~ I am one with my sisters of the drowned world ~

Weaving her black seaweed tresses into long braids with bits of broken shells. She steps far out into the woods cove tidepool..."He cannot find me here" she whispers while wiping salt stained tears from her eyes. Looking back at the shoreline she lifts her head up into the darkend sky and beckons the wild turbulent waves to drown her once again..... down down down she sinks.... down down down.... but she does not drown as she shape shifts.... 'I am a Selkie' she sighs...I am one with my sisters of the drowned world. #trizzellabythesea #selkieofwoodscove #selkie 

Hollowed - a poem for the annual Fall Writing Frenzy event

I want to thank the two amazing literary hostesses Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez and Lydia Lukidis  for planning and organizing the  #FallWritingFrenzy event. 

Hollowed by Sandra Harvey

The wind thus blew its barren breeze, 

to curse the trees, their leaves to freeze. 

No birds do sing, nor squirrels run, 

they hide beneath the sinking sun. 

 

And as the night does steal the day,

the owls, the witches, and fairies play.

Am I a ghost? without friend or foe,

tonight my life is filled with woe.

So I put on my velvet coat,

and grab a satchel as my tote.

I paint my face from a tube of paint,

I am now dressed as a Muertos Saint,

with tangled cobwebs in my hair,

I wait for you with my hollowed glare.

Thoughts: Challenge of engagement in a child

Drawing the attention of a child is one thing, keeping the child engaged is a challenge of its own.
Storytelling with voice and excitement is always going to grab a child, Story tellers know this, that is why there are childrens tv shows with characters who jump around reciting silly prose. Until a child is old enough for self inflicted peer pressure he is enchanted.

 
Children's literature as a genre came about partially as a response to the surge of cultural interest in the gothic, which children were probably so interested in due to the bleakness of their own surroundings. I believe its the gothic settings that always excites and draws the attention of a child.

• terrifying events
• the fear of the unknown
• haunted houses
• castles, mansions
• cabins in the woods
• ruined or sinister buildings
• dungeons,crypts, catacombs, secret passages
• southern plantations
• basements or attics
• dark corridors, and winding stairs
• shadows
• moonlight 
• flickering candles or a candle blown out
• dark forests, twisted trees
• thunderstorms, lightning
• storms at sea, rocky coastlines
• ancestral curses
• magic
• graveyards 
• creepy sounds, chains rattling, moaning, groans
• the idea of the supernatural

("The Haunted Nursery: 1764-1830")

The Half Hearted Girl - a love story

 

On one side of the world a girl is born with half of a heart

At the very same time on the other side of the world a boy is born with half a soul

 One day they meet in the the very middle of the world

                    

The Half Hearted Girl –Book reviews

Blogger review on Wordpress by Aaron Writes:
 The-half-hearted-girl-a-book-review

The Half Hearted Girl is a skillfully written and superbly illustrated children’s book about a little girl that is born missing half of her heart. As the girl grows up she seeks out all things that are whole hearted, but never seems to be able to fill the empty part of her heart.  On the other side of the world is a boy that was born missing half of his soul, as he grows he tries to fill his life with soulful things but never fully feels whole inside.  When one day the two of them set out on their own journeys, each seeking to find something in the world that fill the part of them that is missing.  Their journeys lead them to the very  same spot at the very same time. The middle of the earth.  The girl and the boy go on many adventures together and in the end they both find what they were looking for…  This is a book that transcends age , race, and gender and has a very strong appeal to a much a older audience.

What is hidden deep in this book past a summary, is more than just a story of a boy and girl. It is more than just a coming of age tale, and more than a story of hope and love.  While the story is not written in rhyme the book has this amazing poetic flow, each page playing a perfect parallel with the next, the book is what I would define as “perfectly symmetrical” but what amazes me even more than this brilliant writing style is that no where in the book does it feel forced, the story flows from page to page so well that you may not even notice the symmetry at first.  The black and white art style and the lay out of the book also ties into the symmetry of the writing  flawlessly.

