A Moonless Knight

I wished upon the moon one night, bewitched by how it shone so white.  While staring up with some excite my eyes beheld a wondrous sight!  The moon, so lustrous and white, transformed into an armored knight who caused me just a moments fright when he jumped down from such a height.  No more a soft celestial light, he was my lover, day and night. 

This caused the world a serious plight.  How harsh a sting and deep the bite inflicted on the world, alright, to lose their blackest-hour light. 

And so I've come to set things right, to offer up without a fight my lover wished for one clear night.  I hold him close.  He hugs me tight, then climbs again to heaven's height to glow a bluer shade of bright.  I stare at my beloved knight, not wanting to be impolite, and in my heart with all my might I wish a wish that isn't right. 

Now and then the world still spites a shadowless and moonless night when we steal softly out of sight to hold each other 'til daylight and share in lovers’ true delight.

Contemplating Crazy Things

I contemplate a lot of things,

Like why the sky's a shade of green,

And how it is that lions fly

While birds with wings refuse to try.

It's strange how snowmen never melt,

And sweaty feet are sweetly smelt,

And how so commonly we see

Young hippos nesting in a tree.

I wonder how they get up there,

And why the world is mostly square,

And how huge every nose would be

If we had only one, not three.

I cannot guess why hills are flat,

Nor can I say why twigs are fat.

I do not know how mud keeps clean,

Or why small kittens act so mean.

And while I'm thinking all this stuff,

Consider black marshmallow fluff,

And how the rainbows twist and coil

Around the clouds down to the soil

Imagine if our teeth were white

I'd want to keep them out of site!

It's crazy stuff I see in dreams,

To contemplate so many things.

― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes

Copyright 2015 Richelle E. Goodrich

Bad Day

Imagine the following true incident foreshadowing every stretch of my waking hours, and you'll understand exactly what sort of day I've had....

After dealing with an unpleasant phone call interrupted by an inconvenient surprise visit, I left the house to go run a necessary errand.  Slipping into the front seat of my car, I immediately realized some irritated, buzzing insect had entered with me.  I imagined an angry wasp.  Then I panicked, noticing the thing was attached to my hair and struggling to break free.  Shoving open the car door, I jumped onto my feet while vigorously shaking my hair, hoping the wasp would fly free and leave me unharmed.  Imagine the immense relief I felt when a fly (not a wasp) escaped my tangled curls!  It lasted for a split second—until the stupid fly flew up my nose.  No amount of gagging could save him.

Some days you wonder why you even bothered to venture out the front door.  

Happiness Found Me Alone

Happiness found me alone one day and took me by the hand.
He showed me how the sun gave out its warmth across the land.
Sadness found me content and smiling upward at the sun.
He talked of droughts and blindness and what burning rays had done.

Happiness found me alone again and pointed to the sky.
He showed me how the storms created rainbows way up high.
Sadness found me intrigued and took me to the rainbow’s end.
He showed me how it disappeared to ne’er return again.

Happiness found me alone and taught me how to sing a song.
He sang a dozen melodies as I chirped right along.
Sadness found me singing out and covered up his ears.
He said the noise was deafening, and wished he couldn’t hear.

Happiness found me alone and gave me seven coins of gold.
He showed me many fancy things that merchants often sold.
Sadness found me admiring the pretty things I’d bought.
He pointed out my empty purse and money I had not.

Happiness found me alone and helped me talk to someone new.
He called the boy my friend and said that I was his friend too.
Sadness found me together with my kind, attentive friend.
He whispered of betrayal and how broken hearts don’t mend.

Happiness found me alone and held me tight in his embrace.
He whispered kindness in my ear and kissed me on the face.
Sadness found me with Happiness but before he spoke at all,
I told him he’d have better luck at talking to the wall.
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes

Making Wishes

Introducing the successor to Smile Anyway; another book designed to be used on a day-to-day basis.

Making Wishes

by 

Richelle E. Goodrich

Available in  PAPERBACK   KINDLE
NOOK   KOBO  iTUNES

A note: This book was written as a graduation gift. Half the royalties are gifted to the author's son to help with college and living expenses, so keep in mind that every purchase is a kind donation to help put this boy through college.

