Molly Shaffer 4/27/20 Molly Shaffer 4/27/20

Coffee Break Book Reviews Episode 2: The War That Saved My Life

Do you love bold coffee? How about a good book? What if you could combine the two for a much needed break? Then, come enjoy some magic bean juice with me as I present Episode 2 of Coffee Break Book Reviews.

If you enjoy reading books about World War II, surviving incredible odds, and a main character who refuses to give up, then, you’ll love Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s New York Times bestseller historical middle grade novel, The War That Saved My Life.

Now, sit back, take a sip, and enjoy.

Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. Tune in next week for another episode of Coffee Break Book Reviews. If there is a book you’d like me to review, please leave the title of the book in the comments below.

TTFN… Ta Ta For Now!

Molly Shaffer 4/24/20 Molly Shaffer 4/24/20

Bunny Tales with Zeb Episode 4: “The Sleeping Beauty”

Welcome back to Bunny Tales with Zeb. This week we’re taking a journey into classic fairytales. Please join us as we read the enchanting tale, “The Sleeping Beauty.”

We hope you enjoy this episode of Bunny Tales with Zeb.

How can you help?

If you’re inspired by our video and want to adopt your own bunny, click here. This bunny rescue, Kribs for Kritters, is based out of Lake Elsinore, California. If you don’t want to adopt, you can always financially gift this rescue. Jude, the lady in charge, has devoted her entire life to helping rabbits, and she’s incredibly generous and selfless. I’d love for her to be blessed for all of the sacrifices and dedication she gives to these sweet babies.

Tune in next week for another episode of Bunny Tales with Zeb. TTFN!

Ta Ta For Now!

Molly Shaffer 4/23/20 Molly Shaffer 4/23/20

Victory Gardens: #ThankfulThursday

My husband is an observer, or a five on the Enneagram. He loves research, and ever since China had its first cases of COVID 19, he has been studying what we need to do to #flattenthecurve. There are days when I’ve had enough of COVID 19 data, but then I realize why my hubby is so focused on the stats: he loves me and wants to protect our family.

A couple of weeks ago, he started hearing rumblings of an impending food shortage, and now those rumblings have become echoes of a famine of Biblical proportions. Sure, these may be fear based news stories, but my husband’s research was on point with COVID 19, so I’m going to trust his gut on this one, too. #JustSaying…

Needless to say, we have planted a victory garden. I’m not sure if we will have success with our little plant babies or not, but it was a satisfying experience, all the same. We made planter boxes out of old pallets and cinder blocks we had from previous projects. With a little hard work, and loads of sweat, the fruit of our labor flourished.

Our backyard now has a suburban garden. Hopefully, we will yield a large harvest, so we can share our soil-filled successes with our neighbors, family, and friends. Whether there is a famine or not, I love the idea of being self-sustainable. Only time will tell.

As images of bustling basil plants and enormous eggplants fill my mind, it is well with my soul. My little garden gives me joy, and in these endless days of social distancing, I’ll take all joy I can get.

Little Sprout, Little Sprout, what are they feeding you? Little Sprout, Little Sprout, soak up the sun.

Herb… I think I shall dub thee, HERBert.

Molly Shaffer 4/21/20 Molly Shaffer 4/21/20

I Am a Plague to Technology: #TruthTuesday

Technology has never been my strong suit, but over the years, I have braved the trenches and powered through my tech disadvantages. Unfortunately, there have been many casualties along the way. Last week was one of the worst battles in my war with technology, and the losses were many. If you are squeamish, I suggest turning away. Okay, that’s actually hyperbole. It’s not that bad… or is it?

Last Wednesday:

In the afternoon, I was editing my YouTube video for my Coffee Break Book Reviews episode. I was almost done. All I had left was to add some music behind my audio because I don’t like hearing myself breathing as I talk. (I know I could snip out all of my breathing while editing the video, but that’s a lot of work, and I actually don’t like how choppy it makes the video appear.) So, I dragged down the song I was going to add to the background of my audio, when the unthinkable occurred.

Dun dun dun…

The video stopped playing and only the audio appeared. I had worked on this video for over five hours (not in the same day), and I legit had five minutes left before I exported it. Tragedy of tragedies. My breath caught in my throat. I stammered nonsensically as my eyes blinked back ugly tears.

“Babe,” I cried out to my husband. “I just messed up my video, and there is no back button. There is no back button on iMovie. Why is there no back button?”

He walked up the stairs at a snail’s pace, at least that’s what it felt like, and said the worst thing he could say to me.

“Calm down.”

Ugh, didn’t he know that life as I knew it was ending? Calm down! You calm down, Mister.

He then worked his techie magic, turned off the wifi, and restarted our Mac. Somehow his voodoo worked, and I was able to salvage my video. You would think that would be enough of a scare, right? Hold onto your pantaloons, dear reader, because I’m just getting started.

Last Thursday:

The next day, after working for three more hours on another video on my laptop, my twelve-year-old son needed to do his distance learning. My husband asked if our son could use my computer to get his school work done, since he (the hubby) had to get some work done. I agreed, helped my son get onto his Google Classroom, and I settled in on the couch to peruse Instagram. Fifteen minutes later, all chaos erupted in my semi-calm home.

“Mom, your computer screen just went black,” my son said.

“That’s weird. Did the low battery warning come on?” I asked him.

“Oh, yeah, that came on a long time ago,” he said in a nonchalant tone.

I stared at him for a second. “Well, then why didn’t you get the charger?”

He shrugged: the typical signal of pre-teen boredom.

I stood up, shaking my head for good measure, and proceeded to plug in my laptop. Nothing. The computer would not turn on. A slight panic arose in my heart. “What were you doing before the computer screen went black?”

“Watching a video?”

“What video?” I asked with a deep sigh.

He gave me the same pre-teen shrug as before.

“Sean…” I took another deep breath through flared nostrils. “What video did you click on?”

“The video my teacher linked to our Google Classroom.”

Absolute terror infiltrated my mind. Did he click on a virus? I had a lot of work on my laptop that I hadn’t backed up. (Yes, I know I should have backed it up… but… I’m lazy.)

