Harmony Kent's Blog, page 24
May 20, 2022
Harmony is Vocal again! The First Dragons of Kawn @Vocal_Creators #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity
Image by Mystic Art Design from PixabayHi everyone. Exciting news today! After my amazing first-place win on the Vocal platform, I’ve written a fictional piece for the Fantasy Prologue competition. This is based on the opening line, There weren’t always dragons in the valley. The story is entitled: The First Dragons of Kawn, and is roughly 3,000 words long.
I’d love to know what you think! And would be delighted if you could read my competition entry HERE and leave a like. To like, you’ll need to sign in to Vocal, which is free to do. In the event of a tiebreaker, all reads and likes will be taken into account. Your support would be gratefully received. I’m super buzzed at having written a bit of fiction again! Between this and poetry, I’m hoping my mojo is back for a bit.
Thanks, everyone! Hugs 
May 18, 2022
#BookReview: At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp @mariekeyn @sztownsend81
Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a great read from an author new to me, Marieke Nijkamp. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends comes another heartbreaking, emotional and timely page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is ironically named. No one has hope for the delinquent teenagers who have been exiled there; the world barely acknowledges that they exist.
Then the guards at Hope start acting strange. And one day…they don’t show up. But when the teens band together to make a break from the facility, they encounter soldiers outside the gates. There’s a rapidly spreading infectious disease outside, and no one can leave their houses or travel without a permit. Which means that they’re stuck at Hope. And this time, no one is watching out for them at all.
As supplies quickly dwindle and a deadly plague tears through their ranks, the group has to decide whom among them they can trust and figure out how they can survive in a world that has never wanted them in the first place.
My Review:
A Gripping Read but needs a bit more TLC
“We are the last ones. Leah and I squeeze into the hallway just in time for movement line.” … from this intriguing opening sentence, the reader is drawn immediately into the world of a bunch of delinquent teens, locked in a privately-run, but government sanctioned, correctional institution. When a deadly plague breaks out, these poor kids are cast aside and forgotten.
The book is very much character driven rather than plot driven, and I loved it. The narrative is written in first person, and switches between a few of the characters. Each shift has its own chapter and the whole thing flows well. This is an absolute gem of a book, but unfortunately, a lack of careful editing and proofreading let it down somewhat. I hate when this happens. Otherwise, this would be a solid five-star read for me. It says a lot about the great storyline and skill of the author to bring these teens to life for me that I still gave this read a resounding four stars. Some of those issues relate to passive writing, split infinitives galore, missing words, extra words, crutch words, etc. However, lots of lines stuck with me, and here are a few I loved …
“I didn’t think I had issues. Or needs beyond what we all have. Purpose. someone who listens.”
And …
“It’ll be my ninth time in solitary this year, including two forty-eight hour cooldown periods. Every time I come out, I feel a bit less like me, a bit less like a girl with dreams bigger than this place.”
And …
“I love silence. Silence is what makes music. But this silence is uncomfortable and threatening.”
And … “… inaction in the face of injustice is injustice all the same.”
This book addresses a number of current social and woke issues such as gender, non-binary identification, skin colour, and culture, etc. I felt these were handled well. All in all, I found this a gripping read and one I struggled to put down. For definite, I will check out more books by this author, and At the End of Everything gets a solid four stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …
May 17, 2022
#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #274 #Ekphrastic #PhotoPrompt @ColleenChesebro
Hi everyone!
Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for us to create a syllabic poem based on a Photograph provided by David, from the Skeptic’s Kaddish, for this month’s challenge.
© David, The Skeptic’s Kaddish
Colleen’s comments for this week’s challenge: This is a photo of David’s father. Please be aware that he is no longer with us. David dedicated his blog to his father’s memory. You can read more about his journey HERE. With that being said, take a deep look at this photo. Don’t describe what we all can see. Look into the camera lens… what do YOU see? What is revealed to you? Now, write your syllabic poem.
