Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, page 24
June 30, 2017
Haiku Friday – Ember & Flame
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
~Buddha
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Where is hell? Some people say it’s right here on Earth, in our world, and after watching the news for a few minutes you may believe it too. Others say hell is in your mind. Walk into any insane asylum or hospital for the criminally insane and I guarantee it’ll make perfect sense. What could be more hellish than our own guilt?
If we were to imagine hell as a place here on Earth, where would it be? I can’t think of a place closer to hell than inside an active volcano standing on the banks of a magma lake––can you?
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HELL
by Vashti Q
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Deep in the darkness
Confined till the end of days
Swallowed by Volcán
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Wrapped in chains, covered in ash
Tormented by magma flames
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“The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
~John Milton
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“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
~Oscar Wilde
Ember and Flame are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Last week’s prompt words were Darkness and Deep. Since I didn’t do Haiku Friday last week I decided to incorporate these words into today’s poem.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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Happy Friday and great weekend, everyone!
Tagged: haiku, haiku friday, hell, poetry, quotes, RonovanWrites, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q, Vashti Quiroz-Vega, volcano, volcán
June 22, 2017
Pay It Forward – Author Diane Munier
I joined a wonderful book club called Rave Reviews Book Club (RBBC). The RRBC is a virtual book club made up of many authors and readers. One of the club’s main objectives is to Profile, Promote and Propel their members. They do this many different ways and Pay It Forward day is one of those ways. So instead of doing my usual Haiku Friday post today I’m paying it forward.
What is Pay It Forward day?
On this day, members agree to give up ALL self-promotion and instead, promote one fellow member/author on their blog and social media forums. It is agreed that the MAJORITY of promotional tweets, Facebook shares and blog posts, etc., will be for the member/authors who has been assigned to the “promoting” member.
My assigned author for Pay It Forward is Diane Munier. As a new member of the Raves Review Book Club I’m just getting to know Diane and the other members of the club. I spent a good while looking through her blog and social media platforms yesterday and I liked what I saw. So here it goes.
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“There is no greater honor than to hear someone’s story. If you feel that way about the tales I tell, I would love to hear from you to keep you informed about upcoming work. Thanks for reading!”
~ Diane Munier
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“I write love!”
~ Diane Munier
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Diane Munier broke into writing as a feature writer for a local newspaper. She spent the majority of her working life as a marriage and family counselor. These pursuits have done much to fuel her imagination and her passion/obsession for writing fiction. She grew up in a four-family-flat in the city of St. Louis but has lived rurally for most of her adult life with her husband on their beloved flat land in a small, fascinating farming community. This locale and a large, active family fuel her writing.
Diane Munier has written many books and you can see all her available work on her Amazon Profile Page .
Her latest novel, Running With Monkeys is now available on Amazon.
BLURB:
1946. The boys are home from the war. Jules is looking for a way into polite society, but it seems like the moogs that didn’t go overseas have moved so far ahead he’ll never catch up. His luck seems to change when he goes to the movies with his buddies Bobby and Audie, the other two monkeys. They had marched across Europe together, and now they were picking up dames, drinking too much, and generally letting off steam, which translates into trouble. Jules meets Isbe at the movies. Close dancing in a smoky club leads to love. The same night, Jules hooks up with the Irish mob. Love is thawing his hard heart, the one needed for survival in his new and violent world. Isbe vows to stand by, but Jules likes it on the edge. That’s a good thing, because Isbe’s father is chief of police and it’s a tangled gray web he’s soon caught up in.
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Review Excerpts:
~ Few people can tell a story like Diane. The way she describes people, places, dialogue, and events, is nothing short of transcendent.
~ Diane Munier is one of the most gifted writers I have ever encountered. Her first-person narratives are fascinating…
~ This author’s writing is so very rich. Lots of details that really demonstrate a level of research that is often not present in love stories.
~ Again I am mesmerized by this author and another awesome story. Great twists and turns…
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In her words . . .
