Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 50
October 27, 2023
Book Review: Snowman Shivers & Prospero’s Ghost
About Snowman Shivers
You might never build another snowman again!
If you ever cast an uncomfortable glance over your shoulder when passing the silent snowy sentinels that stand looking at you as you pass on the icy sidewalk, if you’ve ever questioned what might really happen if the old silk hat placed on Frosty the Snowman’s head was truly magic, then these two dark humor snowman tales by Mark Leslie are for you.
Amazon Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Snowman-Shivers-Humor-Tales-Snowmen-ebook/dp/B006KF67GK/My ReviewDid you ever wonder what really happens when snowmen really come to life. Snowman Shivers, by Mark Leslie offers two darkly humorous that may send shivers up your spine, or at least evoke a few chuckles, and I guaruntee you will never think about snowmen in the same way.
About Prospero’s Ghost
Decades after his death, renowned Shakespearean scholar Dr. Marshall Emerson returns from the grave to seek vengeance on those who dared disturb his fitful sleep.
Emerson, whose specialty was the bard’s The Tempest and was nicknamed “Professor Prospero” could never be spotted walking the grounds of McMaster University without the precious 1861 folio edition of Shakespeare’s works clutched in his hands.
When McMaster University library and bookstore staff begin producing replica versions of his original text on a newly acquired Espresso Book Machine, Emerson’s ghost returns, intent to put a stop to this “desecration” of his beloved text.
Amazon Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Prosperos-Ghost-Cautionary-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B008BC28NQ/My ReviewI said it before, and I will say it again. I’m just a sucker for a good ghost story. Prospero’s Ghost, by Kimberly Footit & Mark Leslie is delightful short story of haunting porportions. It seems a love of literature A tale of a haunted campus library that can be read in one sitting, this story is for ghost lovers everywhere.
Get Them FreeYou can find both of these books in the “FREE Reads” on Mark Leslie’s Books2Read author page here: https://books2read.com/markleslie. (You can find them both on Amazon, too, but Prospero’s Ghost is .99 cents, instead of free.)
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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.
October 24, 2023
Dark Origins – A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe based on the Great Plague of London, 1665 #DarkOrigins #readingcommunity #history
Overview
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is a most interesting book particularly in light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic that swept the world.
It is written in the first-person as a first hand account of the protagonist’s, identified as H.F. and described as an unmarried saddler, experiences during the great plague that afflicted London in 1665. The story is fiction but it contains detailed statistics of the death bills as the plague started to take hold and over the months of its duration, charts, data and extracts from government documents which make it read like the non-fictional personal diary of someone who was recording the facts and figures of the time.
When the plague first comes to the city, it is contained to certain parishes and is staved off by the colder winter weather, but when late spring and summer arrive, the numbers of the infected and the dead increase significantly. The protagonist is aware that the rich are leaving the city, but he is very religious and believes that God wants him to stay.
He describes how the poor are tricked into purchasing preventative medicines and charms by quack doctors, fortune tellers, and other tricksters. It is interesting that he picks this thread up again later in the book and states that all of these ‘pretenders’ succumb to the plague.
H.F. describes in detail the horror of the plague. How infected people go mad and run naked through the streets until they drop down dead. He describes how the authorities implement a system of the shutting up of houses in terms of which when any member of a household was identified as having being infected, the entire household were locked up in the house and a watchman placed outside the door so they could not escape. The protagonist is not in favour of this system as it results in all the inhabitants of the household becoming infected and dying of the plague. It also results in a lot of desperate bids to escape shut up houses that resulted in the plague spreading further. Interestingly enough, a similar attempt to keep people in their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic also didn’t achieve the expected success and resulted in a huge amount of resistance by people.
H.F. depicts a governing structure in the city that is sympathetic to the situation of the poor and ensures that people have access to bread at a reasonable price throughout the duration of the plague. He goes into a lot of detail about the price of bread versus the weight of the loaves before the plague. The city is kept free of bodies which are collected at night and taken to mass graves.
The protagonist also goes into a lot of detail about the effect of the plague on the people of the city. The grief experienced by survivors who have lost their entire families and who follow their dead loved ones and throw themselves into the mass graves and other ‘infected’ people who effectively kill themselves because of the pain the disease is inflicting on them.
