Cynthia A. Morgan's Blog, page 249
December 3, 2016
Glimmers – #DailyHaikuChallenge – #Poetry of the #NaturalWorld
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Rose Glimmers Smiling
Winter’s Embrace warming All
Delicate Beauty
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To take part in the Daily Haiku Challenge see The Original Post from Day One
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Day 45
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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: BnV, BooknVolume, Daily Haiku Challenge, Harmony, life, Nature, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, Poetry Challenge, Seasons, Winter, Writing Prompt, ~Morgan~
How I Met My Wife (#GuestBlogger)
After I got saved in Iowa, I returned to Massachusetts. My life and lifestyle drastically changed in the next two years. My language cleaned up. I rose to prominence in my job. I cut my hair to look like a normal human being. I started attending church regularly and getting involved with different groups. I even kind of had a girlfriend in the church. It was late spring in 1978 when I went back to Iowa to visit my friend again.
When I walked into his house he was on the piano and was playing a song. He asked me if I knew the song.
“Yes I do. It’s called You Light Up My Life”. I answered.
He said “That’s right” and then he immediately started playing another song. “Do you know this song?”
I said “No I don’t.” He moved over on the piano bench and motioned for me to sit down. There was a hymnal open on the piano and I looked at the title of the song – Blessed Assurance.
“I was hoping you would help me sing the song for church.” He said.
“Sure, no problem.” I answered. We sang together many times in church and in high school so this was nothing new for us.
We started learning the song and he said “I’ll take the first verse; you take the second verse and we can do the third verse together.” So we practiced it that way a few times.
“You really need to memorize it.” He said.
I said “Well, since I only have to memorize two verses and a chorus, I can probably do that.”
We took a break for a little while and then came back to practice.
My friend piped up. “Oh, by the way, we’re going to sing this on television.”
I looked at him in surprise. “I thought you said it was for church?”
“It is” He answered.We televise our church service. The recording is done tonight.”
“Well, you got me hooked now. Let’s do this.” And we continued practicing.
We headed down to Kirksville, Missouri to the TV station with a whole bunch of other people. I think there were a dozen of us altogether in 3 different cars. Everything went well at the recording session and we headed back home around 9 or 9:30. We were all hungry, so we stopped at a little restaurant on the way back. At the table I sat beside the pianist from the church and her husband. She had her younger sister with her and I leaned over to the pianist and asked her
“How old is your sister?”
“She’s 15” the pianist answered.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a sister that’s a little bit older, would you?” I asked. To be honest, I didn’t know why I asked that. I had a girlfriend back home, but something prompted me to ask.
“Why yes I do.” She answered happily.
Well, have her in church tomorrow!” I said. I didn’t ask, I told her to bring her to church.
“I will!” She said.
We finished eating and headed home to hit the sack for the night. I am told that when Joyce, the pianist, talked to Janeen, the other sister, Janeen was not really interested in going to church. She got off work at 3 AM, and was going to sleep in. But Joyce had a way of making Janeen do what she wanted. The next morning, I headed to church and watched as Joyce walked in with her other sister. They sat right in front of me and, wouldn’t you know that I didn’t say a word to the young lady that I’d asked to be there. At the end of the service I walked back to the guest book that was at the back of the church and I signed it and wrote that I was visiting from West Boylston, Massachusetts. Joyce’s sister came up beside me and said “You came a long way to come to church today”
I said “Yes I did.” and I walked out the door. Joyce told me afterwards that at this time her sister was furious with her but she convinced her to come back to the evening service.
During the afternoon, my friend taught me a few new choruses because we were going to lead the congregation in worship that night. We had a wonderful time learning those worship choruses and were ready to go to the service. I walked into the church and then Joyce’s sister turned around and looked at us. When our eyes met, my heart fluttered. Something happened. I walked up to the front and we lead the worship service and sat down.
After the service my friend was having a gathering at his house and guess who was invited. Yeah, you got it right. The mother and father, Joyce and her sister were all there. It was a nice gathering and I learned the sisters name was Janeen. At the end of it everybody was talking about a fellowship meeting of churches the next night. They wanted me to sing a solo since I was visiting.
