Brisk wintery greetings one and all!

The beginning of the week saw temperatures in the single digits here. But by late Tuesday the thermometer had crept up into the high 40s. And that’s when the precipitation in the form of rain and pea sized hail balls came down in a deluge. It continued along with thunder storms for most of the day and finally wore itself out late in the evening. The skies cleared and the temperature dropped back to “normal” for the season and area yesterday. The sun was beautiful after so much dreariness, but there was no snow. Oh well. Maybe next year.

We spent the afternoon at my mother-in-law’s house in the usual feeding frenzy and gift exchange. I spent the majority of my time in the kitchen preparing various and assorted side dishes. The high point in excitement for the before feast events was the stove catching fire. No worries. I don’t tend to panic. The first burst of flames went out when the pot was removed from the burner. However when we attempted to use the burner again, the flames came right back. I dumped a half a box of baking soda on the element, smothered the fire and opened all the windows to let the smoke out. That’s when the smoke detector decided to go off. My husband came running to control the emergency, which, of course, was already dealt with. We had him battle the smoke detector into submission so he could fulfill his manly obligations. The food was delicious, by the way.

This month’s coloring page features the 3 Fates, also known as the Moerae. They determine the course of each person’s life. The youngest Goddess, Clotho spins the thread and the other two weave the life story and finally cut the thread at the life’s ending. I thought this group of Goddesses was perfect for this time of year when we retreat from the world for the winter months. They are usually portrayed as old crones, but in my imagination they have never been elderly.

You can join the mailing list now to download this and other free coloring pages by going to http://magicalchildbooks.com/newsletter.html and signing up.

If you have been meaning to purchase a copy of Rabbit’s Song with the autographs of myself, SJ Tucker and Trudy Herring, there are only 5 copies left. I don’t know when or if the three of us will be all together in the same place again to sign more. Avoid disappointment and grab yours now. The special pre-release offer of an original story about Rabbit and his friends as told by SJ and Trudy in MP3 download is still available to all purchasers of Rabbit’s Song. The MP3 will remain on the web site until February 14th, the official release date of Rabbit’s Song to the general public. Visit Magical Child Books’ web site http://magicalchildbooks.com to order your special copy now.

Of course, all the other wonderful Pagan children’s books that Magical Child Books offers are still available there, too.

I am working on an adult non-fiction book with Ashleen O’Gaea (Raising Witches) which is almost complete. We will be searching for a publisher soon. In the mean time, we need your help. The book contains several of my holiday recipes. I am a seat of the pants type chef and cook by using a pinch of this and a dash of that. I have done my best to recreate my family favorites into measured recipes to include in the book. How can you help? I need a few adventurous souls to be recipe testers. If you want to take part, email me back for the details. I will add your name to the book as a contributor int he acknowledgments.

And last but not least, my publisher has informed me that they are seeking new manuscripts for Spring 2010 and beyond. If you have a story about Pagan children celebrating any of the assorted Earth Religion based holidays or activities, check out the submissions page on the web site. Who knows? I might be selected to illustrate your story! http://magicalchildbooks.com/submissions.html

A very happy 2009 to all of you.

Blessings,
Lyon

P.S. Remember, send your budding artists’ renditions of this month’s coloring page to me as a jpg (less than 1 MB, please) and I will post it on my blog!

Here’s hoping all your wishes and dreams come true in the coming year. Have a wonderful holiday season.

I know I’m a party pooper, but I seriously hate this time of year. I do my best to get into the mood of the season, but for the most part I feel alienated and lonely.

Possibly I have a bit of SAD going on, and the weather has been typically winter dreary most of the week. The sun was out briefly this morning and I opened the front door to let it stream in and allow the cats to peer at the outside world through the safety of the storm door glass.

I packed up a flurry of last minute orders from Magickware.com and headed out of the house to run my morning errands in good spirits. Fill up the gas tank on the car, swing by K-mart and pick up some meds, finish off by shipping out the packages over at the post office. The wind was fierce and whipped around me while I was filling up the tank. The price of gas has dropped dramatically so I was able to do it for less than a king’s ransom. I drove over to K-Mart and decided I’d better get some non-denominational, un religious cards to send out to friends and family who don’t celebrate Christmas. I wanted something cute and happy. I like cute and happy.

