Thanksgiving is coming soon. For many of us, it's usually about turkey and pie. Of course, this year, it's also about super awkward conversations and silences as we all try avoid talking about the giant orange elephant in the room. (No insult meant to real elephants. You're adorable). We all know what we learned in school about Thanksgiving. The pilgrims and the Native Americans come together, two very opposite cultures, and break bread peacefully. But this made me wonder - what is the real story of Thanksgiving? Here are common misconceptions about Thanksgiving I found.
It’s no secret among my friends and family, and anyone who follows me on twitter, that I have a tiny obsession with the Gilmore Girls. It’s one of my favorite shows of all time. I’ve seen every episode more than once and my favorite episodes so many times I can’t count. Since the premiere is only 5 days away, I thought it might be fun to rank my top 5 favorite Gilmore Girls episodes. Trust me, this wasn’t easy and, to be clear, these are not even what many might call the “best” episodes. But, I have a personal connection to them!
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Since I live in Northern Virginia, I get to experience fall in it's full glory. Even if fall doesn't officially end until December, unofficially it's nearly time to say goodbye. I'm sad it is coming to a close, but I look forward to it returning again. And, in a way that feels like a larger metaphor at the moment. Therefore, as an ode to fall, I wrote a little poem to say good bye. Oh and there are pictures too.
It's finally Friday. And I'm in much need of a distraction. So let's have some silly Friday Fun and pretend for 5 minutes that all the world's problems could be solved if we just cared about each other as much as we cared about our dogs. I mean. I get it. I love my dog, even when she wakes me up at 5 am to throw up on my carpet (which she does more frequently than I'd like). How could I not love that face though? Look at her, she's adorable and she loves books! She's perfect! Alright, so we've established dogs are adorable and great. Let's take this up a notch. Since I had so much fun writing a blog on “if my characters were Barbie dolls,” I thought I’d try a variation on this theme. In this blog, I’m going to do, if my characters from The Travelers were dogs.
The Travelers, my first published novel, falls into the young adult (YA) genre of fantasy/paranormal/sword and sorcery (I never realized so many genres and sub-genres of YA existed!) People often ask me what inspired me to write for young adults. I had several reasons. For one, young adults seem to actually read books. More importantly, they are more open to ideas and exploration of truths. I wanted to write a book that was fun and exciting. But, I also wanted it to be more than just a book about two teens who fall in love and overcome obstacles. I wanted it to say something, maybe even teach something.
If You Want to Understand Why I’m Crying It’s because I can’t protect her I can’t protect her against The rising tides of water and hatred I can’t protect her when She leaves my arms for school Where children with spinning compasses And growing access to lethal weapons and unchecked prejudices Can penetrate the sanctuary Of education and innocence
So, I need a little levity in my life right now. Therefore, I decided to try something new. I'm calling it T-shirt Tuesday. My husband probably has hundreds of t-shirts with funny, ironic sayings or pictures on them. I'm going to use those to draw inspiration for my Tuesday blogs, or at least I'm going to try. Ready? Today's inspiration is...
K.L. Kranes and I are in the same book club, which is now three years old. I like to think of myself as a reader, and someone who loves learning. I have been in a several different book clubs in... Continue Reading →
We've never needed a day like World Kindness Day more and it is actually today November 13, 2016. Seriously, it's a real thing and feels ironically timely. In honor of that, I pledge to read more books about goodness and kindness overcoming obstacles and prejudice. And, I pledge to talk about those books with my daughter and other children and young adults to help spread kindness rather than hate. Books can change the world, if we just read them. Therefore, here is a World Kindness Day book YA list of books that I want to read to help fulfill my pledge. I'd love more suggestions for adding to the list!
K.L. Kranes 