Harmony Kent's Blog, page 127

Monday Musings Part Eighteen: Life before Death

 

Life before Death

 

If you’ve read my previous musings, you will have seen that I spent far too many years in a dead zone. I got so busy worrying about coping in general, and judging myself as unworthy, that I forgot to live … even forgot what it felt like to be truly alive. Until, in the end, I didn’t realise that I had anything missing.

Ironically, not until I had achieved all my goals (owned my house, had a partner I loved, and enjoyed my job immensely) did I notice the great gaping hole in my day-to-day existence.

While full of material things, my life lacked something essential: fulfilment.

Without that fulfilment, I would never find contentment. Nor real peace.

Today, as hard as the ensuing thirteen years proved, I feel so inexpressively grateful for that small inner voice that persisted in nagging me. If not for that, I would never have made the changes that I so desperately needed to make.

Listen to your small inner voice; it’s who you truly are.

The problem lay not with externals, but within me.

If not for that inner prompting, it’s likely that I would have met death without ever having lived.

As with last week’s Monday Musing, we mustn’t feel too afraid of making mistakes to live our lives. In the same vein, we don’t want to dwell in the past or wonder about all the ‘what ifs’ that the future holds. Too much of that and we miss what we have right now.

Mindfulness is simply about seeing what we have right here, right now, in this moment. It’s about noticing the myriad of small things that make our lives whole. And about catching the stories we tell ourselves. Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way right in the present moment.

Don’t just look, observe.

Don’t just swallow, taste.

Don’t just think, feel …

question … explore.

Don’t just exist, live.

The other day, a gorgeous view struck me afresh and I commented upon it. My companion chuckled and said, ‘You noticed that same view the other day.’

To which, I replied, ‘I’m allowed to notice it again, aren’t I?’

In fact, noticing it again and again is essential to a full and content life. It is when we take things for granted and stop seeing them that we feel a lack or that we don’t have enough.

The easiest way to notice as much as possible is to live each moment of your life as though it were the last moment of your life. Or the first.

In the wise words of Zen:

‘The real question is not whether life exists after death. The real question is whether you are alive before death.’

If you’ve missed my previous Monday Musings, you can find the links here: http://www.harmonykent.co.uk/category/monday-musings/ 

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#RRBC Pay It Forward Week: Jan Sikes!

 

It gives me great pleasure today to Pay it Forward for Jan Sikes! Her book, Home at Last, was Rave Reviews Book Club Book of the Month recently!

All of Jan’s books can be found on her Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Sikes/e/B00CS9K8DK

And what a list of books she has:

Flowers and Stone

The Convict and the Rose

Home at Last

‘Til Death do us Part

You can find Jan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rijanjks

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikes

and on her website: http://www.jansikes.com and http://www.rijanjks.wordpress.com

Jan’s blog is all about words, in both writing and music, and she shows so much support to her fellow authors. Well, today is Jan’s day!

Recently, Jan appeared on Goodmorning Texas, WFAA Channel 8!! Way to go, Jan! Not only that, but she also won first place in 2016 with the Texas Association of Authors for Biography Fiction!

If you haven’t yet come across Rave Reviews Book Club and its many awesome members, you can find out more HERE! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and helping me Pay it Forward to Jan

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Monday Musings Part Seventeen: Own It

 

Own It

 

Last week we looked at knowing what’s yours. Today, I’d like to talk about owning what’s yours. More specifically, facing up to the things you’d rather bury in a deep, dark hole.

We all make mistakes. That’s part of the human condition. Our poor choices don’t define us, but how we correct them. Whether we own up or deny any wrongs we commit.

To make bad decisions is par for the course, but to blame others for those choices is nothing but immature. And to heap guilt onto fallibility is nothing but sheer folly. We don’t need to judge, but just to see.

When we own a mistake, we achieve something far greater than when we attempt to fake perfection.

 In the words of John C Maxwell, ‘A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.’