Making Wishes mirrors its predecessor, Smile Anyway, with new and inspirational quotes, poems, and thoughts written by American author, Richelle E. Goodrich. This book gives you something to ponder for every day of the year, including a small number of emotional mini-stories that sweetly deliver life lessons. For those who enjoy poetry, each month begins with an original haiku. Other varieties of poems are scattered throughout the reading as well. Making Wishes is both thought-provoking and entertaining; it can be enjoyed one entry per day or, if preferred, taken all-in at one sitting. Enjoy the following excerpts:

"Dress yourself in the silks of benevolence because kindness makes you beautiful."

“Temptations don't appear nearly as harmful as the roads they lead you down.”

“Don't seek to be happy; let everyone else chase after that rainbow. Seek to be kind, and you'll find the rainbow follows you.”

“If I must start somewhere, right here and now is the best place imaginable.”

“There are times you find yourself standing by the wayside, watching as someone struggles to dig a well with a spoon, and you wish with all your heart you had arms and a shovel.”

“Sorrow on another's face often looks like coldness, bitterness, resentment, unfriendliness, apathy, disdain, or disinterest when it is in truth purely sadness.”

This book is your 'thought for the day' in hand and includes a saying for leap year.

And your thought for the day.....

 

The Jealous Sun

"The sunlight whispers in my ear, his breath a warm, sultry tease.  I shrink and duck beneath a tree.  My eyes squint to scan the horizon for a glimpse of the wind, but there are no ashen ribbons or golden waves in sight.  He is missing. 

Trickling, tinkling notes reflect loudly off a chandelier of glimmering droplets.  The rain sings to me, and I shield my eyes, admiring the song.  Far off in my western view I expect to see snow, but the sun grows hot with jealousy, knowing this.  He refuses my snowman a place to set. 

My sight drops to search for the man in the moon.  Normally he rises dripping wet from out of the lake, often pale and naked, supple and soft to my caressing gaze.  On rare occasions he dons a pumpkin robe as luminous as fire.  Today he is draped in silks of the saddest blue.  My heart weeps as he steals up and away. 

An army of stars in shining armor come to my aid, and they force the sun into the ground—a temporary grave.  I am fed with a billion bubbles of laughter until I feel I will burst.  But the stars will not stop giving, and I will not stop taking. 

A kiss brands my cheek, and I turn abruptly to find my snowman.  He landed safely in the dark.  We hide from the man in the moon behind a curtain of flurries to dance on polished rainbows and feast on stars until I hear a fire-red growl.  The sun claws its way out of the soil, and everyone scatters."

― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes

Copyright 2015 Richelle E. Goodrich

Dandelions—A Story of Youthful Courage

"Of all the books you've written, which is your favorite?"

This is a question I've been asked many times.  The answer is easily, Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher.  Why?  Because the story is powerful.  It grips the reader emotionally from the very beginning when the main character, Annabelle, nuzzles in close to your heart.  From that point on, your humanity bleeds for her amidst laughter, tears, anger, and silently-offered prayers—all on behalf of children like Annabelle.  It is a fictional story, yes, but it is also a dark shadow of what sometimes proves real. 

Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher 

is available in paperback and e-book formats.  Read it today.

in PAPERBACK or E-BOOK

KINDLE   NOOK   KOBO   iTUNES

Good, Wise, Brave, & God-Fearing

This 4th of July I celebrate the continuing independence of the United States of America. I honor those many individuals who sacrificed in diverse ways so this independence and freedom might exist. Likewise, I honor those who continue in their stead, preserving the precious human gifts this country boasts and cherishes. Acknowledge that your opportunities were won and are still preserved by the spilling of blood and by the sacrifice of good souls. Refuse to take this truth for granted. 

"Years ago, a group of good, wise, brave, God-fearing men stood up to claim and defend the human right for independence. Those men are now dead. Their work is not. If good, wise, brave, God-fearing men fail to stand up in their stead, that independence will cease to exist."

— Richelle E. Goodrich

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Whatever Made You Want To Write A Book?

"Richelle, whatever made you want to write a book?"

That's a good question. One I've been asked more than once. And if the answer were as simple as "Just because", I would end right here. But my personal motivation came from a mix of circumstances perfectly intertwined. Honestly, it is a miracle I ever made an attempt to put a lengthy story on paper.

Picture this...

