Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 44

In Touch With Nature – Giraffes chew bones and lions eat grass #animalkingdom #natureconservation

Kaye and I are starting a new series this year entitled “In Touch With Nature”. We will be sharing information about the natural environment, and I will include some of my nature videos, artworks, and photographs.

For any writers, poets and authors who have an interest in nature conservation and our natural environment, I have joined the Society of Environmental Authors and Journalists. You can find out more about it here: Society of Environmental Authors and Journalists – Robbie Cheadle

For this first post in this series, I am discussing the topic of herbivores and carnivores.

The Oxford dictionary defines a herbivore as an animal that feeds on plants.

National Geographic expands on this to say that a herbivore is an organism that mostly feeds on plants. Herbivores range in size from tiny insects such as aphids to large, lumbering elephants. You can read more on this topic here: Herbivore (nationalgeographic.org)

Conversely, Oxford defines a carnivore as an animal that feeds on other animals.

National Geographic says: “A carnivore is an organism that eats mostly meat, or the flesh of animals. Sometimes carnivores are called predators.” You can read more here: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/carnivore/

Picture caption: Male kudu in the bush. Photograph by Robbie Cheadle.

With the above in mind, did you know that many herbivores chew on bones? It’s true. Giraffes, red deer, reindeer, camels, wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok, and sable antelopes, as well as domestic cows and sheep, are not the strict vegans we think they are. They have all been observed to consume bones in a practice called osteophagy.

These animals do not actually eat the bones or break them open to eat the marrow inside, they only chew on dry bones and only when they are mineral deprived. Chewing bones provides herbivores with essential nutrients, phosphorus, and a bit of sodium.

Phosphorus is an essential mineral for all animals. This mineral plays an important role in the formation of the skeletal system and is necessary for certain biological processes including energy metabolism, protein synthesis, cell signaling, and lactation. A lack of phosphorus results in delayed growth and failure to regenerate new bone as well as problems with the reproductive system.

Another way herbivores obtain essential minerals and other elements they need is natural licks, also called salt licks. These licks can be natural but many are artificial and created by humans for the animals. You will see deer, moose, elephants, hippos, rhinos, tapirs, woodchucks, fox squirrels, mountain goats, porcupines and frugivorous bats all making use of natural or artificial licks to obtain phosphorus and biometals (sodium, calcium, iron, zinc, and other trace elements).

Picture caption: Old male Cape Buffalo at a salt like. Photograph by Robbie Cheadle.

A further surprise is that lions sometimes eat small amounts of grass to extract certain nutrients they need. As their digestive system is designed to digest meat, they cannot digest the grass fully and often vomit soon after eating it.

Some of the reasons a lion may eat grass are as follows:

It helps provide them with a source of water;It helps maintain their body weight;It helps keep them cool in hot weather;It helps settle stomach aches; andIts an easy way for a lion to get nutrients.

Lions are versatile. This means that if they are hunting in dry regions like the Kalahari Desert, lions may eat plants and fruits as an alternate source of water. Lions don’t drink very much.

Picture caption: Male lion in the bush. He looks like he is chuckling. Photograph by Robbie Cheadle. Picture caption: My teeth are bigger than your teeth! Male lion in the bush. Photograph by Robbie Cheadle.

Domestic dogs and cats also sometimes eat grass for the same reasons as lions. Just like lions, they usually vomit after eating it.

Animals are adaptable and find ways to meet their dietary needs. There are few perfect examples of herbivores or carnivores in the wild.

Here are a few of my YouTube wildlife videos:

Young kudu (short taken at Madikwe Game Reserve in January 2024)

This black maned lion walked right past our vehicle:

This is a short of the old male Cape Buffalo at the salt lick.About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: 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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Kickstarter Campaign for Sarah Starts Today

Back the Kickstarter Campaign Here

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/sarah-3

About the project-Sarah: Book 2 of the Women in the West Adventure Series

It’s finally here! Sarah is book 2 in my Women in the West adventure series. Some of you may have been waiting for this book since last year’s Kickstarter campaign for Delilah, which is the first book in the series.

