Wow! Yesterday’s guest post was just awesome, wasn’t it? Today, I am turning my blog over to another great #RWISA writer, D.L. Finn. Let’s see what she has for us.
POETRY by D. L. Finn
ICICLES
The
icicles dangle downward
Reaching
for the substantial snow
Each drop
bringing them closer
As the
landscape merges into itself
It is
silent in its existence
Until a
raven reveals itself
Wondering
what’s in the trash
Yet, the
moment remains peaceful
Sitting
and surveying in the chill
An instant
promising potential
When there
is no celerity
When
crackling fires call
When
surroundings are concealed
Soon, the
renewal will be revealed
But now
it’s the stage of contemplation.
For
sustenance
For solace
For soul
To live on
our abundance of the past
This is
the gift of the snow
When we
can replenish our hearts
In the
silence of the icicles.
FREEDOM
(Musings from the back of a Harley)
The
freedom of the blue skies
Welcome us
warmly back
Our path
is asphalt
Our
vehicle a mechanical horse
Our guide
is the wind
Lush green
walls soar
The sun
illuminates the way
Oaks are
waking up after a long nap
And I…
I fill my
soul
With
nature’s flowering renewal
Bursting
with beauty and abundance
In the
freedom of spring.
WHERE THE
RIVERS MEET
Roaring white, pounding the granite
Swirling,
swelling, splendor
The air is
heavy with anticipation
It blows
over me like a lover’s touch
Filling my
heart with sweet floral ecstasy
I relax
into the experience
Each
breath carries away my worries
My eyes
fill with abandonment
As the
rushing liquid serenades me
Singing
the praise of this paradise
Until the
different directions converge
After a
brief resounding rumble
They
combine and continue on their way
Leaving
the moment where the rivers meet.
OCEAN
As I sit
perched up high on our lanai
Comfortable
on my recliner in the shade
The ocean
draws my gaze
Its
sapphire and emerald water calls me
While the
blue pool floats in its space—uninviting
I hear the
sea’s song as it smashes onto the shore
The
surfers ride its motion
The
snorkelers gaze into its depth
And the
swimmers float on its perception
Our
attraction is undeniable
Opposites:
one of air, one of water
It beckons,
and I must respond
Offering
myself up to the hidden world
Under the
cerulean summon
I answer,
embracing the ocean completely.
Thank you for supporting this member along the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour today! We ask that if you have enjoyed this member’s writing, please visit their Author Page on the RWISA site, where you can find more of their writing, along with their contact and social media links, if they’ve turned you into a fan.
We ask that you also check out their books in the RWISA or RRBC catalogs. Thanks, again for your support and we hope that you will follow each member along this amazing tour of talent! Don’t forget to click the link below to learn more about this author:
Welcome to the Watch #RWISA Write Showcase Tour. It’s my pleasure to welcome author John Howell to my blog today. Let’s check out the story John is sharing:
Just a couple more hours and I’ll be able to rest my
eyes. Been on this damn highway for what seems like forever. His head
slowly nods until the rumble strip noise causes him to jerk awake. “I have been
asleep,” he yells. He yanks the wheel, and the tires screech in protest as he
swerves back on to the highway. He can feel his heart in his chest and pressure
in his eyes. In an instant, he regrets being so weak as to give in to the
physical need. He also becomes alarmed since now he knows that sleep could
overtake him without notice. One second,
his eyes could be open and the next closed. Thank God for the jarring and noise
of the rumble strips since without its alarm, he is sure he would have ended up
piled into a tree.
As his heart settles down, he concentrates on the road
ahead. There’s someone at the side about a half mile away. A hitchhiker by the
looks of a backpack. A sign in the person’s hand is not readable at this
distance. The thought occurs that It would be a good thing to have someone else
in the car to help him stay awake. Of
course, there are dangers in picking up a stranger. As he gets closer, he can
see that the hitchhiker is not a guy like he thought. It’s a young woman about
his age. She is wearing some kind of
overalls, but the distinctive female form still comes through. He decides to
slow down and assess the situation. A girl makes all the difference in trying
to reach a decision for or against a pickup. After all, who knows where this
could lead? He does know that in all probability, she is not likely to stick a
knife in his ribs and demand his wallet after a couple of miles down the road.
