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Blown Into Now Bridges the Worlds of Life and Loss
Mylo Schaaf’s new book, Blown Into Now: Poems for a Journey, takes readers on an odyssey through shade and light, offering glimpses into the stages of grief Schaaf went through when her son died suddenly at age 24. She offers the profound manifestations of his presence that she witnessed following his passing.
“Poems demanded to be written,” Schaaf said. “They brought relief and healing, as did hills warm with grass, tree spirits and arms of sky.”
Blown Into Now offers 45 remarkable poems, each paired with a striking photograph taken by her late son, Alex Lowenstein, who was a mountaineer, world traveler and adventurer, and veteran.
“The path is not all sadness,” she said during a recent interview. “It goes sort of up and down as you suppose any path would, but it eventually heads toward joy and toward understanding.”
In Blown Into Now, Schaaf carries readers from deep sadness and loss to comfort and support, finally edging toward joy. Her melodic words become a guidebook, allowing those who grieve to witness a spectrum of responses, to understand what might give relief, and to know how to look for the signposts that will guide them down the path toward healing.
To those who must endure such a shocking new reality, she aims to bring compassion, beauty and spiritual connection.
Her poems reveal a mother’s great heart and the love she shares with her son for granite peaks and untracked desert. Each photograph provides a pause from grief and allows us a glimpse of something we want and cannot name.
Blown Into Now – Poems for a Journey
Publisher: Blue Light Press
ISBN: 979-8-9864093-0-6 (soft cover, available now)
Coming soon in hard cover and eBook formats
Available from https://www.blurb.com/b/
11217886-blown-into-now 
About the Author
Mylo Schaaf trained as a journalist, editor and physician, before taking a left turn into poetry. Before everything changed, she was a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco, mentoring and teaching students in international, low-resource settings. Her commitment to global health grew out of her work and connection with India, the Americas, Liberia, Haiti and China. Then one day, a shocking phone call revealed her son’s death and collapsed this pursuit of engagement and action. Each long day would slowly disappear, and Schaaf found understanding and release when she began to write. Over the years poems have continued to emerge, as the tangles of days slip into light.
For more information, please visit https://www.myloschaaf.com, or follow the author on Instagram at writermyloschaaf.
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Books Which Will Make for Wonderful Holiday Gift Giving and Christmas Stocking Stuffers from Santa
It is always about sharing and gifting at holidays. This upcoming holidays, I want to introduce three books from the Jackie Corley. Gifting people who you love the good books, sharing the beautiful ideas and inspirations with them.
is an inspirational compilation of over 200 quotes around conservation and sustainability. Highlighting the wonders of our planet and ways on how best we can save it, this quote collection will help show all of us how to cherish the environment and key ways to protect our fragile planet.
Highlighting the wonders of our planet and ways on how best we can save it, Earth, My Dearest includes quotes ranging from poet Henry David Thoreau to activist Greta Thunberg. This quote collection will help show all of us how to cherish the environment and key ways to protect our fragile planet moving ahead to an uncertain future.
celebrates the unique and special bond between grandchildren and grandparents that only they can understand. Full of delightful quotes from artists, writers, celebrities, scholars and more, this inspirational compilation of over 200 witty and thought-provoking quotes makes the perfect gift.An inspirational compilation of over 200 fun, witty, and thought-provoking quotes for and about grandparents. There’s a unique and special bond between grandchildren and grandparents that only they can understand. Their love is a different sort of parental love and no less powerful. This wonderful relationship is celebrated in A Grandparent’s Love, full of delightful quotes from artists, writers, celebrities, scholars and more. This perfectly packaged gift book also speaks to the benefit of past experience and the patience that arrives with age and wisdom.
is a collection of over 200 fun, inspirational, and meaningful quotes perfect for every horse lover. Rich with meaningful quotes and humorous one-liners, it brings one into a deeper connection with these majestic creatures, highlighting on all the joy and surprises that come from loving these animals.Rich with meaningful quotes and humorous one-liners, The Horse Lover’s Quotation Book brings readers into a deeper connection with these majestic creatures, highlighting on all the joy and surprises that come from loving these animals. Simply, this book is made for the horse lover in everyone. Full of wonderful quotes about horses, riding horses, owning horses, loving horses, and everything in between, The Horse Lover’s Quotation Book is the perfect gift for every horse lover out there.About the Author
Jackie Corley is a writer and editor based in the Hudson Valley. A graduate of the Bennington Writing Seminars, Jackie’s writing has appeared in Fourteen Hills, Redivider and 3AM Magazine, among others, and in various print anthologies.
