S.D. Smith's Blog, page 10

A few words about our thrilling mission and your crucial part in it…

We are a small family business in every way—small but fierce (as the bard said). We have always seen our work as coming alongside yours. So much modern-era entertainment for kids (like education, at times) is aimed at undermining parents and preying on children. Our aims could not be further from that dark design. 

We are your allies in imagination. We are on your side. 

Thank you for being our allies as well, for helping us by sharing our work with your friends. You are our ‘elite sales force.’ (Mostly moms, those heroines who make the world go.)

You have really caused what this has become, a growing and astonishing phenomenon that is reaching more and more families everyday with a good, generous gift of light and love in a world of darkness and depravity.

And it’s not force-feeding gross medicine to kids, it’s a tasty feast they love and long for. 

The Lord bless you and keep you ever in his unfailing love!

Sam

Shop our small family businessYou May Also Like:It Begins With Love2020, Am I Right? A Brief, Grateful Remembrance

The post Not Force-feeding Meds, Eating a Tasty Feast appeared first on S. D. Smith.

THIS WEEK we’re including our new  with every shippable order! Whether you purchase the (let’s face it, best gift possible for the young readers in your life) complete SIGNED set of Ember books, the new tote bag, the mug, a tee shirt, or anything else, we’ll send you a FREE ornament with your order!

*digital downloads excluded, ends 11/29

Hopeful, Hospitable Stories

Christmas approaches, Thanksgiving (in the USA) is in a few days, and I love this time of year. It may be different and challenging this year for many of us, but it’s a wonderful season.

Advent, a season of reflection and fasting and giving is just around the corner, and I love that it precedes the festive season of Christmastide. I love that Christmas is about being met by the divine in the midst of darkness. I love that, even though we feel like our culture is about as messy as it can get, God himself came into our mess to bless and redeem us. We get to celebrate that. And I love that for most of us, this involves giving!

I’d be happy if you chose to shop our Christmas sale for some of your gifts, but regardless, I hope this season is (maybe unexpectedly) awesome for your family. I hope it’s a time of togetherness and memory-making, of weathering the storms side-by-side, and growing in the adventure.

This weekend I had the pleasure of hearing stories from excited fans. I heard from moms who cried reading the stories with their families, and from kids who told me the Ember books shaped their childhood. I also heard from a mom who is so happy that her son gets to see and read about a main character who looks like him.

These kinds of responses are what excite me. I’m on a mission to love and serve kids. Families. Your family. Your kids. I’m eager to keep it going as long as I can. Because these stories are HOPEFUL. And they are HOSPITABLE.

Black Friday, Sepia Saturday, White Wednesday, and Magenta Monday

We don’t usually do Black Friday or Sepia Saturdays or White Wednesday or Magenta Monday sales. HOWEVER, we do have the best deals of the year at our store right now.

No pressure. It helps us a bunch when you order from our store, naturally. But our business is built on creating stories you actually want and on you loving and feeling good about what you buy from us.

Honestly, I can get tired of self-promotion pretty quickly so here is how I make it fun for all of us:

But in all seriousness, I do LOVE sharing stories that threaten the darkness with little sparks of light that may grow into great blazes in the hearts of children. You are our allies, and we see it when you back our books and share them in your creative, enthusiastic ways.

Thank you!

It’s a gift to know we are not alone. God bless you all.

Sam

You May Also Like: New Green Ember Merch!The TENTH Green Ember Book is Here! Order Yours Now!Prince Lander LANDS | From Our Hands to Yours

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Hey Friends!

I’m excited to attend a special live event hosted by Goldberry Books in Concord, NC this weekend.

We’ll celebrate the release of my new series with a special launch party extravaganza at the Cabbarus Arts Council’s state-of-the-art theater!

At this event there will be:

live Q&Aoriginal songsaudience-involved gamesplenty of nonsense

Word on the street is, this promises to be the bookish event of the season!

Tickets are sold out. For future events, please subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know so you can snag tickets before they’re gone!

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Check out the Withywindle podcast. It’s a whimsical show for kids who love books and words and other such things. I’ve been on a few times and it’s always a hoot.

S.D. Smith Explains HimselfQuestionpaTWOza

Let me know in the comments if I’ll be seeing you in North Carolina!

Sam

Shop S. D. Smith Store

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Hey Pals!

It’s Jack Zulu OFFICIAL LAUNCH Day! YEEEEAH! SO fun. I love this book and I am so grateful I got to write it with my son, Josiah. I spent most of last week with young J. C. on the road and it was so much fun. He’s a great guy and has been an absolute joy to work with. I’m super proud of him. Thank you for helping us spread the word about this new series and for supporting our launch!

Get Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key

To celebrate we had a live party on our YouTube channel! Watch the replay. It was cool. I may or may not have crushed him at Galaga, ate pizza, answered questions and GAVE AWAY LOTS OF AMAZING STUFF.

