I’ve always loved wolves.  When Dr. Pinkola-Estes wrote “Women Who Run With The Wolves,” it was a landmark book about feminine mystique.  She is a Jungian analyst.  Carl Jung, Swiss Psychiatrist, saw symbolism in everything.  And in the book, she too saw the deep symbolism of the wolf with women.  After all?  They both start with a “W.”  Right?  Right.  And you can add the world “wild” to the mix, too.  Wild Women. Wild Wolves.  They are synonymous with one another.

There is a deep intuitiveness and natural wildness in all women, and maybe that’s why we vibe so strongly with wolves and wolf packs.  Wolves, by nature are not loners, nor are humans, really.  We’re social animals, also.  And social animals need group, clan, tribe, team, family or group of friends to be happy and feel fulfilled.

I’ve had the good fortune to photograph Timber Wolves in Canada.  The photo I’ve got with this blog is one of them.  It was an alpha pair, male (gray, right) and female (white, left).

Everyone knows wolves are pack animals and they work together as a team toward one objective.  I chose the wolf symbol for my latest release WOLF HAVEN precisely because of this symbolism and reality.  Having wolf energy means that one’s will to survive is always close to their skin and nature.   Further, it is the alpha male and female who procreate while the others do not.  They become babysitters, instead.

One little known fact about wolves is that most people think all wolves have yellow eyes.   In truth, they are born with BLUE eyes.  And as they begin to mature, the eyes will change to yellow.  But, even among wolves, there are the rare ones that will keep those beautiful blue eyes for the rest of their life.

Gracie, the alpha white female wolf in my book, has blue eyes and is instrumental in helping the heroine heal from her wounds and trauma.  But she also brings out the heroine’s will to not only survive. But thrive.  So typical of wolves, they are one of the toughest, most adaptable of all creatures.  Wolf symbolism, then, is a wonderful foundation to pen a story.

Wolf Haven, HQN, by Lindsay McKenna, Wyoming Series, 12.1.2014
Ebook/paperback
Audio book available at audible.com
Visit her website: www.lindsaymckenna.com

Are you ready for Christmas or Yule or whatever your faith calls the gift-giving season? Thanks to my dd’s diligence, all the children are taken care of. Now, I’m picking up items here and there for the adults. But I also like adding hand-made things to the mix. So no telling what I’m considering!

This year, I’ve polished up old skills (crochet), learned some new ones (jewelry-making techniques), so I’m having a hard time narrowing down the projects. I know I want to make bracelets and pendants. I’ve been searching for an amulet bag crochet pattern so that I can fill the bag with small tokens (stones, a carved animal totem, etc.)—nothing too weighty. And I want it to be wearable and attractive, so I may have to find some easy embroidery patterns. Maybe I’ll crochet a sari silk bracelet. Make a scarf or two (with embellishments, because scarves themselves have no bling, right?). I have to make up my mind now, because I’ll be making these things in my spare time.

Pinterest has become my personal mecca for gift ideas. I can remember stocking up on craft books and magazines, but now, I have boards on Pinterest filled with ideas.  Now the problem is choosing from among them.

I’ve been thinking about the new things I want to learn next year and eyeing an inexpensive bead loom on Amazon… I’m like a little kid. Too easily distracted by the “pretties.” I better put it in the “Save for Later” basket and close out that screen before I become too tempted!

Are you making any of your gifts this year? Is there something you wish you had time to work on for a friend or loved one?

Okay, it’s only dreary, not snowy, so I shouldn’t complain. And now we all have “Let it Snow” playing in our brains. I can stop now, right?

December is always a strange month for me. There’s the rush to Christmas. Thanks to my dd, presents are mostly bought and hidden away. I still have a few things to get or make. And it’s my planning month. I review 2014 and think about what I want to accomplish in 2015, and I start making plans.

This year, I decided to do some “mind-mapping.” I talked about it on Saturday, but here’s my first chart:

Since I do have some artistic goals I want to meet, I decided my map had to have some color—just for inspiration. Next, I’ll drill down in a couple of spots—Writing, Art—just because there’s so much I want to do, and I have to figure out how to spread it over the year, so I’m not overloading myself. That was the problem I ran into this year.

I mentioned that I’ll be teaching another little workshop, this one for free, this month. The dates have changed due to my sister’s travel plans. We’ll be conducting the “Write 50 Books a Year” workshop from December 6-11. If you’re interested, be sure to join the loop now! And no, we aren’t really going to teach you how to write 50 books a year. That’s a hook. But we can help you do some pre-planning that will help you make the best use of your time and we’ll talk about ways to be more productive when you do sit down to write.

If any of you have been working on your own mind maps or vision boards, please send me jpegs so I can post them to my Pinterest board!

It’s Monday, and the 1st day of December. Do you have a plan? Get ready, go!