Harmony Kent's Blog, page 36

Tree Fairies and Their Stories by DL Finn @dlfinnauthor #ChildrensBooks

Hi everyone. It gives me great pleasure to host fellow author, Story Empire writer, and friend, Denise Finn. Denise has a new children’s book out! I’ll let her tell you all about it >>>

Thank you, Harmony, for having me here today to share my new children’s release, “Tree Fairies and Their Short Stories.”

I’ve made a video for each book that I’ve released using Movie Maker. I was going to do this again but couldn’t find any of the redwood pictures I’ve taken over the years. So, I tried something new for Tree Fairies—Canva. It was not only fun to use and create, but I had access to pictures outside of my own. This allowed for whimsical backgrounds that my photos wouldn’t have provided.

For the music, I used the acoustic song written by my husband, Fairy Song. This song inspired me to write the poem that turned into this story.

The video is making its debut!

 

Fun Finn Facts:

I want to become a wild animal rescue volunteer.I believe there is more than we can see or hear around us.

 

Blurb

When reality and magic meet in the forest

It’s 1969, and twelve-year-old Daniel Burns is camping in the redwood forest with his family. Danny wants to listen to his music and read, but his family has other plans. S’mores around the campfire and stories end their first day. The family is sleeping soundly in their secluded tent when Danny wakes up and finds his sister, Colette, is missing. Assuming she went to use the outhouse, he goes after her. When he finds his sister, they discover there is a thin veil between reality and fantasy.

Two bonus short stories offer a glimpse into the magical world that finds Danny and Colette. These hidden beings not only share our world but have a role in protecting their forest.

 

Excerpt

TREE FAIRIES

1969, somewhere in a redwood forest

 

“I had a dream about them,” I replied before I could stop myself.

Colette was studying the treetops like she was hoping to find fairies.

Dad tossed me another marshmallow. “Tell us about it, Danny.”

I pushed the dirt around with my sneaker. “I don’t think—”

“Please! For me? Pretty please with sugar on top!” Colette’s eagerness was contagious.

“It’s just a dream, but I guess I could try to tell it like a story. You know, because we’re around the campfire and all.”

“Good idea! Thank you for sharing this with us.” Mom’s smile gave me the courage I needed.

“Well, okay, but don’t expect much. I’m not a writer like you.” I cleared my throat and finished my cherry Kool-Aid. The silence was heavy with expectation, which made my palms sweat, but part of me wanted them to hear this. So I took a deep breath and started. “There is a forest where the fairies live in the trees. No one sees them except the squirrels and birds. Until one day, this boy and his family were camping in the woods. The boy went off by himself while wishing he had his tunes to listen to on his new radio. Bummed, he sat down below one of those giant redwood trees.

“He hung out for a while, watching two squirrels run up and down a tree. A nearby stream and a bird’s tune lulled him to sleep until a small branch hit his nose, waking him up. Rubbing his nose, he looked around and saw a bird directly above him. He shrugged and sank back against the tree and fell asleep again.

“Another branch hit him, startling him awake. This time there was no bird, so it had to be a squirrel. The sun had set, and the moon was rising. Soon it would be dark. He knew it was time to get back to his campsite, but he heard humming coming from above as he got up.

“He squinted and tilted his head back. All that he could see were needles, branches, and a darkening sky. He turned to head back to camp when a female voice began singing. It was beautiful, like he imagined an angel’s voice would sound, but he couldn’t understand the words. That’s when he saw the colors and thought they were dragonflies until they got within a few feet of his face. They were tiny, humanlike beings with silver wings. He almost fainted when the green one spoke to him.

“‘Hello . . . ‘ I reached out to her, and then I woke up, so that’s the end.”