Help Us Out?Read more

You KNOW we’re on your side. And I know you’re on our side. If you’re keen to help, please leave a great/brief review on Amazon for Jack Zulu. If you buy the ebook or paperback there, it will power your review even more. But please leave a review. It helps so much!

Amazon SLOW, Smith Fam FAST

So, Amazon does have the Kindle edition up. Way to go, guys!. But they also have had many thousands of physical Jack Zulus on their dock for a long time, but they don’t seem to be processing them. So, their launch day copies—which should be at people’s houses TODAY—do not appear to be shipping yet. Opinion: They kind of stink. We shipped out copies ahead of schedule (go team!) and so many of you already have signed copies. That’s cool. But it would also be cool if you didn’t cancel your orders. But do what you gotta do. We are shipping from my store now.

Audiobook Update

It’s coming, but we’ve had some unexpected delays. You’ll hear it here first when it’s ready! And you will LOVE it. It’s amazing. Can’t wait to share our narrator. He’s incredible!

Thanks for making this Jack Zulu official launch extra special!

Your friend and mine,

Sam

Shop S. D. Smith StoreYou May Also LikeSome Advice, Encouragement, and My Blessing, SonJack Zulu COVER REVEAL!New Green Ember Merch!

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Thank you for such a wonderful reception for Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key. Thank you for giving this new book and new series a chance. It’s fun to have my son along for this journey and for him to experience the welcome you’ve so often given me. God bless you!

There’s still time to order a SIGNED first edition!

Green Ember MerchGet Yours Now!“I’ve preordered my signed copy. Now what?”

Thank you for supporting us on day one! While you wait, there are a few things you can do:

SHARE: Share about this book with your friends online & offline. You are our “elite sales force.” Thank you!

SWAG UP: Grab some brand new Green Ember merch!

WATCH: We’ve compiled some videos about Jack Zulu into this playlist.

LISTEN & READ: Here are some recent interviews Josiah and I have done:

Read moreSam & Josiah Smith, Authors of Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key | Plumfield MomsWriting with SD & JC Smith | Destination AreteNurturing Creativity in Your Homeschool | 10 Minutes to a Better HomeschoolAn Award Winning Illustrator and His Tag Along Dad | Reshelving AlexandriaPerfectionism Paralyzes Us | SD Smith & JC Smith, Jack Zulu Series Co-Authors | 1000 Hours OutsideHow A Father And Son Came Together To Tell Stories About ‘Virtue And Hope’ | The Federalist

Find Interviews Here

FAQ

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about Jack Zulu.

Will this be available on Kindle? Yes, on official release day, November 15th.Will this be available on Audiobook? Yes, hopefully near release day, Audiobook reader is INCREDIBLE.When will this be available internationally? You can preorder now. Our shop ships internationally.Are there rabbits in this book? No, but there are swords.Another sword shirt? Yes, we are apparently incapable of creating anything else.Is your son faster than you? I can neither confirm nor deny, regardless of this video evidence.

Thanks so much for your support!

The post New Green Ember Merch! appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Some of this year’s Green Ember costumes! 

I LOVE seeing these kids dress up as characters that began in our little family’s stories. 

It’s an answer to prayer, that these tales would be a blessing that blows past the boundaries of our home and hospitably welcomes many, many kids hungry for soul food and keen for vintage adventures rooted in Reality! 

Read more

Thank you, Father, for this privilege. 

More, please. 

The post Green Ember Costumes Come to Life appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Hey Green Ember Fans, it’s time to announce this quarter’s Green Ember Kid Art Winners!

But first we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to create and submit. We received submissions in various formats such as ink, pencil, crayon, paint, woodworking, mosaic, and more!

It was difficult to choose a winner but we’ve selected 2.

Best Green Ember Kid Art

The FIRST prize goes to the Best #GreenEmberKidArt, judged according to the artist’s age. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate at the S. D. Smith Store (along with Unimaginable Glory & Prodigious Esteem). 

And the winner is… 

Amei, Age 8!

Randomly Selected Kid Artist

For our next prize: Wild Glee, Contagious Joy, and $20 Gift Certificate at the S. D. Smith Store, everyone who submits art is entered.

And the winner is…

Ariella, Age 12!

Congratulations to these winners!

We had so many wonderful submissions that made it hard to choose a winner! Here are some of them: Check out this video for more!

The contest for the next quarter starts now so here are the official rules:

To enter, submit your art here.

If you have social media, please share your child’s Green Ember art (publicly) on social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube). Use the hashtag #GreenEmberKidArt (along with #RabbitsWithSwords and #TheGreenEmber if you would) and tag S. D. Smith on either Facebook or Instagram. YouTube submissions may be featured in our playlist here.

Art can include but is not limited to pictures of Green Ember drawings, paintings, songs, poems, animation, sculptures, woodwork, crochet art, and MORE! We love seeing your creativity.

Please submit 1 original piece per quarter. If you have more than one, hold onto it until our next quarterly contest opens up (every 3 months). The next contest ends in December and winners will be announced in January.

