Travel and Chocolate: When Books Inspire

May 24, 2018 | Coleen Patrick

Lately I’ve been devouring travel memoirs. And they’re fueling my wanderlust.

From a trip to Scotland last year. A very rare bird in Loch Lomond.

I love that about books. The ability to influence and inspire.

I was around eleven when I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The chocolate river. The candy (side note: twenty years later a made up story about a candy store would be my kids most requested bedtime story).

The story hooked me. Oh, and the chocolate bar that you could grab right out of your tv?

Magical. And I wanted some of that magic.

At the time we lived on a Coast Guard base in New Orleans and there was a tiny convenience store on the corner. They had candy bars.

I scraped together some money (sorry dad, I dipped into that change jar in your armoire).

And then, naturally, I sent my nine year old sister to get me the candy bar. I had a book to finish. (Thank you, B!)

I love that I can immerse in another world via a book, but it really does feel like magic when you nurture the opportunity to bring some of that story world into your real life.

And then those new memories inspire your own creative work…

And so on. Ad infinitum.

Bird is waving hello (there is a chocolate bar behind that other wing, I’m sure of it.

If you like travel memoirs, I enjoyed these:

At Home in the World, by Tsh Oxenreider

My Part-Time Paris Life by Lisa Anselmo

The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World by Torre DeRoche

Where I’m off to next:

A cabin in the woods. For real. I’m doing a short–solo– writing, hiking trip. I’ll keep you posted! Follow me on Instagram for real(er) time updates.

Then this summer, we’re off to ALASKA. We’ll be stopping in all the usual places so if you have a favorite coffee shop, hike or food must eat, let me know!

Also, if you have a must read, perhaps one that inspired you to action, I’d love to hear about it!

Happy Spring (and reading) friends!!

Shoo Fly, I’m Writing

April 28, 2017 | Coleen Patrick

How do you conquer the blank page? Are you a cat or a dog (or perhaps a bug aficionado) person? We don’t have any pets right now, other than some free loading spiders in the garage, but I spend a lot of time drawing animals.

Hope you have a smashing weekend! *

HAPPY FRIDAY!

* No creatures were harmed in the making of this cartoon. 🙂

P.S. – Just listed 2 new illustrated cards in my Etsy shop! For the rest of April take 10% off your order with this coupon code: SPRINGCOLEEN10

The (Hefty) Possibility of Summer

August 15, 2016 | Coleen Patrick

One of my favorite summer memories involves a garbage bag.

Classic summer, right? 😉

Okay so maybe not. But if you will, picture two large plastic bags on the grass, with a green garden hose coiled nearby.

And these two ~~trouble makers problem solvers~~ pursuers of possibility (who did not live near a pool at the time)

My sister B and me, Lake Michigan

Then add water. Up to our chins. Until we are blowing bubbles across the surface of our

non-Olympic regulation size Hefty pools.

And we’re grinning.

Because we really, really wanted to go swimming.

And so we found a way. Mostly. Even if that meant we gripped the edges of our bags

to keep our personal pools intact.

Ah, summer and possibility. They go together like garbage bags and swimming.

Even now I feel there’s something about the sun popping up early and sticking around way after dinner that promotes more adventure.

“Hey, you wanna go swimming?”

But this summer I keep thinking, do it for the process

Because it’s nice to swim (whatever your pool may be)

and blow bubbles on the surface

or go for a hike, or take photos of hummingbirds in your backyard

or write a story, draw a picture

just because

Sure I’m mostly still a problem solving, direction oriented, check off the box on my to do list kind of person…

Here are some of my drawings turned greeting cards in my new Etsy Shop

…but it’s really nice to let summer take over for a bit.

Do you have a favorite summer memory?

Happy Monday!

The Art of Going the Distance, 2007, & Worlds of Jessicas

February 15, 2016 | Coleen Patrick

Hey all!

I’m excited to let you know that I’ve got a new book out: The Art of Going the Distance.

Click banner above for my books on Amazon (spoiler: there’s a sale)

This is the last book in my YA series, Chasing Normal and while it’s kinda sad to close the book on Grace and Zac, I think they probably need a break from me. According to my word documents we’ve been hanging out since 2007.

That’s a lot of time and change. My kids are so much older!

It’s possible that the original idea may have been born in 2005. But I’m not exactly sure, because all of the stories I wrote around that time (most of them middle grade) have a main character named Jessica. Back then I believed that the process of deciding on a name before I finished the first draft would yank me out of that early creative writing rush. And so, yeah, I’ve got worlds of Jessicas.

Anyway, The Art of Chasing Normal was never really about being J~~essica in a World of Jessicas~~ normal. It’s about Grace dealing with change in her family and friendships, and navigating the idea of what she thinks she SHOULD be doing vs. being herself (turns out I didn’t need to do any research on this concept).

