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A strange thing happens every time I face a blank computer screen. A heavy weight of uneasiness settles inside me—a feeling of inadequacy to ever accomplish what I want to do. Will I catch the words I need to create the novel I want to write? The daunting thoughts come hard and fast: Why do I think I won’t fall flat on my face trying to be creative today—why even try? Desperate acts follow, such as getting up to wash the dishes or mop the floor (or making some toast with butter)—anything to keep me away from the blankness of that glowing computer screen. When I mentioned the feeling of fear to my husband, his response surprised me. “That’s good,” he said. What? Isn’t this the perfect time for a comforting pep talk? It's the danger of being married to a counselor, I thought. “Fear is good, it helps you focus,” Peter went on to say. “When you have fear, it heightens your senses. It makes you look for options and solutions to get away from the feeling. You’re much more aware, and you’re looking for innovations to get you through.” (Yes, I like that word innovation when thinking about my writing.) Considering Peter’s words, born from his own experience and also his counseling work, I realize that some of my best writing days come when I’m feeling the most fear about “measuring up.” The key, of course, is to push through it and start writing. But when creative fear grips me, I feel frozen and even despairing. It’s not easy to get past it. When that familiar feeling of creative fear comes now, however, I have a secret weapon: understanding. I'm recognizing now that the fear of being inadequate will come and, surprisingly, it’s okay to feel this way—it’s normal and I’m not hopeless. With that perspective, I can know I’m the best one to write the book that’s in my mind. In fact, I'm the only one who can do it. It's impossible to be inadequate; no one else could capture what is in my imagination. Just as you are the best one to write your book or create a painting or craft a quilt—your unique creation. I can get the computer keys tapping again and find, if it’s a particularly good day, the sense of flow that makes writing, and any creative work, so deeply satisfying. All because I realized the benefits of creative fear. How do you overcome creative comparisons? Take a look at my blog here → Where Are My Sparkles? Dealing with Creative Comparisons Read More here → #Creativity Linda Borromeo is now working on the story of Mystery Fair, the sequel to her first novel featuring young sleuths Christie and Melina. The secrets the girls discover on a surprising island will change their lives forever. The first book in the series, Mystery Shores, is available to read now.

Discovering Narnian Treasure I walked in the fragrance of a hundred Christmas trees. On my way to the mailbox, living, sun-warmed cedars lined the path and dropped their needles, creating the scent of the holidays with each step I took. Everyday journeys have become an adventure since I moved to a Pacific Northwest forest. On this particular afternoon, I discovered a key when I opened my mailbox. What package had arrived? I bent to insert the key in the parcel locker. The space revealed a box sent from the Rose City—Portland, Oregon. Once home again, I opened the heavy package to reveal a Christmas-worthy trove of Narnian treasure—all collected by a professor. His name isn't Digory Kirke, the professor who makes his first appearance in C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew. But this professor is also a very good friend of Narnia. Surprising Connections What does Narnia have in common with the Rose City and the Land of a Thousand Hills? And, how did a large C. S. Lewis book collection wind up on the African continent? This is how it all came about: In 2001, Dr. Garry Friesen, a professor at Portland's Multnomah University, opened a new mentoring home for men students. As Dr. Friesen writes in Lion Sightings in the Rose City, his life-long love for C.S. Lewis's books led to something unusual: "As I prepared the house for students I saw a British wardrobe and something inside of me snapped. A Narnia blitz began and the result was Aslan's How." "The living room became the Great Hall of Cair Paravel and I was soon running 'further up and further' into antique shops, second hand stores and framing shops." Soon, beyond the doorway of every room, you could visit and find wardrobes and lampposts, C.S. Lewis books and lions. Each room reflected one of the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia—all pointing the way to the wonder of the stories and what they represent. Aslan's How became a social hub for students (the 54-inch television didn't hurt). Dr. Friesen also sponsored a monthly tour of Aslan's How, and over the years, thousands came to see the "Narnian artifacts, photos, books and Lewis memorabilia." An Ending and a Beginning This year, the collection was broken up for something new. Dr. Friesen, or Dr. G as he's come to be known, taught for 37 years at Multnomah University, from 1976-2013. He is now in his second “dream job” teaching at the Africa College of Theology (ACT) in Kigali, Rwanda. Downtown Kigali and papyrus marsh October 2012. Photo credit: Lemurbaby, Creative Commons The Land of a Thousand Hills Living now in Rwanda, the Land of a Thousand Hills, Dr. Friesen made a decision: "It breaks my heart to have to sell [the] C.S. Lewis items from my mentoring house, Aslan’s How. But the goal of the sale is mending my heart..." All proceeds from the profits of the "C.S. Lewis in Africa" sale went to pastor training in rural churches and ABC—Africa Bible in Community. A New Home for Narnian Treasure Many items were offered online, and I spent a wonderful hour immersing myself in Narnia again, remembering each book as I took a cyber tour of Aslan's How. Finally, I made my selections, knowing that "every cent of profit will make the African church stronger" and help bring healing to a country with a troubled past but one with hope for the present and future. Then, my own little piece of Narnia arrived in the mail—connecting my forest home in the Pacific Northwest with Africa and C.S. Lewis. I hope Dr. G will feel this part of his collection has found a good home. I'm reminded of Narnia and hope every time I pass by the built-in bookshelf in my home—handcrafted by my husband when we moved to the house in the middle of the cedar trees. My "Miniature Aslan's How" has the sign for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a lamppost, a mysterious wardrobe opened a crack, wonderful iron bookends in the shape of a lion (a big reason why the package was so heavy!), an Oxford mug, Mr and Mrs Beaver and Dr. G's book: C. S. Lewis in Africa Dr. Friesen donated most of his book collection and other items to the Africa College of Theology. Now, Rwanda has one of the largest collections of C. S. Lewis books and memorabilia on the African continent. After all, connections of understanding are a real treasure, and I think C. S. Lewis would be very pleased. Every year between 1950 and 1956, a new Narnia book became available just in time to unwrap for a new reading adventure on Christmas day. As Father Christmas says in the Narnia tales, "Merry Christmas! Long live the true King!" “Once in our world, a Stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” —C.S. Lewis in The Last Battle #Authors #BooksandReading #Christmas #LibraryShelfie After marrying, Linda Borromeo moved from the Pacific Northwest to Berkeley, California. She worked for the University of California, Berkeley for many years before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of Mystery Shores. Linda and her husband have now returned to the Pacific Northwest to enjoy hiking, reading, visiting lighthouses and more adventures.

