Angie Lucas
Angie Lucas
Children's Author / Freelance Writer / Memory Keeper
 
 

 Reader, Writer, kidlit Author.

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Featured
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
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Houston, We Have a Cover
Houston, We Have a Cover
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Picture Books Are For Everyone
Picture Books Are For Everyone
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From the Blog

From the Blog
Reading Roundup: Life Lessons from 2018
Reading Roundup: Life Lessons from 2018
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5 Daily Practices that Helped Me Thrive in a Challenging Year
5 Daily Practices that Helped Me Thrive in a Challenging Year
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Avoiding the Christmas Apostrophe Catastrophe
Avoiding the Christmas Apostrophe Catastrophe
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The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
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Houston, We Have a Cover
Houston, We Have a Cover
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Picture Books Are For Everyone
Picture Books Are For Everyone
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The Countdown is On
The Countdown is On
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41 Weeks Later
41 Weeks Later
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12 Favorite Christmas Picture Books
12 Favorite Christmas Picture Books
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Softening Into Joy
Softening Into Joy
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Sharing Time

Insta Goodness

So, THIS is a picture of a librarian pre-ordering MY BOOK for the Laramie County Library System! 🤯 . I underestimated how exciting it would be to have an ISBN number! To see “Lucas, Angie (Author)” on a library computer! Chills, my friends. . Picture courtesy of my friend Elizabeth (@edillow), who is dear friends with the youth collection ordering librarian in Cheyenne, who in turn must know (as everyone does) that Elizabeth can ALWAYS be trusted with book recommendations. Elizabeth was raised by a children’s librarian, has read everything, and moves her own giant library of books all over the country when the Air Force stations them somewhere new. She was one of the few who read an early draft of “My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon.” It’s SO great to have generous, thoughtful, connected friends in my corner. ❤️❤️❤️
This is my worry ritual, which takes place most Wednesday nights (“Worry Wednesday”) in a corner of my basement. . Here’s how it works: ✨ I set a timer for 15 minutes ✨ I light a lovely candle with a match from that fabulous tiger matchbox ✨ I rub lotion on my hands, an action I find soothing ✨ I apply peppermint lip balm for the same reason ✨ I hold a smooth, iridescent worry stone in my palm ✨ I write in my wonderfully absurd giraffe journal (if I feel like it) ✨ Sometimes I pray ✨ But mostly I worry . I spend 15 minutes a week indulging fully in my fears, worries, anxieties, and insecurities. I dive deep into them and swim around. “What if...what if...what if...” I imagine worst-case scenarios, I entertain catastrophes, I let worry wash over me. . Why? Because this allows me to be more present in my life the rest of the week. When an anxious feeling creeps up, I imagine a big red STOP 🛑 sign in front of my face, and I tell myself, “save it for Wednesday.” And the thing is...it’s really helping. . I took me a while to recognize it, but I’ve been struggling with some postpartum anxiety—OR perhaps this is the shadow cast by 12 years of infertility, two miscarriages, and a watchful pregnancy. After so many years feeling like my body was betraying me, and 41 weeks (miracle baby was overdue) of scanning head-to-toe at the tiniest twinge, cramp, ache, or pain, I created some neural pathways and habits that are no longer serving me, if they ever were. My brain needs for there to be something wrong, so it looks for evidence where none exists. . It came to a head this year with a minor health scare that I turned into a full on panic. I think people deal with the ACTUAL thing I was concerned about with more composure than I was dealing with the possibility of it. 🤷🏻‍♀️So I finally called on the therapist who helped me through the worst of my infertility grief. The worry ritual is one of the tools she gave me. ❤️ . As I am not a mental health professional, I don’t know if this idea would be useful for everyone. But, I’m offering it to you in case you need help keeping worry at bay and living more presently and purposefully in the moment, as I do. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I just found out I get to review ALL the artwork for My Big, Dumb Invisible Dragon right after the New Year. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Then this is REALLY going to feel real. Somebody pinch me! Seven months to go, friends. 💜💜💜
