Cynthia A. Morgan's Blog, page 168

Fabric of Time – #6WordStories

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Fabric of Time blending Rhyme.

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful photograph found on Google.  Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the original photographer.  Thank You~

Filed under: Flash Fiction and Shorts Tagged: 6 Word Stories, Beautiful Photographs, BnV, BooknVolume, Harmony, Micro Fiction, Nature, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, time, ~Morgan~

Amber Sighs – #DailyHaikuChallenge

 

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Specter of Autumn

Scintillating in the Hush

Amber sighs Singing

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To take part in the Daily Haiku Challenge see  The Original Post from Day One

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Day 309 / 365

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Photograph found on Pinterest.  Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the original photographer Tammy Hughes.    Thank You~

Filed under: Daily Haiku Challenge Tagged: Autumn, Beautiful Photographs, BnV, BooknVolume, Meditation, Nature, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, Seasons, ~Morgan~

#WordlessWednesday – The Top of the World #PikesPeak

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Looking down on the clouds from Pikes Peak was a staggering view!

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~Morgan~

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All Photographs taken by ME

Filed under: Wordless Wednesday Tagged: Beauty, BnV, BooknVolume, Colorado, Mid West US, Natural World, Nature, Pikes peak, Rocky Mountains, The Rockies, ~Morgan~

#WordlessWednesday – Heading Up to #PikesPeak

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Just a few of the amazing vista’s we enjoyed on the cog-train ride up to the summit of Pikes Peak.  This last picture is of two yellow-bellied-whistling marmots we saw.  So cute!

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~Morgan~

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All Photographs taken by ME

#WordlessWednesday – Misty Mountains Majesty

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At the base of Pikes Peak, enwrapped in heavy mists.

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~Morgan~

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All Photographs taken by ME

Filed under: Lens Flair, Wordless Wednesday Tagged: Beauty, BnV, BooknVolume, Colorado, Mid West US, Natural World, Nature, Rocky Mountains, The Rockies, ~Morgan~

Blushing – #RomanticTuesday #Poetry

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Whispers Caress her

 

Blushing

 

Light and Shadow Blur

 

Rushing

 

Delicate Touch of Rosy Hue

 

Sighing

 

For the Sweet Love of You

 

Intensifying

 

Sweet Surrender In Anticipation

 

Rushing

 

Blush of Determination

 

Sighing

 

Inhale her Sweetest Perfume

 

And Sway

 

Blushing with Desire

 

At her Display

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Photograph found at:  all4desktop.com Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the Original Photographer.  Thank You!

Filed under: Poetry Tagged: Beautiful Photographs, BnV, BooknVolume, Desire, Emotion, Love, passion, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, relationships, Romance, Whispers, ~Morgan~

Blazing Shadows -#DailyHaikuChallenge

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Blazing shadows fall

Slanting light as seasons shift

Perpetual change

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To take part in the Daily Haiku Challenge see  The Original Post from Day One

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Day 308 / 365

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Photograph found on Pinterest.  Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the original photographer.  Thank You~

Filed under: Daily Haiku Challenge Tagged: Beautiful Photographs, BnV, BooknVolume, Change, Changing Seasons, Haiku Challenge, Nature, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, Progression of Seasons, Seasons, ~Morgan~

Gems – #DailyHaikuChallenge

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Gems of Sparkling Light

Synchronicity Singing

Harmony Twinkling

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To take part in the Daily Haiku Challenge see  The Original Post from Day One

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Day 307 / 365

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Photograph by:  GREGORY PHUA

Filed under: Daily Haiku Challenge Tagged: Beautiful Photographs, BnV, BooknVolume, Haiku, Harmony, Inspiration, Nature, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, relationships, spirituality, Stars, ~Morgan~

In The Lime Light – #Author Sarah Burhman

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Today I am pleased to introduce you to Author Sarah Burhman.  Sarah is an AuthorGoddess, one who embraces the divine honor of creating worlds with words in the hope of inspiring others. Sarah has been writing for more than 20 years. She lives in a magical land with two monsters (the kids), an ogre (the hubby), and whatever drama-llama is coming to visit this week. Sarah is the author of Too Wyrd, book 1 of the Runespells series, and the Life 101 series. She has short stories and essays in several anthologies, including Visions IV: Space Between Stars, and Chasing Fireflies: A Summer Romance Anthology.

