Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 103
May 31, 2021
And The Winner Is….
For the 2021 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest – You’ll have to wait and see
Where Spirits Linger
One of my biggest pet peeves is being fully immersed in a short story, only to have it end abruptly, like a slap in the face, leaving me scratching my head and saying, “Is that it?”. I am sure you know what I mean if you’re an avid reader, as most authors are. I think this is a problem found mostly in short fiction. Maybe the author cuts it short in order to meet a word count limit, or maybe they just aren’t sure how to wrap things up, so they jump right to ‘THE END’. No matter what the reason, the result is disappointment on the part of the reader, so it is worth the extra effort on the authors’ part, to take the time and effort to come up with the perfect ending for every story they write.
That’s why I’m postponing announcing the winner of the WordCrafter 2021 Short Fiction Contest, which I had planned to do before the end of May. I only had three entries for the contest this year. Each entry offered an excellent paranormal tale meeting the submission guidelines, but at the end of each one I found myself feeling disappointed, as if there should have been more to the story.
So, I’ve requested each author to revisit their endings and resubmit their stories before I make a decision on the winner. I’ve already received one story back with revisions and I’m waiting on the other two. When all three revised stories have been received, I’ll decide and announce the winner. These stories were all well written and I anticipate them being even better with the author revisions, so the decision won’t be easy.
Accepting Submissions: I want your ghost stories!
However, three submissions do not an anthology make, so I’m calling out for more submissions to fill the pages of Where Spirits Linger. Doesn’t every author have a ghost story hidden away somewhere? Contest guidelines asked for a paranormal tale with place being central element in the story. These new submissions won’t be eligible for the contest, so they will no entry fee attached. If you have a story that fits the theme, send it to me at kayebooth@yahoo.com, for a chance to have it included in the WordCrafter Press 2021 anthology, Where Spirits Linger.
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For the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Contest – That one I can tell you.
Poetry Treasures Book Blog TourFor the Poetry Treasures Book Blog Tour, which ran May 24 – 30, we did a giveaway and three readers who followed the tour and commented will receive a free digital copy (.mobi, .epub, or .pdf) of Poetry Treasures! The three lucky winners are: Jules, Jill Weatherbolt, and Priscilla Bettis. If you are a winner, please contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com and tell me which format you prefer to receive your copy. (If you have already purchased a copy of Poetry Treasures, you may choose another WordCrafter Press book instead.)
Poetry Treasures had a great seven day tour with a guest post about the poetic inspiration behind a poem by a different contributing poet at each bIog stop. The anthology and the tour were amazing collaborative efforts among nine poet/authors and myself to create a unique and moving collection of poetry. Also many thanks to Miriam Hurdle, Ritu Bhathal and Teagan Geneviene for hosting tour stops to support the poets and the tour. Without their participation, this tour would not have been possible.
If you missed this wonderful tour or maybe only missed a few of the stops, you can visit them at the links below:
Day 1 – Writing to be Read – Guest post by Jude Kirya Italaki
https://writingtoberead.com/2021/05/24/welcome-to-the-wordcrafters-poetry-treasures-book-blog-tour/
Day 2 – Robbie’s Inspiration – Guest post by Victoria Zigler
Day 3 – But I smile anyway – Guest post by Goeff Le Pard
https://butismileanyway.com/2021/05/26/poetry-treasures-blogtour-featuring-geofflepard-bakeandwrite/
Day 4 – Teagan’s Books – Guest post by Frank Prem, plus a review by Teagan Genevienne
Day 5 – Zigler’s News – Guest post by Kevin Morris, plus a review by Victoria Zigler
http://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2021/05/day-5-of-wordcrafter-poetry-treasures.html
Day 6 – Roberta Writes – Guest post by Annette Rochelle Aben
Day 7 – The Showers of Blessings – Guest post by Colleen M. Chesebro
https://theshowersofblessings.com/2021/05/29/poetry-treasure-blog-tour-featuring-colleen-chesebro/
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May 30, 2021
Poetry Treasure Blog Tour – Featuring Colleen Chesebro
To wrap up the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Tour, we are over at Miriam Hurdle’s delightful blog site, “Showers of Blessings”, with a guest post by contributing author, Colleen M. Chesebro. This is the last opportunity to celebrate the send off of this unique poetry anthology and the contributing poets, and get in on the giveaway for a chance to win a free digital copy of “Poetry Treasures”. Join us there!