In the same way that failure can be a stepping stone to success, we don’t need to carry our mistakes around with us. Instead, we can place them under our feet and use them as stepping stones. Better to do that than to cudgel ourselves over the head with it. And remember, life doesn’t come with an instruction book. Most of us make it up as we go along.

Just as we don’t want to hold onto past mistakes, we also need to let go of past successes.

Yes, I did just say that.

Let me explain. Just because something worked then doesn’t mean it will always work. Life and living beings constantly evolve, change, and grow. To hold onto anything, good or bad, is self-limiting. To insist on something that served you in the past is to carry the raft on your back after you’ve crossed the river. In doing so, you turn a success into a failure.

The law of Karma can be seen from a fear-based perspective or a love-based one. The fear-based version tells you that you reap what you sow, and what goes around comes around. The love-based one sees consequence as a gift that brings lessons for your soul’s growth.

If we live in fear of making mistakes, we will never grow. If we hide from mistakes made, we will never flourish.

In the wise words of Zen:

 

‘You can learn a lot from mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.’

If you’ve missed my previous Monday Musings, you can find the links here: http://www.harmonykent.co.uk/category/monday-musings/ 

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Barrier

 

Hello everyone. Welcome to my place today. It gives me great pleasure to host author D C Renfroe and her Romance Thriller, Barrier. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. To find her other tour stops and for more chances to win, please click on the banner above.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

When Claire Luna is kidnapped and taken to a remote island, her predictable life is torn to shreds. She thought she understood grief, loss and loneliness. But nothing prepared her for the island.

Tucker Knight had his world turned upside down when he was a young teen. He’d known love, security and normality. But things changed, and somehow he lost his innocence along the way.

Barrier takes you on a compelling, thrilling and sometimes brutal journey of Claire and Tucker, who in a bid to control their destiny, must learn about trust and submission. And also about love.

The island is under the control of Dr. Stephen Bell, a scientist obsessed with the secrets of humanity through genetic engineering. Claire is part of his obsession, and quickly comprehends Bell’s twisted intentions. She is forced to decide between submission and life-altering consequences. In her desperate attempt to survive, Claire surprises Bell and Tucker with her strength to fight.

But, can she trust Tucker? Is he her enemy or her savior? Claire understands that to surrender means to survive, but can she endure? Tucker can’t help but be enamored by the spirited and determined Claire, but to survive, he must face and overcome his haunting past. Up until Claire’s arrival on the island, he had never thought himself capable, or deserving, but perhaps this was his chance to finally do the right thing.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I began writing many years ago and put it aside to raise a family. I put myself through college working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication, which I have almost completed. I took every writing class that was offered and finally put pen to paper after dreaming of completing a novel for almost twenty years. In the meantime, I worked as a freelance journalist for a local newspaper briefly and wrote a personal blog while living in south Florida. I currently work as an Instructional Designer based in Austin, Texas. I am a mother of four and truly believe they are my greatest creation! Two of my children inherited my love of writing and I encourage them to write every chance they get!

 

Barrier releases on October 10th 2016.

 

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Emma G Loves Boyz

Hi everyone! It gives me great pleasure to host Taro Meyer today with her YA novel, Emma G Loves Boyz. Taro will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. To see her other tour stops and for more chances to win, please click on the banner above, which will take you to her Goddess Fish tour page

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Emma G. is CRAZY about Aaron, lead singer of Boyz3000. Of course, she doesn’t actually know him, but so what? Feelings are feelings. That is until Josh appears… and he’s soooooo CUTE. Navigating her two crushes and her middle school life, especially with eighth-grade hater Renee around, is a challenge. And oh yeah, she’s got to earn money for an AWESOME trip to the Bahamas to see the band of her dreams. Hello???? How much can one thirteen-year-old take???

Excerpt:

“You know that thousands of girls like Aaron,” she said. “Right?”

“So??”

