Today, I want to share with you a few of my favorite parts of Brumbletide and the Triad Champion. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 2 that I laugh at every time I read it. Poor Maggie. Enjoy!

My first class is Hoplology with Atticus and Thorn. We are freezing—absolutely freezing. The weather is frosty, and we are all gathered on carpets in midair in front of Queen Mother Berthilda. Two or so dozen young royals are bundled in white furs and huddled two or three to a carpet held by Snickerlings. The magical flying children are dressed in no more than their usual patchwork attire and seem unfazed by the cold.

            Four Snickerlings hold Queen Mother Berthilda’s carpet in front of the others while she raises her large arms to get everyone’s attention.

            “Hear, hear! Attention, your majesties! As many of you know, the one hundred and seventy-fifth Em Games are right around the corner. In preparation, we will be performing exercises more daring than usual. We break the ice today with Tower Climbing.”

            Gasps escape from around the carpets. Even the Snickerlings appear a little worried and lean in to whisper what I gather to be consoling words to their passengers.

“Now, now, not to worry, class. You will be monitored the whole time, and if you happen to fall, Snickerlings will come to your rescue immediately. Any questions?” Queen Mother Berthilda scans the class.

            “Has anyone died before?” shouts Eden Kung over the wind.

            Berthilda considers his question as if she isn’t sure whether to answer honestly. “Yes, some have. None in the past few years though.”

There have been no games in recent years! The last were twelve years ago!

“And if the worst should happen, what a way to go, eh?” The Queen Mother flashes a toothy smile reciprocated by no one.  “Right. Now, everyone, do your very best—especially you, Champions. Let this not be the year we break our Triad winning streak.”

            “Yeah!” shouts Atticus. “Let’s do it, Champs!” A few other Champions whistle and applaud as well.

            Meanwhile, I haven’t gotten past the name of the event—Tower Climbing. My head is back as far as it will go as I take in the massive monstrosity that is George Tower. It can’t mean what it sounds like, can it?

            “For those of you unaware,” pipes Queen Mother Berthilda, “Tower Climbing is exactly as it sounds. You will be climbing George Tower.”

            Pushing Thorn out of the way, I lean over and puke off the side of the carpet into the Lux below.

            “Maggie!” shouts Atticus. “Are you alright?”

            I sit back up woozily. “No.”

            “Blimey,” mumbles Thorn, checking her gown for vomit.

            Atticus nudges my shoulder and whispers, “Heights are my greatest fear, but I’m going to suck it up and go first since I’ll be leading the Em Games and all.” He raises his hand.

            “Yes, Prince Atticus? Oh, are you alright, Princess Maggie? You’re green.”

            I lean over and puke again.

            “Eesh, let’s trade places,” says Thorn, crawling to the center of the carpet.

            Atticus waits a second to show a little concern but no longer. “I volunteer to go first, Queen Mother Berthilda.”

            “How wonderful. Your carpet can come forward then.”

            To my horror, the Snickerlings fly us to the ledge at the bottom of George Tower. A large stone winged hound—George’s warmouth—sits at the corner permanently fixed on Little Ipswich.

            Queen Mother Berthilda’s carpet hovers next to ours.

            “Our brilliant ancestor, King George, designed his tower to be climbed. There are grooves all around it for your hands and feet. The things to overcome are the wind, your lack of strength, and, of course, your own fear. Prince Atticus, godspeed.”

            Without hesitation, Atticus grabs hold of the hound and pulls himself onto the ledge. He catches a glimpse of the Lux far down below on his way, and a flash of panic sweeps his face. But without closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath and stands up straight. Immediately, he begins climbing fast up the tower. His small frame is of benefit to him here. He stumbles once, and Snickerlings lunge forward, but he immediately regains his footing and continues upward at an impressive pace. Before long, Atticus has made it halfway up the tower and waves to us from what is certainly two hundred feet in the air.

            “Bravo! Bravo, Prince Atticus! And a Champion, no less,” Queen Mother Berthilda shouts gleefully.

            Snickerlings soar to Atticus and bring him down safely to our carpet. In the snowy wind, he is sweaty and out of breath.

            He swats the air. “Wasn’t anything. A nice warm-up.”