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Learn to draw the fundamentals of the human form with The Art of Figure Drawing for Beginners
Mastering the human form for portraiture is one of the most challenging subjects for a beginning artist to learn. Packed with practical instructions, helpful tips, and fundamental techniques, the comprehensive, The Art of Figure Drawing for Beginners (Walter Foster Publishing / November 3, 2020 / US $21.99) is your essential resource for learning to draw the human form and poses with ease.
The Art of Figure Drawing for Beginners features instruction for learning how to render the head, body, and extremities using very basic shapes, as well as drawing mannequins placed in a variety of configurations. The book’s informative, easy-to-follow content covers figure drawing essentials, including:
- An overview of basic anatomy
- Natural variations in shape, texture, and proportion
- Helpful techniques for rendering humans in single and group poses
- Information for working with the tools of the trade.
Whether you are a beginning artist, art enthusiast, or serious fine art student, The Art of Figure Drawing for Beginners is a must-have reference.
The Collector’s Series offers approachable, step-by-step art instruction for a variety of mediums and subjects, such as drawing, oil, acrylic, watercolor, cartooning, calligraphy, and more. Perfect for beginning artists, each title features artist tips for drawing or painting anything and everything from people, animals, and still life to flowers, trees, and landscapes.
THE ART OF FIGURE DRAWING FOR BEGINNERS
By Gecko Keck
On-Sale Date: November 3, 2020
$21.99 US · $28.99 CAN · 144 pages · Paperback
ISBN: 9781633228818
Walter Foster, an imprint of The Quarto Group
About the author
Better known by his pen name, Gecko Keck is a stalwart on the German creative scene. As early as 1989, he founded an agency for caricatures and illustrations and got to know about production as a graphic designer. He has been a freelancer again since 1993, and has created over 5000 design drawings and over 300 models for the popular Kinder surprise eggs.
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The Golfer’s Book of Wit & Wisdom
Maybe now is not a good timing to go out for golfing, but I believe now it’s a good time to recharge yourself, getting more knowledge about the thing you are passionate about. Reading a good book is one of the most popular things during the quarantine time.
Golfers attention, here is a must-have book for you.
“You learn very little about golf from life, but you learn a lot about life from golf.”
—Earl WoodsThe Golfer’s Book of Wit & Wisdom is an essential collection of golf jokes, one-liners, and witty quotations perfect for every fan of golf.
The great Arnold Palmer famously remarked that golf is, “Without a doubt, the greatest game mankind has ever invented.” He goes on to say that golf is “deceptively simple and endlessly complicated” and “at the same time rewarding and maddening.”
The Golfer’s Book of Wit & Wisdom seeks to encompass everything there is to love about golf. Collecting over 350 sayings containing the wisdom and wit from the world within and outside of golf, this book promises to be a cherished and fun collectible for every fan.
A hilarious collection of golf jokes, one-liners, and witty quotations perfect for every fan of golf.
About the author, GERD DE LEY:
Gerd de Ley is a former English teacher and has been a professional writer and actor since 1975. From an early age, Gerd has been an avid collector of quotations and proverbs from all over the world.
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Lettering for Absolute Beginners Workbook – Learn Lettering for Absolute Beginners
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to hand letter, now is the time! Lettering for Absolute Beginners Workbook is an interactive workbook designed to teach you, in careful progression, how to create gorgeous lettering with any pen on any surface—no brush pen or calligraphy nib necessary!
Inside, you’ll find everything you need to know to begin a hobby of hand lettering. You’ll learn how to draw letters, words, inspirational phrases, and bible verses in multiple alphabet styles by practicing outlining letters and thickening downstrokes. A bonus section with full-page traceable phrases and backgrounds allow you to make your own art, pull it out, and frame it!