It’s my pleasure to feature Poetry Treasure on my blog today. Poetry Treasures is an anthology of poems by a number of talented poets. During the blog tour, each of the poets is introduced.
The editors of Poetry Treasure have a treat for you:
Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for a chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures to be given away. (Winners will be randomly selected following the end of the tour.)
Blurb
A collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read in 2020. Open the book and discover the poetry treasures of Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria (Tori) Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kitya Itakali, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Purchase Links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Treasures-Sue-Vincent-ebook/dp/B0933KSJR9
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetry-Treasures-Sue-Vincent/dp/B093QLNGC5
Today I…
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May 29, 2021
Day 6 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures blog tour – Annette Rochelle Aben
For Day #6 of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Tour, we’re over at “Roberta Writes” with a guest post from contributing author Annette Rochelle Aben. Please join us to learn more about poetic form and get a chance to win a free copy of “Poetry Treasures”!
Today, I am delighted to welcome Annette Rochelle Aben, a wonderful poet and blogger, and a contributor to the Poetry Treasures anthology to Roberta Writes with a post about poetry.
Over to AnnetteI’mAnnetteRochelleAbenand writing has been my go-to for creative expression, emotional release, and a way to boost my GPA since I was a child. I am thrilled to be a part ofPoetry Treasures.
When I first started writing poetry, I never knew much about it, except to know that (to me) a good poem HAD to rhyme. Gee whiz, have I ever been schooled through connecting with other writers and poets here in the blogsphere. One of my favorite poetry styles is calledSYLLABIC POETRY. And one of my favorite forms of said style is theABHANGA. AnABHANGAis a 4-line poem in which the first 3 lines contain 6 syllables each and…
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May 28, 2021
Day #5 of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Tour
Poetry Treasures Book Blog TourDay #5 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Book Blog Tour finds us over at Victoria (Tori) Zigler’s pet friendly blog site, with a guest post from contributing author Kevin Morris. Join us for insight into the inspiration “I Hear the Rain”, which is featured in Poetry Treasures, and Tori’s review of this unique anthology.
http://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2021/05/day-5-of-wordcrafter-poetry-treasures.html
Day #4 of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Tour
Poetry Treasures Book Blog TourFor Day #4 of the WoerdCrafter Book Blog Tour, we’re all heading over to Teagan Geneviene’s wonderful blog site, Teagan’s Books for a guest post by contributing author, Frank Prem. I hope you will join us there.
Jeff’s Game Reviews – Resident Evil Village
Reviewed on Xbox Series X – Also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, PS4, PS5, and PC
The Resident Evil game series has been around now for twenty-five years. Most people associate it with shambling zombies, but in fact, developer Capcom more or less nixed the walking dead way back in 2005 with the release of Resident Evil 4. Ever since then, each new main-entry game has had some pretty interesting baddies to offer. That’s still the case with Resident Evil Village, which is a good thing, because without them, there might not be much there, there.
This newest RE game is actually Resident Evil 8, but you’d be forgiven for missing that fact based on the awkward way Capcom jammed roman numerals into the promotional artwork. After the genuinely frightening events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, new series protagonist Ethan Winters is forced back into the fray when his wife and daughter are kidnapped right from under his nose. Traveling to a decrepit Romanian village (which, by the way, has a MASSIVE gothic castle sitting on its northern side), Ethan must battle everything from werewolves to amorphic super-monsters in order to save his family.
The story goes to some pretty gonzo places after that, but no point spoiling it for you. The great news is that in true Resident Evil fashion, all the main boss characters steal the show in a big way. The lynchpin is a frightening matriarchal figure by the name of Mother Miranda, but she’s just the tip of the iceberg. Psychotic machine maker Heisenberg, the freakish and pitiful Moreau, Donna Beneviento and her murderous living doll.
The new fan favorite, Lady Dimitrescu, is a ten-foot tall vampire lady dressed as elegantly as any starlet from the golden age of cinema. The internet has already modded and discussed her to the nth degree, and that’s the best sort of praise a game character can receive. She lumbers through the castle, screaming your name, your only recourse to evade her at all costs. Some gamers have commented on a certain strange sex appeal when it comes to the Lady. Her burning cigarette, elegant nature, and bountiful… you know… stature. I just wanted to get the hell away from her whenever she appeared. Enough time to gawk? I don’t think so. To each their own, I suppose. Phew.
The gameplay of Resident Evil Village is more or less identical to what Capcom created from scratch for RE 7. First person perspective, lots of shooting and evasion, slowly picking your way through this or that lush location, finding rare items, solving puzzles. Actually, Village borrows a few things from the past, most notably from RE 4. Fans of that game may be happy to learn this newest entry is much more action heavy. This series has been around so long, it’s got a multitude of different flavors, and Capcom certainly knows when and how to tug at our nostalgic heart strings.
Ultimately, Village’s story is short and just a tad confusing, but that doesn’t stop it from being fun. An average gamer should expect the campaign to last eight to ten hours, which is anemic compared to most other AAA video games release these days. A multiplayer portion has been included, but it’s not all that enjoyable. Nope, for better or worse, Village is the star of the show.
Played on one of the new game consoles released late last year (Xbox Series X, Series S, or PS5), the game is a wonder to behold. Almost photorealistic at times, pretty snazzy. It still looks good on older platforms, so don’t sweat it if you can’t run out and buy the latest and greatest. Where would you run to anyway? Online retailers have been in and out of stock since November.
Regardless, this game is surprising, beautiful, and very often thrilling. It’s clear horror is still alive in 2021, and Capcom once again proves they are king of the hill. Resident Evil Village is focused on giving players a pulse-pounding experience unlike any other. That it misses the mark every now and then is no big sin.
Jeff’s Game Reviews gives Resident Evil Village an EIGHT out of TEN
Jeff Bowles is a science fiction and horror writer from the mountains of Colorado. The best of his outrageous and imaginative work can be found in God’s Body: Book One – The Fall , Godling and Other Paint Stories , Fear and Loathing in Las Cruces , and Brave New Multiverse . He has published work in magazines and anthologies like PodCastle, Tales from the Canyons of the Damned, the Threepenny Review, and Dark Moon Digest. Jeff earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing at Western State Colorado University. He currently lives in the high-altitude Pikes Peak region, where he dreams strange dreams and spends far too much time under the stars. Jeff’s new novel, Love/Madness/Demon , is available on Amazon now!
Check out Jeff Bowles Central on YouTube – Movies – Video Games – Music – So Much More!
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May 26, 2021
Dark Origins: The Sleeper, a poem by Edgar Allan Poe and my reading
Picture of Edgar Allan Poe – Picture credit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_PoeThe Sleeper, a poem by Edgar Allan Poe takes as it subject a beautiful woman in death.
At midnight in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon. An opiate vapour, dewy, dim, Exhales from out her golden rim, And, softly dripping, drop by drop, Upon the quiet mountain top. Steals drowsily and musically Into the universal valley. The rosemary nods upon the grave; The lily lolls upon the wave; Wrapping the fog about its breast, The ruin moulders into rest; Looking like Lethe, see! the lake A conscious slumber seems to take, And would not, for the world, awake. All Beauty sleeps!—and lo! where lies (Her easement open to the skies) Irene, with her Destinies!The speaker in the poem begins by describing the cemetery at midnight in the month of June. He observes the moon and notes the flowers that grow about the grave. At the end of the movement, he introduces the beautiful woman whom has died and whose grave is being prepared ready for her internment.
Oh, lady bright! can it be right— This window open to the night? The wanton airs, from the tree-top, Laughingly through the lattice drop— The bodiless airs, a wizard rout, Flit through thy chamber in and out, And wave the curtain canopy So fitfully—so fearfully— Above the closed and fringed lid ‘Neath which thy slumb’ring soul lies hid, That o’er the floor and down the wall, Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall! Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear? Why and what art thou dreaming here? Sure thou art come p’er far-off seas, A wonder to these garden trees! Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress! Strange, above all, thy length of tress, And this all solemn silentness!Irene is still lying on the bier in her room. The speaker can see her corpse through the window and watches the moving shadows on the wall and floor as the curtain of the canopy are blown about by the wind. The watcher is struck by her pallor, her strange dress, and her unusually long hair.
The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep, Which is enduring, so be deep! Heaven have her in its sacred keep! This chamber changed for one more holy, This bed for one more melancholy, I pray to God that she may lie Forever with unopened eye, While the dim sheeted ghosts go by! My love, she sleeps! Oh, may her sleep, As it is lasting, so be deep! Soft may the worms about her creep! Far in the forest, dim and old, For her may some tall vault unfold— Some vault that oft hath flung its black And winged pannels fluttering back, Triumphant, o’er the crested palls, Of her grand family funerals— Some sepulchre, remote, alone, Against whose portal she hath thrown, In childhood, many an idle stone— Some tomb from out whose sounding door She ne’er shall force an echo more, Thrilling to think, poor child of sin! It was the dead who groaned within.The speaker refers to Irene as being asleep and wishes for her sleep to be deep and for her not to be disturbed by on-going life such as children playing and throwing stones at the family sepulcher. The speaker calls Irene a “child of sin” but that holds no special significance. She is human and, therefore, is a child of sin.
Why did Poe write about women?Throughout his life, virtually every woman Poe loved and who loved him died young.
His mother died before he was three years old and he was taken into the home of John Allan, a Richmond merchant who was presumed to have been his godfather. His foster mother died when he was in his late teens.
In 1835, when he was 27 years old, Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, who was only 13. In 1842, Virginia became ill with tuberculosis and she died on the 30th of January 1847 at the age of 24.
Virginia Clemm Poe – picture credit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Eliza_Clemm_PoeWhy did Poe almost always write about women who died? It may have been because all the important women in his life died or he might have done it anyway. No-one will ever know.
Excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe’s letter to George W. Eveleth, Fordham, New York ,January 4, 1848 about his wife.
“Six years ago, a wife, whom I loved as no man ever loved before, ruptured a blood-vessel in singing. Her life was despaired of. I took leave of her forever & underwent all the agonies of her death. She recovered partially and I again hoped. At the end of a year the vessel broke again—I went through precisely the same scene. Again in about a year afterward. Then again—again—again & even once again at varying intervals. Each time I felt all the agonies of her death—and at each accession of the disorder I loved her more dearly & clung to her life with more desperate pertinacity. But I am constitutionally sensitive—nervous in a very unusual degree. I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During these fits of absolute unconsciousness I drank, God only knows how often or how much. As a matter of course, my enemies referred the insanity to the drink rather than the drink to the insanity. I had indeed, nearly abandoned all hope of a permanent cure when I found one in the death of my wife. This I can & do endure as becomes a man—it was the horrible never-ending oscillation between hope & despair which I could no longer have endured without the total loss of reason. In the death of what was my life, then, I receive a new but—oh God! How melancholy an existence.”
You can read more extracts of letters about Virginia Clemm Poe here: https://www.nps.gov/people/poe-virginiapoe.htm
My reading of The Sleeper by Edgar Allan PoeAbout Roberta Eaton Cheadle
I am a South African writer specialising in historical, paranormal and horror novels and short stories. I am an avid reader in these genres and my writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, the Bronte sisters, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
I was educated at the University of South Africa where I achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. I was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.
I have worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and have written seven publications relating to investing in Africa. I have won several awards over my twenty year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.
I have been published a number of anthologies and have two published YA books, While the Bombs Fell and Through the Nethergate. I have recently published my first adult novel called A Ghost and His Gold which is partly set in South Africa during the Second Anglo Boer War.
