About The Author: Wife, Mother, Librarian. Helen lives in Michigan with her husband Paul and their children, two dogs, a cat and a ferret. While not working as a public librarian, she enjoys gardening, family research, crafts and chilling at home.

Title: Charles Franklin Chamberlain: Drawn To France
Genre: Non-Fiction

Book Synopsis: Charles Franklin Chamberlain, 1871 - 1947, was a farmer by birth but an artist by heart. This is his story including a brief biography though told mostly through letters exchanged with his mother and friends during his many travels, and highlighted by his art and photography.

Charles studied in Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Paris. Charles attended art school at the Detroit Academy, and in 1892-93 went off to study at the Art Students League of New York. It was in Detroit as well as in New York that Charles made many connections in the art world and soon was determined to make his way to Paris to further his studies. Charles' first trip to France was in 1894 and he concentrated his studies at the Academic Julian, Montmartre, Paris as well as at the newer Aman-Jean School. He spent several years in France studying under the old masters, following the impressionist influence of the time.

Find The Book: https://amzn.to/46Syb2t
Visit Raine’s Website: https://lonecow.blogspot.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/p3E-meaCImA​
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p98c47j

If you're a writer, you've experienced it… writer’s block.  That creative rut you get into and can’t seem to find a way to shake it.  That feeling can be oppressive and hold you back from telling the stories you know live inside you.  We don’t always know where it comes from, why it persists, and most frustratingly, how to eject it.  I’ve been there… it can be difficult to overcome. 

However, I can sometimes work through the blockage if I change something about my writing practice.  The change doesn’t have to be big, sometimes the little things make all the difference.  But sometimes, if you make several small changes simultaneously, you can see remarkable results.

I primarily write on a computer – my fingers are comfortable on a keyboard.  I usually write at my desk, with the same chair and same noises surrounding my writing space.  Usually, I’m wonderfully productive.  But every so often, I like to take myself to write in a different place, with different noises, and different furniture.  I’ve been doing this for quite some time, so I shouldn’t be surprised by the results – but somehow – I still am, pleasantly so.

Today’s field trip took me to The Detroit Institute of Arts.  I’ve enjoyed this place since I was a youngster, visiting with my family, on school trips, and later, on dates or with out-of-town guests.  Visiting places of our childhood with adult eyes can sometimes show us new perspectives and build new relationships with friends and the creative process. 

Today, my friends, Raine and Tandi, came along to share the experience.  We had a fantastic time walking through the halls of exhibits, soaking up the inspiration shared from the masters, chatting, and generally reminding ourselves why we do this thing we love – it’s fun.

We didn’t go with a specific itinerary or a timetable.  We decided where to stop as we walked along, and when we found a place that spoke to us, we sat, set the timer for fifteen minutes, and wrote.  For me, writing field trips mean writing longhand, on paper.  I don’t like the idea of dragging around alternate power supplies to power the laptop or tablet, and I’m never sure if I’ll have a place to plug in… so old school writing seems to make the most sense.  I always bring along a small box of colored pens… I use a new pen for each new writing session.  There’s something about the change not only in environment, but also the change in ink color that helps Drake to think outside the pond. 

Altogether, the three of us got in eight, fifteen-minute writing sessions. I produced about twelve pages of hand-written plot moments for my NaNoWriMo project next month.  We were surrounded by paintings, sculpture, armor, and writing from a collection of hundreds and thousands of years of history.   It was interesting to me to see how Drake's imagination was influenced and changed in each new room.  We walked around the museum and looked at other exhibits, and spent some nice time in conversation, as well. 

Aside from spending the day doing what I love with good friends, there were two highlights of the day for me.  The first was lunch.  My favorite comfort food is macaroni and cheese, and the DIA makes a plate of cheesy goodness that is extraordinary – and not over-priced.  The interesting conversation the three of us shared during the meal made it that much better.  I enjoyed talking with these women, learning more about them, and sharing a bit of laughter, too. 

The second highlight was an unexpected encounter we had in one of the galleries.  There we were, sitting together on a bench in a room filled with exquisite paintings.  There were others walking around us, enjoying the art, as well.  Sharing space, but not necessarily conversation when in the middle of a creative quest, is part of why writing field trips work so well.  The additional energy is the fuel Drake and I don’t always know we’re missing. 

