Tulsa, Oklahoma: OPHA Pagan Pride Days — Sep 11, 2010 – Sep 12, 2010

http://www.oklapha.org/paganpride.htm

Columbia, Missouri
Mid Missouri Pagan Pride Day — Sep 19, 2010

http://www.midmopaganpride.org/

Southern Ozarks, Missouri
Soule Fest — Sep 30, 2010 5:00pm – Oct 3, 2010 5:00pm

http://www.wolvenwold.drak.net/sf2010.html

If you are in any of these areas, I’d love to see you. Please come by. In Tulsa I will also be doing a reading of my newest book “Smoky and the Feast of Mabon” written by Catherynne M. Valente.

Speaking of “The Feast of Mabon,” it’s been getting rave reviews since its official release on August 21.

There are two 5-star reviews over at amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Smoky-Feast-Mabon-Catherynne-Valente/dp/0979683467

MidWest Book Review says “…”Smoky and the Feast of Mabon” is a lovely book that teaches children to appreciate the gifts of each season, but particularly fall, and not to mourn the passing of beautiful flowers or plants because they give many good gifts in their endings, and in their endings is another beginning. “Smoky and the Feast of Mabon” is enhanced by spectacular illustrations which bring the magical child story new dimensions. “Smoky and the Feast of Mabon” is written particularly for children ages 5-9.”

The book is available now for purchase at your favorite retailers. If they don’t have it, ask them to stock it for you. Please buy your copy now so you have it in time for Mabon on Sept 21. You can also purchase directly from the publisher at http://magicalchildbooks.com/smoky.html

If you head over to the publisher, you can also get a free teaching guide for “The Feast of Mabon.” It’s perfect for classroom, home school or Spiral Scout activities. http://magicalchildbooks.com/smokyguide.html

Hopefully, you have had a chance to download your ABC Goddess coloring page which was sent out earlier this week. This leave us 3 more letters before the series is complete.

Until next time, may the Lord and Lady keep you safe and bless your harvests, whatever your crop may be.

Blessings,
Lyon

A brand new picture book trailer for Smoky and the Feast of Mabon was uploaded by the publisher yesterday.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr2sIihLVWc

Share the link with your friends and relations. The book’s on sale date is Saturday but it’s already available on amazon. (Last time I looked they only had one left in stock.)

I am working on a new coloring page. Stay tuned, it should be arriving in your in box shortly.

You can buy the book directly from the publisher (Magical Child Books), at amazon, or your favorite retailer. If the store doesn’t carry the book ask them to order a copy!

I guess I have been even busier than I thought.

I’ve taken a short break from the book tour for the next few months as I do my best to diminish the height of these piles. I can already see the top of my drafting table (which is NEW, gotten as a birthday present) and the light box.

Some of the accumulated piles have been organized chronologically so I can make some sort of sense out of them as I play catch up.

Also in the plans are the last few installments for the ABCs of Lesser Known Goddesses. This month’s Goddess is from India and is called Vasudhara. She is the Goddess of Abundance and is somewhat related to Lakshmi. If you would like to download a pdf to color head on over to the Yahoo Group files. All the Goddesses from A thru U are there as well.

I’ll be back on tour meeting readers and signing books in September. Until than I will be working on new projects and catching up on the old.

Until next time may the Lord and Lady keep you safe.

Bright Blessings,
Lyon

Coyote Face

Sun in sky over water

I have a full page of things to do on my to-do list, but I am happy to say I have marked off the ‘U’ installment coloring page for the ABCs of Lesser Known Goddesses. This Goddess is from India and is called Ushas. She’s a dawn Goddess which seems perfect for the beginning of May and spring in full bloom around us. To download your free pdf, sign up to the mailing list and check the files section for this page and archived previous pages.

The newest book “Smoky and the Feast of Mabon” by Catherynne M. Valente is done and even though the ink is barely dry, you can grab your very own copy directly from the publisher (http://magicalchildbooks.com) before it is available anywhere else. So far it’s been getting rave reviews. My friend Ginger Doss said the art fills her heart to overflowing with peace and contentment. I can think of no higher praise. Please head over to the web site and get your copy now. (And if you are into soul sister music Ginger’s new CD “Hand and Hammer” is coming out this month!)

