Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 36

Robbie’s Inspiration – Book blog tour: Re-Create & Celebrate by Cindy Georgakas

Today, I am delighted to host Cindy Georgakas for the launch of her inaugural non-fiction self-help book and memoir, Re-Create & Celebrate available on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Re-Create-Celebrate-Steps-Dreams-Reality/dp/1739404416

About Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps to turn your Dreams into Reality

In this unique book, Cindy guides her readers through simple steps to achieve the life they have always dreamed of. Not simply life goals, but a whole new outlook and way of living. Through her transformational techniques and practices, which she has gained from decades of experience in the field of life coaching, she provides a teaching memoir and workbook containing the tools to build a blueprint to a life of fulfillment, inner peace and happiness.

“It is not always easy to trust ourselves, to venture out of our comfort zones, and go for our dreams, however, Cindy Georgakas has successfully done this in an eloquent way.”—Dr. Chérie Carter-Scott, New York Times Bestselling Author of If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

“As a memoir, the book is a testament to the power of positivity in our lives. There is resilience, hope, and healing.”—Gabriela Marie Milton, Author, Editor, Publisher

“An inspiring book of anecdotes and ideas for personal exploration and growth. Positive, uplifting, and wholly possible. Highly recommended.” —D. Wallace Peach, Bestselling Author of Catling’s Bane

My review

I am not a frequent reader of self help books but I have been following Cindy Georgakas’s lovely blog for some time now and I knew she had some excellent life experiences to share and advice to give so I decided to read the book.

After all, in this modern age of endless fake and bad news in the media, fast change, and whirlwind lifestyles, who doesn’t need good advice about how to feel happy and achieve your personal dreams.

This book is certainly a great aid to believing in your abilities and setting goals. There is detailed guidance on how to go about understanding who you are, how you can set about understanding where you want to be in life, and how to get there.

One of the core messages in this book which is repeated in each section, is self care. A lot of parents, especially mothers, give and give to their families, while holding down full time jobs and running a home. This is an awful lot to juggle and can lead to not taking any time out for yourself, especially when children are young and dependent.

The author reinforces the point that if we don’t look after ourselves, we won’t be in good health and of the right mental state to care for our dependents as well as we could. I know from my own personal experience that this is true and we have to take care of ourselves, especially during times of illness and crisis with our loved ones.

This is a book readers can keep at their side and dip back into during times of need and when a mental boost and some good advice are needed.

Hats off to Cindy Georgakas and this beautiful and useful book.

Giveaway

For the blog tour: I am giving away PDF/ePub copies of “Re-Create & Celebrate to three of the most regular participants in the comments section of the tour posts. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win a copy of these books!

Tour stops

Already live:

  May 11th: Pooja Gudka LIFESFINE WHINE May 12th 
  May 15th Gabriela Maria Milton and Literary Revelations 
  May 15th: Diana D. Peach of Myths Of The Mirror: 
  May 15th Kym Gordon Moore from Behind the Pen 
May 17th Barbara Leonhard MasticadoresUsa and Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver
May 19th Grace Y. Estevez-Reddy Grace of the Sun 
May  20th Dwight L. Roth of Roth Poetry

Today, May 22nd, my post on Robbie’s Inspiration.

Still coming:

May 24th  David (Ben) Alexander Skeptic’s Kaddish
May  26th Yvette Prior: Prior house blog
June 2nd  Marsha Ingreo -Always Write

About Cindy Georgakas

Cindy Georgakas is a writer of words in poetry, prose and reflections of her heart. She was voted Author of the Month on Spillwordss Press in April 2023 and Publication of the Month on Spillwords in October 2022.

She is a co-author of #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women and is also a monthly contributor to MastecadoresUsa.

She was born in San Francisco, California and lives nestled in the trees in a small community about 40 minutes south of San Francissco with her husband.

She is a life health coach , and massage and craniosacral therapist who draws inspiration from her daily interactions with clients, friends, her 4 children, and nature.

Her website is Uniquely Fit. She can also be found on Instagram #ahamoments.

Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and blogger, Luanne Castle, and a review #poetry #poetrycommunity #bookreview

My May Treasuring Poetry guest is the talented poet, Luanne Castle. Do go over to Writing to be Read and read about her thoughts on poetry. I’ve included my reviews of two of her wonderful poetry books. Thanks for hosting Kaye Lynne Booth.

Writing to be Read

Today, I am thrilled to introduce poet and blogger, Luanne Castle, as my May Treasuring Poetry Guest. Luanne has written four poetry books and had her work included in some anthologies too. I have read two of her four books and found her poetry to be unique and fascinating.