The book is a quick read, with large print and being under 80 pages, but it is deep, it evokes real emotion of longing, sadness, wanting, discovery, friendship, fulfillment, acceptance, and love.  It is a great coffee table book, a great book for swinging in a hammock, a great coming of age tale, and a tremendous accomplishment by Author Sandra Harvey.
The short Q&A section and Mini Journal in the back of the book are wonderful editions.
The Half Hearted Girl is available here: Buy: The Half Hearted Girl
The Half Hearted Girl is a black and white fully illustrated book. I wish it was easier for me to classify this book, but it simply stands alone. I want to be clear that this book is by no means some obscure novelty book. With a page count of around 100 and with so many illustrations it is hard to classify by modern literary classifications. I think of it more like a modern fairy tale. This is a book you would have seen in books stores 70 years ago. It is similar to some of the works of Hans Christian Andersen. I call it a modern fairy tale because their is no physical antagonist in this story. The challenge our protagonist has to face is that of an internal nature. The main theme of this story is about love and soul mates and how meeting another person can sometimes help us become a more complete person ourselves. The story follows the life of The Half Hearted Girl and her quest to seek out wholehearted things. When one day she discovers something special. This discovery sends her off on an adventure. The author now tells a parallel story of The Half Soul Boy. Who one day also discovers something that leads him off on an adventure of his own. Layered inside of the main story line is a coming of age tale with some very significant and meaningful insights about life, the emptiness we all feel inside at times, and the great mortal coil . There is a real longing so many of us feel to try something new, to meet someone new, to go someplace new, and to find out what is over the horizon. We often think that somehow we will find what ever it is we are missing if we just keep looking, but somehow it's always just one more step away. Often times as humans be do not appreciate who and what we have around us, and how amazing our lives are until we seek out the unknown. What do most of us find out there beyond the rim of the world? Well, some of us do find our Soul Mates, but we also find the answer to our own unique question, the same question that set us on our journey to begin with. The answer more often than not is that all we need, all we love, and all that matters was always there all along we just needed to see the world and to gain knowledge; we just needed to meet new people to gain experiences, so that through comparison we can see who we are, where we come from, and what matters most to each of us. We often get restless and start feeling trapped. This is something a lot of us deal with all of our lives. Perhaps we feel like the daily routine is like living with half of a heart or half, of half of a soul. Sometimes we just have to get far enough away from those things, those people, and those places and to realize there is nothing out there in the unknown that we will find under some rock that will somehow complete our lives and make everything perfect. Even when we find the one thing we seek it always comes with a choice. After all isn't life often about giving up something you want, for something you want more? That is my own interpretation of the story, I do feel the author may have had a more literal meaning in mind, but that is one of the wonderful things about every story I have read from Sandra Harvey. Ultimately it is for you to decide. Do not miss out on this incredibly wonderful and life changing story, with amazing illustrations by Calum Jones.

Lovely and adventure filled graphic novel!

By Ross Palmer-Willmott on 18 Aug 2014

Format: Kindle Edition

The Half Hearted Girl is such a lovely and adventure filled graphic novel!

The sweet and beautiful story coupled with the amazing illustrations made for a really enjoyable read. There is a Tim Burton vibe I get from this book and so I was completely enthralled with both the story and images.

This story is one I feel both children and adults (who are still children inside) will really enjoy reading, there is adventure and love on each and every page which filled the void of the empty half of my own half heart.

The rough and ready look of the illustrations really worked with the story and looked stunning as the only colours used were black and white which contrasted really well on the page.

I would really recommend to all who would like an easy going and lovely read!

Here is a link to my video review! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKIk2...

This review is from: The Half Hearted Girl (Paperback)
I thought "The Half Hearted Girl" has a general sweetness about it, September 18, 2014

By 

mark shaw 

I thought "The Half Hearted Girl" has a general sweetness about it, with the illustrations setting the visual stage of what is to become a classic.Reading it made me think about my childhood and finding my first puppy love, lol.I could have totally imagined reading this to my kids when they were young,and them asking me many questions after.I loved this book! And i think you will too.I plan to pass it on to my friend with a young daughter,so that she can read it to her and answer her questions after.This will make a great Christmas gift! Bravo Sandra and Calum!!

A wholehearted recommendation...

By Oak & Apple on 4 Sep 2014

Format: Paperback

This is a story that I'll return to again and again... and it will probably resonate slightly differently each time I read it! I absolutely loved it!!

Although perhaps written with a younger adult audience in mind, this is a story that will move readers of all ages. Beautifully written and presented, the exquisite black and white contrasting illustrations truly capture the soulful essence of this wonderful tale. This is a stunningly beautiful book and already a favourite for me!

The Half Hearted Girl is part graphic novel, modern fairy tale, romance, adventure, and storybook.
This book is packed with tons of amazing illustrations.

