Linnea Tanner's Blog, page 36

Cynthia Ripley Miller: A Sword Among Ravens The Coffee Book Club Blog Tour #HistoricalMystery #AncientWorld #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @CRipleyMiller @maryanneyarde

FEATURED AUTHOR: Cynthia Ripley Miller

It is my pleasure to feature Cynthia Ripley Miller as part of The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held from March 8th — March 19th 2021. Cynthia Ripley Miller is the author of the Romantic Historical Mystery novel, A Sword Among Ravens (The Long-Hair Saga series), which was released by BookLocker Publisher on 9th December 2020 (267 pages).

Below are highlights of A Sword Among Ravens, Cynthia Ripley Miller’s biography, and an excerpt from her book.

HIGHLIGHTS: A Sword Among Ravens

 

A Sword Among Series

(The Long-Hair Saga series)

by Cynthia Ripley Miller

In a grave, on the edge of a Roman battlefield, an ancient sword has been discovered. Legend claims it belonged to King David of Israel and carries a curse—those who wield it will tragically die—but not the chosen.  

AD 455. Arria Felix and her husband, Garic the Frank, have safely delivered a sacred relic to Emperor Marcian in Constantinople. But now, Arria and Garic will accept a new mission. The emperor has asked them to carry the sword of King David of Israel to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Arria will dedicate it in her murdered father’s memory.

As Arria and Garic travel into the heart of the Holy Land, they face many challenges and dangers. Their young daughter is missing then found in the company of a strange and suspicious old monk. A brutal killer stalks their path. And a band of cold-blooded thieves is determined to steal the sword for their own gains. But when Arria confronts the question of where the sword should truly rest—old friendships, loyalties, and her duty are put to the test like never before. At every turn, Arria and Garic find themselves caught in a treacherous mission wrapped in mystery, murder, and A Sword Among Ravens.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Barnes and Noble • Kobo

AUTHOR BIO: Cynthia Ripley Miller

 

Cynthia Ripley Miller is a first-generation Italian-American writer with a love for history, languages, and books. She has lived in Europe and traveled world-wide, holds two degrees, and taught history and English. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, at Orchard Press Mysteries.com, and The Scriptor. She is a Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist with awards from Circle of Books-Rings of Honor and The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has reviewed for UNRV Roman History, and blogs at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus and on her website, www.cynthiaripleymiller.com

Cynthia is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, and A Sword Among Ravens, books 1-3 in her Long-Hair Saga series set in Late Ancient Rome, France, and Jerusalem. Cynthia lives outside of Chicago with her family, along with a cute but bossy cat.

Social Media Links:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Amazon • Goodreads

EXCERPT:  A Sword Among Ravens

Excerpt from Chapter XI: Two Are Better Than One

AD 455: PALAESTINA, Jerusalem

HE

(Nemesis)

He sat alone. On the tree branch above him, a tribe of sparrows twittered. Their lush, rust-brown feathers and freedom struck him as beautiful. He often wished he could catch a bird and keep one. When he was a boy, he once held a she-dove. The tranquil bird cooed softly. He had contemplated the dove’s lucky existence but immediately felt sad. Soon his sorrow turned to envy. Anger filled him, and a sudden and powerful urge overcame him. What right did the dove have to be at peace—when as children, he and his younger brother were made slaves to a patch of farmland as fickle as the weather and the world around them? His father, mean and ornery, spending what little they had on drink. His broken mother, taking her husband’s beatings, letting him beat them. Why should anyone feel happy when his life reeked of misery? Twist the dove’s neck, shut her up, a voice whispered in his head. And Nemesis obeyed. Snap. An unexpected satisfaction glowed inside him. It had been so easy.

He met a girl when he grew older. She also had a beauty about her; she reminded him of the dove. Soft with milky skin, her hair smooth and fine. He first noticed her on one of his trips alone to market. She stood behind a table, filling a basket with apricots from a sack at her feet. As he pushed his cart laden with turnips and leeks past her family’s fruit stand, he stole a glance and was smitten. That was a glorious summer.

Each time he returned to the market, he would look for her and nod as he passed by. A pink flush on her cheeks, she always smiled back. After selling his produce, he’d stow his cart behind a stack of boxes, not far from her father’s stand. Hiding, he watched her, sometimes for hours—as he did the birds. Her fragile bones and glowing skin, the way she turned her head on a long, slender neck, her vulnerability and innocence all consumed him. He wanted to speak with her, hear the soft tones in her words.

But people and merchants surrounded and kept her from him. Bitterness found a pit in his stomach. His heart seethed in the hollow of his chest. Once, he followed the girl home and hid in a line of bushes near a window. When night settled, he peered through the lighted opening. Her parents and brothers sat around her with happy looks on their faces. Envy smoldered in him, and he hurried away. Here was not the time or place. He would wait and watch.

One sultry morning, when she tended the fruit stand alone, Nemesis stopped and spoke to her. He acted the customer and bought her figs—no point in being noticed. But when she placed the fruit in his basket, he whispered that she should meet him outside of town, later in the afternoon when most everyone rested.

She blushed, her eyes shining, and nodded her acceptance. She met him as planned, and he talked to her sweetly and held her hand. He told her he had a secret place with a view beautiful enough to melt a heart. Would she see it with him? She agreed, and he brought her to the tall juniper tree at the top of a ravine where a river ran below.

The day glimmered with light and heat. The sky reflected the blue in her eyes. He made a blanket of ferns cut with his knife from the bushes around them. They spread out like a willowy fan. “My lady?” he said, smiling, offering her a hand. She giggled and cooed, “My lord,” and wrapped his fingers in hers.

They sat, and he pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips were warm and full, almost sweet to the taste, and she smelled of figs and brought him peace. She kissed him back.

But the memory of the dove rose in his mind.

His heart, a moment ago so full and open, snapped shut. Fear and desperation filled him. Nemesis grabbed the girl tighter. She squirmed against him, but he fought to hold her—to possess her and her tranquility. She twisted harder. Anger flashed through his body and throbbed at his temples. The voice inside whispered again. What right does this farmer’s daughter have to refuse you? He frowned. Why would she deny him a moment of joy found in his brutal world? A world sunk in poverty and ruled by a cruel father.

A dark and primitive growl rose in his throat. The blood in his veins boiled. Nemesis desired the farmer’s daughter, and he would have her. This time, he’d be the strong one. Dominate, possess something of his own—even if only a girl. 

She clawed and fought against him. He grabbed her wrists and subdued her. The gentle dove cried out, but he pushed to his feet and pulled her fragile body with him. She almost struggled free, but he grabbed her from behind. Wrapping an arm around her neck, he locked her against his panting chest. A plaintive, agonized wail burst from her lips upward toward the sky.

