Cynthia A. Morgan's Blog, page 84

#BookReview Oppourtunity- #FreeBook Download!

Please be sure to stop by and see whats happening on my new blog Word Mongery and Musings…Great New Book Reviews, spotlights, and More

Falling Out of Love with a Story- An #Authors #Insights into the #Challenges of #Writing

Please be sure to stop by and see whats happening on my new blog Word Mongery and Musings…Great New Book Reviews, spotlights, and More

Mysteries – #Poetry for #ChallengingTimes

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Mysteries

of Golden Truth

Whisper in Delicate Splendor

Vestiges

of Forgotten Time

Shimmering

to be Remembered

Mysteries

of Honest Wonder

Transpose the Silken Shades

of Mysteries

of Timid Courage

Asking

Waiting

to be Displayed.

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Photographs found on Pinterest.  Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the Original Photographers.

Thank you~

 

Standing Alone – #Poetry for #ChallengingTimes

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Silence Grieves

Standing Alone

Yet

Bear not the Burden of Sorrow into the darkness

Alone

For where your shadow falls into shade,

There my love waits,

Standing Alone

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~Morgan~

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Image found at: customize.org

Word Mongery and Musings – #BookReviewBlog Launch

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I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my (Blogging) family….Word Mongery and Musings…a new blog focusing solely on Books, Reviews, Author Interviews…Reverse Views….Editorials about Books…Characters, Plots, Favorite Scenes and schemes….ok, you get the idea, right?

Book blogs, review rendezvous, spotlight sprees, hype headquarters, and chutzpah hullabaloos.  What do they all have in common?

Writers! Word mongers and musers. Oh, and the essential other half of the equation: Readers!

Creation is a two-fold phenomenon. A Yin and Yang, action-reaction, cause and effect, inception and conclusion relationship. Writers create worlds, characters, and circumstances with which readers can connect. Readers search for writers whose creations hold a resonance that seems to speak directly to them. It’s almost a symbiotic relationship where one cannot exist without the other. Or at least, one cannot truly be fulfilled without the other.

The reader reads what the writer writes, then writes about what they’ve read so other readers may also read what was written. That’s where the aforementioned book blogs, review rendezvous, spotlight sprees, hype headquarters and chutzpah hullabaloos come into play. Because as sure as the reader will read what the writer wrote, there are other writers who will write about what was written so readers know what to read.

Are you dizzy yet? So am I.

This is the bewildering boondocks into which each writer wanders when they put the proverbial pen to paper. This is the maelstrom that spins around us in a confusing concoction of words, phrases, jargon, lexical madness and magic that leaves all of us more than a little muddled.

This is the realm into which Word Mongery and Musings will wander, leaving a trail for others to follow. A trail of writings for readers and readers for writers.

Please stop by and say Hi

A Reverse ‘View – A View into Mercy – #BookReviews Backwards

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So here it is…the very first (Possibly ever!) Reverse Book Review where the reader reviews the book and then is interviewed by ME….and YOU! Yes, thats right, you can ask any questions you like about the book(s) and Chad will be happy to answer them.  So lets get right to it, shall we?

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Chad R Slabach Jr

Misericorde (Mercy Series Book One)



5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020…..Cynthia A Morgan wrote the Dark Fey trilogy and I loved that…this is a very different sort of book. For one, it’s slower paced and the work of a very talented author who has time (there are 3 more books to come in the series) to let the story unfold, to allow the reader to know and understand the characters, times, environments. She is patient and assured – 2 words I would hesitate to use to describe most anything culturally. We are raised on soundbites and fed headlines, but this book/series is, especially the more I think about it, so difficult to adequately distill into a short synopsis. It’s spiritual and human. It’s violent and tender. It’s desperate and deeply hopeful. I can’t wait to see where she takes us from here.

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Who is your favorite/least favorite character and why?

My least favorite is easy: Sauvage. In a space that is forgetting any resemblance of gentleness or care, his absolute lack of humanity is repulsive.

My favorite has been Chevalier or Levesque for the same reason. As I raged at their apathy and unwillingness to DO SOMETHING, I knew why they didn’t (or couldn’t.) They did for the same reason we stand idly by while the least of us are utterly taken advantage of and great violence is inflicted. Morgan couldn’t have known the specific political/social landscape when she wrote it, but this story is perfect for us, now. I guess it’s perfect for any time, because we are too often Chevalier or Levesque and not enough Tzadkiel and Lourdes. (As it turns out, why I love them is that they DID finally DO SOMETHING and I am proud of them, and it gives me hope for us, for me.)

What surprised you about the story that you didn’t expect

In my reviews I talk about your patience. It’s shocking to me that this story is given such beautiful space to breathe and be exactly what it is. It feels much less like a contrived product driven by bells and whistles and more like a living breathing organism. Then when the bells and whistles do come, they are genuine and unforced and we discover that we actually care deeply for these characters. It’s like we’re watching lives unfold and not just an event.

What are you hoping to see happen as the story moves forward?

Of course, I hope they find their way home and that they can heal from the tremendous amount of pain they’ve suffered. I don’t know if I can hope for anything other than Death to ride, it sounds like that is written so it shall be done. I just hope they all find peace. I love a happy ending (whether there can be a complete one with Death is doubtful.)

Which scene has lingered with you the most? Why?

The 2nd rape/abuse scene at the campsite was horrible and not something I will soon leave behind. It was much more impactful than the 1st (though the act itself is so vile) because I had grown to love them. I read it through tears, with an upset stomach. The visceral reaction I had was surprising…actually, I was absolutely sure the abuse wouldn’t happen. Absolutely sure! And then it did, written so descriptively it was REAL, and I barely kept from throwing up in horror. I still can’t move on.

Does the story remind you of any other books/movies?

There’s nothing like this.

Did you disagree with any of the characters decisions and why?

I think the disagreement was in the complete breakdown in human kindness and civility, like “how can they do that???” But I know, I know. It’s a mirror of what we can become and an invitation to become something more of what we were created to be.

Did you get any message / positive inspiration from the story?

The invitation I mentioned previously, and the quote, “May we show our thankfulness through kindness and appreciate our blessings through generosity,” has become the subject in a series I am teaching in our faith community and has been quoted often in my life. We should all aim so high.

If you could ask the author anything about the book, what would it be?

How does it end???? And How COULD you DO THAT to HER???????????

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Clandestine (Mercy Series Book Two
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2020 



The 2nd in a 4 book series, Morgan is remarkably self-assured and I am continually awed by her patience. In today’s world of sound bites and quick cuts to the next splashy explosion, the depth of character development is jarring. The plot thickens, but as we get to know more and more about Tzadkiel and Lourdes (and Sauvage and Chevalier and the others), I found myself in a fascinating space: I care for them. Morgan is so in control of her boundless talent here, even as my heart broke over and over, I just cannot wait to see these people again.

 

Chad Slabach is a friend I’ve known for twenty+ years.  If you are a long time follower of my blog, he was the inspiration for The Burning Question series.  He is the leader of a non-denominational faith community based in south-central PA as well an as avid music fan and writer.  You can find Chad on his WordPress Blog The Bridge Faith Community. 

I’d like to Thank Chad immensely, not only for his enthusiastic support, but for taking time out of his busy schedule to read and review The Mercy Series AND to provide his insights in this Reverse View

A Reverse ‘View – #Book #Interviews Backwards

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Book reviews are a marvelous thing.  For an author, each one is the Holy Grail; an invaluable treasure we are ever searching to acquire.  Yet, I have found very often after reading a review that I want to know more.  Whether the review is for one of my own books or a tale I want to learn more about, I am always left wondering what else the reader thought.

Limited in most cases to under 300 words, reviewers typically choose and use their lexicon wisely, but how do you adequately summarize a daring adventure, sweeping romance, or beguiling mystery of over 100K words with so few?

Being a creative problem solver, I have thought about this repeatedly, wondering how to free the reviewer of the constraints of social media attention spans and give them the opportunity to pontificate pleasingly and profusely.

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Here enters the Reverse ‘View.  Note the apostrophe, please.  It’s placement is intentional. Not only does this title indicate what you are about to see or read is not what you might anticipate, but it denotes, in this case, the omission of the letters INTER.

How often have you read an author interview? Come on now, be honest; how often have you actually read the entire thing?  I confess, I’m as guilty as most, but what if I interviewed YOU?  We do it all the time.  We ask each other what we thought about the movie we saw over the weekend, how the restaurant we went to compared to others; we even ask each other about books we’ve read.

We interview each other.  So why not interview READERS about the books they’ve read?  This is what you want to know…not what the author wants to tell you to make you buy it, but what the reader thought.  Was it good or an epic failure?  Did you read it all in one weekend because you couldn’t put it down? Why? What made it so good?

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Now, imagine if YOU could read the reader’s interview and then ask them whatever it is YOU want to know.  It a nifty notion, not? (Ok, I love alliterations, but ‘lest I digress..) Enter the Reverse ‘View.  An interview of a reader.  An interactive interview! Interested? (sorry, it was right there!)

Before I lose you…In the coming weeks (and months, depending on how much YOU like them) I will be posting a series of Reverse ‘Views.  Interviewing readers about books you may or may not have ever heard of… and giving YOU the opportunity to ask them questions too (in the comments, of course!)

I hope you will enjoy them.  I hope you will join them.  And, of course, ultimately, I hope you will read them

Delicate Thread – #Poetry for #Meditation

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Delicate Thread

Of All my Understanding

Touching my Soul in this Dimness,

Speak to me in Whispers

Loud enough to Hear

Yet Gentle enough

That my Fragile, fearful heart

Does not Take Flight.

Delicate Thread

Of All my Comprehension

Leading me Onward Into the Breaking Morn,

Cast Your Light onto

My clouded Path

So my weak and straining Perception

May Ever See

Delicate Thread

Of All my Boundless Joy

Transforming In this Bleak and Tainted Place,

Shine From me into the World

So others may See

And Know this All Encompassing Pleasure

For Themselves.

~Morgan~

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Beautiful original Artwork by: valeriemonthuit at Deviantart.com

“The Most Engaging Book I’ve #Read in Years!” – #Free!

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Misericorde, Book One of The Mercy Series is currently FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME

It’s the year 2446, and the first three Horsemen of Revelation’s Apocalypse have ridden.

Pestilence, War and Famine have changed the world into a dictatorship ruled with an iron fist. Commoners have few rights, and liberty is a distant memory.

Before the final Horseman is released, the Archangel of Mercy – Tzadkiel – makes a bold plea, asking for permission to find even one human who remembers the meaning of mercy and compassion. He is given 100 years, until Death will sweep across the land.

Taking human form and coming to Earth, he finds a place ruled by greed, hatred and fear. With time running out and Death growing impatient, can Tzadkiel find what he’s looking for… and how much will he need to sacrifice?

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5 STARS – Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

Misericorde is the first installment in the Mercy series. It is a work of fiction in the epic fantasy genre and was penned by author Cynthia A. Morgan. Set after the first three horsemen of the apocalypse have been let loose upon Earth and shifted humanity into a feudalistic series of dictatorships, the Archangel of Mercy begs for a reprieve for humanity before the final horseman is unleashed. Given a hundred years to find a human capable of mercy and compassion, the Archangel is dangerously close to the deadline when they meet one person on a planet filled with hatred who may meet their criteria. The novel contains some moderate content that may not be suitable for readers below a mature teen level.

Author Cynthia A. Morgan has crafted a lavish and detailed read which audiences are sure to devour from cover to cover thanks to its quick pacing and highly engaging plot. I particularly adored Tzadkiel as a central character, whose determined belief that humanity may have hope yet is a central theme that endears him and his quest to us. There is a great atmosphere in the writing and lexical choices made by the author, painting the pseudo-medieval world with a bleak and desolate brush. This makes the juxtaposition of hope all the more important and prominent when the search reaches its potential conclusion. I found the plot structure to be well-timed and with plenty of ups and downs to keep the story interesting. Overall, I would certainly recommend Misericorde for fantasy fans everywhere.”

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Grab your FREE COPY Today!

Dare to #Dream – #Thoughts of #PositivePower

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Those who dream by day

are cognizant of many things

that escape those who dream only at night.

Edgar Allan Poe

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These days have grown dark and darker.  My Spirit is weary of the hatred and noise, the unrest and outrage, the lies and the very great loss all around.  Loss of Trust.  Loss of Hope.  Loss of Love.

What allows us to continue to Dream in such times?  Some say Dreams are only misfiring electrical stimuli in our brains.  An expulsion of left over energy from the day that our body is shuffling off, but I Believe Dreams are much more.  Can a misfiring electrical impulse fill our hearts with Hope?  Would a shuffling off of left over energy Inspire and stir us to action?  I think not.

Dreams live within us, each hour of every day.  They softly whisper, whether we are listening or not.  Today, we fill our days with so much other noise we barely notice.  Outside electrical stimuli has blinded us to our own internal sources; yet when we finally shut off, when the hours of moonlight and stars hush our rushing haste, our Essence is still able to speak.

Speak through Dreams.

Dreams teach us things we’ve forgotten.  They Remind of those who have gone before and places we’ve left behind.  They touch us with gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, imagery that leaves us wondering, but do they speak truth or merely prattle nonsense?

I Believe they tell us things we need to remember.  They speak about our strengths as well as our weaknesses.  They Guide us, or would Guide us, if we allowed them.

I have recurring themes in many of my dreams.  I often dream of tidal waves threatening to sweep me and my loved ones away.  Or I am driving my car and the brakes fail.  I even have a recurring dream about a house that has a witch abiding in the attic whom I fear more than anything else.

Odd?  Maybe.  But if I take a moment to think about these images, I realize that I dream about waves and being swept away when I’m stressed and over-burdened.  Is my body telling me what I’m ignoring so I can better cope with the challenges of the Day?  When I dream about my car losing its brakes, is my body whispering that I’m feeling out of control and in danger of being hurt?  Is the witch that lives in the attic the dark negativity in my mind that casts spells of fear and suspicion that could bewitch and mislead me?

‘Those who dream by day

are cognizant of many things

that escape those who dream only at night.’

What are your Dreams telling you?

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Original Artwork by: Jim Warren