Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 61

Book Review: Silver Spells

About the Book

A paranormal women’s fiction (PWF) that’ll have you walking on air! 

Luella Campbell is having the weirdest day ever. Getting fired from her job at the sunscreen factory for no good reason is bad enough, but when a mysterious dog brings a tempest into her former workplace, Luella’s life is completely upended by the sudden gift of wild and windy magical powers. 

With the help of her ride-or-die best friends, her motorcycle-riding mother, and a romantic blast from the past, Luella must find a way to make ends meet while unlocking the mysteries of her newfound magic…and the secrets hidden in the picturesque town of Sparkle Beach.

Sometimes, an empty nest means it’s your turn to fly.

Purchase Links:

Amazon/Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Spells-Paranormal-Fiction-Elementals/dp/B08YZ7339C

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/silver-spells-by-kate-moseman

My Review

I listened to the audio book, Silver Spells, by Kate Moseman and narrated by Xe Sands. The soft, pleasant lilt of Sands’ voice made this story easy listening, and the characters weren’t too varied, but remained distinguishable. Moseman’s tale is well crafted. Although some events may seem to occur a bit too conviently, in the end, everything falls into place nicely.

After many years of loyal service to Sun Tan Queen, Luella Campbell is fired with no reason, she dumps her boyfriend, and her life is changing in some really big ways. Among the normal changes, like a new place to live, new friends and a new boyfriend are some a little less normal, like flying dogs which are invisible to all but a select few, the acquisition of a new pair of wings, and friends who develop mysterious powers… Her world has been turned upside down. Why these things are happening, she doesn’t know, but she’s determined to get to the bottom of it.

A fun and entertaining read. I give Silver Spells 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.

WordCrafter Press’ Spring Writer’s Sale

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LnK8e

Eleven authors share writing tips and advice on writing, publishing and marketing.

Visit the Ask the Authors 2022 page here to learn more about this ultimate writing reference anthology.

Writer’s Corner: Accessibility = More Readers

Did you know that there is a large audience of readers, which many authors are overlooking with their books? It’s true. Visually impaired and those with other disabilities are limited in the availability of reading materials which they can access, and authors are limiting themselves if they exclude this vast potential audience.

As a publisher, I have worked with several print disabled authors, who have helped to educate me on the why making my content accessible is important and how to better reach the members of this very large community of potential readers. Patty Fletcher is a visually impaired author who works hard to make her blog content and books accessible to the visually impaired community of readers, and she advocates to educate her fellow authors on this important subject. She points out that the size of this potential audience is immense, “with millions of impaired or disabled readers, who would read if they could access the content.” (Patty Fletcher, email March 24, 2023).

As an author, I want to get my books in front of as many potential readers as possible. That’s why I publish wide and offer my works in as many different formats that I can. But here, right under my nose, is this huge group of potential readers that I was overlooking. And I know that many of my fellow authors do, too. As authors, it makes good sense to be concious of this large group of potential readers, and do what we can to make our own online content and books accessible to them. What a great way to extend your author reach and grow your reader platform.

In order to reach out to this audience of potential readers, we must have some understanding of what visual impairment and other types of print disabilities are like and how they affect the lives of those who must deal with these issues every day. Ann Chiapetta is visually impaired due to retinal disease, which she acquired later in life. In her article, “The Print Barrier“, she talks about how she has adapted to her visual impairment, and how it has changed the way others percieve her, and the frustration of trying to work with people who just don’t get it. Being visually impaired doesn’t mean no longer “doing”, but it does mean adapting so that “doing” is possible.

My grandmother was blind from diabetes, so her disability also came to her later in life. I’m told that when I was born, she could see me as a shadow, but whether she could see me or not, she helped to raise me. She took care of me during the day when I was little, while my mother, who was a single parent, was at work. When I started school, she was who got me off each day. I wore a side-ponytail long before it came into fashion because my grandmother was who fixed my hair. Some of the kids teased me about it, but I always thought it made me special and unique. I’ve never been one to do what everyone else is doing. My grandfather was a doctor, so my grandmother ran the household. She could move through the house alone, with the aide of a cane; she cooked by feel, and she got her entertainment from television, radio, and talking books. I often wonder what she would think of the internet and modern adaptive technology.