I looked over at Janeen and said “I’ll go if you go”
Janeen said “I’ll go if you go”
I came back again “I’ll go if you go.”
Finally we decided that we would go. It was a night that would change my life.
We went to the fellowship meeting the next night. I sang my solo. On the way home, I sat in the backseat with Janeen. With us in the backseat was her 3-year-old nephew, Jason. I’d been a bachelor for the last 6 years and had not been around kids at all. Jason was a rambunctious kid who was as funny as all get out. And he made me laugh – I mean really laugh! You have to understand that for years I had not really laughed. I had made up laughs – I was the king of laughter! I had a hundred different laughs but I didn’t have a laugh of my own. And then he made me laugh – my own laugh – and it was a wonderful feeling. My head was spinning with all that was going on.
We got back to the town where Joyce lived since we rode with them. My friend was working at a gas station in the next town about ten miles away. I wanted to go over and be with him for the rest of the night since I was leaving the next morning. Janeen volunteered to give me a ride in her 1965 white Mustang. As we drove over to Fairfield, just out of the blue she started singing You Light Up My Life. I didn’t know what was going on that she would start singing that song for no reason, the same song my friend was playing when II walked into his house. We got to the gas station and I got out and came around to Janeen’s side of the car. I gave her a little squeeze on the arm and said “See you later” and went inside the gas station. To this day she’s upset that I didn’t kiss her goodnight.
When I got inside that gas station I sat down in the office and I started to weep. I told my friend that I was lost. I didn’t know where I belonged. I had a great job with a wonderful future at a large company back in Massachusetts, but everything within my being was telling me that I belonged in Iowa. I had to leave the next day early in the morning. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen or what I was going to do but I had to go back.
I headed out the next day and drove the usual route across Interstate 80. Usually when I made this trip, and I’ve made it three times before, I just slept in my car when I got tired and then headed out again. But for some reason this time I decided to stay in a Red Roof Inn in central Pennsylvania. I got into the room and was still pondering what I should do. I reached into the drawer and picked up the Gideon Bible. In the front of the Bible there are some helps. It said in time of decision turn to these verses. One of those verses with Proverbs 3:5 & 6, which says Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt as soon as I read that scripture that I was supposed to move to Iowa and marry that girl. I picked up a pen and paper at the hotel that night and I wrote her a letter. I was wise enough to get her telephone number and address before I left. In the letter, I said if you’ll be my girl I’ll move to Iowa.
I got back to Massachusetts Sunday night. Monday morning I put in my two months’ notice at work. I had a very unique position and I know it would take that long to train anybody to take my place. The big boss called me in his office and offered me a promotion and more money. I told him I couldn’t. One of my co-workers joked with me and said hat are you going to do – go out there and get married and have kids? I just said who knows. My mom thought I was crazy. My brother thought – well I don’t know what he thought. All my friends wished me the best – they knew nothing was going to stop me.
Over the next two months Janeen and I shared letters and made phone calls quite frequently. We got to know each other this way. I worked on training my replacement. I worked long hours to get things caught up and organized for my replacement. In the second week of August 1978 my friend and his wife and Janeen came out to get me. I had a station wagon full of things and that was all. Janeen and I rode together on the trip back to Iowa. I asked her to marry me 2 months later at a candlelight dinner – at Pizza Hut. We got married in November of 1978, 6 months after we met. We celebrated our 38th anniversary on November 25th this year. We have 3 beautiful daughters and five grandchildren and the Lord has been very good to us. We are blessed.
I’d love to have you visit one of my blogs:
Filed under: Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry Tagged: BnV, BooknVolume, Chance Encouncter, christianity, Church, Guest Blogger, Marriage, Proverbs, relationships
December 2, 2016
#FridayFeyDay – A Beautiful View of #DarkFey – #BookReview
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Fellow Author KJ Simmill recently paid me the honour of reading and reviewing Dark Fey: The Reviled. Her review is beautiful and honours me even more, thus, I simply had to share it with all of you.