He eases the car to the shoulder and can’t help kick up some
dust in the process. The sign is facing him even as the person turns away to
avoid the dust storm he has created. Kansas City in black marker on cardboard
is all it says.
He opens the passenger door and waves her over. “I’m going
to Kansas City. Want a ride?”
The young woman looks back at him, and he can tell she is
doing an evaluation on the safety prospects of accepting a lift. She slowly
hoists her backpack on to her shoulder and walks with hesitant steps toward the
car. She puts her hand above her eyes to cut the glare of the sun and stops
short of the door. She leans in. “Did you say you’re going to Kansas City?”
“Yes. Yes, I did. I also asked if you would like a ride.”
“That all depends on your intentions?”
“My intentions?”
“Yeah. You are offering a ride. How much will it cost me?”
“Cost you? I’m going to Kansas City. Your sign says Kansas
City. Why would it cost you anything?”
“Just want to make sure is all.”
“No charge. I’ve been on the road forever, it seems, and I
would welcome the company. My name is James.”
“Sorry, James. I know I sounded a little ungrateful, but I
have also been on the road and have met several guys that think I owe them
something for a ride.”
“I can understand that. Let’s just say you can ride or not
it’s your choice. No other decisions to be made.”
“Fair enough. I accept your offer. My name is Sarah.” She
slides in and slams the door.
“Nice to meet you, Sarah. You want to put your backpack in
the rear?”
“No, I’ll just keep it here in the front with me. You can
never tell.”
“Tell what?”
“When I’ll have to bail. Everything I own is in this pack,
and I sure wouldn’t want to leave it behind.”
“I get it. No use trusting someone just cause they say you
can.”
“Right. I think I like you, James.”
“Wainwright. My last name’s Wainwright. How about you?”
“Not sure I have a last name. I go by Sarah.”
“No last name? How can that be?”
“You going to start this car or is my fear well founded.”
James flushes as he turns the ignition. “Yeah, here we go.”
He looks in the side mirror and signals as he pulls back on the highway.
“You are a cautious one. There’s no one for miles.”
“I guess it’s a habit from city driving.” He keeps checking
in the mirror until he is up to highway speed
“Where you from, James?”
“New York. You?”
“I think I was originally from down south somewhere.”
“You don’t know?”
“Well, it’s been a long time.” She pauses.
James glances at her and sees that she is lost in thought
somewhere. Her skin is fair, and she has the high cheekbones and lips of a
runway model. She looks vaguely familiar, and he compares her looks to Joni
Mitchell. There is that innocent, fragile look that makes you want to take care
of her.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” She is back.
“I didn’t say anything. I’m amazed you don’t know where you
are from.”
“Well do you remember where you’re from or is it someone
told you?”
She has a point. James only knew he was born in Chicago
because his parents told him so. He lived in New York for twenty years so
unless clued in he would have thought he lived there his whole life. “I guess I
should rephrase the question. Where did you last live?”
“Yes, James. That makes a little more sense. I last lived in
Dubuque, Iowa.”
“What a coincidence. I am driving from Dubuque. Do you
believe that?”
“I can believe that. Someone once said there are only six
degrees of separation of everyone on Earth. You and I traveling from Dubuque at
the same time certainly falls into that realm.”
“Aw come on, Sarah. We are both going from Dubuque to Kansas
City. That has to be more than a coincidence.”
“I never said I was going to Kansas City, James.”
“Wait. You have that sign that says Kansas City.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m going there.”
“What does it mean?”
“You think I know?”
“I’m getting a weird feeling here, Sarah. Like you aren’t
telling me something.”