But at its heart this series is about love, family, and friendship. And a big crazy road trip. (My favorite things!) I may have teased Grace with a road trip in The Art of Second Chances, but it really happens in The Art of Going the Distance.

So if you or someone you know loves books about first love and friendship and road trips, I hope you check out my Chasing Normal series.

It’s a perfect time, because the first two books are only 99 cents on Amazon this week!

Oh and the ART part of all these titles? Grace’s passion is art, and I had so much fun researching this that doodling and art has become something I love and do every day too.

I know I’m a day late for Valentine’s, so consider this a happy wish for President’s Day or if you’re not feeling very political, National Gumdrop Day.

So, what were you doing in 2007? I’d love to know!

Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you have a happy one!!

The One Where I Compare Myself to a Prickly Porcupine

January 22, 2016 | Coleen Patrick

This week I spent hours researching website logos.

I already have a logo, but I just wanted to tweak mine, maybe find a little inspiration, make it somehow more representative of me.

Well, at least that’s what I told myself. I’m pretty sure though that I went looking for validation.

On the internet. *sigh*

Yup. I went against all my Poltergeist quoting and went directly into the internet light.

But it’s so shiny (and don’t forget the entertaining cat around the bend).

And of course, I find super amazing, beautiful mind-blowing websites that make me wonder why am I not a marine biologist who takes her flying ship into the sky to paint sparkly whales swimming with the clouds?

Um yeah.

Sometimes I forget that I get to be me.

This is me. The smaller 1970s version. But a lot is still the same.

Obviously blue haired dolls make me smile/feel grateful/feel as if I have a special super power. But so does writing for kids and teens. And drawing. Then there are cookies and Scottish Breakfast tea and of course my family and road trips, and taking pictures, and people who are funny.

Okay so I’m also stubborn. And prickly, especially before I have my coffee (but I’m still a morning person, just don’t try to have a conversation with me). But there are advantages to these powers. I’m sure of it.

Porcupine in a snowstorm (I added snow to this drawing due to current snowmageddon forecast)

I love feeling inspired by the world around me (including stuff on the internet), but Teddy (Mr. Roosevelt or President, if you’re feeling proper) said it best:

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

So for the sake of blue haired dolls and cookies everywhere (and YAY joy!), it’s for the best that I get back to writing and drawing and other stuff, i.e. being me.

#grateful

Do you ever forget that you get to be you? Are you a morning person?

We Bought a House! With an Inside Barn Door!

December 10, 2015 | Coleen Patrick

We bought a house!
It’s kind of in the country (or country-ish, as we’ve been saying).

So now we have a city and a country house. Not on purpose though. We actually need to sell the city house. Anyone looking for a big house in the capital city of Virginia?

It’s got refinished hardwood floors…

HGTV moment when we discovered we had hardwood under the vinyl in our foyer. #InstantCharacter
So in addition to the downsizing and the painting I mentioned last time I posted, we’ve been updating, renovating, cleaning, and moving.

And there’s been lots and lots of road trips, if you count driving 45 miles round trip between houses as a road trip (or the 60 miles round-trip to the large metro shopping area). Oh and if you count the many times I’ve accidentally passed our new exit. Because I’m not used to driving so many highway miles just to go home, I get in a zone, like I’m headed to Key West or something. And every time I do that, it’s a 12 mile mistake…with no beach or mojito.

Was probably thinking about Key West when I painted this canvas.

But our new house is cool. It’s smaller and has one less bathroom to clean, Yay!

Plus, IT HAS A BARN DOOR.

INSIDE!

It’s like my Pinterest boards came to life!

I’ve posted about my fascination with barns, I love them. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s like my main character Grace from my Chasing Normal series said:

There’s just something so stable about barns. 😉

So lately we’ve been living life like an episode of Property Brothers meets Fixer Upper. And it’s been fun and exciting, but a MAJOR change.

Dear hub likes to say, There’s no crying in moving/renovating. Oh but there’s been tears. Happy. Sad. All kinds. So much is different. After 20 years in the same house, we’re in a new one.
And get this, I have an outside mailbox.
Ok so most people probably do. But in our old house we had one of those mail slots in our front door, so basically I tripped over the mail every day.

Now I forget that I need to check the mail box.
Oh and I don’t know if this is a country-ish thing, but we have this spider that can play dead. And she’s living in our mailbox. She rolls onto her back when I open the mailbox. Of course I told her she can’t live in the mailbox and carefully prodded her with a leaf until she left.

But the next day I met her kids.
So I don’t get the mail if the sun has gone down.

Sunset behind our new country-ish neighborhood.

And considering I broke a finger when I was 18 during a spider encounter, I’d say this is PROGRESS.
And progress is good.

So is having my kids home for the holidays.

A Happy Thanksgiving photo op.

And planning a real road trip—we’re going to New York City in a couple of weeks to visit dear daughter and have some family fun.

Plus I’m making time to be creative. I’ve got a new book coming out soon and I’ve been doodling.

