Samantha Syrnich TLC

Author Archives: Samantha Syrnich TLC

About The Hand Behind The Phoenix Quill— I’ve lived many lives within one — some born of light, some forged in fire. Each left its mark, and in the ashes, I found my voice. The Phoenix Quill was never just a name; it became my heartbeat — a place where pain turned to purpose, and truth was no longer something to survive, but something to share. I am a poet, artist, advocate, and storyteller — guided by a love that refuses to die quietly. Through words and imagery, I tell stories of resilience, of rising when the world says you’ve fallen too far. My work carries pieces of the people and places that shaped me — veterans, children, the voiceless, the forgotten — and the fire that demanded their stories be heard. Every poem, every painting, every creation under The Phoenix Quill is born from that promise: to turn heartbreak into healing, to honor truth even when it burns, and to remind others that they, too, can rise. This is my life’s work — to give voice to the silence, hope to the weary, and beauty to the broken. Welcome to The Phoenix Quill: Words Born of Fire, Inked in Truth. Where ashes become art — and every word remembers how to rise.

by, Samantha Syrnich TLC

This is Ariel.

Nine years ago, she appeared on my Facebook feed — a small, white wisp of a soul, scheduled to be euthanized the very next day. Not for anything she had done, but because the high-kill shelter in California where she’d landed was at capacity.

In that moment, I felt the unmistakable tug of urgency. Within hours, I had made the calls, arranged her journey to the far north of Washington State, and prepared my arms to receive her. When she arrived, I knew instantly: I would be a foster failure. She was already mine.

Ariel came to me desperately ill — malnourished, weak, refusing food for weeks. She had been a street dog, they said, barely ten months old by the vet’s estimate, her teeth the only clue to her youth. She needed high-calorie gel dabbed onto her teeth, fluids given by syringe, and the persistence of someone who refused to let her slip away. Three rounds of medication later, we finally found the one that saved her.

From that day forward, Ariel was cherished. She learned the comfort of warm blankets and gentle hands. She learned she could speak her mind — and she does, with the full confidence of a queen. She has been featured in my yet to be published children’s book series alongside Blossom of Snow, my Borzoi, and has graced framed photographs, art prints, and even a pillow on my couch.

Though she is small, Ariel rules her world — even over Blossom, who towers above her. And every time I look at her, I remember the day I first saw her face, and the quiet promise I made: You will live. You will be loved.

Today, this memory photo surfaced, and I thought it deserved to be shared again.