Driving down the highway, I'm always intrigued when a moving house rolls by me. Propped on the back of a trailer-truck, with a sign proclaiming "oversized load," the home being transported looks large and somehow vulnerable at the same time. As I travel along behind the house, watching for a safe opening to pass, I wonder— What special meaning does the house have to the person moving it? Why couldn't they bear to leave it behind? I've never found out the answers to those questions, but I did have the opportunity to discover answers about another traveling structure. When I wrote my first "Armchair Time Travel" blog, I told the story of a modern-day Viking ship crossing the open ocean from Norway to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. I also discovered the Viking had a companion while on exhibit at the Fair. At first, I missed it in the background since I had focused on the ship. Then, when I took another look at this picture... ...I noticed something interesting—there is a lighthouse behind the ship. The lighthouse became a mystery in history I wanted to find out more about—where had this lighthouse come from? What happened to it after the Fair closed in October 1893? A search for its origins revealed a lighthouse with a unique place in history. The first part of the lighthouse's story begins with an amazing Fair filled with treasures, waterways, technological marvels and beautiful buildings. The story also includes fighting government agencies, a place called Waackaack and a tremendously popular exhibit at the Fair. President Cleveland opened the World's Columbian Exposition on May 1, 1893, pressing a button that brought a dazzling display of electric light over a scene that might have come from ancient tales. And yet, the Fair was also about modern-day innovations. The Lighthouse Board had taken over administration of the beacons from the previous overseers, the U. S. Treasury's Lighthouse Establishment. The Board, with a powerful jump into modernization, brought a new, much-needed era to United States lighthouses. Their actions saved many lives and made the work at least a little easier for Lighthouse Keepers. They were justifiably proud of these efforts, and to show visitors from all over the world the progress they'd made, the Board wanted an elaborate showcase for lighthouses at the Fair. The Acting Secretary of the Treasury balked at spending the money. Finally, a compromise was made and the indoor exhibit displayed Fresnel lenses, a light ship and models of lighthouses. As these things go, lining the walls of the scaled-down exhibit were imposing portraits of the Secretaries of the U. S. Treasury Department. A real lighthouse came into the picture to help compensate for those portraits. Unlike the Viking ship, the lighthouse didn't have to journey across the ocean to get to the Fair, but it had an interesting travel experience of its own. The metal tower had been put together in a Detroit foundry, but the place for the new beacon had not completed preparations for it yet. The lighthouse made an unexpected detour—straight to the most amazing place on the planet at that moment: the World's Columbian Exposition, otherwise known as the Chicago World's Fair. The lighthouse found a spot near another wonder, one modeled from the discovery of an ancient Viking ship uncovered in a burial mound in 1880. People flocked to view the replica of a Viking ship, the likes of which had not been seen for centuries. They also enjoyed climbing the lighthouse's spiral staircase to the top. There, they would have a bird's-eye outlook over the buildings and lagoons spread over 600 acres. Turning, they could view the seemingly endless waters of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse became a heroic rule breaker itself, using its celebrity to counterbalance those bureaucratic portraits at the indoor exhibit. As visitors climbed to the top, they experienced the importance and work of a real lighthouse. According to an interesting article in Lighthouse Digest, the Fair's lighthouse became one of its most popular exhibits. After the end of the Fair, the lighthouse went from showtime to work time, fulfilling its original purpose: saving lives. Settling in Keansburg, New Jersey, the lighthouse took on an unusual name: the Waackaack Rear Range Light. According to a Keansburg website, the word waackaack "derives from the original Leni-Lenape name for the area of Keansburg, meaning "Land of Plenty." Sadly, efforts to designate the lighthouse as a historical landmark failed, and its rich history was dismantled and sold for scrap in 1955. When the lighthouse was new and traveling to the World's Columbian Exposition, I wonder if someone drove behind it in a horse and wagon. Waiting to pass, she might have wondered where in the world this lighthouse had come from and where it was going. She would have found the story an intriguing one about a rule-breaking lighthouse—and a Viking ship—at the Fair. #ChicagoWorldsFair1893 #Lighthouses More to Explore Find out how a Viking ship invaded Chicago: visit my time travel article about the Viking, her captain and a crew of eleven intrepid men here. Lighthouse author Elinor DeWire tells about moving lighthouses in her interesting and fun blog here. Credit: National Park Service photo of Cape Hatteras being transported to a new location

Please welcome Mary Elizabeth Brown, our guest blogger today. Mary is a musician and writer who is currently working on an historical novel. In a small bookshop, Mary once discovered a story that came to have deep personal meaning to her as she faced a difficult challenge. Please read on to see Mary's story... The allegorical book, Hinds' Feet on High Places, rocked my world during my first semester at Multnomah University. I had spent my previous year of high school on home tutoring because of illness and recovery from surgery. All my hopes were put aside when the doctor told me I couldn’t attend college in the Fall Term. Sitting at home when all your friends have left for their new college lives was depressing and lonely. It was a difficu lt struggle to hope in my future. Much to my delight, I finally received clearance to attend the 1973 Spring Semester at Multnomah. Although the college was only 30 miles from home, it felt wonderful to finally be off on my own. I found this little book hidden amongst the many big textbooks in the school’s tiny bookstore. My curiosity was immediately caught by the protagonist’s name Much Afraid. I instantly related to her because she was disabled. She was afraid that she would never know real love and be stuck in the Valley of Humiliation forever. She longed for more, but given her background and disability, she had little hope of moving beyond her discouraging Valley of Humiliation and all the relatives that made life so difficult. The story unfolds when the Head Shepherd comes and offers Much Afraid the opportunity for love and the chance to travel to the glorious High Places. First, she would have to consent to the insertion of a seed thorn into her heart. He promised when the seed bloomed she would experience love and would receive hinds' feet. A hind is a female deer that can manage the most difficult paths on the mountain tops. Hinds' Feet on High Places tracks her difficult journey. In her disabled state, she needs assistance, so the Shepherd sends her some very unwelcome help named Sorrow and Suffering. I could so relate to Much Afraid not wanting to touch them, yet the only way she could make progress was to grasp their hands and accept their help over the rocks and barriers in her pathway. Much Afraid asks a hard question during her difficulties: Why does the loving Shepherd allow all these hardships? This book brings to light the spiritual walk that we must all take, which in reality is not all roses and songs, but trials, tribulations and submission to the pain and suffering God uses to change us. If we are not changed, we can never enter the High Places. Faith in the Shepherd’s character must be challenged or we will never really get to know Him. I found encouragement to embrace the trials that God had given me, to trust in His wisdom on the path He had chosen for me and even if it was one painful step at a time, I knew I could walk the path to the High Places with my Shepherd's help. The glorious arrival at the High Places is not the end of the story but just the beginning of a new story for Much Afraid, who will receive a new name and a new job from the Shepherd. Our death to self is not the end but just the beginning of our forever story. #Authors #BooksandReading #GuestBlog Hannah Hurnard (1905-1990) was born in England and raised by wealthy Quaker parents. In her youth, she wrestled with social phobias and stuttering. Finding no personal experience with God in her parents' church meetings, she struggled with believing in His existence. In her search for God, she realized that she needed to submit herself first to find Him. After that act of submission, she experienced a real relationship with God and dedicated her life as a missionary to Israel. A fan of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Hannah allegorized her spiritual experiences in Hinds' Feet on High Places which was published in 1955. She went on to write many more books on spiritual topics as well as her experiences in Israel. Towards the latter part of her life, she ventured into Universalism, New Age and Reincarnation as a part of her spiritual beliefs. This began to separate her from mainstream Evangelical beliefs leading to the unpopularity of her later writings in Christian publishing circles. Whatever direction the end of her life took, her Hinds' Feet on High Places has encouraged many on their spiritual journeys with Christ. The author of this article, Mary Elizabeth Brown, is a graduate of Multnomah University with a major in Biblical Literature. She presently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, disabled adult son, and four mischievous cats. Her day job is teaching all levels of piano students in her busy home studio. Mary is an avid reader of all kinds of books, but enjoys historical fiction the most. She is pursuing her writing dream by working on her first novel. She has written classroom curriculum, devotionals, and articles for The Christian Journal newspaper.

