holidays

Halloweensie Writing Contest

| Bonnie Kelso

Arrrrrooooh! It’s time for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie Writing Contest again.

Here are the rules in case you want to join in. You have until midnight on Halloween to enter.

THE CONTEST: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) (title not included in word count) using the words glow-in-the-dark, goosebumps, and goodies.

My story is inspired by my trip to the Crystal Palace roller skating rink last night. Being close to Halloween, there were lots of people in costume. And the black lights really brought out the creepy. (I dedicate this story to my sister who had a less that spooktacular time last night. Love you, Shmee!)

Party Skating GIF By Lolita.

Good luck to everyone entering the contest!

All Hallow’s Eve at the Roller Rink

Glow-in-the-dark ghosts dangle from dingy drop ceilings.

THRILLER thrums through skull-shaped speakers.

A Vincent Price voice commands the session.

“Creatures of the night, take to your wheels and GLIDE!”

Tiny Fairy Princess runs on her skates.

CLICKETY CLUNK-CLUNK CLACK!

Colliding with a wall-hugging werewolf. 

BUMPITY BUMP-BUMP BANG!

Speed-demon Grim Reaper’s tattered black robe flutters. 

Pumpkin-headed gargoyle grapevines backwards.

Skeletons scissor and spin sporadically inspiring goosebumps.

Zealous Zombies dip and moan to the monstrous music.

Goblins gobble down goodies. 

CRUNCHITY CHOMP-CHOMP CRUNCH!

Bone-brittle cotton candy and paprika-peppered popcorn.

HOPPITY HOOT-HOOT HOWL!

It’s All Hallow’s Eve at the roller rink!

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, will be released in September, 2022. A lover of nature and travel, she can be found wandering about outside with her family whenever a good opportunity to do so presents itself.

Seeking Courage

| Bonnie Kelso

By Bonnie Kelso

Finding lost things was Riley’s specialty.

She found Mama’s keys!

A shiny penny.

Her sister’s doll.

“Here it is, Kara.”

Riley and Kara were playing hide-and-seek 

when Riley found Mama wrapped in a blanket.

“I’ve lost my job.” 

“I’ll help you find it!” said Riley. 

Mama hugged her tight.

Later Riley found

a stack of boxes

with Kara’s doll stuffed inside one. 

“We’re moving?” asked Riley.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find your job.”

“I know moving is scary, Riley,

but we have to find courage,” said Mama. 

Riley looked everywhere,

but she couldn’t find courage.

She wished courage would find her.

At the shelter Riley counted to ten 

and opened her eyes.

She searched for Kara…

in every room,

in every closet,

and on the patio.

Cars zoomed in the street. 

Kara was lost!

Her heart beat faster.

“Kara!”

“We’re in here, Riley,” said Mama.

Kara was safe.

Riley collapsed.

“I can’t find my courage!”

Mama smiled.

“Riley, I found a job!” 

They squeezed each other tight.

In their new apartment they found wonderful things.

Soft blankets.

Friendly neighbors.

Kara discovered a new word, Riley.

Riley decided courage isn’t something you find.

It grows inside, little by little,

like making a friend,

learning new words,

or the feeling of home in a new place.

This story was submitted to Susanna Hill’s Valentiny Contest. The theme was BRAVE and the word count is 214 words (for February 14th).

The 10th Annual Halloweensie Contest

| Bonnie Kelso

Today I’m celebrating a social-distanced Halloween by posting my uber-short (100 words) kidlit story for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie contest. For some reason this year, I’m kind of obsessed with Frankenstein. What if Frankenstein was a kid? What would it be like to be so green? Could Frankenstein be solar-powered? Anyway, hope you enjoy the story!

Furley Frankenstein

Furley Frankenstein was tired of social distancing.

He’d been cooped up in the lab ever since he became undead.

“Pleeeeeease, Dad? Can’t I go out? It’s Halloween.

No one will care that my skin is green.”

“It’s just not safe,” said Dr. Frankenstein.

“Don’t you know, there’s a pandemic going on!”

The door locked when it slammed behind him.

Furley groaned!

Furley stomped!

Furley moaned.

Furley noticed something shiny on the counter.

His dad forgot the skeleton key!

He listened for his dad’s footsteps to fade.

Furley snatched a medical mask,

unlocked the door,

and crept out into the night.

Thank You

| Bonnie Kelso

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for caring. On this Thanksgiving I have a lot to be grateful for. Mostly, I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful to have the ability to think about putting sweaters on wild animals. I am thankful to have the time to wonder, who was the first animal to be drawn with a sweater on. Was it Winnie the Pooh? Goofy? What is Goofy, anyway? These are the questions I am grateful to be able to ask on a Thanksgiving morning, because I am still here. I am still alive, and I am hopeful that with each new day I will put a little more of my fears and insecurities behind me.

To see more pictures of animals in sweaters, if this interests you, click here.