Patty Fletcher uses a screen reader, as do many visually impaired and print disabled individuals, as a means to access online content. Technology that wasn’t thought of or needed in my grandmother’s day. Patty recommends “The Importance of Alt Text for Screen Reader Users: A Guide to Best Practices and Accessibility by Virtual Tech Advisor and Research Assistant Casey Mathews” for a good place to go for understanding what the technology is and what it does, and how you can make your content more accessible for people using screen readers by adding alternative text to your images.

This is not a difficult thing to do, but it does take time. This is a work in progress for me here on Writing to be Read, because the site is very image heavy, but the recent release of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions had alternate text added to all of the images in that book. It was the first WordCrafter Press book to have alt text, and I was pleased to accomplish the feat. I feel strongly that it was worth the time it took, to not exclude those who access content differently from the way that I access it, visually.

While your book and your site should be accessible to all, including those with disabilities, it can’t stop there. We live in a world where much of our communications with the world, including advertising and promoting your brand and your book, is done through social media. If a potential reader can’t access the promotion to receive your message, they won’t be a potential reader for long. Patty Fletcher’s “Life of a Blind Girl: Your A-Z Guide to socail media accessibility“, touches all the important points on accessiblity. This article lays out ways to make content accesible that every author should be thinking about, and areas where we can do this that might be overlooked if you are not aware of readers or potential readers with disabilities. I’ve been focused on creating proper headings and adding alt text to my images. After reading Patty’s article, it seems my next step will be learning how to add captions to videos, so that I can reach hearing impared individuals.

It’s a lot to learn and can’t all be done overnight. My site is a work in progress on this front, but I’ll keep at it, because I believe it is important to make muy content accessible to all. I will also continue to work on making my books and social media content more accessible as I go. If you would like to learn more about making online content accessible to visually impaired and print disabled individuals, beyond the aboove articles, Content for Everyone, by Jeff Adams and Michele Lucchini, is a good book of reference. They discuss not only why accessible content is necessary, but ways that you can make your content more accessible for many types of visual disabilities. You can read my “Review in Practice” for this book here.

It’s a large potential audience, which could turn into readers of your work. How far will you gom to make sure they can all access your content?

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About Kaye Lynne Booth

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. 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.

Book Review: Slings & Arrows and Gone

About Slings & Arrows

Nobody expects to lose a child but when it happens what can we do? In the sea of grief that seizes the soul how can we swim against the tide? But when that loss is compounded in each minute of every day, what do we do then?

Slings and Arrows is a story about the consequences of a moment, a moment, which separates a mother and daughter in ways impossible to imagine.

It charts their parallel lives, each suffering, one knowing, one not.

It is brutally honest; an account filled with bewilderment, guilt, anger and pain yet it also holds the key to hope. That whatever happens, the bonds of love can never be broken.

My Review: Slings & Arrows

Having lost a child of my own, it is not surprising that Slings & Arrows, by Julie Elizabeth Powell drew my interest. I have to say that I was not disappointed. The details of the loss of my son are very different from Ms. Powell’s loss of her daughter, but she offers up her story in a straight forward manner, with a brutal honesty which couldn’t help but touch my heart. Tears filled my eyes as I read Powell’s words time and again, as she is torn by conflicting emotions as she awaited her daughter’s body following a spirit which it appeared had departed.

Slings & Arrows is a brutally honest depiction of the stress, confusion, loss and grief which comes with watching a loved one slowly waste away long after their ‘life’ has ended. Kudos to Powell for baring her soul so openly in this tale of a loss that lingered on for years, consuming everything she has to give, and taking all that she has left. A tragic tale which hits close to home for me. I give Slings & Arrows five quills.

About Gone

Is Charley crazy, delusional or dead?

Follow her amazing, emotional journey and emerge into the battle with her nemesis – herself.

This inspirational fantasy will take you into realms otherwise unknown, turning your world upside down while you’ll be wondering what is real and what is not. It’s an adventure, a mystery and an imaginative fairytale for adults.