Living comfortably in the heart of America with the people I love. I live an extroverted life, but I’m a genuine introvert. An urban kid, I spent much of my youth running in various neighborhood establishments. There I met many colorful characters and I learned to love them and be fascinated by them. My love of story comes from them. I learned to sit on a bar stool or a kitchen chair or in a pew and hear story. Hear the voices telling story. See the mouths move and the hands clutching glasses or cigarettes. See and hear the laughter. There is no greater honor than to hear someone’s story. If you feel that way about the tales I tell…what more could I ask.
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Be sure to check Diane’s blog, Diane Munier Author
Connect with her on Social Media
Goodreads
Amazon
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I hope you enjoyed this Author Spotlight. I will be back next week Friday with Haiku Friday! Have a great weekend!
Tagged: #RRBCPIF, author, Books, Diane Munier, Pay It Forward, Rave Reviews Book Club, RRBC, spotlight, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q, Vashti Quiroz-Vega
June 19, 2017
BLOG TOUR: Linda G. Hill | The Magician’s Curse
When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, ‘The Magician’s Curse‘ begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.
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Book Cover for ‘The Magicians Curse’ by Author Linda G.Hill
Official Release Date: June 27, 2017! Pre-order your Kindle copy today.
**Available soon on Kobo, and on June 27th in paperback on Amazon.
An excerpt from Chapter 2:
The moment Stephen stepped out the door, the foyer fell silent again. He didn’t have to look at any of the interviewees perched, alert upon burgundy velvet-covered benches against both sides of the room, to know their eyes were on him. They were drawn to him as though he were a human magnet, just as Herman had been. He passed the stairs, turned right, and stepped into the dining room where his agent, Margaret, waited for him to arrive.
“Hey,” she said without looking up. She sat poring over the applications that were strewn across the large antique dining room table. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, staring at the top of her dark mane of hair shining in the light of the chandelier above her head. Her long, graceful fingers, poised to turn a page, were an elegant extension of the rest of her lithe body. Finally, she looked up and took in his appearance with icy-green eyes. She was every bit as beautiful as any of the women outside.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. Being inseparable for five years, both as best friends and then co-workers, made it easy for her to tell when there was something different, however subtle, about him.
“I found her,” Stephen said, his back still to the door.
“Who?”
“She has a perfect body and long, brown hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. And her lips! Full and beautiful. And the way they move when she speaks … absolutely captivating.”
Margaret narrowed her eyes. “You hired someone on the train again, didn’t you?” It was a statement more than a question.
Stephen nodded.
“Okay,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “Tell me more about her.”
“I think she’s running away from home. She has a job to go to, but she agreed to come and check this one out. She’s sweet and innocent and she’s almost eighteen.”
Margaret crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes even more.
“No, I didn’t audition her the same way I did the others,” he said.
“So you didn’t bang her in the limo on the way here.”
“No! She’s not of age. And anyway, I knew from the second I saw her that she’s the one.”
Margaret began to say something just as the door opened on the far side of the room to her left, and Nina came in from the kitchen. Both Stephen and Margaret glanced at the slight young woman and then at each other.
“Should I leave the two of you alone?” Margaret asked.
Stephen shook his head almost imperceptibly and walked over to have a quiet word with the girl. After a few seconds she bowed and backed out of the room, and Stephen turned back to his friend.
“Well then,” Margaret said, throwing her hands up and glaring down at the stacks of paper in front of her. “Tell them all to go home.”
“No, I still want to interview them.”
“What the hell for?”
“Herman might not take the job.”
Margaret raised her eyebrows. “Herman?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, let me get this straight. You’re telling me she’s the one you want but that she might not stay. I’m confused.”
He stood, silently pleading with his friend to understand what he had only begun to comprehend himself.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Stephen? I’ve never seen you undone like this before …”
Margaret put her hand up to her mouth, realization dawning on her face. “Oh my God,” she said quietly.
He closed his eyes as he spoke. “It doesn’t matter whether or not she’ll be my assistant, Margaret.” He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. “She’s the girl I’m going to marry.”
About The Author
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Linda G. Hill was born and raised an only child in Southern Ontario, Canada. She credits the time she spent alone when she was growing up, reading books and building worlds and characters of her own to keep her company, as the reason she became a writer.