“So it’s statistically almost impossible that a pop star boy will date a fan.”

I should have known she’d say something like that. I wanted to say, “Okay, just forget it.” But instead I said, “Whatever! I mean I just love his singing and his writing. That’s all.”

But that’s not all. How do you change what you feel just because some stupid statistics say you don’t have a chance? An article in Tigerbeat said Aaron had dated a girl from his high school for three months! And she wasn’t a star! So who knows what can happen? When you feel something, you have to believe! Your feelings are totally crucial to your life! When I look at Aaron’s face I get those stomach flutters! And feelings CANNOT BE IGNORED.

I started thinking about stomach flutters instead of the essay and wondering why they happen with just one particular boy. Why can one boy make your stomach go CRAZY????

I called my cousin Elyse to ask what she thought because she’s older and experienced.

“No one really knows,” she said. “That feeling just hits you. But you want to make sure that the boy you like, likes you back.”

“How can you tell?”

“Well,” she said after thinking for a minute, “sometimes boys don’t want you to know they like you. So they look at you like they are trying to look like they aren’t looking at you or liking you, but really, they are.

About the author:

Taro Meyer is a Grammy, Parents’ Choice, and Audie Award winning Audio Producer who has been producing and directing YA audiobooks for over 20 years, including The Princess Diaries Series starring Anne Hathaway, the All American Girl Series starring Ari Meyers, The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisngr) and Judy Blume’s The Pain and the Great One, Here’s to You Rachel Robinson and Tiger Eyes among others.

She co-produced two touring companies of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s smash rock show Christmas Eve and Other Stories and their TV special The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, receiving Gold and Platinum Albums for her work with the team. She was associate producer of the award winning anti-bullying movie, “The Contest,” and co-produced the premier showcase of off-Broadway’s Little Willie. 

As an actress and singer, she starred on Broadway in the musical Zorba, in numerous regional and off-Broadway shows, and on TV’s All My Children, Another World (for which she also composed music) and the mini-series Memories of Midnight, amongst others.

Meyer wrote and produced the upcoming children’s album: Mighty Musical Fairy Tales, starring international artist Patti Austin; an updated, joyous musical version of Classic Fairy tales, accompanied by an illustrated book, The Ugly Duckling.

Buy now at amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Emma-G-Loves-Boyz-Journal/dp/151770636X/

Red Sky Presents:

Website: http://redskypresents.com

Blog: https://redskybookblog.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RedSkyAuthors

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redskypresents/

Emma G. Loves Boyz:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmmaG_lovesBoyz

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A Lady Never Lies

 

Hi everyone. Please give a big warm welcome to author Stephanie Burkhart and her Steampunk Romance novel, A Lady Never Lies. Stephanie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. For her other tour stops and more chances to win, please click on the banner above, which will take you to Stephanie’s Goddess Fish tour page  

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jocelyn Dunkirk is not your typical Victorian lady. She dresses in leather, wears goggles and is not afraid to get a little grease under her fingernails. Gentlemen avoid her like a dirty rivet.

Richard Windsor, the Prince of Wales, travels through time to claim Jocelyn’s heart, but if it isn’t one challenge, it’s another. He determines to be a constant, steady presence in her life, hoping to prove he’d make a worthy husband.

Jocelyn’s facing a bucket full of problems. The Prime Minister wants her to assist in ending a coal strike before it cripples the nation while her father attempts to recover from a serious injury. Will Jocelyn’s dedication to her country and family ruin the one chance she has at love?

Exceprt:

Jocelyn inventoried her belt in case she needed to flash her gizmos and toys to make a point. Her gadgets could be very intimidating to men not used to them. Then she double-checked her schedule. She had the rest of the rain soaked day and tomorrow. She frowned. Better to get it over with. If only the knots in her stomach would subside, but if she learned anything from her father, it was better to tackle a problem sooner rather than later, rain or shine and she was now committed to this one.