Simple, approachable, and fun, this method is versatile for any surface so you can create stunning faux calligraphy on paper, chalkboards, wood, glass, and more. You don’t need any special skills or lettering experience to get started.
The must-have guide to faux calligraphy for beginners!
- An interactive workbook to the art of hand lettering for beginners
- Use normal everyday pens to learn to letter, no brush pen or calligraphy nub necessary
- Versatile method to faux calligraphy works for paper, chalkboards, wood, glass, and other large formats
- Practice 5 alphabet styles to draw letters, words, inspirational phrases, and bible verses
- 5 step-by-step projects to help you practice your lettering on home décor, chalk boards, and gifts
What’s Inside:
- Everything you need to know to begin a hobby of hand lettering
- 5 alphabet styles
- 5 step-by-step projects
- Guidance on lettering common words and sayings
- Countless practice pages throughout
- And more!
Author Danielle Stringer is the owner and artist behind Imperfect Dust and shares her secret to hand lettering—that it doesn’t have to be daunting! Starting with the basics and the hope of encouraging beginners to pick up a pen and go for it, Stringer will teach you how to achieve the calligraphy look with simple key lines. Learn five different alphabets in both upper and lower case to trace and try. From there, practice lettering common words and continue on to sweet sayings.
Lettering for Absolute Beginners Workbook is the ultimate resource for any aspiring hand letterer. Ready-to-frame art pages and a project section containing step-by-step instructions for five beautifully lettered items—including gift bags, wood signs, and ceramic plates—all await to welcome you to the world of lettering!
About the Author
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Life is Short! Say “I Love You” with a Valentine’s Day Gift
We all have someone we want to show our love to, whether that someone is a significant other, a family member, a friend, or ourselves. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, this is the perfect time to share your love and appreciation with your beloved. Give your loved one the gift of joy and happiness in the books below or take advantage of the advice and wisdom in them to improve your life and love for years to come.
Life is short. Don’t wait to show people how much you love them.
Say It Now:
33 Ways to Say I LOVE YOU to the Most Important People in Your Life
by Sherry Richert BelulWe never know how much time we have left with our loved ones. If there’s someone you care about deeply―a parent, grandparent, child, friend, colleague, teacher, or neighbor―don’t wait to express how you feel.
But sometimes it’s difficult to find the right way to say “I love you” to the people you appreciate the most in life. The emotions are there, but the words don’t come.
Say It Now shows you how to put your feelings into words―and actions, too. From activities that take just a minute to love letters, joy jars, tribute videos, surprise parties, and more, this book helps you celebrate the most important people in your life in the best ways. View this book on Amazon!
u & i:
A Love Letter in Illustrated Poetry by Michael HallThe illustrated poetry of u & i begins with a physical attraction that blossoms into a full-blown love affair. iimagines a marriage with u that includes world travel, children, and the joy of watching the kids grow. But things don’t go quite as planned.
Follow the relationship’s ebb and flow in a series of frank, funny, and surprising typographic illustrations paired with brief text that tells the story of attraction, marriage, family, frustration, antagonism, and ultimately, the deep appreciation of a lifelong partner.
u & i offers a comforting and realistic perspective on marriage. It takes you through the ups and downs of a long-term relationship in a whimsical, raw, and creative way. As a gift to your sweetheart or newlyweds on their first Valentine’s Day, u & i is a reassuring glimpse of the enduring spark of love. View this book onAmazon!
The “I Love You” Book:
More Than 500 Ways to Show the Ones You Love That You Care
by Cynthia MacGregor and Vic BobbSaying “I love you” is not always easy. Luckily, the sentiments of this beautiful phrase can be expressed in many ways. Let Cynthia MacGregor, Vic Bobb, and The “I Love You” Book expand your heart and spread the message of love to those you truly treasure.
The “I Love You” Book is filled with suggestions for activities, gifts, and projects. This book contains over 500 ways to show your loved ones how much you care. It is designed to be a resource for thoughtful gift-giving and loving actions that you can take every day to express your love for friends, family, and significant others.View this book on Amazon!