In case you are just hearing about this book and the Women in the West adventure series, let me tell you about both. In the Women in the West adventure series, each book features a strong female protagonist braving the American frontier in the late 1800s, and fictionalized versions of true life historical characters. Delilah met Baby Doe and H.W. Tabor, who were instrumental in turning the mining camp of Leadville into a bonified town, and Sarah befriends Doc Holiday and Big Nose Kate.

Sarah is the second book in the series. Those following the series were introduced to the girl of 14 in Book 1: Delilah, when she was abducted and sold to the Ute Indians. Now as a 17 year old, she’s made a life for herself as a Ute squaw, and mate to the chief’s brother, becoming a valuable member of the tribe, until a mysterious Sioux warrior appears and turns her world upside down. Stolen away from those who she’s come to call family, she must face not only her abductor, but the dangers of the American frontier in a constant fight for survival.

Book TrailerBook Trailer – Sarah: Book 2 of the Women in the West Adventure SeriesWhy Back This Campaign?

You mean beside the fact that you think I’m awesome and you can’t wait to read everything I write?

Just kidding. I know you all love me.

Seriously, we have some excellent rewards for this Kickstarter campaign which you can’t get anywhere else. You can get an early digital copy or a signed print copy of Sarah, or a Special Ilustrated Editions of both Delilah and Sarah. And you can get both digital and print copies of Delilah as add ons for less than you would pay through distributors. You can back the project for as little as $5 or as much as $100, depending on the reward teir that you choose.

The goal is $500, and if funded, your support of the campiagn will go toward the wonderful covers for the Special Illustrated Editions, by DL Mullan and Sonoran Dawn Studios, and help to keep me afloat as I work on Book 3: Marta, scheduled to come out in 2025, and all the projects that are lined up for the coming year. It would be great to fund the campaign in the first 24 hours and move it onto the favorite projects lists over at Kickstarter, maybe funding even more than the $500 goal. I’ve been thinking of making this series available in audio, and I’d love to raise enough to get my narrater for that. All support is appreciated.

Book Review: A Cry in the Dark

About the Book

When doing the right thing goes horribly wrong…

Caroline Blakely is certain of two things: She was happy with her life as a first grade school teacher, and she can never, ever return to it. 

After discovering a shocking truth about her father, the wealthy businessman at the helm of Blakely Oil, she’s on the run – a difficult feat given her father’s endless resources and connections.

With the help of friends, Carly is able to secure a new identity, but her attempts to keep a low profile are blown to bits when she gets stuck in Drum, Tennessee. When she investigates a cry in the parking lot outside her motel room, she finds herself the lone witness to a murder. 

Stranded in the small Appalachian Mountain town, she soon realizes that Drum is as riddled with secrets as her own past. A huge chunk of the intrigue centers around the Drummond family, ancestors of the town’s founders, and their oldest son, Wyatt – an ex-con.

She knows she’d do best to stay away from the Drummonds, especially Wyatt, and from the mystery she’s stumbled upon, but Carly’s sense of right and wrong demands that she help, even if it means risking her own secrets…and her life.

Purchase Links:

Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Dark-Carly-Moore-Book/dp/B083NLR3LT/

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-cry-in-the-dark-by-denise-grover-swank

My Review

I listened to the audiobook, A Cry in the Dark, by Denise Grover Swank, narrated by Shannon McManus. The narration was lovely and Miss McManus did a lovely job of portraying the diffferent characters in distinguishable ways.

The story itself is a well-crafted tale of a woman on the run getting caught up in the events of the town she is temporarily stranded in when her car breaks down. Landing a temporary job while her car is being repaired seems like a landfall of good luck at first, but when a young boy is murdered outside her motel room, landing her right in the middle of a mystery in a town filled with intrigue, Carly begins to wonder. Although she’s running to save her life, Carly is compelled to carry out the dying boy’s wishes to take a message to Seth’s grandfather, setting aside her own problems and the fact that the killers may know she was there. But with the message delivered, she finds herself embedded even deeper into the town and the mystery of who killed the boy, and it is only a matter of time before someone in this town recognizes her as tries to cash in the reward that’s offered for her. In a town full of strangers, Carly doesn’t know who she can trust or who to turn to, but she’s determined to get justice for Seth.