I'm pleased to welcome my first guest blogger, Susan Monk Kannard. Susan has extensive experience as a Reading Specialist and has taught college and graduate-level courses throughout her career. She ventured to Alaska to teach multi-grades in Ketchikan. And in Silverton, Colorado, Susan taught grades 2-8 in a one-room schoolhouse. Susan Monk Kannard Join Susan as she shares the story of how a community and one special book helped change the life of one of her students: Meet Josie She is a 16-year-old parent, is way behind in her high school credits and struggles to be a good mother to her little girl. Josie loves to laugh and have a good time but is now faced with caring for her child when she would rather be out with her friends. She really needs to make up her credits and the alternative setting might be the place she can catch up since she qualifies for the school’s day care center. This allows her to have lunch with her daughter and be nearby if anything goes wrong, but it also means she can’t leave campus with friends to go out for lunch. Josie finds academics tough and wishes she’d worked harder in school before she got pregnant. Now, it seems that everything takes so much effort and she’s tired. But this place is her one chance to graduate, and she has to do that because she promised her daughter and her Grandma she would. At a Crossroad If Josie fails, there is only living at her Mom’s and maybe working in a fast food place in her future. Josie’s story is just one of hundreds that find their way into the alternative high school where I teach a Reading class. The challenge is ever present in an alternative high school setting: How do you engage students in reading when that’s the last thing most of them want to do? How do you present learning objectives to a ‘required elective’ classroom of mixed grades 9-12? Reading assessments consistently demonstrate the students’ reading abilities as low as Pre-Primer and as high as post high school with the majority falling in the 3rd-6th grade reading range. Most of the students are disadvantaged economically, socially, academically, and feel disenfranchised – with good reason. Some live in abusive homes; some are homeless; some are teen parents; some are on probation or in mandated Grade Court; and, a small number are simply looking for a smaller, friendlier environment in which to complete high school. Every Student Has a Story to Tell A true educator knows that every student has a story to tell; that every student brings skills and talents to the learning environment; and, that every student wants to be respected and ultimately challenged to tap into their own potential. Many students can’t voice those truths and they often rebel against any activities that pursue those very tenets. Therein lies our challenge: how do we unleash the wonderfulness in every student who enters our classroom? Paul Fleischman, a Newbery Medal winner, provides a fabulous platform for engaging students in SEEDFOLKS, a tale of 13 voices that weaves a story of diversity, tolerance, and the potential for change through an empty lot in the projects of Cleveland that is transformed by neighborhood members into a community garden. SEEDFOLKS could provide the impetus for a community garden in your own town through a read-along at the local senior center, community center or Boys & Girls Clubs. Also, because the chapters are short and packed with ‘relationship stuff’ and cross generations, parents working with teens could take this gem of a book to the park or to an empty lot and start a garden! Aware that my students would see themselves, a relative, a neighbor, or a friend in Fleischman’s characters, it was important for them to take note of those connections in hopes that understanding others would promote understanding themselves. Josie identified strongly with the character of Maricela, who shares her Mexican heritage and is having a baby at the age of sixteen. Capable of Change I wanted the students to see others and themselves as being connected and capable of change. It was also important for my students to recognize their own skills set, resources and support systems as tools for change. Giving students choices on how to demonstrate their learning is imperative in an alternative school setting. Students’ abilities and life stories are as divergent as the characters in SEEDFOLKS and one approach is not going to suit every student. So, students create the vocabulary list as we progress through the story, often bringing samples of terms to share with the class. We had a collection that included binoculars that connected with the character, Ana, a locket for Virgil, a funnel for Sae Young, a pitcher for Wendell, and a thermos for Kim. Many students made connections when they could see and touch an item and that is critical for real learning to occur. If you’ve never held a pair of binoculars and looked through them, the vocabulary term has limited meaning. Our classroom soon resembles the garden in Cleveland. Each student is working on their plot, be it a computer generated research project or building a replica of the garden in a box. They consult with each other, offer suggestions, and encourage each other, just like the folks in SEEDFOLKS. Everyone has the sense of community. A Song of Belonging Their differences become strengths and their voices become a song of belonging. Even though everyone has watched the projects develop over time, the students still listen attentively as each one is formally presented. Our system of peer evaluation provides feedback, compliments, and ratings that are taken very seriously by every student. A simple, yet thought-provoking text, has encouraged change, respect, and acceptance. The students knew they had started out resistant, reluctant, and unsure of the outcome but so had each character in SEEDFOLKS. As each character in SEEDFOLKS ventured tentatively into the vacant lot to see what was going on, they each chose to plant something that has a connections for them. Kim, a 9- year old Vietnamese girl, planted lima beans in hopes of connecting to her deceased father. He had died before she was born and she didn’t have memories like her mother and sister had; she had only a harsh photograph. Because her father had been a farmer, Kim decided to plant lima beans and thought, “He would see my patience and my hard work. I would show him that I could raise plants, as he had. I would show him that I was his daughter.” Virgil, a young Haitian, planted lettuce with his father for a cash crop to supplement the cab driver wages his father earned that provided a meager income. Nora, a caregiver for Mr. Miles who’d suffered a stroke, planted flowers that elicited a smile each time she pushed him around the garden. She even planted the flowers in tall garbage cans so Mr. Miles could reach them and smell the smells that held so many memories he was unable to voice following his stroke. So, each day a new character is introduced, my students find a packet of seeds hanging from the board. They investigate those packets as though secrets of the Universe were locked inside each seed. Few had ever seen or held “real seeds” before. It only followed that at the culmination of the book, students arrived to find a table covered with produce from the local Farmer’s Market. They eagerly tried matching the seeds with the mature produce. I realize more fully that most of the students had no actual experience with the changes that occur within a seed with a little water and a lot of care. The “a-ha” expressions on many students’ faces was a by-product of the unit that was unexpected. They got it! You can grow. You can change. Josie's Story And what became of Josie, you ask? Josie was one of many students who grew, changed, and succeeded. She developed a rhythm of going to class, checking on her daughter, making new friends, and making passing grades in all her core subjects. Josie did extremely well in my class, passing with a strong A. At the beginning of the class, Josie identified her skills as organizing