Welcome Luanne!

Why do you write poetry?

My connection to poetry feels as if it’s deeper than thought and precedes story. Until I was eight years old, I was an only child and spent time entertaining myself. Even before I could read, I listened to records of nursery rhymes and folk songs repeatedly, loving the rhythms and the magical way the words sounded. I started writing poetry when I was a child as it seemed a natural form of expression to me, possibly because of this nursery rhyme background. I still feel this same connection to poetry that I did as…

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ROBBIE CHEADLE’S MOTHERS DAY STORY

Hi there, It is my pleasure to share with you this Mothers Day offering from Robbie Cheadle who blogs at https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com. …

ROBBIE CHEADLE’S MOTHERS DAY STORY

Thank you to Bernadette for sharing my Mothers Day recipe, Toad in the Hole. This series of posts about mothers and their favourite recipes is wonderful.

Growing Bookworms – The benefits of cooking and baking with children

My May Growing Bookworms post discusses the benefits of cooking and baking with children. Thank you for hosting Kaye Lynne Booth.

Writing to be Read

I wrote this post six years ago when I hadn’t been blogging for very long and didn’t have many followers. During my recent attendance at the South African Festival of Children’s Literature where I was asked to speak about cake and fondant art and its benefits to children, I thought again about all these benefits and decided to share it again for Growing Bookworms.

Most children love to spend time in the kitchen either cooking or baking. It is a fabulous bonding experience with Mom or another caregiver and they always enjoying eating the results of their hard work afterwards.

I love to bake and both my sons have travelled the cooking, baking and eating road with me. Michael, particularly, loves to cook. He prefers to make more practical things than I do such as savoury and/or sweet pancakes, French toast and even stews and curries which he sometimes makes…

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Robbie’s Inspiration: SA Festival of Children’s Literature and a poem #cakeart #poetry #childrensliterature

Picture caption: Banner for my presentation at the SA Festival of Children’s Literature. It features a picture of me and the festival’s cute mascot, a mouse called Big Ears

Last week, Thursday, Michael, Mom and I flew to Cape Town (a 2 hour flight) so that Michael and I could attend the SA Festival of Children’s Literature in Somerset West. The event is organised by Professor Darryl David a lecturer of Afrikaans Education at the University of the Western Cape. You can read more about Prof David here: https://www.uwc.ac.za/news-and-announcements/news/a-wonderful-madness-gold-medal-english-award-for-afrikaans-lecturer-darryl-david

You can read more about the SA Festival of Children’s Literature here: https://www.facebook.com/SAfestivalofchildlit

We attended on Saturday, 6 May and had a lovely day listening to the various authors and illustrators taking about their crafts and books.

Our presentation was about our Sir Chocolate series of pictures books which are all illustrated using cake and fondant art. You can view our presentation here:

The Prof asked us to bring a cake to show the audience. As we were travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town, something simple was in order. We decided on a Chinese Candy Dragon:Picture caption: The Chinese Candy Dragon made from nine chocolate cupcakes. The face, tail, and whiskers are made from yellow and green fondant. The scales are multi-coloured Smarties covered with edible gold dust.

While I was in Cape Town, I wrote a series of shadorma poems about the ocean called: The Ocean through five senses

You can read the poems here: https://vocal.media/poets/the-ocean-through-five-senses

There are six poems, two for sight (stormy and pleasant) and one for each of the senses of touch, smell, sound, and taste.

Picture caption: Mouth of the harbour taken at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Picture taken from the bridge in front of the Clock Tower.Picture Caption: Picture of Signal Hill and the harbour taken from the other side of the bridge in front of the Clock Tower

Robbie’s Inspiration COOKBOOK CONFIDENTIAL COOKBOOK CLUB – Robbie Cheadle reviews Swiss Cheese and Onion Soup and I’m travelling

I am travelling from tonight and will be off line until Monday, 8 May. I am taking mum to visit my sister in Cape Town and I am also attending the South African Festival of Children’s Literature.

A short while ago, I visited Bernadette from Classic New Recipe with a review of the Moosewood Cookbook. I must say, I really loved this cookbook and will be trying out more of the recipes.

Hi there,

What follows is my friend Robbie Cheadle’s (https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com) review of the Moosewood Cookbook. In addition to being a fantastic cook, writer, and photographer, Robbie is passionate about the environment. Please check out her latest book, which combines poetry and environmental concerns. The title is Lion Scream: Syllabic Poetry About Southern African Wildlife. It is available through Amazon.