“Do you remember swerving after you ran off the highway?”
“What? Back there. Yeah, I remember almost falling asleep.
Hey, wait a minute. How would you know about that?”
“Think a minute, James. How do you think I would know about
that moment?”
“Sarah I’m too tired for guessing games. What is this all about?”
“Do you feel okay, James?”
“Yeah, just tired.”
“Look around. Do you see any other cars?”
“No, but I haven’t for a while. What are you trying to tell
me, Sarah?”
“You fell asleep James.”
“When did I fall asleep? I know I nodded off, but when did I
fall asleep?”
“Just before your car went off the road and you hit a cement
culvert.”
“Now, you are joking. Right? Right, Sarah?”
“No joke, James. Look ahead. What do you see?”
“Uh up the road, you mean?”
“Yes, up the road.”
“Nothing but what looks like a sandstorm.”
“It’s no storm, James. It is nothing.”
“Who are you anyway?”
“Do you remember that little girl who went missing in the
second grade?”
“Yeah, what does that have to do with you?”
“Does the nickname Jimmy Jeans mean anything?”
“That’s what Sarah called me in the second grade.”
“How did I know that?”
“You wouldn’t unless.”
“Unless I’m Sarah.”
“Oh My God. Sarah. It is you. Where have you been?”
“That’s not important. What is important is you were broken
hearted when I vanished. You prayed for my return and made promises to God if
only I would come back.”
“I never got over that either. I think of that little gir¾. I mean, I thought of you
almost every day. Why didn’t I recognize you?”
“Cause I’m all grown up. There would be no way.”
“Where have you been Sarah. I have missed you so much.”
“Don’t cry, James. I’m here with you now.”
“Can you tell me what happened to you?”
“No, James, it’s not worth the time.”
“So why now? Why are you here now?”
“To help you, James.”
“To help me. How?”
“To understand what your life is like now.”
“Now? What do you mean?”
“You were in an accident, James. You ran off the road, and I
am sorry to say your body didn’t survive. You are now going with me on an
eternal trip.”
“You are saying I’m dead. I can’t believe that. Look at me. I’m just as alive as you.”
“That’s right. You are.”
“Um, Sarah?”
“Yes, James.”
“You are dead too?”
“Yes, James. A man took me from school and killed me. They
never found my body.”
“W-what?”
“Don’t think about that now. Think about the future. Because
you prayed so hard and missed me so much, I was given the honor of escorting
you to the other side.”
“Other side? There’s a Future?”
“A wonderful one. You
and I for all time.”
“I would like that.”
“Take my hand then. Let’s be off.”
“I have more questions.”
“All in good time, James. All in good time.”
Thank you for supporting this member along the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour today! We ask that if you have enjoyed this member’s writing, please visit their Author Page on the RWISA site, where you can find more of their writing, along with their contact and social media links, if they’ve turned you into a fan.
We ask that you also check out their books in the RWISA or RRBC catalogs. Thanks, again for your support and we hope that you will follow each member along this amazing tour of talent! Don’t forget to click the link below to learn more about this author:
It’s Thursday on the blog, and today, I would like to showcase another fabulous #RRBC author, Ms. Gwen Plano, and her novel, The Choice. Take it away, Gwen!
I have never been on an active military base, and yet THE CHOICE
takes place on an air force base in northern California. Because of my limited
knowledge, I not only researched military protocols, I relied on the guidance
of my cousin, retired Lieutenant General John D. Smith. He carefully read the
manuscript and suggested modifications where needed.
Today I share one of his
suggestions, which not only assisted the story but also helped me understand respect within the ranks. It is a simple
scene but what is communicated is powerful. I have bolded my cousin’s edit.
The setting: General Taylor,
the commander of the base, is meeting with Secretary of Defense Vasquez and
Admiral Parker in his office . . .
