IWSG Wednesday and Did You Know Thursday

 

The first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 

Twitter handle: @TheIWSG  

Hashtag: #IWSG 

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

 

The awesome co-hosts for the July 2 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour!

 

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

July 2 question - Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

Nope.

When I first started writing, I was all over the board. I wrote whatever genre tickled my fancy. Fiction (of various genres). Non-fiction, you name it. A writer friend suggested I find a genre and stick with it. I didn’t pay any attention to that sage advice until  I started writing Westerns and realized I’d found my niche. I do occasionally meander in to time travel and shapeshifting😉 but whatever I write must have a Western theme.  Don’t misunderstand me. My sales aren’t anywhere near where I’d like them to be, but more solid than any other genre I’ve ever written in.  What about you, have you found your niche or is there something new your muse is urgently whispering you try?

 

June/July Reviews in no particular order.

* Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore them and don't factor them into my review.

 

GRATITUDE AND NO FAIRY TALE by D. L. Finn

This is such a wonderful collection of poetry.  It both concentrates on nature and shares a part of the author’s inner self, the poems written with a delicate, expressive style.

 I loved all her works but my absolute favorite was The Door.

The opening lines:

“You thought you had found it;

Your forever home,

As they carried you through the door.

You ate, you slept, you loved them,

And there’s much, much more in this vein.

I’m a Finn Fan and highly recommend this addition to her collection of poetry.

Available at Amazon 

 

AUNT SOPHIE’S DIAMONDS  by Joan Smith

This is a reread for me and to my way of thinking one of Ms. Smith's best.  I love a good regency when I'm after escapism reading.  To my way of thinking Joan Smith and Marian Devon were the best authors of this genre.  Their style: witty and entertaining, with just the right amount of romance sprinkled in.

Highly recommended. Available at Amazon

 

 

 

 

WILES OF A STRANGER by Joan Smith

Another great Joan Smith read filled with her classic wit and humor, with just the right amount of romance thrown in. Highly recommended. Available at Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly

Another winner.

Some of Connelly’s books, I really enjoy. Others I’m lukewarm on. NIGHTSHADE turned out to be a ‘really enjoy’.  The author has introduced a new character, Detective Stilwell who has been transferred to Catalina Island because of inner office politics.  The rural setting suits Stilwell to a T. Then the country quiet erupts, as murder raises its ugly head. Now its up to Stilwell to bring justice to the deceased.

Connelly has created a character who is a bit more subtle and less in-your-face than Bosch. Though thankfully, he retains Bosch’s refusal to quit until the crime has been solved, regardless of the consequences, attitude. Highly recommended.

Available at Amazon 

 

PIONEER SUN by MK Alexander

Insightful. 

Calvin Hobbes, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, visits retired engineer Henry Humes. What he learns there upends his life and sends him questing for answers about a magnetic field in interplanetary space. And modern algorithms may help him find them.

While Calvin’s team is searching for what’s out there, what’s out there is keeping an eye on earth, where political unrest has only gotten stronger and is spreading throughout the world. Now earth must figure out if there are aliens among us and do they mean us harm….and vice versa.

MK Alexander is a master at world building and character development. I found PIONEER SUN to be a very insightful read—especially considering the times we live in—with some unexpected twists. Highly recommended for MK Alexander fans. If you enjoyed his other works, I suggest you add this to your TBR list.

Available at Amazon 

 

AND

 

Did you know,  Washington Irving (author of Rip Van Winkle) first used the term "Gotham City" to describe New York? 

 

150 Interesting Facts About Our Favorite Authors [Infographic] 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ketch-up Day

 

Elbows Up It's Canada Day

 

Per usual, not too much newsworthy here. We lost a colleague, which was distressing. They had her visitation and celebration of life at the community college, which I thought that was a lovely idea. 

The weather has dropped from flirting with 100 to the 80s, so that goes on the plus side of the ledger. How's Mother Nature treating your area and have you done anything fun and exciting?

We got some sun bunnies here:)

 AND

A guardian for the pet cemetery.

 Enjoy the rest of your week, my friends.

 

Weekend Wishes

 Dear Friends,

                

Writerly Wednesday and Did You Know Thursday

 Greetings Bloggers,

What's your synonym, example, sentence or definition for:

 Example: CJ brought this lovely, ole-timey word to my attention last week, when describing my writing challenge response. Don't ya love it?

AND 

Did you know, there are organisms that are part-plant, part-animal? IE Elysia chlorotical. Sea anemone.