And finally, Christmas is... . 13. Outlet shopping 14. Twinning 15. Togetherness (and winning the gingerbread house decorating contest at the family Christmas party 🏆) 16. More togetherness (and being good sports about not winning 😂) 17. Even more togetherness (sisters and sisters-in-law and our amazing mama) ...and most importantly... 18. Nativity plays to celebrate the reason for the season: the birth of a Savior who promises ultimate peace, redemption, love, and light to all mankind. ✨✨✨ . In that last pic, look closely and you’ll see a real live baby Jesus, a donkey face that terrified our little lambie (who was a very naughty little lambie), and the cutest Christmas star ever, played by my nephew Caleb. Great job pulling it together @suzihill! I love these kiddos more than I can say. Spending time with all of these people is the only gift that matters to me at Christmas time. In my book, it really is the most wonderful time of the year. 🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄 . This is #projecteighteen 📸#photochallenge signing off, after 12 rewarding months of snapping 18 photos of our everyday lives on the 18th of every month in 2018. Thanks for joining in! And thanks @edillow for the kick in the pants to make this happen (not to mention all the cute reminder graphics).
Christmas is also... (continued from last post) . 7. Red cheeks and warm hearts 8. Love (don’t buy that look on Wyatt’s face, he was ALL ABOUT being outside for as long as possible) 9. A winter wonderland (when we’re lucky) 10. Bundling up (and doing some...snow mowing? 🤷🏻‍♀️) 11. A time of reading and connecting through stories 12. Pizza and movie night with the cousins at grandma’s, after going out to see the lights ✨✨✨ . (To be continued once more...) . #projecteighteen photos 7-12 . The snow has mostly melted as of today, but rumor has it we’ll get some more by Christmas. 🙏🏻🌨❄️🌨🙏🏻 One thing I’ve loved about taking on this #photochallenge this year 📸 is that it has forced me to pay closer attention at least once a month and photograph the joys of my everyday life...despite difficulties that, in the past, might have been all-consuming. Yes 2018 was hard, but that’s not all it was. It was also joyful and boring and exciting and busy and peaceful...and I have the photos to prove it. 👊🏻
Christmas is... . 1. Baking dozens of peppermint cookies together, Keira and me. 2. The glow of holiday lights on our porch and everywhere. 3. A sparkly new Sunday dress. 4. A visit to Santa... 5. ...who gives individual attention to every child. 6. Matching reindeer jammies. . To be continued... . #projecteighteen, photos 1-6 . This month, I did this #photochallenge a little differently. Rather than snapping 18 photos on the 18th, like I’ve done every other month, I’m just gathering 18 highlights from throughout the month and posting them four days late. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And hey, I’m cool with that. Because I own my goals; my goals don’t own me. And I’ve decided that this counts. 👊🏻
I sat down yesterday to write about the top five life lessons that helped me through a challenging year, which I *thought* were: . 1. Remain tethered to your deepest values 2. Be flexible and forgiving 3. Rise above your mind 4. Feel the joy 5. Keep living your life . But as I wrote, the thoughts kept spilling out, cascading, multiplying—far beyond an Instagram caption and into a blog post. I hit 2,000 words on my blog, and I had only covered the first TWO lessons on my list. 😮 And a dozen more surfaced as I wrote, so I scribbled them on a spare sheet of paper on my desk. I clearly have much more to say, but I’ve made a start. 🤗 . Adversity has a way of turning into growth, if we let it. If you’re interested in how I remained tethered to my deepest values/highest self (through five daily practices and one big goal) AND embraced flexibility and self-forgiveness during difficult times, it’s on my blog today. (Link in bio: top link.) . I’ll find a home for the rest of these swirling thoughts soon. ❤️❤️❤️ And my final #projecteighteen photos 📸 will be up over the weekend. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Not to be dramatic, but 2018 was kind of a dumpster fire. It got to the point where my BFF and I would call each other and say, “Guess what ELSE happened?” And we’d start laughing inappropriately, because COME ON. To be clear, my personal suffering was minimal, apart from a health scare (which turned out FINE, thank goodness), some newly discovered anxiety (which I guess is understandable, given the circumstances), and a horrible case of norovirus that hit while ON VACATION (and within a span of 18 hours managed to infect 8 out of 9 family members who had been in contact with each other that weekend). 🤒🤢😫 . My own stuff was minor, but we have been on the front lines of some pretty rough situations this year. I thought more than once, “How am I still functioning? How is ANYONE still functioning?” Like Alexander in the famous children’s book, I considered moving to Australia. And like Alexander’s mother said, some days (or years) are just like that. . And yet...on the flip side, I didn’t just survive this year, I thrived. And so did those I love. While they continue to navigate unfair and undeserved challenges, they have found strength they didn’t know they had, maintained composure and dignity in the worst conditions, and even grown in faith and compassion. Their astounding example has lifted me in untold ways. That’s the way it goes. We tend to grow the most from the situations we’d avoid if we had the choice. And when we’re in one of those situations ourselves, we have no idea how much we can inspire other people by simply putting one foot after the other, day after day. . Later this week, I’ll share three of the things that kept me from spending this entire year in my closet, sucking my thumb in the fetal position. Lots of invaluable lessons learned this year...I’d love for them to benefit more than just me. ❤️❤️❤️
 
 
 
 
 
 
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