Taking a peek in the mirror over her dresser, she frowned. Her hair was all frizz.

Grabbing a ribbon from the small container on the dresser, she put it up in a bun. It wasn’t her neatest work, but it would do. Satisfied, she raced downstairs, joining Richard and Sergeant Eastman in the foyer.

“Are you sure you want to go now?” Richard crossed his arms. “You should rest. There are lines under your eyes.”

She waved her hand in the air. “Now’s the time to strike — while the coals are hot or the rain is wet, depending on your point of view.”

Richard placed his hands on his hips and looked her over from head-to-toe.

Jocelyn pursed her lips. “What now?”

“You’re exasperating, frustrating, infur–” His tone remained light as he helped her into her overcoat.

“I’ve heard it all, I assure you. Do you want to stay with your brother?”

“Not on your life. Ed can keep Mrs. Riddle plenty of company and I don’t want to miss out on the adventure of a lifetime.”

She cracked a grin despite herself and flung open the door. Mr. Riddle waited with the horses, protected by a heavy coat. The rain was lighter now, but still steady. Jocelyn hoped it would taper off soon. She grabbed the leather reins, tugged, and the horses trotted away. Unfortunately the driver’s seat proved cramped with Richard and Sergeant Eastman both insisting on sitting with her, neither willing to budge.

The trip proved soggy, but Jocelyn made good time. Mr. Riddle’s directions were spot on and Jocelyn’s memory hadn’t failed her. She turned onto Rosewood, avoided a puddle and spied a long, brick building with grey smoke spitting out of the chimneys. Jocelyn parked the carriage next to the stoic façade and her companions helped her secure the horses to the hitching posts. Jocelyn extended her brass and iron umbrella, up to her ankles in mud. Once the horses were tied up, Jocelyn approached the entrance. She grabbed the iron knocker, and pounded on the door. Richard and Sergeant Eastman stood on each side.

“I hear ya!” a gruff voice said, pushing the unwieldy door open. “Who might you be?” He gasped for breath between yellow stained teeth and narrowed his dark eyes, giving her the once over. Thank the rivets her overcoat hid most of her unusual dress.

“I’m Lady Jocelyn Ridgecroft. The prime minister sent me to meet with the miners regarding the coal strike.”

“You’re a day early.”

“I’ve had a change of plans.”  

About the author: 

Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. After serving 11 years in the US Army she currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks. She’s also an assistant den leader for her son’s Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children’s books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:

http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:

http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:

http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

PINTEREST:

http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

BUY LINKS FOR A LADY NEVER LIES:

AMAZON KINDLE: http://amzn.com/B00KX6FD12

PUBLISHERS’S WEBSITE: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/the-windsor-diaries-book-three-a-lady-never-lies-epub/

BARNES AND NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-lady-never-lies-stephanie-burkhart/1119712149?ean=9781612527307

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-aladyneverlies-1547037-343.html

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Monday Musings Part Sixteen: Knowing what’s Yours

 

Knowing what’s Yours

 

On from Monday Musings Fourteen, on patience and knowing when not to act, this week we take a look at knowing what’s yours. What do I mean by this? The simplest way to approach this is to think about a dinner table set for six. You wouldn’t steal food from your companion’s plates, as a rule. Rather, you would eat from your plate only. Unfortunately, life can often seem more like a buffet than clearly defined place settings.

In this situation, it becomes of vital importance to refrain from overloading your plate. In other words, not taking on responsibility when it belongs to someone else.

Life runs much more smoothly when you know what belongs to you and what belongs to another.

In just the same way that you will become sick from eating too much rich buffet food, you will grow unwell from taking on too much stressful responsibility. That’s not to say that we don’t help someone in need, just that we make that definite choice while knowing that we don’t have to pick it up. And, even if we do take it on, the responsibility always lies with the other person. We can’t, and nor should we, take that away from them. That approach doesn’t help anyone.