A thoroughly entertaining mystery which will grab a reader’s attention and not let go. I give A Cry in the Dark five quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Check it out! Robbie Cheadle on the subject of book covers over at Story Empire

Designing eye-catching book covers – Fiction

Treasuring Poetry, 2024: Introducing the poetry of DL Mullan and a review #poetry #poetrycommunity #TreasuringPoetry

Today, I am pleased to introduce the poetry of poet and author, DL Mullan, as well as my review of her poetry collection, The Descent.

Over to DL Mullan

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss poetry with your audience. I am grateful to share my love of the creative arts with fellow enthusiasts.

Poetry is a part of the writing craft that is an art and science with a touch of mysticism. It is much more than words on a page. It’s a feeling, a moment… a place engaged inside of our hearts and souls that cannot be duplicated on film or in prose. The science of meter and rhyme meet the art of turning a phrase or metaphor into a memory.

Still verses express an economy of words, which speaks volumes in the empty spaces. Poetry is about reading the content, but also extracting a personal meaning. Sometimes the poet gives the reader the context, and at other times, the reader grasps a connection with the words beyond the initial texture of the composition.

To illustrate, Transcendence, from my Impetus chapbook, is one of those poems that becomes both context and connection:

Transcendence by DL Mullan

I have this little place in me

that will always be alone.

No matter the circumstances

-the outside world,

or anything given to me-

it will forever be there.

It’s that part of me you can never touch.

Never be healed. Never feel redeemed.

A place so isolated from the rest of my life,

it keeps me hungry, destitute-

it’s a fragment that lacks belief.

Don’t try to heal me, or know this place;

this longing need keeps silent.

Without this solitary eclipse that creeps into my life,

I could never find any kind of peace.

This curse cuts me deep.

Penetrates my soul.

Reveals me. Liberates me.

The one place that keeps me from being whole

-is the one place you cannot reach.

Without this lone embrace,

my life, your love would be meaningless.

A poet has to be many ideas to many people: the fire bearer of unrivaled passion; the vocabulary of a priest, lover, and devil’s advocate; the heart of a broken soul; the perseverance of an honorable warrior; the spirit of a wise sorcerer.

People enjoy poetry, because the poet expresses what they wish to hear or say. Words reach through the ages. Consoles us. Enlightens us. Reminds us of our own vulnerabilities.

The Good Morrow by John Donne

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?

Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?

’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.

If ever any beauty I did see,

Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear;

For love, all love of other sights controls,

And makes one little room an everywhere.

Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,

Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,

Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;

Where can we find two better hemispheres,

Without sharp north, without declining west?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;

If our two loves be one, or, thou and I

Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

And makes one little room an everywhere… a poet conjures such repleteness and amplifies our innate impulses, if we only have the courage to be as one with another. Do you have the courage to live forever because of love?

This poem by John Donne, The Good Morrow, began my journey into the magical realm of writing poetry. Some may believe that Edgar Allan Poe was the genesis, but the classics generated the progression toward his writings. The Descent: a darker breed of poetry is my genre inspired chapbook. Upon Reading Edgar Allan Poe is in homage to him.

Poetry seemed daunting to write at first. In adolescence, I would rewrite song lyrics for friends. It was easy to complete someone else’s rhythm and rhyme, while my original creations remained in prose. In college is where I met John Donne, and other poets throughout the ages.

In this concise form of narration, I enjoy telling stories. I have embarked on writing short thematic chapbooks as well as publishing long form poems. Effloresce: Earth Changes is my Arizona inspired chapbook, which is under expansion. Eclipse: Cloaked by Totality is a compilation of poetry about how humanity views solar and lunar eclipses from science to legend. My Long Form Poetry like Galactic Ride, Undisclosed, and The Rain take the reader on a journey beyond the norm. This past summer I published a lyrical prose short story piece called The Jonah Collector, based on seafaring lore.