Available in the USA - The Half Hearted Girl
Available in the UK - The Half Hearted Girl - UK
                                                       

Press Archives

[1] Bold, Kathyryn,  (10 May 1991) Los Angeles Times, "Designer's  Show and Tell Debut" 

[2] Jones, Rose Apodaca, (25 August 1994) Los Angeles Times, "Dragon Lady"

[3] Jones, Rose Apodaca, (8 December 1994) Los Angeles Times, "Winged Victory"

[4] Bold, Kathryn, (19 January 1995) Los Angeles Times, "Young Designers"

[5] Orange County Magazine (30 November 1995)  Los Angeles Times, "Habana's Blast From the Past"

[6] Turk, Rose Marie, (8 April 1997) Los Angeles Times, "A Twist of Lime"

About Corazon of the Outer Banks #horses #childrensbook

 

Available in English Corazon of the Outer Banks

Bilingual Corazon ~ De los Outer Banks

I wrote a story for children about a Spanish Horse named Corazon. Inspired by my own experience meeting a Banker Horse when I visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina in the Spring of 2012

I first saw him standing by the waters edge alone, although he was amongst several wild banker Horses.
What aroused my attention was his aloofness and gentle spirit. He seemed to wander alone slowly while his friends, the other Bankers ran up and down the shoreline.

 I felt a deep immediate love for the horse and so I named him Corazon.
Corazon is the Spanish word for heart, and love. I wanted to run my hands along his side and look into his eyes...I am positive his eyes were as far away as mine are, for he just stared out towards Spain, his home from afar.

I pondered for days what he was possibly thinking, and I imagined myself as a child befriending him. I think of him fondly from time to time.

Corazon of the Outer Banks is a story about a little boy visiting the outer banks with his mother, alone he wanders the shoreline and comes across a horse sitting staring out to the sea.

A story filled with magical realism and I look forward to sharing him.

The Art is amazing and fully captures the feel and emotions of the story.
I am fortunate to have Calum Jones as the Artist.

Growing up Gothic

I was raised in a house by the Sea on Gothic Literature, Opera, and the songs of Johnny Cash. My father being a Scot-Irish was always telling us scary stories about dark creatures and broken hearted ghosts wandering in the night looking for their loved ones...creepy for sure, but I loved it. He took us fishing into the deep South where he grew up, taught us to shoot a gun and a pistol (beer bottles on a log) and he made us feel protected and loved. I adored him and thought he was the handsomest man. My mother, being the elegant creature she still is, made sure we listened to classical music, and drank our Tea with a book. But is was her garden where I learned the most about her.

What I gained from the influence of both my parents allowed me to wander off into the darker realms of my own imagination and it formed me as a woman, and as a mother. I never knew what it was like to live in a house with beige walls or earth tones, our home was alive in color drenched hues of golds and violets.

I have raised my children on the very same dark and romantic stories of lost love and ghosts wandering down lonely highways. They love it as do I

Spanish Things: Almond Cake

I love things that are Spanish and have a Spanish influence such as Mexico.
Give me the day of the dead over Christmas anytime.
My cooking reflects my desire for warm summer nights imagined in Spain while the sound of the sea mingled with orange blossoms waft and echo across the sky.

So for Birthdays I make things with a Spanish twist, like chocolate skull lollypops and almond cake with chocolate ganache.

1.bake a almond sponge cake.cool (use fresh ground almond flour whenever possible)
2.trim edges and thinly slice into three layers
3.make a warm apricot glaze and coat between each layer (use apricot jam heated till runny)
4.spread melted chocolate over top layer (chocolate chips)
5.hand roll marzipan until soft and pliable, roll into a thin layer, cover cake, trim excess. (almond paste)
6.heat heavy cream to simmer  (2 parts cream to 1 part chocolate ratio)
7.pour cream over chocolate chips, let sit till soft and stir until smooth
7.pour liquid ganache through a sieve over cake (cake should be on a screen) let cool
8.make a candy garnish.

Made in Asheville, NC

Asheville, North Carolina.
Concieved
Designed
Hand sewn in downtown Asheville, NC
SHD Chef Apparel for Cooks, Caterers and foodies

Online Store - SHD Chef apparel

Facts about Laguna Beach in Trizzella's Bedtime Picture Book

Inspired by my hometown of Laguna Beach, I have written a childrens Story called Trizzella the Witch of Woods Cove. The picture book is written in rhyme and has comic book captions. It is filled with midnight moonlit masquerade Balls, and Pirate ships that sail in the sky. 
All the deep color saturated art is by Aaron Winterhalter.


Laguna Beach is famous for Spanish Pirates, Magical Jeweled Coves, Sea monsters, and a Eerie fog... 

Shadow Pirates:based on the pirate films

https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/making-movies-in-laguna/

Swashuckling Pirate Ghost- is based on Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn as Captain Blood 


Midnight Moonlit Mascuerades:

Laguna Artists are famous for their moonlight art walks Festival of the Arts


Trizzella trazzel trizzel twirl is Trizzella's famous spell. Children all over the world like to say it


The sewing needle is her wand. It represents a special sort of magic, the power to mend and repair feelings


The Magic mirror holds the sea inside it. Trizzella takes it everywhere she goes so she is always near the sea. 


