Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 15

Robbie’s Inspiration – W3 #132: Dark and Light and Sunday Stills, Cosy #poetry #photography

Sheila’s prompt guidelinesForm: Any poetic form;Length: Exactly 64 words;Must include: the words “dark” and “light” in any form

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/11/06/w3-prompt-132-weave-written-weekly/

Open the curtains

Darkness creeps across the sky

Shadows lengthen and deepen

Within their inky confines

Demons gibber and threaten

Open the curtains, let in the light

***

Beneath the trees canopy

It’s poorly lit and humid

Moss and fungi thrive

Insects from nightmares breed

Open the curtains, let in the light

***

Shadows are created by an absence of light

Open the curtains, let in the light

Sunday Stills

Terri’s theme this week is cozy.

Picture caption: A male weaver builds a cozy nestPicture caption: A warthog in an aardvark hole at night. I love this pictureTiny gingerbread cottages

You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/11/10/sunday-stills-a-cozy-refuge/

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Hotel by Masticadores: The Creative World of Robbie Cheadle

my thanks to Michelle from Hotel by Masticadores for sharing this wonderful interview about my work

“The Creative World of Robbie Cheadle: An Interview with a Versatile Storyteller”

Robbie’s Inspiration – Book reviews: A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher and All the Words I Kept Inside #childrensfiction #poetry

Today, I have two lovely book reviews to share with you. The first one is a children’s book and the second a poetry collection.

A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher by Sue WicksteadPicture caption: Cover of A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher

This book is a delight for young children. The teacher takes the class out for a walk and they run into a myriad of different situations populated by strange and mythical creatures. These are all reasons why the class doesn’t feel well.

The story is told in vivid but simple language suitable for young children and the illustrations are wonderful.

The ebook was not the best way to read this book as, on my reader, it showed the book as a double spread which didn’t do justice to the illustrations and made the text more difficult to read. The best way to read a children’s book is as a paperback.

Purchase A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CP9Q4JQ

All the Words I Kept Inside by P.J. Gudka (Poetry)Picture caption: Cover of All the Words I Kept Inside by P.J. Gudka

I came across this poetry book by accident and the blurb interested me greatly. It astonishes me how many women, in this modern 21st century, still suffer abuse at the hands of various men in their lives. The more I read, the more grateful I am for my own life.

These poems are incredibly heartfelt and gut wrenching. You will not come away from the book untouched and that makes it a very powerful tool for the education of both men and women. The poet has a profound way of viewing life and seeing her situation with clarity. This, of course, does not mean it is easy to make changes.

These are a few short examples of the poet’s powerful writing:

Stop Running
“I spent my whole life running
From my problems
Why did it take me so long to realise
They were running with me”

The following poem is one that I, as a neurodivergent person, can identify strongly with. It is my favourite poem in the collection:

Be Yourself (But Our Version Of You)
“Trying to be myself
In a world that worships uniformity
I am torn between wanting to be accepted
And wanting to be happy
Trying so hard to break free
Of the chains of societal norms
Fighting every day to be me
But still wanting to keep everyone else happy”

This poem makes me wonder why our society is so hellbent on uniformity, when it is the diverse thinkers who make the changes and discoveries that improve our world. Was it always like this?

A beautifully written and striking collection of vivid poems, illustrated with the most gorgeous drawings. Congratulations to the author on a visual and mental artwork.

Purchase All the Words I Kept Inside from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/All-Words-I-Kept-Inside-ebook/dp/B0D42BHQQ8

Robbie’s Inspiration – Book review: Death by Jelly Beans by Susie Black #bookreview #readingcommunity

Picture caption: Badge for Rosie’s Book Review TeamWhat Amazon saysPicture caption: Book cover featuring a cartoon skeleton on an escalator wearing bunny ears and holding a basket of jelly beans. It is a great cover.

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.

My review

I wrote this review as a member of Rosie Amber’s book review team. You can find out more about Rosie’s reviews and review team here: https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/.

Death by Jelly Beans is another humorous and entertain romp with Holly, her friends, and her dog, Sigmund. I enjoy Holly because she is a strong and sharp-witted female character with an interesting career and a fast mouth. The humour woven through this book entertains me, which is unusual, as I am not one for humour in books. I do enjoy the author’s use of nicknames, like Snip, for Holly’s medical examiner friend, and “Queen of Mean” for Sue Ellen, the abrasive swimsuit buyer. Of course, there are a few bodies as that is Holly’s specialty and there is also a bit of romance – on two fronts.

The premise for this story was clever and different. I haven’t read another book like it. On the whole, the story was fast moving and interesting. My only two criticisms, for which I deducted one star, are the information dumps about certain substances which are lethal in large doses, and the unnecessary inclusion of a minor paranormal element. I did not need to know the copious detail about how some substances can kill a person or an animal. I also didn’t think the paranormal element made much sense or added to the story.

However, these two points did not spoil the book for me, but constituted minor irritation so don’t let my comments put you off a good story. Just skip over the substance detail if it overwhelms or bores you.