After berating myself for yet another year when I didn’t complete a painting for holiday cards, I poured over the shelves of boxed cards. They had cute. They had happy. Only ALL the cute and/or happy cards had santas or verses inside wishing the recipient a Merry Christmas. I ended up with a basic winter woodland painting type thing with what is in all likelihood a couple of deer. All very bland. But not blatantly Christmassy. I have since lost motivation to address and write short notes in them today. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be in a more holidayish mood.

My husband and I had made tentative plans to welcome back the sun this year by walking on the river banks, but seems that the weather will be dangerously cold on Sunday night. We would be better off staying home instead of tempting possible frost bite down on the edge of the river. So I asked the family what they’d rather do instead. “I dunno” was the unanimous response.

I will make my infamous almond crescent cakes on Sunday. My step-sons would never forgive me if I failed to provide them. One year I was having a difficult time finding almond flour and one of my sons said he would grind the almonds himself if he had to, so we would not go without the confection.

The pile of presents is all wrapped and awaiting delivery to their recipients. Last night, instead of working on my December coloring page, I helped my daughter complete her holiday gifts for her school mates. I spent the evening crocheting a long skinny red scarf.

Maybe I’ll finish my holiday painting tomorrow and send it instead of the lame winter scene I settled for at the store.

Oh, and my X called me by accident when trying to call his girl friend. I think my amusement at his expense didn’t go over very well. But, hey, I wasn’t the one calling the wrong number and asking for someone who isn’t me. Bwahaha. My husband thought it was as humorous as I did.

Winter officially begins on Sunday and I find myself longing for the stirrings of spring already. Maybe it will snow. I like the snow. I miss a real snowfall. A dreary winter day is all so much prettier under a blanket of white fluff. Building a snowman would be fun…

Well, maybe not love exactly, but I am pretty darn pleased.

Last month I splurged and bought myself a laptop. One of those teeny tiny ones. It has a 9″ screen and weighs less than 2 pounds. It fit’s quite comfortably in my cargo bag along with a sketch pad and a box of pencils and erasures.

It’s a PC, not a MAC which is weird for me. I have been using a MAC since the late 80s, almost as long as the personal computer has been around. But I had to purchase a particular piece of software and wouldn’t you know it, they only make it to run on a Windows machine. So I took the plunge. I bought the software in June and the PC in November so it wasn’t a very hasty plunge, but for me that is moving at lightening speed.

Last night I took my tiny little lap top and a WIP that needed editing and went upstairs and stretched out in my bed! To work on edits! In complete comfort in my PJs. Yup, I’m in love.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. The PC came with some bundled games — one of which is pinball. I’ve loved pinball ever since I was a little kid. Some of my fondest memories are of the time I spent on the New Jersey shore. When I was a young kid my grandfather worked on the Lakewood boardwalk. He had a candy shop there. And not just any candy shop mind you, but one that people came from around the country to just to buy up his handmade chocolates. Anyway, once a week, I would get to take a little red wagon filled with soda syrups around the boardwalk making deliveries to all the shops with soda fountains. I’d get a nickle for each delivery. When the wagon was empty and my pocket full of jingling change, I was allowed to venture into the arcade and play any of the games there I wanted until the nickles ran out. My favorite two were skeet ball and pinball. I would hit the pinball machines first. I got really good at them by summer’s end and managed to keep my ball in play for a long time making my nickles last. After half the nickles were gone, I’d head over to the skeet ball area. If I was really careful and scored high enough, I’d end up with a huge handful of tickets. If I had enough tickets, I could pick a prize from the coveted top shelf toys. Funny thing that. I don’t remember a single toy I picked but I do remember the joy of being able to say I had enough tickets for them!

Anyway, pinball on a lap top isn’t quite the same as the old arcade, but it sure beats a stick in the eye any day!

Merry Hi Friends!

