A Cosmic Adventure of Courage and Hope: Why Kids Will Love Martin & the Light Beams of Amalius

 

Award-winning author Dimitri Moraitis invites young readers on a magical journey that celebrates imagination, friendship, and the light within us all.

What if a beam of light appeared in your bedroom one night and offered to take you on an adventure across the universe? For Martin, the young hero of Martin & the Light Beams of Amalius by Dimitri Moraitis, this extraordinary encounter opens the door to a journey filled with wonder, unforgettable characters, and life-changing discoveries.

Written for readers ages 8–12, this imaginative middle-grade fantasy blends cosmic adventure with an uplifting message about courage, compassion, and hope. It encourages children to explore new possibilities, believe in themselves, and discover that even during difficult times, an inner light can help guide the way.

When Life Takes an Unexpected Turn

Martin is a curious boy fascinated by the stars and planets, but his parents’ constant arguments leave him feeling lonely and overwhelmed. Just as he considers running away, a mysterious beam of light named Amalius appears and offers to transform him into a beam of light for an extraordinary cosmic adventure. Along the way, Martin discovers unexpected strengths, learning that even in difficult times, hope, imagination, and courage can help him find his way.

Extraordinary Worlds and Unforgettable Characters

Guided by Amalius, Martin travels to remarkable worlds and meets a colorful cast of light beams, including the fearless General Romaine, the radiant Diva, and the mischievous Rag-a-Muffin. Each character brings a distinct personality to the story, filling Martin's journey with imagination, surprises, and opportunities for discovery. Their different qualities also highlight the importance of individuality, cooperation, and recognizing the unique strengths everyone brings to a team.

Discovering the Light Within

At the heart of Martin & the Light Beams of Amalius is the idea that everyone possesses an inner light—a source of courage, kindness, hope, and personal strength that can shine even during difficult times. Through Martin's experiences, Moraitis presents this idea in an imaginative and accessible way. Light becomes more than a magical element; it symbolizes the qualities that help people move forward when they feel afraid, uncertain, or alone.

The story reminds young readers that believing in themselves does not mean they must face every challenge alone. Friendship, compassion, and cooperation are essential to Martin's success. By helping the inhabitants of Amalius, he discovers that even small acts of courage and kindness can make a meaningful difference.

 

Inspiring Imagination and Reflection

As an award-winning author and internationally respected spiritual teacher, Moraitis brings his interest in spiritual awareness and personal growth to a younger audience. He weaves these themes into a magical narrative rather than presenting them as abstract lessons, making the story accessible to children who enjoy asking big questions about themselves and the world.

The book may also appeal to families looking for stories that encourage reflection and meaningful discussion. Martin & the Light Beams of Amalius is about more than traveling to distant worlds. It is about discovering that imagination opens doors, friendship provides strength, and challenging experiences can reveal unexpected courage.

For children ages 8–12 who love cosmic mysteries, fantastical characters, and stories with heart, Martin's adventure offers an invitation to wonder. For adults sharing the book with young readers, its message is equally meaningful: even when life feels dark, there is always the possibility of finding more light.

About the Book

Martin & the Light Beams of Amalius by Dimitri Moraitis

• Publisher: Spiritual Arts Institute
• Publication date: September 23, 2026
• ISBN: 9781954944114
• Recommended ages: 8–12
• Length: 132 pages
• Price: $9.99

 

Unclaimed Mail - Bup Boxes vs. Fun Delivered Round 2

My mom and I are back for another round of our Bup Boxes vs. Fun Delivered Challenge! This is all just for fun because both companies are fantastic and two of my personal favorites. With unclaimed mail, every package is a gamble, so we're curious to see which company comes out ahead each round.

Team Bup Boxes

Bup Boxes led off this round with a matching necklace and bracelet set that was inspired by Pandora. It definitely wasn't authentic but still pretty.  The second package contained a fancy whisk.

Team Fun Delivered

Fun Delivered responded with something you don't see every day: a bendy Michael Jackson figure.

The second package contained a set of leopard-print pens, which were both cute and functional. You can never have too many pens, especially when you're an author who still hand writes your first draft.

Who Wins This Round?

That's where we need your help! Did Bup Boxes win with the jewelry set and whisk? Or did Fun Delivered take the crown with Michael Jackson and leopard pens?

Check out the video below and let us know your vote in the comments.  Which company wins Round 2? 

Guest Post by Chandra Lynn, M.B.A., Author of Root to Rise & Autographed Book Giveaway

 

Why You Can Have a Good Life and Still Feel Like Something Is Missing

By Chandra Lynn, M.B.A.

