treasure

A TREASURE RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE…

Donna L

A couple of weeks ago I took a day trip to Pigeon Forge. It felt weird because I hadn’t been anywhere outside of town in almost two years. Like so many other people, the pandemic had shrunk my world to a triangle of home, work, and grocery store. But going over to Pigeon Forge reminded me there were still people out there trying to find their new “normal”. There were still “treasures” to uncover almost right in my backyard.

If you know where Patriot Park is near the outskirts of town, not far from the Mill stores is a little sign tucked away on a side street. Long Story Short is a locally owned store displaying an eclectic collection of books, wall art, and so much more. There I met two cool ladies, Katie and Lisa, who are eager to help people find just the right treasure to add to their home collection.

The first thing I noticed was this guy just chilling on a shelf.

If I had known about this shop before I remodeled my house with a coastal theme, I would have brought a lot of this home with me!

The mermaid on the top shelf and the octopus wall art were almost too tempting...

If you’re looking for a medieval theme or even a little Hogwarts’ flavor, Long Story Short is the store for you!

There is always money in my budget for a few more books to add to my collection…

For all you safari hunters out there, they had a cute collection of animal heads that didn’t involve actually killing anything!

This reminded me of Dr. Who, even though it wasn’t painted blue…

And look what I found tucked away on the children’s book shelf. One of Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s books!

I didn’t want to leave. So many treasure to uncover…so little time…

And for the steampunk lovers out there, they had this wonderful display of fascinating artifacts.

I’ve visited Pigeon Forge for almost thirty years and never uncovered this wonderful local treasure before, but you can bet I will be visiting Katie and Lisa at Long Story Short a lot in the future!

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Hybrid published author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of flash fiction, children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna offers occasional BOOK NOOK REVIEWS of great children’s books and offers WRITERLY WISDOM to new and established writers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. Donna loves dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection.

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Knoxville, Tn 37927

WHERE DID AMELIA GO? BIRTHDAY TREASURES

Donna L

steampunk

 

All this rain I’ve had to deal with over the past two weeks makes me think of spring. You’ve heard the saying spring showers bring May flowers”? At the rate things are going around here, there will be no shortage of blossoms in a couple of months!

Spring also reminds me of two holidays…Saint Patrick’s Day and Easter. Whether it’s searching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or collecting colorful eggs, treasure hunting can come in many forms. 

I choose to hunt for treasure which might be hiding in the corner of thrift stores and second hand bookstores. Amelia travels through time and around the globe to uncover treasures linked to great stories.

 

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Like this special treasure box she found one day while visiting the bayous of my hometown. Inside are messages from a dad caught in a war he never wanted, to a daughter heartsick with missing her father. If you want to know what’s hidden inside, you’ll have to wait until book three of my HISTORY’S MYSTERIES series comes out later this spring. Amelia took off running right after I took this picture. Can’t wait to she what treasure she uncovers next…

 

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HM Hunting Gris-Gris HB cover

 

HISTORY’S MYSTERIES: Hunting Gris-Gris

Eleven-year-old Emma misses her father who’s serving in Europe during World War II. He left behind a treasure box with six secret compartments to be opened during her birthday week. He also told her to watch out for the gris-gris while he was gone. Looking out for swamp creatures and dealing with wartime rationing was hard enough, but now there’s a British refugee coming to stay at the house! How will Emma enjoy her birthday and keep her decision to hunt for the gris-gris a secret with a stranger hanging around?

Coming to a bookstore near you in the spring of 2020!

 

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donna - Copy

 

Best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest chapter book series is called HISTORY’S MYSTERIES. Book three, Hunting Gris-Gris, is scheduled to be released later this spring!

 

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Treasured Cross

Donna L

 

treasures.jpg

 

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

There was so much blood, Kat felt light headed just at the sight of it. She was too late. Mitch had sounded so excited when he called her earlier. Leaning her head against the cool glass of the window, Kat could almost feel the energy still pulsating in the room from their call.

“Kat! Did you hear what I said? I found it!” Mitch shouted into the receiver.

Kat was sure she couldn’t have heard correctly. “You found it? You mean you found the cross?”

Mitch’s voice nearly crackled over the phone line. “Yes! I found the cross. I found the book. Baby, we’ve got everything we need now to find the treasure! How soon can you get here?”

If only she hadn’t been on the other side of town. If only she’d gotten there five minutes earlier. But what could she have done to prevent all this blood?  Kat slowly turned away from the window, reaching for the phone to dial 911, when she caught a flash of something shiny almost completely hidden by the body. Crouching closer to get a better view, she recognized the ornate gold engraving and small jewels embedded in the cross Mitch gave his life for. Lying next to it was a small black book, the edges soaked in blood.

Mitch might have lost his life searching for the treasure, but Kat was going to make sure he didn’t die in vain. There was nothing she could do for him now, but maybe…just maybe…he could do something for their unborn baby…

Okay, it’s your turn! Put your creative cap on and continue my story or start one of your own in the comments below…

 

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donna

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in eBook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.