Creating Unforgettable Family Moments

It has been a while since I last posted a blog here. With so much happening, I have only found time to work on new projects (two of them related to THE CONJUNCTION OF THE REALMS) and study for my new Advanced Cinematography class.

Today, however, this trend changes and I would like to introduce you to a concept that is prevalent throughout THE CONJUNCTION OF THE REALMS (Part One): creating unforgettable family moments.

When our daughter was born, I heard so many people say, “Enjoy her as much as you can because they grow up so fast!” I remember brushing off those comments because, of course, I was going to enjoy our brand new baby daughter and I didn’t want other people imposing their thoughts on my experience. Yes, a bit immature on my part.

The years do go by so fast, it is true, and today what I treasure most are the moments we created together as a family. In the book’s preface, I mention how both my husband and I used to make up worlds through invented stories for our little girl who is now an adult. Those were probably some of the best times we had together, when it was just the three of us. She would be laying in her bed, my husband and I would be sitting on the floor, and her room would simply fill up with an almost-visible magic fog.

I decided to bottle that experience and try to share it someday with other parents and kids. That was the main motivation for writing THE CONJUNCTION OF THE REALMS (Part One).

For parents: you can read it for your kids before they go to bed at night. I recommend gathering however many kids you have in one of their rooms, with a dim-light. Lighting always helps create the mood for bed-time stories. Keep them excited about the moment and what is going to happen next.

For pre-teen, teens, and adults: you can leave the pressures of this world and embark in an adventurous voyage to the world of imagination. The characters will come alive to you, and you will keep wanting to go back to that enchanted place.

I hope this gets at least a few to exit for a moment the cares of this world and travel to another, where the love of family is stronger than death and decay, where the imagination within you can create the impossible, and you get to experience an upward spiral with each moment you are engaged in the book.

"If you haven't gotten your copy, you are missing out on the magic."

“The Vesuvius Escapade” by Maureen Cardoso coming in 2014

In “The Conjunction of the Realms (Part One),” Maureen Cardoso is the Kingsley's youngest daughter. As a child, she dreamt of being a scientist; she followed current discoveries and was fascinated by DNA sequencing, molecular structures, and genomes. By age ten, she had memorized the periodic table of chemical elements. In spite of her scientific side, she carried strong artistic traits that led her to write poems, stories and children’s books.

Maureen studied macro-biology but interrupted her degree to have Philly, her firstborn. She always carried a pen and paper with her because she was also a writer. Paulo, her Brazilian husband, tried to give her an electronic pad or tablet, but she preferred her paper notepad, claiming that a true writer will use napkins if necessary. A small, local publishing company had picked up some of her children’s books. Still her hope was that someday her books would make it across the isle, into the hands of one of the more prominent publishers of London.

With the advent of electronic publishing, Livre Press, Inc. is making Maureen's books available for download on Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble in 2014. Watch out of the announcement.
Here is a sample of Maureen's writing: the Preface for the first book she ever published, “Voyage One: The Vesuvius Escapade.”

 

Preface

At age 10, I wrote a song about a little gnome who loved to row his boat on the sea waters under the moonlight.  He loved the moon because he thought it was made of vanilla ice-cream, so he followed its reflection on the ocean hoping to reach that inexhaustible supply of his favorite dessert.

My sister Esther and I grew up hearing fantastic stories about gnomes, my favorite being one whose name was Laddy Dah. Our dad, Phil Kingsley, was quite the old Irish story teller. It is no wonder that at age 10, Laddy and his family were alive in my imagination. His wife’s name was Lynda and they had three kids: Lyle, 11, Lilly, my age, and Cousin George, 12. Dad’s stories were animated and rich in content. Laddy was always at the center of them.

When my first son was born, I began to cogitate on the idea of writing and illustrating Dad’s stories so they would be preserved for our family. I thought of a kids’ book format where each chapter would be a voyage and Laddy would be the guide to take you, dear reader, through amazing imaginary places. This story is the beginning of your journey. There are many more to come from Dad’s story repertoire. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did growing up and as much as I enjoy telling them now.

Maureen Cardoso
8/28/2003

Excerpt From “Voyage One: The Vesuvius Escapade”

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