To pick a favorite poem that I have written is difficult. Each poem is my favorite in its own way. I write poems which speak a universal truth. When a poem hovers at that level of mysticism, what isn’t there to love? Either lyrical stanzas or descriptive verses, every poem holds a special place within me.

Here are a few examples:

The Flower Within by DL Mullan

Hear not the silence in the new fallen snow

embankments high of drifted wonder hide

all that winter buries underneath its surface

and cocoons itself in an invisible whisper

when temperatures rise, sounds of rustling begin

from the depths of a volitional quietus

small lives will break beyond their shells

as they ascend toward the sunlit heavens

and discover how to unleash their power

by finding the flower within.

Weather by DL Mullan

Bending.

            Resisting.

Opaque patterns web across the aging twilight.

Reflection meets citrine, ruby, sapphire–

Shapes stretch.

Reaching.

            Touching.

The placid breeze spreads unevenly. Cumulus formations emerge.

Imagination awakens.

Building.

            Sweeping.

Luminous wings expand. Gracious angel, show the world your glory.

Magnificence reigns.

Collapsing.

            Fading.

Overcast merges with night. Dreams condense. The rain soaked wind roars.

The future of my lyrical rhymes is to write poetry that matters. A poet should have an authentic voice that reaches across philosophical lines. In addition to topic-based chapbooks, I create my own forms of poetry, including cinquains. I experiment with structure and form, as well as rhyme. I am interested in the challenge of creating something new and unsaid.

I would like to leave readers with a poem that combines art and science with that hint of mysticism: 

Asymptote by DL Mullan

The line observed.

Its angles transparent,

Like the fanciful dream of a sliding geometry.

It’s the hint of curve that plagues me

of a slender and willful architecture.

It’s the acute optics that pitch me downward

into a maze of unrevealed canvas

unearthed and unexplained

and spreading into the heart of oblivion.

Thank you, DL Mullan, for this lovely discussion.

The Descent: a darker breed of poetry by DL Mullan What Amazon says

This chapbook houses “a darker breed of poetry,” from paranormal research topics to metaphysical literary iterations. There is a poem for everyone who is curious about genre-inspired poetry. DL Mullan’s readers praise her work as easy to read, understand… and satisfying:

“The poem [Breathe] is as scrumptious and sensual as it is dark and deep.”

“This is a first for me. I have never read genre poetry before. I love it. Hugely imaginative and utterly unique…”

“As if Poe came right off the page. This homage is literally perfect.”  

“The language and flow here is superb, the description detailed. This also has an air of mystery, almost Halloween-ish.” 

“‘Until once again, night revisits his kingdom and he is resurrected.’ You know your subject. Are you reminiscing about an owl, or our immortal souls?” 

“Both the language (the word choices) and the rich imagery here is exquisite! You have blended sound, description, meaning- all, in a way that shows precise crafting.” 

“A lot of thought has gone into this very interesting poem, which made me think, which is what poetry should be all about, 5-star poem

My review

This collection of mysterious and slightly chilling poetry revolves around the topic of death in all it permutations: the process of dying, what it feels like to die or be dead, grievers and grieving, the afterlife, and spirits and the spirit world.

A most intriguing poem about reading Edgar Allan Poe and the influence of his works on the poet, kicks off this collection. As a fellow member of the Poe admiration club, I really enjoyed this poem and identified with the poet’s thoughts and reactions to all his magnificent poems. This is a short quote from ‘Upon Reading Edgar Allan Poe’:

“A peculiar doorway opens inside of me.
Listen to the music playing, hear the voice, of beautiful Lenore.
Sing to me a violent ballad of love.”

Another interesting introductory poem, is entitled ‘Death Replies to Emily Dickinson’, an extraordinary response to Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death’. This inspirational poem is the perfect introduction to the poems that lie ahead in this collection. For me, this stanza sums up the collection:

“Instead, come. Join the procession into the unchartered
where rarely seen a setting sun and gloom is discarded.”