This article is for the woman who looks at her life and thinks, I have so much to be grateful for. Why am I not happier?

Maybe the kids are finally asleep. The kitchen is mostly clean. You sit down for the first time all day, and instead of relief there’s a low hum you can’t quite name.

Nothing is wrong. You love your family, you know how lucky you are, and you could list a dozen reasons to be grateful without trying. That’s what makes the feeling so hard to talk about, even with yourself. So you cover it with a little guilt (I should be happy) and keep going.

Maybe you try to fix it from the outside with a new routine, a weekend away, or a bigger goal at work. Sometimes that helps. A lot of the time, though, we’re trimming branches when the part asking for attention is underground, in the roots.

I learned that in my own body.

What I Was Really Building

When my son, Kai, was a baby, I joined a gym. I was working from home, and the gym’s childcare gave me something I hadn’t had since he was born: time that was just mine.

On paper, it was about getting my body back. I had gained more weight than I wanted, my pre-baby clothes didn’t fit, and I didn’t like what I saw in pictures. The harder part was the voice in my head. For years I had called myself “the 10-pound overweight girl,” and after Kai that inner critic got louder. Some days it felt like my body was working against me.

So I made the scary walk over to the free weights. The people there were far kinder and more helpful than I had imagined. I found a 12-week beginner program, followed it all the way through, and learned that consistency mattered more than any one workout. I’ve been on a program of one kind or another ever since.

Somewhere along the way I realized the muscle was the smaller part of it. My self-talk got quieter. What I was really building was trust in myself, and a slowly growing belief that I am worth taking care of. I still notice things in the mirror I’d change, but I’m proud of what I built.

When I reached my goals, I hosted a thank-you dinner for the people who had supported me. I didn’t get there alone, and I wanted them to know it.

That season taught me something I now build my work around. We expect the rise without the roots, and the root work is where the magic happens.

Your Five Roots

In my Root-to-Rise® framework, I picture a life as a tree with five roots: Health, Family, Relationships, Career, and Friends. Everything other people see lives above ground. What holds it up is underneath.

The roots aren’t a ranking, and they won’t all be thriving at the same time. Life moves in seasons. When your kids are little, Family may be getting nearly all the water while Health or Friends go dry for a while. That’s normal. It’s also worth noticing, because a root that stays dry long enough starts to affect the whole tree.

The Hidden Forces Underneath

Below the roots are what I call the Hidden Forces: six human needs that quietly drive our choices. The idea comes from human needs psychology, which traces back to Abraham Maslow and was developed further by Tony Robbins and Cloe Madanes. Root-to-Rise is my adaptation of it.

The six are Security (stability and a sense of safety), Variety (change and fresh experiences), Self (feeling that you matter as you), Intimacy (closeness and belonging), Growth (learning and expanding), and Transcendence (contributing to something bigger than yourself).

We all have all six, and none of them is good or bad. What matters is how we’re meeting them, and what our way of meeting them is costing us.

For a lot of moms, this is where the restlessness comes from. Caring for your children can feed Intimacy and Transcendence in ways nothing else ever has, and running a household can feel a lot like Security. But the same role can crowd out a need without your noticing. You can get so good at meeting everyone else’s needs that Self, the need to feel like a person apart from your roles, gets almost nothing. Or Growth stalls because there’s no room left in the day to learn anything just for you.

When “Something Is Missing” Is Information

That restless feeling is usually a signal, and it’s worth listening to before you decide what it means. Most of the time it doesn’t mean you need to blow up your life. It may mean one root has been dry for a while, or that a need that barely registered five years ago matters much more now.

This comes up often in transitions, when kids start school or leave home, when your body changes, or when your work does. The strategies that carried you through the last season were the right ones for that time. Some of them may not fit the woman you’re becoming.

You can be deeply grateful for your life and still be curious about what it’s asking of you.

Try This Week

The next time the restlessness shows up, don’t rush to fix it. Pause and ask one question: What need am I trying to meet right now?

If the answer is Self, you may not need a whole weekend away. Ten minutes that belong only to you might do more. Pick one small way to feed that need this week, and make it small enough that perfectionism can’t talk you out of it. Then notice what changes.

Root-to-Rise was never about building a perfect life. It’s about building roots strong enough to love the life you have, even when it’s messy, hard, and uncertain.

Discover Your Hidden Force

If you’re curious which of the six needs may be shaping your choices right now, my free Hidden Forces Quiz can help you see it.