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Ayla knows all the stories of The Reviled, the Dark Ones. She was raised in the temples due to her own unique capabilities and spent years learning all there was to know about these Dark Fey. They are terrifying creatures, the darkness to their light. Hiding in the shadows, stealing childfey and forcing them through the transformation into one of their own kind. Then one fateful day she feels a presence, a figure cloaked in the shadows watching her through the darkness. She believes him to be one of the Reviled, but her fleeting impressions from him intrigue her. She knows to reveal her suspicions would see her returned to the temples and losing the freedom she had waiting so long to obtain. But her stalker is relentless, his presence encroaching more and more until he reveals the truth of his desire. All he needs is the opportunity to step through the shadows into her world and the course of their lives will be forever altered.
The Reviled is a beautifully written tale wrought with magic, intrigue, and danger. Cynthia A. Morgan adopts a wonderfully descriptive tone leaving lasting impressions of all she describes. She creates an imaginative world complete with lore, beautiful scenes, and interesting characters all enhanced by a well-developed plot. As the first book in a trilogy it also serves to set a scene for the next book, which promises to be every bit as gripping as this one.
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Intrigued by this hint of the story? Here’s a snippet to spark your interest a wee bit more: the scene where Ayla and her ‘stalker’ (Gairynzvl) finally meet:
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Dark Fey The Reviled has gained over 50 reviews with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5.0 available stars. Find The Reviled and read even more reviews HERE
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Thank You KJ Simmill
~Morgan~
Filed under: Dark Fey, Friday FeyDay / Fantasy Tagged: BnV, Book reviews, Book Snippet, BooknVolume, Books to Read, Dark Fey The Reviled, Epic Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fantasy Books, Kindle Books, Readers, Recommended Reading, ~Morgan~
#FridayFeyDay – Long Forgotten – #DailyHaikuChallenge – #Fairy #Poetry
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Times Long Forgotten
Live and Breathe within our Dreams
Magic Reviving
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To take part in the Daily Haiku Challenge see The Original Post from Day One
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Day 45/365
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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Artwork found On Pinterest. Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the Original Artist. Thank You~
Filed under: Daily Haiku Challenge, Friday FeyDay / Fantasy Tagged: BnV, BooknVolume, Dragons, Fairy Realm, Fairy Tree, Fantasy, Magic, Mythical Creatures, Mythical Realm, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, ~Morgan~
#FridayFeyDay – The Great Fairy Rescue – #Fairy #ShortStory
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It was the first day of December and it was snowing. It had started early in the morning when no one was awake. The soft powdery specks had fallen so quietly not even the winter birds had stirred in their sleep. Now a white-washed sheet of tiny fairy diamonds covered the garden gnomes and the bronze-fashioned forest nymph, giving the town garden a touch of Wonderland splendor. There was hardly any engine sounds, only a faint twitter of frosted early birds muffled by the gentle stillness of water being transfigured into ice. A lamp from a window cast a warm yellow shadow on the sparkling china rug, followed by ringlets of brightness and the fluttering of wings. A little figure could be seen in the window. It was a girl, perhaps about eight years old. She was wearing a silver-colored crown on her head, and she kept waving a starry wand back and forth, but nothing seemed to happen. The window sill was lined with porcelain Christmas Angels wearing red frocks and sporting a halo above their golden-haired heads. “Why don’t you just try flying?” said the girl. She opened the window and a cold wind blew the tiniest angel unto the floor. The little girl sighed. “Vieeennnaaaa!! What are you doing? close that window!” Vienna closed the window before her mother had even started to climb the stairs. She gave another little sigh and headed down for breakfast. So you see, she couldn’t see the tiny flutter behind the snowed-in clay pot in the garden. She couldn’t hear the bell-like whispering like falling silver. “See, Marciana, I told you she believed! Nothing is lost yet.” ……
“Oh, there you are, Sabine.” Marciana tip-toed out from her hiding place, dusting her feathers and tucking her scarf tighter around her little body. “You missed her, Marcy! Why are you always so timid?” “Who did I miss, Sabine?” “The human of course!” Marciana chuckled and rolled her eyes. Sabine was always going on about humans. “Come on, let’s go home while it is still snowing.” Sabine sighed. Nobody ever listened to her! The Snow Queen had said that they needed a human, and this girl, with her little winged figurines, was just perfect! “We have to hurry, Sabine, the sun is going to peak at any minute.” Marciana took hold of a snow flake and tapped it with her pinky, and the snow flake grew until it was big enough to carry the little fairy. “Why can’t we just use our own wings?” complained Sabine. “You know the magic only works with snow, Sabine.” Sabine knew that that was what the Snow Queen said, but she had never quite believed it. But nevertheless, she did as she was told, and joined Marciana on her own snow flake, and together the two little fairies ascended, and vanished into the white flutter of shimmering winter crystals.