Whenever we make a mistake, we need to own it. Whatever occurs in our lives that needs our attention, we need to take care of it. The same for each and every one of us.

Death (and the dying process) brings this into stark relief in that this is something that we do utterly alone. No one else can do it for you. They can assist you, but in the final moment, it comes down to you and you alone. When your hourglass runs empty, and that last grain of sand tumbles, only you can hold responsibility for the life you’ve led and the choices you’ve made. Only you can feel your regrets and appreciate your triumphs.

Not to act out of laziness or avoidance doesn’t make things go away or lessen the impact. More often than not, such behaviour only makes things worse. Whether we read the book or not, the story of our lives gets written. And, it’s your story, no one else’s.

In the wise words of Ruth Everhart, ‘It can be hard to untangle your story from other people’s stories. Life doesn’t have clear edges and chapter breaks.’

However, nobody likes a meddler. If we hanker after a fruitful and peaceful existence, then we need to take care only to offer help when it’s asked for. Never should we force our ‘assistance’ on anyone, let alone our judgements or opinions.

So, first of all, we need to know when the responsibility rests on our shoulders. Then we need to know when and how to act. Inaction is also an action. It is a choice to do nothing. It has consequences just as much as doing something. We cannot avoid the law of karma (every action has a reaction).

In the wise words of Zen:

‘It’s not your responsibility to fix every problem or to try and make everyone happy. It’s nice that you care, but you must also be kind to yourself and recognize your limits.’

If you’ve missed my previous Monday Musings, you can find the links here: http://www.harmonykent.co.uk/category/monday-musings/ 

 

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The Deepest Dark

 

Hey everyone! Today, we have author Joan Hall Hovey with us, together with her scary-looking Suspense Thriller novel, The Deepest Dark. Joan has an awesome-sauce prize up for grabs today, too! She will be awarding a Still Life by Jean Baptiste Oudry from Metropolitan Museum of Art – US, Canada Only. 10 1/2″ x 8″ Violin, Sheet Music Laminate to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Wowzers! For Joan’s other tour stops and more chances to win, please click on the banner above, which will take you to her tour page over at Goddess Fish

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

THE DEEPEST DARK

Following the deaths of her husband, Corey, and ten year old daughter Ellie in a traffic accident, author Abby Miller sinks ever deeper into depression. She contemplates suicide as a way to be with them, and to end her unrelenting pain.

In a last desperate effort to find peace, she drives to Loon Lake where they last vacationed together, wanting to believe they will be waiting for her there. At least in spirit. Barring that, the pills Doctor Gregory gave her to help her sleep, are in her purse.

The cabin at Loon Lake was her and Corey’s secret hideaway, and not even Abby’s sister, Karen, to whom she is close, knows where it is.

But someone else does. He is one of three men who have escaped from Pennington prison. They are dangerous predators who will stop at nothing to get what they want – and to keep from going back to prison. Having already committed atrocious crimes, they have nothing to lose.

Unknowingly, Abby is on a collision course with evil itself. And the decision of whether or live or die will soon be wrenched from her hands.

~~

“…Joan Hall Hovey knows suspense. She keeps it simmering in every scene she writes and knows just the right moments to turn up the heat and bring it all to a boil. THE DEEPEST DARK is a terrific suspense novel.” James Hankins, author of BROTHERS AND BONES and SHADY CROSS

“…readers will be chilled as they root for Abby to take back her life and escape the Loon Lake cabin alive and breathing. Once the first page is read in this one, nothing will be able to draw your attention away…”

Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “The Charlatan’s Crown,” published by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine

SONY DSC

Excerpt:

The three dark figures moved quietly among the shadowy, rain-dripping birches, pines and alders toward the old farmhouse where amber lights glowed in the two lower windows. They crept with the stealth of foxes intent upon the chickens in the hen house, hungry and deadly, already tasting blood. And the Nichols’ actually did keep a few chickens of their own, mainly for the fresh eggs, but not altogether for that reason. They liked seeing them clucking and pecking about the yard; they were good company and cost only a bit of seed. Once, they had operated their own farm, and a fair sized one it was, too. These days they kept a small vegetable garden and Ethel Nichols tended the flowers that grew along the walkway and in her window boxes, mainly morning glories in heavenly blue and pansies in shades of lavender and sun-yellow.

