Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 28

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Who’s at the #Thursday Door, Michael’s first interview

Amazing creative, Teagan Geneviene, has generously hosted Michael with his first interview. Teagan has shared one of Michael’s poem from Square Peg in a Round Hole, and one of his charcoal drawings.

This is the video promo for Square Peg in a Round Hole.

Wednesday Writing & Who’s at the #ThursdayDoor? A Doors Safari

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Robbie’s Cats by the wonderful Resa

Thank you to the wonderful Resa for creating this amazing post to celebrate cats at home and cats in the bush. We are so fortunate to share this earth with so many magnificent creatures.

From Queen Push Push at home, To a Queen in the jungle, To a fondant kitten, … to a scream in the jungle, Robbie’s cats take on a deeper meaning – …

Robbie’s Cats

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Book Review of Square Peg in a Round Hole

My latest poetry, art and photography collection went live on Amazon today. I am excited about this collection as it includes nine poems and a charcoal drawing by my son, Michael.

Square Peg in a Round Hole also features a section of Ekphrastic Poetry with photograph contributions by Wayne Barnes, photographer.

You can find more of Wayne Barnes’ photographs on his website here: https://www.gotofino.com/tofinogallery/.

Please note that the photograph used in the image below is used with the permission of Wayne Barnes and is copyrighted to Wayne Barnes.

An example of one of the Ekphrastic Poems in Square Peg in a Round Hole:

The lovely Colleen Chesebro of Unicorn Cats Publishing helped me create the epub version of Square Peg in a Round Hole. Colleen has also very generously reviewed this book. Thank you, Colleen.

Book Review: Square Peg in a Round Hole, by Robbie Cheadle & Michael Cheadle

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Treasuring Poetry, Meet poet and novelist, Jude Itakali, and a review

Today, I am delighted to host Ugandan poet and novelist, Jude Itakali, with a discussion about poetry and my review of his poetry book, Dark Butterflies. Thanks also to my co-host, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and novelist, Jude Itakali, and a review

Smorgasbord New Book Spotlight – #Photography #Poetry Square Peg in a Round Hole: Poetry, Art & Creativity by Robbie Cheadle

A huge thank you to Sally Cronin for sharing about my new poetry book, Square Peg in a Round Hole: Poetry, Art & Creativity. I have been very busy at work this month and had some trouble with the formatting of the print book for KDP. As a result, I have not written any posts about this book yet. On the upside, I am very happy with the print book now. It was worth the effort to get it right.

My Michael has 9 poems in this collection and I’ve included an example of the designed page for his poem, Anarchy, below the link. I am very proud of him.

There is another wonderful collaborator for this book and I’ll share more about that later this week.

Very happy to share the news of the latest release by Robbie Cheadle, Square Peg in a Round Hole: Poetry, Art & Creativity. On pre-order for March …

Smorgasbord New Book Spotlight – #Photography #Poetry Square Peg in a Round Hole: Poetry, Art & Creativity by Robbie Cheadle

Anarchy, a poem by Michael Cheadle

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

Tanka Tuesday

There are no St Patrick’s Day celebrations in South Africa, but we do have Cosmos Fairies at this time of year. You can join in Tanka Tuesday here: https://tankatuesday.com/2024/03/12/24-seasons-syllabic-poetry-challenge-no-25-3-12-24-part-ii-wintering-insects-awake-march-5-19-keichitsu-%e5%e8%9f24/

Cosmos Fairies (shadorma)

Prolific

Pink and white fairies

Decorate

Sun drenched field

Autumn’s subtle messengers

Salute summer’s end

Picture caption: close up of the cosmosPicture caption: Cosmos in our local parkSunday Stills

The theme for Sunday Stills is sunset and sunrise. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/03/17/sunday-stills-do-you-prefer-a-sunrise-or-a-sunset/

Picture caption: Sunset at Madikwe Game ReservePicture caption: Giraffe at sunset at Madikwe Game ReservePicture caption: Juvenile spotted hyena in the morning sunlightPicture caption: Sunset in the Drakensberg MountainsPicture caption: Sunset at Pilanesberg National Game ParkPicture caption: My oil pastel artwork of giraffes at sunset. This is the cover for my children’s book, Neema the Misfit Giraffe.

