When I was down beside the sea
A wooden spade they gave to me
To dig the sandy shore.
My holes were empty like a cup
In every hole the sea came up
Til it could come no more.
Robert Louis Stevenson



When I was little, my mother used to quote that poem to me, and since then I've taught it to my children. Sand. Surf. Sea. I’m at the beach this week with my family, enjoying some down time. One of my favorite times to visit the beach is early in the morning before the heat of the sun and crowds. I like to walk along the surf, feeling the sand between my toes, the wind in my hair, and occasionally letting the water bubble around my ankles.

This morning on my walk, I was thinking about sand and how it gets everywhere and into everything. It burrows under your clothes, sticks to your skin as if its been glued on, and somehow no matter how many showers I take it ends up in my bed. Sand is like words. Words spoken by others have a way of sticking to us. Sometimes that's good if they are encouraging words. But what about words that are harsh or painful? Words can exfoliate, buffing off the dead and reinvigorating the soul. But it can irritate, getting into eyes, and scratching delicate skin until it wounds. Words can be good and bad. Sometimes we need to hear the truth in order to help us. Yet, sometimes words can be aimed to injure.

Collecting words in a jar and holding onto happy memories can give us strength and hope. Yet, if words stick to us rub and scratch and continue to wound, then shouldn’t we get rid of them? How do you sweep away painful words from your past and hold onto those that have brought life?

Labels: encouraging words, family vacation, painful past, Robert Louis Stevenson, sand, seaside, surf, words

Taking my last breath, I kicked the water as hard as I could, and I stretched my arm for the wall. When I touch the tiled pool and sputtered to the surface, I realized I hadn’t won the race. A race against my grandfather. But in my mind, when I was just about seven years old, it had been against Mark Spitz. Then a few years later, I stood poised on the edge of the wooden beam, my balance steady as I made my dismount and landed, feet firm, on the mat. Surely, it was a routine worthy of a 10, just like Nadia’s. But only (again) in my mind.

Have you ever challenged an Olympic champion? I hope I’m not the only one with a crazy imagination. So maybe I wasn’t Olympic material. When I participated in sports, in my mind’s eye I was competing against the very best, striving for my very best. That’s what the Olympics is about: going for the gold. But it’s also so much more than that.

Mark Spitz. Nadia Comaneci. Scott Hamilton. Michael Phelps. Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Mary Lou Retton. All of these very gifted and yet different athletes from separate Olympic games were champions, and they inspired me to be my best in whatever sport or activity I attempted. Sometimes I hit the mark, sometimes I missed it by a mile. But the point isn’t always achieving; the point is reaching farther than you ever dared dream possible.

This weekend marks the beginning of the 2012 Olympics in London. I cannot wait! I love the Olympics. I love the ‘up close and personal’ stories of people going for their dreams against all odds. And so many of the athletes we’ve cheered for over the years have faced disappointments and difficulties along the way.

Do you remember Olympic speed skater, Dan Jansen, who lost a sister? He kept trying, kept reaching for that dream. What about Olympians who suffered injuries? Or lost coaches? Or worked two jobs to pay for their training? So many stories. So many triumphs. I can’t remember all of their names, not all won the gold or even a bronze medal. For me, the Olympics aren’t just about who gets a medal placed around their neck. But it’s the triumph over tragedy. It’s the dusting off disappointments and trying again. It’s the buoyant human spirit.


This is a picture of my son fencing at USFA's National Fencing Tournament in Reno, NV last year. He inspires me, because he never gives less than 110%.

So are you an Olympics watcher? What’s your favorite sport to watch? What athlete has inspired you?

Labels: athletes, inspiration, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mark Spitz, Mary Lou Retton., Michael Phelps, Nadia Comaneci, Olympics, Scott Hamilton

The Denver shooting this last week during the midnight showing of the Batman movie has made me think of so many other tragedies in years past: 9/11, Columbine, Oklahoma City Bombing, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires. One minute all is well, or seems so, and in a blink of an eye everything has changed.

There’s a song from the musical Martin Guerre called How Many Tears, and I think of that song now as I stare at the television once again, watch events unfold, experts try to unravel the mysteries of an awful event, names and faces of victims revealed, and I wonder “How Many Tears” do we have to shed? How many times have I sat in front of my television and watched news reports of unspeakable events, evil played out before us, and tears rolled down my face? But they are not the only tragedies that I shed tears over.