The Moosewood Cookbook: 40th Anniversary Edition by Mollie Katzen

Introduction

This is a vegetarian cookbook, and as my family are not vegetarian and are, in fact, big meat eaters, I wouldn’t historically have bought this book. I have, however, been trying to move my family over to a more vegetarian lifestyle because I would like to reduce our collective contribution to global warming and climate change. As a result of this mindset, I was pleased to have an opportunity to consider the recipes in this book and whether they would work as part of my new eating plan for my family.

The recipes are nicely set out in sections headed Soups, Salads, Sauces and dips, baked things and sandwiches, and Entrees. 

I liked the recipes; they offered me new food combinations, especially in soups. Winter is approaching in the Southern Hemisphere, and I love to have soup at lunchtime, so I tried two of the soup recipes, Hungarian mushroom soup and Swiss cheese and onion soup. Both were delicious, and my changes to the original recipes were limited to substitutions of ingredients that I had in my pantry instead of buying a similar item, for example, garlic flakes instead of fresh garlic.

You can read the rest of this post here: https://newclassicrecipe.com/2023/04/19/cookbook-confidential-cookbook-club-robbie-cheadle-reviews-swiss-cheese-and-onion-soup/

Bloggers Who Are Also Authors (pt. 2) Robbie/Roberta Cheadle – Lion Scream: Syllabic Poetry About Southern African Wildlife #BookReview

Thank you to Carla from Carla loves to Read for this thoughtful review of Lion Scream. Carla is a real bibliophile and shares the most wonderful reviews on her lovely blog. Do have a look around while you are there

Carla Loves To Read

Welcome to my second post in my Authors to Read, Who are Part of the Blogging Community. For this post, I am highlighting, Robbie Cheadle, also known as Roberta Eaton Cheadle. Robbie has two wonderful blogs that include poetry, fondant art and baking, and children’s books blog. She also reviews children’s books and poetry. She is very creative in the kitchen and includes recipes as well as directions on how to recreate some of her fondant pieces. On her second blog she includes reviews of adult books, news related to her own writing, wonderful photography and other interesting posts. She is also a contributor on other blogs. I recommend you check out both her blogs, Robbie’s inspiration and Roberta Writes None of the author’s who are part of this group of posts requested to be highlighted, nor am I receiving anything for these posts except my enjoyment reading their books.

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Robbie’s Inspiration: Book Blog Tour – Broken Ties, Book 2 in the Reams of the Mist series by Jude Itakali

Picture caption: Cover of Broken Ties featuring a green figure with a mud covered face and holding a carved wooden mask. Includes an avatoon.

Today, I am delighted to introduce author and poet, Jude Itakali, with the second book in his Realms of the Mist series, Broken Ties.

Tradition and gender roles and how these are integrated into the Realms of the Mist series

In many traditions all over the world, there are strong women. Karamajong men in Uganda have to chase and best the women in a physical test of endurance in order to marry them, healers were often only second to the rulers, and that position was exclusively reserved for women in many tribes. In this fantasy trilogy, the role of High Priestess/Priest in some Gifted realms is the very top position. 

As for gender roles, apart from my main protagonist and antagonist whose genders I made a conscious decision on, all the other characters were a random draw where I’d write F and M on pieces of paper, fold them and toss them on a table, picking out which gender a certain character would be. Of course, a few times in book2 I had to overrule that as I needed more males, lol.

I’m very satisfied with the dynamic and it’ll draw some previously unforseen outcomes in the final book3 where I’ve been hard at work learning to include two or three other POVs. I look forward to how the dynamics will play out.

What Amazon saysPicture caption: Book cover of Broken Ties by Jude Itakali

Kamau from a tribe of death, Ninuwe from the lovers of Femi, and Kena, an elemental, are bound by the trials of their recent past, and forced onto a dark and magical quest through the Gifted realms of Africa. They must assemble the God-killer, an ancient weapon that can destroy the Evil One. The problem is; the Evil One has irreversibly merged with Kamau’s once closest and only friend, Irina.

War is brewing. Monsters are slipping into the greater human world. Gods are toying with them. The mission demands sacrifices that seem too costly to pay, yet they must also navigate a desperate love triangle, the personal ambitions of young adults, and tribes with unorthodox customs.
As allies blur with enemies
Will Kamau and his friends find the strength to sacrifice anything,
And do whatever it takes,

Can they give up all that they hold dear, to save people they barely know?

