Princess Peepers Party Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and my little one has been begging me to make those cute little Princess Peepers cupcakes. So, we decided to go PINK and have fun! The original recipe came from author Mary Ann Dames on her recipe blog here: Princess Peepers Party Glasses

Since I didn't have any food coloring paints, I decided to use something that was edible, malleable, and already in Princess Peepers pink: Laffy Taffy's!

In order to make the taffy more like dough, I put the candy in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Then we rolled it and started cutting out the lenses. We used all kinds of shapes with our nifty jello cutters (aspic) we got from this online shop:

Sur La Table!

Then my little princess cut out the lenses, and the arms of the glasses. We made about four glasses, but three got eaten. Oops!

Here's the finished product:

The hardest part about making these is NOT, I repeat, NOT to eat the glasses before they can go on the cupcakes! But at least we had one finished cupcake to show you.

Now, I'm off to eat another cupcake because I have a cold and I deserve it...tee hee!

A Book Written with REAL Pixie Dust

I've been wanting to review this book for a while--ever since I read it last summer, but I've been busy writing my own books (and reading.) But today is a holiday (kudos to Martin Luther King and his holiday commemoration). So, I have time.

This story was the best of 2009 for me. Actually, the best I've read in quite a while. It was true in pacing, storyline, and voice. It was one of those books that I tried to slow myself down in reading because I wanted to savor every word. That doesn't happen very often for me. I'm a skimmer. If the author starts boring me with unnecessary characterizations of minor characters or they get off-plot or they go on a boring journey to get from plotpoint B to plotpoint C, I can spot that a gazillion miles away, and I'll skim.




That didn't happen even once.

This marvelous book was written for the tween market but can hold the attention of my teens (my sixteen and seventeen year old daughters.) This author happens to be a Christian as well. I didn't know that reading the book, but could tell that her characters had great faith. They honored their "Great Gardener", their maker. I really appreciated that.


What book is this?

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter.

It follows a faery named, Knife, and her quest to become an integral part of her faery world. But she notices that something's wrong in the Oak--her home. She sees that her people are in effect "dying" and she's spunky enough to find out why. Through fast paced adventures, charming wit, and breathtaking creative characterizations, Knife finds out a missing key that could be the answer to save her people, and that's where the mystery begins.


I won't shed anymore light on the plot. I loved it that I hadn't read spoilers, but just know, if you like faeries, magic spells, and adventure, you'll love this novel.



Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter was nominated for a Carnegie Medal in the UK (under the novel title of Knife)--an honor it wholeheartedly deserves.

The next installment in the series is Wayfarer. It will be released this summer. I can't wait to read more from this talented debut author!

Little Stinker!

Here is my little dog. She's a bit angry with me since I've been taking her on runs...yes, runs. Don't most dogs run? She zips around the house, catching balls, jumping on strangers, and charging around playing tag with my kids, so I thought a 5 mile jaunt would be no big deal.

Well, it wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that once was fine with her. We went out last week and she kept up pretty well. But then I took her out the next day. She did great until we were about a mile and a half into it and then she started putting on the brakes. I encouraged her along for a bit. She seemed to be okay except for the little hobble in her steps. I didn't want to hurt her, so I turned back.

I waited two days. Surely her little pads on her feet were healed. They looked normal to me!

She seemed excited to go this morning, so I laced up my shoes and off we went on the pine-lined trail out my backyard. After one hundred yards, she put on the full stop, digging in her heels. I slowed for her, hoping she'd do her business or smell something spectacular, but she didn't. She stared me down as if saying, "How dare you make me do this again!" She's a toy fox terrier with a mind of her own and I knew she was just being stubborn. She's young--not even two--and she's been out on a 12 mile hike before, blazing the trail ahead of us. A tiny five mile jog shouldn't be too tough. She was just being a baby. So I pulled her onward, seriously, encouraging her the whole way. But she trailed behind me, pulling back as hard as she could.

After 2 and a half miles of this, I couldn't do it to her anymore. So I turned around. She'd won. I felt really guilty that she'd been so out of shape, that I'd pushed her way too hard, that I was the model citizen for the cruelty to animals poster. I was ready to walk back and even hold her if I had to, when she bolted ahead, tongue hanging out of her mouth. Then she proceeded to drag ME the whole two and a half miles home!

Was she out of shape? No way. I had a heart attack keeping up with her. Was she being lazy. Maybe.

Is she smart? You be the judge.

I decided to give up. She's a trail dog but not a runner. I'm okay with that. At least she's still cute and I love her anyway. I can always borrow a big dog from one of my neighbors if I want canine companionship on my runs.

A Decade of Rejection...

Every year, I turnover the Inksplaaat part of my website and start fresh for the new year. This time I realized it's been a decade since I started tabulating my rejections and wow, what a difference ten years make. I decided to encapsulate what happened in this list:

1. Received 164 rejections! That proves you need to persevere in this biz if you want to see a book published!

2. Sold nine print book manuscripts. I dabbled in e-books at first when Jean Chalopin, creator of Inspector Gadget, emailed me and asked if I would take a chance with his company. E-books didn't work out back then, but I learned a lot about writing. It took six years to see that first print book contract. Lots of years of perseverence!

3. At the end of the decade, I finally found an agent. Yes, I was published and agents still said no. I was very close with many, but things somehow didn't work out. And I'm glad. I needed someone passionate about all my work. Since I'm a picture book author, an agent has to represent it all and there aren't many out there willing to do that. They all want YA these days. I am writing YA now, but my earlier work has been middle grade and under. Agents don't see many $$$ when it comes to younger books. I'm glad my agent is taking a chance on me.

4. I am a full-time writer. When I started this journey, I had one goal that needed to be accomplished or I'd eventually have to quit. And let me say, at first, it looked BLEAK for me to make any money at this as a bonafide J-O-B. As of now, it's looking like I'll be able to stay home and write. I have four kids and the first one is about to go to college. College is a $$$ black hole. If writing didn't come through, I'd have to go back to teaching. At this point, things are working out, although we'll see if it holds up. I may still have to go back when the three oldest are in college at once. Eek!

5. God sent me on this journey. In 2000, I remember being so depressed about writing, I was definitely GOING to give it up. I'd received so many rejections, I couldn't take it anymore. Seriously. Rejection is hard! I'd even obsessed over it to make myself feel better, saving every rejection letter, perusing every rejection website, and creating my own rejection website because I had to journal my story to keep me sane. One day as I stooped over the 15th rejection from Highlights for Children, I cried and cried, wailing, "That's it! I'm done." But then an overwhelming glow washed over me and I felt in my spirit a voice saying, "It's going to turn out better than you expected."

I knew it was God speaking.

It wasn't an audible voice, but it was real. He was telling me to persevere. If things actually happen the way it looks like it could with my books, I will shout it to the rooftops that His word came true. Already, my books have surpassed my dreams. I praise you, Lord! Thanks for helping me stay the course!

So now, we venture into the new decade. I have many hopes and dreams and I know with God all things are possible.

May your next decade be full of fabulous, dear friends!