CaitlinDBurnside

ALOE VERA PLANT To Readers, I'll hopefully help! I am writing this Blog to share a story about a long-held belief of mine, recently overturned in the most unexpected way. It concerns a humble plant: Aloe Vera. Back in the mid-1990s, shortly after we got the internet at home, I had an encounter with a cosmetic representative. I’ve never been one for much makeup, but she was promoting a new line that featured this new fangled ingredient, Aloe Vera. The introductory pack was at a rock-bottom price, so I gave it a go, selecting my colours. However, the transaction came with a stark warning that nearly stopped me in my tracks. I was told point-blank that a minority of people are allergic to Aloe Vera and that I should watch for a skin-wide reaction within five days. I didn’t apply the products daily, so the warned reaction arrived on Day Seven. I broke out in large, blotchy red spots all over my face and body (the kit had included bath products, too). I contacted the represe...

My Dearest Readers, I am writing to you today with a heart full of nervous excitement and a mind buzzing with the whispers of ancient oaks and bygone paths. You see, I’ve made a decision — one that feels both monumental and utterly necessary. I am rewriting The Oakwood Chronicles. It began as a simple reread, a nostalgic journey back to the story I first built from ink and imagination. Yet as I walked those familiar sites alongside Cassandra and Callen once more, I heard it: the quiet, persistent hum of a story not yet fully told. The foundations were strong, the heart was true, but the roots… the roots wanted to dig deeper. The canopy wanted to spread wider. Therefore, I have taken a step back into the grove. The series you know, those four volumes that held our adventures, will be lovingly unbound and rewoven. From four books, the chronicle will expand to eight. This is not merely a splitting of pages, but an expansion of soul. It is a chance to linger in the glens we raced past, to ...