Special excerpt

“Since when did you get so heartless, oh High Priestess of Love! I’d expect something like that from Kamau,” she rounded on him. “No wonder you’re silent. Hadiza and their buddy, Mr. Death!” She glared at him, tears running down her cheeks.

Kamau looked away. He knew grief too well and he hated seeing it in Ninuwe. She was right though, about the Hadiza accepting and even embracing death. It was the way of his people. But Kamau was not sure anymore. The one death that had really mattered, his little sister Kimya’s, was the one death he had never accepted. In fact, pursuing justice for Kimya’s lost soul was the core reason he was on this quest to begin with.

My review

Broken Ties is the second book in the Realms of the Mist series and continues the exciting quest of Kamau, Kena and Ninuwe through the magical realms of Africa inhabited by the Gifted. The trio are tasked with finding the parts of the ancient weapon called God-Killer which is believed to be the only way of destroying the Evil One.

The parts of the weapon lie in different realms and are guarded by different peoples with different Gifts and attitudes. The trio need to learn where each part has been hidden and find a way of negotiating with its defenders to secure its release into their possession. The task of negotiation involves a significant sacrifice by the negotiator and each of the three gets their turn and must be prepared to give up everything and anything in pursuit of success.

To complicate matters, the Evil One has taken over the body of Irina, Kamau oldest and dearest friend. A powerful goddess who has been available to help them with their quest is also no longer available to them.

Kamau is a strong minded and determined young man who is learning to deal with situations and relationships that are outside his experience as a member of the tribe of death. Love, jealousy, and greed are just three of the spectrum of emotions he must learn to identify and cope with and failure to do so has severe repercussions for his mission. I enjoyed the growth in Kamau’s character and the expansion of his thoughts and feelings.

Kena is reliable and well-balanced until she is pushed to hard and her Gift gets the better of her. She has to learn that every action and reaction in life elicits an opposite reaction. Kena does well learning to control her temper and responses.

Ninuwe continues to be light-hearted and full of love and enthusiasm. She is the guiding light for the other two characters. She also has to face her greatest fears and make selfless decisions for the benefit of the group and their mission.

This book is full of mystery and delight with plenty of activity and fast pacing to keep you turning the pages.

Pre-order Broken Ties: https://www.amazon.com/BROKEN-TIES-Book-Realms-Mist-ebook/dp/B0C2HKHDC5

Want to read on Goodreads

Blog tour perks

Pdf/epub copies of Broken Ties to three of the most regular participants in the blog tour comments section, as well as a copy of CROSSROADS for each.

You can get Jude’s tour schedule by visiting his blog: https://judeitakali.wordpress.com

About Jude ItakaliPicture credit: Author photograph of Jude Itakali in a white collared shirt and a checked jacket

Jude Itakali is a poet, writer and fiction author from the suburbs of Kampala, Uganda.

Itakali never liked sharing his books as a child. That has changed, especially since he started writing his own.

A lifelong obsession with ‘the good story’ evoked his personal phrase, “Reality is all around us, but fantasy is a part of us.” Egged on by a conniving appetite to consume works across genres, Itakali crafts the compelling themes and rounded characters in his books.

When not ‘life-ing’ or pursuing infrequent exercise routines, you can find Itakali writing fiction in a small cubicle, or under a tree, furnishing his website, Tales told different, with life epiphanies, ponderous prose, and poetry.

Jude Itakali Amazon Author Page

Picture credit: Promotional banner depicting the cover of Broken Ties on an easel.

Book review – More Poetic Meanderings by K. Morris #poetry #poetrycommunity

What Amazon says

“More Poetic Meanderings” is a collection of poems that explores the complexities of life through the lens of the human experience. Each poem offers a unique perspective on various themes, such as love, loss, mortality, pain, joy, hope, and the beauty of nature.

The collection begins with an introductory poem that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The collection delves into deep themes, such as the meaning of life, the struggle for self-discovery, and the beauty of nature.

My review

This collection of poetry demonstrates the poet’s talent at its best. I have read other collections by K. Morris and his poems about the fragility of life and the shadow of death that lies over all creatures from the moment of their births are my firm favourites.

The poet has a remarkable way of highlighting the best things in life by contrasting them with the inevitable ending of life which I find fascinating and thought provoking. I enjoy that these collections always make me reassess my life, its meaning, and what things are really important to me.

Two poems that I particularly liked and found thought provoking, related the the human obsession with technology. Here are these two examples:

As I Progress

“Walking through the churchyard
On a freezing evening,
I consider progress
And pass by
Fading inscriptions
On tombstones.”