The sea glass globe has the power to clear eerie fogs. It is a round piece of sea glass that came from a Spanish Galleon. It was a gift to her by a mysterious little boy with purple moonlight in his hair...


Pirate tower is located at Victoria Beach built in 1929. The owner would dress up as a Pirate and hide coins in the tower for children to find. He let them keep whatever they found

Pirate Tower of Laguna 


Tall Tilted Tudor . Bette Davis famous home is the inspiration for Trizzella's home.

Bette Davis home 


Magical Tree. Is a Eucalyptus tree, Trizzella thinks it is the most magical tree in all the world. Laguna beach was once known to covered in them, brought in by settlers. Unfortunately fame has damaged the beloved trees with people cutting them down for a ocean view.

Jeweled Coves are real, named after real cove inlets in the Woods Cove -Diamond, Pearl, Agate and Ruby Jeweled Coves 


Evils bookcase and his dreams. Based in loving memory to the Jolly Roger, a restaurant where happy families would gather daily. crayons and treasure maps were novelties for the children

Eerie Fog. Anyone who has ever lived by the pacific coast knows it is famous for a its eerie fogs on warm summer nights 


Annie Blue is dedicated to any child who has lost a parent, or a sibling, a sadness that is hard to recover from. Every 22 minutes a child somewhere in the world looses a parent, leaving them with one parent or orphaned. As a parent of two boys who lost their father at a young age I have learned that a simple gesture of a toy or a story can do wondrous miracles.

Parent loss 
When-Mom-or-Dad-Dies 


The children in the story represent all children with a hope to inspire them to follow their dreams and to believe in dress up and magic.

About Trizzella - is a real person, she lives somewhere in Laguna Beach with her cat, her crystal ball and her sewing needle. She will always bakes pies for children who sneak out of their beds

 

Trizzella.com

Why do I write? by Sandra Harvey

 

Growing up in Del Mar California, in a house on a cliff overlooking the Sea, with a Russian fortune-teller for a mother, and a Scot-Irish storyteller for a dad, writing just seems to be quite natural. I raised my own children romantically on imagined people and places. I am writing these stories now. As a life career I am a fashion designer making chef apparel for women.

I have self published three books.  My first, a Picture Book called 'Trizzella's Bedtime Picture Book' aka 'The Witch of Woods Cove' is a love letter to my children and the place they grew up - Laguna Beach. The story is beautifully illustrated, and colored in violet hues taking place completely at night to capture her essence, and summarizes who she is in a whimsical charming rhyme. My character Trizzella is a bit different because there are no adversaries to challenge her other then her own loneliness, but she makes it okay to be alone. Her story takes place only at night as she rewards children with fresh baked pies when they sneak out of their beds. But she does this in a innocent way. She is completely without guile with her affections towards children and animals. It is as if she has a secret knowing into their Souls.

With characters names like Violence Grace the knitting spider, E.Vil the cat, and Saint Huck the Murderous Hound, I am sure some parents might shy away from these character names but they are intended to be funny, after all cats are rather selfish and a bit evil, spiders do eat their mates, and hound dogs chase and often murder rodents. I am a parent myself and find wonderful fun when seeing children's faces light up in curiosity.

All the Trizzella projects, including The Picture Book series, cartoon animations, and applications are completely drawn and colored by Aaron Winterhalter. 
I have several projects under my Trizzella Character.  She is currently a picture book and a webtoon.

Why do I write what I do? 

I remember falling hopelessly in love at the young age of four years old, being overthrown in despair for my babysitters fiancé. I loved him, I truly did, and from this recollection I write about the idea of love. I have learned from experience to never underestimate a child's romantic heart. 

I grew up around professional cooks and I have worked as a chef, so there are pies to be made, and Salt-water Taffy to be pulled. My personal career in fashion as a seamstress and clothing designer has played a very relevant role in this story. I know first hand that a sewing needle can perform outstanding and remarkable things, so I gave my character a golden sewing needle that represents a beautiful sort of magic, the power to mend and repair feelings, it can weave lyrical love knots and sew delicate blankets of stars.

In all the stories I write,  I touch on mature themes like autism, death and loss, but it works because it is relatable. That is the magic of fantasy, it takes truth and softens it.

I do not follow modern rules for genre or age that would restrict young children from all the wonderful things Art and Literature have for them. 

How does my writing process work? 