Tragedies may be personal, as in a death of a loved one, a lay off, or a spouse saying they no longer want to be married, or tragedies can be on the national or international scale. But no matter the breadth of the event, the depth in our heart is like a meteor crashing through the atmosphere of our inner world and cratering a jagged hole that can never be filled. Tragedies change us. Sometimes tragedies cause laws to be changed or our shoes to be removed before we can board a plane or extra security precautions. I’m sure many can debate better than I whether these changes are for the good or detriment of our society. But another bi-product of change is awareness and compassion. Tragedies cause us to reach out a helping hand to those hurting and in need. Tragedies make us realize once again (as if we didn’t already know this) that no matter how hard we try to control our personal world, we are not in control and life can end very quickly. Every day, every moment, every breath is precious and a gift, and each should be treasured as such.

If you’re feeling lost and alone and overwhelmed by recent events, I encourage you to reach out a hand…to a charity, to a neighbor, to someone standing on the street who needs help. The only way to combat evil is to offer love. What are some of the charities you support? Or can you share a time when someone reached out to you and offered help?

Labels: 9/11, Batman shooting, Columbine, heartache, Movie Massacre, Oklahoma City Bombing, tragedies

“I hope you will go out and let stories happen to you, and that you will work them, water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.”
Clarissa Pinkola Estes


One of the things I love about writing is sprinkling in a dose of laughter. But not all stories are belly-grabbing hardy-har-har stories. Some are more serious in tone. My Plain Fear series is definitely more serious as it’s a battle of good versus evil. However, because I am the writer and because I love to laugh, it was inevitable that I would find a few humorous things to slip in between the covers of these books. But it was not easy at first.

Writing has brought a lot of interesting people into my life. One of my dear friends, Julie, and I met at a writers conference. We were actually standing in line for the restroom. If you’ve ever been to a writers’ conference, you’ll know that there is always a long line for the ladies room, because there tend to be more women at these conferences than men. Anyway, Julie and I struck up a conversation and discovered our children happened to go to the same school. About a year later, I can’t remember who emailed whom, but we finally found time in our crazy schedules to meet for breakfast and chatted and shared our writing. She is a fabulous writer, on the level of Jodi Piccoult. I was bowled over by how good a writer she is. So we began meeting.

You can’t share your books with another writer and read their writing without becoming good friends. Opening the pages of someone’s manuscript is like opening their heart and peering inside. So over a couple of years, Julie and I became good friends.

A couple of years ago when I was researching the first book in the Plain Fear series, I needed to go to Pennsylvania to do research. Julie volunteered to show me around Lancaster County because she had once lived in Philadelphia and knew the area. So we journeyed together into the Amish world, which is very different from our own.

It is easy to feast your eyes on the peaceful fields and tranquil farms throughout the area. But one thing I remember the most about that trip is something that tickled our funny bone. I can’t even remember what it was, but I remember the laughter. We laughed so hard together and frankly could not stop. Isn’t that just like friends to share some inside joke, something that’s meaningless to others. And that laughter wriggled its way into my manuscript.

Laughter. It’s healing and heartwarming.

Do you have a friend who can always make you laugh?

Share about your friend here on my blog and I’ll enter you to win Plain Fear: Forbidden, my about-to-be-released book, which doesn’t come out until August 1, 2012. But you could win it early! I’ll draw a winner this Friday!

Is July getting too hot for you? It often does for me, because I live in Texas where it feels like it's 114 degrees on a daily basis. By this time of the summer, my plants are turning brown and I'm beginning to wilt. What refreshes me this time of year is turning my air conditioner down and imagining snow falling. To do that, I turn on Christmas music. Yep, I know, I'm weird. But I love Christmas and I love Christmas music. So turning on the song "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" gets me singing and smiling and suddenly my heart feels much lighter. Because Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, I always wanted to write a Christmas story. So for my 2nd book, I wrote a sequel to Strong, Silent Cowboy called Christmas in July. It actually takes place in the summer, during July, when rodeo cowboys have their most earning potential on the rodeo circuit. But this story has a Christmas twist that I think you'll love. Christmas in July Ms. Wilson features engaging characters in a heartwarming love story that will really lift your spirits. (4 stars) Romantic Times Magazine Geena Allen, a young widow, has a bundle of joy and a bucket of bills. Unaccustomed to charity, the petite barrel racer returns to the rodeo circuit to cash in on the big money during July, called “Christmas” by cowboys. In what Geena deems as obligation, Trey Mann, a bull rider, offers to babysit her daughter and teaches them all a lesson about the true spirit of giving. Will he also manage to lasso this proud cowgirl’s heart? So here's my July Christmas present to you! This book is now available in ebook format! Hope you enjoy! http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-in-July-ebook/dp/B006O1GPCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342192257&sr=8-1&keywords=Christmas+in+July+Leanna+Ellis And here it is on my website: http://leannaellis.com/sweetromances.html So what do you do during July to cool off?

Labels: Christmas in July, cowboy romance, ebooks, heartwarming, rodeo, summer, sweet romance