“Um, I really hope you didn’t click on a virus. I have work I didn’t back up.”

“You should always back up your work,” he said, smirking with all his pre-teen judgment.

My right eye twitched. “You should… um… probably go… do some… silent reading.” My eye twitch must have been contagious because it developed in both of my eyes and trickled down toward my hands.

After another shrug from said pre-teen, he yawned and faced me. “When’s lunch?” he asked.

“Are you kidding me?” I practically barked. “First of all, it’s 9:30 in the morning, and you just ate breakfast an hour ago. Second of all, my computer is dead, and I need to figure this out, so I can get my work backed up.”

“It’s not my fault you didn’t back up your work,” he argued.

I legit had to count to ten. (Of course he was right, I should have backed up my work, but if he would have plugged my computer in when he got the low battery signal, we probably wouldn’t be in this mess.) Then, I did the best thing I could do. I walked away, albeit on shaky legs, but I walked away nonetheless.

Last Thursday (right before lunch):

After hours of attempting to recharge my computer, I made a decision to step away for a while and make lunch. I grabbed my Instant Pot, made a vegetable soup, and closed the lid on the pot to pressure cook the crud outta that soup. (I do this often because it makes the soup taste like it’s been simmering all day, when in actuality it’s done in twenty minutes. It’s a win for everyone.) Except something horrible happened. My Instant Pot wouldn’t build pressure. What in the world was going on?

At this point, I was about to run to my room, jump back in bed, and attempt to restart the day. Instead, I called for my husband, once more. With the speed of an ancient tortoise, he entered into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“The… Instant… Pot... won’t build… pressure,” I stammered in disbelief.

He began to laugh, like straight out laugh. “Well, aren’t you having a day?”

Yes, Einstein, I am having a day, I thought, and I was pretty certain that if I was a cartoon character, now would be the time when steam would blow out of my ears.

“Can you just fix the pot?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“Relax, it’s not that big of a deal,” he said.

RELAX. Relax… I loathe that word almost as much as I despise the phrase calm down. I inhaled a sharp breath, grabbed my huge soup pot from a cabinet, and poured the soup into it. A second later, I had the pot simmering on the stove.

“I’m going to take a bath,” I seethed, which is code for leave me the heck alone.

My husband nodded his head in response. Apparently he caught the drift, or perhaps the twitching in my eyes, hands, and now my face, was enough of a clue to help him realize I needed some space.

In the bath, I allowed myself to cry. I cried for my almost ruined video. I cried for my broke down lap top. I cried for my work that I may lose off of my hard drive. I cried for my pressure-less pressure cooker.

I cried. I cried. I cried… and then, I saw the absurdity of it all, and I laughed.

I laughed until my eyes crinkled at the sides. I laughed until I snorted. I laughed because sometimes that’s all you can do.

Today:

It’s been five days since I gave my technology the plague.

Yesterday, I went down to my district office and exchanged my dead laptop for a new one. The technician tried to charge my old laptop with a new chord, but it wouldn’t wake up. I had resigned myself to losing my work, and I was ready to redo the video I was working on.

Today, I got a call from another technician in my district. He said he was able to recharge my laptop. Apparently the charger was filled with some type of fruity liquid, and it went kaput. My laptop was dead because the battery had drained.

Tomorrow, I get to pick up my old laptop. My work is not lost, and, yes, dear reader, I plan on backing it up.

The moral of this story is two fold: first, always back up your work, and second, never allow your pre-teen to drink fruity liquids near your laptop or charger.

Oy vey!

Molly Shaffer 4/20/20 Molly Shaffer 4/20/20

Episode 1 of Coffee Break Book Reviews

Do you love bold coffee? How about a good book? What if you could combine the two for a much needed break? This week, I did just that in my first ever episode of Coffee Break Book Reviews with Molly Shaffer. If you like books about overcoming extreme hardships, rising above adversity, and growing into your perfect self, then you will love Sharon M. Draper’s New York Times bestseller middle grade novel, Out of My Mind.

Now, sit back, take a sip, and enjoy.

Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. Tune in next week for another episode of Coffee Break Book Reviews with Molly Shaffer. If there is a book you’d like me to review, please put the title of the book in the comments below.

TTFN (Ta Ta For Now)!

Take a quick coffee break with me as I review a great book.

Molly Shaffer 4/16/20 Molly Shaffer 4/16/20

Bunny Tales with Zeb: Episode 3: Part 2 of The Velveteen Rabbit

My son, Sean, and I came up with the idea to host a reading time with our book bunny, Zeb. This week, we are reading part two of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. In this episode, Sean voices Zeb, the Velveteen Rabbit, and the Boy.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Bunny Tales with Zeb.

How can you help?

TTFN!

Ta Ta For Now!

Molly Shaffer 4/16/20 Molly Shaffer 4/16/20

Unstoppable: #ThankfulThursday

Ever since quarantine has kept my family indoors, I have tried to install some sense of normalcy with family movie nights. A few nights ago, we watched the documentary Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, and it was awe inspiring.

Too often, I look at the successes of people with envy, but I don’t see the struggles and obstacles these people faced to get there. I don’t see the rejection, the self-doubt, the countless fails, or the moments of defeat. Instead, I see the finished product, wrapped all together with the perfect glittery bow, but that’s not how success works.

Success comes in waves.

I’ve heard this saying countless times before, but after watching this documentary, I realize how daunting those waves actually are. The waters are deep and dark. The waves are ruthless and unforgiving. One moment, you’re on top of the world, coasting toward your goals. The next moment, the waves have crashed around you, and you don’t know top from bottom. You are crushed on every side, and the rocks are dangerously close. It. Is. Terrifying.

Somehow, you make it out of the swirling water, and you gasp for breath. People tell you to swim for safety, to get out of the path of destruction, and you hear the wisdom in their warnings. You begin to swim away, but then you glance back over your shoulder. Everything you have ever dreamed of sits on top of that colossal wave. You have a choice to make: be safe and swim away, or dare to dream and swim toward uncertainty—such a tough choice.

