Ellie@Home by Nicole Kapise-Perkins

                                                                         Recently I was given the opportunity to review Lily Oak's newest book, Quick & Easy Tarot , released by Hedge Witchery Books (http://www.hedge-witcherybooks.com), and I am so very grateful for the opportunity. I read tarot every day; I have even been known to carry my deck around in my purse for no other reason then to have it nearby. I am not a beginning reader by any means, but Lily Oak has included pieces of information in her book that were quite new and fascinating to me.             She begins with the history of tarot, from its origins as a 15th century game known as 'trionfi' to its evolution in the 18th century to the divination tool we utilize   today.           Oak gives instructions on how to choose and 'connect' with your tarot deck (a key   piece here, because if you do not have a connection with the deck you use, you will either   not have any res

     So much has been going on here in Ellie's kitchen: a milestone birthday was celebrated with friends and family gathered around the table; I'm waiting (HOPING!) to hear back from a literary agent concerning a children's book manuscript; I've posted two new essays on the SageWoman blogs, and have been given an opportunity to blog for The Bookish Owl ( http://www.thebookishowl.com ).      We've had several lovely warm days, and I've had my little boy out along the bike path that runs by the river, exploring nature, investigating bugs, and getting supremely dirty. (Because what could be more fun, really?)      Today will be a down-tempo day, as my little bitty one is very sick (Sick enough that he fell asleep for a nap on his own at 9 am...and he had only been up for three hours. This is an unheard-of occurrence.) AND it's COLD OUT THERE! Soooo...an afternoon spent in the kitchen is in order, methinks. Sweet potato cookies? Sure thing. Fresh bread? O

   I suppose there is an advantage to random insomnia....while sitting around, eye-poppingly wide awake at 2:30 in the morning, there are positively no distractions. Can't turn the television or the stereo on because two of the bedrooms are off the living room, and I don't want to make my daughter or my husband share in my misery. (Trust me, it really doesn't love company.)    This would explain why I was able to write an entire children's book in the wee hours of this morning, and draft and half-write a second. And these are not infant or toddler board books, with three and four word sentences per page. Nor are they mini-novels. They are (or would be, if I could draw!) picture books: short, 4 to 5 sentence paragraphs per page. I've got this. Why the heck can't I get published? Grr. It's all about sending it in at the right time. (Yes, I am arrogant enough to believe that my work is good enough to publish. Because it is.) I just need to figure out when the