Shelly Chalmers's Blog: Shelly Chalmer's Blog

We've reached mid-March, which means the hope for spring is in the air...or at least the allergens that the crazy wind keeps blowing around. ;) I hope you've been finding ways to keep on keeping on, along with holding onto the joy wherever you can.

One of the ways that I find joy - and the magic I wanted to share this month - is in my craft room. Specifically with my miniatures. I love miniatures - looking at them, making them, dreaming of new ones, talking too much about them... I work in two scales. 1/12 scale, which means every 1" in the dollhouse = 1 foot in the "real" world. And in 1/4 scale, where every 1/4" = 1 foot, making the projects a whole lot smaller. I discovered 3D design about two years ago, and I enjoy using that and basically whatever I have at hand to create my minis. Recently I've started what I've only belatedly realized is a small town. Not exactly sure how big it will get, but it is fun getting to create little shops and imagine the unusual people and creatures who might be living there. If you're interested, I'm happy to share more photos as I continue progress and eventually get more of my minis up on a section of my website as well.

Where do you find your joy and magic these days? Or any suggestions for my mini-town?

My laughs this month have come from and with my mom and my aunt. My mom and I go at least once a week into the city to visit my aunt. My aunt is a Craft Goddess (seriously...very deserving of the capitalization.) My mom and I - and most people - see something one day and think, gee, that'd be fun to make someday. My aunt, meanwhile, has gone home and already made three! And probably fine-tuned her design. Since all of us have crafting in common, we decided on our visits to start playing with crepe paper flowers, following various YouTube videos. Well, halfway through the visit, my aunt basically had hers done. I was done one of my two flowers...and my poor mom was still just cutting hers out! Mom and I joked that we'd bring wine next time, a lot of wine, to slow my aunt down...and then send her in the kitchen so we could pull our completed project out of our bags so we'd have some chance of keeping up. ;) We were all laughing so hard - and have to say, that definitely slowed my aunt down so I could catch up. ;)

That's it for me this month. As always, I love hearing from you, so just reply to this email if you have anything to say. Otherwise, wishing you a great month ahead, and always the ability to find the joy and magic in your life.

You know what I find magical? Birthdays! My Dad always gave me grief as a kid for decorating for my birthday about a month ahead, LOL! While I don't enjoy them quite as much now (they're just not as fun as a grown up!) we have an almost double-birthday this month. My eldest daughter and my dad’s birthdays are just four days apart (my daughter was supposed to have been born on his birthday…but apparently she had her own ideas.) I find it fascinating some of the similarities between them as Aquarius babies. Do you think the day that you’re born is part of what determines who and what you’ll be?

Years ago, by chance, my husband and I came upon this book, The Element Encyclopedia of Birthdays. Looking up the birthdays of those we knew, we were rather surprised to find some of the personality similarities in those we knew listed according to their birthday! I think my husband was the most surprised, since he’s definitely a skeptic when it comes to things like horoscopes and predictions.

Each of the birthdays is also given a name, a greatest challenge, a dark side and what that person is at their best. Mine is "the birthday of expectation" and even I was surprised and laughed a little to find that my greatest challenge is listed as "knowing how to relax." Why is this amusing? Because I forgot about the reminder - but definitely didn't forget that it's still a challenge, LOL! There are a lot of other elements though that definitely fit who I am.

 What about you? Do you think that the day you're born has any influence on your personality or who you are?

 

We are well into the January and mid-winter "Blechs," aren't we?

I think this year it's feeling worse for probably almost all of us since there's the usual dull-dark of January - especially if, like me, you live in the northern hemisphere with snow and generally less light and sun at this time of year - but this year brings us still more special stresses, doesn't it? With Omnicron and the news, etc, etc.

It's started to feel like there's a lot of "etc, etc" isn't there? As in, just when we start to feel more positive about things, there's something else. Granted, I think the media generally latches onto that "something else" as newsworthy, so perhaps it gets more attention, but nonetheless... there it is.

I hope whatever you're doing, you're doing something that's helping you find some joy and light in these dark days.

You deserve it.

Me? I've been writing, or in some cases, writing about writing. ;) I've been working on Shade to Measure, the second full-length Shades of Beckwell book. This one is about Ash and Jessie, princes and female-owned-and-led construction firms. And, as I've recently discovered, music and sound. I often wish that I'd figure out some of these strange extra details BEFORE finding myself well into the book and sometimes a bit lost... but sometimes the draft just doesn't work out that way.

I've also been crafting, mostly making miniatures still for my craft of choice. After finishing Santa's House in December, I've been working on a grocer's and connected post office, all still in quarter scale. I've decided to start making what will amount to a little town, which I think is kind of the direction I've been thinking since the start - as in, all of these buildings / structures while not obviously connected, are part of the same magical world. Kind of like my writing is, I suppose. It's been interesting, and I'm getting a little closer every day to more assembly.