I really enjoyed this unusual collection of dark poetry. It is certainly unique and inspired. A few of my favourite poems from this book, with short quotes, are as follows:

The Rocking Chair:
“Dusty chair rocks. He used to sit there: in the corner looking out the window.”

Spirit Box (My favourite of all the poems):
“Four different voices sung through the waves.
Each expressing their own distinct individuality.”

Alone with My Thoughts:
“Death can be harsh. Death can be amusing.
Your perspective is needed to see that death is a rite of passage
that all of us will be using.”

If you enjoy Poe and like to experience different perspectives on poetry, this book will enthrall you.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CKWKCNZ3

About DL Mullan

DL Mullan has been writing award-level poetry for thirty years. Recently, she has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies.

As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs and video presentations, as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. 

Join her Undawntable Newsletter for everything Undawnted. Be sure to enroll in her Substack writing program, RhymeScribe, which focuses on the form and function of poetry. Become a YouTube subscriber for her Poetry Slam updates.

http://www.undawnted.com

http://www.undawnted.com/p/poetry.html http://www.undawnted.com/p/long-form-poetry.html

About Robbie Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fourteen children’s books and two poetry books. Her work also features in several poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie and Michael Cheadle have recently launched a new series of children’s books called Southern African Safari Adventures. The first book, Neema the Misfit Giraffe is now available from Amazon.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

You can find example of Robbie Cheadle’s artwork in her art gallery here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/art-gallery/

Writer’s Corner: Publishing with Draft2Digital

I’ve posted on the value of publishing wide with Draft2Digital and Books2Read links. You can see my previous article here. I am in no way compensated for sharing information about D2D, but I am a big fan of publishing with them.

As an author and publisher who uses Draft2Digital to publish wide, distributing my books globally, including subscription services and libraries, I’m a huge advocate of their services. But I recently caught episode 333 of the Stark Reflections podcast with Mark Leslie Lefabvre titled, “10 Things You Likely Didn’t Know About Draft2Digital”. In this episode, Mark shares a replay of a presentation he gave at 20BooksVegas in early November of 2023, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were several cool things about publishing with D2D which I didn’t know.

I’ve used D2D to publish since 2018, and I was already aware of many of the great tools and services that they offer, such as royalty payment splitting for collaborations, which I use with WordCrafter anthologies. And of course, I knew about using Books2Read links, so potential readers can find your book through most of the major distributors in one place, and in any format in which your book is available.

The ability to publish through most of the publish on some subscription services and get your books onto the major library distributors was one of the reasons that I chose to go with D2D in the first place. What I didn’t know, was that some authors even use D2D’s free tools to create their book files, probably because it is easy and doesn’t require you to have Vellum or a Mac, and then publish direct onto other platforms without using D2D’s aggregating services, and they are okay with that. I use these tools to create my files for my ARC copies, but I prefer to let D2D do all the heavy lifting for me. Publishing direct to all the distributors that I use through D2D would be an outrageous amount of work.

I was also aware of D2D’s “Refer a Friend” program, which provides you an affliliate link you can share for folks to sign up. Any author who signs up to D2D with your affilliate link earns you a percentage of money earned by D2D from any books they sell over the next two years. Any D2D user can get an affiliate link. If you read this and decide to give Draft2Digital a try, you can sign up through my affilliate link, below, and it doesn’t cost you anything. My affilliate link is paid outof D2D’s cut of any works you sell using D2D as an aggregator. Here is my affilliate link: https://www.draft2digital.com/WordCrafter

There are some promo services which I was not aware of. I knew you could create your own independent promos. In fact, I used this feature to set up the WordCrafter Holiday Book Extravaganza in December, discounting the entire WordCrafter Press backlist. In episode 333, I learned how I can also get my book into D2D promotions, which is really pretty cool when you think about it.

I also learned that D2D now offers free AI narration of audio books through Apple Books. Now this is something that interests me, as audio books have previously been out of reach for me due to the expense of narration. You can see my post and discussion on the use of AI here.I knew they had this coming, but it was in the beta stage the last I had heard. Apparently they have rolled it out, and I will be looking into this further in the near future.