            Thorn is next. She doesn’t seem happy about the task but not terrified either. Quietly, she steps onto the ledge and is smart enough not to look down. Not so quickly as Atticus, but at a decent pace, she climbs the tower.

            “Steady, calculated, precise— the Firebreather way,” Berthilda tells us quietly as if not to disturb Thorn’s concentration.

            Eventually, Thorn reaches the halfway point and raises her hand.

            “Well done, Princess Thorn!” Berthilda shouts as Snickerlings fly her to the carpet.

            “Next we have—” She pauses because I’m apparently still green. “Princess Maggie.”

            I hoist my body, which seems to weigh a ton, onto the ledge and cling for dear life to the wings of the stone hound. I feel woozy and, without meaning to, catch a glimpse of how high I am. Puke immediately projects into the air and makes its way into the carpets holding my classmates who squeal in disgust. I close my eyes and breathe, trying to compose myself, and when I feel the first bit of relief, turn and mount the tower.

            Atticus and Thorn have deceived me. Even pulling myself onto the tower takes all my strength, and my arms are already burning as I hold myself up. The flag marking halfway up the tower seems a mile high. I’ll never make it. I won’t even make it five grooves in. I let go of a groove and immediately grab the next closest. My legs and arms are trembling, and my body is getting heavier by the second. I’ve never been athletic—how am I going to do this? Atticus and Thorn must have done this before. Yes, of course, they have!

            With my arms already so fatigued that I can’t raise a hand, I yell, “I can’t do it! My arms are giving out!”

            In a blink of an eye, I am in the arms of Snickerlings and then back with Thorn and Atticus on the carpet. I don’t feel that ashamed when Queen Mother Berthilda doesn’t give me a “good try” or anything, but little do I know the shame will grow heavier and heavier as every single student climbs high onto the tower. Even Eden, whose fear had him crying on his way up, made it to the flag. I alone was the only one not strong enough to do it.

            And I am supposed to be the Head of Emily Castle. Pathetic.

Have yet to discover the magic of Brumbletide? Find it here!

Five years ago, my husband, Jason, planted two apple trees in our backyard. And for five years, not one apple grew. We had pretty much given up on them; in fact, we didn’t even pay much attention to them anymore. So when a single apple was found on one of the trees in early August, we all marveled with surprise and delight. There was finally fruit from the trees we’d almost given up on!

Of course, the kids wanted to eat the apple immediately, but I wouldn’t let them. It was from the backyard and might have bugs or worms. After all, I am accustomed to the shiny apples at the grocery store. Those apples are bigger, polished, and beautiful; even the organic varieties are still much better looking than this one from our tree. So despite the kid’s pleas, I set it on the kitchen counter for us to look at until it went bad, and then I would throw it away. But surprisingly, the apple looked exactly the same after almost three weeks. Still happy the tree had finally grown an apple, I decided to keep it longer.

Then today, I was cleaning the kitchen, and there was the apple. The thought crossed my mind that after five years, God saw fit to yield an apple from those trees…why not at least cut it open?
I washed the apple and sliced it in half. I should have taken a picture of the inside because I had prepared myself for a worm, a wormhole, or at the very least, for the apple to look unappetizing in some way. But no, the inside was brilliant white and smelled wonderful!
I sliced it up and got the kids to try it with me. I admit I was a little nervous because of some spots I saw on the skin that I didn’t know why they were there. But heck, I eat the store-bought apples all the time without a clue of what goes on with them before they get to me! We all took a bite, and low and behold, it was good.

This all probably sounds silly to you. Who in their right mind would be afraid to eat an apple right from the tree? But consider this: Eve. There she was, considering a fruit. That one was forbidden, but she decided she knew best and ate, plunging us all into darkness. And now, with all things in life, we have to really try to not see them backwards. The things that were prepared for us from the beginning now seem much less pretty than the things this world has to dazzle us.
Don’t we all know that not everything that glitters is gold? We know, but we forget! Go back to the fruit of the Spirit given to us by Jesus Christ, who died and rose again so that we can bear it. He is the true Vine, after all. The one Vine you can trust even though, at first, following Jesus may seem less pretty, less clean—even dangerous. But taste and see that the Lord is good. You can trust Him.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8

Happy news!