He hesitated and took a breath. Resist! He thought. Stifle your anger—find mercy. Fight the voice inside. Let her fly away this time—and not die like the dove.

He dragged her to the edge of the cliff. As his arm grew tighter around her neck, she choked. He thought he heard her gasp, “Noooo . . .” It didn’t matter. Her savior, he lifted her like an offering, and with all his strength, he tossed her into the air. Nemesis waited for her to soar upward and glide on the wind. Instead, she plummeted downward like a wounded bird. Her arms stroked the air, her long, brown tresses rippled behind her. He turned away.

In a few seconds, a splash vibrated on the breeze. He kicked at the ferns, destroying their nest. A brooding disappointment welling in him, he walked back toward town. He had lost another dove.

Instagram: @coffeepotbookclub

LELITA BALDOCK WIDOW’S LACE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB BLOG TOUR #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery #WidowsLace #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @BaldockLelita @maryanneyarde

 

FEATURED AUTHOR: LELITA BALDOCK

It is my pleasure to feature Lelita Baldock as part of the The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held from March 8th — March 19th 2021. Lelita Baldock is the author of the historical fiction/mystery, Widow’s Lace, which was independently released by the author on 23 March 2020 (242 pages).

Below are highlights of Widow’s Lace, Lelita Baldock’s author biography, and an excerpt from her book.

HIGHLIGHTS: WIDOW’S LACE

 

Widow’s Lace

by Lelita Baldock

A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.

In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.

25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.

Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.

Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?

The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.

Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets, and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Barnes and Noble

Is your book on Kindle Unlimited?  Yes

AUTHOR BIO: LELITA BALDOCK

 

Lelita has a passion for stories, especially those with a dark undercurrent, or a twist to be revealed. 

She hopes to tell interesting stories that people will find themselves drawn into. Stories that are for entertainment and escape, and hopefully a little thrill of the unexpected. She truly enjoys the experience of writing, exploring human traits and reactions as well as the darkness that can lurk unexpectedly inside anyone.

Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Lelita holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Education from The University of South Australia. During her twenties she worked as an English teacher in both Australia and the United Kingdom, working with the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

Now Lelita and her husband run a web development business, and she makes time for writing after hours and on weekends. It can mean long days and late nights, but she doesn’t mind, stories are her passion.

Lelita’s long term goal as a writer is to be able to publish her stories regularly and hopefully appeal to a wide range of readers.

Lelita currently resides in the United Kingdom with her husband Ryan and beloved rescue-cat, Jasmine.

Social Media Links:

Website • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook • Book Bub • Amazon • Goodreads

EXCERPT: WIDOW’S LACE

Part one: Edward

Chapter 8

Slithering, slippery mud peeks between the auburn.

Reveals the lie.

The Indian Ocean, 1886

Tick-tock, tick-tock, clicked gently against his consciousness. Edward rolled away from the sound, clinging to unconsciousness. Sleep his only sanctuary from the endless expanse of the Indian Ocean.

Tick-tock.

Travelling through the Suez Canal had provided some distraction, to see with one’s own eyes the immensity of the endeavour to carve out a passage between continents was truly breathtaking. But the knowledge that soon his horizons would widen again as they crossed the seemingly inexhaustible ocean, caused his skin to prickle. As the sails were hauled up for the run south across the Indian Ocean, that prickle had grown into a buzz of invisible pressure that enveloped his limbs.

Tick-tock.

Restlessness had overtaken his body. His nights spent tossing and turning, his days tense and tight. Even the daily walks Mary insisted he take around the ship provided no release. Other passengers seemed to have found a stride that simply eluded him; groups of young men set up cricket matches on the deck or played cards in the sunshine, lounging calmly. Edward felt he might snap.

Tick-tock.

He longed for the oblivion of sleep. Hours where the boat sailed on and he was floating in the dark, thoughtless, senseless, nothing.

Tick-tock.

It knocked against his mind more firmly this time, and he felt it, the shift between sleep and consciousness. It was subtle, but it was there. He threw the sheet off of his torso, seeking a cooling breeze to relieve his clammy body. But there was no fresh air to be had, the porthole windows firmly closed against the waves. Twisting about, his legs became entangled in the sheet, forcing him to kick and wiggle to free his feet, bringing himself fully awake in the process. He lay still for a moment, taking deep breaths, willing his eyelids to grow heavy, his mind dim.

Tick-tock.

No use. He tore the remaining entangled sheets from his legs and sat up on the bed. Lighting a candle, he checked the insistent clock beside the bed. 11p.m., he had not even managed an hour of rest since he had come to bed. Edward sighed. It was a silly time of night, one made only for rest. But his body and mind were not going to comply. He needed distraction.

He considered his options. He could light his desk lamp and work on his travel journal, or perhaps read. Both were heavy with effort. A hacking cough sounded from the next room. Even through the walls he could hear the solid wetness of the sound; death made manifest and soggy. He listened as Mary rose and shuffled over to his wife, the soft murmur of her soothing croon drifting to his ears. He longed to go in and care for his wife himself, but he knew Rosalind would only turn him away. Their pretence that all was well had been wearing thin this last few weeks.

He had to get out, to move. Hastily he dressed. Perhaps the saloon would still be open and he could enjoy a whiskey to dull his restless mind. Grabbing up his journal and pencil, he quietly exited the room.

The lights were still on in the saloon casting the ornate brass finishings of the room in a comfortingly warm glow. Strolling in he found the bar unattended. He waited a moment, hoping that the waiter had simply popped out briefly. In truth Edward had no idea of the schedule of the boat at large. When they first set out he had taken lunch in the restaurant with the other first class guests, but the constant enquiries after his wife had taken on the tone of gossip, driving him back to his rooms. The excuse of seasickness could only work for so long.

After waiting a moment more Edward sighed, he was clearly too late to be served. Surprised at the disappointment he felt at missing out on a drink, he turned to leave.

‘Ah, excuse me, Mr. Barrington?’ a gentle voice came from the side of the lounge. Edward glanced over. A man, younger than himself by a few years, sat in a plush armchair, book in hand. Edward swept his eyes over the youth, almond coloured hair and eyes glittered in the soft light as he crossed the space between them. He looked familiar, though Edward could not recall his name.

‘George Harbot,’ the young man supplied, smiling warmly, ‘we were at the same table the night before the Canal.’ He held his hand out in greeting. Edward took it, the warmth of the contact surprising him.

‘Of course,’ he replied.

George stood before him, awkwardly silent. The moment stretched and Edward, damning himself for leaving his rooms on this foolish quest, was about to wish him goodnight when, ‘You only just missed the waiter. 11pm is close. But, I’ve most of a bottle of wine left. You would be welcome to join me.’

‘That’s very kind…’ Edward began.

‘The company would be most welcome,’ George smiled again. An urgency came over his face as he did, giving his round, open features a sense of desperation. Despite himself, Edward found himself nodding his acceptance of George’s offer and made his way over to the table.