The narrator tells a lengthily story about three brothers who leave the city to escape the plague and meet up with a small band of other people also leaving. The difficulties experienced by Londoners who left the city and attempted to live in the countryside while the plague raged are detailed. The suspicion and lack of welcome by the rural villages and town who do not wish to accept any Londoners into their areas for fear of their carrying the plague, and the lack of shelter, food, and other amenities. The three brothers and their band manage to make a success of it with some help from a local wealthy landowner. They actually outlive a lot of the villagers when the plague does spread out of London and into the surrounding countryside.
Reading this book after the Covid-19 pandemic was fascinating. The parallels between this event more than 350 years ago in London and the experiences and reactions of people during the time of the pandemic are have a dreadful similarity. People turn to religion and to quack remedies, people resist the attempts by authorities to contain the disease by findings ways to escape from their homes, people suffer depression and loss.
This book is certainly not for everyone as it is filled with facts and figures, but I found it very interesting and appreciated the historical information shared.
The Great Plague of 1665 – 1666
Picture caption: Painting of the 1665: London’s Last Great Plague from the Museum of London https://royalhistsoc.org/calendar/1665-londons-last-great-plague/The plague that broke out in London in 1665 was the worst outbreak to effect England since the black death of 1348. It is believed at approximately 15% of the population of London died. The recorded deaths were 68,596 but it is believed at least 100,000 people died. The population of the city in 1665 was 460,000.
The plague was carried by fleas on rats and they were attracted to the poorer parts of the city where rubbish and waste filled the streets.
There were three types of plague:
Bubonic plague that caused swellings (buboes) in the lymph nodes found in the armpits, groin and neck. These sufferers experienced headaches, vomiting and fever. Sufferers had a 30% chance of dying within two weeks.Pneumonic plague which attacked the lungs and spread to other people through coughing and sneezing; andSepticaemic plague which occurred when the bacteria entered the blood. The chances of survival of this type of plague were very slim.
Picture caption: Depiction of plague sufferers https://www.britannica.com/science/plague#/media/1/462675/216256The treatments and methods of prevention were privative. Patients were bled with leeches. The air was cleansed using smoke and heat as people thought bad air caused the distemper. Children were encouraged to smoke to ward off bad air. Some people sniffed a sponge soaked in vinegar.
When the winter arrived, the plague started to decrease. Scientists believe this was due to people developing a stronger immunity to the disease rather than the great fire of London on 2 September 1666, making any notable impact through the destruction of houses within the walls of the city and on the banks of the River Thames. Many of the plague deaths had occurred in the poorest parishes outside the city walls
On The Plague Year: London, 1665By DM Lovic
In London Town, the children played, the kittens purred, the flowers bloomed,
The adults laughed, the horses neighed, for no one knew they all were doomed.
Yes, all within the world was right when Death sneaked into town that night.
Beneath a haunted summer moon, upon a flute that whistled flat,
He played a slow, hypnotic tune that summoned every flea and rat
Who came from cellar, slum and glade to march the Devil’s plague parade.
Searching streets from side to side, the weakest souls with sword he struck,
Then left a token on their hide to signify the loss of luck.
For no one touched would e’er be saved, ‘twas six mere hours from spot to grave.
The wealthy fled to distant hills, doors were bolted, shutters locked,
But none could stop the morbid chills when death stood on the stoop and knocked.
Inside, they wept and fought with fate but, patiently, he’d smile and wait.
Sickness turned into despair, howls of terror, dreadful shrieks,
They echoed through the London air for weeks and weeks and weeks.
But panicked cries and wailing tears were only music to his ears.
One ghastly year that madness reigned and when Death fin’ly had withdrawn,
The price was tallied and explained: one hundred thousand souls were gone.
And London Town, in stark reverse, returned to life without the curse.
On city streets, the children played, the kittens purred, the flowers bloomed,
The adults laughed, the horses neighed, for every soul knew he was doomed.
