Letters from Lisa April 2025

Hello, Friends!

While spring has sprung in many places by now, here in my hometown it is still cold. It snowed only yesterday! No fair! Sunshine, bike rides, hiking—right now I can only daydream. And believe me, I do.

Daydream—isn’t it a cool word? As a practice, it gets a bad rap sometimes, like meaning you lack focus or don’t get things done. But maybe we should be doing more of it! I have been daydreaming about this idea lately. :) I even named one of my composer husband’s new songs “Daydream” because of it (he lets me do that sometimes).

When I was blessed enough to do a writer’s workshop with Brandon Mull (Fablehaven) not too long ago, he talked about how his ideas come from daydreaming. The more energy you put into the daydreams, the cooler the ideas become. Once the ideas become a fun playground for your mind, they are the right ones. And sometimes you can get into a “flow” state, which he even called “connecting to the divine.” That really got me excited about daydreaming and I’ve been trying to do more of it ever since. I find that if I let my mind wander for a while—in nature, or lying on the floor next to the fire, or curled up on a comfy chair in the library, magical things can happen.

Writer Khaled Hosseini said, "A daily dose of daydreaming heals the heart, soothes the soul, and strengthens the imagination.” So true! And I don’t think this only applies to writing. So here’s to daydreaming! Maybe not during the business meeting or a math test, but allow some time to let your mind wander, explore, daydream. It’s not a waste of time!

YOUR PRESENT HAS ARRIVED!

The coloring pages are here, custom drawn by my fabulous daughter and artist, Jullia Tolk Day! They are so cute and fun! For being my awesome e-mail list buddies, they are my gift to you to download and print. Enjoy!

Click HERE to Download your Coloring Pages!

Teaser for Echoes of Eden...

Remember the dolphins in Eden? Readers always ask me about the dolphins, so much so that I started giving out little resin dolphin figures at events. (They are super cute—I have some sitting on my desk right now). Did you know that in certain cultures, dolphins were/are worshipped as advanced beings with spiritual awareness, sacred messengers to the gods, or as instruments of physical and emotional healing? I’m having so much fun exploring their mystical past and Kaya’s deceased mother’s relationship with them. I can’t wait to share it with you! *Think about how this might relate to the sequel’s title. . .hmm.

P.S. You get a dolphin coloring page in the free download!

COMING UP...

March 28th: Draper Park Middle School author event: Okay, this already happened, but I have to tell you that it was the greatest thing! 50 students and 16 teachers read Eden and we had a book club discussion about it. They asked questions, took pics with me, and some even came up after and said it is their favorite book! I signed tons of books and the kids were adorable and it all made me so happy. I want to do that every day!

Audiobook Update: It’s back in business, people! Mackenzie has finished recording the first draft and now we are in editing mode. It’s going to be so good! We are hoping to have it out sometime in May to celebrate the one year anniversary of Eden’s release! I’ll keep you posted!

May 8-10: Storymakers Conference: Provo, Utah May 9th: Corner Canyon Book Club: Draper, Utah

Eden Quote of the Month:

From one of my favorite moments for Drew and Kaya. Do you remember?

“Drew looked back at her, calm and assured.’I won’t let go. I promise.’

He nodded, then counted, ‘ONE. . . . .TWO. . . . .THREE!’

The two ran off the edge into the vacant sky. They soared through the air, legs kicking and fingers locked, with arms outstretched like powerless wings.”

Doesn’t this just make you want to jump off a cliff? :)

What I'm Reading: 

I like to read just about every genre, so bear with me if these reads run the full gamut.

Careless People, by Sarah Wynn Williams (non-fiction). I’m fascinated by this explosive memoir about the writer’s time at Facebook. Who doesn’t want to read a book embroiled in controversy that could be taken off the shelves any minute?

The Housemaid’s Secret, by Freida McFadden (thriller). Sequel to The Housemaid. A quick read, just for fun!

Just finished: Unlikely Animals, by Annie Hartnett (fiction-a little bit historical) This book has a unique narrative voice that was the best part of the novel, in my opinion. The story is told by the dead people in the graveyard of a small town in New Hampshire. So cool! I wasn’t super into the non-dead characters, but the story itself was a good blend of tragedy and comedy.

Daisy Darker, by Alice Feeney (mystery/thriller) I finished this one a while ago, but I have to mention it because it is so good! It has the old feel of an Agatha Christie, but with more modern twists and turns. I loved it. It was also very well-written, with clever imagery and a setting on a tiny island off the coast of Cornwall, England that was perfect for a whodunit novel.

About to start: I just bought a bunch of new books I’m excited about: Six of Crows, The Cruel Prince (both are YA books), and then two Regency romances, The Earl Next Doorand A Game of Hearts. Have you read any of these? Which should I read first?

HAPPY READING!

Special Note:

Eden was just added to the shelves at LAGG Bookstore in Lehi, Utah! Now we are in LAGG (Like a Good Girl) Bookstore, Lovebound Library (Salt Lake), The King’s English (Salt Lake), The Book Box (Draper), and the Salt Lake County Library System. Besides the big seller, Amazon, of course! If you live elsewhere, it would be awesome if you requested Eden for your library!