Gone was a story motivated by a true event.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Julie-Elizabeth-Powell-ebook/dp/B005MAAE0Y

My Review: Gone

Gone, by Julie Elizabeth Powell, is a journey searching for answers to the unanswerable question of where we go when we are gone from here. Powell offers one possible scenario in a crazy world where her character, Charley, meets Jenny, the daughter that she lost and hopes she has the answers Charley has been looking for. To learn whether or not Jenny has those answers, you’ll have to tag along and visit this sometimes confusing, often surprising place and find out for yourself.

Having read Powell’s first book, Slings & Arrows, which is a heart-wrenching memoir where she bares her sole over the loss of her daughter and the time leading up to her death, when she was alive and suffering, it is difficult not to relate to the experiences in this fictional tale, as a way to find answers for Powell herself. Where we go when we’re gone from here is an age-old question, one we will all have to face, but Powell goes beyind that, in trying to answer “Why?” I hope Powell found at least some of the answers she was looking for in the writing. I think the answers are different for everyone, but it was fun to take the journey. I give Gone four 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.

Celebrating Poetry – 2ReviewTues

A wonderful review for WordCrafter Press’ “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” and also for “Liz Gauffraeu’s Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance”. Do drop in and check them out.

No Facilities

April is poetry month, and between following poets who have been participating in NaPoWriMo, as well as the poets who show up in my normal blog feed, I’ve read a lot of poetry this month. In addition, I was thrilled to read two books of poetry this month. It’s great timing because I wanted to review two books of poetry for this monthly feature. I say monthly, now that I’ve managed to complete three months in a row. OK, enough about me, let’s get to the books.

Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance – Elizabeth Gauffreau

When I first saw the title of this wonderful book, I was hesitant. Grief is an individual thing. I wasn’t sure it was something I could read about without feeling like I was intruding. I also wasn’t sure if Liz’s grief was compatible with mine. Selfish? Indeed, grief is personal—isn’t it?

Then I…

View original post 735 more words

Dark Origins – The creepy true story behind Alice in Wonderland #DarkOrigins #AliceinWonderland

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite childhood books. I love it so much, I have seven different copies, one of which is vintage.

The book, Alice in Wonderland, starts with a young girl, Alice, sitting on a bank and watching her sister read a boring book with no pictures or conversations. Seeing a white rabbit passing by, she follows it down a rabbit hole. The rabbit walks and talks and has a pocket watch. Alice falls down and down the rabbit hole, all the while having an interesting conversation with herself, and ends up in a large entrance hall. There is a small door beyond which is a beautiful world, but Alice is to big to pass through it. She experiments with eating and drinking various items until she is finally small enough to gain entry to Wonderland.

Wonderland is a strange and mysterious world filled with unusual creatures and people. It is summed up by this quote: “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would.”

You can obtain a free copy of Alice in Wonderland from Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11

Picture credit: A smartly dressed and standing White Rabbit checking his pocket watch from the Project Gutenberg e-book, The Tenniel Illustrations for Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, available here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/114/114-h/114-h.htmAbout the author

Lewis Carroll was a pseudonym for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who was born in England in 1832. At the age of 18, Dodgson left home to attend Oxford University, where he studied and worked for the next 20 years. He was a student and then a professor and a mathematician.

Dodgson created the Lewis Carroll pseudonym while he was at Oxford, in order to write children’s books that would not be connected to his academic career. He was well known for developing close friendships with children but very few relationships with adults. He befriended the children of his colleagues and acquaintances and spent a lot of time with them, even writing them letters.

“Extra thanks and kisses for the lock of hair,” he wrote to a 10-year-old girl. “I have kissed it several times — for want of having you to kiss, you know, even hair is better than nothing.”

When Henry George Liddell became the Dean of Christ Church at Oxford, Dodgson became friends with his three young daughters: Lorina, Edith and Alice.

The story, Alice in Wonderland, came into existence in 1862 when Dodgson and a colleague took the three girls out on a picnic and rowing trip along the Thames. In order to keep the trio entertained, Dodgson started telling the story that would become Alice in Wonderland which was published in 1865.