This poem brings to my mind the words of one of my first work role models. Richard always said: “Westpark [our local cemetery] is full of indispensable people.”

The other poem is I Enter the Graveyard.

“I enter the graveyard
Where men forget regret
While the living
Forget their eternal
Bed is made
In waiting grave

And choose to lose
Their day
In play
With technology,
Which makes none free
Of the eternal grave.”

A wonderful book of deep poems that will be enjoyed by all lovers of poetry.

Purchase More Poetic Meanderings by K. Morris

Amazon US

Amazon UK

K. Morris Amazon Author Page

Robbie’s Inspiration: WordCrafter Book Blog Tour: Poetry Treasures 3: Passions – Meet Yvette M. Calleiro and Penny Wilson #poetrycommunity #PT3:Passions

Picture caption: Poetry Treasures 3: Passions WordCrafter Book Blog Tour banner featuring a chest filled with various treasures and gemstones on the beach and the cover of the book.

Today, I am delighted to welcome to amazing poets and contributors to Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: Yvette M. Calleiro and Penny Wilson.

Meet Yvette M. Calleiro

Yvette M. Calleiro is the author of the Chronicles of the Diasodz fantasy series, HYPE, and several short stories. As a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels, she spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends).

When she’s living among real people, she is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean. Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

Picture caption: Author photograph of Yvette M. Calleiro. Yvette has medium length black hair, brown eyes and a most engaging smileInspiration for Yvette’s poem “Ocean Calm” included in Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

I have always had an affinity to water, especially ocean water. There is something about it that relaxes my soul and body thoroughly. I am blessed to live close enough to the ocean to go almost every weekend. When my anxiety has a grip on me, the ocean lessens its hold. On the day I wrote this poem, I was heavy in my rumination of negative thoughts. I dug my feet in the sand to ground me and watched the waves lap upon the shore. I timed my breath to their rhythm and felt my mind silence those thoughts. In their place, I began to create this poem, focusing on the calmness of just being, whether that calls for flexibility or for strength. I noticed my anxiety dissolve as I realized I could be the grains of sand, acknowledging my negative thoughts but choosing to let them go, taking away their power. And so, as with the waves, I let the thoughts come and go, ebb and flow.

Reading of “Ocean Calm”

Picture caption: A promotional banner showing a pirate holding a large sword. He is saying: Shiver me timbers! Get your copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions today or I’ll make ye walk the plank! Arrgh! The picture also features the book cover and states that the book is available through Books2Read.

Meet Penny Wilson

Penny Wilson is a freelance writer who writes in several genres. A love of reading was instilled in her at an early age. This led to her reading well above her grade level as a child. Because of this, her love of poetry and writing has been life-long.

She has written articles for WOW Women on Writing. Her poetry has been published in online journals, such as Ariel Chart, Spill Words Press and the Poppy Road Review. Penny is a member of the Austin Poetry Society. Her poetry has been featured in the publication America’s Emerging Poets 2018 & 2019 by Z Publishing and Poets Quarterly and Dual Coast Magazine published by Prolific Press.

Penny is an advocate for Mental Health Awareness and has the page “Mental Health Help” on her blog. She writes about the struggles of mental illnesses and Depression. She is passionate about spreading awareness for Suicide Prevention and Domestic Abuse. She expresses her passion through her writings of poetry and life experiences. You can find more of her writings on her blog at https://pennywilsonwrites.com/ and follow her on Twitter @pennywilson123.

Picture caption: Author photograph of Penny Wilson. Penny has dark blonde hair, brown eyes, and a lovely smileInspiration of “Something Worth Losing”

My poem “Something Worth Losing” was inspired by the idea that we so often take for granted the everyday things in life.  Those simple things that many do not have.  The one true treasure in this world is love.  Loving and having someone to love is the greatest treasure of all.

Reading of “Something Worth Losing”Picture caption: The names of the contributors to the anthology are listed on one side. The visual comprises the book cover and a bottle of red wine with a half filled wine glass next to it. The book is available through Books2Read.Giveaway

Comment and let us know you were there, and get a chance to win a copy of  Poetry Treasures 3: Passions  in the digital format of your choice. Follow the tour and leave your comments along the way. One entry per stop.

About Poetry Treasures 3: PassionsPicture caption: The book cover for Poetry Treasures 3: Passions featuring a young girl kneeling on the beach and clutching a book. In front of her is a chest out of which eight bubbles are floating. The bubbles contain pictures of people doing different things.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, , Smitha Vishwaneth,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Pre-order/Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR 

Book trailer