I don’t know about all of you, but my November has been quite full. In fact, it’s been so chock full it got away from me when I stopped to regroup. When I came up for air it was already the 24th!

The month started with my leap into trying to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. November is National Novel Writing Month. http://nanowrimo.org Thousands of aspiring (and published) authors from around the world drop everything to attempt writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. I didn’t make it this year, but my word count is double what I managed last year, so I am pretty pleased.

Next up, I was invited to be a guest speaker at the Annual Fall Conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Missouri chapter. I spoke about the process of creating art for picture books from start to finish. See below if you’d like to have me speak at your school, club, group or event. I hold workshops on the publishing process, as well as teaching Pagan centered crafts or workshops.

Right about the same time, I was given my first case as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. http://www.nationalcasa.org/ It’s a volunteer position, but a lot of work. I speak for a child in the foster care system to make sure his/her needs are met and that he/she is placed in a loving, safe and permanent home as soon as possible after being brought into care.

With the recent Thanksgiving holiday just past this week, it only seems fitting to thank each and everyone of you for supporting me in my dreams and career. Without your emails, comments and yes, book purchases, I could not continue to live my dream of writing and illustrating fun and entertaining books for children.

Yule is just around the corner, and many of us are tightening our belts until it hurts. Still, we do want to give gifts to our loved ones. Please consider adding one of my books to the list. Dollar for dollar books are a better investment than most other forms of entertainment. Do your part to help support your local
businesses and buy locally and through independent retailers and booksellers whenever you can. Magical Child Books has made locating your local independent book seller easy. At the bottom of each book’s web page (along side the link to amazon) is an buy Indy link. You click on the link and type in your zip code and the 5 closest book stores to you will be listed with all their contact information.

Below are all my books currently available on the publisher’s web site: http://magicalchildbooks.com, amazon and other online book stores or your favorite book seller.

AN ORDINARY GIRL, A MAGICAL CHILD
Written and illustrated by W. Lyon Martin
Magical Child Books — Trade Picture Book - Available NOW!!!
An Ordinary Girl follows Rabbit, a young Pagan child through the wheel of the Year. Readers follow along with her as she celebrates Wiccan holidays, rituals and spells.

AIDAN’S FIRST FULL MOON CIRCLE
Written and illustrated by W. Lyon Martin
Magical Child Books — Trade Picture Book - Available NOW!!!
An interactive picture book. With hidden pictures in the main story, children get to help a friendly squirrel gather acorns for the coming winter, all the while learning the basics of a Wiccan Full Moon gathering.

WATCHERS
Written and illustrated by W. Lyon Martin
Magical Child Books — Trade Picture Book - Available NOW!!!
Based on a poem by Kelley Magee, this book is a bedtime story filled with subtle Pagan symbols in the illustrations. The hero, Thomas, is worried about the eyes watching him in the dark. He hatches a plan to capture them only to find out what he fears is really there to protect him.

Due for release to booksellers in FEBRUARY 2009
RABBIT’S SONG
Written by S. J. Tucker and Trudy Herring; illustrated by W. Lyon Martin
Magical Child Books — Trade Picture Book
Is currently only available for purchase through the publisher’s web site. A limited number of autographed copies (S.J., Trudy and my signatures are all there for you!) are still available. Buy before December 13th to assure delivery in time for Yule gift giving. Plus, as a special bonus for people placing
pre-orders for Rabbit’s Song, you will receive a MP3 file of Trudy and SJ reading a special story available no where else.. This is a limited time offer and is only available for those placing pre-orders for the book. The MP3 file will be removed from the servers on February 14th, the official release date of the book.

At Magical Child Books you can see inside pages of the books, read reviews and even find teaching guides. You can even leave your own reviews in the publisher’s shopping cart if you want to share your own views on the books.

Freebies:
This month’s coloring page is “L” of the ABC’s of Lesser Know Goddesses. Leucothea is a sea Goddess known for fostering the baby Dionysus. Go to the group’s web site to download this and previous coloring pages. If your budding artist sends me their masterpiece after coloring it in, I’ll post it on my blog. (Please keep files under 1 MG please.) Remember the monthly coloring pages are archived at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/magicalchildnews/. Let me know if you have a favorite Goddess who you think will be a good addition to the pages. We are only half way through the alphabet, so any letters we haven’t covered (M-Z) are still open for suggestions.

