Ballerinas and Bears! ALASKAN HOMECOMING by Teri Wilson

 

Hi everyone! I'm Teri Wilson, and today is my day on the blog. I write for Love Inspired, and my most recent book is ALASKAN HOMECOMING, which came out in March.

ALASKAN HOMECOMING is the 4th book in my series of Alaskan romances for LI, so it's full of fun Alaskan things, like snow, ice skating, naughty reindeer, gigantic dogs, snowball fights, romance (of course!) and bears. Lots of bears! But I can't say anymore about that without giving things away. No spoilers!

One of the things I like best about ALASKAN HOMECOMING is my heroine, Posy. She's a ballerina. I love ballet, and I've wanted to write a ballet-themed book for a long time. (I just had to figure out how to bring ballet to Alaska.) So, in celebration of my heroine, Posy Sutton, here are seven fun facts about ballet:

1. A male dancer lifts over one and a half tons (!) worth of ballerinas during a single ballet performance.

2. Most ballerinas wear out 2-3 pair of pointe shoes per week. 

3. One tutu costs up to $2,000 to make. 

4. The same tutu requires 60-90 hours of labor and over 100 yards of ruffle.

5. The amount of energy needed to perform a ballet is about the same as playing two full football matches or running 18 miles. 

6. Pointe shoes never have the ribbons sewn on when you buy them. Dancers sew their own ribbons into their shoes, so they can customize exactly where they're placed. They usually sew elastic onto the shoes as well. The amount of time that ballet dancers spend with a needle in their hands is a lot.

7. A prima ballerina can complete 32 fouette turns, while staying in the same exact spot on the floor. After the turns, the tip of her pointe shoe is hot to the touch. 

Surprised? There's a lot to ballet besides pretty pink satin and ballerina buns! Want to learn more? Check out ALASKAN HOMECOMING!

Ballet dancer Posy Sutton is only back in her hometown of Aurora, Alaska, until her injury heals. It's a decision that'd be easier to stick to if she didn't keep bumping into her charming ex-boyfriend, Liam Blake. After six years, she should be over him—but instead all she can see is the mistake she made when she left him. She's not sure she can handle choosing between Liam and ballet a second time…if Liam is even willing to risk his heart again. When her time in Alaska is up, will she and Liam be part of the sweetest dance of all?

Alaskan Homecoming, my grandpa and Peter & the Wolf!

Hi everyone! It's Teri Wilson, and this month I'm celebrating the release of the newest book in my Alaska series for Love Inspired. Here's a little bit about Alaskan Homecoming.

Ballet dancer Posy Sutton is only back in her hometown of Aurora, Alaska, until her injury heals. It's a decision that'd be easier to stick to if she didn't keep bumping into her charming ex-boyfriend, Liam Blake. After six years, she should be over him—but instead all she can see is the mistake she made when she left him. She's not sure she can handle choosing between Liam and ballet a second time…if Liam is even willing to risk his heart again. When her time in Alaska is up, will she and Liam be part of the sweetest dance of all?

Will they? I'll never tell! *wink*

This was a book that I've been wanting to write for a very long time. I love ballet. I take dance lessons, and I've always wanted to write a ballerina heroine. I think most writers will tell you that we always leave pieces of ourselves behind in every book we write. My passion for ballet and romance are just a few of the pieces of myself in Alaskan Homecoming. I've also included a very special musical arrangement.

My heroine, Posy, uses a classical recording of Peter & the Wolf to teach ballet lessons at the church youth group. I chose this piece of music because it's something that my grandfather played for me all the time when I was a little girl. My grandpa was a classical music buff. He loved to listen to John Phillips Sousa marches and Pavarotti librettos. He would turn the music up so loud that the walls in his little apartment would shake. I spent a lot of time with my grandpa, and I'm so proud to say that a love for classical music is one of his passions that he passed along to me. And it all started with Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf, narrated by Boris Karloff. It was a story set to music. The most magnificent thing I'd ever heard. 

My grandpa played it every time he babysat for me. I remember sitting at his kitchen table, eating raisin toast with butter and listening to the lilting tune of Peter early on Saturday mornings. It's how I learned what different instruments sounded like. It's how I learned to love music. It's how I learned who my grandpa was. I loved him very much, and that's why my heroine dances to Peter & the Wolf in Alaskan Homecoming.  

Click here to listen to Peter & the Wolf in its entirety. It's about 26 minutes long, but I hope you give it a listen, even if just for a minute or two. Enjoy! 

And if you happen to pick up a copy of Alaskan Homecoming, happy reading! 

Love and blessings, 

Teri xo

Visit me at www.teriwilson.net!
Click here to purchase ALASKAN HOMECOMING

Wandering Away.....

As I sit watching my daughter’s ballet class, I marvel at the patience of the teacher trying her best to corral a bunch of high-energy, enthusiastic 5 and 6 year olds into some semblance of order.

As a mother, there is nothing cuter than seeing a group of little girls parading around in pink tutus, tights, and ballet slippers, whose attention is easily diverted by the mirrors, each other, and hey-what’s behind this door?

However, as a writer, I cringe each time one of these little princesses wanders off because *gasp* they are doing what children…and our characters, like to do best…WANDER OFF.

Today, though while the little girls stumble through the motions, trying to grasp the concept, I can’t help but chuckle. How like my characters. Each with a mind of her own. Each trying to see what lurks behind that closet door at the back of the room. Each doing what she wants to do, not what her masterful teacher, er…author wants her to do.

Where does this leave us? With a certain creativity that comes from within. Dancing horses, princess walks, to floating balloons designed to stretch their young imaginations. I, too, am learning from this class.

But wait. My daughter has decided that she just doesn’t want to cooperate today. And she’s so darned cute in her determination not to do what the teacher asks. How many times have your characters decided that no matter how you cajole, beg, and demand, that they are just not going to do what you want them to do? Sorry, stickers and a treat aren’t going to work this time.

So what do you as authors do? How do you handle character interruptions? Me? Now that I’ve learned to let go, I go with the flow. I let them take the lead. I allow my characters to do what they want-as long as no one gets hurt. You never know where it’s going to take them, the story, and the romance.

It’s finally near the end of class for this week. Terrific! My daughter’s off her tiny, pink encased bottom and on her pink encased feet with her arms in the air. I really credit the teacher, who is a grade school teacher by profession, in keeping the kids focused and happy. I, however, have no such compunction. Discovering something new about my characters when they start to misbehave makes me want to do my own princess walk across the keyboards to see where they will lead me.