Holiday Fan Art by Bella M.

Lightfeather's Death, by Annika Z.

In the dark of the night

A white mare woke in a fright

The pain in her belly

Would not let her sleep tight

She called out for help

And a young pinto came running

"Hold still" said the pinto, whinnying

"Don't try to stand up"

Through the dark of the night

The pain only increased

Till by the light of the dawn

The pain finally ceased

A cry of shock came from all around

It made the white mare turn quickly round

To her surprise a black colt was what she found

Lying asleep on a pile of moss

How could something so small come at great loss?

But as the sun rose

The white mare sighed

Then she quietly died

Moans of sadness filled the air

"Lightfeather, Lightfeather"

They all cried, but it was to late

A meadow of gold is now what she calls home

The Fan Art of the Month is chosen at random. To be considered, email your art to jennifer@theguardianherd(dot)com Please write "Fan Art" in the subject line.

WHAT'S ON MY DESK?

This Month's Project: I've turned in RIDERS OF THE REALM book #2 to my editor in New York and I'm waiting for her notes back to me. Then I will revise again. We all need fresh eyes and feedback on our work!

SHOUT OUTS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY & CONGRATULATIONS to the following colts and fillies!

Salome B. wishes her sister Tabitha a Happy Birthday (11/20) Surprise!

Corrianna E. had a birthday on 11/30

Kalianna had a birthday on 11/4 and she won first place in a horse jumping competition--congratulations!

Hello to Jazmin!

Big hugs to Squall, a lonely horse, from Aliyah M.

Happy upcoming birthday to Alexa S. who is turning 14 on December 24th

To Megan R. from Summer: she says you are an awesome friend and she hopes you have the best birthday ever!

Michael says Happy Birthday to his sister Renetta P. who turned 17 on December 5th

Dave A. wishes his brother Trent a Happy Birthday (12/5)

And Jonathan E. a.k.a. Flamefrost on the Message Board says Happy Birthday to his younger sister who turned 10 on 12/13!

If you'd like a shout out, please press the button below. I'll say hello, wish you a happy birthday, or congratulate you in my monthly video and newsletter--just let me know what's going on!

TRIVIA!

Each territory in the Guardian Herd series is based off somewhere I've been.

Snow Herd: based off Alaska. I lived in Anchorage for 7th, 8th, and part of 9th grade. I saw flocks of bald eagles, caught tons of flounder in Valdez, skiied Mount Alyeshka, spotted a grizzly in Denali National Park, came face-to-face with moose several times, rode a horse in the Arctic Circle, watched seals basking on icebergs near Columbia Glacier, and saw the Northern Lights! This state inspired Snow Herd's territory and the Trap.

Mountain Herd: based off Lake Tahoe. I live within a few hours of Lake Tahoe so my family has vactioned there many times. I've been snowed-in, gotten stuck on a chair lift, snow-shoed, ridden in a dog sled, rode horses up into the mountains, and skiied every resort there since the 1970's! It's one of the sunniest places on Earth, in spite of the snow.

Desert Herd: based on Albequerque. I was quite young when I lived there, still crawling. My mom was frustrated because she couldn't put me down outside or I'd burn my hands and knees on the sidewalk. We moved away, but I visited when I was on tour with STARFIRE, and I saw the annual balloon festival. An author I was visiting schools with, Chris Rylander, said something like this about the hundreds of balloons hovering over the valley: "This is how I imagine an alien invasion looking." Fun times!

Jungle Herd: based off a family vacation in Costa Rica, an exciting and hair-raising adventure. There were no police, no car seats, and we didn't see one hospital during our stay on the western coast. We did see a live volcano (Arenal, but I call it Firemouth in my series), deadly snakes, goats riding in pick-up trucks, potholes galore, monkeys, steaming-hot waterfalls and pools, and racoon-type creatures. I told my oldest son that Jurrassic Park was filmed there (and he totally believed me). Who knows, maybe it was! Awesome family vacation that continues to inspire me today.

Sun Herd: based on my homeland, Northern California, but also extending up toward Vancouver. Here we have rolling foothills, mild lakes, Redwood and Oak forests, a rugged coast, and fertile valleys. It's rarely any colder than 34 degrees (and that's very cold for us), and it gets up to 110 and higher on occasion--but our heat is dry, pretty easy to endure, and doesn't frizz our hair!

Book suggestions have been pouring in. Please feel free to suggest a book for the club. Let's stick with children's fiction and non-fiction.

I'm so excited to DISCUSS this with you!

JEN'S WRITING TIPS

(photo by Nick Alvarez)

Not sure what you want to write about? Well, what do you like to read about?

In today's exercise, write down five books that are your favorites or that you really enjoy reading. Once you have your list, write down each book's age group (kid, young adult, adult), the genre (fanstasy, mystery, romance, paranormal, science fiction, historical, contemporary etc), and the type of story. Is it an adventure quest, a coming-of-age story, a puzzle that must be solved, an animal fantasy, a family story, an exploration of a new world, or a race against time?

Now, look at the facts you've gathered about the books you love--what do they have in common? These are hints about the types of books you might like to write. For instance, I always loved reading animal fanstasy and coming-of-age novels (and still do!). These are the books that inspired me as a reader, and now they inspire me as an author.

Let me know what you discover about yourself!

This month, join me for a trail ride!

Snowman art by Amira M. Bella and Amira are sisters!