From: The Poetry Nook
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 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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October 23, 2023
Final Stop on the Wordcrafter “Midnight Roost” Book Blog Tour
WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog TourIt’s the final stop on the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour and today we’re going to wrap things up with a reading by contributing author Denise Aparo from her haunting story, “The Pines”,and some excerpts from stories from authors who weren’t able to participate in the tour. So, kick back and enjoy the reading and peruse the excerpts, meet the authors and join in the discussion by leaving a comment and earn a chance at a free digital copy of Midnight Roost.
Meet Author Denise AparoDenise Aparo is a new WordCrafter Press author, so I’m just getting to know a little ab out her, too. Her story, “The Pines” wasn’t the winning story in the short fiction contest, but I still felt that its dark parnormal feel would fit into the anthology. Now that the book is compiled and I can see the finished product, I think I made the right decision. It is a perfect addition to the Midnight Roost collection. Listen to the reading below and see if you don’t agree.
Reading from “The Pines”Reading from “The Pines” by Denise AparoAbout Denise Aparo
Denise Aparo is a New England native, born and raised in the clockmaking city of Bristol, Connecticut. She lives with her husband, Joe, and they have five grandchildren. She is also a freelance writer who spends her time working on her novel and writing short stories. She also spends her time gardening, crafting, and crocheting.
Denise likes to write Paranormal Fiction, genre of Historical Fantasy. She recently completed her first novel, Crossbows. She has a Masters of Arts in English and a Fine Arts/Creative Writing with concentration in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and a member of Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, and The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi, with SNHU.
She is a member of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) and the author of a new WordPress writing blog, The Write Voice, The Write Voice | The write voice at the write time, a blog that boasts, “Like multiple genres, there are many cultures – each with an individual voice.” Denise is a new addition to the WordCrafter Press authors.
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Excerpt from “Melina” by Kaye Lynne Booth
Excerpt from “She Shed Galleria” by C.R. Johansson
Excerpt from “House on the Plains” by Zack Ellafy
Excerpt from “Take Two” by Rebecca M. Senese
Excerpt from “A Visitor Comes to the Window” by Robert Kostanczuk
That wraps up today’s stop, and the whole tour. I hope you enjoyed meeting Denise and the excerpts from the other stories. Be sure to visit any stops you missed through the links in the schedule below for more chances to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost. I will announce the winners in next Monday’s “WordCrafter News” post, here on “Writing to be Read”
GiveawayA chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop. Just leave a comment to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.
Tour ScheduleMonday – October 16 – Opening Day –Isabele Grey (Interview & Reading) & Joseph Carrabis (Reading) – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 17 – M J Mallon (Reading) & Christa Planko (Interview & Guest Post)– Undawnted
Wednesday – October 18 – Chris Barili (Guest Post) & Paul Kane (Guest Post) – Patty’s Worlds
Thursday – October 19 – Julie Jones (Reading) & Keith Hoskins (Guest Post) – Robbie’s Inspiration
Friday – October 20 – Michaele Jordan (Reading) & Mario Acevedo (Guest Post) – Writing to be Read
Saturday – October 21 – Patty Fletcher (Guest Post) & DL Mullen (Guest Post & Video) – Roberta Writes
Sunday – October 22 – Sonia Pipkin (Guest Post) & Roberta Eaton Cheadle (Reading) – Kyrosmagica Publishing
Monday – October 23 – Closing Post –Denise Aparo (Reading) & excerpts from other stories – Writing to be Read
About Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
October 22, 2023
Day 7 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Roost” Book Blog Tour
Day 7 of the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour brings us to Marje Mallon’s Kyrosmagica blog with a guest post from Sonia Pipkin about her dark fairy tale, “Once Upon a Time”, and a reading from Roberta Eaton Cheadle from her story, “The Behemoth”. Click on the link to join us and comment to enter the giveaway for a free digital copy of Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories.
October 21, 2023
Day 6 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Roost” Book Blog Tour
For Day 6 of the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Roberta Writes with contributing authors Patty Fletcher and DL Mullan. They each share a guest post about their stories, “Casualties of War” and “Mangled” respectively, and I think they may have a couple surprises for you. Join us for the fun, and don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost.