Suddenly, we heard an intense voice on a loudspeaker… “Warning, you have come too close to an exhibit.”  Evidently, the DIA has proximity alarms on the artwork hanging on the walls.  I had no idea, it had never occurred to me, although in hindsight, it makes sense.  As cool as that was, though… a stern, disembodied voice chastising a visitor who got too close, was what came next.  A woman looked at her young daughter and explained the warning voice in a calm and gentle tone.  “It’s okay, that was just the museum God letting Daddy know he got too close to the painting.”  Raine, Tandi, and I laughed… and so did  others within earshot of Mom's explanation.  Mom didn’t flinch, didn’t over-animate… the entire exchange was simple, gentle, and almost nonchalant.  It was a fun moment we carried with us through the rest of the day.

If you have a chance to change up your writing practice, I highly recommend a Writing Field Trip.  They can be extremely productive, and you never know what fun moments will make a day of writing more impactful to your WIP than you imagined.  My most memorable moments are in the photo gallery below.

​To learn more about why I'm writing this new blog series, and my inspiration for writing it, READ THIS.

Who is your hero?  Who is the person you’d most like to emulate in this world?  What are the elements of being that you wish you had so deeply ingrained as a part of yourself that you don’t have to work at living those things – even slightly?  What are those things about humanity that you wish were simply second nature in yourself and in everyone around you?

One of my strongest Heroes has always been Jim Henson.  I was never fortunate enough to meet the man, but I think I came to understand a bit about who he was by virtue of my infatuation with his beloved character, Kermit The Frog.  In fact, so many people agreed that it was and is nearly impossible to separate the man from the Muppet, that when Henson passed away, and the entire cast of Muppets and their performers attended his memorial service, Kermit was the only one missing from the day.  It stands to reason.  How could Kermit exist without Jim Henson?  The answer, of course, is that he can’t… not really.

Whenever I feel that I’m missing inspiration in my life, I look inside books.  Turning those pages never fails to remind me that ordinary people can create extraordinary things… and so can I.  Libraries are the sacred storehouses of this inspiration, forever reminding us what is possible.

Jim Henson knew this.  In his film, The Dark Crystal, one scene represents this primary theme of his life's work.  Gelflings, Kira and Jen, find themselves in an ancient space… the ruins… the houses of the old ones.  Strange markings cover the walls.  Kira has never seen them before and asks Jen what they are.  “Writing,” replies Jen.  “What’s Writing?” asks Kira.  “Words that stay,” responds Jen.  “My master taught me.” 

Henson understood the power of story, and that once created, it will never go away; instead, leading generations to come.  The Dark Crystal shared this important lesson of intellect in a very sincere and poignant way.  However, Henson also knew that our heart shared a similar lesson, and that one of the best ways to remind ourselves is through gentle humor.

Kermit is the best keeper of that memory.  He reinforces our individual uniqueness and the qualities that help to connect our stories with the whole of humanity.  Through his gentle ambition, his unfailing belief in his friends, his acceptance that faults are not failures, and a knowledge that enthusiasm for the moment is success enough, Kermit became my hero. 

Maybe Kermit can’t fly or fling webbing from his wrists, or out-shoot those who work against him.  But he is strong in the ways of the forces of positive thinking, tenacity, and love.  Corrupting him is futile, he will never be assimilated into the negative space of the domineering.  He believed that something better would always come along, and he never took his friends and their trust in him for granted.  Kermit The Frog is who I always wanted to be… with a side of Jim Henson to keep it all real, attainable, and worthy of imitation.
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Kermit The Frog and his creator, Jim Henson aren’t just entertaining punchlines and mystical voices that tell amazing stories.  The Man and The Muppet are two of my most compelling heroes, and their legacy's impact inside me Makes Life Worth Living.

About The Author: Raine is Canadian, born and raised, and constantly moved between Ontario and Quebec with her military family. She moved to Michigan, USA, in 2004, where she currently still resides with her husband and son.

She has always had a vivid imagination and loved reading and writing from a very young age. She took courses in Children’s Literature through ICL in Illinois, and published her debut new adult steampunk adventure in 2020. She has participated in NaNoWriMo for over a decade and was a Municipal Liaison for the Detroit region for six years.

Title: The Techno Mage
Genre: Steampunk

Book Synopsis: She’s being held hostage and yet, Magaliana doesn’t want to be saved.

Close friends Ikarim, Arteus, and Magaliana always knew the dangers of sky pirates, but what they didn’t expect was having their airship repair shop pillaged and being separated when Magaliana, a noble, is sold for a hefty bounty.