Picture credit: A picture of Edith, Ina and Alice Liddell on a Sofa from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/306206

Dodgson was also a keen photographer and it is known that he took photos of nude and semi-nude children – including a full-frontal nude shot of Alice’s sister Lorina.

Dodgson wrote:

“I confess I do not admire naked boys in pictures. They always seem to me to need clothes: whereas one hardly sees why the lovely forms of girls should ever be coverd [sic] up!”

In 1863, Dodgson’s friendship with the Liddell family came to a sudden end and he never again spent time alone with their daughters.

There’s no record of why Dodgson’s relationship with the family ended, but there is a theory that he proposed marriage to Alice. This wasn’t that unusual in the mid 1800s as the age of consent was 12 years old and some men did marry young girls.

Before even examining the deeper meaning and themes of Alice in Wonderland, its author and the creation of this story are cast in rather a creepy light.

Deeper meaning and themes of Alice in WonderlandThe Tragic and Inevitable Loss of Childhood Innocence

The theme of growing up is central to Alice in Wonderland. The author is credited with enjoying the innocence with which children approach the world. The multitude of physically changes Alice goes through in Wonderland are believed to be symbolic of puberty and the many changes that take place during that period of a person’s life.

Alice finds these changes disturbing and traumatic and she struggles to find a comfortable size, reverting eventually to her original size.

Relevant quotes:

“I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night. Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!”

“It was much pleasanter at home,” thought poor Alice, “when one wasn’t always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down the rabbit-hole–and yet–and yet–…”

“I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed a few times since then.”

Alice is also confused about who she is and her role in the world around her, namely, Wonderland.

“It’ll be no use their putting their heads down and saying “Come up again, dear!” I shall only look up and say “Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I’ll come up: if not, I’ll stay down here till I’m somebody else”–but, oh dear!’ cried Alice, with a sudden burst of tears, ‘I do wish they WOULD put their heads down! I am so VERY tired of being all alone here!”

Life as a Meaningless Puzzle

As Alice travels through Wonderland, she encounters a series of situations and circumstances which she cannot make sense of and which have no clear solutions. This is symbolism for how life throws frustrating curveballs and problems that cannot be solved or unraveled in the expected way. Often, lateral thinking is required to circumvent issues and, sometimes, problems have no solution in life.

Relevant quotes:

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.”

“Mad Hatter: Would you like a little more tea?
Alice: Well, I haven’t had any yet, so I can’t very well take more.
March Hare: Ah, you mean you can’t very well take less.
Mad Hatter: Yes. You can always take more than nothing.”

“The March Hare took the watch and looked at it gloomily: then he dipped it into his cup of tea, and looked at it again: but he could think of nothing better to say than his first remark, ‘It was the best butter, you know.’ Alice had been looking over his shoulder with some curiosity. ‘What a funny watch!’ she remarked. ‘It tells the day of the month, and doesn’t tell what o’clock it is!’ ‘Why should it?’ muttered the Hatter. ‘Does your watch tell you what year it is?’ ‘Of course not,’ Alice replied very readily: ‘but that’s because it stays the same year for such a long time together.’ ‘Which is just the case with mine,’ said the Hatter. Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter’s remark seemed to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English. ‘I don’t quite understand you,’ she said, as politely as she could. ‘The Dormouse is asleep again,’ said the Hatter, and he poured a little hot tea upon its nose. The Dormouse shook its head impatiently, and said, without opening its eyes, ‘Of course, of course; just what I was going to remark myself.’ ‘Have you guessed the riddle yet?’ the Hatter said, turning to Alice again. ‘No, I give it up,’ Alice replied: ‘what’s the answer?’ ‘I haven’t the slightest idea,’ said the Hatter. ‘Nor I,’ said the March Hare. Alice sighed wearily. ‘I think you might do something better with the time,’ she said, ‘than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers.’ ‘If you knew Time as well as I do,’ said the Hatter, ‘you wouldn’t talk about wasting it.”