As ever, we need to avoid ‘ing’ ending words if at all possible.
You can find Colleen’s post HERE.
I’ve chosen a series of short verses with a syllable count of 3-5-3.All One
the long lens
cannot capture all
earth’s glory
the mind’s eye
can but encompass
sky’s caress
small, man stands
in the universe
all one, vast
whence we come
as with gentle rain
we return
clouds on high
solid earth below
man reflects
I hope you enjoyed today’s poetry. Have a lovely day!
© Harmony Kent 2022
May 16, 2022
#NewBook: Life & Soul by Harmony Kent @harmony_kent #Poetry
Hi Everyone! I hope this finds you all well.
I’m super excited to announce I have a new book of poetry coming out!
I was so shocked to discover it is seven years since I published Slices of Soul: Book One in the Soul Poetry Series. Time sure does fly!
As well as sharing my fab news with you all, I guess this is also a cover reveal. Here goes …
About Life & Soul
Life & Soul is the second book in the Soul Poetry Series by acclaimed author Harmony Kent.
This beautiful collection of over fifty poems will take the reader through the highs and lows of everyday life via contemporary poetry in a range of styles and themes. Within these pages, you will find reflections on the Lonely Soul, the Seeking Soul, Brief Soul, Friendly Soul, and the Loving Soul—states of mind and living and longing we each experience over the course of a life.
Life & Soul offers something for lovers of poetry from all walks of life.
Praise for Slices of Soul, Book 1 in the Soul Poetry Series:
“I found my answer in this wonderful treasure-trove and have already read it three times.” Robert Fear
“I found in Slices of Soul something approaching aesthetic bliss, a sense of being connected in some way to other states – like tenderness, kindness, ecstasy – where art is the norm.” Colm Herron
“A stunning collection of poems that I read in one sitting! Unable to simply put this down until I had read the last. I love the clarity of the short poems, such clear images created in so few words or phrases. Many of them touched my heart and I will be giving them a 2nd and 3rd read!” Audrina Lane
Sneak Peek Look-Inside & Poem for You:
(This interior image is taken from a screenshot in the KDP online previewer for the paperback, so the dotted guidelines won’t show in the actual book)
And here’s a sneak peek from the eBook version:
© 2022 by Harmony Kent
I’m super buzzed at the look and feel of this poetic collection. However, I’m not sure I’m up to a big launch with tours right now, as my health and energy are up and down, and the longterm steroid therapy is taking its toll. I’m still thinking about the best way forward. However, if any of you would like to help by sharing around the blogosphere, I would be so grateful.
Universal Pre-Order Link for the Kindle version: http://mybook.to/LifeAndSoul
The plan is for both the paperback and Kindle versions to go on live sale on June 3rd 2022, which happens to be the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over this side of the pond!
I say ‘plan to go live’ because, all too often, I end up hitting the ‘publish’ button on the paperback by accident, instead of the ‘save as draft’, so it sometimes goes live before the Kindle Pre-Order goes to live sale. Such is life, lols 
Once the Kindle version is on live sale, it will also be available to borrow for free via the Kindle Unlimited subscription option.
Thanks for all your support and friendship, everyone! And I’d love to know what you think! Have a wonderful rest of your week 
May 15, 2022
#BookReview Platform: BookRoar @bookroar_tweets #Author Must Have! #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. Today, I’m going to stick my neck out somewhat by recommending an excellent book review platform I’ve been a member of since August last year.
Why have I waited this long to sing its praises?–I hear you ask, and quite rightly so.
The short and blunt answer is: I’ve had my fingers burnt too many times with platforms claiming to offer this, that, and the other for authors; especially in the realm of book reviews … which is something we all want, right?
The longer answer is also due to my ill health and finding the energy and time to sit down and write this post. So, apologies from that side of things, because I’m convinced so many of us writers will find this a valuable resource.