Roberta Writes – Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour featuring Patty Fletcher and DL Mullan #MidnightRoost #Halloween #readingcommunity
October 20, 2023
Day 5 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Roost” Book Blog Tour
WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog TourWelcome to Day 5 of the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour. It’s been a great tour so far. We’ve met contributing authors Isabel Grey, M J Mallon, Christa Planko, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, Julie Jones, and Keith Hoskins. Each has shared their inspirations for their stories, or readings from them, or both. Check the schedule below to see who’s still coming up, or to go back and visit any stops you’ve missed for more chances to win one of three free digital copies of Midnight Roost.
Today we’ll be meeting contributing authors, Michaele Jordan and Mario Acevedo. Michaele shares a reading from her story, “Afterwards” and Mario talks about the inspiration behind his story, “Immediate Intervention”.
Tour ScheduleMonday – October 16 – Opening Day –Isabele Grey (Interview & Reading) & Joseph Carrabis (Reading) – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 17 – M J Mallon (Reading) & Christa Planko (Interview & Guest Post)– Undawnted
Wednesday – October 18 – Chris Barili (Guest Post) & Paul Kane (Guest Post) – Patty’s Worlds
Thursday – October 19 – Julie Jones (Reading) & Keith Hoskins (Guest Post) – Robbie’s Inspiration
Friday – October 20 – Michaele Jordan (Reading) & Mario Acevedo (Guest Post) – Writing to be Read
Saturday – October 21 – Patty Fletcher (Guest Post) & DL Mullen (Guest Post & Video) – Roberta Writes
Sunday – October 22 – Sonia Pipkin (Guest Post) & Roberta Eaton Cheadle (Reading) – Kyrosmagica Publishing
Monday – October 23 – Closing Post –Denise Aparo (Reading) & excerpts from other stories – Writing to be Read
GiveawayA chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop. Just leave a comment to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.
Meet Author Michaele JordanMichaele Jordan’s contribution came by invitation, and I was pleased to include her story, “Afterward” in Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories. Last year, I worked with Michaele with the Visions anthology and I’m tickled to be working with her again. Her story is a paranormal tale which speaks on the human psyche. I’ll let you judge for yourself with the reading below, but I hope you’ll enjoy her story just as much as I did.
Reading from “Afterwards”About Michaele Jordan
Michaele Jordan was born in LA, educated in New York, and lives in Cincinnati. She’s worked at a kennel, a Hebrew School and AT&T. Now she writes, supervised by a long-suffering husband and two domineering cats.
Her first novel, Blade Light, was serialized in Jim Baen’s Universe, followed by her occult thriller, Mirror Maze.
Her work has appeared in the “Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction,” “Abyss & Apex,” and “Buzzy Mag”. Horror fans will enjoy her ‘Blossom’ series, from The Crimson Pact series.
Her website, www.michaelejordan.com, is undergoing reconstruction, but just grab a hard hat, and come on in.
Michaele’s story, “Farewell, My Miko” is featured in the 2022 Visions anthology from WordCrafter Press.
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Meet Author Mario AcevedoI first came across Mario Acevedo back when I was the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner and I reviewed one of his graphic novels. Since then, he has served as a presenter and panelist at WordCrafter virtual writing events, and participated in the Ask the Authors 2022 writing reference anthology. He writes urban fantasy and speculative fiction, so I invited him to submit to this dark themed anthology, which turned out to be Midnight Roost. His story, “Immediate Intervention” is a futuristic science fiction tale which offers a quirky take on the regulation of population growth.
Excerpt from “Immediate Intervention”
Inspiration for “Immediate Intervention”NASA recently announced that a capsule from the Osiris-Rex spacecraft had landed in Utah. The capsule contained debris collected from the asteroid Bennu.
For us science-fiction nerds, the scenario is all too reminiscent of the plot from Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain. Our government assures us that precautions against contamination are in place. Which begs the question, precautions against what? If we don’t know what we protecting ourselves against, how would we know our protections are effective?
Certainly, there is much to be gained from an analysis of the asteroid’s material, but is it worth the risk? Why not study that extraterrestrial material in space?
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
It’s a saying that’s become more significant with our ever increasing technical and industrial capabilities. Several examples come to mind: The creation of the atomic bomb. Gain-of-function research. News articles that raise the hairs on the back of your neck, i.e., stories involving reanimating dead flesh. Gee, what could go wrong? It’s as if the scientists involved have ignored the warnings of every zombie movie ever filmed. Then comes a story about the Chinese growing human tissue inside pig uteruses. Hello, Island of Dr. Moreau calling.