A stay-at-home mom of three beautiful boys, Linda is a graduate of the Writing Program at St. Lawrence College in Brockville, Ontario. Aside from caring for her family, she enjoys traveling the world, eating trout cooked on the barbecue, and, of course, reading.
Follow Linda on Social Media:
Main blog: https://lindaghill.com
Fiction and Poetry blog: https://lindaghillfiction.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindaghill.fiction/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaGHill
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15577348.Linda_G_Hill
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-G.-Hill/e/B01K2LICL0/
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Tagged: blog tour, Book, Linda G. Hill, Novel, paranormal, romance, The Magician's Curse, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q
June 16, 2017
Haiku Friday – Star & Bloom
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
~Jim Valvano
I lost my father in January of this year and I wasn’t sure how I would feel come Father’s Day. There’s a heaviness in my heart because I miss him. I miss his voice, smile, laughing eyes, and hugs. I miss watching the Discovery, National Geographic, History and Sci-Fi channels with him and discussing what we saw afterward. I miss reading books with him and forming our own little book club to talk about what we’d read.
I remember the faces he made whenever my mom made him dance with her, and his stiff, soldierly way of dancing. He loved movies, like I did, and I remember his reaction when we saw Avatar together in 3D. He resembled a child in his excitement and amazement having never seen anything like that before.
I should never have written ‘lost’ because he’s not lost. He’s in a better place and one day we’ll see each other again and together we’ll marvel at things even more amazing.
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She reached for the stars
The depth of her father’s love
showed her how to thrive
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I Love You, Dad
by 365greetings.com
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Your arms are my shelter
Assuring me that it will be better
Your hand is my comfort
Lifting me up when I fall short
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Your voice makes me strong
Teaching me what’s right and wrong
Your smile says it all
Father, I love you more than all
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“Every good man is a father to someone.”
Tagged: Father, Father's Day, Haiku_Friday, poetry, RonovanWrites, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q
June 12, 2017
Spotlight: M J Mallon Author
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
~Maya Angelou
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Hello everyone! A warm welcome to The Writer Next Door! I’m excited to spotlight today the lovely and talented, Marjorie Mallon.
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Marje is a writer, poet, photographer, blogger, wife, mother––let’s just say she wears many hats. She keeps busy on her blog, M J Mallon Author, doing Author Interviews, Spotlights, and Book Reviews . She is a very supportive member of the writing/blogging communities. In fact, she founded an organization on Facebook called, Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club to do just that.
What is the Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club?
It’s a friendly community of authors/bloggers/book reviewers working together to support each other in a multitude of ways – e.g. by writing or sharing reviews, highlighting author spotlights/book launches/interviews, and posting writing/poetry/blogging tips, or… tips about writing reviews, or discussing general topics of interest.
I am proud to say that I am a member of the club. Colleen Chesebro and Debby Gies have joined the club as administrators.
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“If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it.”
~ Anaïs Nin
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M J Mallon wrote her first middle grade/YA fantasy novel, The Curse of Time, which is currently in the final editing stage. She will soon be a published author and is already at work on a second novel.
The quotes on this post are some of Marje’s favorite quotes. You can read more of them here.
In her words . . .
What can I tell you? Well before we start I’d like to suggest that you might want to pull up a comfy chair, sit back and enjoy my blog, Kyrosmagica, which is all about the magic of writing, my love of books, crystals, laughter, and much, much, more! I’m writing a second novel, and blogging, of course, writing book reviews here, and on Goodreads, and Amazon, and in fact anywhere else that will have me! Being an open minded type of gal, I like to review a wide a range of genres as possible, including YA, Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Asian Literature, Detective, LBGTQ, and from time to time when I’m feeling brave I read dark thriller, or perhaps a horror story..