2022 Q2 Winners2022 Q3 Winners

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

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My son. 

I remember you on my chest, that first blessed night, sleeping easy just above my grateful, glad heart. Your mom was well—had not nearly died, this time—and we felt such intense relief and joy. God had heard and answered our prayers with a YES, and we rested in the blessing. 

I still feel that way when I think of you, when I look at you, everyday when we embrace and say, “I love you.” I hear a YES from our Father, and I feel blessed and grateful and glad. 

You are my beloved son, and I’m delighted with you, and in you, and I’m deeply proud of you. I will love you and be for you, no matter what comes. But I have to say that what I see in and from you is a source of so much joy and thankfulness for me. You are a good man. 

Hold fast to the good news that Jesus saves and changes sinners like us—makes us more than we could ever be without him. A new creation. Priests and princes and winsome witnesses to Resurrection. Do not walk away from Jesus. Walk with him, behind him—follow him! He has the words of eternal life.

Keep your habit of kindness. Be a man—responsible, resourceful, brave, and protective. But don’t lose the soft skills you have so far demonstrated so faithfully. Keep seeing the small and powerless ones and loving those who can’t give you much in return. I love this about you. 

Have fun. Keep laughing, and keep making people laugh. You have a great sense of humor. Maybe do better than I have and bend your wit to be less sarcastic and more warm. But keep laughing. 

Keep making. You are a made maker, so keep on creating and shaping. Make and create music and movies and books and whatever your hand finds to do. Do it like a man—mightily.

Let tradition and history have many seats at your internal council table. Like our guy Jack says, read old books. So much of modernity is an attempt to “try something new” that has been tried a bunch of times and (often) failed. Be wary of DIY religion that may seem spontaneous and fresh but is really just some dude’s “hot new” take that will age out and fizzle in a short time.

Be wary of religious-languaged movements that simply sanctify your tribe’s politics and culture. Be deeply suspicious of the Zeitgeist; it is a cruel and capricious god. Don’t fear other gods. Fear God and cultivate humility and joy in him. 

Don’t forget whose boy you are. Remember where you come from. This is not a limit to your rising, but a launching pad to lift you up. You are a Smith, a West Virginian, an American. All those have good and bad in them. Grab the gold and take it with you while you leave the dross far behind. Go farther than we went, and take us with you in your heart. 

You are always mine, son. And I am always yours. 

And happy birthday, my beautiful boy. 

I am so happy to share this with you! I wrote a book with my son and I love it, honestly. I have zero hesitation in recommending this to your family. Please watch the video and head over to the store and grab your copies today!

Leave a fun (GIF or emoji?) comment on this video at Instagram or Facebook once you order and please share it with your friends!

Only Chance To Get Yours Signed

The first 2,000 are signed first editions. (Both J.C. and I will sign these.) After that, it will be next year before we sign any more. They may go fast.

Jack Zulu Shirt: Collector’s Item

This Jack Zulu shirt is soft, stylish, and a collector’s item. (Some people still have our original Green Ember shirt!) Get a signed book and shirt in an awesome combo deal.

Brand New Green Ember Swag!

We also have some amazing new Green Ember merch in plenty of time for Christmas shopping. These also have some limits on quantities, so some of that may sell out early. I’ll share more about that later!

Thanks so much for supporting us on day one!

We’re on your side,
Sam (and Josiah and all the Smiths)

P. S. Here’s a brief essay about our family and our heart for you.

Shop S. D. Smith Store

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Sam I am. This is my fam. 

I’m Sam Smith, an author who is corny enough to use his initials, just like his heroes (C. S. Lewis, P. G. Wodehouse, G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, etc.). I’m married to Gina, who is beautiful and brave. Our kids are Anne (yep, with an E), Josiah (my co-author on Jack Zulu), Micah (needs a haircut), and Norah (the “baby”). We live and love in West Virginia. We are devout Christians because Jesus knows me, this I love. We like soccer. We love taking walks. We eat together and hug a lot. We loved watching Gravity Falls and reading Little Women. We all make things. 

Norah makes everyone smile by being vibrant and fun. Micah makes magical plays on the soccer pitch. Josiah makes everyone feel special by listening and enthusiastically encouraging. Anne makes everyone grateful by being an incredible gift-giver and fun hang. Gina makes our family go with her constant, faithful, tenacious loving. I make stories for them, and for you. 

Our family runs on love. Our family business is all about love. 

It began with love (The Green Ember started on our porch, a daddy and daughter sharing an improvised adventure) and it still always begins with love. It’s love when it gets to you. It’s love when you close the book and pass it on. It’s love when you pull on an Ember shirt, or play like noble rabbits in the yard. It’s love when you put crayon to paper and re-make in our shared world. Love, love, love. 

I’m Sam, and our family business is making things for you from a heart of love and service. We are your allies in imagination. 

We’re on your side. 

Love, Sam. 

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