and doing projects. Well, those skills were turned loose in my class and she proved that giving student’s ownership and a voice in their learning works for even the most reluctant learner. Students were expected to work very hard during class but I never assigned homework because these students had a hard life to live once the school day ended. They respect that I recognize that and, in turn, find meaning in our pursuits. We don’t simply have a classroom; we have a community of learners, each developing toward maturity just like the plants in the Cleveland project. My students are change agents; they are my SEEDFOLKS of the future. #BooksandReading #Gardens #GuestBlog Our guest blogger, Susan Monk Kannard, enjoyed 34 years in the educational field in a variety of locations and roles. She is trained as an educator, Reading Specialist, and Educational Administrator. Extensive field experience includes homeschooling and helping to start two private schools. Susan and a fellow educator implemented a mentoring based intervention program while serving at-risk students and successfully recruited 275 community members who donated time each week to support student success. Susan’s personal life is filled with the joys of being a mother of 3, a grandmother to 16, and now a great-grandmother. She also tutors and uses her editorial skills to serve others.

Not only did Beatrix Potter write and illustrate her iconic books, she also used the proceeds to buy some freedom for herself. Beatrix often struggled with her conflicting feelings about her very restrictive mother and a loving but rather aloof father. When her books began to sell, Beatrix purchased a farm of her own in 1905. She could now escape to England's beautiful Lake District. Hill Top Farm Hill Top Farm became a place of solace and sowed the beginnings of independence in her life. And, for all the land gave to Beatrix, she gave back to it in plenty. She became an early conservationist, buying up farms as they came on the market in order to keep them out of the hands of developers. With a sense of purpose ahead of her time, she also raised and preserved a native species of sheep and other animals of historic value to keep them from being lost. At the time of her death in 1943, she bequeathed over 4,000 acres of land to the National Trust. She is credited with saving the vital heart of the area and a historic way of life. The beautiful Lake District can still be viewed and enjoyed today. As part of the celebration of her 150th birthday, Penguin has released a, yes, long-lost manuscript by Beatrix Potter. It's all about "a serious, well-behaved young black cat, who leads a daring double life defeating vile villains." More to Explore Read an excerpt from "The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots" at Penguin's website. To read more about the places that influenced writers, including Beatrix Potter, visit my blog post: 5 Special Places in Literature: A Sense of Place and the Imagination Which long-lost manuscript would you most like to discover? See the possibilities here. Linda Borromeo is the author of Mystery Shores, a story that unfolds on a lighthouse island filled with secrets. In Mystery Shores, two girls must overcome a dangerous threat before all that truly matters to them is lost.

It always surprised Grace Darling to emerge from the shelter of a walled garden to a world exploding with gray light. She looked up at the vast open sky and took a deep breath of cool salt air. A high wind fought her as she pushed closed the little door in the garden wall, latching it with a firm hand. She hauled a crate of late-season vegetables to her boat and pushed off into the sea. Grace leaned into the oars as she crossed the rough ocean to her lighthouse home a mile away. She could tell that a serious storm threatened. She'd learned to read all the signs in her years of observing the winds and the tides. Her concern was not for herself. She'd been handling the boat alone since she was twelve. Now, at twenty-two, she often made the trip to her old family home on Brownsman Island, part of England's Farne Islands. Grace and her family still cultivated the garden there on the island surrounded by seals and seabirds. She remembered how it felt to live on Brownsman Island. Curious puffins would stroll into their old lighthouse quarters like country ladies arriving for a visit, their bright, interested eyes taking in the furnishings. She pushed herself harder now, anxious to return to her father at their newer lighthouse post on Longstone Island. Nothing grew on the barren rocks of Longstone. There were no more puffins wandering in, no more eider ducks to tame as pets. But she was content helping her father, William, keep the light and taking time to observe the moods of the sea off the coast of Northumberland. She rarely felt uneasy, yet a deep concern grew inside her for the ships going by Longstone. She wanted to hear what her father thought about the storm brewing. But Grace knew, in her heart, he'd confirm her own fears—it would be a terrible one. When she arrived home, she noticed the lines on her father's face had deepened with worry. Later, Grace went up the staircase to her bedroom but was unable to sleep. She kept watch through her window. In the early morning hours of September 7, 1838, as the gale-force winds tossed the waves, Grace thought she saw a dark shape. It stood immobile out on the water by Harcar Rock. It was a shipwreck, there could be no doubt. She ran for her father. Together, they took turns looking through a telescope. Grace strained her eyes, trying to find any signs of life. Had all the passengers and crew perished? She couldn't bring herself to believe it. Finally, at 7:00 a.m., she saw movement through the telescope. There were survivors stranded on the rock. And they needed help immediately. Any rescue attempt might cost another life--her father's. Grace was insistent. He could not handle the boat alone. She headed down to the boat, and her father followed. Battling the wind and the heavy waves, the two set a course for the rock and the survivors. With no sleep the night before, Grace had to dig deep to find the physical and emotional strength to continue rowing through the storm. When they navigated as close to the rock as possible, they found eight men and one woman still clinging to life from the wreck of the paddle steamship, the SS Forfarshire. Grace felt heartbroken when she observed the woman clutching her two young children who had died from exposure. Coming as near as they could, Grace and her father helped the woman and four of the men into their boat. It was all the boat could hold at a time. She braced herself for the difficult journey back to the lighthouse. Grace began tending to the grieving mother and an injured man as the boat fought its way back to Longstone. Her father headed out again with two of the rescued men to help bring the remaining survivors to safety. ***** Because of Grace's vigil at her window, nine desperate people had been rescued. The story of what Grace had accomplished spread throughout Great Britain. The picture of a selfless young woman, her hair spreading out in the wind as she rowed through a storm, also captured the imagination of the world. Grace became a very reluctant Victorian celebrity, never able to completely return to her quiet life tending to the walled garden or observing the seabirds and the ocean. Four years later, at the age of twenty-six, Grace passed away from tuberculosis. No one who has heard her story will forget the courageous young woman who risked her life to save others. My recreation of Grace's story is based on true events in her life. #Lighthouses More to Explore When a Viking Ship Invaded Chicago More to Read: The Life of Grace Darling Illustrated Linda Borromeo is the author of Mystery Shores. Linda is now creating the sequel to Mystery Shores, the second book in the "Islands of Mystery" trilogy. Receive Linda's free newsletter to find out the latest about the release of Mystery Fair.