Despite my initial reservations after previous clubs and online tools, with BookRoar, I see this wonderful platform going from success to success and REALLY LISTENING to its members. I can’t recall any company that offers such good customer service and prompt and helpful responses, every single time. And this is with it still being a small team in its infancy.
At the moment, BookRoar is completely free to use, and although they plan to move to a charged basis in the future, that is quite far in the distance.
Well, that’s enough of my gushing. I’ll use some of their own words now to help you learn more about them. Here’s some information from their How it Works Page:
It’s very simple. BookRoar operates on a credit system where each person is rewarded for every book they read and review. The more books you read, the more reviews you’ll earn for your own books.
Here’s how it works
Step 1:Sign up to BookRoar using our secure login page. BookRoar is free to use whilst our website is in its beta stage.
Step 2: Select a book from the Review Pool and head over to Amazon to purchase a digital copy (or download it via Kindle Unlimited if you are a subscriber).
Step 3: Read the book and post a truthful and honest 150+ word review on Amazon and Goodreads. Notify BookRoar when the reviews are ‘Live’ on both sites. (Goodreads will notify you instantly, whereas Amazon may take a day or two to process it).
Step 4:Your review will be moderated by the author you are reviewing. Once they have confirmed that your reviews are visible, a Credit will be awarded to your account, meaning that one of your books can be added to the Review Pool from your profile page. Time to sit back, have a coffee, and wait for your book to be selected!
Step 5: Repeat as often as you like. The more books you read the more reviews you’ll earn.
To keep things ticking along, we ask our customers to purchase the digital version of their chosen book. This way the book is delivered almost immediately and you can get reading and reviewing right away! You will have up to three weeks to compose your review – that way no one is waiting too long to see what others have to say!
We encourage all our readers to provide truthful and honest critiques of the books they read, and we ask that this is reflected in the star ratings they give. True feedback is the best way to allow us all to improve our books and hone our craft. It is what turns normal books into bestsellers!
BookRoar is dead-set against review swaps in any way, shape, or form. They have put in place systems to prevent this from happening, and this also helps prevent revenge reviews and such like from less scrupulous folks. If things do go wrong, the team will work hard to put them right as early as possible and offer a full explanation. I know, because I’ve had first-and experience of BookRoar’s excellent customer support.
The book-review pool keeps on growing, and at the time of penning this post, has over 800 books for you to choose from in many genres. The prices of the books are listed, as well as whether that book is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited or not. And next to the book cover, you get a short book blurb and bit about the author. For more information on a book that catches your eye, it’s an easy click through to the details page, where you’ll also find a link to the book on GoodReads.
From my experience of using the site and looking for books to read and review, I would advise–strongly–that you not over-price your book. This is the one thing that will put me off right away, especially if you’re an author I haven’t previously come across or read. The home page shows you all your books you’ve listed, together with your credit amount and to which books, if any, you’ve allocated those credits. It also shows any reviews you’re waiting to receive, as well as the book you are currently reading and reviewing. You get 3 weeks to read and submit your review; however, if you need to request an extension, an easy button below the book lets you do just that. If, by any chance, you’re ready to submit earlier than the minimum of 3 days, you can easily contact customer service, and they will change the dates to allow you to press the submit button.
This platform is all about fairness and honest reviews and strongly discourages any practices that go against this ethos. I have found BookRoar to be supportive and a useful tool. As well as the bonus of gaining more reviews for my books, I’ve found that it also bolsters my book sales and KU page reads whenever I have a book listed in the pool. So, added bonus!
The best thing of all is there’s no pressure at all. You set your own pace and keep to it. You can choose a book to read or not, depending on your schedule. The only time you’re on a schedule is once you’ve chosen a book from the pool, and even that can be flexible if needed. As of now, I have received 29 reviews, which means 29 sales/or KU book reads. Had I put in more time in reviewing more books, that number would easily be higher. I love how you have the choice of how much to contribute and completely no pressure.