Picture credit: Mad Hatter tea party from the Project Gutenberg e-book, The Tenniel Illustrations for Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, available here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/114/114-h/114-h.htmDeath as a Constant and Underlying Menace

Over and over again, Alice finds herself in dangerous situations that suggest that death is lurking just around the corner. Although death never manifests in the book, the reader senses it and so does Alice. At the end of the book she comes to realise that despite the ridiculous circumstances in Wonderland, death could be a very real outcome and that is when she wakes up and the reader comes to understand the entire book is a dream.

Relevant quotes:

“Well!” thought Alice to herself. “After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down-stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn’t say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!” (Which was very likely true.)”

“The executioner’s argument was that you couldn’t cut of something’s head unless there was a trunk to sever it from. He’d never done anything like that in his time of life, and wasn’t going to start now.

The King’s argument was that anything that had a head, could be beheaded, and you weren’t to talk nonsense.

The Queen’s argument was that if something wasn’t done about it in less than no time, she’d have everyone beheaded all round.

It was this last argument that had everyone looking so nervous and uncomfortable.”

Characterisation

Alice meets a plethora of characters that have become well known. It is believed that many of these characters, including Alice herself, suffer from mental health disorders. This is a list of some of the most famous characters with a description from Spark Notes (https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/alice/characters/)

The White Rabbit – “The frantic, harried Wonderland creature that originally leads Alice to Wonderland. The White Rabbit is figure of some importance, but he is manic, timid, and occasionally aggressive.” The White Rabbit suffers from an anxiety disorder and is in a constant state of panic.

The Queen of Hearts – “The ruler of Wonderland. The Queen is severe and domineering, continually screaming for her subjects to be beheaded.” The Queen of Hearts is completely self absorbed and has a narcissistic personality disorder.

The Cheshire Cat – “A perpetually grinning cat who appears and disappears at will. The Cheshire Cat displays a detached, clearheaded logic and explains Wonderland’s madness to Alice.” The Cheshire Cat is schizophrenic.

The Caterpillar – “A Wonderland creature. The Caterpillar sits on a mushroom, smokes a hookah, and treats Alice with contempt. He directs Alice to the magic mushroom that allows her to shrink and grow.” The Caterpillar is a drug addict who smokes a hookah and gives Alice a mushroom with mind and body-altering capabilities.

Picture credit: Illustration of the caterpillar sitting on a mushroom smoking a hookah with Alice looking up at him with wide eyes from the original editions in 1865 (left) illustrated by John Tenniel

The Mad Hatter – “A small, impolite hatter who lives in perpetual tea-time. The Mad Hatter enjoys frustrating Alice.” The hatter is simply mad.

Have you read Alice in Wonderland? Did you spot these underlying themes and meanings?

WordCrafter News: Announcing Giveaway Winners, Approaching Deadline, and Preparations for Small Wonders

Poetry Treasures Giveaway Winners GiveAway Winners

We’ve just had a great book blog tour to send off Poetry Treasures 3: Passions and this is where we announce the winners for the Giveaway for that tour. I always love doing this post and then notifying the winners individually, because I get to make somone’s day with this announcement. Hopefully three someones.

I want to thank everyone who followed the tour or just dropped in to a stop or two, and of course my wonderful hosts. The hosts for this tour were Patty Fletcher and Patty’s Worlds, Miriam Hurdle and The Showers of Blessings, Carla Johnson-Hicks and Carla Loves to Read, Robbie Cheadle and Robbie’s Inspiration, and of course, Writing to be Read. And before I tell you who will be the recipients of the three digital copies of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, I also want to give a big shout out to all of the contributing authors for this anthology, who all were great about doing their parts and helping to make the tour as fabulous as it was, with their audio/video poetry readings and guest posts. Every author participated and we couldn’t have had such a great tour without them.

And now, without further ado…

(Drumroll please)

The winners are…

Gwen M. Plano, John W. Howell, and Jacqui Murray!

Congratulations to all of you and thanks so much for following the tour. Please contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com, so I can send you a link for your digital copies of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions. I look forward to hearing from each of you.

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

 Passions treasures within.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, , Smitha Vishwaneth,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

You can get your copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions from your favorite book distributor through Books2Read:

https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

The Clock is Ticking

Just a quick reminder. The submission deadline for the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is April 30. So, if you haven’t turned in your scary story submission yet, you need to do it soon. Come on. Scare me. I dare you.