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Please Introduce us to your Blog.  What is it all about?   What sorts of posts do you lean towards?

Sarah the AuthorGoddess (https://authorgoddess.blogspot.com/) is about my journey as an author. I talk about things in my life that affect my writing, how I develop characters, and the struggles of marketing on a shoe-string budget. I seldom do promo posts, though it has been known to happen.

What Inspires and stirs your creativity?

I am inspired by people. I write fantasy but, first and foremost, I’m writing about people’s lives, struggles and relationships. I love to explore how people interact in different situations, how they react to things, what motivates them. I think that is the core of my writing.

Conversely, what do you find difficult to write about?

Not much is off the table for me. I’ve written about my psychological traumas, deaths in the family, bitterness and anger… It’s all fodder for me.

What Message, if any, do you hope to Share through your blog/posts?

Compassion, respect, understanding… These are the best qualities a person can have, but life doesn’t happen without scars. We need to know we are not alone, and we need to be able to go through things without it making us into something mean.

How has your blog helped you as a writer/Indie Author? What things have you learned along the way that you never anticipated?

Oftentimes, I blog as a way to get my thoughts into a coherent idea. I’ll take how I feel about something and just try to get it out there in a way that makes sense. It helps me to really analyze my thoughts and what they mean to me and to my writing.

 

Tell us about your book(s):

The Runespells series starts with Too Wyrd. Nicola is a pretty normal woman, but she gets thrown into this really crazy situation. She ends up being tapped by the Norse gods to be the hero for their quest, but she isn’t the Chosen One or anything. Just the first person who has the necessary skills to come along. All she wants to do is get home, but her sense of responsibility keeps her on her path, and her snarky attitude keeps everyone on their toes.

My most recent novel, Fluffy Bunny (due out Nov. 30th), is the 2nd of the Runespells series. It deals with a lot of physical and psychological torture when Nicola joins a cult at the request of the Norns, and gets caught up in their brainwashing techniques. She ends up going through a lot of trauma that will come back in future books.

What Inspired you to write your book?

The Runespells series is based entirely on a dream. I knew the moment I woke up that there was a great story there, though it took me a while to figure out what it was, exactly. I really wanted to do a kind of magical-realism, female protagonist version of the Dresden Files (which is one of my fav series), and the feedback so far is that I’ve succeeded.

From what Point of View do you prefer to write? Is there a reason?

Not really. I wrote the Runespells from 1st person POV. I felt that 1st person was the best way to really cover the internal nature of Nicola’s adventures. Most of my other stuff is 3rd person, but I try to steer away from omniscient POVs. I think that half the fun of a great story is the surprises and twists that the reader can experience along-side the main character.

How would you describe your “Voice” or Style of writing?

I use a lot of really deep descriptions of experiences, such as emotional reactions, how it feels to regain consciousness, etc. I don’t do so much on environmental descriptions, though. I set the scene and give enough info to give an idea, but I let the reader fill in a lot of those blanks. I believe that people’s imaginations take them to where they need to go just fine, and the exact nature of the couch a character passes by in a hotel lobby isn’t all that necessary. I write in a minimalist style that way.

I love dialog and much of it has a very Gen X/modern sarcasm feeling. I also tend to write in scenes, so I have a lot of breaks in my writing.

What genre do you prefer to write or are you truly eclectic?

I love fantasy of all kinds. I write everything from sci-fantasy (sci-fi with a little “unrealism” to it, like X-men) to paranormal romance, to steam/mage punk, to urban fantasy. Generally, I stick to stuff that is very “magic in a modern setting” kind of thing, but there’s very little that is off the table for me. Some day, I may even do a western…

Do you painstakingly plot out your story; are you a discovery writer or a bit of both? Why?

I’m a plotter. I have a 9-point outline that I fill in with details as I need. Most of the actual writing is flexible, and I sometimes end up writing a scene in a way that changes where the story is going. It’s all part of the process. My outline is my guide in the deep dark woods of my mind.

I used to do full “discovery” writing, but the only thing I discovered was that I could write forever without going anywhere. I need to plot or I have no direction to my writing. I totally respect “pantsers” but that’s just not how my brain works.

Do you have a favourite or least favourite character? And Why?

