Elaine Ambrose

Bestselling Author, Ventriloquist, & Humorist

Blog

Why Ventriloquists Use Different Accents for Characters

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https://youtu.be/30TeVbq7epU?si=W_5zqVK9bAYkIcpE

Click the YouTube link to watch and hear six of my characters.

I have eight puppets with distinct accents. Ventriloquists use different accents to distinguish between their characters. The act wouldn’t work if the puppet had the same voice as the ventriloquist. My characters are British, Old World, grumpy old man, breathless middle aged woman, Country Western singer, and Mexican. Some ventriloquists have been accused of being racist because they use ethnic accents. That claim is usually untrue. We just want to entertain and have fun.

View ventriloquist sites on YouTube or visit Jeff Dunham for more examples of character and voice.

Are you interested in having me visit your party or event? My puppets love birthday parties for all ages, midlife humor celebrations, and business events. Find details here: GigSalad. 

Granddaddy entertained the crowd at the Moudy Mountain Summer Festival near McCall

 

Cycling Without Age in Idaho

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Elaine Ambrose was the first “pilot.”

In 2017, I ordered a Triobike  Trishaw from Copenhagen, Denmark, and created the first Idaho chapter of “Cycling Without Age.”

John Davidson helped load and unload the delivered Trishaw from Denmark.

 

With the assistance of Eagle City Council Member Mary McFarland, we met with the Mayor of Eagle to secure permission to ride the bike on the streets and along the Greenbelt. We organized a premiere party in October and requested volunteers to be “pilots.” Several senior citizens enjoyed the rides, and the local media ran stories about the event.

Cycling Without Age is worldwide.

Mary McFarland, Eagle City Council Member, seated, Rob Hovey, Ken McKay, and Christy Hovey attended the event.

The Trishaw and the organization were transferred to Kalynn McLain in 2019. She collaborated with Grace Assisted Living in Meridian to create a program for the facility, and senior citizens appreciated rides around Kleiner Park. She partnered with five other facilities and soon provided hundreds of rides.

The Trishaw is retired through the winter and will undergo maintenance before activities begin in the spring.

Kalynn McLain is the main pilot and organizer of Cycling Without Age in Southern Idaho.

Writing Workshop – “Writing the Wrongs: How Experiences Create our Stories”

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A writing workshop titled “Writing the Wrongs: How Experiences Create Our Stories” is available on October 27 and will be repeated on November 3 in Eagle, Idaho. Bestselling author Elaine Ambrose will facilitate the morning sessions, and a panel of Idaho authors will end the workshop with a discussion and Q&A session. Participants will be encouraged to volunteer to read their works aloud to the group. The cost for the workshop is $80 and includes continental breakfast, lunch, all materials, and books.  A Zoom option is available for $40.

The focus of the event is to encourage writers to recall memories of personal angst, fear, or sadness. These raw emotions can create dynamic stories to heal the wounds of past trauma and drama. The Workshop includes continental breakfast, lunch, and materials.

The event is in a private home, so the address will be emailed after receipt of a paid ticket.

Elaine Ambrose

AGENDA

9:00 AM – Continental Breakfast

9:15 AM

Welcome and Introductions with Elaine Ambrose

9:45 AM

“Music as Muse” Exercise and Personal Writing Prompts will inspire participants to recall latent memories to spark emotions to enhance an original story.

10:30 AM

Participants Volunteer to Read

11:00 AM

“How to Discover and Improve Your Authentic Voice” – Interactive Exercises

12:00 PM

Break for Lunch and Personal Writing

12:45 PM

“How to Find Positive Affirmation as a Writer” – Panel of Local Authors

1:45 PM

Open Discussion and Readings

2:00 PM

Adjourn Workshop

Eventbrite link with more details and registration options: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-the-wrongs-how-experiences-create-our-stories-tickets-723702753417?aff=oddtdtcreator

My Vintage Barbie and Her Handmade Wardrobe

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I have a vintage, original Barbie Doll from 1959. She has managed to retain her remarkable physique while I have morphed from a chubby child to a healthy young woman back to a chubby curmudgeon. Three generations of storytelling girls have played with her: me, my daughter, and my granddaughter. The doll remains perfectly proportioned and ageless as I cope with trying to find my buried belly button.
Mattel has sold more than one billion Barbie Dolls around the world. The current hit Barbie Movie is the latest creation to capitalize on the franchise. Barbie-branded products included not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics, video games and audiovisual content.

Because I’m a chubby curmudgeon, I have no intention of seeing the movie. It’s a box office hit, but I’d rather sit on my patio with a summer cocktail than wear a garish pink outfit and share a theatre with squealing girls wearing pink uniforms. Besides, I already have my own Ken Doll.
My maternal grandmother, Olive Curry Morrison, was an excellent seamstress, and she loved to crochet. She made outfits for my Barbie Doll, and I still have more than 40 pieces of her wardrobe. The styles were handmade and include sweaters, skirts, coats, and perky hats. My mother saved each outfit in separate plastic bags because “they were too nice to play with.” So, I still have them, and most have never been used. I also have two original Barbie outfits: a ski outfit complete with boots and a tennis outfit that includes a tennis racket.

My grandchildren no longer play with Barbie Dolls. What should I do with her precious wardrobe? Sell it? Donate it? No one would appreciate how my grandmother lovingly hand-stitched hems and sewed buttons and snaps. She spent hours with her crochet needles and antique treadle sewing machine to create lovely pieces for one reason: To please me, her granddaughter.
As the Barbie mania continues, I hope to share this vintage collection with someone who will appreciate the talent and kindness of my Grandma Morrison. My vintage Barbie Doll is not for sale. I’m saving her for my youngest granddaughter’s high school graduation. Maybe the doll will be worth enough to help with college expenses. Vintage dolls and grandmothers retain their value.
 
Here’s a video showing my Barbie’s wardrobe: IMG_0117
 
Cheers to Grandma Morrison.

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Puppets Play at the Summer Festival in McCall

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Granddaddy, Aunt Olga, Lady Delilah, and Jessie Jo from Idaho shared jokes, stories, songs, and humor at the Moudy Mountain Summer Festival this summer near McCall, Idaho. They were joined by their intrepid handler, Elaine Ambrose.
Children were eager to learn how to make the puppets “talk.”