I am thankful that I have time to draw this penguin in a sweater. That I can put aside everything else and simply indulge myself in an idea and put pencil to paper and create it. I don’t know why I wanted to do it, but I did it, and you know what? It made me feel happy. Sometimes I get so consumed by the challenges of each day, the work that needs to be done, the goals that are still to be met, that I forget what the point of it all is anyway. Everyone might have a different reason for living, but, for me, today, it is to create a little “penguin-in-a-sweater” happiness.

Continue reading →

Happy Halloweensie!

| Bonnie Kelso

This Halloween I decided to enter a writing contest (frenzy) for fun. Below is my entry. It had to be 100 words or less, which was a challenge. My shortest story yet!

(Here’s the link to the contest info, in case you are curious.)

Halloween Forever!

Harper, the witchling loves Halloween!

            One cobweb,
            six candy corns,
            a sprinkle of dust-everlasting.

She sips and waits…

Knock, knock!
Children shout, “Trick or treat!”

As they leave more appear.
“Trick or treat!!”

On and on it goes…
Harper grows weary.
The children line up down the street
and around the corner.

“I must sleep,” yawns Harper.
Slam!
Lights off.

Bang, bang!
“TRICK OR TREAT!!!”

Frantic, Harper stirs a new potion.

            Two cobwebs,
            three candy corns,
            a sprinkle of normal-essesnce.

Gulp!

Knock, knock!
Peeking out…
Empty streets!
The sun rises.

“Whew, maybe Halloween is better once a year.”
Harper collapses.

###

Igniting Artemis

| Bonnie Kelso

Happy Thanksgiving!

I always feel that I have so much to be grateful for. I really do, even when things are not so awesome. Gratitude is what has kept me going over the years. It’s what keeps me connected to spirit and source.

I was recently gratitude-gifted with a beautiful smoky citrine generator crystal. Isn’t it just gorgeous? (note: buy crystals from nice people) This act of gratitude compelled me to start igniting my new character, Artemis. I’m getting amazing results already. So much inspiration is starting to pour in, it’s hard to keep up with it all.

So on this full moon Thanksgiving, I’ve set up a little altar by my workspace. I even created my own little 3D Artemis out of sculpey. She’s got her magician’s cloak on and we’re ready to make some serious children’s book magic. In addition to the altar, I’ve got a moon calendar starting tonight. So, this cycle will go from full moon to the winter solstice.

Continue reading →

An Experience, not another boring lecture…

| Bonnie Kelso

Tomorrow is my first Facebook Live Event and it is going to be epic!

Epic… really, Bonnie?

YES!

… NOT because millions of people are expected to participate.

… NOT because I am that ego-centric and important and just love to listen to the sound of my voice and be the star of my own world.

… and NOT because it’s just another boring lecture.

It is going to be EPIC, for me on a very personal level. It will be a significant moment of growth where I will step out of my comfort zone and allow myself to be vulnerable. It will be me, talking heart to heart with other people about how I manage a limitation that has always been a part of my life. It’s a personal limitation that in the past has only ever been visible to the people closest to me. Tomorrow, I am going public with it. I’m no longer NOT going to talk about my personal experience with depression.

After it is over, I know in my heart, that an enormous personal shift will have occurred, no matter how well or poorly the actual event goes. Between 12pm and 2pm Pacific Time tomorrow I will let a childhood monster out of the closet once and for all. By doing so, this monster will no longer have the same power over me.

ShameQuote.jpg

If you also suffer from depression and would like to learn a few creative ways to manage it, I invite you to join me. If you know of someone else who may benefit from this experience, please feel free to share the link with them. This event is 100% free and open to the public. My intention is for the event to be interactive. I will respond to comments and questions live as we go. I am hoping that someone actually is there to interact with me live, but if not, I will try to make it as interactive as I can by including lots of prompts for you to engage with the presented materials, even if it is at a later time as you watch the recording.  Continue reading →

A Gift of Healing

| Bonnie Kelso

For the remainder of the year I will be offering “Graceful Transformation: A Healing Coloring Journey” at a discounted price. This interactive coloring book for adults was developed from a creativity workshop with participants in addiction recovery. It was our collective intention that this book would be used to help others heal from past trauma and pain through mindful creating.

©Bonnie Kelso and Creating Your ExperienceWhether you are in recovery from substances or behavioral addictions, the themes presented in this book will provide you with a helpful exploration of your feelings. Each page asks you to Continue reading →

Nothing But Love

| Bonnie Kelso

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A few days ago I heard an interview with Magda Sayeg, a well known artist and yarn-bomber. She remarked that she couldn’t think of a single thing that conveyed the idea of love more than something knitted by hand. As the Thanksgiving Holiday descends on us all, I’ve been thinking about this comment and also about my ancestors. I’m reminded of my Grandmother in particular who showed me how to crochet when I was a young girl. I only caught on to a few simple stitches, but she told me that Continue reading →