If you're a teacher, especially of young children, chances are you have browsed the internet, Pinterest or even other teachers' lesson plans to get inspiration for your own classroom. Well, look no further as we introduce everyone to Wolfe Stew!
Photo of Author Sean Wolfe
Sean Wolfe and his wife Elizabeth Wolfe are the dynamic duos behind Wolfe Stew on social media. These two writers bring with them a love of not just writing but also of teaching.
Sean who is 49-years-old and Elizabeth who is 36 call Loveland, Colorado home. If you have followed them on their platforms then you know their pages are filled with fun and interesting facts about day to day holidays, celebrations, and events.
When we asked Sean and Elizabeth what was something special about Loveland, Colorado they told us another great fact. "Our city has a special postmark for Valentine's day. That way, you can send your beloved a letter postmarked Loveland in celebration o the romantic holiday."
Their blog got started Sean explained, like any stew, "Long before it was ready for human consumption. For nine years, we stewed on the idea of helping other teachers through resource creation and collection. Then, last year, the stewing process ended, and the serving process began with the grand opening of Wolfe Stew."
Do they have a favorite blog post? While many are special this writing duo told The Writing Wall they believed their favorite one to write was a "Christmas blog titled "Are you a Herod or a Herald?" and my favorite book review to write was on The Ranger's Apprentice."
For Elizabeth what brought her into writing was her parents delighting in her literature projects, "And it is the avenue from which I most comfortably express myself. The desire to help other teachers by starting Wolfe Stew really forced me into writing routinely," She explained. As for Sean, it was a teacher who inspired him to write, "my 6th-grade teacher's creativity in writing instruction inspired me to become a writer."
Their favorite place to visit, although difficult to choose just one, Sean said would have to be "Rocky Mountain National Park. It's nearby, a household favorite, and allows us to refresh in God's glorious creation." The outdoors also gives these scribes activities in their spare time as they both enjoy reading, traveling, camping, hiking, and taking walks."
Elizabeth who is also a musician likes playing the piano in her spare time and baking while Sean also enjoys capturing nature through photographs and videos (so true, check out their pages!).
For this author and this blogger, home is where the writing is, "Spread among copious amounts of notebooks for idea generation and filed electronically for a story or blog post drafting." Sean told us that "the thoughts colliding in my mind create the stories that form on paper. I tend to draw inspiration from real events around me: newspapers, nature, and everyday life."
When we inquired about their favorite literary genres, Elizabeth admitted it was difficult to choose just one genre she preferred to read, saying "non-fiction history, inspirational (Christian), historical fiction, chic lit, mystery, classics, and children's literature" were all among her favorites. Sean said he preferred Science Fiction and fantasy reads.
When we caught up with the couple, Elizabeth said she was reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Proverbs, and Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. With her mother and sisters, she was reading The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer and Job, while with her nephew she read The Burning Bridge by John Flannagan and Indescribable by Louie Giglio.
Sean was reading Michael McGillicuddy and the Most Amazing Race by Trevor A. Dutcher. Of course avid readers, and teachers, also have their favorite quotes. For Sean, he said his favorite author quote was "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent," from Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Elizabeth added her favorite quote was "There is no reason in the world why you should not be important where you are known," by Edmund to Fanny in Mansfield Park. It is though, probably this verse given by Elizabeth that sums up the hopes of a writer best, “But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.” Job 16:5
Of course, all writers need supporters, and while they have a great following on their social media platforms their biggest support is found in one another. Elizabeth told the blog, "My husband, Sean, is not only my biggest supporter, but he's also my teammate. Without him, Wolfe Stew would still be locked away in the corners of my mind. My nephew also for always showing interest, motivating, offering suggestions, and being my most brutally honest critic." Sean echoed his wife's sentiment saying for him, she was his biggest supporter.
Both offered the following as advice for indie writers who are looking to start their own blog:
Be Persistent. Keep going. When you are hard on yourself, and the words don’t want to flow, just keep going. One word, then another. When you look back, you’ll be surprised how far you’ve come. Don’t give up!
Be Passionate. Write from a place of passion, a place of love, and a place of honesty. Allow your vulnerability to show.
Be Authentic. Set your own goals. Don’t compare yourself to others, just do your personal best. Define what success looks like for you and post it in a prominent place. When you’re tempted to compare yourself to others (and you will be) remind yourself that your measure of success does not match theirs.