A Shimmering World of Illusion One of the delights of writing historical mysteries is the ability to explore different times and imagine myself there with my characters. As I'm becoming immersed in writing my novel, Mystery Fair, I've discovered some fascinating things about a shimmering world of illusion called the White City. The Fair opened on May 1, 1893. It commemorated the 400th anniversary (plus one year) of Christopher Columbus' arrival on the shores of what would be called America. The Fair contained an astounding number of classical buildings, whimsically created smaller buildings, statues, sculptures, fountains, and exhibits featuring all the marvels men and women had created. From 600 acres that were little more than a mud flat, thousands of workers put together a dream world. And like a dream world, the Fair was not meant to last. Little is left of the White City today, but the stories remain. The Clash of the Titans Although the Fair was intended to acknowledge Columbus, he had a powerful rival. Ancient stories and sagas told of an Icelandic explorer named Leif Eriksson. They wove a fantastic tale: Eriksson had arrived on the shores of North America nearly 400 years ahead of Columbus. Were these stories true? No one living knew if a Viking ship could make it across the ocean. For thousands of years, no one had stood at the bow of one of these ships and felt the wind. No one had seen what a real one looked like or could understand how they could navigate such distances. Viking ships existed only in the sagas, in the imagination, and in artistic images carved into ancient rocks and stones. An Object of Wonder And then, in 1880 on a working farm, an object was discovered that caught the imagination of the world. An intact Viking ship was found in an ancient burial mound near Sandefjord, Norway. The excavation of the Viking ship caused a sensation. In particular, it fired the imagination of a seafaring man named Magnus Andersen. Resourceful and inventive, Andersen had gone to sea at the age of fifteen. By the time he turned twenty-three, he had become a shipmaster. An idea gripped him after the well-preserved ship was excavated. He could now prove that a Viking craft was capable of taking Leif Eriksson to America. When the World's Columbian Exposition asked other countries to send historical artifacts for display, Andersen decided he wanted to contribute a living ship. Andersen resolved to build an exact replica of the ancient Viking ship. And sail it, unaided, to the Chicago World's Fair. The government was sympathetic, but felt the voyage was much too risky. They would not provide any official money to build his dream. Andersen persevered, asking for community support. Funds began to arrive, including pennies sent in by schoolchildren. Plank by plank, with thousands of iron rivets, Andersen started to construct a Viking ship exactly as it had been built in ancient days. By the spring of 1893, the Viking ship stood with the wind in her sail, ready for the journey. The ship, christened the Viking, was set to begin a dangerous open-ocean voyage to America, captained by Magnus Andersen and a crew of eleven. Seven-thousand people saw the Viking off on April 30th from Bergen, Norway. The journey to prove a myth had begun. Over the next twenty-seven days, Captain Andersen felt the ship had indeed turned into a living thing, responding with speed, agility, and beauty to the waves and wind around her. No other vessel helped her across the Atlantic; she only needed the oars, sails, and design used by the ancient Vikings. But when the craft neared Chicago by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes, she was met by over fifty steamships with 50,000 people on board to welcome her to the Fair. On the day she arrived at the World's Columbian Exposition, 129,000 visitors came to greet her and marvel at the simple and proud design of a ship that had not sailed since ancient times. In contrast, only 89,000 came to see the replicas of Columbus' ships on the day they arrived at the Fair. In this particular clash of the explorer titans, Leif Eriksson had won again. And in his own version of time travel, Captain Magnus Andersen proved, against the odds, the truth of an ancient story. #ChicagoWorldsFair1893 More to Explore What is the story of the traveling lighthouse, seen behind the Viking in this picture? Visit A Lighthouse Fights Bureaucracy. The Viking is still attracting crowds to experience a Viking ship in person. For more information about this incredible ship, its voyage and preservation, please visit the "Friends of the Viking Ship" at: www.vikingship.us. At the Viking Ship website, you'll also find a translation of Captain Rasmussen's diary: Viking from Norway to America.

