I haven’t posted in some time. Life gets busy. It’s the good kind of busy.
Tomorrow begins the third week of a new school year. The final grandchild who attends our school is a senior. I can almost hear the whoosh of passing time.
I’ve spent much of the last year working on The Broken Harp and Strong Walls, a middle grade novel set in Ireland during World War II. Irish history is captivating, especially from that period of neutrality in the war, a time of new independence from England and before the Troubles of the late twentieth century.
The main character, Brian, his father, and his brother, Patrick, are dry stone wall builders who navigate the times the Irish government called the Emergency and the divided loyalties of the community around them. Because of Ireland’s treatment at the hands of the British over the course of centuries, many in that time and place favored Germany in the war.
Brian and Patrick help an American RAF pilot (yes, that happened before Pearl Harbor) and an outcast weaver who is harboring two Jewish children after their father is interned, accused without trial, suspected of being part of the Irish Republican Army.
My granddaughter/illustrator is enjoying her freshman year of college and has crafted beautiful images already.
Hoping to publish on Saint Patrick’s Day 2026.
I’ve also written Virtue Stones, a companion picture book, that explains the theological virtues, the cardinal virtues, plus a few more to get the count to ten. My nephew is doing watercolor images for that effort. Publication date is unknown.
Recently, Wandering Swallow received another award. This time from the American Christian Fiction Writers KidLit Contest, second place for middle grade novels. Paul and I spent a good portion of the spring attending homeschool and classical conventions in Texas, Missouri, South Carolina, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to spread the word about this book.
Free curriculum for Wandering Swallow is available on milicomathersreads.com, Good books for kids and teens.
This Saturday, we’re set to have a booth at Jesus Jam, a local music festival featuring Rebecca St. James.
After a steamy summer, cooler temperatures have finally arrived. We’re on the cusp of a new season, my favorite. A new school year, another year of teaching and writing, Lord willing, another year to invite others into the wonder of God’s world through literature and learning.
We’re feeling very blessed and busy.
The good kind of busy.
Image Credits: Lily Hildebrand and Jason Bulger