Vivienne Brereton Beware the Lizard Lurking The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @VivienneBreret1 @maryanneyarde

Featured Author: Vivienne Brereton

It is my pleasure to feature Vivienne Brereton as part of the ongoing The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held from February 15th — March 5th 2021. Vivienne Brereton is the author of the historical fiction novel, Beware the Lizard Lurking (The House of the Red Duke, Book 2), which was released by Yuletide Press on 12th February 2021 (302 pages).

Below are highlights of Beware the Lizard Lurking, Vivienne Brereton’s author biography, and an excerpt from her book.

Highlights: Beware the Lizard Lurking

 

Beware the Lizard Lurking 

The House of the Red Duke, Book 2

by Vivienne Brereton

Welcome to the candlelit courts of Europe!

Uninvited guests at a secret wedding.

A frozen River Thames.

May Day celebrations to remember.

The young Henry VIII, with the aid of his chief advisor, Thomas Wolsey, and against the counsel of Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, is hellbent on a so-called holy war with France. This puts him at odds with his Scottish brother-in-law, James IV of Scotland, and his older sister, Margaret.

Both Tristan and Nicolas know that time is running out for them before they have to…enter the Church – and into an arranged marriage, respectively. In the meantime, they remain at loggerheads over pretty Ysabeau de Sapincourt, the spoilt young wife of the hapless Robert.

At La Colombe, near Ardres, in Picardy, spirited little Valentine is still making mischief as she sees fit.

Across the Narrow Sea, Cecily is perfectly content in her beloved Zennor Castle, in Cornwall.

None of them know what Dame Fortune has in store for them. Will she allow them to follow their own paths…or has she got other ideas?

Buy Links:

Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon AU

Author Bio: Vivienne Brereton

 

Born between historic Winchester and Southampton in the UK, Vivienne has been passionate about the Tudors for as long as she can remember. This led to a degree in Medieval History at university, and the growing desire to write a novel.

However, life took over somewhat and only after stays, short and long, in six countries she called home did she finally settle down to finish her novel.

Words have always played an important part in her life, whether it’s been writing, editing, teaching English, or just picking up a good book.

Having three sons came in very handy when she had to write about squabbles between the male characters in her novel. Not so handy when she took her boys to Hampton Court and one of them got lost in the maze!

Seeing ‘A Phoenix Rising’, the first book in the series ‘The House of the Red Duke’ in print for the first time was a moment of great joy for her. She very much hopes that anyone reading ‘Beware the Lizard Lurking’, the second book in the series, will enjoy the end result as much as she enjoyed writing it.

Social Media Links:

Website • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook

Excerpt 2: Beware the Lizard Lurking

The following passage opens Beware the Lizard Lurking.

Twelfth Night, 1513. Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey has got wind of a secret plot to marry off the daughter of the Duke of Buckingham, Henry’s VIII’s wealthiest subject and the only duke in England. This cannot be tolerated as the widowed Thomas Howard the Younger (a man of almost forty) is determined to have fifteen-year-old Lizzie Stafford for his bride, and not let her go to Ralph Neville, a boy of fourteen and her true sweetheart. Leaving behind the King’s Christmas court, the old Earl and his three sons make haste to the furthermost corner of England. Thomas picks up the tale.…

“The same evening.                        

Saint Michael’s Mount, Cornwall.

I’ve always believed in making a grand entrance. And I’ve made plenty of them in my time. On the battlefield, at court, in manor and at mass, at hearth and in harbour…in the bedchamber. Even the six chimes of the clock I can hear outside indicate wholehearted approval of our arrival. My time as a commander in battle has taught me that in order to defeat the enemy, a surprise attack is the best way to go about it. Catching someone unawares always gives you the advantage. Somewhere in the sea of faces in front of me is Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, wealthy enough to turn the King of England’s face pea-green with envy. Will he be in the mood to parley or to fight? As we reach one quarter of the length of the candlelit great hall, I make a small motion with my hand for my three sons to halt. I need time to put the almighty fear of God into my audience. Before bringing them to their knees

It gave me great satisfaction to witness the scene before me: a jumbled, sprawling tableau of utter dismay if ever I saw one. Every man, woman and child turned to stone, caught in some act or other. Not a word spoken – certainly not one of welcome. My white-faced granddaughter, Mary, still had her mouth agape, the sweet notes of her unfinished song left hanging in the air. I noted a lute that had tumbled to the floor, sliding through guilty fingers, a thin sheet of music resting atop to keep it company, like a woman shielding her lover from a jealous husband, or an archer clumsily dropping his last remaining arrow. One man had a cup of wine suspended in mid-air betwixt hand and lips, and was staring at us as if the ghosts of all his ancestors had just slipped through the door. He would discover soon enough that we were flesh and blood. More than that, we were Howards. To my left, I could hear Thomas’s breathing coming fast and heavy; no doubt he was scouring the room for his stolen prey, intent upon ensuring she hadn’t been snatched from him forever by the Neville pup. On my immediate right, next to Edmund, Edward was very still, no sound coming from him at all. I guessed the place was bringing back memories of that girl who’d once lived over at the castle in Zennor.

***

It was certainly stirring memories for me. All of a sudden, I was twenty-nine again. Newly married and in love.

Only not with my wife

I’d bedded Lizzie Tilney with the due diligence of any bridegroom who wants to put a son and heir in his cradle as soon as possible. Now it was time for pleasure. The warmth of that summer of ’72 came flooding back to me: the scent of Damask roses filling my nostrils, a pair of sapphire blue eyes fixed on me, tempting me and taunting me in equal measure, followed by full red lips teasingly joined to mine. I could almost hear the wild laughter of Matilda Pendeen (or de Lacey, as she’d been when I first met her, the name I gave her ever after). I could certainly hear her outrageous taunts, encouraging me to behave with reckless abandon, knowing full well she was a woman who now belonged to another. “Little temptress”, I’d breathed when I pressed her up hard against a stone wall and lifted her velvet skirts to seek what she so willingly offered.

“Little witch, you mean”, she replied, one delicate eyebrow raised in mockery as she ran her fingers through my hair. I had no doubt she came from a long line of beautiful witches, with the ability to rob a man of his very soul if they so wished.

How could any woman ever compare to her? It was akin to arguing that a cheap red wine burning your throat and producing a coughing fit, was equal to one of the King’s finest Malmsey wines, shipped all the way from the Kingdom of Candia. She and I had certainly visited this place where I was now standing: a few lost August days when all the monks were absent – save a half-blind old brother, almost too frail to leave his chamber, let alone the Mount. I’d offered my services, assuring the Archpriest at the time that I’d willingly care for both the failing monk and the Mount in his absence. It was not such a bad idea. Only a year later, the Yorkist king, Edward, had to send an army to defeat John de Vere, the Lancastrian Earl of Oxford, who’d captured the Mount.