The heady scents of wisteria mixed with orange blossoms in spring... When I opened my window as a child, these are the fragrances that greeted me. We called our home merely "The Place." An orange grove sent out its fragrance just beyond my bedroom window. In the stillness of morning, On summer mornings, I ran outside to pick an orange, ripe and sweet, right off the tree. As I held it in my hand, I could feel the warmth of the sun on it. Even as the city crowded around my childhood home and more and more cars zipped by, wild violets grew in shady spots under a cedar tree. It seemed one of the last holdouts of a disappearing California. The trees and violets are gone now, torn up to make room for a complex of medical offices. Yet, it is those scents of childhood that still linger in my memory. Writers often draw on memories, perhaps especially of a time that has disappeared. In their imaginations, the influence of home echoes in their stories. Here are five beloved authors and a look at the homes reflected in their words: 5. Little Lea 76 Circular Road Strandtown Belfast Northern Ireland It is here that C.S. "Jack" Lewis grew up and first began a journey that would enrich his life with imagination, books, and writing. Fifty years before The Chronicles of Narnia graced the world, Jack and his brother, Warnie, created another enchanted land at Little Lea. They called their group of stories Boxen. At Little Lea, young Jack found both joy and then profound sadness when his mother died. With a grieving father who never recovered from the loss, Jack entered a world in which all security had fled. Books and his imagination became his constant companions when Warnie left for boarding school. Jack caught all of those mixed feelings about his childhood home this way: I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books... In the seemingly endless rainy afternoons I took volume after volume from the shelves. I had always the same certainty of finding a book that was new to me as a man who walks into a field has of finding a new blade of grass. C. S. Lewis: Surprised by Joy. New York: Harvest, 1965. 4. Hill Top Farm Near Sawrey Hawkshead Ambleside Cumbria United Kingdom Beatrix Potter was in her late thirties when she bought Hill Top Farm in England's beautiful Lake District. The 17th-century farmhouse with its 34 acres became her escape from the noise and pollution of London, and from her overbearing parents. Here she could paint and write to her heart's content, pulling inspiration from the countryside around her and from her own garden. I have lots of flowers, I am very fond of my garden, it is a regular old-fashioned farm garden, with a box hedge round the flower bed, and moss roses and pansies and black currants and strawberries and peas — and big sage bushes for Jemima, but onions always do badly. I have tall white bell flowers I am fond of, they are just going over, next there will be phlox; and last come the michaelmas daisies and chrysanthemums. Beatrix Potter 3. The White House State Route 175 Brooklin Maine United States The farm where E.B. White found inspiration for his classic is a little north of that other White House, but just as important to the history of children's literature as the Washington landmark is to politics. Among the geese, sheep, roosters and also a pig, he found inspiration for Charlotte's Web. E.B. White loved the simplicity of his saltwater farm in Maine and so I use a deceptively simple quote: All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world. E.B. White 2. Skeldale House and the Dales 23 Kirkgate Thirsk North Yorkshire United Kingdom James Herriot was a young, newly qualified veterinarian when he answered an advertisement for a position in a small Yorkshire village. Here he found lifelong friends, love and family. He also discovered a deep, enduring appreciation for the rugged country of the Dales and the eccentric, giving and stubborn people who farmed there. All of these impressions filled his later writing in stories that, I think, have never been equaled for their sense of place. Here is James Herriot's first look at the home that would shape his life and books: Now that I was here, right on the doorstep, I felt breathless, as though I had been running. If I got the job, this was where I would find out about myself. There were many things to prove. But I liked the look of the old house. It was Georgian with a fine, white-painted doorway. The windows, too, were white—wide and graceful on the ground floor and first storey but small and square where they peeped out from under the overhanging tiles far above. The paint was flaking and the mortar looked crumbly between the bricks, but there was a changeless elegance about the place... Herriot, James. All Creatures Great and Small. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1972 1. The Outermost House Great Outer Beach Cape Cod Eastham Maine United States Henry Beston was 38 years old when he came to live in a little house on the dunes overlooking the sea. At his kitchen table, he began writing about what he saw and felt about the natural world around him. No one has better married the best of prose and poetry as Henry Beston did when he wrote his remarkable book: Outermost cliff and solitary dune, the plain of ocean and the far, bright rims of the world, meadow land and marsh and ancient moor: this is Eastham; this the outer Cape. Sun and moon rise here from the sea, the arched sky has an ocean vastness, the clouds are now of ocean, now of earth. Having known and loved this land for many years, it came about that I found myself free to visit there, and so I built myself a house upon the beach. Beston, Henry. The Outermost House. New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2003. It was my childhood home in California that formed my appreciation of nature and my love of reading. It is now my home in the Pacific Northwest that influences my own venture into writing a book. From the texture of the ribbons of bark on a Western redcedar tree to soaring lighthouses, I fell in love with my new home. I tried to weave the rich history and beauty of the area into my story, Mystery Shores, set along the Washington coast in 1893. Writing my own book brought home to me the importance of exploring a sense of place. It helps me to more deeply understand and appreciate the authors and books I love. #Authors #BooksandReading For a featured story about another author with a strong sense of place, read about Prince Edward Island and L. M. Montgomery here > Linda Borromeo worked at the University of California, Berkeley as operations manager for a graduate school library. She is now a full-time writer. Her book, Mystery Shores, is a tale of danger and secrets along the Pacific Northwest coast. For more pictures, quotes and inspiration, join Linda for a Creative Walk.

Freedom at Dawn Susan La Flesche glanced out her window at the Nebraskan prairie as she finished braiding her long black hair. Impatient to be out where the wind blew cool and free, she hurried to get ready before the last star disappeared from the sky. Running out the door of her home, laughing with the pure joy of the morning, the young girl took out her favorite pony. Riding bareback into the dawn, she urged the pony to go a little faster. All the while, she carefully guided him away from any holes that might hurt his legs. The golden light spanning the sky slowly faded. Susan turned her pony around now, aware of the lonely sound of his hooves clip-clopping over the ground. No longer did the noise of the buffalo thunder over the prairie. No longer did the sound of thousands of wings brush the sky. Original lands of the Omaha and other Plains tribes are in green. Reservation lands are in orange. Born on June 17th in 1865, Susan lived on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska. Relegated to a small percentage of the former land of the Omaha Tribe, they could no longer hunt whatever buffalo had survived the guns of the newcomers. They had to wait for meat that had been promised but rarely came. Susan's father cut into his own herd of cattle to keep his people from starving. Why Didn't He Care? Now, Susan gently reined in her pony as a familiar sight came into view. She studied the scene once more, analyzing it with both her mind and heart. An Omaha woman stood pleading with the European doctor who was in charge of health care at her reservation. His attention was on the horizon and he listened with an air of disinterest fading into boredom. Susan could not understand it. He had spent years studying to become a doctor. Why didn't he care? Susan, still a child, would later watch a sick woman die because the doctor would not give her proper treatment. On that day, Susan reached up and took the last star from the sky. She held it in her hand and it burned there with the fire of her desire to become a doctor