The third in the Brumbletide series is LIVE. Find it here on Amazon!

ALSO, books one and two are remaining on super sale for THREE MORE DAYS! So if you haven’t yet discovered the magic of Brumbletide, now is the time!

Thank you for reading, Loves!

Brumbletide and the Triad Champion

It’s happened. What Maggie feared has come true. Princess Magdalene Prewitt of Firebreather is now Head of Emily Castle and has been made so by King Pippin, no less. Now there is certainly no turning back! Thankfully, Maggie’s best friends, Calysta and Atticus, will be by her side, and she also has the aid of King Mortimer McShanihan and the Boggletrice Company. But even with the help of her most trusted royals and Horsemen, she is still completely sick at the thought of ruling such a prestigious establishment at the young age of thirteen.

To Maggie, life couldn’t possibly be any more stressful…that is, until she’s told about the Em Games.

Of course, she would become Head of Castle just in time for some kind of Olympics that only Emily royals seem to know of. And, of course, the Head of Castle is to lead every event—and leading means doing the most outrageous and dangerous sports Maggie has ever seen! And, of course, Maggie is the clumsiest and most unathletic person in the academy.

Unbelievable.

And through it all, the wicked King Michelle still lingers throughout the castle. But since he’s dead, he’s found in the most unsuspected places.

Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well!

Check out this great discussion I had with The Gosslings about writing, books, and the current state of traditional publishing.

Hear ye! Hear ye!

In prep for Brumbletide and the Triad Champion that releases in October, Daughter of Eve and Changing of the Crowns are on SALE for as low as they can go!

Click the picture or one of the links below to buy them!

Meet the queen with the green thumb, Queen Flori of Bravetail!

Last but certainly not least, we have Queen Flori, Head of Bravetail House, and creator of the magnificent Hanging Gardens of FLori.

When one beholds the magical Hanging Gardes in Flori Tower, they would never guess that the hands that made them belong to such a humble queen. Of the seven ancestors, Flori is the most humble and down-to-earth. In fact, if she has ever seen her reflection in a mirror at all it was only on accident because she couldn’t care less about her outer appearance. A little rough around the edges, she can be blunt, but you can rest assured that what you see is what you get with this earthy queen.

Flori spends the majority of her time bringing life into the world. The queen of Nature, she stays busy planting and growing and birthing and nurturing. Flori Tower, where Emily Academy students tend the Hanging Gardens with Queen Mother Hertha, is a wondrous mystery filled with breathtaking yet unheard of and never-before-seen plants, wildlife, and more.

On her hand not pictured is only three fingers. Like Sara Lisa’s eye, this was the work of Michelle. We will not find out what exactly happened and why today but it will be learned later in the series. Any guesses?

The stone stolen from her crown is a brilliant green emerald, and her warmouth is a jolly winged beaver. Her house in Emily Acdemy is Bravetail. Students chosen for Bravetail have a passion for life, nature, and usually enjoy being outdoors. Bravetails are life-giving and nurturing at heart and never a bad addition to a group. The world would be a better place is everyone was a Bravetail.

Think you might be a Bravetail? Find out here!

Have yet to discover the magic of Brumbletide? Find it here!

Ask and you shall receive! Today, we meet King Michelle of Firebreather.

King Michelle, one of seven ordinary men and women chosen by the great White Stag, Pippin, to leave behind their ordinary way of life and rule a new land with him. That land was Brumbletide, planned and prepared before the beginning of time by Pippin for the people of Little Ipswich and beyond.

Queen Eve, King Justice, Queen Flori, Queen Sara Lisa, King Geoge, and the twins Queen Soleil and King Michelle were all given free rein to design their towers however they wanted them and even contribute their own creations to the kingdom. They all worked extremely hard until the castle and its surroundings were perfect. It was a kingdom like none other, and their work was deemed good by Pippin.

But when the day of inauguration came, one ancestor did not show. The day that this special kingdom was to be revealed and opened to the world, it was empty and would remain so for seven hundred years. It so happened that one of the chosen, Michelle, thought it better that he take the ideas of this miraculous kingdom and build one almost exactly like it, where he would rule it alone.