Once in the hands of the Techno Mage, her world changes. He’s a mythical man with the ability to flawlessly combine both technology and alchemy, and his mythical ship is a haven for Magaliana. There, she discovers how to refine her craft.

Ikarim and Arteus are determined to escape the sky pirates to save her, but do they have what it takes before the Techno Mage initiates his grand plan?

Find The Book: https://books2read.com/thetechnomage
Visit Raine’s Website: https://swraine.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/zIEe5HshbzU​
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4e5cj5x8​

Listener Advisory: Violence, Strong Language, Mature Situations

About The Author: Raine is Canadian, born and raised, and constantly moved between Ontario and Quebec with her military family. She moved to Michigan, USA, in 2004, where she currently still resides with her husband and son.

She has always had a vivid imagination and loved reading and writing from a very young age. She took courses in Children’s Literature through ICL in Illinois, and published her debut new adult steampunk adventure in 2020. She has participated in NaNoWriMo for over a decade and was a Municipal Liaison for the Detroit region for six years.

Title: Rise of The Sky Pirate (Book One of The Adventures of Captain Keenan)
Genre: Steampunk

Book Synopsis: Before becoming the infamous sky pirate from The Techno Mage, Benedict Keenan was a disorderly drunkard from London Below—and in this spin-off series, his story is finally being told.

Straying from his dream of living like the nobles in the Upper Lands for far too long, Benedict takes on an easy mercenary job with a band of rogues to quickly get back on his feet. But when a surgeon from the Upper Lands—the sole survivor of a sky pirate attack—is found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Benedict is suddenly thrust into a dangerous high-stakes race against a poisonous alchemical infusion set to be released into the Great Lakes. What’s worse is that a man from Benedict’s past is at the center of it all. Can he foil the sky pirate’s plans and return to living his dream life, or will he find a new ambition?

For fans of Pirates of the Caribbean, Rise of the Sky Pirate is an action-packed steampunk adventure that reaches for the stars while saving the world along the way.

Find The Book: https://swraine.com/books/steampunk/
Visit Raine’s Website: https://swraine.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/4hBqUISRr9Y​
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2tu84z5j​

 Listener Advisory: Strong Language, Mature Situations

About The Author: Rhys Shaw has always been interested in history, dilapidated ruins, stories of deceit and survival. Her belief that women are overlooked in history, or blamed for mankind’s unsavory decisions is the reigning theme behind her gritty realistic historical fiction books. In The Welexia Series, Rhys draws upon her love of story to bring the pages alive with the personal struggles and pain of strong female characters, taking us on their journey to overcome and thrive.

In the modern world, Rhys shares her home with a few furry friends and a less furry spouse. She can often be found with her nose in a book, or taking a walk - though not at the same time.

Book Title: Someone’s Daughter: Will To Survive… Book One In The Welexia Series
Genre: Historical Fantasy

Book Synopsis: She’s used to wealth and comfort. When evil ransacks her home, will this brave young monarch trade her life for those she loves?

Princess Alaria is desperate to shield her sisters. Pulled out of her bed by violent men during a coup, the thirteen-year-old royal still thinks quickly enough to shoulder the burden of protecting her younger siblings. But when a tyrant hurls their entire family into a hellhole of rot, vomit, and despair, she fears their fates are sealed.
Sensing death waiting hungrily in the shadows, Alaria grows up fast as she watches her loved ones slowly fade into the grave. And clinging tightly to the hope of survival and freedom, she makes an unthinkable bargain with their captor.

Can she snatch what’s left of her family from beneath death’s scythe?

Someone’s Daughter is the gritty first book in the Welexia historical fantasy series. If you like strong female characters, tense action, and richly detailed settings, then you’ll love Rhys Shaw’s unflinching roller coaster.
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Find the Book Here: https://amzn.to/46ts1Gm​
Find Rhys' Website Here: https://www.welexia.com/
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p9cscdt​
YouTube: https://youtu.be/E2U2y_wQ1v8​

LISTENER ADVISORY: VIOLENCE

About The Author: Michael Beardslee is currently retired after 34 years of working in the auto insurance industry claims world with the majority of that time being spent as a field trainer. He has lived in the state of Michigan his entire life, mainly in Livingston County. He currently resides in Brighton and West Branch, Michigan with his wife, Terese Fitzpatrick, and Molly, their golden retriever.