Purchase Links:

Amazon US 

Amazon UK

SMASHWORDS

 

 

Author Bio

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include adult fiction, poetry, a unique autobiography, and children’s books. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

D.L. Finn Links:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

D.L. Finn blog

The post Tree Fairies and Their Stories by DL Finn @dlfinnauthor #ChildrensBooks first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Harmony is getting Vocal! @Vocal_Creators #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity

Hi everyone. Exciting news today! I have joined a writing platform called Vocal and have submitted a couple of short stories so far. Elysium, a 2000 word short piece, is entered in a Doomsday competition (many thanks to Staci Troilo for the heads-up on that one!). I’d 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.  Thanks, everyone! Hugs

 

The post Harmony is getting Vocal! @Vocal_Creators #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Story Empire Weekly Round Up @StoryEmpire @JanSikes3 @JoanHallWrites @MaeClair1 #WritingCommunity

Hi everyone. It’s Friday! I’m late posting today as I spent the first two-thirds of the day travelling to get my 2nd COVID jab. Here are the posts for the week from Story Empire (in case the title of the post didn’t give it away)

Writing Organizations: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Jan

Revising Published Work by Joan

Don’t Cheat Your Reader by Mae 

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone  

 

The post Story Empire Weekly Round Up @StoryEmpire @JanSikes3 @JoanHallWrites @MaeClair1 #WritingCommunity first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

You Need to Meet this Wonderful Lady @sgc58 #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Authors

Image by Hier und jetzt endet leider meine Reise auf Pixabay aber from Pixabay

Hi everyone. Today’s post is long overdue. I’ve been planning to write this for a while, but life got in the way, as it has with writing a few book reviews too. (Oops!) Sally Cronin, whom you’ll find at the Smorgasbord Blog is one of the most supportive authors and bloggers that I’ve met in my writing career. Today, I wanted, in some small way, to repay some of that kindness and generosity. Most, if not all, of you will know Sally and her blog already. However, if I introduce even one new reader to her collection of publications, and/or new bloggers to her awesome website, I consider this a post well done. For certain, Sally has introduced little ole me to some wonderful authors and books. Reads I never would have come across otherwise

I have to comment here on how the universe conspires for us. Just when I’d scheduled this post for Sally, I saw a post of hers listing all the places she’s been on tour this year! Perfect timing! So, now, I can offer you a link to all her past blog tours throughout 2021 in one place instead of just the two I’d found on my little ownsome. Awesome!

 

Sally’s Publications:










71Q0O-wPloL._AC_US218_.






81iMaPvvq9L._AC_US218_.






91ZUXJ81ZLL._AC_US218_.






91I1hwdRuIL._AC_US218_.






811SnR1Z8nL._AC_US218_.






91bCtR3L7LL._AC_US218_.






91QDVGpvspL._AC_US218_.






91Q8I2SKY8L._AC_US218_.






91GwaPsV6KL._AC_US218_.






91YQ9m71tHL._AC_US218_.






71zhkdUg7jL._AC_US218_.

Forget the viagra … Pass Me a Carrot! 16-Sep-2013

Sam, A Shaggy Dog Story 10-Nov-2013

Size Matters 30-Dec-2013

Just an Odd Job Girl 01-Jul-2014

Flights of Fancy 14-Jul-2014

Media Training: The Manual 22-Jul-2014

Turning Back the Clock 23-Jul-2014

Tales From The Garden 14-Nov-2015

What’s in a Name? 02-Feb-2017

What’s in a Name? Volume 2: Stories of Life and Romance 25-Jul-2017

Tales From the Irish Garden 24-Sep-2018

Life’s Rich Tapestry: Woven in Words 01-Dec-2019 

Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet 10-Dec-2020

 

I’ve read and enjoyed Life’s Rich Tapestry, but I still need to review this lovely book. (Sorry!)You can find some wonderful posts with Sally on tour in 2021 HERE, which are well worth a look!And HERE’s a post all about Sally’s wonderful marketing opportunities.

 

A Bit About Sally in her Own Words:

I have enjoyed a nomadic existence, living in eight countries including Sri Lanka, Malta, South Africa, USA, and Spain, before settling back here in Ireland. My work, and a desire to see some of the most beautiful parts of the world in the last forty years, has taken me to many more incredible destinations around Europe and Canada, and across the oceans to New Zealand and Hawaii. All those experiences, and the people that I have met, provide a rich source of inspiration for my stories.