As I watched Bethany Hamilton swim back toward that savage wave, an awakening began in my soul. I am no surfer, but I am a dreamer. Like Bethany, I have had wave after wave of disappointment, and I have yet to catch my break. Instead, I paddle out, get crushed, find my strength again, and paddle out a little further. It is exhausting.

Then, I watch as the sun glitters on the horizon. The ocean swells, and I see my perfect wave crest in the distance. I don’t think twice. Despite the threat of getting wrecked, despite the fear of failing, I paddle toward that perfect wave, and I hope this time it will be different. I hope, in faith, that I’ll catch my break, at last. I hope that in this place where destiny meets determination, I will finally become unstoppable.

Molly Shaffer 4/15/20 Molly Shaffer 4/15/20

Query Tips from my Agent: #WordWednesday

If you’ve ever wanted to publish a book in the traditional way, one of the first things you must do, after writing and editing your manuscript, is to perfect your query letter. It took me about nine years to secure a literary agent, and I am biased in saying I have the best in the business. So, it’s not shocking that my agent, Jessica Schmeidler (founder of Golden Wheat Literary Agency), was game to give you dear readers three helpful hints to make your query letters shine. She’s kind of epic in that way.

So, without further adieu, here are three tips from my legendary agent on query letters. Huzzah!

Tip One:

When comparing your book to other books out there in your genre, make sure your book comps match your readership or fully explain why you're choosing comps that do not. Book comps help me see where your book will fit into today’s ever changing market. They give me a peek into where you see your books on the shelves and who will read them, so choose wisely.

Tip Two:

Keep your query letter to one page. That will sound obvious to a lot of writers, but it's amazing how many times I get a paragraph that's super informal and feels "thrown together," rather than an actual letter. If I choose to offer representation, we’ll be entering into a professional relationship together; act like a professional. If we end up being buddies that toss gifs at each other three times a day, great, but we're not at that point yet, so stick to professional as your first impression; it goes a long way.

Tip Three:

Make sure the query is from you, the author, not your protagonist—and *especially* not from the POV (point of view) of your book's villain. I won't write a villain back. Period. That's an automatic “no” response from me.

Closing Thoughts: (from me, Molly Shaffer)

Before you write a query letter to your dream agent, make sure you know exactly what they’re interested in. Do your research. Cyberstalk them, if necessary. Often, you get one shot with your book, so make that shot count.

If you’re interested in checking out my agency, or my amazing agent, stop right there. Get your own dang agent… just kidding. Well, sort of. *Wink wink* Click here to stalk, I mean research, her a bit.

Molly Shaffer 4/14/20 Molly Shaffer 4/14/20

Dealing With Negativity: #TruthTuesday

“There is no greater threat to the critics and cynics than those of us who are willing to fall because we have learned how to rise.”

— Brene Brown

Negative people live amongst us. I have fallen victim to them, and so have you. These people manipulate, lie, threaten, and destroy. They tend to pretend. They smile at you and rip you apart the second you walk away. These are the critics. Like Brene Brown says, the people unwilling to get into the arena but are willing to point out your flaws.

Yet, as much as I hate to admit it, we need these people. We need these people to show us who we do not want to become. We need these people to help grow us into better versions of ourselves. Without the critics, or the darkness, how can we see the light? As annoying as a Negative Norman or Nancy can be, they matter. The sad thing is, they don’t even see their own worth. Instead, they alienate the ones who love them. They put up walls of fear and fight against anyone brave enough to take a stand.

Sadly, I have been this type of person before, and perhaps you have, as well. Perhaps you’ve made some mistakes, and you’re allowing shame to guilt you into some ugly circumstances. Perhaps you are scared, and that’s the real reason you lash out. Perhaps you hurt people because you are hurt. You can be a critic, or you can be a contributor. You can continue to tear people down, or you can begin to lift them up. You can allow yourself to be ruled by shame, or you can shake the lies from your head, give yourself a good dose of grace, and begin again.

Whatever the case may be, you have a choice. Every second… every minute… everyday… choices are made. I don’t know about you, but at the end of my life, I want to know I did my best to leave behind a legacy of love and not a chaotic stream of criticism.

Defy the naysayers. Step into the arena. Fail and fall. Then, get back up and rise.

I-want-to-be-able-to-say-that-I-contributed-more-than-I-criticized-1.jpg

Molly Shaffer 4/13/20 Molly Shaffer 4/13/20

Coffee Break Book Reviews with Molly Shaffer

So, if you know anything about me, you know that I am obsessed with coffee and books. In fact, one of my greatest dreams is to make a living drinking bold coffee, reading all the words, and writing great books. Today, I made part of this dream a reality. Every Monday, I plan on reviewing books while taking a much needed coffee break on my YouTube channel. If this sounds like something you’re interested in too, click subscribe to my YouTube channel and tune in by noon for your next quick fix.

Molly Shaffer 4/10/20 Molly Shaffer 4/10/20

Bunny Tales with Zeb: Episode 2: Part 1 of The Velveteen Rabbit

My son, Sean, and I came up with the idea to host a reading time with our book bunny, Zeb. This week, we are reading part one of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. In this episode, Sean voices Zeb and the Velveteen Rabbit. Plus, today is Sean’s 12th birthday. Please join me in wishing him a Hoppy Birthday! (See what I did there?)

We hope you enjoy this episode of Bunny Tales with Zeb.

How can you help?

TTFN, dear readers.

Episode 2: Part 1 of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams… — Episode 2: Part 1 of *The Velveteen Rabbit* by Margery Williams…

Molly Shaffer 4/9/20 Molly Shaffer 4/9/20

I Am Not Okay: #Thankful Thursday

This statement is so powerful: to admit that you’re not okay and to work through the awful paralyzing feelings that torment you… this is true strength.

I am not okay. I have not been okay for weeks. My anxiety is ruthless, and my depression is darker than it has been in years. Ugly, foul thoughts spiral in my head, so much so that I feel like I’m drowning in a wave of despair. And yet…

And yet, I watch the sun peek through the shadowy storm clouds, as if to say, “Hello, dear friend, I’ve missed you.”