He would rule this kingdom alone but by no means would he build it alone. He lied to the spouses and children of his fellow royals and also to a third of Pippin’s magical Snickerlings. Deceived by Michelle, they turned their backs on Brumbletide and willingly became slaves to Michelle. This new kingdom, Michelle named Emily, meaning “rival”, has been deceiving the people of Little Ipswich ever since, keeping them away from Brumbletide with the best kind of lie—the kind that is so close to the truth that no one could possibly fathom that it is built on death.

And death is, in fact, the building blocks of Emily. King Michelle was able to create an exact replica of Brumbletide Castle but Pippin is the only one that can work the kind of miracles that happen in Brumbletide. Not willing to accept this truth, Michelle resorted to slaughtering many Snickerlings for their magical wings, nailing them to the walls of the Catacombs. Every year, an innocent Snickerling is killed to keep the magic and miracles the people of Ipswich adore so much alive in the palace.

Meanwhile, the true and good kingdom is hidden beneath it all, neglected and forgotten by those who say they love it.

Michelle is head of Emily’s Firebreather House. Only Firebreathers have been Heads of Castle for seven hundred. That is, until Maggie Prewitt stumbles into the castle up-ending everything. When he was helping the other ancestors build Brumbletide, he designed the magnificent library that is Michelle Tower. Its replica is in the Michelle Tower of Emily Castle and is where the subjects of English and History are taught by Queen Mother Toadi. Of course, the books in the library were all carefully placed by Michelle who only allows certain authors to be read, himself being one, and the English and Historical philosophies taught have a distinct Michellian twist (only noticed by those who know otherwise.)

It was Michelle who stole all the stones from his fellow ancestors. While most of them are hidden in the castle, his black onyx and his sister’s white stay on two points of his crown. This is how he keeps himself immortal and the ancestors trapped in Brumbletide. I’ve already given many spoilers here, I won’t give any more.

Michelle’s warmouth is a purple dragon.

Students chosen for Firebreather often have a flare for the arts and/or an interest in Emily’s version of history. They are intelligent and shrewd, and often charming. Unlike other houses, Firebreathers must learn Pippin’s Puzzle.

“Firebreathers always execute…or are executed.” -Queen Mother Toadi

Think you might be a Firebreather? Find out here!

Have yet to discover the magic of Brumbletide? Find it here!

And we continue on! Meet Queen Sara Lisa of Fairfang House.

Don’t let the picture fool you, this one-eyed beauty happens to be the queen of Beauty and Celebration. Of all the Brumbletide bunch, Queen Sara Lisa has the most swagger and charisma. If there is a ball, a gala, a tea party to be had, you can be sure Sara Lisa is behind it, and that it will not only be the time of your life but the most unique of all times you’ve ever had. With the wondrous Sara Lisa Tower and the awe-inspiring Resplendent being the works of her hands, it is evident this queen knows how to dazzle a group of royals.

Queen Sara Lisa’s stone stolen from her grand coronet is a vibrant ruby, and her warmouth is the white panther, Hildi, who we see has just as much swagger as she does in Changing of the Crowns. Both the queen and the cat ooze confidence and magnetism.

Why the eye patch? Ugh, spoilers. I try not to give too many away but here are TWO. In chapter twelve of Changing of the Crowns, we learn that the Six fought Michelle in battle not long after he built Emily, and Sara Lisa’s eye was gouged out. Centuries later, her descendant, Gus the friendly bartender, suffered the same fate at the hands of Emily officials. There is a reason that she still has the missing eye and Queen Flori still has a three-fingered hand but I will not be spoiling that today. These will be answered in later books.

Queen Sara Lisa is head of Fairfang House. Emily Academy students chosen for Fairfang show strong promise of leadership, a charming and charismatic disposition, and a compassionate heart. They also need an eye for non-traditional beauty in life. Many times it is difficult to decide if a student belongs in Fairfang or Fleetwing as they share many of the same characteristics.

Think you might belong in Fairfang? Find out here!

Have yet to discover the magic of Brumbletide? Find it here!

And then there were four! Let’s meet the charming King Justice of Fleetwing House.