The final appearance for for me in May is at the Heartland Pagan Festival in Kansas, May 27-31. I will be signing books and giving workshops for the kids! Please stop by and see me if you are there.

Bright Blessings,
Lyon

Imbolc season starts with February. Whether you celebrate on the 1st or the 2nd or during the time afterwards, this is the time of new beginnings. It is a perfect opportunity to introduce your children to Pagan festivals. In An Ordinary Girl, Rabbit and her mother celebrate the holiday by buying and planting seeds in preparation for the garden they tend outdoors in the warmer months. Other families make corn dollies to place in Brigit’s beds. There are a many fun and safe activities for teaching children about Wiccan holidays like Imbolc. You can make butter; leave bread out for the fairies; make a god’s eye or Brigit’s cross. This site lists many ideas and has links to instructions for some of them.

I have had a few people ask about coloring pages with Gods and the answer is yes, I will be doing the ABCs of Lessor known Gods after the Goddesses are finished. That will be very soon as I only have U,V, W, X, Y and Z left. And I am not sure there are any x goddesses! If you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, please do. All the other pages are archived for the members. I hope you all have a very blessed end of the year and stay tuned to this blog for updates on the new book. I’ll share art as soon as I can!

It’s been a while since I last wrote to you, I have been busy with a number of interesting projects which I am sure you will be excited to learn about.

The first one is a new picture book! Due out next year, it is authored by none other than acclaimed and award winning fantasy writer Catherynne M. Valente. Her wonderful story, called ‘Smoky and the Feast of Mabon,’ is as magical and entertaining as her adult and young adult fiction novels. And, as you probably guessed from the title, it is a Mabon story. The publisher will be taking pre-orders on their web site (http://magicalchild books.com) soon. Meanwhile, the book is in production and moving along nicely.

Speaking of books, all 4 other titles are still available at the web site as well. There are bundled purchase choices too which are money saving deals! And the publisher now accepts Discover Cards! Remember that a book is the best buy dollar for dollar of any form of entertainment. Please add one of the books to your lists when considering what gifts to get the young children in your life.

The other project I am working on is with author, Ashleen O’Gaea. Our Pagan parenting book has been picked up by an agent for representation. While the book is still in a holding pattern, both of us are hopeful it will find a home soon. I’ll keep you informed when there is more news.

I spent a rather cold and soggy October touring around the Midwest. It was wonderful to see some of you at the events I traveled to. I am always grateful and humbled by the kindness and joy with which I am greeted. Your support is what makes this all worthwhile. I am currently scheduling my 2010 events, and this year I am adding something new. I will be doing school visits! Programs for elementary through college level classes include things like how to make a picture book, story telling and what the life of an illustrator is like. If your kid’s school has visiting authors or illustrators, please let me know who hires the visiting creatives and maybe I can arrange a visit to your child’s school.

And last but not least, the newest coloring page for the ABCs of Lesser Known Goddesses is ready for download. Go to the publisher’s web site to sign up to the Yahoo newsgroup to get access to this one and all previous coloring pages. This page’s letter is “S.” The Goddess, Srahman is North African from the Kaffir peoples. She is a dryad spirit who teaches travelers the way of the woods.

As always, I love to hear from you. Please let me know what you think of the coloring pages, my books or if you have any questions about them or suggestions for upcoming new stories.

I am now on Twitter. My username is lyonmartin. Please friend me if you have a Twitter account.

Until next time!

Bright Blessings,
Lyon

This year has been especially solitary because of my medical snafu in January. It has kept me house bound much of the year and not out-and-about at festivals and events throughout the country like most summers.  I have put the time to good use. There are several new books in the works. I cannot talk about them yet, but soon I will tell you all the details. I can say that one is a book for adults. It is a Pagan parenting book unlike any other out in the market so far.

Even though I still have some healing left to do, I am back on the road beginning with Labor Day Weekend. If you are in the area, please come out and see me, I’d love to meet you if I haven’t already and renew our acquaintance if we have already met.