In their early eighties now, and in relatively good health, they were enjoying the fruits of their labor in these latter years, including the big screen TV on which they were presently watching an old rerun of All in the Family, one of life’s pleasures that Hartley and Ethel shared. …

When the commercial came on, Ethel rose from the big stuffed chair across from her husband’s Lazy Boy. She was white-haired, ample of figure, and quick to smile. “Cup of tea, Hartley?”

He looked in her direction and grinned mischievously. Though his own hair had long gone and he walked with a limp, to Ethel he was as handsome as the first time she saw him walking into Mr. Biggar’s class in grade nine. She could still see him as he was then, tall and lean, with a thatch of fair hair fallen over his brow.

“Wouldn’t mind having just a tiny slice of that apple pie you baked to go with my tea.” An affectionate coaxing twinkled in blue eyes that had faded only a little over the years.

Looking at him, she mentally shook her head. He knew he had trouble getting to sleep if he ate after he’d had his supper. “Sure,” she said. And it will be tiny, Mister Nichols, you can bet on that. She had started for the kitchen when she stopped in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, thinking she’d heard a noise outside. She listened. Heard it again. A squeaking of the porch swing chain?

“Did you hear that?” she called into the living room.

“Hear what? Didn’t hear nothin’, Ethel.”

“I’m not sure. Sounded like… oh, I’m sure it’s nothing. The wind.”

About the author:

Joan Hall Hovey is the definition of an ‘artist’. From her writing that has taken the form of suspense novels, as well as short stories and articles, this woman has not only taken the suspense world by storm, but also dabbles in the theatre community. In addition to it all, Joan takes the time to work with other authors, giving them the information and help they need to embrace their talent and become a part of the literary world.

Born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Joan has a family she adores; including, Scamp, the family dog. She is blessed to look out every day at the tall pine trees and the stunning view of the Kennebecasis River. But although that view is certainly inspiring, her fans will tell you that it is Joan’s view – the scenes and characters within her own creative mind – that is truly unforgettable. This is a talent who brings vibrancy to the page, creating locations that, even in the light of day, chill fans to the bone.

An insatiable reader, the works of Poe, King, and other masters of the mystery world, inspired Joan to write. And now, with her latest novel – THE DEEPEST DARK – she once again hits the nail on the proverbial head, drawing readers into a world of fear that will leave them absolutely breathless.

Joan Hall Hovey, Photo: Cindy Wilson/Telegraph-Journal

Available at most online bookstores.

Published by Books We Love Inc.

https://amzn.com/B00K9E7EHY     The Deepest Dark

B/N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-deepest-dark-joan-hall-hovey/1120012853

 

Official website of Joan Hall Hovey   www.joanhallhovey.com

https://www.facebook.com/joan.h.hovey

https://twitter.com/joanhh

Other Suspense Novels by Joan Hall Hovey

Tragic Spawn

The Abduction of Mary Rose

Night Corridor

Chill Waters – winner of the Bloody Dagger Award

Nowhere To Hide – Winner of the Eppie Award

Listen to the Shadows

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Book Review: Little Red Cuttlefish

Guest post by Henry Hertz

Using Fiction to Interest Young Readers in Non-Fiction

 

I think it’s fair to say that parents want their kids to develop both the right-brain creativity stoked by reading fiction, AND the left-brain analytical capacity encouraged from reading non-fiction. Both help round out young minds. Both improve school grades and SAT scores. Both are useful life skills.