Not really. I like all of my characters… that’s why they are there. Even the villains are wickedly great. Bob is the most sadistic person, and everything he touches gets tainted by him. Zaro is the closest to a least favorite. He’s such a smarmy, narcissistic jerk… but he’s so good at it. Nicola is probably my favorite, but Joseph and Hound Dog are pretty close. And then Huginn and Muninn are just awesome…

Share an insight or secret about your book(s).

In the Runespells, Jehovah and Satan show up. While you might think you know who “they” are by the end, you would be mistaken. This is a big aspect of the series story arc, which brings in a lot of lesser-known stories from Norse mythology. This ends up being a multiple unmasking of Scooby-doo proportions.

What do you feel is your best advice to share with other aspiring authors?

Just do it. You might not be great at first. None of us are really great at first. Do it anyways. You won’t get any better just sitting around wishing. This is a skill that takes effort and hands-on experience. And you’ll fail more times than you care to. That’s part of it, too.

Would you like to share an excerpt from the book or a poem or two to give readers an idea what you offer?

I stepped into my bedroom, my thick black hair still dripping from my shower, and froze at the sight of the three women waiting for me. The shock of finding someone in my room drained the heat of my shower from my body. Then I saw – really saw – the women, registered their appearance, and I felt a deep horror wash over me, numbing my limbs the way I imagined a mouse felt seconds before being swallowed whole by a snake.

The women were neither young nor old; not pretty, not ugly. They were average-looking women until I met their eyes. They looked at me in a slightly off-focus way, like a blind person, meeting my gaze without really seeing with those gray-ringed pupils that I found myself staring into.

I felt a slight burning on my chest, and I reached up to touch one of the four silver sigils hanging from my neck by a length of the chain that bound Fenrir Odinslayer, the monstrous wolf-son of Loki. The sigils were Runespells, my souvenirs from several months ago when I won a race for the powerful amulets.

After searching for my missing step-sister, I ended up fighting demons for the Runespells to keep a horrid man, not-so-good ol’ Bob, from using them to cause trouble in the form of starting Ragnarok, the Norse end of the world. I wasn’t sure how Bob would have done that, but I knew that Ragnarok was supposed to begin when Loki gets angry and breaks free from his chains to lead an army of Jotun, fire and ice giants, against Asgard.

None of that would end well.

I stopped not-so-good ol’ Bob, fought off the demons, found the Runespells, and spent half a week in the hospital afterwards. My reward was to keep the Runespells, so I could use them in my search for the other fourteen missing sigils. Some prizes aren’t worth the trouble.

As my fingertips grazed the sigil burning my skin, information flooded my mind, telling me about the god-creatures before me, and I understood why I’d felt such primal fear at their gaze.

The women before me were not gods, after all. They were stronger than the gods. They were god-creatures that I would never want to anger or insult. They were beings that I would normally think long and hard about dealing with before I would even consider bringing myself to their attention. But I didn’t get a warning. I didn’t get any time to prepare for them.

They were the Norns, and they had come to see me.

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They spoke, all three at once, with the same words, but each had a different rhythm and sound to her voice. The effect was uncomfortable in a way that made my ears hurt and my soul flinch.

The one standing closest to the door, to my right, had a voice like a snake shedding its skin in dry leaves and dead grass. Her voice was slow and even. Unstoppable. It sounded parched and brittle, reminding me of the death before rebirth. She seemed to be the oldest with a dull, scaly look to her skin.

The middle one stood straight upright, her face ageless and severe. Her voice was firm, a clipped monotone, the way I imagined a single-minded cybernetic creature would sound while explaining with cold logic that the human race was to host the next generation of their kind, and that fighting this fate would be a waste of energy.

The last of the three lounged against my dresser with bright, languid eyes and a small, unpleasant smile on her large, moist red lips. The sound that passed those lips was that of sweaty sex mixed with the bloody squish of a blade thrust into a human abdomen.

“The Weaving is threatened. Souls are not passed on as they should be. The half-corpse will cut short threads needed to form the Pattern. You will restore the balance.”

I clutched the towel wrapped around my torso, holding it close around my body, defensively, like the energy I had drawn up in a reflexive shield. I opened my mouth and croaked out a wordless sound.

Damned gods. They just showed up and did their best to scare the crap out of you – and, to be fair, they did a good job of that. Then they just had to speak in riddles, as if making something even harder to understand was part of their job description.

Annoyance helped me swallow the dryness in my throat so I could speak, and I fell back on my usual defense. Sarcasm. “Can you say that again, this time without the code-talk for us mortals who haven’t taken Cryptic Godspeak 101?”