I have a penchant for travel and have relatives in far flung places, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, (my birthplace.) I grew up in Bonnie Scotland, in Edinburgh, and now live in Cambridge. I love sunny, hot places, particularly Rome, Venice, Portugal, Barcelona, and I forgot to mention the sun drenched beaches of the Caribbean, how could I? I am lucky to have been blessed with two lovely daughters and a six foot hunk of a husband, who I met at the tender age of eighteen, who I fondly refer to in this blog as my black sheep. Considering how long we’ve been together I could call him my swan, but I think black sheep kind of suits him, a charming black sheep! His title Black Sheep originated from a family joke, which you can read about in my post Mother in Laws and Black Sheep! With my passion for travel, culture, beautiful beaches, good food, books, theatre, writing, art, photography and humour, I hope to keep you entertained.
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“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
~ Maya Angelou
Read more about Marje here
Be sure to visit Marjorie’s blog, M J Mallon Author
Connect with Marjorie Mallon on Social Media:
Goodreads
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Author M J Mallon
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Have a great week everyone and see you Friday for Haiku Friday!
Tagged: author, Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club, Facebook, guest blogger, M J Mallon, spotlight, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q
June 9, 2017
Haiku Friday – Color & Warmth
Hello everyone! Welcome to Haiku Friday on The Writer Next Door blog.
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Sunrise
by Vashti Q
Dawn draws back her veil
Pink and orange sunrise hues
Set our skies aflame
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There is a new beginning
I shall awake into dream
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“Let the beauty of sunrise, keep your heart warm.”
♥ UPDATE: I received the proofs for my book cover and I’m very excited! I can’t wait to show it to you! Book Cover Reveal –– Coming Soon!
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Color and Warm are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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Tagged: book cover, haiku challenge, haiku friday, poetry, RonovanWrites, sunrise, Tanka, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q
June 5, 2017
Spotlight: Olga Nuñez Miret Author/Translator
“You’re not strong enough
to withstand the storm.”
Today I whispered in the devil’s ear,
“I am the storm.”
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I introduce to you today Hurricane Olga Nuñez Miret. Author, Psychiatrist, translator, blogger––these titles do not begin to describe the woman. It is difficult to keep tract of all of Olga’s accomplishments, believe me, there are a plethora of deeds. I am certain that you will take pleasure in getting to know Olga Nuñez Miret as much as I have because apart from being a talented author and fascinating woman, she’s also a lovely human being.
Olga is a great supporter of fellow authors, writers and bloggers. On her blog you’ll find many book reviews and author spotlights, so please be sure to check it out.
**Click on the picture below to read about a book event she and her mom helped organize in Madrid, Spain.
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LITERANIA 2017 | A Book Fair and Much, Much More . . .
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Author Olga Nuñez Miret
In her words . . .
I was born in Barcelona and moved to the UK many years ago. I’ve worked as a psychiatrist, have a degree and PhD in American Literature and a Masters in Criminology. Yes, I like to study. I love books, and I’ve been writing since I was a child. Started self-publishing in 2012 and I’ve published a family saga, a YA story, a romantic book with three endings and a psychological thriller (collecting three stories with a psychiatrist/writer as main character). I publish all my works in English and Spanish. After working in the NHS for nearly 8 years I’ve decided to try other things. I’ll keep on writing stories and will offer my services as translator to other authors. Stories make the world go round. Apart from reading and writing I love to meet new people and learn about them, I also enjoy keeping fit. I’m trying meditation and I hope to stick with it. I love the cinema and going to the theatre. I crochet but don’t have much time for it these days. I don’t eat meat and love fruit and vegetables. I write a blog sharing the work of other writers, random thoughts, reviews (of books, movies, plays…) and anything else….Come along to meet me.
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Olga speaks, reads and writes both English and Spanish fluently, so if you are interested in translating your English books to Spanish follow this link (details are at the bottom of the page).
BOOKS
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Olga’s 1st novel: The Man Who Never Was
(Also available in spanish) El Hombre Que Nunca Existió
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Twin Evils? A YA/Adult novella (paranormal, fairy tale)
Also in Spanish: Gemela Maldad
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Click Me Happy! A romantic novella, where the reader can choose between three endings.