Sadly, many young readers view only fiction as fun reading; looking down their cute noses at “boring” non-fiction. This makes fiction the chocolate pudding of the literary banquet table. History, math, and science are relegated to the role of lima beans, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Boy are they steamed!

Now, I love fiction. After all, I write fiction picture books – like the fractured fairy tale, Little Red Cuttlefish recently released by Pelican Publishing. And I moderate fantasy literature panels at San Diego Comic-Con. That said, I’ve also been long fascinated by history, math, and science.

So, how do we get kids to use both sides of their brains and eat their literary vegetables? Well, as a parent, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’ve resorted to melting cheese on vegetables so my co-author sons eat what’s good for them. And why not use the same technique with my writing?

Little Red Cuttlefish is a good example of this approach. The story is an aquatic retelling of the classic fairy tale. In the original, Little Red Riding Hood is swallowed whole by the wolf – not a very savory outcome (for the girl, anyway). In Little Red Cuttlefish, the plucky cephalopod protagonist uses her wits and natural defense mechanisms to thwart a hungry tiger shark.

Aside from a more positive message (they were called the Brothers Grimm, after all), the aquatic version is intended to spark young readers’ interest in learning about sea creatures, zoology, and science in general. Toward that end, the story showcases the superhero-like abilities of cuttlefish, and an author’s note serves up fascinating facts about cuttlefish and tiger sharks, an excerpt of which is below.

Cuttlefish aren’t fish at all. They are members of a class of animals that includes squids, octopuses, and nautiluses. They have a porous shell inside their bodies, called a cuttlebone, which is used to control their buoyancy.

Male cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles. Female cuttlefish have only six arms and two tentacles. The arms and tentacles have suckers for grabbing prey. And if that isn’t strange enough, their blood is greenish blue.

Cuttlefish have an amazing ability to quickly change the color, pattern, and texture of their skin. Cuttlefish can use this camouflage to sneak up on their prey, which consists mostly of crabs and fish.

The cuttlefish’s ability to quickly change color also helps it avoid being hunted by sharks, dolphins, seals, and other predators. If camouflage doesn’t work and it is spotted by a predator, a cuttlefish can squirt out a cloud of brown ink to help it hide.

Now, what kid wouldn’t want the superpowers of changing color, squirting ink, and multiple sucker-covered arms? As if by magic, fiction can point young minds in the direction of non-fiction. “Why, yes, I WILL have some broccoli now.”

My Review:
Little Red Cuttlefish by Henry, Josh, & Harrison Herz

♥♥♥♥♥

I read a free copy of this book via a Pelican Publishing eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

By now, I have read a few books by this wonderful family trio of authors and loved every one of them. As ever, the illustrations are delightful and give such magic to the story. This is a fast-paced tale about Little Red, a Cuttlefish who lives deep in the ocean. One day, while on her way to deliver a basket of yummy crab cakes to her Grandma, a big mean tiger shark chases her, and she has to use all the tricks she has up her tentacles to escape his clutches. This is a delightful tale of bravery, delivered in easy to understand and snappy sentences. With the gorgeous illustrations from the talented hands of Kate Gotfredson, even young non-readers can enjoy looking at its pages over and over again. This book is one to be enjoyed while cuddled up with a grownup doing the reading, or for older youngsters to read to themselves. I give this lovely little book a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

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Sword of Shadows

 

Hello everyone! Please, give a huge warm welcome to author Karin Rita Gastreich and her Dark Fantasy novel, Sword of Shadows. Karin also has a guest post for us talking about what she would do if she could be one of her characters for a month and why Karin will also be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. For Karin’s other tour stops and more chances to win, please click on the banner above, which will take you to her Goddess Fish tour page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

From Karin:

What would you do if you could be one of your characters for a month and why?