herself. When she became an adult, never again would one of her people die needlessly if she could help it. Susan La Flesche was the youngest of four daughters born to Joseph (Iron Eye) and Mary (The One Woman) La Flesche. Her parents emphasized the importance of reading and education, and she attended a boarding school on her reservation until the age of 14. She went on to attend the Elizabeth Institute for Young Ladies in New Jersey. Later, she attended Virginia's well-regarded Hampton Institute. Originally founded for newly-freed slaves, the Institute now accepted Native Americans as well. Susan was inspired by her classes and immersed herself in the study of literature, mathematics, physiology and writing, among other subjects. Blessed with a sunny nature and smile, Susan nevertheless studied as if many lives depended on her hard work. In her heart, Susan knew she wanted to make a difference and never lost sight of her dream. A large part of her dream came true when she was accepted by the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia. She was concerned about how she would do in these advanced courses and if she would be excluded from the social life at the college. Susan found she was warmly welcomed by her new roommate and the other young women at the college. In her rare spare time, she toured the museums and monuments dedicated to America's freedom. She received many curious looks and some stares, but she walked with her back straight and head high. She kept to her purpose of being in Philadelphia. Again in a hurry, Susan completed the three-year coursework in only two years. She became the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree, graduating in the top half of her class. Physicians in the late 19th century. Susan is in the second row from the back, fourth from the right. Doctor Sue Begins Her Work Dr. Susan La Flesche returned to the reservation as she'd promised. Only 24, she threw herself into a rigorous routine of meeting the urgent needs there. In the freezing cold of winter or during the hot, dusty summers, Susan never turned away a patient of any heritage. Her day usually began in the dawn hours that she loved. She would head out on horseback and later in a buggy. She'd often return, exhausted, at 10:00 at night. Dr. La Flesche used her young adulthood to care for everyone who needed her, fighting measles, tuberculosis, malnutrition and the harrowing disease of alcoholism. Hating what she saw happening to those affected, she campaigned against liquor on the reservation. To counteract the negative forces, Susan began a reading room stocked with books, magazines, plants and games for the children. In addition, she started a night school, Sunday School and a church. Clubs on various subjects for young people were also held regularly. Hardships and Heartbreak It took all her energy to be the only physician in a wide territory, and Susan's health began to fail. She developed earaches and pain from being out in the biting cold of sub-zero temperatures. She had to take time off to recuperate, but she still helped anyone who needed her to translate papers or to fight for legal rights. From left, Susan, her sister Marguerite, Marguerite's husband, Walter, and seated, Henry Picotte. She also found happiness and sorrow as a wife. She married a man of Sioux heritage, Henry Picotte, in 1894. In another break from societal expectations, Henry was proud of his wife's work and helped take care of their two sons when she went out on calls. Susan's life was full until one of the most serious diseases on the reservation finished its grip on her own family. Her husband died of the effects of alcoholism in 1905. A New Dream She had a new dream now: a hospital where the critically ill could be cared for in a proper and clean environment. She again poured her life into being a physician, raising funds to realize the dream of a hospital on the reservation. The hospital opened its doors in 1913. Always an advocate of cleanliness, sunshine and fresh air, Susan made sure the building had plenty of windows. Even as she went about her duties, as the doctor in charge of the hospital, she continued to struggle from the effects of the hardships on her own health. On September 18th, 1915, Dr. La Flesche Picotte passed away at the age of 50. Her funeral was attended by all those who loved and respected her, and owed their lives to her. Before the last star disappeared, she had brought hope and help at a critical time to the people she had cared for and loved. The Susan La Flesche Picotte Memorial Hospital was made a National Historic Landmark in 1993. More to Explore To read more about Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, see this excellent book for ages 9 and up: Native American Doctor by Jeri Ferris. To read about another courageous and inspiring woman, see my post about pioneering aviator Bessie Coleman. One of the characters in my book, Mystery Shores, is a young Native American girl who is determined to become a doctor. Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte is definitely an inspiration to her. My novel of secrets unfolds on a remote lighthouse island in 1893. Mystery Shores is available now at Amazon.com

Clutching a coin in her hand, young Bessie Coleman hurried out the front door of her home in Waxahachie, Texas. She tightened her fingers around the small coin to feel its reassuring coolness on the hot day. Taking no chances of losing it, she held on to her ticket to dreams, to ideas and to the future. She approached the place she had longed for as she worked in the cotton fields, giving most of her earnings to help feed her large family. She'd kept this money for her own with the full blessing of her mother. The Best Things in the World Which one would she choose? Any of them would be a treasure, but she wanted just the right one. It would be the only new book she'd have for months. The wagon library came only a few times a year, but it brought the joy of all the best things in the world. The librarian smiled at her as Bessie first greeted the horses who had carried the traveling library to her doorstep. She gave each a gentle pat and then turned to run her fingers over the bindings of their precious cargo. She selected a book about Harriet Tubman this time and paid her money to "rent" the book. Her younger sisters would enjoy hearing her read that story to them. They'd already shared the Bible together, along with books about Booker T. Washington and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. From their inspiring stories, Bessie knew she could grow up "to be somebody." The Beginning of Bessie's Story Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, the sixth of nine surviving children. She entered a place of hard work, extreme poverty and fear: lynchings and killings of African-Americans were a terrible part of her world. But her mother, a woman of deep Christian faith and love for her family, wanted the best for her children and always encouraged them. In words and prayers, she let Bessie know her daughter could achieve anything she dreamed of wanting to do. Bessie took this courage along with her as she walked the eight miles to and from school, feeling the hard earth under her bare feet. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't love holding a book in her hands. Bessie found she also loved numbers and excelled in mathematics. She kept the learning close to her heart and thought about it on long days when school closed and her back and arms ached from picking cotton and helping with her mother's laundry business. Taking on the World After graduating from high school, Bessie's dreams "to be somebody" took her to college. She immersed herself in the classes, but soon this path ended when she ran out of money to continue. Never giving up, Bessie headed for Chicago to live with her older brother, Walter, who had found work there as a Pullman porter. While making a living as a manicurist, Bessie continued to be an avid reader. She kept up with the daily news, especially admiring a newspaper called the Chicago Defender. As war broke out, and her brothers fought in World War I, she took a personal interest in the breaking news of each day. During this time, she saw more and more coverage about airplanes and their use in the war. A New Plan Emerges An idea struck her. What if she could become a pilot herself? The dream of soaring free in the sky took hold. She sent applications to almost every aviation school in the United States, but they all rebuffed her. A woman, and one of mixed African-American and Native-American heritage, learning how to fly? The men in charge sent back rejections that would have killed the dreams of a less tenacious person. She learned that France would accept flight students regardless of gender or race. Again, Bessie saved her money to gain a dream. She kept a small wooden