I was so excited to learn about this feature of D2D that I just couldn’t wait to check it out.I’m happy to announce that the AI narrated audiobook of The Rock Star & The Outlaw will be available through Apple Books soon.

Mark Leslie Lefabvre is an expert in the publishing industry, having worked for Kobo before coming to D2D, in addition to being a succesful hybrid author. Honestly, he says it all better than I do, and he knows a lot more about the inner workings of D2D. So if you want to know more about what D2D has to offer, listen to episode 333 here: https://starkreflections.ca/2023/11/17/episode-333-10-things-you-likely-didnt-know-about-draft2digital/

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For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Book Review: In the Shadow of Rainbows

About the Book

In this dazzling debut poetry collection of over 60 carefully selected poems, author Selma Martin points the way to the beauty in the everyday, the shadow of the rainbow, and the silver lining at the edge of every cloud.

Favouring lyrical forms, and revelling in rhymes and musical language, the individual poems in this collection harmonise together in symphonic splendour to form an enlightening and delightful whole.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Rainbows-Collection-Songs-Presence-ebook/dp/B0CB5PLMB6/

My Review

I’m happy to be able to begin 2024 with the review of Selma Martin’s debut poetry collection, In The Shadow of Rainbows. Many of the poems in this special collection have a lyrical feel to them from the poet’s unique style, finding ways to celebrate life and the wonderful things found when you least expect them, lying hidden in the shadows. I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I see poems as personal reflections on love, life and nature. They express the unique way that each poet sees the world, and shares them, opening doors for others to view the world in a different way. Poetry can express some amazing things, and make its readers think of things in ways they’ve never before considered. Selma Martin has done just that, opening doors to reveal the hidden world which jumps out and surprises us from the shadows of rainbows.

I truly enjoyed reading through this collection, often going back and rereading poems which resonated with me personally. It is often amazing to view the world through someone else’s eyes, revealing what we might not otherwise see, and this journey offered in Martin’s collection is a truly wonderous one. This delightful collection of lilting, lyrical poetry offers special appreciation for life, love and the world around us.

As with most poetry reviews, the best way to describe the poet’s unique style and perspective is to share some of my favorite selections for my readers to judge for themselves. Because, after all, the poetry speaks for itself better than anything I could say to describe it.

(Martin’s form doesn’t transfer well on WordPress, so I hope I didn’t butcher them too badly.)

Slice of Life

Flanked between two warnings, I live you, planting the light hours with loving acts, for you, for us, for our menage,

and when I meet dusk, filled,

ready for our mingling at the table, where we swap slices of lived moments of the same day, hearts swell replete.

The Lore

Azure and unperturbed is the sky until a little

cloud perches high above me near sunset

I quit my book

glad Cloud stopped for me.

We stare at each other long, me, blanking out toils and troubles, Cloud turning orange and peach until she mauves herself,

Melding with Sky, and follows it.

When I can discern her no more I walk away from my tent-down to the small river that gurgles. I watch it gain speed, and as it snakes into the noble Pacific

I hear her babble me a goodbye.

A salacious wind blows warm air behind my ear but soon disowns me, a moth brushes on my temple and is gone much too soon.

Everyone’s on the move except me- I don’t mind, I have the chant of the river, the bustling of bugs,

puddles of moonlight, silhouetting the beauteous forms of things and best of all, and best of all the seven daughters of Atlas

clustered over me.

What else do I need?

For an Hour

when a colorless day let’s slip a rare irreproachable hour

take it and indulge it for a while sit with it, let it swallow you while

or paint it with shades alluring, dye each section with thoughts of hope

paint your steps from here to the seashore pigment the waves to humor the sun

taint the sun-no wait-don’t paint the sun we need Helios to stay as is

winnow the bulrush color-washed clouds that camouflage Mt. Fuji

and the hawk-just let the hawk be duly, a day will never beam

without bringing you recall

of the sea, laughing with you for an hour

A wonderful way to begin the new year with a lovely collection of poetry. I give In The Shadow of Rainbows five quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.

Growing Bookworms – The importance of character names in children’s fiction #GrowingBookworms #childrensfiction

The name of a child is important to him/her as well as to their community.