You can find full submission giudelines and submission instructions here: https://wp.me/pVw40-6VU

Assembling a Poetry Collection

I have been busy compiling my poetry collection, Small Wonders for a June release. I have a lifetime of poetry to go through, so this has been no small task. Never-the-less, I look on it as a bit of a breather from all the heavy promoting I’ve done so far this year for Delilah, and then for Poetry Treasures 3. May is the first month this year that I haven’t been actively promoting a book, so it gives me a chance to shift gears as I make the final preparations for the release of this collection, and move in to the final stretch on the writing of The Rock Star & The Outlaw. But let’s finish up the poetry first before I move back onto fiction.

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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. 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.

CFFC: Farm Animals & Weathered Wood #photography #FarmAnimals

Smiling Horse – Photo by Kaye Lynne BoothFarm Animals

Last week, I did my first CFFC photo challenge, and it was so much fun, I had to give it another go. I’m doing a double challenge again this week. Thanks to Cee for posting such intriguing caategories. Most of my photos are of wild animals. The only farm animals photos I have are of horses. So, the first three are of horses.

Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth Photo by Kaye Lynne BoothWeathered Wood

The other challenge category was Weathered Wood, and it just so happens I’m a big fan of old buildings.

Old Cabin, Turrett, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth Old Schoolhouse, Turrett, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth Old Cabin in disrepair, Turrett, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth Stairs in an old ore mill, Bonanza, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Booth Miner’s Cabin, Gold Camp, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth Cabin built from old water tower used to water the trains, Monarch, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth

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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; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. 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.

Final Stop on the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour

This is the final stop in the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 3: Passions Book Blog Tour. We’ve had a fantastic tour, with opportunities to hear from almost every contributor to the anthology. Every stop featured at two poets, sharing their works, which offers a nice taste of what you can expect in the anthology.

We’re also running a great giveaway for three digital copies of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions. You can find a schedule with links to each stop at the end of this post, if you missed a stop, so be sure to visit each one and leave a comment for additional entries in the giveaway.

Giveaway

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

Today’s Stop

On this tour stop we’ll hear poetry readings by two of the contributing authors to the anthology, Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, Judy Mastrangelo and Yvette Prior.

Meet Judy Mastrangelo

Judy Mastrangelo is a talented artist and poet, who has published several illustrated children’s books and two decks of Oracle cards. I first met her when I reviewed both her book, , and her Oracle cards, and I recently reviewed her Oracle cards, as well. Her illustrations are always bright and colorful. She does absolutely amazing nature and fantasy paintings. And in Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, she demonstrates her poetic talents, which are equally amazing.

Judy Mastrangelo has written and illustrated several books, which include themes of Poetry, Fairytales, and Fairies. She follows in the tradition of “The Art of the Golden Age of Illustration”. Some of her titles include: a series of four Fairy books: “Portal to the Land of Fae” which include Flower Fairies, Fairy Tale Fairies, Secrets of the Fairies, and Mystical Fairies. Additional books include “What Do Bunnies Do All Day?”, “Enchanted Fairy Tales”, which she illustrated and adapted, “The Star”, illustrating the poem Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and her new fairy tale “The Magic Blanket”. Besides creating books, her artwork has been used in several Inspirational Oracle Card Decks, as well as some that she has also written herself. She licenses her artwork for many products, including Art Prints and Wall Murals. Judy has taught Creative Drama and Dance as well as Painting, to Children and Adults, and has directed her own Community Theater for all ages. As part of her work, she enjoys encouraging people to develop their own Imagination and Artistic Talents.

You can visit her at www.judymastrangelo.com

“Gaia’s Love”, by Judy Mastrangelo

Gaia’s Love

Gaia’s Love permeates throughout.

Her deep passion for every water droplet, leaf, flower, 

butterfly, frog, and snail, can be seen and felt.

Breath deeply of the Air surrounding her.

She appears out of Purple Sunset, Sunrise Clouds.

She can be seen reflected in ripping waters, 

rising from her earthly hills and mountains,

as graceful leaves, rainbows,  

and flowers bedeck her.

