Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 62

Holidays are special #mfrwauthor

We're at week 48 and the official topic is "favorite holiday food."

The answer to this question required looking back in time. There have been large clan gatherings and intimate holiday meals for two. Homecooked meals and ones where circumstances dictated picking up a pre-cooked meal at a local store. Glazed ham or turkey? Potato salad or jello salad? Decisions... decisions.

One answer was a dish I wrote about in last years challenge. Lokse could be considered a holiday food as it was a special dish. Yet it could be disqualified as a holiday because it was made pretty much whenever my grandmother visited.

And my answer is "apple pie" and second choice is "shoe-fly pie." If you've followed the challenge you'll remember I don't particularly like to cook, I'd rather bake. And I love sweets.
Pixabay Image, Used under CCO Creative Commons license
There's just a few more posts in the challenge. Hope I make it. ~till next time, Helen

Question, From Imprisoned in Stone, #BookQW #MFRWHook

A book hook using the quote word of the week. This week's word is QUESTION.

From the dark fantasy, Imprisoned in Stone.

A faint longing filtered through Colwyn's concentration. “Who are you?” he whispered. He pushed the question outward with all his force of will. It struck an impenetrable force. Someone or something blocked his contact. Trying a different approach, he cast the spell he was working on, the one to summon an unknown mage. No face appeared, but he caught a hint of surprise.

~ ~ ~
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Paperback at Amazon / Barnes&Noble

Bragging #MFRWauthor

We're at week 47 and the official topic is "worth bragging about."

This is another topic which is reminiscent of 2017. There was the topic "Let me Brag For a Minute. The post, Stars and More Stars, which covered reviews of my published works filled that topic. Then there was the 2017 post, My Biggest Accomplishment which could be considered a brag as it talked about marriage and anniversaries achieved.


There is one thing I'd like to brag about. A manuscript I've been working on for longer than I want to admit was finally finished. In my two series, The Windmaster Novels and the Dragshi Chronicles, each storyline included a reference to a legend from their particular world. Windmaster Legend is the tale of the star-crossed lovers, Iol and Pelra.

Since I don't have the cover yet, I'll satisfy the need of a graphic by including the covers from the first two books in the series. Excerpts and buy links can be found at the series page.

 

And the lastest news on Windmaster?  I received a notice that it received a four-star review and a recommendation on BookBub.

There's just a few more posts in the challenge. Hope I make it. ~till next time, Helen

Thanks, From Windmaster Legacy, #MFRWHook, #Bookqw

A book hook using the quote word of the week "THANKS."

From the sword and sorcery fantasy, Windmaster Legacy.

Excerpt:



Ellspeth recovered from the shock of the bracelets’ touch and muttered her thanks to Fraunces. She hoped no one would notice the quaver in her voice. Surprise turned to amazement when the king stepped aside so Mirrim could take his place and offer the double handclasp of equals. “Be happy, daughter,” Mirrim whispered. “Third wanted Windmaster for himself and went behind my back. The council’s actions were not my doing. I did what I could for you.” Her voice softened even more, and Ellspeth wondered if she really heard the words, “Forgive me.”

~ ~ ~
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Paperback at Amazon / Barnes&Noble


The rest of the hop is at http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

#BookQW Unusual, From Imprisoned in Stone, #MFRWHook

A book hook using the quote word of the week. This week's word is USUAL.

From the dark fantasy, Imprisoned in Stone.

Excerpt:



Within the trees, she slowed her pace. The farther in she went, the quieter the woods became, void of all the usual sounds of both bird and insect. A twig snapped behind her. Maerva spun, sword in hand.


A net dropped over her. She struck out, her blade snagging in the thick roping. Again, she slashed, fear adding strength to the blow. A weight fell on her shoulders bearing her to the ground. She twisted to free herself only to have a knee grind into her neck. The kick that numbed her hand sent the blade flying into the brush.“Well, well, we meet again, my dear.” Fear surged through Maerva at recognition of the voice–Cuhlwch.

Someone flipped the net over her head. She struggled to get free as coarse ropes bound her hands behind her back. Rough hands dragged her to her knees. The leader of the Brethren stood over her.

His gaze raked her body from head to toe, lingering on the breasts showing through the rumpled tunic. Cuhlwch smiled a grin that contained no mirth. “Now, Maerva, let’s go find that escaped thorn in my side–and my son. Both have much to answer for. This time there will be no mercy for either. Then you and I shall explore my plans for the Brethren.”

He leaned in so close, Maerva felt his hot breath on her cheek. His lips grazed her neck. “Compliance is not needed to create an heir.”

~ ~ ~
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Paperback at Amazon / Barnes&Noble

Thank you for your service

This year, in honor of those who wore the uniform as well as those who held the homefront together while awaiting their return, a special sale with a purpose.

As a special thank you to those who served on the homefront and the battlefront, Hearth and Sand is on sale for a limited time. Proceeds will be donated to a veteran and her family.

Hearth and Sand is twelve tales of duty and honor, love and romance. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories in Hearth and Sand reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.

The tales cross genre from contemporary to historical, and science fiction to poetry. More on the tales can be found here.

And on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, thank you for your service and prayers that peace will someday render war unknown. 



Hearth and Sand Available At:   Amazon   Walmart   More Ebook Sellers



 

Honoring the Uniform and Those Who Served

Memorial Day and Veterans Day honor two aspects of military service -- those who served and those who in doing so made the ultimate sacrifice. However recognition of our veterans should not be restricted to one or two days a year. In that vein, not quite a reprise, but a listing of other posts on the topic of duty and honor.



 


Echoes From The Valley  - click on the link for an excerpt from the tale where a soldier from the past honored his descendant's duty. And as a special readers bonus, you can get a free read of the story. Download Link

The Home Front - Another Side of War

The Statue

Armistice Day to Veterans Day

Freedom Isn't Free

Choosing Just One

And finally,Hearth and Sand Twelve tales of those who served on the front lines and the stories of loved ones left behind who preserved the home front. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories in Hearth and Sand reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. 

 And as a special acknowledgement, Hearth and Sand is on sale for 99cents for a limited time only.

Hold the tomatoes please #mfrwauthor

Only six more weeks to go. It's been a long run, but we're in the home stretch. This is another of the topics that required some thought. "What am I allergic to?" In the generally accepted meaning where eating a given food produces swelling, hives, and rashes; or in the extreme, anaphylaxis, I don't have allergies. Dust can make me sneeze, but I can eat peanuts by the handful.

Pixabay image. Used under CCO license.
There is a food that doesn't agree with me, tomatoes. Especially raw tomatoes. But a strange quirk. Cooked tomatoes as in tomato sauce or mixed with herbs for pasta doesn't have quite a strong a reaction. And ketchup has none, although you eat smaller amounts of it.

Pixabay image. Used under CCO license.So while I love pasta and pizza, I have to watch how much I eat because tomatoes, whether raw or cooked, don't agree with me.

It's a hop, so visit the other posts on allergies. ~till next time, Helen

The Sentry, #MFRWHook

Although my excerpts for the MFRW Book Hooks blog are usually romance. This week's book hook is another clip from Hearth and Sand. Instead of a ghost story like last week's clip from "Echoes From The Valley," presented for your consideration another aspect of sentry duty. Another difference is that instead of an excerpt from a short story, this week's book hook features selected verses from the poem aptly titled, "The Sentry." Like the other stories in the collection that comprises Heart and Sand, "The Sentry" reflects a continuity of service from the past to the present.

Although the poem pertains to a tomb of an unknown soldier, the inspiration for this piece did not come from the memorial in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Instead it was from a day when solemn commemorations held in a small town to mark the one-year anniversary of 9-11-2001 replaced the laying of a wreath in Arlington or the toss of one into the sea. The image of a sentry was a solitary bagpiper atop a hill. The flag was not draping a casket but hoisted from the extended ladder of a firetruck. A line of helmets atop empty boots symbolized the cost of duty.


Excerpt:

Eerie notes float across the field
A signal that day is done.
But not for me... not for me
I am the chosen one.

My task is simple
The command understood
To stand my post
Here at the edge of the woods.

From each generation one soul is drawn
From among the honored dead.
No name is known, no one can mourn
He is a chosen one, a sentry for the dead.

And now I join them
An American soldier known but to God.
We came from desert, jungle, and field.
I am the latest of the lost.

**  END OF EXCERPT ***

For the rest of the poem, I hope you'll consider buying Hearth and Sand. Amazon  Walmart   More Ebook Sellers 

The tales in Hearth and Sand cross genre from contemporary to historical, and science fiction to poetry and are a collection of twelve tales of those who served on the front lines and the stories of loved ones left behind who preserved the home front. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories in Hearth and Sand reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.


Buy Links: Amazon  Walmart   More Ebook Sellers

To Sleep Perchance to Dream #mfrwauthor

Welcome to Week 44 of the 2018 MFRW challenge. Each week we are challenged to write a thoughtful, informative post about writing craft, the writing life, or sometimes, something even more personal.

This topic is close to that from Week 35. The difference is the one between irrational and biggest. Irrational implies not governed by reason, mental clarity, or understanding. Which would mean this week could be something a reasonable person would be afraid of. If you live in a high crime area, it would not be irrational to fear being shot or attacked. Whereas if you live in the penthouse apartment of a high-rise building in a major city, the fear of a bear breaking into your apartment would not be reasonable.


I used to think my greatest fear was losing my eyesight. Going blind would be hell on earth for a writer. But these days if the mind remained sharp, technology could help. And audio books to satisfy the need to read.

Pixabay Image
But fear of something else now takes the top spot. My greatest fear is being trapped, of having a stroke or heart attack which leaves my mind alert but unable to control my body.



Pixabay Image

I don't want to dwell on the topic so I'm off to sleep, perchance to dream of flying with dragons.


The list of the other posts in the hop is below. ~till next time, Helen