My name is Elaina M. Avalos and I am a writer. I write fiction, musings on life, relationships, grief, and delight. I also write poetry (that is not particularly good), but it scratches an itch when I need to write something short and choppy. I am in the process of writing three novels. They are set in a North Carolina mountain town that draws people to it with its own special magic. The first in the “series” is A Thousand Years. It’s mostly finished and awaiting a re-write. Next is Land of Canaan. I got about 35,000 words in and decided to change it to third person POV. That may or may not last. If it works, the other two will be as well. Finally, Mercy Seat (temporary title), is the third book. I’ve started writing it to get the feel of the book on “paper,” while I work on the other two. It helps me feel as though I have a good foundation to write the entire novel when I’m ready. All three books have a touch of magic, romance, and found family. My novel, Chasing Hope, is available on Amazon. It will be available here in the coming months.
Between 2022-2025, I lost my only immediate family members – my Dad (Phil Avalos), my Mom (Cynthia Avalos), and my Brother (Matthew Avalos). Between losing my dad and my mom, my dog Abby crossed the rainbow bridge. Sometimes I wonder how people think about this as they read it. Something along the lines of, “Wow. Depressing. I don’t think I’d be talking or writing about it.” I can empathize with this viewpoint. However, I’ve discovered that talking and writing about it gives me peace. As such, I’ll keep writing or talking about grief.
Life isn’t all sad. I love simple, little things. I find delight & joy in places others might not. Sometimes I write about that. This website will be a collection of things I find beautiful and worthy of sharing. I will also share thoughts on grief, love, relationships, and probably some randomness. At one time in my life I catalouged a list of the things that delight me. Author Ann Voskamp calls these, One Thousand Gifts. I will return to the practice of sharing these on my website & blog because if I can find beauty and delight, anyone can.
Now for a few random notes about me: I love pine trees, melancholy foggy mornings, wine, dogs, Big Sur, the mountains, camping, men with beards, sentence fragments, art, reading, and so much more. I love, love. I’m a ginormous sap.