Expanding Horizons

 Hi all. It's been a while since I've had a post, but things have been quite busy. The artwork for the new book is almost complete, and I've been laying out the interior, fiddling with formatting. Things are also quite busy wat work. In the last couple of months, I've launched four new training courses to the curriculum I'm developing. This has increased my training sessions exponentially. 

I must say it's all been rather fun, but the most exciting thing I did was to visit my daughter Abby in England. She recently completed a semester studying at Oxford University and she invited me to go over. She knew it was a lifelong dream of mine to visit England. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity.

I spent several days touring around Oxford and London and the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio, London tour. Abby was a great tour guide, and I marveled that she had been able to master traveling around on the Tube. So, here are some pictures from my journey for you to enjoy. I promise to update you on the progress of As the Owl Flies as soon as Emily Hurst Pritchett has completed the artwork.

Peace

Gotcha Day

I'm doing something new here today. Since it's Gotcha Day, the day Stephanie and I received our daughter Abigail in China, I thought Steph could introduce Abby's version of what happened nine years ago today.

Today is Abby's Gotcha Day (9 years ago).... Just this week she wrote this up after interviewing Greg and I. I thought it captured the spirit of our little girl! (She said I could post it on facebook if I paid her $0.50, lol... I did!) In her words....

TRIP to CHINA by: Abigail Jiao Ying 

On my mom and dad's way to china to get their second baby they met my china sisters' parents by picking up their information in New York State and getting to meet everyone. When it was time to go to China they all got together again and went on the same plane. After that, they got off the plane and it was dark outside in China and the first place they went to is Hong Kong because they were going to stay the night there that day. Then they all flew on another plane to the mainland of China. they also filled out more papers and went into the new hotel, unpacked and did much more. 

The next day was gotcha day. Everyone was so excited to get their new babies!!! I came with a cold and it got worse the next day. I liked to play with cups and play with my feet. Next we went shopping in Changsha and bought Chinese pampers. We also went to get a beautiful dress and shoes that were hand made. I still have the shoes today. On the last day of Changsha my mom got sick by food poisioning. The next week we flew to Guangzhou. In Guangzhou my dad got a cold too from my cold. After that, my mom and dad finally got to take me home. 

When we got home we went to a restaurant and I met my grandparents and some cousins. When I got home I got greeted by a lovely sign saying: (WELCOME HOME ABIGAIL!!) Everyone was excited. I still see my china sisters today and celebrate Chinese New Year with them and go on fun trips too. I LOVE LIFE!!!!!!! I also have a Chinese book that shows pictures in china, money and all other things!!!

What's Abigail Reading? Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday

School will be officially out in our neck of the woods tomorrow. Abigail is not a big reader, at least not as big a reader as her brother who almost--almost mind you--prefers reading to any other activity. For Abby, it's more about competition. She wants to have a post on the blog just like Christian.

So, I'm hoping these posts will motivate her to read a little bit more over the summer than she ordinarily would. This week she has been reading pretty steadily, but she would not let me find out what she was reading.

Today, she finally saw fit to tell me. It's Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday by Barbara Park.

Here's what Abigail says the book is about>

"Jim didn't invite Junie B. Jones to his birthday party. She was the only one in their class that he didn't invite. He didn't because Junie B. Jones calls him names. She almost punches Meanie Jim in the face. So she had to go to the principal's office. She hid under a bag so the principal wouldn't notice her.

"The principal had to talk to her about not punching people. She had to call her mom and her mom was yelling at her for doing it.

"The next day, she said she didn't want to go to school because she didn't want to see Meanie Jim, but her parents forced her. So she did. When she got to school, she didn't talk to anybody, but at recess she got an invitation. I won't tell you what happens next, you'll have to read it."

Here's what Abby liked best about the book.

:"I liked the part where Junie B. Jones went to the principal's office. I liked that because she really needed it, because she always, always, always misbehaved in class."

Was there anything she didn't like about the book?

"I didn't like that she almost punched Meanie Jim in the face. That wasn't nice."

So, how does Abigail rate Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday by Barbara Park?

Abigail gives it four out of five puppies and kittens.

Scenes That Inspire #2: Calendria

Hello. Sorry for not posting yesterday. Things have been busy at work, and Christian hadn't finished the book he was goinng to talk about. So, I decided to take a little break. What's Christian Reading? will  appear on Saturday.

Today, I was looking through some pictures that I took before Christmas, and I came upon a couple that I had intended to use in a post one day. Well, today is that day.  Way back in October when I had just started the blog, I wrote a post about some places that had inspired my depiction of Calendria in my book, The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel.

There's another place that inspired the geographic layout of  the small fishing village started by retired pirates. I discovered it while on a hike less than half a mile from my house--the bay of Calendria. The first time I saw it was in the summer with the leaves from the trees giving the illusion of high ridges encircling the bay. While this winter picture doesn't quite do it justice, it should still give you the general idea.

I already had the layout of Calendria in my head, but it was amazing to see something that resembled the bay so closely right near my own home. It gave me the idea of a side grotto that Captain Weatherbee's sloop was moored in, and the overlook that Eric and Stig first viewed Calendria from, as you can see here:

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Now, there are no islands in either the bay or its entrance, but as I sat up there the first time, I could envision the village laid out before me. After that first day, I brought a notebook up there a few times and wrote right where Christian and Abby are sitting in the picture. When I was writing, the place would become Calendria, and there's nothing more inspiring than that.

I think that's why out of all the worlds Eric and company visit, Calendria will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only is it the first place they visited, but it's only a short hike from my house. Maybe somme day, Eric will return...food for thought.

Happy Chinese New Year!

My daughter, Abigail, suggested I write something about Chinese New Year today. So I'll take a break from writing about literary related things to talk a little about this holiday and why it's so important to our family.

The new year celebration began on Monday, and will continue for a couple of weeks. This year is the year of the Dragon, one of 12 animals in the Chinese yearly cycle. I was born in the year of the dragon, so this year is close to my heart.

Those that are born in a certain year, have specific characteristics. For example, those born in the year of the dragon are passionate, brave and self-assured (although in my case, rarely at the same time). Dragons are blessed with good fortune, are smart, enterprising, and have a wicked sense of humor.

The year itself will also bear the characteristics of the dragon. A dragon year is a good year to start a business, or to initiate a new project because money will be easier to come by--yay!

If you're a Dragon looking for love, you're compatible with those born in the years of the Rat, Monkey, and Rooster. Lucky for me, my wife's a Rat!

So, now to the reason Chinese New Year is important to my family. My daughter Abigail is adopted from China. In 2005, Stephanie and I left 3 year old Christian with our parents, and flew over to China to meet Abby. We were lucky enough to travel with 9 other couples. We all met our girls together.

Meeting Abigail

I can't describe the feeling of seeing Abby for the first time. It was like the feeling I had when Christian was born, but different, too. Anyway, I knew our family was complete at that moment. We spent two weeks in China and really bonded with the other families, so much so that we get together several times every year. They're all great people, and have become good friends.



All of the families on the staircase of the China Marriot



One of those times is during Chinese New Year. We go to a Chinese restaurant and party!! In fact, we're going to get together right after my book signing on Sunday. Here's a picture from a new Year celebration from a few years ago.

So to all our little China angels, and to evertone else, Happy Chinese New Year!