Be Open. Invite others to comment, expect to learn from what they have to say, and genuinely appreciate (and celebrate) each contribution and visitor. Also, engage with others. Visit other blogs with the intention of learning from them and commenting when you connect with their content.
Now here is an exclusive excerpt from Mission Born: Space Twins- Chapter 14: "Old Friends by Sean Christopher Wolfe. To find all chapters click the following: "Reading Nook"
Once they were all inside, Kat put two fingers from one hand in her mouth and gave a loud whistle. Every head in the place turned to them. She just laughed and yelled, “MOG! Get out here ya old galoot! I ain’t got time ta wait fer Netty ta seat us!”
A tall, thin robot made of green metal rolled toward them. “Ah, Katarina, you know your outbursts may cost us, customers…. Please follow me. Mog is busy cooking, as we have a multitude of customers waiting….as you can see….” The robot swiveled its body in one deft motion and started guiding them back the way it had come.
“A booth or table?” The robot asked for their preference.
“A booth, please. Netty…” Winterlocke answered.
“Your inflection shows you are misinterpreting my name. I am Net-E, named for the ‘E’ version of the popular Net brand robots. We are highly popular….” Net-E sounded off the information quickly and precisely, yet with a hint of irritation.
“Here is your booth, Katarina. I will take your order after your friends and you have read the menu thoroughly enough.” Net-E dropped the menus onto their table, which was surrounded by a large couch-like seat. They all sat down and scooted into the confining, yet comfortable, space. Winterlocke made sure he was sitting on the end, seeming to want to be prepared for something.
“So, kids, what’s Winter got ya doin’ now? Other than botherin’ a nice old lady like myself….” She gave Winter a hard glare and then smiled warmly at the twins.
“Well, it’s kinda secret… He’s coaching us…” The next words Jess spoke in a whisper, “to be…spies…” She looked around the place carefully, like she could spot other spies. Winterlocke just looked at her and then rolled his eyes back in exasperation, putting his hand to his forehead. Walter watched it all out of the corner of his eye as he looked through the menu. Kat smirked and seemed to be loving Winterlocke’s irritation.
“Okay, let’s just order and then get on with things. Kat, we need to have them learn the trader ways, the lingo, and the customs. Can you help me with that? The Gnomes will pay good money….” Winterlocke slapped his hand onto his still unopened menu.
Kat looked Winter square in the eye and sighed, “Okay, Old Man, I’ll take ‘em under my wing. But, you need ta stay outta my way, got it?”
Winterlocke smiled and nodded while picking up his menu and opening it. Kat nodded back surreptitiously and opened her own menu.
The meal was surprisingly good. Winterlocke had a steak from an alien-like cow called karaka, which supposedly was found on the Dwarven homeworld. Apparently, it had a metallic aftertaste which Winter seemed to enjoy. Jess had a version of Eggs Benedict, but with a huge egg from a predatorial bird on the Elven homeworld. She couldn’t stop raving about the sauce, which was spiced perfectly. Walter had a fish steak from the Mermen homeworld, the thing was quite large as well. He finished it with no problem and had a dessert from the same area, which ended up being sweetened fish eggs. Kat had a hamburger, made from one of the original cattle breeds on Earth, which were now found on multiple planets in the frontier.
Want to follow Wolf Stewed for more free homeschooling resources, fun photos, videos, and reminders of special days? Then visit them using the following handles for Twitter or Instagram, and follow them on FaceBook. A link to Wolfe Stew's website is also below:
Website: www.wolfestew.com
Twitter: @WolfeStew
Instagram: @wolfestewed
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfestew
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/teamwolfe2020/_created/
Author Bio:
Raised by teachers and inspired by teachers, Sean Christopher Wolfe had no hope but to become a teacher. He writes to inspire reluctant student readers everywhere to pick up a book that they don’t want to put back down. After all, he was once a reluctant student reader himself. Now, standing on lessons learned from thirteen years of students, Sean’s ambition to inspire remains steadfast. Pass on what he has learned, he must. Find Sean’s works at https://www.wolfestew.com/p/original-creations.html.
A new Writer of the Week will be featured every Monday. Be sure to also follow The Writing Wall on Twitter @TheWritingWall, or on Instagram @writingsonthewall85 for the latest. You can also listen to the podcast every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. Just search for The Writing Wall on Spotify, Google Cast, Breaker, and more.
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