The three wrap up their discussions. Taylor addresses the secretary, “You mentioned
the Officers’ Club. Would you accompany me as my guest today? I guess we could
all use a drink.”
Vasquez spreads his arms wide and smiles.
“Lead the way.”
Within minutes of leaving the office, they
arrive at the Club. When they walk
through the restaurant, each
officer present stands. The Secretary of
Defense acknowledges their respect with a nod.
About the Author:
BIO:
Growing up in Southern
California, Gwen Plano loved learning. She earned four degrees and taught and
served in universities and colleges across the country and in Japan. Now
retired, she is focused on writing. Gwen’s first book, Letting Go into Perfect
Love, is a memoir. Her second book, The Contract, is a thriller co-authored by
John W. Howell. Gwen lives in the Midwest with her husband, and when she is not
writing, she is traveling, usually to see one of her four children and many
grandchildren.
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Lastly, Gwen is a member of the best book club ever – RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {#RRBC}! If you’re looking for amazing support as an author, or if you simply love books,
It is a pleasure today to turn my blog over to super-talented #RRBC author Karen Glista, who is here to discuss her wonderful book Chasing the Red Queen. Karen, take it away.
KAREN GLISTA BLOG
TOUR
DAY 4
Chasing the Red
Queen
Excerpt: (Once in a blue moon)
Feeling Torin’s hand on the small of her back, she took a
few steps but just short of the dance floor, stopped, pivoted on tiptoes, and
looked up into his eyes. “What is this place?”
“It’s called Privé,” he said. “Which in French means
private. It’s exclusively for Iridescents who want their consorts protected
from wandering eyes.”
“No observers.”
“Exactly.”
“But I’m not your consort.”
He ignored her, ushering her directly to a table. He took
her clutch and laid it down, then led her to the dance floor, where he pulled
her into his arms so tightly that she could not breathe. He danced slow and
steady, so at ease with himself. She slid her arms round his neck, her chin
tilted.
His lips found her ear. “I love this piece. It’s Roberto by Maximo Spodek,” he mused, his
breath warm on her skin. “It’s one of my favorites.” He gently caressed her
back, nestling his nose into her hair. “Can’t you just see the ocean, the moon,
ahhh—it’s all so enchanting.”
He held her tight, and all she could see was him. She felt
herself melting, and with every breath the warmth between them intensified. She
followed his lead, and with the contagious music finding her soul, she closed
her eyes, adrift in his arms. When the music stopped, he slowly released her,
and his face—soft in the dim lights—was so damn handsome that she shivered.
Karen Glista is a registered nurse and award-winning author.
Living in the great lakes state of
Michigan, she finds solace in a remote home nestled within a dense forest
(which she believes is enchanted). In
the moss laden woodlands, she often wanders, all the while delving into and
living fantasy as much as reality. Driven by heart, visionary characters, and
underlying dreams, she embraces the fictious and much like you comes to know
them, and with such, spins a tale that in the dark of night lights your soul.
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE.
Lastly, Karen is a member of the best book club ever – RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {#RRBC}! If you’re looking for amazing support as an author, or if you simply love books, JOIN US! We’d love to have you! Thanks for supporting this author and her work!
Now that my new novel, Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen, has been published, I started thinking how that story relates to my earlier books. In Demon Queen, the hero turns out to have been in romantic relationships with the demon queen through many prior lives. Oddly enough, two of my earlier novels were quite similar in that regard.
Most recently, The Old House: An Everlasting Love Story was the story of Simon Peter Carter who turns out to be the reincarnation of his great grandfather. He had been married to Hannah (Cassandra in previous lives) over and again. In that story, both were normal humans.
A bit earlier, I wrote Hand of God. The Angel Constance and the protagonist have been in love for all time, although Josh had no recollection of those lives.
So, three totally different stories with a common thread. Even though all the stories are action-packed, and frankly terrifying in many ways, it turns out that I am a romantic at heart, counting on love to protect the hero and ensure his ultimate victory.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting, and certainly something I never planned. If you read any of my stories, please let me know what you think. Thank you for joining me on this adventure.
I have changed the layout of this website to focus more on my blog, which of course you can tell as this is now the home page. You will also note the menu item for “The Books”, which will take you to the new bibliography of my stories to date. I plan to start posting all of my reviews of other author’s books. We writers have to stick together and help the public know about the wonderful tales we are crafting every day.
I would also like to announce that my twentieth book will be published on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 in both Kindle e-book and paperback formats. Here is the title and link to its page: Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen. This is the second book in my young adult fantasy series about a group of friends with incredible talents who venture to the Bertrand Aloysius Thorndike Educational Institution to learn how to use and control their abilities. Here is the Amazon link where you can preview it as well. And what good would a new book spiel be without the cover?
Today, I am pleased to welcome the Author Blog Tour to my website. I am excited to share my blog with yet another amazing writer from the Rave Reviews Book Club. My guest today is Charles W. Jones, author of many books. Today we celebrate Circus Tarot. With no further ado, I pass the page over my guest.
The idea for Circus Tarot was simple, create a cute husband
and wife with a Donna Reed overtone where the husband, Darrin, works a 9-to-5
job and comes home to his perfectly dressed and styled wife, Mary, cooking
dinner. She greets him with a broad smile (I’m not sure if it’s an ‘I’m going
to kill you’ smile) and calls him ‘darling.’
Mary has a bit of an OCD thing happening with her hair,
which came from something my mom told me about her grandmother or aunt, it just
sounded bizarre, so I had to work it in. Darrin, to be blunt, is a douche at
the beginning of the story with his 1950s machismo attitude of my wife staying
home while he brings home the bacon. This goes back to my desire to create a
dynamic like Donna Reed and other classic TV families I watched as a kid. I
thought it was weird and slightly creepy that they were always home. What did
they do all day? Did they really clean the house every day?
I wanted to create my own Wonderland, so World Circus had to
be exciting and weird and fun. During the writing process, I drew a map to keep
everything in order, so I wouldn’t get lost in the woods as the creation of the
world evolved. I wasn’t going to put it in the published work, but when a
beta-reader asked if I had one, I decided it was a good idea to include it.
The biggest challenge for creating World Circus was to make
it fit into a deck of Tarot Cards. I second guessed myself a few times with ‘would
that or they be there?’ Picking the characters that were the primary focus was
another challenge. There are 78 cards in a tarot deck, and while several of
them take the lead, I tried to give most of them life with a cameo here and
there. Including the Circus Tarot Companion was an after-thought and didn’t
make the first press of the Circus Tarot. I also created a Circus Tarot page
where you can get a reading or peruse each card. Yes, I created each card. https://charleswjonesauthor.com/circustarot/
Within the whole story, I incorporated weird sexual innuendo
and 5th-grade humor. Some more obvious than others. An example “Mary looked
behind her at the curve of the grandstand’s backside,” or “I love it when a
deuce drops by.” Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. The clowns are my favorite characters.
Honestly, clowns scare the hell out of me, but there is so much to be done with
them. One minute they are happy and doing tricks, the next, they are seeing how
far they can squirt blood from a hapless victim (hapless probably isn’t the
best way to describe them, no one is hapless in World Circus).
Now that you know of some of the secrets behind Circus
Tarot, what are you waiting for? Get a copy. Just remember, it’s a comedy
because it has clowns.*BIG SMILE* https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00785VJIW
Hi, it’s me, Carl Prescott to give you some more information about my next adventure in Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen. The story begins a few weeks after that little incident with the Beast in The Sleeping One. I went on vacation with my family and then returned to the Bertrand Aloysius Thorndike Academic Institution. While I was away, a castle was discovered buried underneath the school. Of course, since the Azores wasn’t discovered until the 1400s, that made no sense at all.