“I’ll take a few good men with me,” I told the Archpriest.

But, of course, I only took one person.

Matilda.

 

Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 9 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

WELCOME TO DAY 9 OF THE #RWISA “REVOLUTION” BLOG TOUR! #RRBC @NONNIEJULES @RRBC_ORG @RRBC_RWISA @TWEETS4RWISA #RWISAREVOLUTIONTOUR

Welcome to Day 9 and the conclusion of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  We’d like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member, Author, Nonnie Jules, who is also the Founder of RRBC & RWISA.  Take a peek at her writing below…

A LIFE ISN’T WORTH LIVING IF NOT IN SERVICE TO OTHERS

I’d like to begin by thanking two of my fellow RWISA Authors who were also on this tour, Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko and Linnea Tanner, who both had the courage to write about, or reference the ills of our world, that many would like to keep deeply hidden.  I speak of hatred and systemic racism.  Again, thank you both for your courage to write with such substance and I hope that it is still resonating with all who read both of your pieces.  I am honored that your words are a continual ring in my ears.

The theme of this year’s REVOLUTION tour is A NEW YEAR – A FRESH START, and with that theme in mind, I’d like to share my thoughts on what a fresh start in this new year looks like for, and, to me.

My quote above, “A life isn’t worth living if not in service to others,” is what gives my life meaning and purpose.  RRBC and RWISA came to be because I didn’t see enough service being spread around the web when I came aboard.  I noticed a ton of selfish behavior, “me, me, and more me” attitudes, and a strong indifference to lending a hand to help the next person climbing after you, also reach the top.  I felt myself drowning in an ocean of “gimme,” and surrounded by a nation of takers.  In my mind, I had to do something.

With the inception of RRBC, the rules of the land were (and still are) that members support members.  Some came aboard and quickly embraced the concept, either because it was inherently part of their makeup, or because they realized it was the fastest route to gaining support for their own agendas.

And then, there were the others – the takers and the ones from the land of “gimme.”  They came aboard in droves – taking all that they could, and once they realized we were on to them, they quickly abandoned their squatter positions.  By the way, we do so appreciate their exits as they made room for the uber-supportive members I’ll reference below.

The members on our roster who are constantly being profiled, promoted, pushed, and honored, are the members who show, by their actions, that they are living in service to others.  They don’t make excuses, they make a way.  They don’t see a tweet and merely re-tweet it, they click the link first to see how they can support their fellow members even more and even better.  They don’t re-tweet only tweets with their Twitter handle included.  They don’t show up only when they are the ones being profiled, interviewed or whose book is being discussed. And their social media feeds?  Well, they are clogged with promotion of others! 

Their support doesn’t stop there.  These members consistently show up to support in a myriad of ways, including the following…

following along member blog tours, leaving comments and sharing the posts on social mediahosting fellow members on their blog tours, such as our “SPOTLIGHT” Authorssitting in the audience of member interviews on our RAVE WAVES shows,showing up to our book club discussions to support BOOK OF THE MONTH Authorspurchasing, reading and reviewing fellow member books from the RRBC & RWISA catalogssharing members’  RRBC AUTHOR PAGES  and RWISA  PROFILE PAGES  to social mediasharing members’ books directly from Amazon, along with the purchase links and book coversvisiting members’ book trailers on YouTube, leaving comments and sharing to social mediafollowing members’ blogs and websites and ensuring that they are active in these blogging communitiesand even showing up to participate in club activities, to ensure that our organizations remain fluid and not stagnant and boring.

These are but a few ways that the supportive and active members of RRBC/RWISA ensure that they are exhibiting a life of service to others, especially on social media.  We are not an organization interested in supporting those who don’t support others.  If you show me that I’m not that important to you, then why would I go out of my way to place you on my special pedestal of support?  If you’re not purchasing, reading and reviewing member books here, then guess what, you will never find yourself in the BOOK OF THE MONTH hot seat.  Why would we tell others to run out and support you, when you don’t bother to show up to support them?  And by the way, showing up is more than just sending out tweets and re-tweets.  It takes so much more than that to create success.

2020 was a hard year for all of us, but 2021 rolled right in, giving us a clean slate to write new, more positive chapters in our life stories.  Lucky for us all, this new year opened the door wide for us to make positive changes.

So, today, I ask you, what kind of life are you living?  When we drop by to support you and we peruse your Twitter feed, will we see that you are in love with you, OR, will we smile when we see how hard you’re pushing someone else?   When we look out into the gallery of our RAVE WAVES shows and our monthly book club discussions, will we see your pretty smiley face, OR, will we see only the beautiful faces of those who typically show up with their amazing support?  Will you be counted among the many (who do nothing to support others) OR, will you be proudly counted among the few (who do more than their share to push others to the top?)  Where will you stand when the roll is counted?  With the givers or the takers?

Yes, it’s a new year, and also the most perfect opportunity for a fresh start!  If you have been straddling the fence, finding it hard to get down, take that leap of faith and jump right in … somewhere … anywhere you can make a positive difference in the life of someone else.  When you support others, you are supported ten-fold within RRBC/RWISA.

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution on December 31, 2020?  I didn’t.  I made an Intention, and that is, I intend to continue sharing and educating as many as I can on the importance of living a life of service.  Less selfishness and more selflessness will continue to be my mission’s slogan. 

I’ll ask once more, which road will you take?

Did you enjoy Nonnie’s writing?  Then please, help us support her and her work along this REVOLUTION tour! We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of her profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.

Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.

RWISA Profile

What Nonnie has to say about RWISA…

Check out Nonnie’s book…

OPEN, SHUT

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!

Welcome to Day 8 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @KarensStories @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

WELCOME TO DAY 8 OF THE #RWISA “REVOLUTION” BLOG TOUR! #RRBC @KARENSSTORIES @RRBC_ORG @RRBC_RWISA @TWEETS4RWISA #RWISAREVOLUTIONTOUR

 

Welcome to Day 8 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  We’d like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member and the 2nd graduate of RWISA University, Author, Karen Black.  Take a peek at her writing below…

THOUGHTS ON TWO THOUSAND TWENTY

Who could have imagined the changes that last year brought to us all? Like so many, I’ve read more than one book that told a tale of life during a pandemic. Scary stuff to be sure, I never expected that fiction would describe so much of that which became reality.

New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday celebration; the end of a chapter and the start of the next one. It is the time to get over mistakes, mishaps, or misfortune that might have littered the past year, and plan for a positive future, with fresh energy and new goals. On December 31, 2020, I looked forward to putting the past year behind.