I have to have fresh flowers in view, Gardenia are preferred. I make a hot pot of tea with brown sugar and cream, I light scented candles and nestle into my black velvet couch with a comforter and my laptop. Its quite a ritual, but it's how I have operated for most my creative adult life. Be it designing clothes or paying my bills, I have this routine. I am most creative in the early hours, before the sun rises, before the song of the birds.

My Books are available online anywhere. 

Trizzella the with of Woods Cove Trizzella the Witch of Woods Cove
The Half Hearted Girl The Half Hearted Girl

The Half Hearted Girl The Half Hearted Girl (Kindle edition)

Corazon of the Outer Banks Corazon of the Outer Banks

Who is Trizzella? A web-toon series

http://trizzella.com/monthlycartoonseries/whoistrizzella.html

POE ...the seagull who thinks he is a Raven. From the Trizzella by the Sea stories

Trizzella Picture Book update

As everyone who is following Trizzella know, we are a two person artistic team. I am the creator and writer of Trizzella, and Aaron does all the illustrations, coloring, and animations - All by himself! with a sketchpad,  Wacom, and in Flash! He is indeed very talented. We believe in our character and want to share her with all the world. Last year for eight weeks we launched online interactive web cartoons, and we also did a five minute musical of her in a Circus that was nominated for best visuals at the Asheville film festival. We took the cartoons down in order to work on the Picture Book, and the Story Book without conflict and other distractions. But now...The Picture Book is finished and available at Amazon. 
We will be moving forward in the process of taking her into several avenues, including a soon to be released Chapter Book about her life told in individual short stories.

Trizzella's Bedtime Picture Book
by Sandra Harvey / Aaron Winterhalter

 Link: available at Amazon

 

                                                                                                                                    http://trizzella.com/

The wildest adventure of all...

 I knew as a young girl that being a writer meant adventure and travel,  for me that would be the absolute best profession. However, it was the fashion industry that grabbed me initially, with boutiques and a thriving wholesale business. I explored the darker side of the theatric, stranger still were the average seeming people, while the theatrical ones the most normal.
 I had no idea at the time would end up being exactly the woman I am today. Unchained, a person who needs to be free to do whatever she chooses with no one ever trying to hold me down.. But it wasn't until I exhausted all my other whims of fashion designing, or my latest-becoming a chef, that I finally succumbed to what it is that truly drives me.



I’ve spent my early twenties years putting myself in foreign surroundings as often as possible. Traveling on a whim, on a budget, for two days or two weeks, it's the getting there that excites me most, perhaps more than the arriving. I love to plan out, and imagine all my adventures, in travel I feel comforted and relieved of loneliness, no matter how foreign my surroundings, There is nothing I love more than traveling to a place where I know nobody, and where everything will be a surprise.
I could still feel spikes of adrenaline each time I pack for a trip or step onto a plane, the sound of the engines revving up spikes my blood like a volt of strong coffee. Oh, I never tire of planes. London,  New York, San Francisco, Paris, Annecy, Los Angeles Orange County. Of course, there was always someone at home to cook for my children and see they are safe.



Having a child at a young age did not trigger a nesting instinct, if anything it made me want to explore the world more, with child in tow. I bundled them tightly into my pouch of love as we traveled by train each weekend to visit my mother, who lived on a cliff overlooking the sea. (hmmmmm sounds like a good idea for a story) I nestled them in English blazers as we boarded flights to France,

I knew that a child would make life as a professional explorer even more possible. For having children in many ways is the wildest adventure trip of all.....

SANDRA HARVEY DESIGNS - Sirens in the Desert- a short fashion film

Sandra Harvey Designs . Los Angeles.  Model India Dupre. Director Chris Johnston

SANDRA HARVEY DESIGNS - Fashion Show

Running through Wales

This commercial was shot in Wales by documentary Director Chris Johnston. 
The Model is India Dupré, a English singer, songwriter and actress. 
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1021417/

SANDRA HARVEY DESIGNS

Look who is wearing my Chef Jackets

I ran into Jael and Dan Rattigan, the owners of French Broad Chocolate Lounge here in Asheville awhile ago and they were so excited to tell me that they had worn their 'SHD' Chef Jackets on Good Morning America. I am always flattered when I get a chance to see the Jackets I designed worn so elegantly, especially by those who lovingly prepare exquisite food for the Soul......Chocolate of course!!!



Here is a clip of Jael and Dan wearing the Black Chef Jacket with Satin Cuffs

Good Morning America: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/french-broad-chocolate-lounge-shares-truffle-recipe-18490264

French Broad Chocolates: http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/

Chef jackets: http://sandraharvey.bigcartel.com/

Press archives