For any of you interested in checking out this awesome free (for now) platform, you can find BookRoar HERE and on TWITTER, where the team regularly promotes book reviews posted. Well, that’s it from me. I wanted to share this great site with you as I’m sure you’ll find it valuable.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
[Disclaimer: Please note, I get absolutely no benefit from writing this post, other than to help BookRoar and its Review Pool grow ever larger. I am not an affiliate and do not receive anything at all for sharing this with you. Except, of course, the pleasure of helping you, my fellow writers, gain more exposure and reviews.]
May 13, 2022
#LifeLessons: Don’t Believe Everything your Parents Tell You … @sgc58
Hi everyone!
I’m over at Sally Cronin’s place today to talk about things I know now I wish I’d known then.
We’d be delighted if you could pop over and check it out. You’ll even get to see me in my Buddhist Monk garb!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
May 11, 2022
#BookReview: The Dark by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton @orionbooks @NetGalley
Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for a great read from an author new to me, Sharon Bolton. This is a stunning read, and I’ll be checking out this writer’s other works. I discovered this book via NetGalley. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
ONCE, SHE SAVED HIS LIFE…
NOW, HE’LL TAKE HERS.
When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames, off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster. But who would want to hurt a child?
DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this. Monitoring a complex network of dark web sites, Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist, women-hating, group known as ‘incels’ or ‘involuntary celibates.’ Joesbury’s team are trying to infiltrate the ring of power at its core, but the dark web is built for anonymity, and the incel army is vast.
Pressure builds when the team learn the snatched child was just the first in a series of violent attacks designed to terrorise women. Worse, the leaders of the movement seem to have singled out Lacey as the embodiment of everything they hate, placing her in terrible danger…
My Review:
A Thrilling Read.
Many thanks to Orion Books and Netgalley for a FREE Advanced Review Copy of this book.
Although this is book 5 in the Lacey Flint series, this is the first one I’ve read. I don’t believe this detracts from the story at all, and I’m interested enough to go back and check out the previous four books, which I suspect will enlighten me as to how Lacey ended up where she is in this book.
“A few hours after midnight, two young women sat in a car close to the edge of a cliff; one of them was dead, the other merely felt that way.” … This has to be one of the best opening lines I’ve ever read.
From here, we’re thrown into a dire clifftop drama, which almost results in a teen, male stranger going over the edge with the occupants of the car. The narrative then jumps ahead twelve years, and we meet the main character, Lacey Flint, out on the Thames in a Kayak. Quickly, the action and drama ramp up again, and the reader is taken on a wild ride to discover the multiple who-dunnits and become embroiled in a fight to stop even worse events from unfolding.
The plot, pacing, characterisation, and world building were all excellently done. I found the premise, of men terrifying women back into the not-too-long-ago-dark-ages, wholly believable and pretty scary. All the reasons were both compelling and all too possible.
Here are some lines I loved … “Driving the eighty miles from South London, with nothing but her own thoughts and the recriminations of a corpse beside her, had been harder than she’d expected.”
And … “Tears were for bearable pain, for lighter sorrows; this pain couldn’t possibly be released by tiny drops of water.”
And … “The most important journey of Lacey’s life was taken in a heartbeat.”
This book kept me guessing all the way, and the pacing stayed racy, and the suspense up there, right until the end. I enjoyed this read immensely, and The Dark gets a solid five stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …
Harmony won on Vocal! Lifeboat Seven came 1st place! @Vocal_Creators #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity
Hi everyone. Exciting news today! After quite a long absence from the Vocal platform, I wrote a fictional piece for the Ship of Dreams competition. This was based on the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic.
Guess what???!!!
Lifeboat Seven has been awarded first place!
Ahem, sorry if that’s a bit loud. I’m excited! Actually, I feel nauseous from the shock, lols. This fantastic news is taking a while to sink in (awful pun apology coming right up!).
Thanks so much for all your support! I love you guys.
