August 3, 2023 WITCHY WOMAN

 Entering my 6th year teaching art. I really enjoy being surrounded by budding artists. Some of them are truly amazing. They have taught me many things over the years. One thing I have learned is that I AM an ART TEACHER NOT AN ARTIST. Yes--I can draw and paint BUT I do not have the secret ingredient. It's a GIFT. A passion and creativity that oozes from every pore. These are people DRIVEN to create--otherwise they feel incomplete. It's their oxygen.  That's the difference. I can teach anyone how to "SEE", draw and paint-- it's a skill anyone can cultivate to a degree---BUT that's as far as it will go without THE GIFT. I believe that we all have certain gifts and talents--it's our job to figure out what that may be and share it. I think my gift is probably teaching. Helping students be their BEST. Believing in them, caring about them and inspiring them to share their gifts with others. The characters in Weyward by Emilia Hart also have a special gift. As this debut novel unfolds, three women from different time periods appear to have a "sensitivity to nature" and an innate ability to heal others. The story of Altha begins in 1619 as she is being held in a dungeon on trial for witchcraft. Violet, the second woman, is a sixteen year old girl living with her father and brother on their country estate, Orton Hall, in 1942. Set in 2019, Kate is a woman living in London who runs away from her abusive husband and hides in her great-aunt's cottage in the country. Hart seamlessly weaves together an interesting tale of three woman over five centuries who are somehow connected. The reader learns not only about their tragic tales but more importantly their strength and resilience in a world controlled for the most part by men. This 330 page book is a real page turner. It touches on witchcraft, but is more than that. It's also a mystery. I was drawn to the characters and really wanted to make sure they were safe in the end. Find out what happens to each and how they are connected when you check out this book for yourself. Enjoy.