Find Roberta Eaton CheadleBlog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Dark Origins” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
Day #3 of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” book blog tour
For Day #3 of the Poetry Treasures book blog tour finds us over at Ritu Bhathal’s lovely blog site, “But I smile anyway”, with a guest post from contributing author Geoff Le Pard. Join us there to learn more about this wonderful anthology.
https://butismileanyway.com/2021/05/26/poetry-treasures-blogtour-featuring-geofflepard-bakeandwrite/
May 25, 2021
WordCrafter Poetry Treasures blog tour – Day 2 featuring Victoria Zigler
Day #2 of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Tour finds us over at “Robbie’s Inspiration” with a guest post from contributing author Victoria Zigler. Please join us to learn more about the inspiration behind the poetry featured in this wonderful poetry anthology.
Poetry Treasures is an anthology of poems by a number of talented poets. Today I am thrilled to introduce poet and children’s author, Victoria Zigler, whose work features in this anthology.
I don’t do routines by Victoria ZiglerI’ve made that fact clear in several interviews where I’ve been asked what my writing routine looks like.
It’s not that I don’t want to, because I’d love to have a proper routine. The simple fact is, I can never make it stick, and it’s not even poor willpower, but issues with insomnia battling chronic fatigue, which means sometimes I go days where I’m lucky if I need all the fingers on one hand to count the hours of sleep I managed to get in those few days – regardless of how physically tired I might feel – while other times it’s the reverse, and it’s hours of wakefulness that are few…
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May 24, 2021
Welcome to the WordCrafter’s “Poetry Treasures” Book Blog Tour
WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Book Blog Tour
Welcome to Day #1 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Book Blog Tour. We’ve got a great tour planned with guest posts from several of the contributing authors to this poetry collection, and an awesome giveaway. Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for a chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures to be given away. (Winners will be randomly selected following the end of the tour.)
Many of you may be familiar with Robbie Cheadle’s monthly blog series, “Treasuring Poetry”, which has grown in popularity since she began the series last year, here on Writing to be Read. For those who are not familiar with this series, Robbie hosts one author/poet guest each month, with an interview and review of their latest poetry collection. The series is popular because Robbie asks good questions which are designed to reveal some of the inner poetic workings of the author, and her guests are talented and insightful.
Poetry Treasures is a collection of poetry written by eight of the “Treasuring Poetry” guests in 2020, as well as the poetry of the series author, Roberta (Robbie) Eaton Cheadle. The poetry of the late Sue Vincent is also featured, along with a special tribute to this talented and vibrant poet and human being.
Poetry is subjective, often speaking to the reader in ways in which the author never intended, but are nevertheless just as valid as the ways in which those same words affected the poet. But, there are certain poems that just reach out and grab you, and I think that we have some of those featured in this poetry anthology, or at least I hope that we have managed to capture a few.
To introduce this wonderfully unique collection, we have a guest post by one of the contributing authors, Jude Kirya Italaki. You can find more of Jude’s wonderful poetry between the covers of Poetry Treasures.
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Sometimes the most beautiful things are that way because we are able to share them with others. And once those people leave our lives, the beauty we used to see can turn sour.
All that was beautiful, now mocks me
The resplendent night sky, hides secrets in plain sight
The vermillion sunrise, paints scars in bloody hues
And I hide from all their beauty; because it reminds me of you
However, there are things we will always find beautiful. It is important to discover ourselves, hold on to what makes us happy as individuals, and in turn share this with others. When introduced to beauty we did not know before, it might be crucial to love it genuinely, and instead of attaching it to the people who introduced us, we juxtapose it so that the grief of loss may not taint it.
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We’ve got a great blog tour planned this week to introduce you to this wonderfully unique collection of poetry, published by WordCrafter Press. Contibuting authors include Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria Zigler, Annette Rochelle Aben, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Jude Kirya Italaki and Roberta Eaton Cheadle, many of whom will be sharing their poetry and their inspirations in guest posts for this tour. I do hope you will join us and purchase your copy of Poetry Treasures, available in digital and print formats.
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Treasures-Sue-Vincent-ebook/dp/B0933KSJR9
Poetry Treasures
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
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