever she wanted, Kathryn decided that she, too, wanted to become a writer someday. Years later,...

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LaLa and Other Magic Spells

Aug 20, 2014 by

I am magic. That’s something I frequently remind myself of when I need to, when I forget. “Nicole, you are magic,” I say, often in a whispered prayer that no one can hear but me. It’s an everyday enchantment in which I, using the power of fond memory or vivid imagination, conjure hope from despair, love from fear, or joy from sadness. I’ve talked a little bit about this practical magic before—it’s something I really believe in.  It takes a certain alchemy to take the lemons we are all handed in life and make them palatable, sweet even. But, where my life is concerned, I’ve nearly mastered the recipe, until I forget that I have it and my lips pucker at the sour of things. You must know that when I...

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