And yet, I sit on the phone for hours with my aunt and my sister, crying about the worries that we are all feeling. The tears pour steadily, but so does the laughter, and by the end of the phone calls, I feel like I can take another step.

And yet, I reach out to embrace my husband, and he holds me as the pieces of my soul attempt to combust. He holds me, and I cry, for the fifth time since Saturday. He holds me until my body goes a bit limp, and then he gets me a blanket and my favorite tea. He tells me I’m beautiful, despite my ragged knotted hair and swollen eyes. He isn’t being accommodating, he is loving me at my weakest because he loves me at my best, too.

And yet, my dog snuggles into my side, as if to say, “I know you are not okay, so let me give you some of my joy.” And it works, Lord, how that precious soul makes me feel loved.

I am not okay, and yet, I am. I am okay because this storm will pass, as they always do. The sun will continue to peek through the gloomy clouds, and perhaps a rainbow will shine brightly over head: a living reminder of a promise God once gave. A promise to say, one day, when this dark season passes, I will reflect prismatic light over you, once again.

I hold onto that promise, like a pinky curling into my own. I take another breath, bow my heavy head, and I allow myself to not be okay.

Molly Shaffer 4/8/20 Molly Shaffer 4/8/20

There Are Voices in My Head: #WordWednesday

This clip from the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas about Charles Dickens as he writes A Christmas Carol is a great portrayal of what it is like to have characters living inside of your mind.

Though this scene is more dramatic than what I experience, I can attest that I have characters living around me. Some of these characters are like lifelong friends, and when they are done telling their stories and move on, I mourn their absences like I would a loved one. There are also characters that haunt me. Characters that give me nightmares, and every time they speak, they send shivers up my spine. People may say I have an overactive imagination, but I say, I have the mind of an artist: creative and wild.

When I was little, I had imaginary friends I talked with often to entertain myself. I was the student teachers placed in a desk far away from other classmates because I refused to pay attention. I have ADHD, and though I have struggled with attention my entire life, I feel it was something else that captivated my mind. I would invent stories about twisted trees holding fairy gardens that could only be accessed by an ancient key, and to find this magical key, I had to go on a quest in my backyard. These were the stories I told myself as I walked home from elementary school in the second grade. Stories reminiscent of my favorite movie at the time, The Neverending Story.

As a child, my family dismissed my active imagination, and it often got me into trouble. When I was supposed to do a chore, I always turned it into an epic adventure, and if an adult called for me, I seldom heard them. I loved the world I built inside of my head. A world where I was a heroine. A world where magic was real, and evil always succumbed to good. A world so far removed from my childhood.

Now that I am an adult, I can look back on this brave little girl with fondness. She dared to tell stories, even when she was labeled as strange or weird. She held lands within her mind that most people could never fathom, and yet, they were her sanctuaries. When children were mean, as they often are, she would invent her own friends. When adults wanted her to get her head out of the clouds, as they often do, she would nod her head all the while flying through the sky on a reading rainbow. She chose stories, and she still does.

Characters are my gift. They whisper words I fear to say. They speak unspeakable truths the world needs to hear. They are portraits painted in words of who we really are and who we long to become. Without characters, without stories, really, we are nothing more than boring. I don’t know about you, but I am grateful for characters, even the ones that terrify me. For they are, and have always been, my greatest friends of all.

Molly Shaffer 4/7/20 Molly Shaffer 4/7/20

If You’re Anxious and You Know It Raise Your Hand: #TruthTuesday

Anxiety is something that has plagued me since I was a kid, though back then we didn’t have a name for it. Instead, I was called a worrier, and often I would stay up late at night stressing about things that were beyond my control: groceries, rent, my dad. Truth be told, my sister and I had a lot to worry about as kids. Since our mother passed away when I was nine months and my sister was five, we never had a truly stable childhood. We were forced to grow up too soon and share the burdens of living without a parent. So, anxiety, well, it’s not a new concept for me, but perhaps it’s a new one for you. Maybe being quarantined during a pandemic is enough to bring anxiety to the most confident of hearts. If that’s the case, here are a few tips from someone who struggles daily with anxiety.

Stop the What If Scenarios:

If you’re anxious, it is probably because you’re spending too much time worrying about the infamous What Ifs.

What if I get sick?
What if my family gets sick?
What if we’re already sick?

Sound familiar? I struggled with these what if scenarios before COVID—19, and I continue to struggle with them now. So, how do I stop these burdens from controlling me? I stop asking myself what if questions and begin affirming even if statements.

Even if I am stuck at home, I have food and shelter.
Even if I come in contact with the virus, this doesn’t mean I will get sick.
Even if I am sick, this doesn’t mean I will die.

Even if thinking helps to pull me out of the spiral mentality and deal with my anxiety head on. If I don’t force myself to deal with what is plaguing my mind, the what if scenarios can go on for days, preventing me from getting any real rest. Though it may seem counterproductive, forcing myself to face my fears has allowed me to walk through some of the darkest moments in my life.

Even if I die, I am a believer in life after death. Even if… God is still good.

Read the Truth:

Like I stated above, I am a believer, and God’s word has given me countless opportunities for peace despite my circumstances. I can’t tell you how many times I have opened my Bible and read exactly what I needed to calm my weary soul, or a faithful friend sends me a verse via text message. Though I have very dark days, and there are moments when I feel like the darkness is going to win, dear reader, it doesn’t win. It can’t win when you’re anchored to the truth.

The truth is, “…God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)
The truth is, “When doubt filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” (Psalms 94:19 NLT)
The truth is, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
The truth is, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
The truth is, God’s got this. He always has, and he always will.

Do Something for Someone in Need:

When I am filled with anxiety, I tend to focus on myself, my family, and our immediate needs. This isn’t necessarily bad, but if that’s all I’m focusing on, then the what if scenarios begin. Instead of allowing myself to go down that mindless loop of fear, I begin thinking about other people.

How can I help my neighbors during this pandemic?
How can I give to others when I’m supposed to stay home?

