Okay, so it's not Tuesday...but I wanted to get a head start since this is a new concept for me. Tuesdays with Trish will be a bit eclectic - a.k.a. random (Just like me!).

It's usually good to start at the beginning, so I thought I would begin this series by talking about books that inspire young readers. 

I've always loved books that were a part of a series. I suppose that's what led me to write books as a series. One of my childhood favorites was Anne of Green Gables.

​Those books took me to another time and place, and I adored Anne's spunky attitude. My family vacationed every summer, mostly taking long road trips or visiting my grandparent's farm. On road trips, I could escape into the stories, so that the ride didn't seem as long. While my family was enjoying the ever-changing vistas of the United States, I had my nose in my books and was living life through Anne's eyes on Prince Edward Island. While walking through the cherry orchards on my grandparent's farm, it was easy to imagine I was Anne, on my way to visit my dear friend and kindred spirit, Diana Barry.

​Another favorite was the Nancy Drew Series. Who doesn't love a good mystery? I've recently discovered a similar series, written by Tara Ellis. The main character in the Samantha Wolf series has a delightful way of pulling her best friend into all kinds of crazy situations. Samantha's curiosity always seems to get the better of her; but together, often with their brothers, the girls always seem to end up solving some new mystery or problem.​

If you are a fan of the Nancy Drew books, or you love cozy mysteries with teenage heroes, I recommend checking this series out.

Now it's your turn! What books were your favorites? Was there a particular book or series that sparked your interest in reading? Please share those wonderful book titles in the comments below. 

WHERE IS THE BOOK? WHAT HAPPENED? So, about two-thirds of the way through editing, my characters woke me up in the middle of the night and informed me there was a MAJOR plot twist that I needed to consider. My characters usually know best - so I called on my inner muse, pulled the book out of editing, and began the re-write.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE BOOK? The new outline is done, the first half of the manuscript has been re-vamped to accommodate the new plot direction, and I am diligently working on the remainder of the book. If all goes well, it should be back in editing by the end of the month.
 
WHY AM I TELLING YOU ALL OF THIS? Because I promised my readers a new book by late spring. Summer starts in two days, and it's nowhere near ready for release. I take my promises seriously and we could have released it in time - but after careful consideration, I realized that postponing the release would ultimately bring you a much better story.  
 
WHAT'S THE NERW RELEASE DATE? The business of publishing is still new to me and much of what happens after I finish writing is outside my control. All I can do at this point is base it on the time it took to publish my last book, in which case we're looking at Labor Day…but I'm hoping that our process and the learning curve is improving, and maybe we can release it sometime this summer.
 
THANK YOU for being patient! I hope you'll find that it was worth waiting for.

MY WINNING QUICK WRITE ENTRY:
​Once upon a time…a spunky, silly, sassy princess lived in a teeny, tiny, tranquil kingdom far, far away.  The kingdom was a happy place that was always warm and sunny, and the people who lived there always felt very safe and sound. Everyone that is, except the princess.

Pretty Princess Prissy didn’t like the sun; she didn’t like the warm weather, and she really didn’t like the magical creature that lived in the cave above her castle! That creature made her feel anything but safe and sound because the cave the creature lived in was on a cliff that sat just outside her bedroom window! The day that the princess moved into that castle was the very day that Princess Prissy had slowly stopped being her spunky, silly, sassy self. She slowly became scared, sad, and somber instead.

Princess Prissy’s loyal subjects wished that their pretty princess could feel as happy and secure as they did. They tried everything they could think of to cheer the Princess up…but it was impossible.  They just knew they could help, if only the princess would tell them what was bothering her! Sadly, the once spunky, silly, sassy princess stayed silent and sullen.

It continued that way, until one day when a bright, bold, brave, boy from the kingdom next door accidentally bounced his big beach ball over the wall that divided the two kingdoms. He fearlessly found his way over the wall to fetch his big beach ball. Much to his surprise, he found Princess Prissy there in the garden sulking, sighing and softly crying.

