Hi Writers,
Since my middle-grade children’s book, WITCHY MAGIC AND ME, MAGGIE, was launched in November, 2019 I have seen it in the hands of many 8 to 10 year olds. This dream is more deeply gratifying than I ever imagined. The children seem to be responding to the magical realism, the friendship and family issues and to Maggie’s journey. “I guess I’m really shy,” in the beginning evolves into, “Now I know I’m gutsy inside and out!”) at the end.
Marketing is challenging. Sometimes my head is spinning with libraries, schools, bookstores, social media, and non-pushy conversations. How excited beyond all excitement I am to learn that Maggie will be among the treasures selected by the Pound Ridge Historical Society for a time capsule to be buried in front of the Town Hall and to be opened in——-one hundred years! 2120.
Here’s a little story from my imagination and some reading about the future.
***
The two girls teleported to their meeting spot under the ancient oak tree on the village green. Banana, aged nine, folded her new yellow-flowered wings behind her and waited for her best friend, Heavenly, to join her here on earth. Heavenly was ten and lived on the moon.
Banana’s inner messenger told her that Heavenly would be landing in ten seconds.
Whoosh! Heavenly popped down on the grass. She folded her wings in the shape of a moonbeam behind her.
“Hi!”
“Hey back!”
They hugged and half talked out loud and half talked by word-beaming. Word-beaming was silent and they liked it better. They liked feeling each other’s thoughts.
“This is sooooo exciting,” Banana beamed. Here it is!!! She produced a book, a real book from out of the air. They read the title out loud, “Witchy Magic and Me, Maggie,” by Cynthia Magriel Wetzler.
“Written in 2020! One hundred years ago!” Heavenly danced pirouettes among the oak leaves.
“I’ve never touched a book before and I’ve only ever seen one behind glass in the floating museum.” Banana beamed her thoughts to Heavenly, as she touched the book cover lightly.
“Let’s read it!” Heavenly and Banana held the book between their two foreheads and held hands.
“Let’s talk out loud now,” Banana said, so we don’t interrupt the flow of the book. They closed their eyes and listened.
“Oh, Maggie wants to be an artist like you, Heavenly!”
“Isn’t it funny that Maggie calls Grammy Apple magical? I mean, she’s does what we do—normal. What is magic anyway?”
“Oh, her Dad teases her. That feels familiar,” Heavenly said.
“Wow, and Maggie is mean to her best friend, sometimes.” Banana squinted and looked into Heavenly’s eyes. “Tasha was so hurt, but now they made up—like us.”
They hugged again and the book almost slipped from between their foreheads.
“Listen! Maggie’s heart starts beating a little faster when she talks to her brother’s best friend, Ben. Oh! Maggie says she has a crush on Ben. What’s a crush?”
“I guess we can figure that one out.” Heavenly giggled.
“Maybe hearts and feelings don’t change over one hundred years,” Banana said.
And then! The girls looked up. One hundred little songbirds swooped into the ancient oak tree and started singing a sweet song. “Hearts and feelings doooooo not change,” they warbled.
***
Happy Writing everyone! What do you think it will be like in one hundred years?!!