To be honest, I’ve had to get creative. One of the things I’ve done is bake chocolate chip cookies for my neighbors and attach a note containing my cell phone number. If they need anything, I will do my best to help them. This has brought us closer as a neighborhood, and people have texted my family who never would have previously. I’ve dropped off groceries to help people in need and prayed for countless others, especially our essential workers. Doing these little acts of kindness has turned a time that should terrify me into a call to service.

In Closing:

I could look at COVID—19 and say, “You’re too big, I’m too small, and I can’t do anything to stop you,” and I’d be right… except for one thing: COVID—19 has nothing on my God. My God is bigger than this pandemic. My God is moving despite this crisis, and I am going to choose to live in faith over fear.

Of course, I will do this while social distancing, six feet away from you, or better yet, as I stay at home and do my part to stop the spread. Anxiety is a beast, but so am I, and I will not allow it to prevent me from living my best life. Even if…

Molly Shaffer 4/6/20 Molly Shaffer 4/6/20

ELA Lessons Grades 6-8: Week 4

Once a week, typically on Mondays, I’ll post lessons for middle school students. Each lesson will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. I will provide structured education for different levels of learning, send links for online resources, and once a month, I’ll send out a newsletter, story, or quick tips to those subscribed to my website. Interested? Then, keep on reading…

Grammar:

Each day, you (the student, that is) will need to complete a grammar sentence. We will focus, primarily, on parts of speech.

My suggestion, for students who perform better on the computer, is to copy the sentences below into a Google/Word document. Then, work on them from your computer.
If you’d rather write this out by hand, be my guest. You will need a yellow and green crayon or highlighter, though.

By the way, if the sentences look familiar, don’t freak out. I will use the same sentences each week, so you can build on the grammar steps. Now, let’s go.

Step 1: Find the articles in the sentences below. Highlight the article in yellow. Articles are the words A, An, The. Their job is to tell you when a noun is coming in the sentence.

Step 2: Find the nouns connected to the articles. Make note do not find all of the nouns in the sentence: just the ones connected to the articles. Once you have found the nouns connected to the articles, highlight those nouns green.

Step 3: highlight the adjective in between the yellow and the green. The adjective should be highlighted light blue.

Step 4: find the prepositions in the sentence and highlight them purple. Then put parentheses around the front of the preposition and it’s closest noun (green). These are called the prepositional phrases. (Preposition & closest noun)

The house was built on a large hill next to the high school. (Monday)
An elephant sat on the bale of hay near the circus tent. (Tuesday)
The last cookie sat in the container on the kitchen counter. (Wednesday)
A small dog ran in the front yard of an apartment complex. (Thursday)
Create your own sentence and highlight the articles in yellow. (Friday)

*Quiz for understanding: Grab the book you are going to read this week for silent reading. Count the number of articles you can find in the first paragraph. Ask your mom, dad, or guardian to quiz you on whether you got the correct number of articles in that paragraph. Well done, brilliant student. Well done.

Discussion: Summary Writing

Choose an article or video here and summarize it. Then, ask yourself the questions below. After you have answered those questions, write a 7 sentence summary on the article you read. Click here to watch a video on determining the main idea of a text.

Who/what is the article/video about?
What is the problem?
Where and when is the article taking place or written?
Why is the article important for readers?
How is the problem solved, or is the problem solved? Is there a solution posed?

TOPIC/IVF Sentence: To begin your summary, you will need a topic sentence, or what we like to call an IVF sentence. I stands for identify what you read or watched along with the main character. V stands for verb it. F stands for finish the thought. Here is an example below…

Identify: In the online article about dehydrated fruit on the National Geographic website, the author
Verb it: discusses
Finish the thought: how dehydrated fruit is nature’s candy.
Now, take what you wrote for your IVF sentence, and make it the first sentence of your summary. Example below…

IVF/TOPIC Sentence: In the online article about dehydrated fruit on the National Geographic website, the author discusses how dehydrated fruit is nature’s candy.

Conclusion: Your conclusion sentence is almost exactly like your IVF sentence, except reworded. (Flip the order backwards.)

Example: In conclusion, the author discusses how dehydrated fruit is nature’s candy in the online article about dehydrated fruit on the National Geographic website.

Draft it: Remember the questions you answered above? Those will become the meat and potatoes of your paragraph. Remember, an objective summary only wants you to list the important facts. So, keep your opinions out of the paragraph.

Edit: Go through the paragraph and check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Once you think this is all squared away. You’re ready for the next step.

Revise: Now, that you have a very rough draft of your summary, read it out loud, and see where you’d like to add some transition words (to begin with, furthermore, finally). Check to make sure the paragraph is how you want it to sound. Then, have someone else in your family read through it and offer suggestions. Once you have the paragraph where you want it, it’s time for the next step.

Final Draft: I always suggest typing out your final draft. I also suggest using MLA format when you’re typing. Click here to see an example of MLA formatting.

Grading: You can grade yourself. How cool is that? Use this quick rubric or choose one of these rubrics and make a Google copy. These rubrics will help you determine your grade on this summary writing exercise.

Silent Reading:

Every day, I’d like you to read for 20-30 minutes. After you read, create something based off of your reading. You can

Journal using the summarization questions above.
Draw a picture representing what you read.
Write a letter to a character in the book.
Discuss what you read with your parents.
Create a Google Slideshow of your reading for the week.
The options are endless.

Fun Friday:

If you finished all of your work for the week, you deserve a chance for a little fun. In my 7th grade ELA class, we have Fun Friday every week.

We play educational games online (Kahoot, Nitro Type, Quizizz).
A lot of the time we play board games. Who’s up for a Connect Four Tournament? Anyone?

Helpful Hints to Form Good Habits:

Break up your work in twenty-thirty minute increments, and give yourself a treat after a lesson (like twenty-thirty minutes of playing a video game).
Make sure that you only give yourself a treat for the same amount of time you work for, or else you will form a bad habit of wasting time.

Hopefully this was helpful. Comment below to let me know what you think, or if you have questions you would like me to address in the monthly newsletter. TTFN (Ta Ta For Now).