A doodle for Hanukkah

And painting. And decorating. And baking. And button gluing (turns out this is meditation for me).

I just like to make stuff.
That’s one thing that hasn’t changed at all.

What’s new with you?

Also, if you go outside to get your mail, are mailbox tenants something to be expected?

Happy Thursday!

Finding the Big and Tiny on the Avenue of the Giants

July 13, 2015 | Coleen Patrick

Since we got home from our Pacific Northwest vacation last month, I’ve basically been busy in a “middle place”.

There’s been some ~~pulling books out of the brain~~ writing.

Saw this artwork – Allocation of Memory by Malia Landis – in a Eureka, California bookstore.

But there’s been more working at the library and house stuff. Did I mention we’ve started the process to downsize from the big house we’ve lived in for 20 years to a smaller one? #emptynestchanges

Yup, another winding, somewhat foggy journey.

But like the road above, the journey has got some cool stuff to discover.

Avenue of the Giants, California

Ever since we visited the Redwoods, the idea of big vs. small has been on my mind.

Especially because lately there’s been so much living in the in between space. There’s the daily work that has to happen–and even the stuff that perhaps doesn’t (the part where I become one with my TV).

A crab at Shelter Cove beach in California (Sometimes I’m crabby and like to hide too).

The middle, at least for me, is not really the place where I do creative stuff. But sometimes I really like when I have work that makes me feel mindless. Where I can take a break from thinking, I suppose.

Drive thru tree. Do not try this at home.

But then there’s that big and small thing. I love when I discover and enjoy those really small things. Maybe it’s a great cup of coffee. A new book. Or maybe, you happen upon a quirky realtor at an open house, who drives a mini Cooper (complete with British flags covering the side mirrors) and tells you a funny story (in an accent of course) and just makes you laugh.

Or you find a TINY snail on a leaf in the middle of all those giant Redwoods.

Then there’s the big. For me the Big Picture is made up of the dreams and hopes and awesomeness (read: whatever is your personal fairy dust) that honestly make me feel like ME.

When I first walked through the forest of gigantic trees, I thought, It’s nice to be tiny. I could breathe (and it wasn’t just the woodsy freshness). In that moment, I wasn’t in charge. And honestly, I felt relief.

I can just be.

But then lately, as I step away from the middle place and participate in my BIG: write, doodle, find the story in a photo.

Create.

I feel relief too. And I need to make the time for my big stuff–as well as note all the good in the tiny joys

Another Redwoods snail

–because then, not only can I just be,

I can just be me. 🙂

Note: The Avenue of the Giants has a picnic spot and Los Bagels in Eureka, California is a great spot to grab a gluten-free lunch before driving down.

They have giant gluten-free cookies too!

What tiny joys make you smile? Have you experienced the Redwoods?

Happy Monday!

Warning: Photos May Cause Dizziness

May 12, 2015 | Coleen Patrick

I like to play with photo prompts on Instagram

and this week one of those prompts was upside down.

Birds at Fountain Lake here in Richmond.

So I flipped this photo

and something about the birds flying into the bottom corner made my brain buzz

(and maybe made me feel a tad dizzy.)

Pipeline walk in downtown Richmond.

As much as I get a certain routine comfort in knowing I can plant myself on the couch in front of the TV at night,

eat the same salad,

make the same gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough (oh the burden),

or walk the same pipeline,

crackling synapses can be pretty cool.

Virginia Beach Pier

And oh how I crackled (and snapped and popped) at the feedback I got from the story I’m working on now.

Let’s just say I had to remove a couple of “pier legs”.

But the structure is way better.

Thanks to a new perspective.

Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg National Military Park

Wishing you a Happy Tuesday!

And Happy National Odometer Day (thinking about this holiday oughta keep your brain fires stoked).

What’s got your brain firing and crackling?

The Joy of Discovery (Chocolate Included)

April 13, 2015 | Coleen Patrick

I love how even the tiniest of discoveries can uplift

Tiny turtle power.

We discovered this little guy on the Greensprings trail in Williamsburg, VA.

And just last weekend I left the house and saw this:

The cherry blossom trees are blooming!

It seemed like they bloomed overnight.

(Much like my kids.)

We also found Edvard Munch’s Scream in the James River. Can you see it?

Oh and he’s in this doodle too.

Just kidding.

Here’s some chocolate.

Did you know that you can put the chocolate on the inside of the strawberry?!

Oh the freedom,right?

Hey, look at me doodling on the definition of writing. 😉

Although,

I have to say I could’ve done without this discovery when I walked in the door at work last week:

Dummy at work.

Note: Mannequins are not a typical sight in a library office.

Hey, after this surprise, who needs coffee?

But back to a slightly lower level of adrenaline,

I got the proofs of the illustrated covers that I designed for my Chasing Normal series

and I discovered I’m pretty excited with the way they’re turning out!

What have you discovered lately?

Happy Monday!!