Meet the Makers

May 2018, Grove City College Graduation. Madison (left) Kathleen (right)

Hello world! I guess our first post should be one of introduction. I know there’s a bit of a blurb on the front page about who we are and what we do, but we really want our readers to get to know us! So if there is something you want to know or are curious about that isn’t answered in this post, feel free to ask questions. There may even be a 20 questions post in the future, but that’s all up to you.

First off, I just want to thank you all. Whether you stumbled upon our website by happenstance while knee-deep in the Google-sphere, you saw posts on our personal social media and were curious, or if, like I assume most of you, are our dear friends and family to whom we have been talking about this for a while now and support are here to support us. Thanks to all of you; we wouldn’t be anything without our subscribers.

Now, a little about us. My name is Madison. I’m a proud native of Colorado and absolutely love all of the outdoor activities that come with the territory, including skiing and hiking. My most recent adventures have included hiking Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and Devil's Head Fire Lookout in Sedalia. I’ve been to the world’s largest one-man project, Bishop Castle, a monumental statue in stone and iron, and cliff jumped in Paradise Cove. There are so many more adventures I’d like to share that it would take multiple posts, but you get the point, I’m an explorer. But my adventures don’t stop there, they’re just the beginning.

As I look back searching for the beginning of my literary adventures, there are several poignant moments I recall. I remember the first series I ever read on my own, Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House. I would get so caught up in Jack and Annie’s adventures, I would talk to the book, like many people do to their televisions during sports games or suspenseful movies. My imagination allowed me to go on the adventures with the siblings and I was able to learn a little about history along the way.

Before I was able to read longer, more complex chapter books with plot arcs that spanned several books, my father often read them aloud. I cherish these memories of my father and I snuggled up together on my small bed as he read The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, stories his father once read him.

It’s interesting really. These series foreshadowed the type of literature I would continue to read throughout school and today. If I were to list my favorite genres, in no particular order, they would be as follows: historical fiction, young adult fiction, fantasy, and mythology. If you notice, Magic Tree House and The Chronicles of Narnia include characteristics of all of the mentioned genres.

Some of you may be wondering, why read? There are so many “better” things to do (I disagree). Why start a blog about books, editing tips, and other literary related topics? Aren’t there a million other blogs that do something similar?

My answer is simple, I read to explore worlds other than our own, to experience life without restriction, to step into someone else’s skin and not only see but feel what it’s like to be born in a different time period, economic situation, or culture, and wrestle with the difficulties it presents. I read to better understand those around me. I read to fall in love. Above all else I read to find myself; to experience that one moment of connection between an author and myself and exclaim “they get me!” I started this blog to allow others to come with me on this journey, to recommend books, to question the way we read, and to talk about the importance of literature in our lives.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce you all to my lovely co-founder, Kathleen.

Hello, I’m Kathleen! In the time-honored tradition of exchanging fun facts when you meet someone new, here are a few about me:

o I have a twin sister. She’s very cool, and we practice honing our mind-reading skills daily.

o I don’t like butterflies. They’re weird.

o Although I’m not a huge sports fan, I have a serious obsession with the Olympics. No other sports at any time of the year; just the Olympics.

As Madison said in her introduction, she’s an explorer. I’d define myself as more of a “seeker” (although not the Snitch-catching kind). In the books I’ve read, I often find myself looking for something—a place to belong, a piece of magic, a bit of beauty. As a kid, I was strictly a fantasy reader when it came to fiction. Nothing else would capture me the way swords and dragons and sorcerers did. If I wasn’t reading fantasy, I was reading books by National Geographic. They were written for a young audience, and I loved flipping through them, reading about ancient cultures and civilizations.

The point is, when I’m reading, I’m searching. And while I’m sure not everyone goes about reading with that mindset, you do usually find something that surprises or delights you when you read, don’t you? And I love finding those things. I love discovering them for myself and talking about what other people found as well.

There are many different book genres, but I think they all have the potential to catch us off guard. I grew up on fantasy, but now I also love other types of books—historical fiction, poetry, stand-alone novels. And those indefinable, wonderful books that you remember forever; maybe I am always searching for those.

I think that, in reading, we should always keep an open mind and heart about different cultures, life experiences, and beliefs. I believe that books are experienced best when we go about experiencing them honestly. But I believe that we should also keep our minds and hearts open to what surprises and excites us in reading.

And that’s why I’m here. To discover what excites and delights me about language and literature, and to talk about what excites and delights you, too.

~M&K