Michael was born in Flint, Michigan and graduated from Fenton High School. He has a BME degree from Eastern Michigan University.

Title: The Fenton Mafia
Genre: Fictionalized Memoir

Book Synopsis: This book is Volume #2 of the “The White Lake Road Chronicles.” This specific entry is titled, “The Fenton Mafia.” This work follows the first volume titled, “Bad Hombre.”

Michael suggests that if you have not already done so, read this series in chronological order, as there will be a grand total of 10 volumes that will depict how a high school student who transfers to another high school for his senior year overcomes adversity and insecurity.

“Bad Hombre” is the lead-in for the who, what, where and how of obstacles that this young man faces as he approaches “the greatest year of his life.”

This story is loosely based upon Michael’s own senior year of high school which took place during the 1969-70 school year. While he is now many ages removed from those days, he still treasures the friends and great moments of that closed period of his existence.

What you will read in this book contains many factual moments of his life. However, he also used some creative writing skills to allow the direction of this novel to read how he would have actually liked his life as a 12th grader to have taken place.

So, if your memory or research skills show that a certain athletic conference does not exist, or a result of a High School Band District Festival rating is different than what history shows, then that is when you will find the imagination of Mike Beardslee running rampant.

Now don’t get mislead by the subtitle, “Volume II.” There is no Michael Corleone, Al Capone, “Frankie Five Fingers” or Hiram Roth in this work or a person even close to these movie characters. Just four high school band kids were christened with this nickname by a trombone player.

The format of this novel is written in the style of a person making daily entries into a journal or log showing what happened on such and such date of the year. Volume II starts on October 1st 1969 and runs through October 31st 1969.
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Find The Book: https://amzn.to/3RVqnZz
Visit Michael’s Website: https://tinyurl.com/2ztxy2h9
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wMXXNOkL3mY​
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdzx9uke​

About The Author: Bradley Poore is the author of A JOURNEY TO THE MIDDLE: How I embraced mediocrity and failed to turn my old vacuum into a rocket ship. Men of War is his second book of essays. Bradley is considered by many to be a fool's fool; with very little understanding or knowledge of how the world works.  
He loves waffle fries, chainsaw sculptures, traveling by train, and the Amish. Bradley lives in Ann Arbor, MI.

Title: Opera Andy
Genre: Children’s

Book Synopsis: Andy lives in a BIG city and works for a large bank. Andy sings to his biggest fans, his cats: Ben and Max. Andy auditions for the opera, but will he become a famous opera singer?

Beautiful hand-painted illustrations in watercolor by artist Phelan Harris; it's as lovely to look at as it is to read. Opera Andy is a happy tale about knowing one's self and being happy with who you are.
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Find The Book: https://amzn.to/3PT9AVy
Visit Bradley’s Website: https://www.twillinghampublishing.com/authors
YouTube:  https://youtu.be/WBsgW29CQqA​
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5xfukabr​
 
 

​To learn more about why I'm writing this new blog series, and my inspiration for writing it, READ THIS.

It’s warm.  It’s soothing.  It’s magic.

Swimming around inside every cup is the liquid memory of mornings with my grandfather, Girl Scout camping trips, the unfortunate incident when I dumped it on my cold feet at a football game in high school (not a thing I’d recommend), nifty story ideas, and the oh, too-many-to-count incredible conversations I’ve had with interesting people at every time of day and night imaginable.

Hot cocoa is how I start my day, every day, year-round.  I like to think of it as coffee without the abrasive attitude.  It’s gentle first thing in the morning, allowing me the reliability of at least one moment of enjoyment every day.  Even better than that, if I drink it close to bedtime, it won’t keep me awake, and instead soothes me into a happy place where relaxation is easier.

Hot cocoa is the best creative fuel for Drake, my writing Muse.  He loves the way the steam warms his feathers and smothers the itchy-scratchy feeling created from a lack of ideas.  If there is ever a time when I can’t hear him quack, I pour a cup of hot cocoa, and within moments, his voice returns to me.

Some people look strangely at me when I suggest we meet to share a cup of cocoa and catch up or plan our next exciting event.  They sometimes have an incredulous response, “You drink that in summertime?”  Yes, and you drink coffee or hot tea in summertime, but I don’t judge.