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Escaping Psychiatry A collection of three novellas (Psychological thriller)
(In spanish) Una vez psiquiatra…
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Family, lust and cameras (Psychological Thriller Novella)
(En español) Familia, lujuria y cámaras
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I Love Your Cupcakes (A sweet romance)
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**Click on any of the book cover images or follow the links if you’d like more information on any of Olga’s books or would like to read a blurb.
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**Check out Olga’s blog, Olga Author/Translator ~ Books, Writing, Life and Everything Else
Check out Olga’s Amazon Profile Page where you can find all her books including the Audible Audio Editions
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If you’d like to keep updated with all of Olga’s news subscribe to her Newsletter
Connect with Olga on Social Media:
Google+
Goodreads
YouTube
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If you’re wondering about the little owl pictures throughout the post it’s because Olga loves owls. 
June 2, 2017
Haiku Friday – Please & Tease
~Will Cuppy
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There’s nothing wrong with making people happy. I enjoy making people smile, laugh––happy. I love that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you make someone happy. What I do believe is wrong is when people obsess about making everyone happy. That’s impossible.
Originality is really important to me and sometimes when you think outside the box some people get uncomfortable. I can’t worry about that. When I write a short story, poem or novel my main ambition is to please myself. That being said, it is important to me that people enjoy my work. That’s why I put everything I got into everything I do. But I won’t be shocked when someone isn’t pleased.
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“Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. Risk being seen in all of your glory.”
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Illustration by Andrew Ferez (25kartinok | DeviantArt)
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Trying to be all
In the eyes of some people
You’ll always fall short
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Trying to please all
You were not true to yourself
A mock of your charm
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Illustration by Andrew Ferez (25kartinok | DeviantArt)
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Please and Tease are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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Happy Friday and great weekend all!
Tagged: andrew ferez, art, haiku, Haiku_Friday, Jim Carrey, poetry, RonovanWrites, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q, Will Cuppy
May 29, 2017
SPOTLIGHT: D. G. Kaye ~ Live. Laugh. Love. And Don’t Forget to Breathe.
“Friends are like bras: close to your heart and there for support.”
~Donna Roberts
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It is my pleasure to introduce today a woman who I greatly admire for her strength, positive attitude, and writing talent: Debby Gies (D. G. Kaye). She is also a very supportive friend. An author of nonfiction memoir she writes about life, matters of the heart and women’s issues. Debby inspires others by sharing stories about events she has encountered and lessons that come along with them.
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Growing up as an emotionally neglected child, she struggled, tormented with guilt, with whether or not she should remain obligated to being a faithful daughter, feeling in debt to her narcissistic mother for giving birth to her. Her first book, Conflicted Hearts is a memoir, written about her journey to seek solace from living with guilt.
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In keeping up with sharing her experiences in life, Debby thought about her turbulent voyage through menopause. No, it wasn’t fun. But in retrospect, she had to laugh when comparing symptoms with friends over some of the craziness of the side effects, so she decided to write Meno-What? A Memoir. The book is a short, humorous accounting of her passage through the hormonal injustice. In that book, she shared some of the many symptoms she encountered, hoping to shed some light and humor on what women may expect or experience at that unpredictable time. She also offers up some helpful hints she found useful for relief.
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Have Bags, Will Travel is a travel memoir of tales and reminiscings from some of Debby’s more memorable trips, which all factor in the same ongoing issues for her – too much luggage! 
May 26, 2017
Haiku Friday – Miracle & Save
Miracle and Save are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.
Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.
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“Typically creative people are usually not clock-slaves or list-makers, so the idea of enforcing goals and deadlines can be somewhat daunting.”
~Kristin Armstrong
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Need a miracle
Deadlines marching ever nigh
Save me from myself
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**I’m currently in the formatting stage of my upcoming book, The Fall of Lilith . I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is one of the most difficult and overwhelming parts of the process. At least if it’s your first time doing it. Phew! However, everything continues to move along toward the deadline that I set for myself (Summer).
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Happy Friday and great weekend all!
Tagged: Book, formatting, Haiku_Friday, poetry, RonovanWrites, the fall of lilith, The Writer Next Door, Vashti Q, writing 