 

https://www.encyclopedie-environnement.org/en/zoom/elysia-chlorotica-the-slug-who-thinks-shes-a-leaf

 Sea anemone is genetically half animal, half plant | ScienceDaily

Ketch-up Day

 

Well it went from raining almost daily in some form or another to temperatures flirting with 100 degrees. What's it like there?

Meanwhile in the garden: 

 

 

FRANK:

AND 

North Carolina 

Thanks, Ryan 

 Sweden

Thanks, Meghan and Jacob

 That's it for now. Have a grand one, blogger buds.

Weekend Wishes

 

AND

 I'm posting on Frontier Justice at Cowboy Kisses. 

AND 

 

Writerly Wednesday and Did You Know Thursday

 

What's your synonym, sentence, definition or example for:

 

 

 

 Example: His mother was French, his father Italian and he grew up in America speaking a macaronic mix.

 

 AND

Did you know, eating a lot of onions can make you sleepy?

 

50 Interesting Plant Facts | Fun Facts About 

Ketch-up Tuesday: Denise's Perspective Challenge

 

Denise's perspective challenge 

 Tree stump in an enchanted forest GI by FairytaleDesign from Getty Images

 

Long ago, before the gods were destroyed, he stood in the realm of the forest, tall and regal,ageless. 

Nature paid him homage.

The sun warmed his branches. Moonlight threw his shadow. The rain nurtured him. The wind blew dulcimer melodies through his branches. Even the woodland creatures honored him with their presence as the birds sang delicately in his ears. Only man stayed away.  

Perhaps, they feared what they didn't understand. Whatever their reasons, he cared naught.

Then one day, when least expected, the little girl burst into the forest. Her radiance rivaling the moon and her smile the sun. She craned her neck and looked up where his branches reached into the sky, overshadowing the other trees.

She walked to him, her small hand outstretched and placed it on his rough bark."Thank you," she said simply. A child that understood what lived  inside the tall, magnificent tree. He lowered his branches till they gently encircled her. A moment later, he raised them again, standing immobile as he had for centuries, the sentinel of the forest.  

Years passed. Then one day, when least expected, an old woman, bent and leaning on a cane, traversed the forest. Her radiance faded, her smile dimmed. She hobbled forward and placed her hand on the gnarled tree stump. "Thank you," she said simply. For a moment, a face appeared in the stump and nodded. Then the features disappeared and the stump stood immobile, the sentinel of the forest.

 

 

  

Your Weekend Read: NO FAIRY TALE: THE REALITY OF A GIRL WHO WASN'T A PRINCESS AND HER POETRY

 

Thank you for your kind hospitality in having me here today to share my latest release, Gratitude & No Fairy Tale:  Just Her Poetry Book Three, Sandra!

 

This new collection of haiku, free verse, and photography is a blend of the old and the new.

With my No Fairy Tale: The Reality of a Girl who wasn't a Princess and her Poetry memoir no longer available, my poetry wasn't either. It included poetry I’d written over the years, including my first poems. Two of the poems I updated only to make the message stand out. A few weren’t included in this collection because they were more for the memoir than this poetry collection. The rest of the poems are as they were written. That wasn’t easy to do for me since my poetry style has changed, but I felt it was more honest to leave them as they were. This became part two of this collection.

In part one is my newer poetry or haiku that I blended with my photography. I have used these poems and photos in calendars that I’ve given as gifts at Christmas. I know Sandra has posted several calendar pictures here and appreciate that. Now, they are in my store, D. L. Finn’s Gratitude Store on coffee mugs, journals, candles, shirts, and totes. LINK 

Blurb:

Explore D. L. Finn’s poetic journey, from her newest to earliest works. Part One immerses you in a combination of her photography and symbolic poems. Peaceful winter days, forests, and sunsets illuminate her search for the magic of life. Part Two retraces her journey from her first poems. Her life is revealed through free verse poems and photographs that were featured in her memoir, No Fairy Tale. She discovers gratitude on her path to happiness. Join her as she explores her reality through emotions and nature in this special collection.

 

Excerpts

 From Part One:

I included the poem under the picture so it would be easier to read here and in the book.

quiet summer flow

the river water beckons

for an evening swim

From Part Two:

AROUND US

As I walk in the forest around my house,

I feel in awe at the beauty of it all

The silence that surrounds me

And goes deep inside

Is broken only by a bird or squirrel

To my sheer delight.

The trees remind me of wise, ancient gods

Standing guard and protecting me.

I pay tribute to their size and power.

The air so sweet with pine and cedar

As I expand my lungs wider,

Desperately trying to inhale it all.

Walking in nature as God fashioned it

Makes me realize how we should

Appreciate all the things around us

And become a part of them.

 

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