It was one week before Christmas 2006, and I was sitting at my computer filling out Christmas cards. It is tradition to include a short family letter with the card, nothing big, just a line or two highlighting the accomplishments of each family member. The house was eerily quiet that afternoon with my husband at work and my three boys gone for Christmas break. I missed my children terribly. Painfully even. My thoughts were bogged with concerns for them. Are they okay? Are their needs being met? Are they safe? Are they happy? Do they miss me?  But to worry over your babies is normal for any caring mother. That's what I kept telling myself after whispering the hundred-and-twenty-seventh prayer for their well-being.

I realized all the worrying was doing me no good, but when your life revolves around your children for so many years, what do you do when they are gone? I needed something.  A hobby or... well, something.

I finished jotting down the yearly accomplishments for all my kids and my husband, which left mine for last. It wasn't that I was saving the best for the finale or that I was humbly mentioning my family's achievements before my own... no... the truth was, I just plain could not think of anything impressive to write about myself. What had I done in the past year?

Well, I had worked both outside and inside the home. I had made 1,100 meals, if not more. I had washed 2,000 sink loads of dishes, if not more. I had laundered, folded, and put away 600 loads of clothes (say it with me now, if not more.)  I had mopped floors, vacuumed carpets, changed sheets, scrubbed toilets, washed mirrors and windows and screens. I had weeded and re-weeded the garden, mowed the lawn, and given haircuts to my family. I had driven kids to and from school, scouts, mutual, karate, track, and whatever other functions they needed to attend. I had tucked my boys into bed with 365 nighttime prayers and bedtime reading. I had done all the regular, runaround, expected, mommy/housewife stuff.

But the question that troubled me was "What had I accomplished outside of chores?"  What personal achievement could I make note of in our Christmas letter?

I could think of nothing. That realization made me slump even further in my chair. Already moping about missing my boys, my spirits sank low realizing I had done nothing extraordinary in ages.

Did I mention that this was twenty years after my high school graduation? Oh yes, that too was on my mind. Twenty years! Where in the world had the time gone? What happened to all those amazing things I was going to do once I left home after high school? Where were the talents I once utilized in my youth? I no longer sketched or painted or danced or sang or played piano or performed in theatrical plays. My talents had been set aside for years. Neglected. Abandoned. How had that happened?

So there I sat, bemoaning lost years and the fact that happily-ever-afters don't come in happily-every-days when a sudden whisper of inspiration hit. A simple but powerful thought.

"If for the past twenty years you had written just one sentence a day, you would have composed a novel by now."

Don't ask me where it came from, but the idea was like a slap in the face, both admonishing and inspiring. 

Could I write a sentence a day? Yes! Easily! I could jot down a sentence in a matter of seconds!  But what was there to write about? I mean, you need an idea for a story, right?

The fact that I was brooding over high school memories took me back to the days when I used to finish classroom assignments so quickly that a good chunk of time was left to idle away. And what did I usually do with that time? How had I spent all those free moments in class?  Quietly drawing and daydreaming.

I had my favorite fantasies too, those I revisited and expanded on over time. One beloved adventure starred a young girl destined to rule a small world that thrived in another part of the galaxy. This was the story I never forgot. Truth be told, it was a daydream I sometimes entertained as an adult. Especially when I needed a healthy escape from reality.

In that moment of what I consider divine inspiration, I determined to write a book. A novel. The story of my favorite daydream. The account of Queen Eena of Harrowbeth.

I vowed that in twenty years from December 2006, I would at least be able to say I had written a novel, even if it meant doing so one sentence per day. I started typing those first few words at that very moment.

There is more humor to this tale than you might realize.  For you see, if you had asked me five minutes prior to my epiphany if I would ever attempt to write a novel, I would have laughed aloud (probably snorted) and exclaimed "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how impossibly challenging it would be to write an entire novel? It would take like for-e-ver!"

You should also know that I earned my college degrees in Mathematics and Natural Science.  Never touched English literature.

Also, there is a tiny bit of truth I should probably confess: for the majority of my life I had a passionate distaste for writing. 

Are you laughing yet?  Okay, how about this...

Honest, true story.

In high school, my worst subject (not that I didn't earn high enough marks in the class) and the one area of study I groaned about the most was English. I hated writing assignments. Hated them. I think the reason why I hated them so much was because no "correct answer" existed.  Not like in mathematics where 2 + 2 = 4, no arguments.  But for English classes, I could scribble out a paper that one teacher stamped with a big, beautiful "A" while another instructor branded the same paper with a scarlet "C".  Writing became a matter of trying to please some disinterested adult whose expectations you could hardly guess. Not to mention the fact that the subject matter I was forced to write about was usually depressing and utterly boring.