If you are curious as to why this king is in his pajamas, it is because his heart is set to bring the royals of Emily into the knowledge of Pippin and Brumbletide through his tireless work in hospitality and service. In Brumbletide, Justice takes it upon himself to make sure the Castle and its surroundings are inviting and captivating as well as magical. Justice knows the power of care and service and ensures that Brumbletide draws royals in through every one of the five senses. Of course, since the ancestors are alone in Brumbletide for now, Little Ipswich and Emily are unknowingly benefitting from all his hard work. The people of the Downtown Ipswich are entranced by the unique and delightful aroma of the ferry’s chimney smoke (the ferry is one of Justice’s first creations). Even at just the sight of the Castle’s ferry alone, one is filled with wonder. What’s inside the strange floating cottage? Inside, one tastes the magic of Brumbletide through perfect hot chocolate, bubblegin, gingerwheels, and the biscuit with a message, lucky nests; that’s just to name a few of Justice’s kitchen masterpieces served. What about touch? Everything from the fluffy linens of the ferry’s nooks, to the squashy armchairs of the towers, and the luxurious canopies of the dormitories are the work of the king of Hospitality and Service.

King Justice was the first ancestor chosen by Pippin to rule Brumbletide with him. The stone missing from his coronet is a glorious jasper, and his warmouth is a sparrow. Justice is king of the Fleetwing House of Emily Academy until Brumbletide is made known and he can rule them rightly. A student chosen for Fleetwing shows a compassionate nature and a servant’s heart. One could say without the Fleetwings, Brumbletide will never be made known.

Two large works of Justice’s are found in Brumbletide. Justice Tower where the classes of Hospitality and Subjects (not like school subjects, but like a king’s subjects) are taught. Justice Tower has many magical levels, all venues for perfecting the art of caring for your neighbor. The ferry is Justice’s other large work. The idea was inspired by Pippin when he told Justice that the journey to the kingdom should be unforgettable. Justice did not disappoint. The ferry is a miraculous boat that looks like a floating quaint cottage covered in snow with frosty portholes all around. The smoke from the chimney is scented like baking pastries. Inside are several cozy nooks where passengers nestle in around the magic fireplace and enjoy refreshments prepared just for them.

Hopefully, one day the people of Little Ipswich will experience the true and good ferry and Justice Tower of Brumbletide instead of the off-brands of Emily Castle. Until then, Justice is continuing on in his labor of love.

Do you belong to Fleetwing House? Find out if you are a Fleetwing Sparrow here!

Have yet to discover the magic of Brumbletide? Find it here!

Come one, come all, to the third installment of our Brumbletide Ancestors series! Please give a warm welcome to Queen Soleil of Whitescale.

Queen Soleil is the spunky and vivacious queen of Science and Mathematics. She also happens to be the twin sister of the most evil man to have ever lived, King Michelle of Firebreather. Though we have much yet to learn about the history of these two which we will not go into in this blog post, the only characteristics Soleil shares with her brother are her spikey white hair and genius-level intelligence. The twins are equally bright and imaginative, but the difference between their hearts has meant the difference between literal life and death.

Queen Soleil has an exuberant disposition and loves each of her fellow royals in Brumbletide. Even so, she spends much of her time alone perfecting experiments and equations to one day bring to the people of Little Ipswich. But the royals of Emily Academy will have to settle for the off-brand projects done with Queen Mother Felberta (Queen Mother of Academics) until Soleil’s white onyx, stolen by her brother, is returned to her.

Soleil is head of House Whitescale and desperately desires to be their Queen Mother. Whitescales of Emily Academy know of their ancestor, Queen Soleil, but almost no one knows she is alive to this day. A royal student belonging to Whitescale shows promise in Science and Mathematics as well as good work ethic and working well in a team.

The Whitescale mascot is a great white dragon supposedly modeled after Soleil’s warmouth. But the massive severe dragon hanging in Emily’s Soleil Tower doesn’t at all resemble the small, lumpy friend of Fergus that lopes around Brumbletide. This jovial serpent’s name will be revealed in the seventh book—maybe before. Make sure to stay tuned!

Think you belong in Whitescale? Find out here!

Have yet to discover the magic of Brumbletide? Find it here!