“Why are you crying?” asked the boy.

“Because I’m afraid,” the princess replied.

“My name is Bobby, and I am very brave. Please tell me what terrible, terrifying thing has you so troubled, and I will take care of it!”

Princess Prissy pondered sharing her woeful worries.  She had never told another living soul the truth about why she was always so sad and scared.  The princess finally decided that it would be better to tell this bold, brave boy who was a total stranger - than to admit her fears to her loyal subjects, who counted on her to royally rule their kingdom.

“When I was a very young child, I used to live in a castle on the other side of my kingdom,” the princess said, as she began her sad story. “It was a safe, secure, soundly-built home – until one day when it caught fire and burnt to the ground. They’ve never been able to find how the fire started, but I think I know what it was. Our castle caught fire the same day that a strange magical creature came to live in my kingdom. I’ll never understand why my parents built our new castle right under that creature’s cave on the cliff outside my bedroom window.”

“We should ask them,” said brave Bobby. “I’m sure your parents had a very good reason!”

Princess Prissy explained that her parents had perished shortly after the new castle was complete, so there was no longer anyone to ask. Brave Bobby asked what made her, so certain the creature caused the fire. He calmly asked her to consider that the calamity may have been a coincidence – but the princess refused to accept the probability of brave Bobby’s point of view.

“What is it that has you so convinced that this creature was the cause of your calamity?” Bobby asked.

“The creature is a dangerous dragon,” replied the princess, “and everyone knows that dragons breathe fire. A fire breathing dragon that showed up on the same day our castle burnt down couldn’t possibly be a coincidence!”

Brave, bold Bobby was left simply speechless. It was hard for him to believe that a dragon would cause such a terrible tragedy. You see, Bobby’s kingdom was home to a very large number of delightful dragons who desired nothing more than to live in harmony among the humble humans in Bobby’s kingdom.

Bobby quickly decided he would have no trouble fixing this fiasco by simply conversing with the creature. The dragon might even know something about what had started the ferocious fire! It took some time, but Bobby finally convinced Princess Prissy to join him in his quest.

“Don’t worry,” brave Bobby said. “I will protect you. It just so happens that I know quite a lot about dragons!”

Princess Prissy was very tired of being so very sad and scared, so she took a deep breath and decided to trust her new friend.

The two new friends made their way back toward the castle, carefully climbed up the cliff, and cautiously approached the creature’s cave. Upon seeing the dragon, Bobby broke into a sudden sprint straight toward the beast! Princess Prissy thought that Bobby was certainly much more bold and brave than she had first believed!

“It’s Delbert!” Bobby exclaimed. “Delbert the Dragon disappeared almost a decade ago. He was my very best friend and playful pet until the day he suddenly vanished without a trace. I knew we would meet again someday!”

“Your best friend and playful pet set fire to my castle?” Princess Prissy cried.

The princess was heartbroken. Her new friend’s love for his long-lost dragon was obvious. Maybe she made a mistake trusting in a stranger. But there was something Bobby had said to her in the garden that kept coming back to Princess Prissy. “Your parents must have had a reason,” Bobby had said.

“Excuse me,” Princess Prissy whispered. “May I please ask you a question or two, Mr. Dragon?”

“Of course!” Delbert the dragon replied. “I have been patiently waiting for many years to talk with you, Princess Prissy. You seemed so scared when I tried to approach, that I thought it would be best to wait until you were ready to come to me. I see that my patience has finally paid off. What would you like to know?”

Princess Prissy politely asked Delbert the Dragon, “Do you know how my old castle caught fire? And do you know why my parents built our new castle here?”

“I certainly do, and I am very glad you asked. It’s time you both knew why I left my home and came to reside here,” Delbert replied, smiling sweetly at Princess Prissy and Brave Bobby.

Seeing now, how gentle this giant dragon was, the princess was beginning to doubt the sad story she had told herself all these years. “Wait! Did you breathe fire on our castle by accident?” she asked.

Bobby and Delbert broke into hysterical fits of laughter until they both had tears running down their faces. Delbert began to snort, and then suddenly sneezed. The princess braced herself for the thing she feared most in this world. Princess Prissy was sure the dragon was going to accidently breathe fire.

And then…it began to snow.

“Wait! Where’s the fire?” the princess asked.

“That’s why we were laughing,” Bobby explained. “Delbert doesn’t breathe fire – he breathes ice!”

The princess slowly and silently blinked once, blinked twice, and then blinked again - unable to believe what she had just seen and heard.

Bobby quickly made himself at home in Delbert’s cave and got busy preparing tea while Princess Prissy spoke with Delbert.

“I’m terribly sorry I’ve judged you so harshly all these years. I can see now that you had nothing to do with that fire.”

“I’m afraid that it’s far too easy for most humans to believe the silly stories and old stereotypes they’ve heard about things they don’t understand. Now that we’ve met, I only ask that you do what you can to convince your loyal subjects that they shouldn’t judge others who may be different from them. Your father learned that lesson a long time ago, but I’m afraid he passed before he could share that lesson with you and your kingdom.”

Bobby brought in their tea, and the three friends sat down to discuss all that had happened.

“Your father, the king, was a great man,” Delbert began. “Everyone believed that the king who ruled the land near your old castle was a frail, kind old man – but your father saw through his disguise. That king was an evil, jealous, wicked man. He desperately wanted a happy family of his own and was jealous of your mother and father. His sadness turned to anger, which then spread across his land like a wild virus, infecting all of the people who lived in his kingdom. This upset the king to the point of raging anger, and all of his focus was set on destroying the happiness in your father’s realm. It’s important to know that the evil king had a choice. We all get sad or angry sometimes. But our character is determined by how we choose to handle those emotions.”

“As soon as your father realized the danger his kingdom was in, he set out to seek the advice of the wise queen who ruled the land where Bobby and I lived. They decided you should be protected above all else, as the future ruler of this land, and they asked for my protection. 

But the evil king next door used your father’s absence to his advantage and struck his final blow while your father was away. We caught him setting fire to the castle, just as we arrived. I chased him off, and your parents quickly decided you would be safer on this side of the kingdom, away from the evil king. So they built this castle and asked me to stay on and watch over you. They trusted me to freeze any additional fires that the evil king might set, knowing how scared you had become of anything that reminded you of the horrible tragedy that happened the day I arrived. The citizens of this land didn’t understand dragons. They’d never seen one, and they had heard terrible stories about us. Unfortunately, they believed those stories, and I think you believed them as well.”

“So now, Princess Prissy – it is time for you to choose. Will you let your sadness, your loss, your fears and you unfounded judgments determine the fate of your land? Or will you learn from what has happened and choose to lead by example as a brave, fair, open-minded queen who chooses happiness, love, and light?”

“I want to choose happiness,” said the princess. “But I have been sad and afraid for so long that I’m not sure I remember how to be the princess I was before the fire. I don’t know if I can do this all by myself!”

Bobby jumped up and said, “You don’t have to be alone! I can help you, and I bet Delbert will stay and help too!”

“I will remain here if that is your wish,” Delbert said. “I know that your loyal subjects would support you as well. I feel certain that they would all be thrilled to see you get back to your old spunky, silly, sassy self.”

Princess Prissy headed back to her castle that afternoon with a huge smile on her face. Word quickly spread throughout the kingdom that the princess was happy again after many years of sorrow. Upon returning to the castle, the princess immediately began to plan the first royal ball since the king and queen had passed. The princess felt she had finally become the person she needed to be in order to rule her land as their queen, so her coronation was set to precede the ball. She then called in her royal scribe to write an official proclamation.

