St. Patrick's Day Is Coming

Tomorrow will be St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick is thought to have died on March 17, 461 and be buried in Downpatrick. He is the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick's Day was marked as an official Christian celebration in the 17th century, commemorating the fact that St. Patrick took Christianity to Ireland and spent much of his life serving the people there. It also celebrates the Irish people and culture. The day is observed in more countries than any other national festival.

Patrick was a fifth-century Roman-British citizen who became the bishop of Ireland. He was kidnapped when he was sixteen and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland, where he spent six years as a shepherd. He drew close to God during those years and, after escaping and finding his way home, he went on to become a priest. He chose to return to Ireland to convert the pagans there to Christianity. The legend that he drove the snakes out of Ireland is thought to refer to his opposition of Druidism because Ireland never had snakes.

Today, parades, festivals, the wearing of green, and shamrocks mark the day. Some Christians also attend church services, and the restrictions of Lent are usually lifted for the one day, which has aided the day's reputation for alcohol consumption. However, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the day without it. So, top 'o the morning and happy St. Patrick's Day.

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No Regular Blog

I will be traveling all day Friday and will not post a regular blog this weekend. However, I would like for you to join me at the book festival in Virginia Beach on Saturday if you can.

The Stories Continue

Last year, I published the print and Audible books, Time-Told Tales. The two stories that make up this book came out as two separate ebooks, Roslyn's Rescue and Glenda's Gold. Roslyn's Rescue is very loosely based on "Little Red Riding Hood" with all the magic and unbelievability taken out. This version is written for adults with a touch of clean romance. In the same way, Glenda's Gold uses "Rumplestiltskin" with Asher and Roslyn becoming secondary characters here. (See links below.)

Now, I've published Patricia's Prison, very loosely based on "Rapunzel." In it, Patricia isn't thrilled with being at court the way her older sister and mother are. She'd much rather be back at Fairview Castle where she'd get to see more of Charles, her father's knight and brother's best friend. When her parents decide she's to wed a much older duke, she knows she's in trouble. Charles comes to London for a temporary visit. Can she depend on Keynan, her brother, to help her, or will her unreasonable father prevail?

I work hard to get these stories set in the Middle Ages right. I even lookup the etymology of most words to make sure they were used in that time period. At a later date, I'll also publish a fourth book in the series and then combine these two into Time-Told Tales, Volume Two. I'm not sure what will come after that, but I suspect there might be at least a volume three before the series comes to an end. For now, I'm excited and pleased to present Patricia's Prison.



Time-Told Tales, Volume One, print or Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Time-Told-Tales-Janice-Cole-Hopkins/dp/1798059363
Roslyn's Rescue, Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/Roslyns-Rescue-Janice-Cole-Hopkins-ebook/dp/B07MDSJKJC
Glenda's Gold, Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/Glendas-Gold-Time-Told-Tales-Book-ebook/dp/B07NBSCLW6
Patricia's Prison, Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085LM7VZ8

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Happy Birthday, Barbie

March 9th is National Barbie Day because the doll made her debut on that day in 1959. Mattel introduced the Barbie doll at a toy fair in New York, and the day is considered her official birthday. Ruth Handler, inspired by a German doll, came up with the idea. She's named after Ruth's daughter, Barbara. Over the years, Barbie's friends and family have grown, and so have her clothes, accessories, and related items.

Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. From a series of novels about her published by Random House, we know her parents are George and Margaret Roberts from the fictitious town of Willows, Wisconsin. In these books, Barbie attends Willows High School. However, in the Golden Books about her, she attends another fictitious school, Manhattan International High School.

The doll's boyfriend is Ken Carson, although they did break up for a time in 2004, and she became friendly with Blaine from Australia. Barbie has had 40 pets and owns a range of vehicles. She's had many careers, including pilot, flight attendant, doctor, and astronaut, as well as many different looks. Her friends, include Midge, Hispanic Teresa, and African American Christie. In addition, there are siblings and cousins.

At first, there was some controversy over a doll with a woman's figure. But Barbie survived those questions quite well and has gathered a large number of collectors over the years. For a sixty-one-year-old woman, Barbie has held her youth quite well for she looks as young today as she did when she first came out.

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The Perfect Son

And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers (Luke 2:46-47).

We aren't told much about Jesus' life as a boy. After His family flees to Egypt and they come back when it's safe, we don't hear anything about Him again until he astounds the men at the temple with His knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures when he was twelve. He had stayed behind when his parents left for home, and they frantically returned to find him. Then, we don't hear of Him again until He's about ready to begin His public ministry around the age of 30.

...but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:51c-52).

Did you ever stop and wonder what it might have been like for Mary and Joseph to have a perfect son when they were imperfect? We might think this would be wonderful, but it must have also been disconcerting at times.  Charles Spurgeon writes of Jesus in his book, The Heart of the Gospel: "...He never exhibited an infirmity, which had the least blameworthiness attached to it. Never fell there an evil glance from those blessed eyes; never did his lips let drop a hasty word, never did those feet go on an ill errand, nor those hands move towards a sinful deed; because His heart was filled with holiness and love. Within as well as without, our Lord was unblemished. His desires were as perfect as His actions. Searched by the eyes of Omniscience, no shadow of fault could be found in Him."

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He was not only Mary's perfect Son but also God's. And He's our perfect Lord and Savior, wanting us to come to Him, accept Him, and become His. How marvelous, how wonderful! God be praised!

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Unrealistic Expectations?

I know there are some really good audible producers out there, but the best ones charge big bucks - around $500 or more per finished hour. And I've begun to wonder if we don't hold unreasonable expectations from our narrators. Is it expecting too much for a male reader to sound just like a female when reading their lines or for a female to sound just like a male? I find once I get into a book, I fall into the cadence and voice capabilities of the narrator, and unless he or she has some huge fault, I enjoy this telling of the book.

My Audibles

But I find more and more reviewers are being critical. I even saw one who said she had listened to so many audiobooks that she was getting bored with some of the narrators she used to like.  One of my Audibles recently had a review that said, "The narration I did not enjoy. His character voices were silly and a bit like a couple of kids playing dolls. I think he would be better if the voices sounded more realistic. The narrator has promise though. His speech cadence was very good and I was never unsure of who was speaking. I loved his voice when just narrating the story, but not his character voices." Personally, I think this narrator does a very good job. He is professional, wants to get it right, and works very hard to do so.

So, as an author, I make a plea on behalf of the narrators out there. Don't have unrealistic expectations of the books they produce but enjoy what they are able to bring to the story. Give them a chance before you discredit them. Once you get into the story, you may change your mind. Judge with a kind heart and gentle spirit, as you would want to be judged. And enjoy the special experience of an audiobook!

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National Read Across America Day

March 2nd is National Read Across America Day, a day that everyone can embrace. It is also targeted for school children with an emphasis on Dr. Seuss for younger children, and many schools hold special events on the day. However, it's not limited to just children. Everyone is encouraged to read and perhaps even read to someone else who needs it.

If we want our children and grandchildren to be successful academically, we need to encourage their reading. It is the key to most other learning, and it needs to start early. Hearing the reading cadence of your voice even before a young child can understand the words has benefits. Depending only on the schools to teach and encourage reading will not be enough to carry on throughout life with a love of reading. How reading is treated at home will have an even greater effect.

As both an avid reader, author, and former reading teaching, this is certainly a day I can embrace. So, you can use this day as an excuse to let normal chores go, get cozy, and do some reading you've postponed for too long. Read something you enjoy to celebrate the day, and share a good story with someone else. It will make the day one of the best for everyone involved.

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