Like the dealer in a poker game, the universe has a deck of cards. Life deals us each a set of circumstances different from those of everyone else. Some of us are happy with what we face, and some of us aren’t. In 2020, we were all in the game, but against the odds, everyone got cards from the same suit, the pandemic. No one was happy about those cards, but we didn’t fold. Each of us is playing the hand to the best of our ability, with all of us pursuing a different goal on the road to individual victory.

As the new year got underway, and life as we knew it became more difficult, I thought about what two generations before me endured just to get through day-to-day living. From 1914 through 1919, World War I was being fought. As if the war wasn’t enough, the Spanish Flu arrived in 1918, and added to the misery. Back then, the recommendations were much the same as today: wear a mask, avoid crowds, stay home if you exhibit any symptoms, don’t get close to others, adhere to quarantines, etc.

Can you imagine going through the past year with limited medical treatment available, and without takeout, home delivery, curbside service, internet access and twenty-four-hour video entertainment? I can’t. Last year was difficult, but the conditions in 1918 were devastating.

The quarantines and shutdowns affected each of us differently, and we are all aware of the myriad of negative effects. But some good things have resulted, too. Hiking, bird watching, fishing or feeding ducks and squirrels are a few pastimes that took the place of a social network that was substantially diminished. Away from the office and into the outdoors, people found a new appreciation for parks and game lands and the overall benefits of being closer to nature.

With people spending more time at home, often alone, the pet adoption rate has risen. Many are experiencing the companionship of a furry buddy for the first time. They not only discovered the delight of a four-legged roommate, but provided homes for thousands of animals who might otherwise have died.

For some, socializing has been limited to those living in the same household, which means there is more interaction among family members. Rather than telling each other how you spent the day, you spend the day doing something together. Relationships are being rediscovered and people are getting to know each other a little differently.

What scientists learned about COVID and ways to protect against it will help in future research against a variety of diseases that find their way into our lives. Vaccines are becoming available, and before long will be easily accessible. The pandemic will pass, but I will remember that there was some good with the bad.

 Looking forward to the new year, my goal is to dwell on the positive. I’ll keep looking for silver linings, even those that might be a bit tarnished. In the game of life, I think that’s all I’ll need for a winning hand.

***

Did you enjoy Karen’s writing?  Then please, help us support her and her work along this REVOLUTION tour! We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of her profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.

Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.

RWISA Profile

What Karen has to say about RWISA…

Check out Karen’s book…

“TREACHEROUS LOVE”

***

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!

Welcome to Day 7 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @pat_garcia @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

WELCOME TO DAY 7 OF THE #RWISA “REVOLUTION” BLOG TOUR! #RRBC @PAT_GARCIA @RRBC_ORG @RRBC_RWISA @TWEETS4RWISA #RWISAREVOLUTIONTOUR

 

Welcome to Day 7 of the RWISA“REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  We’d like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member, Author, Pat Garcia.  Take a peek at her writing below…

THE GOAL, THE PURPOSE, THE  CONTRIBUTION, AND COVID19

Among the books that I have placed in collection boxes on my iPad, Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes is sitting in my favorite collection box. I read it for the first time in the print version of my first year at University.  It impacted my belief system, turned my way of thinking upside down, and challenged me to get my act together and do what I had been called to do.

Later, the song To Dream The Impossible Dream that is so widely well-known from the musical Man of La Mancha, based on the Don Quixote, had me believing that I could take my experiences and reach what I saw them as the impossible star after I had failed at that particular moment in my studies and had been put on academic suspension for a year after my sophomore year.

During the year of my expulsion, Don Quixote worked on my imagination. I saw windmills in the form of words pouring into stories even though I had entered the dark night of the soul––the unknowing of not knowing where I was headed.  I got a job working for Gracewood State School and Hospital for the mentally and physically disabled. The children at Gracewood awoke that lively, precocious, impish, and headstrong child I had buried deep within me. Today, that child in me is still living. A year later, after my academic suspension, I returned to the University and completed my first college degree with honors.

My father asked me, after I had graduated, what took me so long? I never answered him because I didn’t know then, and I still don’t know.

I thought of this incident when RWISA extended to me an invitation to become a fellow member among such an elite group of writers.

My goal has always been to be the very best writer that I can be. To write all the books, I am carrying within me and leave behind a legacy for others brought up in environments like mine. To give them the courage to step out there and try to reach his or her impossible dream.

This is a long-term goal. It ends when I die. My purpose will be fulfilled, and the legacy must stand on its own. The plan I have keeps me faithful to myself. It can’t be broken down into one year, five years, or even ten years. It is active until I expire.

The long-term goal influences my daily interactions with people. Having been blessed to write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and sing, I can help others. I’m not looking to get rich, but I want to be able to help children and women in war-torn regions. I wish I could sponsor them all, but that is probably unrealistic. So, I do what I can and support as many as I can. The sponsorships will grow as I grow.

As COVID19 started last year, the organization that I sponsor through expected me to stop the donations until COVID19 has passed over. I didn’t think that was the best solution and continued my sponsoring.  Each month I get a kick out of knowing that I am making a difference even though it is small.

Another important thing for me is getting people to open their eyes to see what is real and not accurate. Especially in these times, we need to recognize in our hearts that the world is not black and white. It is multi-colored, and it was created that way. This is the generator behind my purpose. I write Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Women’s Fiction with a tad bit of fantasy. My characters are flawed, hurt, sometimes disillusioned, but they always find the connection to love and acceptance. They learn to cope with their idiosyncrasies and the idiosyncrasies of others without trying to change people.

Through COVID19, my characters are teaching me lessons that I am storing up for new books.

My two friends from my allegory, The Child and The Prophet, will tell you in their own words below.

The Child lay on the lily pad singing a song as the ocean waves quietly moved her further on her destination. She’d forgotten how long she had been trying to get to the white house where her car was park.

“Prophet?” she called out to the figure that had suddenly reappeared again. He was preparing her a delicious seaweed lunch.

“Yes, Child?”

“How long now?”

The Prophet glanced up at the sky.  Dark, blue, the cumulus clouds were moving quickly above them. “Why do you want to know that, Child? Any particular reason?”

The Child’ frowned. “I just think it’s taking a mighty long time.”

The Prophet snorted. “Don’t worry, Child, you’ll make it. That’s undoubtable.”

“Prophet?”

“Yes, Child.”

“What does undoubtable mean?”

“That’s something you’ll find out later.”

RWISA Profile

What Pat has to say about RWISA…

Check out Pat’s book…

TURN THE LIGHT ON

***

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!

Welcome to Day 6 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @JanSikes3 @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

WELCOME TO DAY 6 OF THE #RWISA “REVOLUTION” BLOG TOUR! #RRBC @JANSIKES3 @RRBC_ORG @RRBC_RWISA @TWEETS4RWISA #RWISAREVOLUTIONTOUR

 

Welcome to Day 6 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  We’d like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member, Author, Jan Sikes, who is also RWISA Vice-President.  Take a peek at her writing below…

HOW BLOGGING KEEPS ME SANE

As with each new year that rolls around, I view it as an opportunity to start with a fresh perspective and clean slate.