You can read my competition entry HERE and see the 2nd place and runners up HERE.
Have a wonderful day, everyone! Hugs and Happy Dancing 
May 10, 2022
#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #273 #SpecificForm @ColleenChesebro #ButterflyCinquain
Hi everyone!
Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for us to create a specific syllabic poem based on the Butterfly Cinquain.
As ever, we need to avoid ‘ing’ ending words if at all possible.
You can find Colleen’s post HERE.
For this week’s challenge, Colleen asked Sally Cronin to select a syllabic form for us to learn more about. Her choice was the Butterfly Cinquain.
FAST FACTSDid you know the Butterfly Cinquain isn’t, actually, a Cinquain? It’s a nine-line poem. The Butterfly Cinquain uses the syllable count of the Crapsey Cinquain and then reverses it. The name comes from the butterfly shape it creates when centred on the page.
The Butterfly Cinquain is an unrhymed, nine-line syllabic poem with 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2 syllables per line.
Broken Wings
cocooned
dead or damaged?
I barely made it here
our emotional wounds can kill
the same
as the most-deadly of weapons
when will I know it’s safe
to bare my soul
once more?
I hope you enjoyed today’s poetry. Because of the subject I’ve written on, I’m also adding that I’m doing fine. The poem isn’t from a current event. Have a lovely day!
© Harmony Kent 2022
May 4, 2022
#BookReview: The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell @Caroline_writes
Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for an author new to me. I saw this book in quite a few places around the blogosphere and had to check it out. I downloaded this read via my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and I am glad I gave this read a go. I shall be checking out more reads by Caroline Mitchell >>>
About the Book:
From number one bestselling author Caroline Mitchell, comes the first chilling Slayton thriller for fans of C. J. Tudor and Stephen King.
If you open your door to the Midnight Man, hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near, because one of you won’t be leaving here…
On Halloween night in Slayton, five girls go to Blackhall Manor to play the Midnight Game. They write their names on a piece of paper and prick their fingers to soak it in blood. At exactly midnight they knock on the door twenty-two times – they have invited the Midnight Man in.
It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home.
Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. It’s a case that will take Sarah back to everything she’s been running from, and shake her to the core.
Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?
My Review:
Suspenseful and Entertaining
Having heard so much about this book on the blogosphere, I had to give it a look. I loved the cover and blurb so much that I picked this up on my Kindle Unlimited subscription. This author is new to me, and I’ll be taking a look at her other works.
“If you open your door to the Midnight Man, Hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near, Because one of you won’t be leaving here …” … from this fantastic opening quote, we’re taken into a vivid and terrifying ordeal as a heretofore loving husband and father goes on a rampage with a shotgun and massacres his whole family. We’re led to believe everyone died.
Then the narrative jumps ahead roughly 25 years, and we find that the eldest child, a girl, lived. She moved away to stay with her maternal grandparents and adopted her mother’s maiden name. Her life has been full of trauma and betrayal, and now she is faced with having to return to work in the local CID.
The plot and pacing started brilliantly and gripped me. I mean, what can be better than a thriller which also contains plenty of the apparent supernatural? That kind of stuff is right up my street. By about the three-quarter mark I felt the book had slowed down a lot and got a bit bogged in the mud. However, even by 80%, I couldn’t be sure who the killer was, so the red-herrings and misleading clues were done excellently.
The world-building and characterisation were written well and felt real and believable. The descriptive writing was also great. Here are a few of the lines I most loved …
“Sometimes I’d wake in the middle of the night, my sheets damp from sweat as apprehension swallowed me whole.”
And … “But this wasn’t a nightmare I woke up from. It was a nightmare I woke up to.”
And … “She was more of a lame dog than a lone wolf.”
And … “But the world was so big, and Elliott’s voice was so small.”
While I enjoyed this read, it felt more like a suspense than a thriller. Some aspects bogged it down, but on the whole, I found it entertaining. The Midnight Man gets a solid four stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …