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ORIGINALLY POSTED ON TALES FROM THE FAIRIES AND USED/REPOSTED BY TRINI LIND’S KIND PERMISSION. PLEASE FOLLOW THE CONTINUING TALE EACH DAY OF THE MONTH THROUGH DECEMBER.
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~Morgan~
Filed under: Flash Fiction and Shorts, Friday FeyDay / Fantasy Tagged: BnV, BooknVolume, CHRISTMAS STORIES, creative writing, Fairies, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Short Stories, SNOW FAIRIES, ~Morgan~
#FridayFeyDay – Snowflake – #Fairy #Poetry
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See her Dance upon the Shifting Breeze,
Serenade Falling through barren trees,
Where Softness from the sky is falling,
Crisp and cold, her voice is calling;
See her Spin and Twirl in Delight,
As the snow deepens; Oh Wondrous Sight!
As Silence Descends from the Leaden Sky,
Hear the echo of her Whispering Sigh;
Beyond the glimmer of Warm Summer Daze,
Watch her Entrance with her Icy Gaze!
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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork by: martanael at deviantart.com
Filed under: Friday FeyDay / Fantasy, Poetry Tagged: BnV, BooknVolume, Faeries, Fairy, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, Snow, Whispers, Winter, ~Morgan~
#FridayFeyDay – The Long Sleep – #FlashFiction #Myths
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Locked in time overlooking inclination, the monarch watched and waited, frozen in impetus. Long he had guarded the Keep, now fallen into ruin over the eons that had passed during his vigil; yet even longer he would wait because nothing was more important. Head held high in defiance against wind and rain, snow and ice, scorching sun and mists that enwrapped him in obscurity, he ruled the peak with unparalleled sovereignty, though many had climbed the stairs to stare into his gaze unseeing. Many had stood upon his very crown and gazed out across his kingdom, entirely unaware of his watchful presence.
The Valley at his feet was fertile with anticipation, preparing for the established moment when the Mistress would waken from her long slumber to be reunited with him. He had seen calamity come and go, battles had been forged upon the soil he protected and he had more than once been tested to his limits. He had sworn an oath of silence and of stillness that had long ago sealed his fate and had held him in perpetuity, but such a promise kept his Beloved safe beneath his steadfast gaze and nothing else mattered. Even the paltry fools who came and went without ever seeing.
Yet now the time grew near, the moment he had awaited for spans of millennia. The signs of her coming flourished, as promising as the renewal of luxuriant green at his feet. The mists of heedlessness were clearing and the clouds of egotism were breaking. Soon the brilliant blue of clear skies would herald her return, His Mistress, the Queen of the Keep, the Matriarch of the Mighty and her return would release him from his long, static captivity. They would be reunified and their reign over the smug kingdoms below him would begin again.
The Long Sleep of Dragons was coming to an end, heralding change, whether Man in his obliviousness was prepared or not.
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This story was Inspired by the rock formation in the top right portion of this amazing photo, which to me looks very like a Dragon. Thank You to Kim at Check Your Premises for posting this amazing image in her Pic of the Day.