When I looked back on my goals for 2020, I found with some sense of satisfaction, I had accomplished almost all of them, despite the pandemic.

Some goals remain the same from year to year, such as clean eating, exercising, practicing meditation, being kind, and gentle with myself and others. I classify those as my permanent or ongoing goals. They never change.

Setting expanded goals for 2021 was quite different. COVID19 has affected us all. Not only in the way we socialize, but also in every other aspect of life, from how we shop to the way we promote our books.

The necessity for self-preservation has catapulted us into a virtual world. We order groceries online and have curbside pickup. We now visit with family via Zoom calls, and so much for getting out and attending book festivals to promote our books. That simply isn’t going to happen.

So, when I took an elemental look at how to market my books in 2021, I realized I needed to harness social media’s power. 

The most powerful tool I have for marketing my work is, hands-down, my blog. I am fortunate to have built a substantial following over the years, which works to my advantage now.

I want to share with you some of the nuts and bolts of this fabulous tool, as well as some of the things I’ve learned about the art of blogging. Hopefully, you will benefit from them as well.

One of the greatest joys in my life is promoting and uplifting others. Because of this, I am always happy to offer my blog platform to support others, whether they be authors or indie music artists. And each time I spotlight a new author or artist, I gain a handful of organic followers. It’s a beautiful equation that works every time. It is the classic win-win for everyone.

The first and perhaps most important aspect of a blog is the title you create. There are many reasons for this, but mainly it is because the title needs to be eye-catching. If it isn’t, many potential readers may scroll on by and never take a peek. I know this from experience. I subscribe to a lot of blogs, so my email inbox is flooded each day. The blog titles are how I decide which ones I will pass on or read.

Some of the best practices in naming your blog post are asking a question, offering a solution, a list of solutions, or just making it fun and quirky. One recent post I wrote for a blog tour was entitled “The 3 P’s of Writing.”

That title makes you wonder what the P’s could be. I had a lot of success with that post. Fun and quirky will get me every time. You can also offer a promise of something in your title, such as a “How To” or a giveaway.

Another super important thing to add to a title is your guest’s Twitter handle (when you feature a guest). Why? Because each time that blog is shared on Twitter, it will tag them. It serves as a timesaver, and keeps the guest in your loop. I have found adding that one simple piece to a blog title gets it shared at least fifty percent more than a title without a tag.

Hashtags are another great way to get more shares. For instance, when I post a blog advertising a new book release, I will add #NewRelease to the title, which increases exposure in the feed.  

Whatever your subject is, try adding a few hashtags to increase visibility.

Another super important detail, as a member of the Rave Reviews Book Club and The Rave Writers – Int’l Society of Authors, includes adding those handles and hashtags to the blog title when the content is relevant to the organizations. Again, it is proven to increase visibility and sharing.

Blog content can be about anything. I have found my niche, and although it is broad, it works for me. I blog about every aspect of the craft of writing, books I’ve read, feature guests, new music from indie artists, and all things spiritual, from meditations and Tarot cards to Runes. Those define me and my interests.

It’s good to brand yourself. Make a statement as to what you are about through your blog posts.

Once you publish a blog post, I cannot stress enough the importance of engaging. When someone takes the time to comment on your blog, please respond. Just as it is rude to ignore someone who is speaking to you in a physical setting, it is rude to ignore blog comments.

When I host a guest, I emphasize the importance of engaging and responding to comments. If my followers and I are taking the time and effort to promote you and your work, the least you can do is engage and respond. Most authors are outstanding in this area. Music artists, not so much. No matter how many times I say the words, “You need to engage,” they don’t seem to get it. I think the biggest reason is the fact that many music artists hate computers and don’t have a lot of tech savvy outside the recording studio. Nevertheless, they miss out on potential new music followers when they don’t bother to stop by.

These are a few of the basics; things I’ve learned through my experience of blogging.

Facing an ever-growing reliance on a virtual world in the days, weeks, and possibly years ahead, by fully utilizing my blog site, I will continue to grow and flourish despite COVID19.

My blog is the compass, my North Star, which helps me navigate the turbulent waters of the world in which we live.

See you there!

http://www.jansikesblog.com

RWISA Profile

What Jan has to say about RWISA…

Check out Jan’s book…

“GHOSTLY INTERFERENCE”

***

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!

Len Maynard A Dangerous Life Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #HistoricalFiction #Crime #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @len_maynard @maryanneyarde

Featured Author: Len Maynard

It’s my pleasure to feature Len Maynard as part of The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held from February 8th — April 12th 2021. Len Maynard is the author of the historical crime fiction novel, A Dangerous Life (The DCI Jack Callum Mysteries, Book 2), which was released by Sharpe Books on July 28th 2020 (287 pages).

Below are highlights of A Dangerous Life, Ken Maynard’s author biography, and an excerpt from his book.

Highlights: A Dangerous Life

A Dangerous Life

The DCI Jack Callum Mysteries, Book 2

by Len Maynard

1959

A body of a man wearing theatrical make up is found hanging from a tree on Norton Common in Hertfordshire. He has been tortured and his throat has been cut.

DCI Jack Callum, a veteran policeman with his own rules for procedure, heads the investigation into this puzzling crime. The clues lead him close to the answer, but the solution remains elusive. 

Why was the man killed?  What were the victim’s links to London’s gangland bosses?

When an unsolved murder is uncovered that appears to be connected to the case, Jack realises he must use his team to their full strength to separate the innocent from the guilty.

Jack also faces a challenge he never expected as he is accused of an improper relationship with a young Detective Constable on his team, Myra Banks.

In a breathless climax, Myra puts her own life on the line to deal with a figure from Jack’s past, who has now become a lethal threat in the present.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK • Amazon US

Author Bio: Len Maynard

 

Born in Enfield, North London in 1953, Len Maynard has written and published over forty books, the majority of them in collaboration with Michael Sims. Ghost story collections, the Department 18 series of supernatural thrillers, stand-alone horror novels, the Bahamas series of action-adventure thrillers, as well as a handful of stand-alone thrillers. As editors, they were responsible for the Enigmatic Tales and Darkness Rising series of anthologies, as well as single anthologies in the horror and crime genres. The DCI Jack Callum Mysteries are his first to be written under his own name.

Connect with Len:

Website •  Website “The DCI Jack Callum Mysteries” • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook

Excerpt:

A Dangerous Life: The Second Jack Callum Mystery Excerpt No 3 – Len Maynard

WEDNESDAY MARCH 18TH 1959

“What do you mean, she won’t identify the body?” Chief Superintendent Henry Lane said as he paced back and forth in his office.

