EVERYDAY ENCHANTMENTS by Maria DeBlassie ***Interview - Find out Maria DeBlassie's favorite childhood authors -- Giveaway***
Everyday EnchantmentsMusings on Ordinary Magic and Daily Conjurings
Maria DeBlassie
Publisher: Moon Books
Release Date: October 26, 2018
ISBN-10: 1785359231
ISBN-13: 978-1785359231
Everyday Enchantments is a love letter to the magic of everyday life, the sweet moments and the profound that we often overlook in our hurry to get from one place to the next. What if we had the power to unplug from our daily hustle and bustle and conjure a more profound way of living rooted in natural mysticism?
We do. All it takes is the whispered wish for more everyday enchantment breathed onto a dandelion head. This collection of essays reminds us to escape into the ordinary, find beauty in a simple cup of tea or rereading a beloved novel—and joyfully let our world turn upside down when synchronicity strikes in the form of wrong turns down forgotten lanes and unexpected midnight conversations with the moon.
This book is a study in what it means to live deliciously, joyfully, and magically. And it’s an invitation to conjure your own bliss—-because let’s face it: we could all use a little more magic in our lives.
Interview with Maria DeBlassie
Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder. Tell us about your newest book.
Everyday Enchantments is a love letter to the magic of everyday life. The book features a series of short poetic essays about sacred simple pleasures—from a good book to a cup of tea—and those synchronous moments that set us back on our path. It’s a handful of inspirations designed to help readers find the bliss in their own lives.
Writing isn’t easy. What was the most difficult thing you dealt with when writing your newest book?
Everyday Enchantments was very much a book about learning what it means to be happy, healthy, and whole as a woman and as a writer. It’s a study in what happily ever after is for me…only I had to figure out what that meant first! Each essay I wrote brought me closer to understanding myself. What fills my soul and nourishes my heart. The hardest part for me in this journey was being brutally honest about what brought me joy and what didn’t. So much of what fulfills me as a rather introverted person runs counter to a society that celebrates extroversion. So I’ve had to learn to trust myself and my instincts. When I do, the magic flows.
Tell us a little bit about your writing career.
I’ve been writing since forever. I knew I wanted to write professionally when I was a teen and committed to writing every day for twenty minutes—a habit I continue today. I turned to blogging after finishing graduate school, and my first book was born out of my daily musings on the things that made me happy for my blog. Now, I continue to write daily, tend my blog, and work on new projects. Its a huge part of my self-care practice.
They say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to the writer you were the first time you sat down to write, what would it be?
Write. Then write some more. Write until you no longer doubt yourself. Then keep writing.
Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?
Absolutely! In one way or another, I write about finding the magic of everyday life. It’s there, if only we take the time to look for it.
What are you working on now?
My current project is called Tarot Tuesdays, or #TarotTuesdays if you are on social media. It’s a series of 78-word stories based on the 78-cards in the tarot deck and synchronicity. Each week, I draw a new card, learn about its role in the tarot, and, with the help of meaningful coincidences, write my story. I’ll say this about my journey into tarot so far: The magic doesn’t lie. The cards always tell me exactly what I need to hear! I’m so grateful for this new project because it gives me an opportunity to meditate on the magic of these cards.
Is there a release date planned?
Everyday Enchantments will be officially released this October 26, 2018. Woohoo!
Most writers were readers as children. What was your favorite book in grade school?
Too many to name here, but I got my love of simple pleasures and everyday magic from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I read a lot of fantasy growing up and that has definitely shaped me as a writer always looking for magic in my daily life.
Is there anything you would like to add before we finish?
Thank you so much for having me!
Good luck with your newest release, and thank you for being with us today.
Reviews and Endorsements
An insightful collection of short writings that make you look at the everyday in a whole new light. ~ Erin Elliot, The Sword of Lumina
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To build everyday bridges between the magick and the mundane out of the long-sought and hard-won materials of will and wonder is the act of a true Priestess. In this book, DeBlassie offers rich glimpses of daily rituals, miniature spells in their own right that prompt the reader to look for the quiet divinity in their own lives, to see the subtle majesty in their day-to-day routines, and to question their perceived barriers between the modern and the mystical. ~ Danielle Dulsky, author of Woman Most Wild
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Maria DeBlassie has crafted magic within the pages of her new book, Everyday Enchantments. Her eloquent words offer the ‘promise of soul replenishment’ as one traverses the journey of her -and their- metaphorical metamorphosis. Page after page, readers will experience the soothing balm of DeBlassie’s words as they encourage one to open her heart, her mind, her ear, her thoughts and her soul to the unique transpersonal book they hold in their hands. Just as DeBlassie mentions early on in Everyday Enchantments when writing of the unexpected delight of discovering a double yolk, her heartfelt writing is like ‘cradling…gold’ in one’s hands. Reading and absorbing the beauty of Maria DeBlassie’s Everyday Enchantments will have readers conjuring their own magical life. Her words will caress their soul and embrace their heart with inspiration and encouragement. Everyday Enchantments blends together poetic consciousness such as from Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver all while weaving in powerful and deep inner wisdom such as from Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Yet, Maria DeBlassie beautifully stands out given the uniqueness of Everyday Enchantments. It’s a must read and a must to be gently and lovingly held in a sacred place of honor in one’s personal library. DeBlassie’s Everyday Enchantments is like a heart song that every woman should feel. ~ Janelle Alex, Ph.D.,The Writer’s Shaman
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Reading this enchanted collection is so much more than reading a book…it’s an unearthing of things half-remembered and bringing them into the light. Gorgeous and luminous…thank you, Maria, for unwinding this spell for your readers. ~ Laura Bickle, critically-acclaimed author of Nine of Stars, Bewitching Book Tours
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An insightful collection of short writings that make you look at the everyday in a whole new light. Ponder how different life could be if you stop taking everything for granted and find joy in the simplicity of it all. ~ Erin Elliott, author of The Sword of Lumina series, The Editing Hall
About the Author
Maria DeBlassie, Ph.D. is a native New Mexican mestiza blogger, writer, and award-winning educator living in the Land of Enchantment. Her blogging life started in 2012 as a year-long journey to write her back into happy, healthy, and whole through daily posts about life’s simple pleasures, everyday magic, and radical self-care. That year-long experiment turned into a lifestyle, a book, and her ongoing blog, Enchantment Learning and Living. She is forever looking for magic in her life and somehow always finding more than she thought was there.
Find out more about Maria and conjuring everyday magic at www.mariadeblassie.com
Thank you so much for interviewing me for your blog! It was a real treat!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
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