“Let it be known far and wide, that the kingdom ruled by Queen Prissy will forever be a happy, sunny, welcoming place. The citizens are commanded to choose fairness and kindness – judging no being by anything other than their proven actions and words.”

Good Queen Prissy reigned for many years, with her trusted advisors Brave Bobby and Delbert the Dragon by her side…and they all lived happily ever after. 

It's been a long road, but we made it! Nana's Red Hat - my first book in the Kenna Michaels Magical Adventure Series, is now available in paperback and on Kindle. Formats for Nook and iTunes is coming soon. 

Book #2 in the series, Celtic Dreams, is in the works and we hope to have it available for pre-sale on Amazon very soon.

As a 'thank you' for your patience, here is an excerpt from the first book:
          Kenna Michaels was perfectly content being an ordinary girl, with an ordinary family and an ordinary life. Or was she? While there was some comfort to be found in the predictable nature of her day-to-day life, there was a tiny part of Kenna that longed to do something extraordinary with her life. Yes, fate had plans for Kenna - and she would have never guessed that her ordinary life was about to change that sunny Friday afternoon, as she was on her way to her Nana and Papa’s house.
         “Well, so much for that silly Christmas song!” thought Kenna. “Over the river and through the woods? Really? It’s more like, over the freeway and through the city to Grandmother’s house we go. This traffic is ridiculous!”
      Kenna pulled out her phone as she pulled into the driveway. Once the car was in park, she started dialing her best friend and was in mid-conversation before she had her seatbelt off.
         “That’s it, Zoey. The next time I go to my Nana’s house, you’re coming with me. At least you would have had me laughing at all of the terrible drivers out there. Or we would have been singing. How can anyone stay angry when they’re singing?”
         “You don’t need me to sing. Why didn’t you sing all by yourself? Heaven knows, we usually can’t shut you up! You’re always singing – even in class. Remember how angry Ms. Schultz was in kindergarten when you kept singing during story time?” Zoey asked just as she began one of her famous giggle fits.
         "Well, the teachers at the high school are a lot worse than Ms. Schultz. I seriously thought steam was going to come out of Mr. Danbury's ears during our chemistry lab yesterday. He is clearly not a fan of show tunes. Or maybe it was because I belted out 'Don't Rain on My Parade' just as the steam caused by Sean's poor measuring skills soaked my lab notes. I swear Zoey, from now on I'm doing the measuring, or I'm getting a new lab partner!"
         “You know you can’t get a new lab partner. It would break poor Sean’s heart! Oh well, no measuring today, Kenna. Rumor has it you'll be organizing closets, not experimenting or baking.”
         “Wait...I didn’t tell you about that, did I? How did you know?” asked Kenna.
         “You know the routine. Your mom told my mom, who mentioned it to my dad when he came by to pick me up last weekend. You know my dad is always excited when he knows something that I don’t – even if it is just about cleaning out closets.”
         “Yep, that’s me and my exciting life. Kenna Michaels - Girl Superhero. I’m off to save the world, one closet at a time. I should have just come here straight after school since it’s so close, but I wanted to check in on Brian. I know my little brother is old enough to stay home by himself for an hour until my mom gets home - but popping in unexpectedly keeps him on his best behavior. So I got stuck in rush hour traffic because I’m a good sister! Hey Zoey, I have to go. I just noticed that Papa is standing on the porch with his arms crossed. I think he's been waiting for me. With Papa, crossed arms are never a good thing.”
         “Well, you have fun with that!” Zoey said with a touch of sarcasm. “See you later Kenna!”
        “Later, Zoey!” Kenna said, as she grabbed her backpack and went to see what had put that scowl on her grandfather’s face.
​
Please continue to check here for updates on my books. I have a lot of books planned for young adults, (including another series about Kenna's brother, Brian) and I might even throw in a couple of grownup books. Hmmm..."Nana's Cookbook" and "Random Ramblings of a Martini Drinking Grandma" might be fun! 

Happy Reading!