As soon as the words left my lips, I realized what I’d done. Horror drained the little remaining warmth from my body. I clamped my jaw shut, snapping my teeth together on the tip of my tongue. I tasted blood and my shoulders sagged in defeat, certain my lippy-ness had finally gotten me killed.

Now, lets talk a little About YOU:

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If you had to describe yourself to someone who has never met you, what might you say?

I’m an introvert, and I’m funny. I’m pretty darned smart and I love double-speak. If you ask my opinion, I’ll give it to you. If you tell me about yourself, I don’t judge, though I do analyze which is a very subtle distinction. Most of my friends describe me like this: “She’s the Sarah.” I think that means I’m unique, though I’m not really sure sometimes. You might love me, you might hate me, but you’ll always be surprised.

If you could meet one person from the past, who might it be and why?

Elizabeth I. She had guts and smarts and she wasn’t afraid to break tradition to do what needed to be done. I don’t agree with all of her choices, but at the very least she wasn’t about to be intimidated by her circumstances. I’d like to ask her what her motivations were for the choices she made; what her thoughts were about all of it.

When you are NOT writing, what is your favourite pastime?

Reading, of course, and I enjoy puzzle games: Sudoku, 100 Doors, etc. Most of my time, however, is spent managing my family and their schedules, needs, etc. We plan a lot to minimize complications.

Describe Your Dream Getaway Destination.  Have you ever been there?  What makes this place Irresistible to you?

I would like to travel Europe, visit India, and take a cruise to Alaska. I love northern climates, vast mountains, natural wonders, etc. I want to see them all.

Do you have a Mantra?

Just keep swimming… (LOL I see you’re a fellow Dori fan J  )

We all encounter difficulty. Take a break if you need to, but then keep going.

What “Charity” or “Cause” do you feel passionately about & Why?

Wow. Um, most of them. I’m a total bleeding-heart liberal activist on everything from class inequality to autism, to environmental issues, to LGBTQ+ rights, to racism, etc. It’s hard to pick just one, so I get spread pretty thin that way. I believe that all people have the right to a chance for the best life they can have, to be the best version of themselves they can be. And we all have a lot of work to get to that point.

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Thanks so much Sarah for stopping by and sharing your time and talent with Booknvolume.  It’s been wonderful getting to know more about you

Please be sure to visit Sarah at her social places:

Websites:
authorgoddess.com
https://authorgoddess.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahB/
twitter.com/AuthorGoddess

patreon.com/kalisara
https://www.amazon.com/Too-Wyrd-Runespell-Book-1/dp/1612967523/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/too-wyrd-sarah-buhrman/1124547224
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30339895-too-wyrd
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~Morgan~
Filed under: Authors Books Reviews & Interviews Tagged: Author Intervies, Author spotlight, BnV, BooknVolume, Epic Fantasy, Indie Authors, Supporting Indie Authors, YA Books, ~Morgan~

Who do people say that I am?

“Who do people say that I am?” asked Christ.  Who do you say that I am?  A sharp, pointed question that might leave some struggling to answer.  Have we, have you, have I, thought about the answer to that question?

After yet another exchange with the leaders of the church, Christ has some quiet time with his disciples away from the crowds, scribes and Pharisees.  It was time for discussion with his disciples.

It is not uncommon to wonder what others think of you, even if you are the Son of God.  “Who do you say that I am?”  Maybe this question was borne out of curiosity on the part of Christ or maybe it was something of a test for his disciples.

Who do you say the Son of Man is?  Christ often referred to himself as the Son of Man.  Christ referring to himself as the Son of Man confirms his divinity and his human nature. 

When I pose the question to you about who Christ is and who is he to you, what kind of response would I get?  Maybe an objective, textbook-like answer free of emotion or attachment.  Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, Lord, teacher, rabbi, to name a few.

Should our answer as Christians be far more personal and connected?  I think that it should be.  This man they call Christ that existed on the same plane and form as God took on flesh to live in this world of selfishness, violence and pain.

He came to this world not as a military leader or educated, learned part of the church hierarchy, but as a suffering servant.  He could have had everything, but he chose to possess nothing.

Christ could have chosen more educated, sophisticated men to lead, that might have been easier.  He could have stopped the beating, torture and crucifixion that he endured.  He chose to follow his father’s will, out of obedience, not out of weakness.  There is nothing weak about Christ or being a Christian.