“Just that,” Jack said. “She can’t leave the house.”

“Well, that just won’t do. We need a formal identification.”

“She’ll get her doctor to write a letter of excuse if we put any pressure on her.”

“Excusing her for carrying out her public duty?” Lane said, a vein in his temple bulging ominously as his temper rose. “Never mind her duty as a wife.”

“She’s agoraphobic, sir,” Jack explained patiently. “She suffers from extreme panic attacks if she goes out into the open. Her doctor will confirm that, or so she says. WPC Banks is going to verify that on her way in this morning.”

“Never heard such rubbish,” Lane muttered and stopped pacing. “Well, what are you going to do about it, Chief Inspector?”

“His parents live in Shillington. I’m going to pay them a visit and see if they’ll oblige.”

“Yes, do that, and then we can move this investigation onto a more formal footing.” Lane sat down at his desk and picked up a pen that was lying on the blotter in front of him. He tapped it against his teeth and put it down again. “Nailed to a tree and tortured. What a way to go,” he mused quietly. “Do you think the wife had anything to do with it?”

“I’m not sure,” Jack said. “WPC Banks suggested the same thing.”

“Bright girl that one. Anything else?”

“Mrs Turner gave me a list of people who might wish her husband harm.” Jack took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and laid it on the desk under the chief superintendent’s nose. Lane glanced at it and then snatched it up and studied it more closely.

“I’ve heard of some of the names on here,” he said sounding appalled.

“There’s a couple I recognise too.”

“Our Mr. Turner could give Mussolini a run for his money in the popularity stakes. Are you going to talk to all of these people?”

“I’m certainly going to try.”

“Well, speak to the parents first. See if they can shed any light.”

Jack walked to the door. “I’ll get over to Shillington.”

He drove through the picturesque village of Shillington, tucked just inside the Bedfordshire border. He’d been here some years before when he was looking to make the move from Tottenham in London but had dismissed it as being too rural, too much of a departure from his urban roots.

The Turners lived in a bungalow situated at the blunt end of a cul-de-sac. The surrounding houses looked well appointed, with neatly cut lawns, tidy flowerbeds and clusters of trimmed conifers.

He walked up the gravel path and rang the doorbell, sheltering under the tiled porch from a thin drizzle that had started to fall from a leaden March sky. A tall man with short iron-grey hair and a military bearing opened the door almost immediately. His eyes narrowed as he peered at Jack’s warrant card. “You took your time,” he said bluntly. “After the Harpy’s call I was expecting you last night.”

“The Harpy?”

“The Franklin woman.”

“Your daughter-in-law?”

“Our daughter-in-law was Polly…the lovely Polly.” His voice caught in his throat. “But she was like a real daughter to us in so many ways. The Harpy took her place. She usurped her, damn the woman!”

“I gather that you two don’t get on. So why did she telephone you to say that I wanted to see you?”

“My wife took the call. I hardly ever see the Franklin woman, thank God.” He extended a hand. “Laurence Turner,” he said, stepping to one side. “You’d better come in.”

He led Jack inside the bungalow. It was modestly furnished with a three-piece-suite that was probably new just after the First World War, and had seen its own share of battles since then.

“I was hoping to speak to both your wife and yourself,” Jack said.

“Jean won’t see you. As I said, she took the ’phone call from the Harpy and after that she took to her bed, unable to face the fact that her son, her beloved Anthony, was dead. If she sees you it will make her face the reality of the situation and she’s not strong enough for that…not yet anyway.”

“Your daughter-in…Lois…told her the reason I wanted to see you?”

“You want me to stare at a body on a slab and confirm that it’s my son,” Turner said bluntly. “Yes. She told her, and no doubt derived a lot of pleasure in doing so.”

“They’ve taken him to North Herts Hospital. The mortuary there is…well, the staff…know how to handle these things sensitively.”

Turner flopped down on one of the armchairs and buried his face in his hands. When he took them away from his face Jack was expecting to see tears moistening the old man’s cheeks, but the cheeks were dry and the old man’s eyes had lost none of their disdain.

“Don’t expect me to grieve, Chief Inspector,” Turner said when he noticed Jack’s interest. “I’ll shed no tears for that one.”

“But he was your son, and the manner of his death was…”

“He was my son,” Turner interrupted, “but he was also an unmitigated shit, and I don’t care who knows it. He broke his mother’s heart, never visiting her from one year to the next. And as for poor Polly… That girl deserved so much more out of life. When she fell ill and needed her husband at her side she got nothing. While she lay dying my son was off, having it away with that American whore.”

There was sheer venom in his voice.

“We have a granddaughter, you know, who we haven’t seen since her mother passed away. Can you imagine how much that hurts us?” Turner said, his eyes tearful for the first time.

“I can imagine, sir,” Jack said gently.

“Can we go to the hospital now and get this over with?” Turner said, gathering himself.

“I can drive you there.”

“Let me go up and see my wife, to tell her I’m going to be out for a while. North Herts Hospital you say?”

Jack nodded.

“Bloody inconvenient,” Laurence Turner said sourly.

As they crossed the border back into Hertfordshire, Jack said, “Lois wrote me a list of names of the people who might have wanted to harm your son.”

“Did she? May I see it?” Turner said unemotionally.

Jack took a folded sheet of paper from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to him. For a short while there was no sound in the car apart from the steady swish of the windscreen wipers, the thrum of the Wolseley’s engine and Turner’s slightly stentorian breathing.

“It’s quite a short list,” Turner said at last. “I can think of at least three more names, not including my own.”

“Your son was really that unpopular?”

“It’s hard to credit isn’t it? Tony Turner, star of stage and screen. Loved by the masses, loathed by those who really knew him.”

Jack fished in his pocket again, produced a pen and handed it to Turner. “Just add the names to the bottom of the list, if you wouldn’t mind. Don’t bother to add your own.”

“As you wish,” the old man said.

Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 5 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @LinneaTanner @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

 

Welcome to Day 5 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  We’d like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member, Author, Linnea Tanner.  Take a peek at her writing below…

DANCE OF SOULS

Universal souls dance together

One takes the lead as another follows

Lifting our hands in unison, we twirl into a cloud

Floating high, the sun warming our faces

Yet we can fall as rain, our souls in free fall

 

Souls metamorphose into fluttering butterflies

Wrens chasing us, snapping their beaks to devour us

We abruptly shift flight and transmute into foxes

Leaping and snatching songbirds into our jaws

Our souls melding, singing, and clapping in rhythmic dance

 

Memories twist our fibers into rope

Past voices connect to the depths of our essence

Summoning ancestral souls, we embrace their power

Mortal and divine moving together toward light’s truth

Past, present, future merging as one in the dance of souls

 

One would think that authors had more opportunities to write in 2020 with social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Creative processes would enhance in cocoons of isolation. Instead, I struggled as an author to finish my fourth book in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. At times, the significance of events in 2020 overwhelmed me. I found myself grieving the loss of my lifestyle and the ability to interact closely with family and friends. Yet, the unsettling period made me reconsider the theme of my book and replot several scenes. Some would call this a writer’s block. I considered this a sign that the story needed to be transformed into a tale that resonates with readers.