Robbie’s Inspiration – Book review: Atonement in Bloom by Teagan Riordain Geneviene #bookreview #readingcommunity

Picture caption: The cover of Atonement in Bloom featuring her old mansion in the background, and Ralda and her cat in the foreground.What Amazon says

“Atonement in Bloom” continues the urban fantasy from the point where “Atonement, Tennessee” ended.The quaint town was stranger than Ralda Lawton could have imagined. The local population included supernatural beings of the fae variety. Although only she and a few others knew about that.In a past life, Ralda ― Esmeralda had been involved in something with those supernaturals and it had carried into her present life. In Atonement, Tennessee, that almost got her killed. Now she has new problems, and new supes to complicate matters.Atonement in Bloom continues the misadventures of Ralda, her friends, and neighbors in the small (but far from peaceful) town of Atonement, Tennessee. Her old house and cemetery are still there, along with Lilith the cat, quirky townsfolk, and assorted supernaturals.Now Lilith the calico sniffs out a strange beast.Fae foolery backfires. A friend is abducted.On a cold December day, Atonement, Tennessee comes into bloom.

My review

Atonement in Bloom picks up where Atonement, Tennessee left off. That being said, you can read this volume on without reading the first book as the story stands alone. The first book is also excellent though, so I recommend you start at the beginning.

The story opens with supernatural beings, Gwydion and Cael, both having left Atonement suddenly following the great supernatural battle at the end of Book 1. A grand mansion appears overnight and Ralda and her best friend, Bethany, both believe that Gwydion, Guy for short, has a hand in it. After all the trouble he caused, they would prefer he stays gone. The magical occurrence seems to trigger a series of event and as the two women head back to Ralda’s house, several strange and obviously magical flowers make their appearance. The flower discoveries are followed by odd dark spots and sooty singed marks. Something is happened, but what?

In the meantime, Lilith the cat is having her own adventures and comes across Beira, a fae woman with a long braid of blue hair. Soon afterwards, Ralda and Bethany finds a strange woman with mint green hair wrapped in a blanket of greenery in her cemetery. The stranger, whom the two ladies call Willow, has no memory of where she came from. She has unusual powers and everywhere she walks, flowers grow in abundance. She also has a strange attraction for men who are completely mesmerized by her, including the eccentric Lou Lawton-Gyffes, owner of the magic mansion and relative of Guy.

All these strange magical happens are tied together and Ralda and Bethany must try and unravel the mystery before anything terrible goes wrong.

I enjoyed the characters of Ralda and Bethany in Book 1 and I liked how they grew in this second book. Some other friends from Book 1 show their true characteristics and become opposition to Randa’s quest to save the town and her friends from evil.

Atonement in Bloom is a fast moving and exciting story set in a the fantasy town of Atonement where the veil between non-magical and magical is thin and can be pierced either way. Lilith the cat plays an important role in this story and Robin the Sherriff, whose memories have been tampered with so that he forgets the magical battle, makes a reappearance. If you like highly imaginative story of mystery and magic, this is the series for you.

Purchase Atonement in Bloom from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Atonement-Bloom-Teagan-Geneviene-ebook/dp/B07J5RRBLH

Discover all of Teagan Riordain Geneviene’s books on Amazon US here: Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Growing Bookworms – Fun creations using fondant and Easter eggs

This month, for Growing Bookworms, I’ve shared step-by-step instructions on how to make Easter treats using fondant and Easter eggs. There is also a link to the free PDF download.

Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Beneath the link, I’ve also shared pictures of my two fondant owl and birds cake creations. These are for Resa at graffitiluxandmurals blog. You can read her owls post here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2024/03/05/night-owl/

Growing Bookworms – Fun creations using fondant and Easter eggs #fondantart #Easter

This cake shows to cartoon-styled owls in an autumn settingThis cake depicts an eagle, a green loerie, a hoopoe, a barn owl, and peacock as well as a red fox.

Robbie’s Inspiration – Blog Tour: Northtown Angelus, Raimo Jarvi Investigates Book 3 by Robert White #readingcommunity #booktour

Picture caption: Banner for the WordCrafter Book Blog Tour for Northtown Angelus, Raimo Jarvi Investigates: Book 3 featuring the book cover and yellow crime tape.Giveaway

Each stop where you leave a comment, you get another chance to win one of five digital copies, and one signed print copy of Northtown Angelus.

Are Women the Same as Men (in Mystery Fiction)?

Women comprise eighty percent of mystery fiction’s audience. Does that put male writers of mystery, especially hardboiled, at a disadvantage? The “right” answer is “of course not.” Then one might add a sop to all the tough female cops, detectives, and female private investigators out there. That’s called virtue signaling. The truth is that men are at a disadvantage in this prolific and diverse genre regardless. Let’s put aside the squeeze that women editors and agents in the big houses of NYC already possess. Add to that the overwhelming number of female bloggers. I have no statistics to offer, but I’ll put my house up for sale if I’m wrong. The numbers themselves wouldn’t be relevant if it weren’t for the bias.

What bias? I’m not talking about insane, off-the-wall depictions of homicidal violence. I’m talking about the knee-jerk reaction against it. The whiff of it alone is enough to make all those sanctimonious women bloggers with lacy curtains, unicorns, and flowers decorating their websites shun a request for a review from a male writer of violent fiction. Yet few women doting on cozies reject the caricaturizing of female protagonists in popular culture. It’s taken a long time for male writers to resist making their male protagonists Mickey Spillane knockoffs who bench press 300, beat up the bad guy, and seduce half-a-dozen women along the way. The danger of avoiding the stereotypes is that some male detectives become caricatures careening too far in the opposite direction—men as sensitive as hot-house plants,  weeping copious tears if a PETA letter arrives in their mailbox.

The women who turn a blind eye to biological males competing in women’s sports do the same. They want the caricatures, not the truth. And the truth is that (most) women cannot compete physically against (most) men in physical competition. Women are not as tough as men. That’s biology, the real biology, not Hollywood’s. That doesn’t imply they use sex to get what they want or have Mensa IQs.

It simply means that female writers, editors, bloggers should cut some slack to male writers who expose the violence of society in their story worlds. By the way, roughly half my novels and short stories feature women protagonists, antagonists. I’ve never had illusions about women as being possessed of the capacity for good or evil. I just know they can’t perform physical tasks at the same level as men. 

Picture caption: Promotional banner for Northtown Angelus, Raimo Jarvi Investigates: Book 3 featuring the book cover and yellow crime tape.About Northtown Angelus, Raimo Jarvi Investigates: Book 3

Johnny Dillon took his life. His wife Cora wants to know why. The Northtown cops don’t care; they closed the case as a suicide. The M.E. hasn’t got any answers for the discrepancies Ray Jarvi discovered in the autopsy report and from what Johnny’s wife told him about the days leading up to his decision to take his life.

This is the beginning of an investigation for private investigator Ray Jarvi, who follows a twisting path of corruption and vice in his rust-belt town on the shores of Lake Erie to help her find some resolution to the worst day in her life. Like a medieval play between warring devils and angels battling for a soul, he must deal with a variety of Northtowners who play one part or the other on his journey to find those answers. Getting past one obstacle only leads to another—and another. Before long, Jarvi does not know whom to trust. He realizes nothing in his town is what it appears to be and that there are some dangerous people who like it that way.