Sharing time with friends or loved ones, while also sharing a cup (or several) of cocoa is the equivalent for me of all those old-timey westerns, when the cowboys used to pass a bottle of really old alcoholic something, as they emptied their thoughts, concerns, humor, and admiration into the air, guarded by a fire circle.  There’s a shared intimacy and trust that happens in those moments that is important, precious, and fleeting.  I consider it an honor to be in that space with people, regardless of whether you actually drink hot cocoa, or not.  And if you don’t, I’ll still cherish our time together… but recognize, it does mean that there will be one more cup of the chocolate wonderment for me, and I will drink it. 

Hot Cocoa isn’t just for snowy winter days, after sledding with children.  It’s an opportunity to share in the warmth of friendship, conversation, love, and creativity.  Hot Cocoa is a Thing That Makes Life Worth Living.

​To learn more about why I'm writing this new blog series, and my inspiration for writing it, READ THIS.

So, you know that question everyone asks, “If you were stranded on a desert island with only one collection of music, what would it be?”  I think that’s the wrong way to ask that question.  It’s a lot like asking, “What one author’s work would you choose?”  How can you honestly answer such a thing?  There are so many tremendously talented people in the world.  I think the more accurate way to ask that question is, “If you had to live forever, whose music would you never want to live without?”

Well, I would insist on two… because, truly, as much as you might love one artist’s talent, you really need to have something to feed your cerebral side as well as your emotional side, if you want to remain sane for all of eternity. 

So, I would take along Mozart’s music to feed my brain, and Kenny Loggins’ music to feed my heart.
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If everything I knew was required to end… my friends, family, pets, forests, wildlife… while forcing me to endure until the universe exploded into nothingness, Kenny Loggins’ catalogue of melodies and lyrics would be my enduring soundtrack of existence.  So much of my life is connected to these songs.  It’s impossible to recall the most valuable memories of my life without also thinking about this man’s music and how his voice walked me through all of it.  Although the lyrics may be gender specific, the emotions never are… the messages conveyed in each song, for me, are universal and often apply to more than one moment in time.

Here’s a playlist… because truly, I don’t know a better way to explain this man’s impact on my life.  There’s no way I could go through his entire collection of amazingness and describe how each one has affected me, but here are some of the songs that mean the most to me, in no particular order.

Sweet Reunion connects me to the birth of my son and the feeling that I’d known him long before I met him for the first time.
     Whispered your name in introduction,
     Darling, my heart filled the room,
     And I knew it was you, come back in my life.
 
Danger Zone reminds me of time spent with my high school theatre friends, having more fun than perhaps most thought we should.
     You'll never say hello to you
     Until you get it on the red line overload
     You'll never know what you can do
     Until you get it up as high as you can go
 
I’m Free reminds me of the year I went from being painfully shy to less so, and the freedom I found in that courage.
     I wanna hold you now, I won't hold you down
     You're what I want, listen to me
     Nothing I want's out of my reach (I'm free)
 
House at Pooh Corner (and Return To Pooh Corner) solidifies my deep connection to A.A. Milne’s writing and the notion that the writing work I do will never not need to be done.
     So help me if you can, I've got to get
     Back to the house at Pooh Corner by one
     You'd be surprised, there's so much to be done
     Count all the bees in the hive
     Chase all the clouds from the sky
     Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh
 
The Art of Letting Go is my mantra, of sorts, to remember that I’m not a victim in life, even when where I am is painful and difficult.  Sometimes there is peace in letting go and moving on, even when my brain is in pain and my heart wants to hold on tighter.
     You can't go through it
     Without going through it
     'Til it goes through you
     'Til you know the truth
 
The Unimaginable Life reminds me that whatever I do in life, wherever I go, whoever I spend time with, every experience will touch my heart in unimaginable ways, so I need to remain open to that possibility.
     Something in the way that you say hello
     Even to the sound of your heart beat
     All seems so familiar to me
     My soul-memory of love
     Leading me homeward
 
Yet, if I had to choose a single favorite song to listen to on permanent repeat for the rest of my life, forsaking all others, forever, this would be the one:

Love Will Follow gives me permission to fall so hard, so strong, and so forever in love with the people I cherish that it will never be wrong.  It’s my personal anthem that love, whether reciprocated or unrequited, is more valuable than anything else I will ever know; and giving it with everything I have will always be a gift I give myself and never a regret.
     Use your wings and fly away
     And come with me today
     Your heart will lead the way
     And love will follow