Molly Shaffer 4/3/20 Molly Shaffer 4/3/20

Bunny Tales with Zeb: #FictionFriday

Since I write a middle grade series about a zombie rabbit, I wanted a bunny to help me understand what it is like to care for them. So, this past summer, our family rescued a gray fox bunny named Zebedee. He has brought so much joy to our lives with his floppy ears, wiggly nose, sweet kisses, and silly binkies. If you’ve never seen a bunny binky before, click here. It is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen, but nothing compares to seeing it in person.

Bunny Tales with Zeb: Episode 1

My son, Sean, and I came up with the idea to host a reading time with our book bunny, Zeb, and this week, we are reading Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. Sean wrote the script for the video, planned it out, and voices Zeb. Pretty awesome for an eleven-year-old, if I do say so myself. We hope you enjoy our video.

How can you help?

Now, I’m hungry for carrot cake. Anyone else? No, just me… figures. TTFN, dear readers.

Zebedee, Zeb for short, spending snuggle time with his favorite humans.

Molly Shaffer 4/2/20 Molly Shaffer 4/2/20

#ThankfulThursdays: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes… MMM!

I have an incredible husband, and we are raising amazing kids. One of my greatest blessings is doing life with these perfectly imperfect humans, and being in quarantine with three of my six favorite people in the world is creating some of the best #MOMents of my life. So, today, I’d like to take a minute to count my blessings, and one of them is making breakfast with my husband.

My husband and I love to make breakfast together on the weekends with fluffy pancakes, over medium fried eggs, and strong coffee. Now that we are in quarantine, we get to make breakfast together every day. Our kids have tried countless flapjack recipes: from oat cakes to Keto crepes, we’ve tried them all. Today, I had a hankering for cinnamon rolls, but since we’re in quarantine, and I don’t want to wait for homemade cinnamon rolls to rise and shine, I searched Google for an alternative. That’s when I found this gem of a recipe. It is divine, y’all.

If you get a chance to make this recipe, I’d seriously suggest clicking the link above or below (I put it in two places for extra credit). There are some incredible tips from Tastes of Lizzy T that were super helpful. Alright, without further adieu, here’s my #ThankfulThursday recipe. All credit goes to tastesoflizzyt.com. Seriously, thank you for these decadent treats.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Ingredients

Cinnamon Filling:

1/4 cup unsalted butter just barely melted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pancakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons oil
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2- ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Instructions

For the cinnamon filling:

In a bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a Ziploc bag and set it aside so that the mixture thickens a bit.
For the maple cream cheese glaze:
In the microwave, soften the butter and cream cheese. Mix these two together until they are smooth. Then add in the powdered sugar and maple extract. Stir until smooth and then set aside.
For the pancakes:
Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder.
Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. Do not overmix. It's ok if there are a few lumps. They'll cook out during cooking.
To make the pancakes, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop about 1/2 a cup of batter onto the hot pan.
Take the Ziploc bag of sugar mixture and snip the corner of the bag. Squeeze the filling to the open corner.
When the pancake starts forming bubbles on the top, squeeze the filling onto the pancake in a swirl, starting in the center and working your way out. Be careful not to get too close to the edge of the pancake. Cook for another minute or two, until the other side of the pancake is golden brown. Quickly flip the pancake over and cook it for another minute or two, until the other side of the pancake is golden brown. When you flip the pancake back onto a plate, you'll see the pretty cinnamon roll swirl!
Before you put more pancakes on the griddle, wipe the pan with a wet cloth to get all of the sticky sugar off. Do this between each batch of pancakes. Repeat these steps until all of the batter is used!
Once your pancakes are done, you can drizzle them with the maple cream cheese glaze.

Nutrition

Molly Shaffer 4/1/20 Molly Shaffer 4/1/20

#WordWednesday: How do you come up with a story idea?

This is a question I get asked all of the time, and the answer isn’t an easy one. Below, I’ll list three ways I come up with story ideas. Hopefully, this helps you come up with a few ideas of your own.

What’s Trending?

I like to stay up-to-date on what is currently trending in the genre that I write. If middle school kids are obsessed with slime, that’s so 2019, then, perhaps I should write a book where slime is a main character. I seriously have written this book. It is the second book in one of my middle grade series, and it all began with my son’s slime addiction.

Netflix is also a great source for me to identify what is trending. I swear this is research. At least, that’s what I tell my husband (wink. wink.). In all seriousness, though, I click on what’s hot in romance or young adult angsty (not a word) dramas. Then, I binge watch the series—all in the name of research, of course—and it helps my brain start popping and fizzing.

“Double, double, toil and trouble;/ Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” Oh, wait, that’s not my brain working. That’s Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Duh.

Pray About It:

Before I begin writing any book, I pray for direction. I didn’t always do this, though. Before 2010, I used to only write books that I knew were trendy, and those books don’t have the same authenticity as the books I currently write. Yes, as I stated above, it’s important to be on trend, but it’s also important to remember your reason for writing.

My personal reason for writing books is to honor God with the talent he gave me. So, if I get this awesome book idea, I don’t just instantly start writing the dang thing. Instead, I pray about it. Then, if I still feel the urge to write the book, I talk with some trusted advisors (my agent, my husband, a handful of friends, and sometimes my children), and I ask them if they think this story has roots to grow. If they like the idea, I start crafting a quick plot. If I can fill up an entire page of ideas, I know this story has feet to run, so to speak. Do as my elementary school idol did: pray. Thanks, MC Hammer.

Dream On:

Often, I have dreams that feel way too real for words. Though these dreams feel real, the content is just plain weird: like my students throwing their desks and refusing to open their textbooks while a man in a hockey mask chases me around my classroom with a chainsaw (this is seriously a recurring dream of mine).

Then, there are times when my dreams are epic, and I have to get up as soon as possible to write down the idea before I lose it. This happened just a month ago. I was stuck in the middle of one of my sweet romances, and I needed direction on where to go next. That night, I prayed for guidance, and then I had this amazing dream that totally fixed the entire plot of my book. I won’t share the dream with you because I’d give away the book’s twist, but let me tell you, it is AWESOME!

