Elements and People
My novels, On and Wing and a Dare, and its sequel, In the Winds of Danger, contain a belief system based on the four elements of earth, air, water, and fire. I created this belief system myself, but it is based on some pre-Christian religions.
An air person is a dreamer. They live life in pursuit of dreams. In my novels, air people tend to want to become riders of the winged horses, which brings them into the clouds. Air people innovate, create new things, break traditons.
Earth people, on the other hand, are nurturing. They tend children or gardens in my books, and some care for the winged horses. The process of planting, weeding, watering, and feeding a plant is rewarding to an earth person.
Water people flow from idea to idea like a stream changing direction in flood. Sometimes they are seen as wishy-washy or without backbone, but I prefer to see them as flexible. They can adapt to new ideas or new leaders. Even so, the water people in my books are rarely leaders.
The last element, fire, represents passion. No one is considered a fire person, rather they live their lives trying to control their fire. Fire can be extremely dangerous, as can passion. Any person who follows their dreams to the exclusion of their responsibilities is in danger of being consumed by their fiery passion.
The strongest people of all are those who are able to balance their passion with their responsibilities. Many years ago, when my sons were teenagers, I remember discussing this with them. I didn’t mind if they played video games. I was proud of them working while going to school. I constantly reminded them to do their homework. It was a balance—play, school, work—that needed to be maintained for healthy relationships and a well-rounded life.
My hope is that my readers will learn something about themselves while they enjoy the stories I have created. Go forward and strike a balance in your own life. You will be stronger and happier for it.
About the Author:
Her first novel, ON A WING AND A DARE, was published in 2012. It is a Young Adult fantasy set in medieval Wales, complete with flying horses, a love triangle, and treachery. It’s sequel, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER, will be released in March, 2013.
Linda Ulleseit was born and raised in Saratoga, California. She currently lives in the Evergreen area of San Jose with her husband. They have two adult sons and two yellow Labrador puppies. She enjoys cooking, cross-stitching, reading, and spending time with her family.
Linda is a sixth grade teacher at James Franklin Smith Elementary School, where her students were some of the early reviewers of her books. She loves teaching writing and has published several anthologies of student work. Her favorite subject is writing, and her students get a lot of practice scribbling stories and essays. Someday Linda hopes to see books written by former students alongside hers in bookstores.
As a child, Linda always loved to write. She took her first creative writing course in seventh grade, accumulating a closet full of stories that she never showed anyone until 2007. At that time, she gave the first draft of a flying horse book to a teacher colleague to read.
ON A WING AND A DARE began as a NaNoWriMo novel in 2009. It was revised with the help of reviewers on thenextbigwriter.com over the next two years. For NaNo 2011, Linda drafted the sequel, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER.
Linda is a sixth grade teacher at James Franklin Smith Elementary School, where her students were some of the early reviewers of her books. Her favorite subject is writing, and her students get a lot of practice scribbling stories and essays. Someday Linda hopes to see books written by former students alongside hers in bookstores.
As a child, Linda always loved to write. She took her first creative writing course in seventh grade, accumulating a closet full of stories that she never showed anyone until 2007. At that time, she gave the first draft of a flying horse book to a teacher colleague to read. ON A WING AND A DARE began as a NaNoWriMo novel in 2009. It was revised with the help of reviewers on thenextbigwriter.com over the next two years. For NaNo 2011, Linda drafted the sequel, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER.
Linda took her first creative writing course in seventh grade, accumulating a closet full of stories that she never showed anyone until 2007, when she was already involved in a career as a teacher. Currently Linda is a fifth/sixth grade teacher at James Franklin Smith Elementary School, where her students are some of the early reviewers of her books. Her favorite subject is writing, and her students get a lot of practice scribbling stories and essays. Blending her passions for history and fantasy, Linda wrote On a Wing and a Dare, which is set in medieval Wales and features teenagers saving a herd of flying horses. The second book in the series, In the Winds of Danger, is due out March 1, 2013. Linda lives in San Jose, California with her husband, two adult sons, and two young yellow Labrador retrievers. When she’s not writing or teaching, Linda loves to cook, cross-stitch, and read.
Free this weekend only: Wings over Tremeirchson
No comments:
Post a Comment