When Kaye Booth asked me to contribute a story to this horror anthology, I had the perfect concept to explore “Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should,” as in human inception and gestation in artificial wombs, to incubate what are known as “bag babies.” The so-called benefits of this development include “freeing women from the tyranny of pregnancy,” allowing parents to customize the genes of their baby, and giving the government the opportunity to control demographics to enact state policies. With bag babies, the government can control population growth without the pesky need for humans getting it on. Two examples warning us about the dangers of industrial-scale human incubation came to mind: Brave New World, and The Matrix.
In my story I saw the opportunity to discuss several themes addressing bag babies. The first is that human development is very complicated and nuanced. We know about the importance of an emotional connection between a mother and the infant while in the womb. When the baby is born, its prefrontal cortex is undeveloped and the brain is a blank slate. As the baby matures, what becomes evident is the empathetic connection between the infant and mother, then infant and father, then infant and others. This connection depends on environmental influences upon the baby in the womb, things like the mother’s heartbeat, her warmth, her emotional state, the projection of good vibes from mother to child. Some of this may sound esoteric but we know that babies born in emotionally toxic environments will become emotionally toxic people.
How then to replicate a nurturing environment for the baby in an artificial womb? Certainly, a fetus incubator could replicate heart beats and use soothing stimuli to mimic a human host mother. But would that be enough? Wouldn’t such a loss of the child-mother bond bring the risk of babies not developing a sense of empathy?
What would be the fallout of that?
In my story, this lack of empathy results in an inability to establish meaningful emotional connections, which in turn would lead to isolation, a sense of chronic loneliness, then depression. And from that, a proclivity to suicide.
The other theme would be one of, who am I? What am I? Who are my real parents? The DNA donors? Or the mother—the incubator? Would there be a sense of spiritual estrangement, that rather than feel part of the human continuum stretching back through prehistory, you see yourself as a fleshy widget, a product of commerce, another cog in the government’s machinery?
This leads to the question, who do you belong to? Presently, as a child, you belong to your parents until the age of emancipation. What happens if the state has sole responsibility over you and you’re seen as a replaceable component of the system? If the state had the authority to conceive you, could they not have the sole authority to terminate you?
With this, the elements for a good horror story fell into place. That the mother who bore you is the same monster who will devour you.
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
About Mario AcevedoMario Acevedo is the author-artist of Cats In Quarantine: A Cartoon Memoir of the COVID-19 Pandemic. He is an award-winning cartoonist and artist who served as a soldier-artist for the US Army during Operation Desert Storm. Mario is the author of the national bestselling Felix Gomez detective-vampire series, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats and most recently Steampunk Banditos: Sex Slaves of Shark Island; the graphic novel from IDW, Killing the Cobra; and the YA humor thriller, University of Doom. He co-authored the Western novel, Luther, Wyoming. His work has won an International Latino Book Award, a Colorado Book Award, and has appeared in numerous anthologies to include Denver Noir; ¡El Porvenir, Ya!; Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the America;, A Fistful of Dinosaurs; Straight Outta Deadwood; Psi-Wars; and It Came From The Multiplex. Mario was a faculty member of the Regis University Mile-High MFA program and Lighthouse Writers Workshops.
Mario has also been a presenter and panel member for both the 2020 Stay in Place Virtual Writing Conference, and the 2021 New Beginnings Virtual Writing Conference. He is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022: Writing Reference Anthology from WordCrafter Press.
About Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
That’s it for today’s stop. I hope you enjoyed meeting contributing authors Michaele Jordan and Mario Acevedo and learning about their stories. You can use the links in the schedule above to go back and visit earlier stops on the tour, but the links for future stops won’t be live until their scheduled day. Don’t forget to comment to show your support for all of the talented authors that contributed to Midnight Roost, and get more chances to win the giveaway.
Join us tomorrow, on Roberta Writes, where Robbie Cheadle hosts contributing authors Patty Fletcher and DL Mullan, who share lots of interesting things about their stories, “Casualties of War” and “Mangled”, respectively.
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Writing to be Read
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