After taking a month off to leave room for all the NSD challenges in May, I'm back with one of the best books I've read in a while.
Theo's arrival in the sleepy southern town of Golden is as mysterious as it is sudden. Born and raised in Portugal by way of New York City, Theo is intentionally evasive about his background with everyone he meets.
"What's your last name?" "Oh, it's long and Portuguese and hard to pronounce. Just call me Theo."
"What brings you to Golden?" "I have some properties to look into."
"How long will you be staying?" "Who knows? Could be a few months, could be longer."
Each time he is asked about himself, Theo deftly avoids the question and turns the conversation back to his companion. He is intensely interested in people and, if he's learned anything in his 86 years, it's that you learn the most by observing and listening. Thus begins his most wild idea yet. On his first visit to a coffee shop called Chalice, Theo is mesmerized by the collection of framed pencil line portraits covering every wall. He discovers that they have all been done by a local artist and are all renderings of the various inhabitants of Golden. Theo decides that the portraits belong back with their subjects, so he launches a crusade to purchase each portrait, track down its subject, and hand deliver the drawing to its rightful owner. In doing so, he hopes to learn more about each person's story and the joy, sadness, and pain he sees rendered so beautifully in their pencil likenesses. Theo quickly becomes a familiar face in Golden and as his quest deepens, so does the mystery surrounding Golden's newest benefactor. Who is Theo, where did he come from, and why is he REALLY in Golden?
OPTION 1: TELL SOMEONE'S STORY
At the core of this novel is a beautiful story about humanity and the stories we all carry. So, for Option 1, tell someone's story. The layout should focus on one person (or animal - our pets are people, too!) and, while you can have multiple photos on the page, each photo should ONLY PICTURE the subject of your page. No group shots, no duos, just individual shots of your person/animal. Then, tell your subject's story. What joy and pain have they experienced in their life? What obstacles have they overcome? What characteristics define them? Make it at least 5 sentences to be able to fully tell their story.
OPTION 2: "THE FEDDER"
When Theo arranges his meet-ups to deliver each person their portrait, he always plans to meet at a bench next to the fountain in the center of town. In one of his favorite pieces of Golden trivia, he learns that the fountain is called "The Fedder" because of a dedication ceremony that took place years before in which a feather floated down from the sky and into the fountain and a boy in the audience shouted that "a peeth of fedder" (piece of feather) had fallen into the fountain. From then on, the fountain was called The Fedder.
In our lives, we often make up silly names for things. Sometimes, it's a person, sometimes it's an object, and often it's a name bestowed by a child. So, for Option 2, make a page about a name that's been given to something or someone and has stuck. Explain who named it, and tell the story behind the name.
The Fine Print:
1. HAVE FUN MAKING YOUR PROJECT!
2. Entries open to new projects - paper, digital, & card making.
3. May be combined with one other challenge that allows it.
4. Due June 30th, at 11:59 PM.
5. One lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a $5 ACOT gift card from me!
6. Up to 3 entries permitted per month.
7. If there are more than 15 unique entries (not including bonuses) during the month, a second name will be drawn and that person will get an automatic entry for the following month.
Participating Cherries:
1. Donna_Coughlin
2. Cheryl E.
3. joannie
4. Nana01
5. stinkerbelle (EXTRA ENTRY FROM APRIL CHALLENGE)
6. Scraplifter
7. shoorn
Kristin 