From an individual point of view, a child’s name plays an important role in the advertisement and maintenance his/her self identity. The first word most children learn to write is their name. Some children and adults chose to be known by a nickname and others prefer to use their full name.

From a parental perspective, the name they chose is often symbolic of their hopes and dreams for that child. Some families practice namesaking or the naming of a child after the father or grandfather. The practice of namesaking is much more common in male children than in female children. Namesaking can be positive for a child, but it can also result in high expectations being placed on the child if the person after whom they are named is a high performer. Namesaking often happens in wealthy families and royalty and comes with an expectation for the child to live up to the accomplishments of the previous generation/s. John Jacob Astor IV and his son, John Jacob Astor VI, come to mind when I think of failures to live up to an inherited moniker.  

From a community point of view, names often have religious or cultural significance. In these circumstances, the name of a child can impact the way in which they are accepted by, and integrate into, a community. Names also have meanings which can be important. I remember smiling when meeting a heavily pregnant lady with the name of Chastity.

Based on the above, it is obvious that the name of a character / characters in a children’s book are important. The names will immediately tell the child a lot about the character and the child will also make assumptions based on the names, as follows:

the religion of the character/s – does the character have a Biblical name or a Hebrew name or a Muslim name?the ethnic background of the character – does the character have an Irish, Spanish, English, American, or Japanese name? In South Africa, there are 11 official languages and each group of language speakers has its own traditional names. For example, popular Afrikaans names are Pieter, Willem, Hans, and Mariska and popular Zulu names are Amahle, Bongani, Lindiwe, and Dumisani.does the character use a nickname or their full name? I have always been called Robbie although my full name is Roberta. Both my sons chose to use their full names of Gregory and Michael.a name can also tell you about a character’s employment or social position. For example, a lot of native African people who work in service industries chose to either use European names instead of their traditional names or they use a short form that is easier for customers to say and remember.

English author, Enid Blyton, made great use of names in her children’s books. You can always tell what type of character you are dealing with from their names. You can also usually get a good idea about the genre and type of story from her naming conventions, as follows:

The Land of Far-Beyond is a Christian allegory and tells the story of a boy named Peter and his two sisters, Anna and Patience, who travel from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in the Land of Far-Beyond. The three children carry the heavy burdens of their bad deeds on their backs. With them are two other children, Lily and John, and five adults—Mr Scornful, Mr Fearful, Dick Cowardly, Gracie Grumble and Sarah Simple. 

The Enchanted Wood series of three books tells of the adventures of three children who live near the Enchanted Wood. One day they discover a great tree that reaches right up into the clouds called the Faraway Tree. The children climb the Faraway Tree and discover that it is inhabited by magical people, including Moon-Face, Silky, The Saucepan Man, Dame Washalot, Mr. Watzisname, and the Angry Pixie, whose houses are built in holes in the great trunk.

I have tried to make good use of names in my children’s book series. Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet were intended to clearly indicate that the books are fantasy and are about sweet treats. All the illustrations are made from cake and fondant art and the books all include recipes.

Neema the Misfit Giraffe was intended to make it obvious that the book has an African setting. The name, Neema, means grace in Swahili. Neema’s companion, Amhale, has a Zulu name which means the beautiful one.

What are your thoughts on names in children’s fiction? Do you think they are important? Let me know in the comments.

About Robbie Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fifteen children’s book and two poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie and Michael’s new Southern African Safari Adventures series is aimed at teaching young children about Southern African wildlife in a fun and entertaining way. Each book contains a rhyming verse story about a particular animal, as well as illustrations by Robbie Cheadle, photographs and links to video footage about that animal.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Sarah Kickstarter Coming Soon

The Campaign

The Kickstarter Campaign for Sarah: Book 2 in the Women in the West adventure series is set to launch on January 21, 2024, and I’m excited to tell you about it.