And so I loathed writing.

I remember the day clearly when as a teenager I stood up from the kitchen table to stretch my stiff muscles. I was working on an English paper, and as I rose to my feet I made a firm, bold statement meant for any ears in the house. "I hate English, and I hate writing, but knowing my luck I'll probably grow up to be some stupid writer."

Well said, foolish teenager. Little did I know the twisted ironies of life.

And so, many many years later, pushing forty years of age, I sat at my computer and determined to accomplish a feat I deemed highly challenging. I figured it would take years, but the odd thing was, it didn't seem so impossible when I looked at the goal as a mere few sentences compounded daily. The more I wrote, the more I found myself craving free time to add additional paragraphs. I discovered an enormous difference in my frame of mind when it came to composing a work meant to please only me versus struggling with a composition meant to impress others. 

It is actually freeing.

And sweetly delicious.

And unbelievably addictive!

So I will eat crow and admit... I do love writing. 

No, no, I'm far from being a Victor Hugo or a Charles Dickens, but I profit by as much joy from the journey as I'm sure they did.  And it pleases me. I hope that for some readers out there, my stories prove entertaining enough to please you as well.  So, that is my answer to your question, "Whatever made you want to write a book?"

It's All in the Glasses

By Richelle E. Goodrich

I looked out the window on an early-morning bus, noting how low the gray cloud-cover hung.  The dark and heavy sky was threatening rain.  I watched a tall line of trees that bordered acres of hay field, the wind flailing branches like they were bits of straw.

“What a miserable day,” I sighed.

Surprisingly, someone responded to my bleak announcement—a man one seat back. “You just need new glasses,” he said. 

His hand reached over my shoulder, a finger and thumb pinched as if holding the thin arm of actual frames, only there was nothing in his fingers.

I glanced backwards, my expression questioning his comment as well as his sanity.

“Go on,” he urged, holding up his gift of nothingness.  My eyebrows slanted, appraising him. 

“There’s nothing there,” I finally pointed out.

“Sure there is,” he insisted.  “These are special eyeglasses.  Go on, put them on.”

I played along, partly to be kind and partly to avoid a public scene with a madman.  In a careful gesture, I took the invisible spectacles and pretended to slip them over my nose.  Another rearward glance found the man smiling.  He pointed at the window.

“Now look again.” 

My head turned the other way to take a second glimpse at the gray sky.  There were raindrops clinging to the window now, tracing a slow, horizontal line across the glass.  Before I could say anything, the man made a soft but excited observation in my ear. 

“See that beam of sunlight streaming through the break in the clouds?” 

It was beautiful, like a spotlight glimmering on a distant rooftop.

“And look there,” he said, gesturing again at the sky.  “See that rainbow?  Or half of it, anyway.”

My eyes followed a translucent smear of colors to somewhere behind a neighborhood of houses.  I hadn’t noticed it earlier.

“See those pink blossoms on that little tree?”

I nodded as we past it by.  “Pretty.”

“See the hawk circling right above it?”

“I think that’s a blackbird,” I said.  It appeared charcoal from beak to tail.

“Huh…”  He laughed for half a second.  “That’s one big blackbird!”

He gestured to an upcoming cluster of young evergreens growing tightly together on someone’s property.  “See the naked Christmas trees?”

Funny.  It made me smile.

“Oh look!”  I exclaimed, startled by my own unexpected exuberance.  “Puppies!”  I pointed at two young golden labs on leashes.  They seemed more interested in wrestling one another than being walked.

“I see, I see,” the man grinned. 

He continued on, pointing out things beyond our window that were exactly opposite of the gloomy and miserable picture I’d beheld earlier.  It amazed me the number of wonderful things he managed to find.  Before long, I was noticing pleasantries he missed as we drove along.

Realizing the gift he’d given me, I thanked him.  “I guess it’s not such a miserable day after all."

He pretended to take back his lenses and smiled wide.  “It’s all in the glasses.”

This short story is from the book, Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, and a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

Copyright 2015 Richelle E. Goodrich

Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

A new book that reveals the guarded secrets of a young keykeeper.

