From the Heart

By Jenni Ward

If you forget about the love you have for something, then you forget what it is that makes you create in the first place.

 

Setsuko is glad to leave the city behind to stay with her grandparents for the summer. After failing at art, she doesn't want to see a pencil, or paintbrush, until school resumes.

When her grandparents gift her art supplies she goes to the lake to find inspiration. There she sees a white swan but her confidence is hindered by memories. Until she meets Kokoro.

Kokoro does things in her own way and she's about to show Setsuko a new way of creating. Setsuko just needs to let go of the past.

Join Setsuko as she discovers the power of friendship and believing in yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jenni Ward
• Release date: Oct 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9780648836346

Jenni Ward

Jenni lives in Australia and loves all things magical. Reviews of her work are welcome on any platform. You can find information about all her books on her website.

Book preview

FROM THE HEART

JENNI WARD

First published in 2021

by Miraworth Books

ABN 44 964 848 123

Copyright © Jenni Ward 2021

The right of Jenni Ward to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

MIRAWORTH BOOKS

PO Box 3523, Mount Gambier, SA 5290, Australia

ISBN (e-book):  978-0-6488363-4-6

ISBN (paperback): 978-0-6488363-5-3

Cover illustration by Catherine L. Fullo / TobiocaChan

Cover layout by CessArts

For dreamers

Whatever it is you dream of

The only one that needs to believe in it

Is you

If you don’t

Then no one else can

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10 

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chapter 1

Setsuko stared at the painting in the black folder. Underneath it, all the artwork she had completed at school for the year had been hidden away. She lost count how many times she looked at each piece. Her teacher hadn’t once found anything positive about them.

When Setsuko received the grade for the major piece of the year, her heart sank. The teacher’s feedback included she had composed it wrong, used the wrong technique, and appeared sloppy overall. At that moment, Setsuko decided to pack away her art supplies as she didn’t seem to be any good at it.

A sigh escaped her lips. Setsuko closed the cover of the folder to hide the pieces of work away once more. She picked up the folder, walked to her wardrobe, and hid it at the bottom where she couldn’t see it.

After she closed the wardrobe doors, she returned to the bed and picked up her backpack. Her dad had already taken the suitcase downstairs to put in the car. Setsuko slung the bag over her shoulder and turned around to take one last look at her room before she left, closing the door behind her.

Setsuko would normally have been excited. In the past, she always enjoyed going to visit her grandparents. She loved the big city with the fast pace she lived in, but the slower pace and calmness of the farms and forests always stirred different creativity. Every year Setsuko would go there for the summer since her parents both had to continue to work through the holidays again.

Her dad waited at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled as she came down before he turned and walked to the car outside. Setsuko closed the front door and followed him to the car. She sat in the backseat and stared out of the window as he drove to the bus station.

The station wasn’t far. Setsuko said her goodbyes to her parents and boarded the bus. She chose a seat towards the middle. Below she could see her mum blow kisses towards her. Setsuko returned the kiss and watched as her parents waved again before they walked back to their car.

Setsuko checked her watch and saw the bus should leave in another five minutes. She had been allowed to travel by bus to her grandparents alone for the last couple of years. Sometimes, even though she was twelve, she wished one of her parents would come along for the ride.

When the bus pulled away, Setsuko waved one last time towards the familiar car. She hoped they waved back but couldn’t see. The gears of the bus grinded and the speed increased. Setsuko slumped in the seat and wrapped her arms around herself.

Setsuko turned her head to watch the big skyscrapers line her exit from the city. At first the buildings were distinct but after a while they blurred with the green and brown blobs like paint.

Paint. The word caused her to sigh. Setsuko loved art, especially painting and sketching. This year her school hired a new art teacher. Setsuko had been so