TAKE THE FREE HIDDEN FORCES QUIZ 

If you’d rather read first, or want to go deeper after the quiz, download my free Hidden Forces Guide. It walks through all six needs and how they may be showing up in your relationships, health, and everyday decisions.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE HIDDEN FORCES GUIDE 

For the full framework, Root-to-Rise: How to Love Life and its companion, the Root-to-Rise Workbook: Love Life by Design, walk you through strengthening your roots and understanding what drives you. As Deepak Chopra put it, “If you want a simple step-by-step guide for a fulfilled life, THIS is the book.” Readers of this blog get 25% off signed books with RISE25 on my personal store at glowliving.etsy.com.

About Chandra Lynn

Chandra Lynn, M.B.A., is an author, speaker, mom, and Certified Transformation Coach through the Robbins-Madanes Center for Strategic Intervention. She is the founder of Glow Living, creator of the Root-to-Rise® personal growth and self-help system which has earned recognition from Deepak Chopra and Kirkus Reviews, and author of Root-to-Rise: How to Love Life, a Gold Medal winner in the 2026 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards (Non-Fiction – Motivational), and the Root-to-Rise Workbook: Love Life by Design. Through her books, coaching, and talks, she helps people love life, even when it’s messy, hard, and uncertain.

Learn more at chandralynn.com. Find the books at https://glowliving.com/rtrbooks.

The Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of Root to Rise! To enter, fill out the Giveaway Tools form below.  Do you not meet to be a member to redeem the code. Giveaway ends 11/5/26! Open to the US only.

Entry-Form

Unclaimed Mail from Fun Delivered - Supplements & Root Concealer

 My mom is back for another round of our Fun Delivered box of 100 small packages, and this batch was a mix of health and beauty.

The first package contained garlic ginger supplements. Next up was a little green ball. We're still not sure what its intended purpose is, but out best guess was a pet toy. 

Finally, we received two boxes of concealer. At first, we thought it was a concealer for your face. After taking a closer look, we realized it was a root touch‑up product designed to cover gray roots between salon visits. My friend Karen ended up taking that one home, and she gave it a glowing review. She said it worked great and was an almost perfect match for her hair color. 

Check out the video below to see everything she opened. With plenty of packages still left in the Fun Delivered box, who knows what we'll uncover next!

@authorlauradeluca Unclaimed Mail - Supplements & Root Concealer #unclaimedmail #mysteryboxes #boomer #unboxingvideo #unboxing ♬ original sound - Laura Deluca

Sectarian is FREE on Amazon!

Erik Patko is living in the shadow of his celebrity parents. Returning to the family theater’s summer show is a constant reminder that he’ll never meet their expectations, but the seashore town of Cape May is the perfect setting to confess his love to his friend Priscilla and may give them an edge on the competition later when they audition for their college production of Renters.

Resident drag queen Curtis Hawthorne is thrilled to be cast in the starring role in Sexy Boots at the Ange du Palais, but not everyone wants the show to succeed. With protestors outside the door and a saboteur within, the curtain may fall on this performance before Curtis takes his closing bow.

Despite the growing tension between them, these two musical theater stars will join forces to face off against the Millsboro Church when the hateful leader targets the people they love.

Available exclusively on Amazon. 

Unclaimed Mail from Fun Delivered - Lacy Bra & Key Fobs

 I opened a few more packages from my Fun Delivered box of 100 small packages.

The first package contained a very lacy bra, pretty but not great for support. Next up was a key loop and phone grip set that came together.  The final package contained a key fob repair kit 

Check out the video below to see everything I opened. With dozens of small packages still waiting, there's no telling what will show up next!

@authorlauradeluca Unclaimed Mail from Fundelivered - Bras & Phone 📞 Grips 📦 #unboxingvideo #unclaimedmail #unboxing #mysteryboxes #fypシ ♬ original sound - Laura Deluca

Unclaimed Mail from Bup Boxes - Shirt & Backpack

 My mom is back with another round of packages from the large Bup Box, 

The first package contained an item that has us stumped. Is it a baby toy? Something that attaches to a suitcase? We have no idea. If you recognize it from the video, let us know in the comments because we're curious to find out what it actually does. Next up was a plain gray shirt. Nothing flashy, but it looked brand new. The final item was a 2D backpack. 

Check out the video below to see everything my mom opened and help us solve the mystery of that first package. With unclaimed mail, sometimes figuring out what an item is becomes half the fun!

@authorlauradeluca Unclaimed Mail - Shirt 👕 & Backpack 🎒 #unclaimedmail #mysteryboxes #unboxingvideo #unboxing #boomer ♬ original sound - Laura Deluca