Here is my schedule through October:

• Harvest Homecoming & Ozark Avalon’s 13th Anniversary, Sep 3, 2009 12:00pm, Sep 7, 2009 3:00pm, Ozark Avalon Church of Nature Boonville, MO
• Mid Missouri Pagan Pride Day, Sep 27, 2009 12:00pm, , Peace Park, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
• Our Haven’s October Gathering 2009, Oct 2, 2009 3:00pm, Oct 4, 2009 12:00pm, Our Haven Nature Sanctuary, French Lick, Indiana
• WytcheHaven Weekend #10 – Riding the Winds of Change, Oct 9, 2009 1:00pm, Oct 12, 2009 1:00pm, ISIS Foundation Community Church – Salem, Arkansas
• Summerland Grove’s Festival of Souls, Oct 15, 2009 3:00pm, Oct 18, 2009 12:00pm, Meeman-Shelby State Park, Millington, Tennessee

To see complete details and for future events visit the calendar page.

This month’s FREE coloring page is the “Q” of the ABCs of Lesser Known Goddesses. Quinoa-Mama is a grain Goddess from Peru. During the harvest of the quinoa crop, the leaves of the plant are collected and made into a “corn-dolly” which is dressed in traditional Peruvian costume. The doll is saved until the following year when it is burned to ensure a bountiful crop and harvest.

Q was a tough one. There just aren’t that many Goddesses whose name starts with a Q. I eat quinoa on occasion, so I was excited to find there is a Goddess just for this small and tasty grain.

Have your children gone back to school yet? Did you know that the publisher has free teaching guides for each of my books on their web site? If you are friendly with your school librarian or even the local public librarian, why not suggest they add some of my books to their collection. Libraries across the country have. Help spread the word.

In addition to the newsletter, please friend me on
http://lyon-martin.livejournal.com/ LiveJournal,
http://www.myspace.com/wlyonmartin MySpace,
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/376137.W_Lyon_Martin GoodReads,
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/wendy-martin/3/812/93b LinkedIn or
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/kidsbookartist?ref=name FaceBook.

The publisher also has a fan page on
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Magical-Child-Books/75752934850 FaceBook, become a fan today.

I ‘ve been keeping up with my art challenge with a 30 minute daily doodle. Watch my progress on my http://wendymartinillustration.magickware.com/wordpress/
illustration blog.

As always, my books, ‘An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child,” “Aidan’s First Full
Moon Circle,” “Watchers,” and “Rabbit’s Song,” are all available from the
http://magicalchildbooks.com publisher, on my personal website -
http://magickware.com, at your favorite online or brick and mortar bookseller
and possibly even you local public library. I know times are tough all over, but
dollar for dollar, a book is one of the best deals for your entertainment budget.
In closing, I thank each one of you for joining me on this wonderful and wacky trip of mine. It is because of your unending support that I am living my dream. Your friendship is a true blessing and I am honored.

I’ve been very busy this month. Last month I decided to do a daily doodle. The reasons behind this are many, but mainly, I wanted to get into the habit of drawing something (anything) every day. When I was much younger, the daily drawing habit was something I never had to think about. With the responsibilities of adulthood, like mortgage and bills and parenting, the days seem to be much shorter.

Obviously, there are still 24 hours in a day, it’s just that they’ve become clogged with other things.

I also have been working hard behind the scenes to update (and upgrade) my web presence. I am on myspace, facebook, live journal and a half a dozen other networking sites. I have not twittered yet, but that may change eventually as many of my art friends have been forming twitter groups to network with each other. I hate to think I may be missing something.

Since my injury earlier this year, I have been home a lot more than usual because I wasn’t able to travel for my usual tour season this spring and summer. It’s put a dent in my income that I will have a hard time recovering from in the remaining months, but the down time has allowed me to concentrate on the many chores that piled up because I was either packing, traveling or unpacking for much of the years previously.

I have high hopes that 2010 will bring many new events, friends and opportunities. I just have to be patient and lay the ground work.

This month’s ABC Goddess is Pax, a Roman Goddess of Peace. Her festival day happens in July, so it seemed a perfect choice for the free coloring page. Enjoy.