Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing, Alison Taylor, Ronald Chapman, and Artotems for today's post! At face value, My Name is Wonder: A Tale of Adventure by Ronald Chapman, was not the type of book I expected to enjoy. After all, the main characters are a goat and a crow. What could this book possibly mean to me? Surprisingly, I was really challenged to examine my own life while reading this profound spiritual fable. I am convinced that this novel was meant to land on my path.
This is a coming of age tale of Wonder, the billy goat, as he learns to live the concepts of mindfulness and heartfulness. After a distressing experience with a bully, Wonder is introduced to the first of many mentors, the wise goat, Oren. This teacher begins to give Wonder greater purpose by showing him how to live in the present. These lessons include naming his emotions, letting emotions go, breathing, being still, and listening to his inner voice.
Wonder takes these skills with him on two distinct adventures with his sidekick, Mac Craack crow. This comedic mentor watches over Wonder guiding him back to the tenets of mindfulness along their journey together. Wonder meets a host of characters that contribute to his ability to define himself based on experiences and connections felt with the heart. He is also able to get through some traumatic times of transition, fear, and loss using a series of mantras, including “only way out is through” and “into the Light”.
My take away from this novel is to remember that life is not always what we dream it will be. Disappointment and pain are bound to happen. If we practice living in the present moment, our inner voice will be amplified. It is this voice that will guide us through the tough times when they do come. Wonder wants to be free to explore, yet ends up in captivity. Rather than letting this ruin his life, he stays true to himself and embraces the fact that there is something to be gained from all of life’s experiences.
“What you are is what is left when that which is not you is cast aside.”
Genre: Fiction/Spirituality
Publisher: Terra Nova Books (September 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1938288785
ISBN-13: 978-1938288784
My Name is Wonder is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.
Ronald Chapman is owner of an international speaking and consulting company, Magnetic North LLC. In addition to international accreditation as a speaker and national awards for radio commentary, he is the author of two novels, My Name is Wonder (Terra Nova Publishing, 2016) and A Killer's Grace (Terra Nova Publishing, 2016 and 2012), two works of non-fiction, Seeing True: Ninety Contemplations in Ninety Days (Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2008) and What a Wonderful World: Seeing Through New Eyes (Page Free Publishing, 2004) and the producer of three audio sets, Seeing True: The Way of Spirit (Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2016, 2005), Breathing, Releasing and Breaking Through: Practices for Seeing True (Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2015), and Seeing True – The Way of Success in Leadership (Magnetic North Audio, 2005). Ron provides a wide array of social media content at www.SeeingTrue.com, content for people in substance abuse recovery at www.ProgressiveRecovery.org, and other content from his master site, www.RonaldChapman.com. He holds a Masters in Social Welfare from The University at Albany (New York.) Prior to his relocation to Atlanta, Georgia in 2008, he was a long-time resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Ronald can also be found online at:
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1338592.Ronald_Chapman
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/seeingtrue/
----------Upcoming Blog Tour Dates
Tuesday, October 11th @ Bring on Lemons with Penny Harrison
Wisconsin business woman and mompreneur Penny Harrison shares her thoughts and feelings after reading My Name is Wonder by Ronald Chapman - don't miss this insightful blog stop.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com
Get Involved! If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email us at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com.
About today's reviewer:
Alison Taylor is an educator, a mother, a wife, a friend, and oh so much more. She lives along the Branch River in beautiful rural Wisconsin with her husband and four children. Alison's favorite authors include Nickolas Butler and Glennon Doyle Melton.
Alison, that was a very cool review! I am delighted to see the depth of its echoes in your thoughts. And as an aside, I too sometime think that perhaps a goat and a crow is a bit shallow, and then something penetrates from the story and my mind is changed. Funny how that happens to us. Regardless, thank you so much for good insights, and thorough work! As an author working to gain an audience for my story, it makes a great deal of different. Very much appreciated. Ron Chapman
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