Closing Time:

To sum it up, there are loads of ways for authors to come up with book ideas. Maybe music floats your boat. In fact, every book I write has its own playlist. Whatever the muse, I feel it’s altogether important to stay true to your reason for writing. If you’re writing to make millions, as many people do, you’ll quickly find out, that writers are typically starving artists. Many of us don’t write the words for the money, though we do like to eat and all. Most authors have other jobs, and some have more than one. (These folks are bosses!)

We write because it is our art. We write because it is the very beating of our hearts. (Edgar Allan Poe, watch out!) We write because we can’t think straight when we don’t. We write because we were created to do so, and that is the point, dear readers. Write the dang words because you were given a story to tell. Now, get out there and tell your story.

Write on, word nerds. Write on…

Molly Shaffer 3/30/20 Molly Shaffer 3/30/20

ELA Lessons for Grades 6-8: Week 3

Step-by-step directions for this lesson:

Grammar: (Steps 1-3)

Each day, you (the student, that is) will need to complete a grammar sentence. We will focus, primarily, on parts of speech.

My suggestion, for students who perform better on the computer, is to copy the sentences below into a Google/Word document. Then, work on them from your computer.
If you’d rather write this out by hand, be my guest. You will need a yellow and green crayon or highlighter, though.

By the way, if the sentences look familiar, don’t freak out. I will use the same sentences each week, so you can build on the grammar steps. Now, let’s go.

Step 1: Find the articles in the sentences below. Highlight the article in yellow. Articles are the words A, An, The. Their job is to tell you when a noun is coming in the sentence.

Step 3: Highlight, in light blue, the adjectives in between the yellow and the green.

The house was built on a large hill next to the high school. (Monday)
An elephant sat on the bale of hay near the circus tent. (Tuesday)
The last cookie sat in the container on the kitchen counter. (Wednesday)
A small dog ran in the front yard of an apartment complex. (Thursday)
Create your own sentence and highlight the articles in yellow. (Friday)

Discussion: Theme of a Poem

Read the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. If you watch the video above, I have read an excerpt of the video aloud.

Key Vocabulary for this lesson (these are my own personal definitions)

Subject- what/who the poem is about
Theme- the message the author is trying to convey about the subject
Speaker- the narrator of the poem
Stanza- the paragraphs of the poem
Line- each line of written words in a poem
Repetition- something repeated that is important to the theme of the poem
Rhyme Scheme- how the lines rhyme at the end
Internal Rhyme- rhyming within the line of the poem

Theme: What is the message of this poem?

Before we find the theme, we need to find the subject. What is being repeated over and over again?

Hopefully you said, “I rise.”

The subject is rising. The theme is the message the author is giving about rising. What is the speaker of the poem rising above?

Hopefully you said something similar to rising above hardships or difficult times.

Now, we’re going to take this theme and support it with evidence from the poem.

Supporting Evidence: USe lines from the poem to prove the theme.

You need to find three lines from the poem to support the following theme: to rise above hardships and difficulties. Which three lines from the poem best prove this theme? Explain how each of these lines best proves this theme.

Paragraph Format: This is how I’d like you to write your seven sentence paragraph this week.

Begin with an IVF sentence and the theme.
Write your first piece of evidence.
Explain how that evidence proves the theme.
Write your second piece of evidence.
Explain how that evidence proves the theme.
Write your final piece of evidence.
Explain how that evidence proves the theme.
Conclude your paragraph by restating the theme.

Identify: In the poem, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, the theme
Verb it: suggests
Finish the thought: how the speaker of the poem must rise above hardships and uncertain times.
Now, take what you wrote for your IVF sentence, and make it the first sentence of your summary. Example below…

IVF/TOPIC Sentence: In the poem, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, the theme suggests how the speaker of the poem must rise above hardships and uncertain times.

Conclusion: Your conclusion sentence is almost exactly like your IVF sentence, except reworded. (Flip the order backwards.)

Example: In conclusion, the theme suggests how the speaker of the poem must rise above hardships and uncertain times in the poem, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou.

Paragraph Scaffolding:

If you’re still stuck, use these sentence frames to help you complete this paragraph.

In the poem “______” by _______, the theme of the poem is ___________________. To begin with, the evidence from line # says, “______________.” This evidence proves the theme because _______________________________________________. Furthermore, the evidence from line # says, “______________.” This evidence proves the theme because _____ ___________________. Finally, the evidence from line # says, “______________.” This evidence proves the theme because _______________________________________________________. In conclusion, the theme of the poem, “______,” by _________, clearly is _________ based upon the evidence discussed above.

Draft, Edit, Revise, Final draft, Grade it:

Draft it: Remember the paragraph format from above? This will become the meat and potatoes of your paragraph.

Edit: Go through the paragraph and check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Once you think this is all squared away. You’re ready for the next step.

Final Draft: I always suggest typing out your final draft. I also suggest using MLA format when you’re typing. Click here to see an example of MLA formatting.

Teacher Example:

Read through this teacher example to see how your paragraph should be formatted. Please do not just copy my example. Make sure to write your own.

In the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, the theme of the poem is to rise above difficulties and hardships. To begin with, the evidence from lines 3-4 says, “You may trod me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” This evidence proves the theme because though the speaker has been stomped on by some enemy, he or she rises above the negativity, like dust. Furthermore, the evidence from lines 9-12 says, “Just like moons and like suns,/ With the certainty of tides,/ Just like hopes springing high,/Still I rise.” This evidence proves the theme because the speaker is rising up above uncertainty and compares this rise to the rising of the sun, moon, and ocean tides. Finally, the evidence from stanza 5 shows how the speaker must rise above certain attack. These lines show that people will say and do horrible things to one another, but that we, as readers, should rise above the hate and be better. In conclusion, the theme of the poem, “Still I Rise,” by Maya Angelou, clearly is about rising above hatred and hardships based upon the evidence discussed above.