After a career in customer facing roles in the hospitality, retail, advertising and telecommunications industry, I wrote and published my first book in 1999 called Size Matters, about my weight-loss journey, losing 150 lbs in 18 months. This has been followed by 13 further fiction and non-fiction books, including a number of short story collections.

My first book release resulted in a radio interview in Spain that led to four years as a nutritional consultant 

for an English language station, and this was followed by four years with my own health show and Sunday morning show on local radio station in the UK and then as station director, newsreader and presenter for an online television station.

As a writer, I know how important it is to have help in marketing books, and from 2002 I have been working with authors on their book launches and publicity. At that time it was very much physical book launches and press coverage locally to stimulate national interest. Today it is very different with a global market via the worldwide web.

As important as my own promotion is, I believe it is important to support others within our community. I offer a number of FREE promotional opportunities on my blog, linked to my social media. If you are an author who would like to be promoted to a new audience of dedicated readers, please contact me via my blog. All it will cost you is a few minutes of your time. Look forward to hearing from you.

The post You Need to Meet this Wonderful Lady @sgc58 #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Authors first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Story Empire Weekly Round Up @StoryEmpire @StaciTroilo @Howelwave @gmplano #WritingCommunity

Hi everyone. It’s Friday! Just as well, because it’s taken me three goes to type in ‘Friday’ correctly! Here are the posts for the week from Story Empire (in case the title of the post didn’t give it away)

How to Write a Red Herring by Staci

A Little More About the Hierarchy of Needs by John 

Accompanying the Writer by Gwen 

 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone  

 

The post Story Empire Weekly Round Up @StoryEmpire @StaciTroilo @Howelwave @gmplano #WritingCommunity first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

blog reflections – Fiction and life . . . from the desk of Gwen M. Plano

Hi everyone. Joan Hall is over at Gwen Plano’s place today, sharing her latest fab book release. Gwen’s blog is having issues notifying readers, so I’d love it if you could pop on over and share the word.

Thanks!  

 

 

 

Source: blog reflections – Fiction and life . . . from the desk of Gwen M. Plano

The post blog reflections – Fiction and life . . . from the desk of Gwen M. Plano first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Cold Dark Night: Tami by @JoanHallWrites #NewBook #Trilogy #Mystery/Thriller #Supernatural

Hi everyone. It gives me great pleasure to host fellow author, Story Empire writer, and friend, Joan Hall. Joan has a new book out. I’ll let her tell you all about it >>>

 

Thank you for hosting me today, Harmony. It’s exciting to be here to talk about my newest release, Cold Dark Night. It’s the first novel in the Legends of Madeira series. Each book begins with a historical event that ties to modern day.

Tami Montgomery is another character that we first meet in Unclear Purposes the final novel of my Driscoll Lake series . The former newspaper owner/editor is now married to Jason, Madeira’s new police chief.

Tami is interested in history and particularly wants to learn more about the nineteenth century home she and Jason purchased. Those familiar with House of Sorrow will recognize it as the place where the reclusive Ruth Hazelton lived.

When Tami’s neighbor asks if she’d like to become involved in a historical society project, she readily agrees. Not everyone welcomes her involvement, but Tami isn’t one to back down. She soon discovers eerie coincidences in the deaths of two of Madeira’s law enforcement leaders.

And that’s just the beginning…

Excerpt:

Tami entered the conference room behind Abbey, surprised to find Max Franklin among the group seated at the table. She grabbed an empty chair, pleased everyone smiled at her in greeting. Well, all but one. Vivian tapped her manicured nails and stared at the ceiling as Abbey made the introductions.

Emmett Landers spoke first. “I suppose Abbey filled you in.”

“Yes, she did.”

“Publishing a book is a bit of an undertaking, but one I believe is worthwhile. There are a few tomes on the history of this area, but none specifically for Madeira. What we’d like to do is interview several long-time residents. Many of them have roots going back to the town’s origin. I understand you’re a journalist.”

Tami nodded. “I owned the local newspaper in Driscoll Lake, but I’ve also worked for larger publications.”

“Then you’ve had experience with interviews.”

“I don’t have a problem talking with others or keeping them on topic. Besides, it will give me a chance to meet more people.”