"There are things

that make no sense,

that seem unreal,

that can’t be grasped

or understood

or explained,

that maybe don’t even exist…

And still, somehow, those wonderful things touch and change our lives.

Isn’t it strange?”

Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

~ The Story of Dreamland ~

by 

Richelle E. Goodrich

     Meet a curious, young man whose calling it is to guard the gates of his homeland. As keykeeper of Dreamland, Gavin comes across many outsiders referred to by his people as dreamers. Through a variety of bizarre and creative antics, Gavin steers these roaming trespassers away from the borders of his magical world—a world where ogres bowl for their dinner and pirates sail the clouds to plunder diamonds from the night's sky and bubbleberries make a person burp out loud. It is a place where anything imaginable is commonplace. All the while, the young keykeeper finds himself increasingly intrigued by stories of the outside world. Snooping about, he is captivated by a dreamer who peaks his interest in the ordinary.

 

Enjoy a few excerpts from the book...



“Reality depends a great deal upon one believing what he sees—or seeing what he believes. Either way.”

“It is a keykeeper’s right to bestow a copy of his key on anyone he wishes. But this practice―a phenomenal rite―is hardly ever performed. To receive a copy of the key means to have its imprint seared into your hand. Holding that branded replica over the front lock miraculously parts the gates to Dreamland. It works just as effectively as inserting the genuine key. Staggering to think about, isn’t it? You might consider clenching your fists when you dream.”

“A warm feeling fell over the boy. A mix of security and comfort, as if a blanket were wrapping its soft layers around his heart and nuzzling him snuggly. Gavin loved his mother, and he would be forever grateful to his father for protecting her. The whole mystery behind it made him itch with curiosity, however.”

“And so the game went on in this manner, a throng of children playing keep-away from a bowling ball tossed back and forth between two plump ogres. The air filled with shrieks and cheers and shouts of laughter as daring players thrilled at the sport. That is, all but the few poor souls knocked flat and captured. No laughter rose from behind bars because those in the birdcage knew what was in store. They would soon be lunch for a couple of hungry ogres.

Now you might be thinking—didn’t Gavin call it fun when he was swallowed by a wolf earlier? And didn’t he tell that raven-haired girl it doesn’t hurt to be swallowed whole by a bear? All true, all true. But here’s a secret you might not know.

Ogres chew their food.

Luckily, it’s only the first bite that stings.”

~ Richelle E. Goodrich Copyright 2015 Richelle E. Goodrich


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Sneak Peek—Meet the Keykeeper

My manuscript is complete, the cover designed, and eleven black-and-white illustrations finally finished!  Now it's your turn to enjoy the release my latest storybook, Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper. 

in PAPERBACK or E-BOOK

KINDLE   NOOK

KOBO    iTUNES

Meet a curious, young man whose calling it is to guard the gates of his homeland. As keykeeper of Dreamland, Gavin comes across many outsiders referred to by his people as dreamers. Through a variety of bizarre and creative antics, Gavin steers these roaming trespassers away from the borders of his magical world—a world where ogres bowl for their dinner and pirates sail the clouds to plunder diamonds from the night's sky and bubbleberries make a person burp out loud. It is a place where anything imaginable is commonplace. All the while, the young keykeeper finds himself increasingly intrigued by stories of the outside world. Snooping about, he is captivated by a dreamer who piques his interest in the ordinary.

Intrigued by this not-so-ordinary story?  How about a sneak peek at the opening chapter?  Alright, go ahead—it's a rare treat to meet Gavin!   

CHAPTER ONE

In a Storybook

“How crazy it would be 

if the moon did spin 

and the earth stood still 

and the sun went dim!

How absolutely ludicrous 

if snakes could walk 

and kids could fly 

and mimes did talk!

How silly it would be 

if the nights were tan 

and the mornings green 

and the sun cyan!

How totally ridiculous 

if horses chirped 

and spiders sang 

and ladies burped!

How shocking it would be 

if the dragons ruled 

and the knights were dopes 

but the fish were schooled!

How utterly preposterous 

if rain were dry 

and snowflakes warm 

and real men cried!

I love to just imagine

all the lows as heights,

and the salty, sweet,

and our lefts as rights.

Perhaps it is incredible

and off the hook,

but it all makes sense

in a storybook!”

― Richelle E. Goodrich  

Copyright 2015