Silent Reading:

Every day, I’d like you to read for 20-30 minutes. After you read, create something based off of your reading. You can

Journal using the summarization questions above.
Draw a picture representing what you read.
Write a letter to a character in the book.
Discuss what you read with your parents.
Create a Google Slideshow of your reading for the week.
The options are endless.

Fun Friday:

If you finished all of your work for the week, you deserve a chance for a little fun. In my 7th grade ELA class, we have Fun Friday every week.

We play educational games online (Kahoot, Nitro Type, Quizizz).
A lot of the time we play board games. Who’s up for a Connect Four Tournament? Anyone?

Helpful Hints to Form Good Habits:

Break up your work in twenty-thirty minute increments, and give yourself a treat after a lesson (like twenty-thirty minutes of playing a video game).
Make sure that you only give yourself a treat for the same amount of time you work for, or else you will form a bad habit of wasting time.

Hopefully this was helpful. Comment below to let me know what you think, or if you have questions you would like me to address in the monthly newsletter. TTFN (Ta Ta For Now).

Molly Shaffer 3/25/20 Molly Shaffer 3/25/20

#WordWednesday: How do you write a book?

This is a question I get asked often. Typically, it is asked by people who want to write books but don’t know where to start. So, I’ll give you a few helpful tips about how to start writing a book, not that I know all of the methods, but since I’ve written 14 novels while teaching, momming (not a word), and wifing (also, not a word), I think I know a little something-something.

Read ALL the Books:

Okay, so I know this isn’t writing, but it’s prepping. Kind of like what many people should have done in regards to buying toilet paper before the crazy toilet paper fiasco of COVID—19 occured. All jokes aside, if you want to write well, you have to put in your time and read, and not just for enjoyment, either. Read as an author, which is a totally different experience. Think about the genre you’d like to write in (sweet romance, children’s picture books, non-fiction self-help, the list is endless), and look at the bestsellers in this category. Choose a few, or fifty, books from the list and get to reading. Then, ask yourself the questions below, and hopefully your answers will help you begin to formulate what you’d like to write.

How do these authors structure their books?
Do they begin with a quote to evoke thought, a flashback, flash forward, dream sequence, or witty anecdote?
How many chapters are in the book? Pages? Words per page? Words in general? (Each genre of writing has its own word count. Click here to see what I’m talking about.)
Do the chapters have a rhythm or pattern (anecdote, lesson, application)?
What kind of voice draws you in (snarky, quirky, authentic, serious, funny, or a mixture of them all)?

Don’t Be Afraid to Write Your Truth:

Too often, people want to write a story, but they don’t have a story to tell, or they’re too scared to tell the story they want to tell. I get it. I’ve been there. For years, I circled the drain and wrote a version of the story I wanted to tell: the story of losing my mom and growing up without her. I didn’t want to hurt the people I loved by telling the story closest to my heart. So, what did I do? I wrote stories anyway. Stories about zombie rabbits and time travel. Then, one day, I thought, I should just write my truth. I don’t have to publish it if I don’t want to, and so I did. After I wrote that story, the proverbial dam broke, and I was able to write in an entirely new genre (sweet romance). So, write what’s closest to your heart. You don’t have to publish it. Just write the dang thing.

Set Aside Time:

So, maybe you have a great story, and you’ve done all the prepping/reading in your genre. Now, it’s time to sit down and write the next bestseller, right? Probably not. You’re probably going to suck a bit, and that’s okay, too. You may not even be able to write an entire page without feeling like a huge pile of dung. That’s okay, too. Really, it is. The most important thing is to set time aside each day to write, even if it’s just a sentence. Write: one word at a time. Let the story shape itself. If you must plot it out, known as a plotter in the writing world, then plot it out. If you want to fly by the seat of your pants, known as an panster in the writing world, then fly by those pretty little pants. If you want a mixture of both, known as a planster, then mix away, friend. Here’s the formula that I’ve used to write every novel:

Sit at the computer every day.
Turn on said computer.
Write the dang words.
Repeat often.

Let’s Publish this Sucker:

“I’ve written all of the words, now, I’m ready to be a bestseller.”

This is typically what a lot of new writers think. They have this new little book baby, and they just know everyone in the world will pay millions to read it. MILLIONS! All that stands in the way is getting it published. So, why aren’t the publishers pounding on your door? Hold your horses, J.K. Rowling.

There is a process you will follow. Not everyone’s process is the same, but you have a few decisions to make. Do you want to self publish your book to keep more of the royalties or go a more traditional route? Great, get ready to market like you’ve never marketed before.

“Wait, what do you mean by market?”

I’m so glad you asked, dear reader. Regardless of what route you take (indie publishing, traditional, or a hybrid of the two), you will be expected to sell your book. You will be expected to treat your book like a business because… well… it is a business. In short, before you publish that sucker, you need to do some research. Here’s a great website/podcast to help you with that, especially if you want to go the indie publishing route.

Prep to Submit:

Regardless of what route you take, there is a process before you submit your book.

Edit and revise that gem. If you have the funds, hire a professional editor to go through your book. You need to look at your work as an investment, so don’t skimp on this step.
Put the work in. Make that gem shine. Don’t get caught up in your ego. Make changes. Make it better.
Get some BETA readers. These are readers in the age group you plan to market for your book. I don’t suggest friends, unless they are honest and have no problem telling you what needs to change. I do suggest getting involved in critique groups. There are a lot on FaceBook (Sub It Club is fantastic).
If you want to go the traditional or hybrid route, start researching some literary agents you would like to represent you. Draft a query letter (click here for tips on query letters) and make sure to read the guidelines for submission for each agent. There’s this fabulous thing call manuscript wishlist (MSWL), too. I’d check this out before submitting to any agent.
Develop a tough skin. You’re going to be told no, sometimes painfully, but please make note of each rejection. If you can get past the pain, these rejections can grow you as a writer. Remember NO means Next Opportunity. Mind blown?

Closing Thoughts:

This was a lot of information. Please know that I plan on giving helpful hints each Wednesday. Learn from my fourteen years of mistakes. If you have any specific questions, leave a comment below, and I’ll answer them next #WordWednesday. TTFN!