Visits:
To invite me to speak at your school or event, learn more at
http://magicalchild.handcraftedpagan.com/workshops/ or email me at lyon@handcraftedpagan.com.
To view my current schedule of events, go to http://magicalchild.handcraftedpagan.com/bio/appearances/. NOTE: Due to my current involvement as a CASA, I am limiting appearances in 2009 and 2010.

Note:
Again, I appreciate your continued interest in the milestones in this amazing career of mine and hope you’ll invite your friends and family to learn more about my books and enjoy my free downloads by sending them to the links above. Of course, I don’t want to bug you, so if you’d rather not hear about these things, you can always unsubscribe. But I sure hope you’ll stick around to share
this exciting trip!

Bright Blessings,
Lyon

Children’s Book Writer & Illustrator
http://www.handcraftedpagan.com

I really tried, and in fact I am pretty pleased with what I managed to accomplish. But with only eight days to go in this month’s National Novel Writing Month challenge and my measly word count of just over 13,000 words, I don’t think it is physically possible for me to write the 50,000 required to win.

I started off the month right on track, I planned to write about 2,000 words a day, because I know there would be days when I would be too busy to make time to write. I was on track until about the middle of the second week, too. And than, as it usually does, life happened.

I was assigned my first case as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). It is a rather complicated scenario and the more investigation I do the more complicated it becomes. I have spent several days each week in the last few weeks just making phone calls and tracking down info. I have received so many faxes, I have to go out an buy another roll of film for my fax machine. I was hoping to wait until January when the stores send out 50% off coupons and I can make a big purchase for my needed office supplies. I rerolled the film, but that’s just a band aide for the immediate future. There have also been several trips up into St. Louis to meetings and such, which because of the drive, the time spent and such, have left me with no energy left after preparing dinner for my family and making sure the house doesn’t fall down around our ears. So several nights I sat staring at my computer screen and not a word being written because my brain refused to function.

Last week, my printer also decided to misbehave again. This has been an ongoing problem since I purchased the damn thing and no one wants to take responsibility to replace the monstrosity which arrived damaged and needed a service call before I could even use it! So the service guy was here again last week, to fix it, and again could not fix it.

I finally found an electrician who wasn’t going to cost me $150 to walk in the front door. My daughter’s room now has a light switch and a new light fixture replacing the old crayon shaped ceiling fan we installed when she was 6. The ceiling still needs to be sanded and painted but if we don’t look up, it’s not noticeable so most likely will wait until I am more ambitious. While the electrician was here, I also had him rewire the studio with grounded outlets and bring the room up to code. The new outlets are on their own circuit on the breaker box as well, which should help save us from having to replace electronic equipment should we have another storm like last August’s.

AND my dentist finally talked me into getting a mouth guard. I have been grinding my teeth since I was a small child and it has gotten to the point where it’s causing me trouble. Because of the way my lower jaw is shaped what should have been an hour visit turned into several hours long visits until the guard fit properly. I wore it for the full night last night for the first time. I think it’s the first time I can remember not waking up with my jaw muscles in knots.

But all of this “life” has really crimped my writing time. So no NaNoWriMo award for me this year. I am very proud of my 13,000+ word count and may even continue to work on my story in spite of the fact I won’t be a NaNoWriMo winner this year. As a picture book writer/artist I have had to work to keep my word count under 1,000 words, so a novel of any length is quite an achievement for me. And it’s been fun to get on a roll and find I’ve written another scene and finished a chapter without struggling for perfection. I still have no title for my story, but it no longer matters. I won this year no matter what else happens this month. I have a really cool novel started and may even see it to completion some time in the near future.

I have a November coloring page in mid sketch calling to me, so I must skiddaddle off and finish that before it become December and I have to do a coloring page for next month! This year has streamed by entirely too fast!