Meet Yvette Prior

Yvette Prior is another poet whose work was new to me before being introduced on “Treasuring Poetry”, but I quickly saw what a talented poet she is. She took a different approach to the poetry reading than the others and got creative with it. Instead of reading a single poem, she’s reading samples of each of her poems featured in Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, and made a beautiful video to go with it.

Yvette Prior lives on the East Coast of the United States with her spouse, Chris, and together they have three adult children, two grandchildren, and no pets (after having many dogs over the years).

Yvette enjoys working with people and her varied work background includes education, social work, hospitality management, and lots of outreach. Her passion area is studying about health and wellness and after earning a Ph.D. in I-O Psychology, she poured into waiting book projects and she has not stopped writing since.

Her goal as a writer is to educate, edify, and encourage readers. Her personal blog can be found at priorhouse.wordpress.com

About Yvette & Her Poetry

My name is Yvette Prior and I am excited to be a part of the 2023 Treasuring Poetry series, which features the theme of passions for this third volume. 

The four poems I submitted for this anthology were created during a very special time in my life – a time of setback in one area and then a time of joyous celebration with a marriage anniversary milestone. I think the energy – from persevering and celebrating – can be felt in each poem.

The first poem, “Dancing with Angst”, explores how setback (and life’s angst) can be embraced (danced with) to cultivate growth and humility. When we yield, it can lead to stability. “Angst is more than only woe. Even though – we are glad to see it go – it can magnify joy, changement to stir up appreciation; you cannot fully know, how dancing with angst helps growth, until you have been cut down, pounded out, unwound.”

The “Quiet Fuel of Passion” poem reminds us that humans are guided by values, which “are always screaming, beneath the scenes, often quiet, and unheard.” This poem is a call for self awareness about what you might be striving for and to make sure it is meaning laden. 

The third poem, “We are a Bird, said He” unfolded after a February date night and then led to a fun part of an anniversary celebration; my husband and I celebrated our decades-long union by using metaphor and real-life examples from birds. 

Lastly, the “Poetic Sleep” poem unfolded after a night of restlessness, where rhymes were churning in my mind. In the morning, all ideas were gone and this poem is meant to connect with other writers who have sometimes had the flood of ideas come – to then wake and see it all go. 

I highly encourage you to get a copy of the Treasuring Poetry 3: Passions anthology, because the diverse and eloquently written poems offer enrichment and delight.

Poetry Excerpts by Yvette PriorTour Schedule

Mon. 4/17 – Opening Day – Readings by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer & Smitha Vishwanath – Writing to be Read

Tues. 4/18 – Guest Post from Colleen Chesebro & Reading by Robbie Cheadle of poem by Chris Hall – Patty’s World

Wed. 4/19 – Readings by D. Wallace Peach & Abbie Taylor – The Many Showers of Blessing

Thurs. 4/20 –Reading by Willow Willers & a Guest Post by Patty Fletcher/Review – Carla Loves to Read

Fri. 4/21 – Readings by Penny Wilson & Yvette Calliero – Robbie’s Inspiration

Sat. 4/22 – Closing Post – Readings by Yvette Prior & Judy Mastrangelo – Writing to be Read

Wrap Up

That wrap things up for both this post and for the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 3: Passions Book Blog Tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed this stop, and if you’ve missed any stops, you can drop in via the links in the schedule above. Remember, commenting at each stop earns you more entries in the giveaway. Thanks for following along and joining in on the fun. And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Poetry Treasures 3 Passions today!

About PoetryTreasures 3: Passions

 Passions treasures within.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, , Smitha Vishwaneth,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Purchase your copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions from your favorite book distributor through Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

___________________________________

Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

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

Hey! We’re over at Robbie’s Inspiration today for the fifth day of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour. Robbie Cheadle is introducing poetry readings from contribuint authors, Penny Wilson and Yvette Calleiro. Stop by and leave a comment for a chance to receive a free digital copy of the anthology. Please join us.

Robbie's inspiration

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

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

Meet Yvette M. Calleiro

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

When she’s living among real people, she is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching…

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