This will be a 21 day campaign and the goal is $500. Remember, Kickstarter campaigns are all or nothing, so if we don’t reach the goal, you don’t owe your pledge and I walk away with nothing. But, I ran two successfully funded campaigns in 2023, including Book 1 of this series, Delilah, and I’m hoping this one will do even better. If I raise enough over and above the goal, it will enable me to make this series available in audiobook – something I’ve been wanting to do for at least three years.

What’s in it for you?

We’ve got some great rewards for this campaign. As with other campaigns, backing at the $5 tier offers an early digital copy of Sarah, and backing at the $25 tier offers a signed print copy of the book, not available anywhere else. In addition, there are Special Illustrated Editions of both Sarah and Delilah, and an opportunity to name a character in Book 3: Marta. And in case you missed the first Kickstarter, for Book 1 of this series, Delilah is also available in digital and print as add ons.

Pre-Launch Page

The launch isn’t until the 21st, but you can show your support now by signing up on the pre-launch page at the URL below. Following on the pre-launch page will result in receiving a reminder on the day of the actual launch, so you can be one of the first to back this project. All support is greatly appreciated.

Pre-launch URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/sarah-3

About the book

Sarah is a young girl trying to make a place for herself in the world.

Sarah is not the young girl who was stolen away from Delilah anymore. Now she is Hair of Fire, mate of Three Hawks, even as she blossoms into a young woman and tries to make a place for herself among the Ute tribe.

When she is stolen away from the life she’s made with the Utes, she struggles to survive in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A streak of stubbornness and determination take this tough, feisty heroine up against wild beasts of the forest and the rugged mountain landscape to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where she receives a less than welcoming reception by some.

Will this young woman find her way back to the Ute tribe which she’s come to think of as family, or will she discover a place among the colorful inhabitants of the Colorado hot springs and mining town?

Follow along on her journey to learn who she truly is and where she belongs in this rough, and often hostile frontier.

If you like strong and capable female protagonists, you’ll love Sarah.

About the Women in the West Adventure Series

The Women in the West adventure series is historical western women’s fiction featuring strong female protagonists and fictionalized historical characters brings the American western frontier to life.

Book 1: Delilah – A young woman returning to her family home after serving a two year prison sentence for defending her mother and sister, and killing her abusive step-father sets out on a return journey to the family home, which ends up being a quest for revenge.Book 2: Sarah – A young woman, abducted and sold to the Utes, trying to find a place for herself on the western frontierBook 3: Marta (Coming in 2025) – A Mormon woman who has lost her family and been abducted in an Indian attack performs courageous feats as she makes her way on the western frontier.

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About the Author

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.

Undawntech: Innovative Creativity

Since technology is ubiquitous in our modern lives, sometimes it is nice to peel back the layers and see how devices serve us, to identify when we are serving them and break that negative feedback loop. Technology in its proper place enhances our life experience. That brings us to the scope of this column. Our discourse will range from computers, writing and image software, artificial intelligence, video creation, social media, and other applications, as well as our handy peripherals.

Creators are barraged with advertisements and gadgets to make their lives as writers easier, but do they really make our lives better? When faced with the new versus the old, which one wins out in the end? And are expensive items just a gimmick when a tried and true device will do? Or, is this situation another case of buying a different waffle maker each holiday season to the point where the cupboards are filled with old versions of the same gadget, but they no longer serve a real purpose? Let’s clean out the storage, make a list, and remove what no longer serves our ability to do what we love. Then we will have what we need to create from our imaginations, instead of worrying about the next waffle maker.

For instance, spellcheck and grammar programs, I have two different ones on my computer to see which one serves my needs. One tells me that I require a comma for a clause. The other one tells me to remove the comma from the sentence. Which one is correct? Could both programs be right? Wrong? In the age of technology, sometimes the simplest answer is to read the language rule to decide, if the comma is necessary or not. There is nothing like computer program arguments to wish for a time without them.

Technology can be foreboding, yet indispensable in the creative arts. In the coming months, we will work together to build a knowledge base that helps unleash the creator in us all while working with technology and allowing it to serve our greatest and highest good.

I look forward to Writing to be Read readers joining me on this new adventure.

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DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.

As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multi-genre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research backgrounds are woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawnted.com.

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