God is the Author of Creativity and Beauty

Jenny Fulton, author of Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye

I am pleased to introduce you to my author friend, Jenny Fulton. I am featuring her children’s picture book, Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Good-Bye at the end of her blog. Welcome, Jenny, as my guest blogger!

To win a free copy of her book, simply make a comment by scrolling down on your browser at the end of Jenny’s blog and your name will go into a drawing. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 12. Do any of you draw, play a musical instrument, sing, write, paint, sew, etc.? What are your ideas for passing down your stories to the next generation? I’d love to  hear from you! I respond to every comment with a personal reply.

 Passing on an Appreciation for the Arts

I grew up surrounded by family members who enjoyed various forms of artistic expression.

My grandma Morya is a painter. For the longest time, their basement was her studio. Every visit was an art show. Finished landscapes covered the walls while works in progress sat on the floor or upon easels. Her paints were tucked away when she wasn’t working, but faint traces of their fumes still clung to the air. China cabinets upstairs showcased her painted tea sets, while a closed brown cabinet downstairs held more beauty yet to be unleashed.

My mom loves music. A self-taught musician, she’d get out her autoharp and sing. As we grew older, she taught us to sing and harmonize with her.

Dad is a jack-of-all-trades craftsman and another self-taught musician. In the evenings, I would often watch him immerse himself in some craft or another. Sometimes it was a piece of wood or leather that he chiseled designs into. Sometimes it was beadwork or jewelry that took shape under his artisan hands. My favorite times were when he’d get out his banjo or guitar and play away in answer to some melody that danced through his heart and flowed out through his spirit.

I loved watching them work and listening to them play. Although I wasn’t good at painting or crafting, I quickly developed an appreciation of art in all its forms. Like my parents, I learned to play an instrument so I could sing along with it anytime I wanted. While they painted and stitched and crafted, I latched onto writing as my favorite form of creative expression.

Now that I’m a mother with three young girls, I strive to bring the arts into our home. Sometimes I’ll get out my guitar and we’ll sing. There is no shortage of books in this house, and sometimes we’ll take turns telling each other our own stories. Although I’m still not much for painting or crafting, I always keep a supply of paints on hand and am getting better at managing the organized chaos that accompanies such artistic endeavors with young children.

Children absorb so much more than we realize. When we give ourselves permission to enjoy artistic pursuits, we give them permission to do so as well. Our appreciation for such beauty gets communicated and transferred to them. While we don’t know how or if God will use the arts in their future, we can be sure that we are showing and offering them another way to express themselves and connect with our God who is the author of beauty and creativity. 

 Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye by Jenny Fulton

A Navajo heritage mother and a Caucasian father use imagery to explain the reality of death to their daughter who observes her grandpa awaiting his entrance into his eternal home.

Genre: Children’s Picture Book, ages 4-8

Can two worlds exist at the same time?
Little Princess Lillian learns the spiritual world can interact with the physical. A Navajo heritage mother and a Caucasian father use imaginary to explain a reality to their daughter, how heaven reaches down to earth as the young girl observes her grandpa awaiting his entrance into his eternal home.

In a deeply Native American Indian and Christian tradition, an intimate celebration of a loved one’s passing occurs as a family says good-bye to a man eager to meet his best friend, the King Above All Nations.

More about Jenny:

An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Jenny Fulton grew up hearing stories from her dad about the supernatural workings on the Navajo Reservation.She is a wife, mother, children’s book author, YA fantasy author, blogger, and freelance writer with a B.S. in Bible, a B.S. in elementary education, and an endorsement in K-12 ESL. After graduating from Grace University in 2007, Jenny worked as a teacher in a variety of cultural and educational settings, both abroad and in the United States. Her days are now mostly spent raising her three young daughters (homeschooling two of them) and writing as much as time and opportunity allows.

Social Media Links:

• Website: https://heart-soul-mind.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennyFultonWriter
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorFulton

Purchase Links

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble