the courage that comes from happy endings ~
For every tree-climbing, riddle-sharing, bright eyed child, there will come a day when the grief of this world become real.
They'll realize that the dragons in fairy tales are real, and that they have sharp claws.
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Let us, then, give them stories—bright, brave, beautiful stories of conquered dragons and light-filled halls, so that even their despair is shot through with this hope:
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The dragons are real, and the heroes are too.
Hear ye, hear ye:
You and I are living in a story.
And it's an exciting one. There are dragons to conquer. There are people to love. There are whole worlds to discover. And the "further up and further in" that we go, the more wonders we find.
But some books only get part of it right. Some are exciting, full of quests and swords and mysterious forests. . . but they forget that things like forgiveness and doing what's right are all part of that adventure.
And the ones that get that bit right? Well... sometimes they're just boring. (Even authors can say that.) They know what's right, but instead of being invited on an adventure, you feel like someone just handed you a chore list.
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I believe that virtue is the greatest adventure any of us can go on—and I'm writing books that believe it too.
If your family loves books with...
adventure
integrity
wonder
friendship
...then do I have a story for you.
Hey! I'm Karissa.
I grew up running through Indiana cornfields, climbing French alps, and exploring the West African savanna.
Now I write stories of wonder and home for kids to get lost in: quests chock-full of sneaky dragons, juggling jesters, and age-old virtue.
(I also eat brownies, just because.)
be the first to hear updates ~
Authors are somewhat like wandering bards: prone to telling stories and always on terribly long trips on winding roads.
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(The road is called the publishing industry, and it's full of cliffs. And bandits.)
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But like any respectable road, there are lamp-lit inns along the way. Here the bard can stop, take out his lute, and tell a story.
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This email list is my place to muse about stories, give recommendations for family read-alouds, and bring updates from the wide and wonderful world of publishing.
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I would love to have you join!