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I love the original cover created by Mister Sam Shearon — he captured the moment beautifully and with a release date of late September, with Halloween looming, the spooky vibe worked really well. But we decided we were missing Angela from the cover.

Once again Sam knocked it out of the park. Keeping the integrity of the original cover was important to us and he delivered that and more. It is a perfect representation of Angela’s tentativeness as she prepares to have her fortune told by Madame Vadoma.

What had once been fun and games, and something to tease her best friend Mallory about, was now all too real. Sam nailed the moment and I love what he did with Angela. She is very much how I picture her in my mind’s eye.

I love the feeling of the fresh new look. It gives the cover a little lightness in tone — after all, a book with a farting fairy is not all doom and gloom. And Angela looks as if she’s always been there.

Perfection.

For more information about The Journal of Angela Ashby, including where to buy, go to: TheJournalOfAngelaAshby.com

The post The Journal of Angela Ashby: A Fresh Look appeared first on Be the Cat.

Mallory, being the character she is, had to research the purpose of the crystal … what its healing properties were.

      “Anyway, malachite has been used for thousands of years for healing, protection, drawing out negative emotions, and clarifying intention.” She ticked the uses off on her fingers. “I’m sure that’s why Madame Vadoma gave it to me.”
     “What’s why?” I didn’t see how that explained anything.
     “She gave you the journal for a reason. I’m not sure what that is yet, but she must have known you’d need some help, especially with intention.” She settled her glasses firmly on her nose. “Like with the frogs … It’s also supposed to help with shyness and timidity.”

The frogs Mallory is referring to were accidentially released, but that is a post for another time …

“She calmed me down and told me the nicest things. She even gave me a crystal.” She opened the drawstring bag and held up a round stone which had been carved into a skull, dark green with bands of turquoise, and shiny.

Whether you believe it the properties of crystals to help calm, provide better focus, influence your behavior or life — or whether you only believe in its ability to make food taste better (table salt, which is a crystal made up of sodium and chlorine ions arranged in a lattice) or make your computer run (computer chips are made from crystals—a lattice of silicon atoms), crystals are a part of our daily lives. So why a crystal skull?

Some associate a skull as being a symbol of death or dying. Look at Sugar Skulls and their association with Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) — and the symbolism inherent of both death and rebirth. But some view crystal skulls as a means to awaken human consciousness and include self-awareness and creating balance. Besides, they are simply cool.

In The Journal of Angela Ashby you’ll find illustrations by the fabulous Mister Sam Shearon and the illustrations have been made into a pack of playing cards which can be purchased here.

The post The Journal of Angela Ashby: The Malachite Skull appeared first on Be the Cat.

After the gnome appeared in the story and vanished, having served his purpose, I missed him a bit, but he had served his purpose … which was to prove that Angela’s journal could make things happen. Even if not possible. So imagine my surprise when he suddenly pops out of the bushes again to wave at Angela, when she hadn’t written a thing in her journal. Glimrick’s re-arrival in the story took it in an entirely new direction and I was so glad. Now I cannot even imagine the story without him. And it led me to find an answer to one of the questions I knew I had to answer by the end of the story, but had no idea how I was going to do so.

For me, writing without an outline was a good exercise. I had become too entrenched in this is the way I must write and was in danger of stifling the voices of my characters … because let’s face it, at heart I’m a bit of a control freak. So the lesson of Glimrick was to let my characters lead the way, and by doing so I will have the story I was meant to write. Do I still outline stories? Yes, but perhaps in a less restrictive manner.

The illustration is by the fabulous Sam Shearon who illustrated not only the cover for The Journal of Angela Ashby but created 13 images for a set of playing cards based on the book. He plucked the image of the gnome out of my head and brought it to life on the page.

A little man with a full white beard, and fluffy eyebrows, wearing a blue work shirt, sat in the middle of the grass outside the window and waved at me. He didn’t have the red pointed hat I expected, but a flat cap covered his head instead. His face, lined with the wrinkles of a lifetime, wore a gleeful expression.

Print: Indiebound  |  Amazon  |  B & N  |  BAM!  |  Book Depository
Ebook: Kindle

The post The Journal of Angela Ashby: Glimrick, the Gnome appeared first on Be the Cat.

One of my first brushes with the concept of an Angel of Death was in the holiday classic by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Every Christmas Eve, I’d wait up to watch with chilling anticipation for the silent, scary, Spirit of Christmas Future. The frightening thing about this spirit for me was the refusal to speak and the cloak covering everything except the outstretched bony finger when it directed Scrooge’s attention. Far more fearsome than the other two spirits because of the unassailable silence. Does the Grim Reaper always move so silently?