airplane, crafted by a little boy, in the window of the barbershop where she worked. Each time she looked at it, the plane reminded her not to give up on her dream. The successful publisher of the Chicago Defender, Robert S. Abbott, heard about her plans and realized the value of what an achievement like this would mean in his community. He encouraged Bessie to learn French, and she took classes at a language school in Chicago. Robert Abbott's financial help, along with her own savings, now sent Bessie on the next step of her journey. Accepted at a prestigious French aviation school, she sailed to France on the S.S. Imperator. Just as she excelled at her studies in Texas, she impressed the instructors there with her grasp of complicated flight maneuvers, including tail spins, banking and looping the loop. In just seven months, she earned her international pilot's license on June 15, 1921, two years before Amelia Earhart received her own international license. Bessie later went back for advanced training in France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland to learn even more complicated flying skills. Retuning home, Bessie embarked on a new dream. She wanted others have the same opportunity, but in the United States. She decided to open aviation schools of her own that would accept women and African-Americans. Bessie realized the best way to earn the needed funds quickly would involve exhibition flying. Crowds were eager to see pilots and airplanes perform daring stunts, but in the rickety planes, it would be dangerous. She took the risk, knowing it would bring her closer to her dearest goal. In the next five years, as she performed in air shows around the country, Bessie became increasingly popular. She refused to appear at a show unless the crowd was integrated and all were allowed to enter through the same gate. During this time, she spoke at many African-American schools and churches to encourage others to pursue their dreams. She held on to her faith and her belief that she could make a difference in the world. The End and Another Beginning Soon after she had earned the money to buy her own plane, she traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for an air show. Bessie and her mechanic, William D. Wills, went up to scout the area in preparation for the show the next day. William flew the plane while Bessie inspected the surroundings. Something went terribly wrong, and William lost control of the plane. Bessie was thrown from her seat and died instantly when she plummeted to the ground. She was thirty-four years old. The plane crashed, also killing William Wills. Tragically, it was discovered that a loose wrench had caught in the control gears, making the plane impossible to control. Thousands of mourners honored Bessie Coleman before she was laid to rest in Chicago's Lincoln Cemetery. There Shall Be No Regrets Bessie once said, "If I can create the minimum of my plans and desires, there shall be no regrets." Her dream of opening a flight school became a reality when Lieutenant William J. Powell opened the first one in her name: The Bessie Coleman Aero Club. He wrote in his book Black Wings, "Because of Bessie Coleman, we have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers. We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream." Bessie Coleman's story inspired the next generation of pilots, including the Tuskegee Airmen. A group of elite pilots during World War II, they were the first African-Americans to become military pilots in the United States Armed Forces. The girl who grew up loving to read, excelling in school and working hard for a dream leaves a legacy that lives on today in all those she has inspired. Every year, on her birthday, pilots fly over her gravesite in a salute to the young woman who “refused to take no for an answer.” More to Explore Celebrate the life story of another remarkable woman: read the inspiring story of trailblazing Native American doctor Susan La Flesche Picotte here.

Nothing is quite so effortlessly haunting as a painting veiled in mystery. Portraits have been the focus of many evocative films and books. In the classic 1944 movie, Laura, a detective falls in love with the beautiful woman in a painting. The only problem: he is investigating her murder. Laura starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews Josephine Tey's book, The Daughter of Time, features another detective who is influenced by a painting. This time, it is the troubled face of King Richard III that sets him on a quest to discover the elusive truth buried in history. And in The Picture of Dorian Gray--well, let's just say it's not a portrait anyone would want hanging in their living room. All these stories feature portraits shrouded by conflict and darker themes. There is one portrait, however, that haunts with an air of light and serenity, even happiness. The Painting at Scone Palace Scone Palace Hanging on the wall in a Scottish castle, Scone Palace, is the portrait of two young women in period dress. Everyone knew the woman with a crown of flowers was Lady Elizabeth Murray. But who was the woman carrying a basket filled to overflowing with grapes and branches? And why does she seem to be in such a hurry? It wasn't until the 1990s that the identity of the second young woman was recovered. She was Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay, the cousin of Lady Elizabeth. According to the Scone Palace website, Sir John Lindsay, Dido's father Dido Elizabeth Belle was a girl born into slavery of mixed race, whose mother was a black African woman, Maria Belle, and whose father was Rear Admiral Sir John Lindsay, nephew of the 1st Earl of Mansfield. When Dido's mother died...her father came to claim her before returning to his family home at Kenwood House in Hampstead. There he beseeched his uncle, the Earl of Mansfield, to take the child into his care and to raise her alongside her cousin, Elizabeth, in a manner befitting her aristocratic blood line. Dido's Story Born in 1761, Dido was just six years old when she arrived in Great Britain. Although she became a much-loved part of the household, the circumstances of her birth and heritage at that time made an outsider's life difficult. Her cousin, Lady Elizabeth, became like a sister to her and their friendship provided the anchor and encouragement she needed in a strange land. Dido's great-uncle, the Earl of Mansfield, was the highest judge in the land. His groundbreaking decisions concerning slavery became the foundation to help abolish the slave trade in Great Britain. Dido is said to have assisted him in writing letters and other work. She became an important but little-known part of history. Filmmakers were so intrigued when viewing the painting that they went on to make a feature-length movie about Dido's story. My husband, Peter, and I recently caught up with the result, the British film called Belle. We're very glad we did. It is a powerful movie with many strands of interest, covering the larger issues of history and slavery, combined with the story of one young woman's struggle to find her place in the world. The plot themes are well-woven, forming a gripping tale that features top-notch acting and beautiful sets and costumes. I'm sure it will become a favorite movie of mine to watch again. Personal Meaning and Friendship I think Belle especially resonated with me now as I'm beginning to write the second book in my Christie & Melina Mystery series. Although the two girls in my story face quite a bit of danger as they try to solve a troubling mystery, at the heart of the books is a story of friendship. In the painting, the friendship between Dido and Elizabeth is also the focus. The composition of the painting is very unusual and fascinating. It would be of special interest to read the artist's notes and discover the reasons behind the unique elements in the portrait. Unfortunately, even the artist's identity is unknown. The work was attributed to the adventurous painter, Johann Zoffany, but that theory seems to have been discounted now. The Mystery of the Painting It is left up to the viewer to interpret the many layers of the painting. I like to think that Dido's personality is shown in her pose. Always active and "on the go," her more serene cousin gently reaches out to stop Dido and make sure she takes time to pose and is included in the painting. I like the fact that they are both smiling, especially with their eyes. There is such a warm feeling of affection about the spirit of the portrait. And, of course, I like the fact that Lady Elizabeth is holding an open book in her hand! But why is Dido holding a basket filled with grapes and branches? Why is she pointing to the dimple on her cheek? Perhaps a diary will one day be discovered to answer those questions. In the meantime, there is an evocative painting to enjoy and a movie now to tell their story.