The Story of Stingy Jack O’Lantern, & The Origin of Trick-Or-Treat!

As Halloween draws near, I feel it'd be fun to have a look at the traditions that surround this holiday, and discover how those traditions first began long ago. Haven't you wondered why we carve pumpkins, and why children (and adults 😉 ) dress up and knock on doors for candy? The answers we shall …

October Summary and Leaf Love, 2016 #monthlywrapup #booknerd #authorblog

Fall colors, pumpkin spice and everything nice! Isn't autumn so beautiful? I don't know about you, but I took way too many photos of trees this season! (said photos in this post 😉 ) But besides all of that, there were exciting things that happened this October: I sent out a special e-newsletter announcing (for the first time) …

My August Happenings, 2016 #monthlywrapup #booknerd #authorblog

August, yes, it was a different kind of month. I had a lot of fun near the beginning, going on a road trip out to IL, as you can see in my post about the trip and some photos from the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. But then coming back from that, life became stressful for a while. …

My July Happenings, 2016 #monthlywrapup #booknerd #authorblog

Is it just me, or did July fly by really fast? Not to mention the year in general—it's already August! Where did it all go? I blinked and it was over. But July went well. I got some things finished writing-wise, and the Silmarillion Awards were fun to participate in! I'm on a trip to …

My June Happenings, 2016 #monthlywrapup #booknerd #authorblog

This past June was more balanced: not overly stressful, but still busy. I did a few fun summer things, like going to the beach for the annual Sand Sculpture Event. I finished my review of Cinder, book one in The Lunar Chronicles. And I've made more progress with my WIP. Summer has also brought quite …

Monthly Summary and News! May 2016 #writer #booknerd #authorblog

May was easier-going than April. After that fall, my foot is doing much better now; almost back to normal except for the injured bump on the side, lol. May and June so far have been all about getting my WIP ready, as I'd really like to publish it next spring. This includes drafting up a book …

Updates and April 2016 #writing #reading #blogging

  It has been a LONG time since my last monthly update post, and there are several reasons for that. Back in December, my grandfather passed away over Christmas and it was a difficult time for me, my family and relatives. We were all very close to him. He was a wonderful person, and I …

Legends and Legendary Creatures, the A-Z List!

April's #AtoZChallenge explored many legends and legendary creatures from around the world. I learned a ton doing this: about creatures I'd never heard of or only vaguely knew of, about many interesting folklore tales and how they came to be, and about fossils of monstrous creatures that once lived. Many of you really enjoyed the posts, …

Zlatorog Goldenhorns and the Hunter Tale #AtoZChallenge

This is part of the A-to-Z blog challenge for April. My theme is legends and legendary creatures (both real and fiction). I hope you enjoy following along! Zlatorog and the Hunter The Mountains of Triglav were guarded by white goats, who often chased away intruders by stone avalanches, and their leader was the great Goldhorn. His golden horns …

Yong the Wise of Korean Legend #AtoZChallenge

This is part of the A-to-Z blog challenge for April. My theme is legends and legendary creatures (both real and fiction). I hope you enjoy following along! Yong Yong are a different kind of dragon in Korean mythology and folklore. Most dragons in European mythology are linked to the elements of fire and destruction, but dragons …