You can purchase Northtown Angelus, Raimo Jarvi Investigates: Book 3 from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Northtown-Angelus-Raimo-Jarvi-Investigates/dp/B0CRQ66L4Y

Picture caption: Book cover for Northtown Angelus, Raimo Jarvi Investigates Book 3 featuring a man with dark hair in a thick coat looking at the window of a building. The background is a harbour featuring small boats. About Robert WhitePicture caption: Robert White’s author photograph. Robert has white hair and a white beard. He is wearing a white shirt and the background is yellow.

Robert T. White writes from Northeastern Ohio. He has published several crime, noir, hardboiled novels and genre stories in various magazines and anthologies. He’s been nominated for a Derringer. “Inside Man,” a crime story, was selected for Best American Mystery Stories 2019. His second hardboiled p.i. series (after the Thomas Haftmann mysteries begun in 2011 with Haftmann’s Rules) features Raimo Jarvi in Northtown Eclipse (Fahrenheit Press, 2018) and Northtown Blitz (2020). British website Murder, Mayhem & More cited When You Run with Wolves (rpt. 2018) as a finalist for Top Ten Crime Books of 2018 and Perfect Killer in 2019. “If I Let You Get Me” was selected for the Bouchercon 2019 anthology and The Russian Heist (Moonshine Cove, 2019), another crime thriller, was selected by Thriller Magazine as winner of its Best Novel category. “Out of Breath” and Other Stories is a mixed collection of mainstream and noir fiction (Red Giant Press, 2013).

Find Robert White’s books on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-White/author/B001JP338Q

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reena’s Xploration Challenge #321: I am a Modern Woman, and Tanka Tuesday #poetry #photographs

I am a Modern Woman

I am a modern woman

I dance along the executive mile

Enter the ivory tower

My long ponytail swings

My ballet styled shoes dance

And my black net skirt swishes

I have been summonsed

To give some advice

Help untangle the mess

Created by arrogance

And lack of perception

***

I am a modern woman

I enter the board room

Lone rose among many thorns

I never say their way is wrong

I’m far to clever for that

Instead: If you do it that way

This will be the result

Is that what you intended?

The approach soon changes

Contracts redrafted

Mindsets shifted

***

I am a modern woman

I could smash the glass ceiling

Join the gloom on the top floor

Sit behind a heavy teak desk

In a black leather swivel chair

Swop my pink flowery pants

For a high power business suit

And my flat shiny shoes

For sensible low heeled courts

I could earn more money

The price: Giving up everything

That doesn’t make money

***

I’m a modern woman

I make my own choices

I didn’t have a family

To spend all my time

Trapped in board rooms

Eating biscuits and drinking coffee

While discussing old issues

Rehashed to look new

I have many hobbies

Work one of many interests

So, I stay on the second floor

They call me when they need me

This is my contribution to Reena’s challenge for International Women’s Day. Life is short so be careful what you wish for. Based on my twenty five years of observation, many high profile jobs are just not worth the personal sacrifices involved.

You can join in Reena’s challenge here: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2024/03/07/reenas-xploration-challenge-321/

Tanka Tuesday

For Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday, my fascination with the reproductive cycle of flora continues. This week, it was the palm trees that caught my attention and camera.

Palm Queens (Etheree)Picture caption: Yellow flowers on the palm tree

Tall

Straight backed

With outspread

Fronds interspersed

With orange flowers

The green palm queen dazzles

In her autumn finery

Attracting numerous insects

Which perform pollination duties

Ensuring the development of seeds

Picture caption: Palm tree nuts – I won’t tell you how I got this picture other than to say anyone watching would think I’m nuts – haha!

You can join in Tanka Tuesday here: https://tankatuesday.com/2024/03/05/24-seasons-syllabic-poetry-challenge-no-24-3-5-24-part-i-wintering-insects-awake-march-5-19-keichitsu-%e5%e8%9f/