This is a tough question because the truth is, a lot of bad things happen to my characters. So, I’m not sure I would want to be any of them! But if a story genie showed up one day and told me that as punishment for making my characters suffer so much, I must choose to be one of them for a month, I think I would choose to be Eolyn’s good friend, Adiana.

I would also ask to be Adiana during one of few periods of her life when she is not going through hell. When she works as a musician for Mage Corey’s Circle, for example. Or during that period between the first two books of The Silver Web trilogy, when Adiana helps Eolyn build a new home for women’s magic in the highlands of Moehn.

Adiana is a talented musician from Selkynsen, one of the wealthiest provinces of the kingdom. At the age of fifteen, she was orphaned when her parents, successful merchants, were executed on false accusations of witchcraft. Their family fortune was confiscated by the local magistrate, and Adiana was left to fend for herself on the streets. That situation could have ended very badly were it not for one of her father’s former servants, who found Adiana and took her in as one of his own family.

Years later, Adiana would join Mage Corey’s Circle, a group of traveling performers, where she quickly earned her status as his best musician and singer. Adiana would always look back on this time as a unique period in which she felt truly free, able to be entirely herself without any risk of persecution or death. She loved the creative interaction with Corey’s other musicians and performing artists, who hailed from all corners of the known world.

In Sword of Shadows, we meet up with Adiana in a very different context. She now works with Eolyn to resurrect the lost tradition of the magas. While Adiana is not a maga, her command of music gives her special status, as music is considered a fundamental part of their magical tradition. Eolyn and Adiana’s community of self-determined women helps young girls escape the constraints placed upon them by a largely patriarchial society. Theirs is a refuge of womanly love, strength, and support in an otherwise cruel and violent world.

I would like to be Adiana because I admire her passion and independence. She can be very cynical, especially towards men, but this same cynicism gives her the strength to stand on her own, to retain a sense of pride and dignity, even in times of great danger and intense brutality. She was a wonderful character to work with, and a very good friend for Eolyn to have.

Thank you, Karin!

Book Blurb:

Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or scattered.

Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes.

Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.

“War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when circumstances are at their worst.” -Publishers Weekly

This is the second book in THE SILVER WEB trilogy. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, or as the sequel to the first book, EOLYN.

Excerpt:

As Joturi-Nur’s breath slowed, Rishona wrapped her fingers around the jeweled hilt of his broad sword. She adjusted her balance and tilted the blade, trying to see Abartamor’s oversized figure at her back.

When at last the San’iloman laid still, the priest nodded to the princes. Abartamor’s heavy step sounded behind Rishona, along with the slow unsheathing of his sword.

“I, the eldest son of Joturi-Nur, challenge your claim,” he said. “Face me, so that I may send you with my father to the Afterlife.”

Rishona spun, hands wrapped around the hilt of the scimitar, and cut deep into Abartamor’s protruding belly. The prince cried out as metal parted flesh. Blood sprayed across Rishona’s shimmering gown. Abartamor dropped his weapon and staggered backwards, eyes wide and lips quivering in protest.

“What have you done?” he stammered. “My niece? A woman? It’s not possible…not permitted…”

He sat hard on the floor and stared dumbfounded at the entrails spilling from his belly.

Rishona strode forward and drove the scimitar into his thick neck. With a few vicious hacks, she cleaved Abartamor’s head from his torso. Tearing off her veil, she leveled the sword at his brothers and demanded, “Who else would challenge me?”

For several moments there was no sound but the gurgle of Arbartamor’s blood, pooling around Rishona’s satin slippers.

Then Paolus-Nur drew his weapon.

About the author:

Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

 

Website: http://krgastreich.com

Twitter: @EolynChronicles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Eolyn-110814625640244/

 

Purchase link for SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of THE SILVER WEB: https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Shadows-Silver-Web-Book-ebook/dp/B01G5L1GEG/

 

Purchase link for EOLYN, Book One of THE SILVER WEB: http://www.amazon.com/Eolyn-Silver-Web-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01B8F4G50/

 

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