 “Oh, but dear, that’s not what we want from you.” Vivian spoke for the first time. “Leave the interviewing to us. Your job is to write a section about our past police chiefs. Listing their names and the years they served shouldn’t be too hard.”

A woman of Native American descent glared at Vivian. “I think we need to include more. People wouldn’t be interested in reading a list of names. There are plenty of fascinating stories behind those men.”

Tami forced herself not to smile. She liked this woman already. She wouldn’t be one to back down from a piranha like Vivian Kincaid.

Emmett cleared his throat. “I agree with Frances. For instance, many don’t know someone killed Madeira’s first sheriff near the old jail. No one ever learned the killer’s identity.”

“I’d forgotten about Ethan Bass. The same thing happened to Lee Hazelton. Police were never able to find his murderer,” a middle-aged Hispanic woman said.

Tami’s eyes widened. “Ruth Hazelton’s husband? The woman who lived in my house?”

><><><>

Cold Dark Night is available on Amazon. It’s on sale for $0.99 (US) through until June 15th. After that, the price goes to $3.99, so this is a good time for readers to grab a copy.

 

Blurb:

New husband, new house, new town… and a new mystery to solve.

Tami Montgomery thought her police chief husband was going to be the only investigator in the family when she gave up her journalism career and moved with him to Madeira, New Mexico.

But after the historical society asks her to write stories for a book celebrating the town’s history, she becomes embroiled in a new mystery. If she can’t solve this one, she could lose everything. Her research uncovers a spate of untimely deaths of local law enforcement officials. Further digging reveals a common link—they all lived in the house she and Jason now share.

Tami isn’t a superstitious person, but the circumstances are too similar for coincidence. Then she unearths an even more disturbing pattern. And if history repeats itself, her husband will be the next to die.

 

Purchase Link for Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Dark-Night-Legends-Madeira-ebook/dp/B0968CXZQ9

Purchase Link for Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cold-Dark-Night-Legends-Madeira-ebook/dp/B0968CXZQ9

 

Connect with Joan:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |   Bookbub  |  Goodreads  |  Instagram

 

My five star review for the sequel to this series is HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! We’d love to hear from you in the comments below  

 

The post Cold Dark Night: Tami by @JoanHallWrites #NewBook #Trilogy #Mystery/Thriller #Supernatural first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Story Empire Weekly Round Up @StoryEmpire #WritingCommunity @dlfinnauthor @Virgilante @harmony_kent

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! I’m doing my reblogs a little differently this week and am posting all three of this week’s Story Empire posts here today. We’ll see how that works out. As ever, some great stuff coming out of there >>>

 

Don’t Talk Like That: Quotes and Paragraphs by little ole me 

 

 

 

 

WRITING AND PUZZLES by D L Finn

 

 

Case Study: Army of the Dead by C S Boyack   The post Story Empire Weekly Round Up @StoryEmpire #WritingCommunity @dlfinnauthor @Virgilante @harmony_kent first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Meet the Authors 2021 – #Thriller Harmony Kent, #Fantasy Teagan Riordain Geneviene, #Historical Margaret Skea

Hi everyone! I had a lovely surprise this morning. I’m over at Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore along with two other awesome authors >>>

Over the summer I will be updating author’s details in the Cafe and Bookstore and also sharing their bios, books and recent reviews with you in this series… Meet Harmony Kent After spending around …

Source: Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Meet the Authors 2021 – #Thriller Harmony Kent, #Fantasy Teagan Riordain Geneviene, #Historical Margaret Skea

The post Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Meet the Authors 2021 – #Thriller Harmony Kent, #Fantasy Teagan Riordain Geneviene, #Historical Margaret Skea first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.

Hidden Diversity Among Writers

Hi everyone, Gwen has a great post over at Story Empire today all about the different personalities and writing types. Well worth a read >>>

Hi SE friends! Gwen with you today, and we’re going to explore another element of typology as it relates to writing. You may recall that my prior two posts focused on Extroversion/Introversion and …

Source: Hidden Diversity Among Writers

The post Hidden Diversity Among Writers first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.