All in, a good story that will give you a giggle.

You can purchase Death by Jelly Beans from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Jelly-Beans-Swimsuit-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0D12LQBXL

How to create a children’s book using kindle kid’s book creator

Today, I am hosting a post on Story Empire about how to create a children’s book using the Kindle Kids Book Crestor tool. It is amazing.

Hello SEers, it’s Robbie with you today and I’m sharing about Amazon KDP’s new Kindle Kids’ Book Creator and how I used to it create a children’s …

How to create a children’s book using kindle kid’s book creator

Robbie’s Inspiration – Thank you for your support #thankyou #bookreviews #appreciation

I have received some wonderful support for my books and poetry from fellow bloggers recently. This post is to share the links to their lovely reviews and articles and to say THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Dawn Pisturino

Dawn Pisturino is a wonderful poet with three fabulous poetry collections. You can find out more about Dawn and her books on her Amazon US author page here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dawn-Pisturino/author/B0CYM7BV37

Thank you to Dawn for this wonderful review of Square Peg in a Round Hole: https://dawnpisturino.wordpress.com/2024/07/10/poetry-book-review-square-peg-in-a-round-hole-by-robbie-cheadle/

And for this lovely review of my favourite of my books, Lion Scream: https://dawnpisturino.wordpress.com/2024/07/17/poetry-book-review-lion-scream-by-robbie-cheadle/

Freya Pickard

Freya is a marvelous poet and a wonderful writer of fantasy fiction. Freya is also currently running her biannual Pure Haiku challenge which you can submit themed haiku for here: https://purehaiku.wordpress.com/. This challenge closes on Thursday, 31 October.

You can find out about Freya’s numerous books on her Amazon US author page here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Freya-Pickard/author/B086XFHF9L

Thank you to Freya for this super review of Behind Closed Doors:

Behind Closed Doors

Maggie Watson

Maggie is an amazing poet with three delightful poetry collections. You can find out more about Maggie and her books on her Amazon US author page here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Maggie-Watson/author/B08TKN6RZK

Maggie’s review of Lion Scream:

Review of Lion Scream by Robbie Cheadle

Lauren Scott

Lauren is a gentle poet who writes delightful poetry about life and relationships. You can find out more about Lauren and her poetry books on her Amazon US author page here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lauren-Scott/author/B08NCRH4MK

Thank you to Lauren for her delightful review of Square Peg in a Round Hole here: https://baydreamerwrites.com/2024/10/01/haiku-for-the-midnight-hour-and-square-peg-in-a-round-hole-book-reviews/

Adam Fenner

Lastly, I recently met blogger, Adam Fenner, who reviews poems on his blog. Adam has shared a wonderful review of my poem, Travelling by Ship, here: https://baydreamerwrites.com/2024/10/01/haiku-for-the-midnight-hour-and-square-peg-in-a-round-hole-book-reviews/

I feel very privileged to be part of this wonderfully supportive community of writers, artists and poets.

This is my latest watercolour painting. It is a Venice scene and is more advanced that my other watercolours to date. I painted it at a watercolour workshop yesterday. We sat outside and the wind was blowing strongly which made painting with watercolours difficult as the paint dried so quickly. I ended up happy in the end and I learned a new trick for getting rid of lines when paint dries to quickly.

Picture caption: Watercolour painting of a Venice scene by Robbie Cheadle

Robbie’s Inspiration – Tanka Tuesday and Sunday Stills #poetry #photography

Lisa’s Tanka Tuesday prompt is as follows:

Today I would like you to choose three (or more) words from the given list and write a syllabic poem using them. Please feel free to add plural, past tense, etc. to the words as needed.

You can join in here:

I decided to write three limericks in the tanka form. Not as easy as it sounds, but here goes:

Despised spider

Of eyes, I have eight

In humans, I inspire hate

My looks incite fear

Some may even shed a tear

Being despised is my fate

Marching centipede

I have a grim bite

My many legs are a sight

I move ultra fast

Don’t think you’ll quickly slip past

With me, don’t put up a fight

Smelly stinkbug

What is that strong smell?

It’s a stink bug, can’t you tell?

Don’t flatten, think twice

Rash action has a high price

Stench makes you really unwell

Eerie light

Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is eerie light. I don’t have many pictures that fit this topic. In South Africa, we have strong, bright light. I did manage to dredge up a few.

You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/10/27/sunday-stills-its-eerie-out-here/

Picture caption: Moon on a cloudy eveningPicture caption: Buffalo in the early morningPicture caption: the lake steaming due to a sudden drop in temperaturesPicture caption: Setting sun in the bush.Picture caption: Lake in the early morning.

Robbie’s Inspiration – Book review: Tracks of Infinity by C.S. Boyack #fantasy #bookreview #reading community

Picture caption: Cover of Tracks of Infinity featuring a footprint with two toes. What Amazon says

Jenny’s life is in upheaval. Her only child, Cody, is getting on with his young adult life and has a girlfriend Jenny is unsure of. Her career at the news station is in a push to get more diverse and younger at the same time.

She wants to be an investigative reporter, but it seems those have been relegated to the Stone Age. Gossip, celebrities, and local interest are the order of the day.

In desperation, she accepts an off-camera job to retain her paycheck at all. This is when she discovers that mergers and acquisitions over the decades have left the station with a long history of old news tales in the basement. Could a cold case be something she could focus on in her spare time?

My review

I always enjoy this author’s amazing imagination and innovative mystical characters. This book was no exception. In fact, it has become my favourite of C.S. Boyack’s offerings as I really related to Jenny, as a mother and career woman.

Jenny is nearly her fortieth birthday. BZZ-TV, the television studio where Jenny works, is struggling to survive and has decided to revamp its offerings. As a result, Jenny is given a ‘back office’ job and a variety of younger and more diverse presenters replace her as an front-line presenter. The new job pays more, but Jenny enjoys her front-line presenter job and isn’t happy about the change.

Jenny’s son, Cody, is also facing some life decisions. What he wants to do as a career and what his mother things is best for him are in conflict. Cody is trying to be a good son and make a success of his degree in business despite his passion for sound production.

Jenny has always wanted to pursue real news and, in an effort to lift her spirits, Cody encourages her to delve into old stories stored in the TV stations archives. She comes across a fascinating old story that was never solved and the pair of them decide to delve deeper. Little did they know that this old story had been buried for a reason. The more they learn about the details of the story, the more interesting it becomes and the more the mother and son team want to unravel the mystery.

This story is fast paced, highly entertaining, and filled with this author’s typical humour. I loved the diversity of the characters, including Bai, Cody’s girlfriend from Hong Kong who is hell bent on becoming as Americanised as possible. Bai is intelligent and practical and I really enjoyed her. I liked the good influence she had over Cody and her sensible advice to him. I understood Jenny’s initial reservations about Bai, who is a rather eccentric looking woman, and I enjoyed how she came to appreciate Bai as she got to know her Bai. Bai was my favourite character in this book.

I recommend Tracks of Infinity as a fun and imaginative read with interesting and relatable characters.

Purchase from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DFX1FKM5

Find more of C.S. Boyack’s books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.-S.-Boyack/author/B00ILXBXUY

Robbie’s Inspiration – I Do Not Belong published on Masticadores Canada #poetry

Thank you to the team at Masticadores Canada for publishing my poem, I Do Not Belong. If you scroll down, you will see the artwork I created to go with this poem.

I Do Not Belong by Robbie Cheadle

Picture caption: Charcoal and oil pastel artwork by Robbie Cheadle

Robbie’s Inspiration – W3 and Esther Chilton’s writing challenge: Friendship, Tanka Tuesday plus new book news #poetry #booknews

Carol Anne’s W3 prompt is as follows:

Form: SonnetClick  HERE  for guidance:  ‘What Is a Sonnet?’ Theme: ‘Friendship’ – you can write about best friends, lost friends, childhood friends, making friends, etc., etc.

Esther Chilton also chose friendship as her topic for this week’s writing challenge so I wrote one sonnet (my first) for both challenges.

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/10/16/w3-prompt-129-weave-written-weekly/

You can join in Esther Chilton’s writing challenge here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2024/10/16/writing-prompts-36/

Travelling by ship

Friendships, of those ships I chosen to have none

Changing schools often, I was always the new girl

A loner, I turned to books for company and fun

My mean girl experiences would make your hair curl

***

Sistership, of those ships I was blessed with three

All my sisters have different and strong opinions

Family interactions can be difficult, believe me

They each rule their individual dominions

***

Relationships, with that ship I’ve done well

Loner marrying Lone Wolf was a perfect match

For us, compromise wasn’t a difficult sell

We’ve learned any emotional wounds to patch

***

During our lives we journey on numerous ships

It’s choice whether the waters are calm or a blitz

Tanka Tuesday

Young people must learn

Repetition aids learning

Work not always fun

Many aspects are boring

Necessary stepping stones

You can join Tanka Tuesday here: https://tankatuesday.com/2024/10/15/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-synonyms-only-a-specific-form-10-15-24/

This week’s challenge was hosted by Selma and her rules were as follows:

Your Tanka Tuesday challenge invitation is to write a tanka, plus choose two synonyms using the two words: Mindless and Humdrum

Picture caption: a cute baby elephant in the bush

I am delighted to announce that I managed to get my second Southern African Safari Adventures children’s book on Amazon for pre-order. This book was a new learning adventure for me as it is presented in landscape orientation. Unfortunately, this means that the cover is not displayed on Amazon for the ebook. It will be displayed for the paperback with is currently in review by Amazon.

This is the landscape cover which is the first page of the ebook:

This is the back cover:

This is the pre-order link on Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/goodbye-Granny-Southern-African-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0DKCD2Y7X