The Warren & the World is Story Warren’s weekly newsletter, providing a round-up of our favorite things from around the web as well as a review of what was on our site over the past week. We’re glad you’re here!
Around the Web
p.p.s. After the Maelstrom, No Middle Way, Please
- I hate that most writing about bad stuff is after the bad stuff has been gotten through, properly processed, and then spit out at you with a handful of tidy platitudes, most of them religious.I hope that’s not what’s happening here.
Because I want to tell you reaching the valley’s Other Side isn’t all cream-spiked soup and fascinators, friendly hearths and fake suede. (If these don’t appeal, pick your moments. It’s Choose Your Own Adventure.) Shadows linger. Fear follows—what if I land again in that dark place, losing Boardwalk and kicked back to GO?
On newborn falls, snuggles and the need for good young men in little girl’s lives…
- Being the little sister to three big brothers is not for faint of heart. Frankly, I’m not sure this sweet lil’ lady is going to survive her newborn/infant stage in my house of boys. This stuff constantly has me on high alert, and as you can see, I am not exactly doing a smashingly swimming job of ensuring her brothers don’t hurt her.
But the thing is,.they don’t want to hurt her.
I Wonder
Winn Collier imagines a world without masks.
- I wonder what would happen if we could see into one another’s soul, if all the static between us were removed, if all I saw was your heart, your hopes, your fears, your joys? And you saw these same things in me? I wonder what would happen if I could trust that you were truly for me, that your love would not waver, your delight in me would never falter, no matter what comes?
The One Rule You Must Follow When Traveling with Toddlers
- Don’t. Just don’t do it.That’s the only rule. As I write this, I’m spending my birthday sitting on a plane with two kids under the age of 3. This is, of course, after 10 days sharing a child’s bed with those same kids at my in-laws. And did I mention I have an accidental dose of Miralax coursing through my intestines? But more on that later.
Why we needed 10 days back east to attend one wedding is beyond me, but here I sit. My wife wanted the family to see our children, but to me, kids are like Vegas. You should have to travel “to” them, and you’re not able to stay for more than three days.
Around the Warren
Magical Ordinary
Helena Sorensen writes of the value of ordinary days.
- September and October have been wild for us. We launched into a new year of homeschooling. We traveled to Wyoming with friends. We hosted a houseful of guests for a conference. I prepared a talk, edited and reworked about a thousand pages of fiction, and kept up a constant stream of communication with my new publisher about covers, bios, and book release details.I’m not ungrateful. These have all been wonderful experiences, things I’ve looked forward to, things I’ve prayed for. And there’s something thrilling about stepping out of the ordinary into new challenges and bustling seasons of life. But when the last car pulls away and the fridge is restocked and the clothes are washed and folded, I find myself longing for the return to the mundane. These hectic, unusual days have touched the ordinary with a special magic. Or maybe the magic was there all along.
“…delight in simple things…”
Paul Boekell and Kipling. Yep.
Hope in the Shadows: Helena Sorensen’s Shiloh is Free Right Now!
Ming Selig re-introduces us to our own Helena Sorensen’s trilogy: Shiloh, Seeker, and Songbird–now out from Brightener Books.
- Yesterday Brightener Books (Story Warren Books is a partnership between Brightener Books and Story Warren) released Helena Sorensen’s stunning conclusion to her Shiloh Series. Songbird is available now!Shiloh, the first book in the series, is currently free for Amazon Kindle.
The Shiloh Series contains Shiloh, Seeker, and Songbird, a fantasy trilogy aimed at teens and above. It can be enjoyed by fantasy enthusiasts, but it’s been described well as a “a fantasy for people who don’t read fantasies.” In this series, Helena artfully weaves a story of longing and hope full of compelling, dynamic characters and beautiful descriptions.
In the world of Shiloh the darkness is tangible and it has a name: the Shadow. The Shadow is a permanent shroud that feeds on the smallest fears and stains the brightest joys. The veil between what is now and not yet, swirls thickly, seen and felt by all.
Tumbleweed Thompson and the Sharpshooter: the Conclusion
In which Glenn McCarty and Joe Sutphin take us to the end of Tumbleweed Thompson’s most recent tale. If you missed it last week, here’s part one of the story.
Something to Do with Your Kids
If you’ve been thinking that you should try some 3-D art with your younglings, maybe check out these wood sculpture projects for kids.
And Something to Watch
Even if you saw Torvill and Dean’s perfect-10 ice dance in the 1984 Olympics, you’ve never seen “Bolero” like this.
Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 16 - May 10, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 15 - May 3, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 14 - April 26, 2025
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