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College campus tours and surprising observations from resilience expert Elizabeth Van Tassel

What Surprised Me The Most With College Tours (part two)

Sep 5, 2019

Welcome to Thorn & Vine blog and a special dual post about what we learned from our college tours this summer. If you missed the first article, find it HERE all about key Do’s and Don’ts to prepare you for the tours. This week, we’re focusing on things that really took my breath away or pleasantly surprised me on the trips we took. One crazy thing, you’ll NEVER believe – or maybe you will? I sure didn’t…is below. What surprised me the most? How important SATs are for admission and also for scholarship consideration. I knew they were considered, of… 

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My Top Dos and Don’ts for College Tours

Aug 30, 2019

My Top Dos and Don’ts for College Tours With the school year starting and some families having older sons and daughters reaching for college hopes and dreams, it’s time to get ready to have a smooth transition. After visiting several colleges, and receiving great advice from friends who’ve already walked this path, I’m sharing tips for college visits you won’t want to miss. Why am I posting this? My favorite thing, besides good books and pretty places or jewelry, is to find resources and help families. With all we’ve survived and persevered through as wildfire survivors it has created a… 

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Author Elizabeth Van Tassel in front of the Millenium Falcon from Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland

Story comes to life at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland

Jun 23, 2019

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland When I was a tween the original Star Wars debuted and we stood in line in the hot sun for two hours to see it opening weekend, then stayed for three showings with my father and brother. It was so magical. I remember my younger brother playing with the action figures under the Christmas tree. We were all drawn into the story. As a college student, I competed nationally one summer for a marketing/public relations internship with Lucasfilm and got to see the amazing ranch in my hometown of Marin, California. It was thrilling…. 

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Archer at sunrise with author Elizabeth Van Tassel

That Robin Hood Moment

May 30, 2019

As the school year draws to a close, and summer thoughts dazzle the senses, I wanted to remind any of you teens or tweens who had a less than great year that there is life and meaning and hope even in the worst years. It’s super hard to see this when you’re young, but one of the benefits of getting older is developing a telescoping lens where I can see now that things that really were the hardest for me in childhood have helped me and shaped my life’s directions. Especially with how I handle challenges and adversity. After someone… 

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Disneyland’s display of Aladdin’s magic

May 22, 2019

Amidst all the fun, in a quiet corner at Disneyland near the Lincoln exhibit, I stumbled into some of the props and original concept art for the upcoming Aladdin movie, which releases this Friday in theaters. Staring Marwan Kenzari, Mena Massoud, Will Smith as the Genie, Billy Magnussen, and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, the live-action movie is a remake of the animated one by Disney, where young Aladdin embarks on a magical adventure after finding a lamp with a very funny, wish-granting genie inside. We were able to get so close to the carpet! I love the rich hues and… 

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Magical Doorway Reads

Mar 3, 2019

My reviews for MMGM, Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, under the Magical Gazebo this week include three books that all involve going through a portal or transition to a land beyond. They couldn’t be more different than one another but each has a distinctive experience in another land, powerful lessons they learn there, and key decision points that will change their lives forever. Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley A dying grandfather shares amazing stories of a circus with an invisible tiger, a flying birdwoman, and the magician called The Man Who Bends Light, stories that may in fact be real. Young… 

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Repost: Actress Amanda McDonough’s Journey From Deafness To A Loud Voice For Change

Feb 12, 2019

In honor of #storieswithstephfeb19 – An encouraging friend – When I think of someone inspiring, I consider actress Amanda McDonough and her new book #readytobeheard – How I lost my hearing and found my voice. Amanda and I met at a writer’s conference and I was immediately drawn to her sunshine personality and positivity. It was only when she moved her hands with sign language that I realized she had hearing issues. 🤘🏻 The main character in my middle grade fantasy is hard of hearing, so I felt honored when Amanda shared her story of waking one day to complete… 

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Cherish Precious Moments This Christmas

Dec 13, 2018

I wanted to wish you a wonderful holiday season and Christmas joy upon you and yours. I’ve been so grateful for each of you and am wishing I could have you over for coffee and sit a while together. I love Christmas and have been setting out little special corners of remembrances and happy, even silly things, to bring a smile. I’ve got five things to consider this month. Embrace the crazy Between a school play and several concerts for my son who loves music, we’ve been kept pretty busy. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when that happens. One day,… 

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Favorite Reads of 2018

Nov 29, 2018

The Not-To-Miss Books, Great Gift Ideas, and Favorite Reads for Middle Graders I’m so excited to share some of my favorite reads to add to your Christmas list for boys and girls ages eight to thirteen years. One of my pet peeves is hearing parents at school say their kids don’t like to read. I think, really, they may just not have found their niche. My favorite ones are fantasy, comedy, mysteries, and historical fiction. I’ll highlight some series with new releases and favorites in this blog post so you can shop for your kids this holiday season. Ahoy, Pirates!… 

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Flashback Book Launch Event with Author Shannon Messenger

Nov 18, 2018

Recently, author Shannon Messenger, who writes the wonderful Keeper of the Lost Cities series began her book launch tour for her book Flashback. I was excited to meet up with a friend in our MG Lunch Bunch readers group and enjoy Messenger’s talk sponsored by Kepler’s Literary Foundation. I had met and interviewed her a couple of years ago (you can see the interview HERE) and was so very delighted to watch the mounting excitement as kids and parents entered the room. I sat next to a group of middle-school aged girls who were carrying sparkly backpacks and had home-made… 

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