~Morgan~
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Beautiful Photograph is the Stairs leading to Skellig Michael Monastery in Ireland by photographer Michal Dymet.
Filed under: Flash Fiction and Shorts, Friday FeyDay / Fantasy Tagged: Ancient Places, Beautiful Photographs, BnV, BooknVolume, Dragons, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Mythical Creatures, Mythical Kingdom, Mythology, Soul Mates, ~Morgan~
#FridayFeyDay – Behind the Oak Tree – #Fairy #Fantasy #Poetry
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Behind the Oak tree
Where None Can See
Live the Pixies,
One, Two Three.
You Cannot See Them
They Hide until Night,
Then They Emerge
To Dance in Moonlight.
Behind the Oak Tree
As you Blithely Walk By,
Pixies are Hiding,
Pause and hear their Soft Sigh.
One Pixie, Two Pixie,
Flitting on the Wing,
Behind the Old Oak Tree
Listen as they Sing!
Ladders lead up
Stairwells lead down
Though it Matters little,
As they Fly all Around!
Behind the Oak Tree
Where None Dare Look
Live the Pixies,
Like in a Fairytale Book.
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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Image found on Pinterest. Credit Gratefully acknowledged to the Original Artist. Thank You~
Filed under: Friday FeyDay / Fantasy, Poetry Tagged: BnV, BooknVolume, Fairy Realm, Fairy Tales, Fairy Tree, Fantasy, Magic, Nursery Rhymes, Pixies, Poem, poetry, ~Morgan~
December 1, 2016
Progression – #DailyHaikuChallenge
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Progression of Life
Carrying us through Brief Time
Memory of Birth
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To take part in the Daily Haiku Challenge see The Original Post from Day One
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Day 44
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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original artwork by Abraham Hicks
Filed under: Daily Haiku Challenge Tagged: BnV, BooknVolume, Change, Harmony, life, Memory, Nature, Poem, poetry, Poetry Blog, Poetry Challenge, spirituality, Writing Prompt, ~Morgan~
Heavensgate: Joy – #BookReview
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Heavensgate Joy by Leo Kane
Death is obsessed with her.
Angels adore her.
Evil desires her.
Joy, the unloved child of the local virgin miraculously resurrects years after drowning in the North Sea. Everyone craves her company, but no-one remembers her for more than a fleeting moment.
Stalked by Death, Joy becomes trapped in Heavensgate, where she falls victim to the demonic supernatural, Jake. She is willing to sacrifice her immortal soul for his love. He wants to defile and destroy her.
Can she escape Heavensgate, or will the Beast steal Joy from the Mortal Realm?
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A Tumultuous tale about tortured souls.
I shall begin by saying that this is definitely not a standalone: If you haven’t read Heavensgate Hope and think you can jump into the story in this second book, your thoughts will end up more twisted than the main characters. Yet having stated that, I will also say that Leo Kane has written a masterful sequel to her initial story, filling page after riveting page with confusion, disarray, and enough steam to power a locomotive from the character you love to hate and hate to love: Jake.
As the story delves deeper into the incursions and capitulations of the main character, Jacob, and draws in the new, haunting character of Joy, you are lead down an increasingly twisted avenue into the darkness, connecting you in an extremely powerful way to the tortured soul(s) about which Leo write. You begin to THINK you understand; then the carpet is pulled out from beneath you, leaving you re-reading frantically trying to figure out just what you missed. But the truth is, you didn’t miss anything and that is the Brilliance of the author’s writing which allows you to experience the inescapable chaos of the main character(s).\
I found myself emotionally and mentally drained after reading this second installment, yet thirsty for more! Bring on Book Three, Leo…I’m ready….I think!
Read more about Leo Kane’s character in the recent Character Interaction she did with Booknvolume
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~Morgan~
Filed under: Poetry Tagged: BnV, Book Review, Book Review Blogs, BooknVolume, Books to Read, Supporting Indie Authors, Suspense, Thirllers, ~Morgan~