In the first book, Professor Thorndike told me about a satanic cult that ruled much of Eastern Europe long ago until the Romans wiped them out. It turns out that same cult wants to return and take over the world. The queen of that cult is the demon Sylvia. Our past history turns out to be very complicated.
I will learn a lot about existence and spirituality in this tale. Sylvia wants me to help her, but I am not interested in enslaving the world. Geez, I am only fourteen, and yet I know that is not a good idea. Join me as I make a deal with the Devil, stand on the Crossroads of Existence with the Grim Reaper, and venture to the precedent universe with God. Oh, about Sylvia, it turns out that she and I were married in many previous lifetimes. Weird, right? I guess it makes sense that she wants me on her side again.
Even though this story is wide-ranging and filled with crazy occurrences and action, at the end it is about love. Even a demon hellbent on destroying the universe needs to be understood and loved. I hope you check it out. Hi out there, my #RRBC friends!
Let me introduce you to Sylvia, a daughter of Lucifer, the antagonist, and unlikely former love interest of the hero in my new book, Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen. I must admit this story changed with each new page and chapter written. It would have been easier to make her the bad guy as was the Beast in book one, Carl Prescott and The Sleeping One. As the story evolved, her personality became more complex. Perhaps she became too complicated, but those complications are critical to this and the the next two books in the series.
Demon Queen is a playground for my imagination. I am both a deeply faithful man and also a lover of hard science, especially cosmology and astrophysics. With my own complexity, I tried to blend both. The story dives into the origins of our universe and offers a unique view of life, death, God, and our own futures.
If you can handle the craziness, Demon Queen is fast-paced, action-packed, and exciting up to the very end. Carl Prescott and his friends (Aida, Grace, Barbie, and Burt), will learn the truth about life and death. They will come to understand the origin and end of our universe. They will cross the Rope Bridge that leads to none-of-the-above. If love can overcome fear and distrust, perhaps our universe will survive.
Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen will be available beginning May 28, 2019. Between now and then, I intend to tell you more about this story, including offering tidbits of the tale along the way. In the coming weeks, the first book in the series, The Sleeping One, will also be on sale to drive interest further. I will keep you informed, and I hope you take the opportunity to read my latest story. While you consider the options, please also consider joining the fabulous #RaveReviewsBookClub. There you will learn about a group of author friends who support each other every day. All the best.
Hello my friends, I’m back with you today to celebrate yet another sponsor of the upcoming 2018 Writers’ Conference and Book Expo, W.J. Scott. Let me introduce you to her book and story. I hope you check it out. I know you’ll enjoy it very much.
Sometimes loss is the only thing that saves you.
Last summer
during the dreaded hunting season, Kywah lost his tail, his magic, and
his value as a silvertail. Now the hunters have returned and he’s
terrified. Especially when he recognizes Samsa, the very hunter that cut
off his tail, and ruined his life.
But when the pack becomes trapped in the foothills with no escape, Kywah realizes he’s their only hope. Without a tail, he’s worthless to the hunters and their wizard masters. If he can escape, he can find help for his pack. All he has to do is locate the Wise One and retrieve the Deep Magic.
Which
would be hard enough even if he still had the magical tail sense his
kind are born with. But what choice does he have? If he doesn’t take the
risk, his pack will lose everything. And because Kywah knows exactly
how that feels, he can’t let it happen.
Excerpt: I woke. Heart beating too fast. Darkness smothering me. The same nightmare. I
shifted and felt the familiar throb of pain along my stub, which always
ached when I first awakened. For an instant I tried to fool myself that
it had only been a dream, but when I was brave enough to peek, I saw
the empty space where my tail should be. Almost four seasons had passed,
and I was still unaccustomed to its loss.
I have read this book, and it is a great story for children. It teaches all the values we adults should have. Please follow the 2018 WC&BE SPONSORS BLOG HOPThere you can meet all the wonderful authors and readers in our group. I recommend you join our group if you’re searching for tremendous support and fellowship.
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