I’m So Full of Happy Today: The Hygge Wisdom of Children
by Martin Andersen and Moira TuffyIs there anything more likely to make you laugh and put a smile on your face than the innocent and funny remark of a child? The Danes have a word for the feeling of happy delight that you get from simple things in life, such as the funny things kids say: hygge.
I’m So Full of Happy Today is a heartwarming collection of the remarkably observant, funny and wise things said by children. All of the stories are real and personal, and include the name and age of each child. These playful, sometimes tongue-in-cheek tales straight from the minds and mouths of kids will have you learning, laughing, and sharing the love long after you’ve turned the last page.View this book on Amazon!
You Are an Awesome Woman:
Affirmations and Inspired Ideas for Self-Care,
Success and a Truly Happy Life by Becca AndersonYou know what they say about happiness—it comes from within. Use the affirmations, quotes, and ideas in this book as a set of tools for your own inner work. Incorporating positive thoughts as a daily practice will build mental muscle and help you achieve the all-important optimistic way of thinking.
Author Becca Anderson is a champion of undertaking the inner journey of working toward a better you. She is also a strong advocate for believing in yourself and loving yourself more each and every day. These are habits that can be reinforced by practices such as journaling, creating your own affirmations, and talking to yourself positively. Like an engine driving you toward greater things, self-belief brings you closer to your life’s purpose, your personal mission, and will absolutely make you a happier camper. So, give it a try! It’s as easy as pie and just as sweet. View this book on Amazon!
It’s Your Weirdness that Makes You Wonderful:
A Self-Acceptance Prompt Journal by Kate AllanDepression and anxiety are topics that can be uncomfortable to talk about, but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided. If anything, it means we need to be more aware and have more conversations about them. With the help of her adorable illustrations, art blogger Kate Allan, author and illustrator of the bestselling book You Can Do All Things, urges us to be mindful of our mentality.
Kate, who suffers from anxiety and depression herself, understands what it’s like to deal with feelings that are difficult to fight through. In It’s Your Weirdness that Makes You Wonderful, she provides the kind of loving encouragement that she herself needs to hear. These encouraging words, along with writing prompts and illustrations, can help readers sort through and express their feelings.
Kate Allan’s creative journal meets us where we are―in the midst of the feelings that say we’re not enough, we can’t handle this life, we won’t make it. Her whimsical art and simple words lift trampled spirits and combat thoughts that lead us to believe our weirdness makes us weak. Instead, we are encouraged to love ourselves exactly as we are. View this book on Amazon!
365 Days of Love by Daphne Rose Kingma
There is love to be found in each day of our lives if we know how to look for and practice it. Daphne Rose Kingma provides daily meditations for each day of the year, perfect for starting or finishing our days. By reflecting on the words she shares about love, we are provided with a guide for living out the journey of life with a heart brimming with compassion. Each day brings with it a new opportunity to share in and spread love.
With the help of Kingma’s words, readers are able to see clearly the many-faceted possibilities that love brings. This little book serves to inspire, affirm, remind, encourage, support, and comfort each person who picks it up. With her characteristic prose and heartwarming style, Kingma has crafted a source of love in it of itself to be shared with readers of all ages. View this book on Amazon!
Friendship Isn’t a Big Thing, It’s a Million Little Things:
The Art of Female Friendship by Becca AndersonThe bond shared between girlfriends is like no other. Whether the friendship is decades old or just beginning, we share a unique, loving relationship with these women, a connection wholly different even from what we share with husbands or boyfriends.
Author and blogger Becca Anderson has long been moved by the inspirational quotes and stories of groundbreaking women. In this book, Becca reminds us just how valuable our bonds with our gal pals are. These are the women who answer the phone at 4 a.m., who drop everything to help a sister out. These women are there for both the tearful wine nights and the champagne-worthy celebrations. Following on the heels of her bestselling titles The Book of Awesome Women andBadass Affirmations, this book shares inspiring and encouraging female empowerment with us, reminding us of the love and joy we share with our friends. View this book on Amazon!