When you speak about your family do you speak in stiff, unemotional tones or do you talk about my parents, my children, my spouse.  I have referred to my kids as my wife’s kids when they do something that I’m not pleased with.

When you speak of your father do you say, “My biological father conceived three children with my biological mother?”  I don’t know anyone that talks like that.  It is personal, my dad, my mother, my grandparents, my children.

The relationship that each of us has with our God should be deep and meaningful as well.  My God, My Savior, My Creator.

Christ asked his disciples this question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but other say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

Some say John the Baptist, Christ’s cousin, the man with the strange appearance, the voice crying out in the wilderness, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Others say Elijah, the prophet who upstaged 450 pagan prophets at Mt Carmel.  Still others say you are Jeremiah.  A prophet who was given the task of preaching to people that didn’t listen to him.  History refers to Jeremiah as the weeping prophet.

 The disciples had answered the question of who and what others thought Christ was.  Now come this sharp, abrupt question, “But who do you say that I am?” 

The pointed words, questions and parables that came from the Son of God.  Had the time he had invested in them made an impact?  Had they seen enough to erase any doubt they may have had?

The brash, outspoken disciple, Peter, fires back, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”….and there it is .  You are the Son of the living God.  A God that is alive, who works in this world to bring life to his people.

Peter did not say you are the Son of the cold and distant God.  He did not say you are the son of the God that we’re not sure about anymore. 

Christ is the God that took on flesh.  He is the God that desires to have a relationship with those he created, to those that he loved enough to give them the freedom of how to live their lives. 

The God we serve is a God that heals, reveals, that brings life, eternal life to his people.  After Simon Peter had answered, Christ said to him, “Blessed are you son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, it is from my Father in heaven.”

It was not mere mortal that had told Peter of Christ’s true identity, it was a revelation, a truth spoken to Peter from God.  How blessed Peter must have felt.  Not only does he live during Christ’s lifetime, he is one of his very disciples.  Of that chosen few God has revealed this most precious of truths.

Whether he realized it or not, Peter had attested to the truth, that Christ is the son of the living God.  Truth is an interesting thing.  Many search for it, but not everyone finds it.  We are called to search for the truth in our own lives.

The truth is that Christ is the son of the living God.  That much is truth.  But we are called to continue to seek him, to seek our God, to seek the truth in our own lives.  As I mentioned earlier, the relationship each of us has with our God should be personal.

It is not as easy as leaving here today saying, the preacher said that Christ is the son of God.  That is truth and now I’ll be on my way.  We are called into a deeper relationship with Christ and with one another.

On this truth, on this revelation, Christ said that he will build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  On this truth that Peter attested to Christ built his church and in spite of all the violence, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, shootings, terrorist acts, darkness, selfishness and need for convenience in this world, nothing, including the gates of hell will prevail against it.  Nothing.

Who do you say that Christ is?  Is it a question that you have given much thought to?  The Son of the Living God.  Can you see his work in your life, in others and in your church? 

Christ would continue, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Then he sternly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

We know that Christ’s ministry was a fairly short, it lasted about three years.  He will give the keys to his church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven to his disciples to spread the good news.

It would be the acts of the disciples and apostles that would spread the gospel after Christ’s death and resurrection.  It is our responsibility to do the same today.  We have been granted the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

To be the church, to be on the front lines of our community.  Helping those in need, assisting the poor and engaging people of all ages.  My hope for each of you here today is that you would draw closer in your relationship to the Son of Gog.

That your search for truth would begin and would continue.  That the revelation of truth that was granted to Peter would be granted to you as well. I hope that if the question is posed to you, “Who is Christ to you?” 

That you would answer with conviction, with passion, with the knowledge of blessings too numerous to mention in your life that has come from the God we serve.  Will you join me in prayer?  Good and gracious God, this world needs people that know you, your son and the truth that was revealed in today’s scripture.  In spite of the pain in this world, there is much that is good.  We have seen examples of neighbor helping neighbor, stranger helping stranger.  Continue to reveal yourself and your Son to us.  Draw us into a deeper relationship.  Make this church a shelter, a safe place and a place where your spirit is always present and everyone is always welcome.  Amen.

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

Filed under: Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry Tagged: blog, Blogger, christianity, Faith, Family, Humanity, Inspiration, life, Reflections, relationships, Religion, Truth, Writing