Last year was a time of reflection for me as contrasting forces in juxtapose sometimes maintained balance in our chaotic world. As everything locked down at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, air quality improved globally. With the threat of global warming from carbon emissions, oil demand fell rapidly in 2020 as governments closed businesses and restricted travel due to the pandemic. Automakers, foreseeing a more profitable future, began to develop electric cars in earnest. The revolution of new technology and vaccines provided hope that humans could reverse the ill effects of climate change and virulent disease.

As white supremacy groups inflamed fear and hate through their rhetoric, anger over racial inequities ignited widespread protests demanding change. As an invisible virus took control over our lifestyle, corrupt politicians grasped for the illusion of power. But still, when people learned they had voted in a unifying leader to replace a divisive president, a dance of joy erupted on the streets.

In essence, Charles Dickens summed up the year 2020: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

What resonated most with me last year are universal truths in past civilizations are similar to modern-day times. Disease, warfare, and accidents wantonly take the lives of rich and poor, young and old, and male and female. Without the ability to control what happens in their lives, people often turn to superstition and conspiracy theories to explain what they can’t understand. In the Roman Empire, slaves were treated as property and abused without rights, similar to what the United States experienced before the Civil War. Lust for power corrupts absolutely. Yet, power is nothing but an illusion that one surrenders to another.

As I reflected on the unsettling events in 2020, it became clear to me that I needed to transform my work in progress in the series to capture the theme that opposing forces often provide insight into what we must do to achieve our dreams. Only in the depths of our darkness can we see the light and view the world with a new lens—a revolution that explores new possibilities.

I’m inspired to explore new forms of writing and balance my life by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So that I have the vitality to create, one of my goals is to adjust my diet and exercise three to five days per week. I want to stay connected with family, friends, authors, and the community through phone calls, e-mails, and Zoom for my emotional well-being. Hopefully, by the end of summer, I’ll be able to participate in live events where I can chat face-to-face with readers and other authors. I’ll continue to expand my knowledge by reading various books, researching topics that support my writing, and traveling to locations in my books (stretch goal, whenever it is safe to do so).

My primary goal as an author is to release my latest project at the end of 2021, hoping that the story will resonate with readers. The characters will experience a gamut of emotions of love and hate, compassion and retribution, and corruption and virtue. They must decide from a range of possibilities on how they will move toward their destinies. One of the subplots, based on the impact that Black Lives Matter had on me, is that a warrior grieving the loss of his murdered wife finds redemption and love by aiding a female slave to escape her brutal predicament. Another goal is to draft a novella that will be a prequel to the first book in the series.

I want to transcend my writing into other realms and become more focused. One of the beneficial aspects of being in a writer’s support group such as RWISA is that other authors inspire and support each other. As a result, I would like to explore the possibility of composing poetry, short stories, novellas, different genres, and nonfiction. As a member of RWISA, I wrote my first short story in 2020 but plan to write more in 2021. Most of all, I’d like to expand my support for other authors by hosting blog tours and reviewing their books. We all succeed as authors when we support each other in a dance of souls.

***

Did you enjoy Linnea’s writing?  Then please, help us support her and her work along this REVOLUTION tour! We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of her profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.

Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.

RWISA Profile

What Linnea has to say about RWISA…

Check out Linnea’s book…

“APOLLO’S RAVEN”

***

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!

Welcome to Day 4 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @WendyJayneScott @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

 

Welcome to Day 4 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  We’d like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member, Author, Wendy Jayne Scott, who is also RWISA President.  Take a peek at her writing below…

HAPPY DANCE

In March 2020, with only a few days warning, alongside the rest of New Zealand, I was plunged into total lockdown. Saying this was a surreal experience is an understatement. As none of us knew how long this altered state would last, what this meant for our jobs, or the financial or health repercussions. We’d become entangled into the twilight zone of Covid-19. UNPRECEDENTED, screamed from the headlines alongside worldwide body counts and estimated infection rates. No compass existed to guide us out of the pandemic fog shrouding our futures. We were confined to our specified people bubbles.

Teddy Bears sprouted up window ledges and letter boxes, a sign of hope and solidarity, signalling to passers-by that even though 2 meter distances and masks now ruled our physical world, we were together in our hearts. I remember gathering, with my son, at the end of our driveway, in the predawn, to pay homage to our fallen ANZAC soldiers. Dawn parades were cancelled for the first time in 104 years. The haunting bugle tone of ‘The Last Post’ filtered from an unseen neighbour’s gateway and shivers resonated along my spine.

During lockdown, I had a choice of how I would respond to my altered reality. Black voids of despair, conspiracy theories, and fake news plied for my sanity. Yet, sunlight glistened on the tall summer grasses in my yard, my son’s laughter trickled on the breeze, and my dogs’ tails wagged like helicopter rotors, ecstatic to have their human pals home 24/7. So, I chose to focus on becoming a healthier and happier version of me, and a positive role-model for my son.

Fast forward to February 2021, New Zealand is no longer in lockdown, but our borders are heavily restricted, and the new media buzz words are QUARANTINE and VACCINE. Uncertainty looms like a bloated storm cloud. Fears of further job losses and financial ruin taint our summer days. Staying positive is harder to maintain under this sustained assault of negative news.

Changes are happening. Although, I fight against the dismantling of my comfortable world, my will alone doesn’t curb the tidal jetsam from Covid-19, so I must adapt to this foreign landscape.

Since lockdown, I’ve embraced personal development, focusing inward, aware that I may not be in a position to influence external circumstances, but I can take responsibility for myself. Being positive is easy when life is rosy, yet it is how I react when life is battering away at my defences that define me as a person.

Here are my top tips for positivity:

Express your gratitude every day for what you do haveShow and tell your loved ones how much you care for them and hug them (if you can)Use your creativity!!!! Keep feeding your creative addictionsResonate with nature by strolling on the beach, sniff garden flowers, or listen to birdsongSmile more, at everyone, this is the right kind of contagious! If a mask hides your mouth, then smile through your eyes!Be kind, laugh, and dance – play music that lifts your spirit

So, smile, and join me in singing and dancing into the light.

***

Did you enjoy Wendy’s writing?  Then please, help us support her and her work along this REVOLUTION tour! We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of her profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.

Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.

RWISA Profile

What Wendy has to say about RWISA…

Check out Wendy’s book…

“FEEDERS”

***

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!