Next up (and a 3D file from a company called Infinite Dimensions) is a full, five story medieval hotel! I've been drooling over that building for awhile, and while some people might say 3D printing is cheating, I'd compare it more to getting a kit. Yes, the walls and floors are attached, and each floor is broken into 4 pieces. It still needs to be prepared with sanding / primer, etc before it's painted and then fully decorated and furnished. That's how most 3D printed objects are, both the ones you purchase and the ones I design: while yes, the 3D printer helps manufacture the actual object, it's just another tool that helps bring it into being - BUT the work isn't just done at that point. I adore my little 3D printer and I've come to enjoy learning 3D design too (on a simplistic scale at this point, but still.) It feels a bit like something between sculpting and drawing, so I really enjoy it. Therefore, I'm a bit defensive when it comes to anyone calling it "cheating" or "simplistic." I challenge them to actually try to do all of those things and experience what it's actually like. But, I'll get off my soapbox before I really get into it. :)

The other light I've been finding in the dark is reading. I read a great book called The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. Officially classified as horror, it's twisty, mysterious, at times creepy...but ends on such a hopeful, optimistic note, that in itself was quite a feat. Plus, this is the first book I've really felt sucked into for a long time, so if you have a chance to read it, I highly recommend you give it a try. The paperback edition is on its way (I read the big old hardcover that I was lucky enough to get for Christmas.) :)

Anyway, that's pretty much been the sum of my January. Writing, reading, and crafting are my light in the dark. I hope you've been able to find light and hope for you, too.

Take care, and as always, I wish you the joy and ability to find the magic in our everyday world. Sincerely, Shelly

Well, we made it to December and the end of the year - hooray!! While this year may not have had quite the sticker-shock that 2020 did, I still wouldn't give it a five star rating, would you? Sometimes that's made it a lot harder to see the magic and humor in our world. But it's still there, whether we're able to see it or not.
And now here we are, barrelling into the holiday season (which I always picture somewhat like a trip in a barrel down Niagra Falls. Just me? ;) ) Now that I have kids, I find this month more stressful than ever, what with the school's never-ending list of "fun activities for parents to discover 15 minutes before the bus arrives." ;) But I also do it to myself, applying pressure to somehow keep a work and production schedule as though this were just any other month that didn't include extra social activities, baking, everything-else-ing. And honestly, I love the holidays. It was one of my grandma's favorite holidays too, and that's where the magic is.
When I bring out all the Christmas decorations that seem to accumulate with a life of their own, I don't just see the little shiny red ornament. I remember that red apple the year Grandma decorated her whole tree exclusively in them. I remember the excitement of Christmas when I was a kid, whether that was the weeks leading up to it - yes, probably enjoying those school activities. Or, eating waxy cheap advent calendar chocolates that tasted extra good with each growing number. I hold onto the wonder and memories of Christmas Eve, out with my family and visiting my great-aunt, often with both sides of the family there, a crazy fun evening of food and laughter and drinks. Every ornament, every holiday brings back those ghosts of the past, hanging around and over us for better or for worse. There's something magical in those echoes of past laughter and memories, as though they're all gathered around us, helping us celebrate the current holiday simultaneous with the past.
That's the kind of magic I want to bring my girls every holiday season. That's why I'll plan our advent calendar full of activities like decorating stockings for the new kitties, or going out to see the lights, or wrapping gifts. These are the memories that I hope bring them that sense of magic and wonder in the years to come, maybe many years from now, as they still do for me.
Anyway, as we end this year, I just wanted to thank you so much for joining me here. I wish you and yours all the best this holiday season, whichever holidays you may celebrate, and here's to a very wonderful year ahead in 2022! See you then.

 Yay! I can finally say that the Shades are really out in the world. :) This series has been a long time coming. If you've been around for awhile, you might have seen promises of the Shades of Beckwell back in 2019. Which was when it would have appeared, except... life.

I am definitely a "planner" - I love checking off boxes and scheduling things. But with a combination of factors, 2019  - and the of course, 2020 as many people experienced - became swallowed by a void of "well that didn't go to plan!"

Here, long at last, we have Shade for Love. Plus, since I felt I owed readers for having to wait for so long, two novellas as well! That's the plan for this series, to alternate longer books - like Shade for Love- with shorter pieces, like Alchemy and Trolled. It means you get more content more frequently, and I've found that I love the variety of getting to play with these shorter stories. Plus, more stories!

The shorter pieces focus (so far at least) on characters that might be a bit outside the central story line, kind of a "what else is happening while the world is ending?" kind of pieces, and some alternative perspectives. It also allows me to flesh out and play in the world of Beckwell, and I hope you enjoy them as well.

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? https://www.subscribepage.com/y5q4y9 That's how you get a hold of Alchemy. :)

Did you know that I also love hearing from readers? You can always reach me here, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the books, the characters - and maybe who you think MUST get their own story. Trust me, there are lots in the works!

Thank you for celebrating with me today and I look forward to touching base with you here again soon. Until then, wishing you a wonderful week and the ability to find the everyday magic in your world.

Find me on my website: www.shellychalmers.com
And all my links via: https://linktr.ee/shellychalmers.author
Shade for Love: A Shades of Beckwell Book