Sam Shearon did an excellent job of capturing the reaper for the brief moment it appears in The Journal of Angela Ashby. The work in progress, The Star Warriors and the Secret of the Red Key also deals, much more in depth, with the concept and personification of the Angel of Death. It should be a fun topic to grapple with.

In the middle of the layout, the Ace of Spades drew me in. Smoke from the candles created a foggy layer and the image wavered and morphed into a winged hooded figure carrying a scythe through a graveyard. The angel of death. I blinked and ran a hand over my eyes. Once I lowered my hand, the card showed the black spade and letter ‘A’. Nothing else. Not even a gravestone.

During this scene, Angela went back and forth from being freaked out to thinking Madame Vadoma was a fraud. But this moment Angela knew was no trickery by the mysterious fortune-teller … but what did it mean???

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Booths and tents were setup throughout any open or grassy area and wonderful smells of popping corn and cotton candy filled the air. Do they still allow that these days? Anyway, for me part of the fun was wandering through the crowd, people-watching, but at the same time picking out the things I wanted to do most. Because I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to do them all.

Funnily enough, I simply accepted I wouldn’t be able to do all of the activities — without realizing the school carnival was one of the big fundraisers, right alongside it’s cousin, Spring Fling — because money was always limited. Looking back, I’m glad it was because it made the selections I made so much sweeter because I made sure I experienced them as much as possible. The one I always wanted to do was to try and win a goldfish … no matter which booth had them.

As soon as I would win a goldfish, I’d worry about how long it could stay in the bag and survive and would always pick that as my last thing so we could go straight home and put the fish in a bowl. I think I feared it would suffocate being in a bag. Yes, I was a somewhat strange child.

What does this trip down memory lane have to do with The Journal of Angela Ashby?? I knew from the very start of writing, the beginning of the book would have an iconic school carnival, complete with a dunk tank, Ferris Wheel, and all sorts of “try-your-luck” type of booths. What better place to start a book with magical elements, than a school carnival? It almost begs for magic to happen — and in The Journal of Angela Ashby, it does.

The smell of popping kettle corn melded with cotton candy and funnel cakes filled the air. The sweet scent almost overwhelmed me. Booths and tents ranged in rows across the athletic field and rides were in the center of the track; a Ferris wheel, a megaslide, a rock climbing wall, and a Tasmanian Twister. Bells, whistles, excited squeals, the cries of booth vendors hawking their games, mingled with conversations.

Sam Shearon did a brilliant job of evoking a school carnival with spooky overshadows. It is just creepy enough, but not too creepy.

The post The Journal of Angela Ashby: The School Carnival appeared first on Be the Cat.

Even if it were a haunted house, it would be things like bowls of cold spaghetti or peeled grapes you’re putting your hand blindly into and getting all grossed out over thinking about entrails and eyeballs. People wearing scary masks might jump out and startle you in the gloom, but they are not likely to be wielding a real ax or going to chop off any body parts. So you can shiver, scream, laugh, and enjoy the entire experience.

But from the moment the girls stepped into the tent, things were different. Subtly, magic was in play from that first moment … and then there was Madame Vadoma.

When writing, some characters come through so strongly you never have to reach for them. That was the case with Madame Vadoma. Her voice, mannerisms, appearance, attitudes, speech inflection, etc. all came through loud and clear. All I had to do was close my eyes and I could see her … vividly. Sam Shearon, the cover creator and interior illustrator, captured her perfectly — the angular features, the amber eyes, hoop earrings, and ring encrusted fingers were all simply perfect. I felt as if he peeked into my head and brought her to “life” for the cover.

Madame Vadoma is named as such because Vadoma means to know, and as a fortune-teller, it suited her. A strong, confident character who remains just as mysterious at the end of the book as she was at the beginning … because that is the way she wanted it. I was saddened when she disappeared and I knew she wouldn’t be back before the end of the book. As a character, she still intrigues me. Her motivations remain obscure, yet her part was complete — for this novel at least.

     A ring encrusted hand thrust the curtain back and we both jumped.
     Lighthearted moment over.
     A tall, thin woman followed the hand into the room. Her big eyes were circled with thick, black liner that trailed up at the corners. And dark-red lipstick made her mouth look like a bloody gash. Her prominent nose and angular cheeks gave her a hawk-like appearance.
     “I am Madame Vadoma.”

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If you like the illustrations, check out the Liana Gardner Collection on Redbubble.

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