Showing posts with label Balroop Singh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balroop Singh. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

IWSG Day AND Did You Know

 


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 

 

The awesome co-hosts for the  November 6 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose!

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

 

November 6 question - What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

My other creative outlet is gardening. Adding plants and moving them around. And playing with my paver path, adding half-moon extensions, etc. AND I like to snap pictures😊 What’s yours?


October/November Reviews in no particular order.

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

 

 

WHO MOURNS ELECTRA by C. W. Hawes

Murder again abounds in the 21st book of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

This page-turning story is built around Pastor Ember Cole and her soon-to-be husband Harry Thurgood owner of the Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop.

Crime is still rampant in the small Texas town of Magnolia Bluff, and Ember and Harry find themselves smack dab in the middle of it when several of the towns’ citizenry are brutally murdered and the police have their collective eyes on Ember and Harry for the murders. The two will now have to do some serious sleuthing to clear their names.

I thoroughly enjoyed following these two amateur detectives through the homes and streets of Magnolia Bluff as they track down the killer. What made it such a fun read was the masterful job of world-building and character creation the author generated, all the while drawing you into a whodunit filled with murder and mayhem. Great job, author C. W. Hawes.

Available at Amazon

 

 

JOHN TYLER America's 10th President (ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRESIDENTS SECOND SERIES) by Betsy Ochester

This was well-written and touched on the salient points of John Tyler's life. Best of all, it held my interest😉

Available at Amazon

 

BORN FOR REVENGE by Staci Troilo

Mean girls are getting kidnapped.

Mean girls have been kidnapped and ended up in the cold case files. When one of them turns up alive Detective Holden Walsh and Cabe Paxton rush to discover who the kidnapper is, who else he’s kidnapped, and if they too are still alive.

 

Ms. Troilo checked all the boxes on this one. The characters are compelling. The world is well-developed, allowing the reader to step into the story, walk the city streets and sit beside the characters for a meal. Best of all, in my humble opinion, the action doesn’t let up. The author puts her foot down on the pedal at the beginning of the story and doesn’t let up till the end. It held my interest all the way through.

 

Highly recommended for thriller readers or those who love a good tale.  

Available at Amazon

 

 

MIRACLES AND GHOSTS by D. J. Finn

A Treasure Trove of Christmas Stories with a Twist.

So many treasurers in this wonderful compilation of ghostly Christmas stories. It opens with a novelette about a young woman who as a child lost the people who mattered most. Then is able to recapture the joy of Christmas years later. Family and forgiveness figure large in WORDS HURT. In THE CHRISTMAS WALK a lonely young woman meets a mysterious little boy when out walking Christmas Eve. Another of my favorites was MIRACLE IN ER where miracles and Santa show up at the ER. And last and possibly the most intriguing, RED TRUCK about a woman who keeps having flashbacks of being hit by a red truck. Reminiscent of Groundhog Day though much more eerie.

All in all, a wonderful collection of reads for the season, written by an author who specializes in bringing the phantasmal to life. An easy five stars.

Available at Amazon

 

JUST ONE GOODBYE: Poems from the heart by Balroop Singh

Ms. Singh is a talented poet whom I’ve been reading for several years. JUST ONE GOODBYE is the best thing she’s written. I found reading it a humbling experience. It’s both raw and heartbreaking. I can’t begin to imagine her pain. I can only mourn, as she shares the loss of her husband—her soulmate—in this book of prose. Every poem in the book is filled with imagery, emotion and awareness. If you enjoy her poetry, prose in general, or have lost someone dear, I recommend this read. In fact, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

 Available at Amazon

 

AND

Did you know that William Shakespeare invented at least one hundred and thirty five phrases used in the English language including: 'All of a sudden.'

 


For more information:  135 Phrases Coined By William Shakespeare - Phrase Finder

 


 

Friday, September 15, 2023

Your Weekend Read: FUSION

 

I'm excited to announce the latest book of poetry from friend and author Balroop Singh. If you're a poetry lover, you're in for a treat. Balroop is a former teacher and educator and has a passion for writing. You can find her at:http://balroop2013.wordpress.com

You can find FUSION at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDVLH86T/

 Book Blurb:

Fusion is the elixir of life. We seek it in every aspect of the cosmos. The magic of fusion manifests itself in the colors of dawn and dusk, in the melodies of nature, in the singing of birds, in the miniscule moments of joy, inspiring us to live in harmony with each other despite the edges that threaten to swallow us. 


The poems in this collection are an amalgamation of harmonies and edges that bind us firmly. We have to wade into murky waters to measure the depth. We have to risk the heights to know our worth. Slippery snow makes us learn how to create footholds. Some songs of life dilute in the hourglass of time to erase the shadows - dark or light, all the colors play an equal role to create a fusion. 


Excerpt:

Ambrosial Love



Snow clad mountaintops

Kiss capricious clouds.

Emerald lake watches,

As rosy hues of dawn smile.


Frozen path, slippery steps

Half-hidden morning sun

Welcomes us to adventurous land

Sunlight seems cold.


Surrounded by a dreamy mist,

Romantic paths allure

We follow the trail,

Wintery kisses welcome us.


The trail we traverse is dreamy

Yet we plod on to unknown destination

Soft, fluffy clouds are complacent

With gold that enhances their beauty.


A distant pool is covered

With white, silver sheet

Peace permeates this place

Its pristine glory is breathing calm.


Swaying on the swing of desire,

Drenched in delight

Bathing in the beams of sunrise

We vow undying love.


Chilly wind wends us closer

Echoes of nature caress

The fragrance of our love

Wafts on the clouds.



Sunsets allure Balroop

Butterflies cast a spell on her

And she can listen to the rustle of leaves for hours.


AND

FYI: I'm at Cowboy Kisses today blogging about Wyatt Earp.

AND


 

Friday, May 6, 2022

Your Weekend Read: HUES OF HOPE

 


Hues of hope

 


Book Blurb:

 

Hues Of Hope is the collection of readers’ favorite poems from my poetry books. These poems explore the hope that lies within our heart, hope that whispers each morning to look at the horizon, hope that inspires us to look beyond the chaotic world and take the next step to vanquish the fears that try to fetter us. It promises to take us to an oasis of peace, unravels magical moments of joy, as beams of love calm our senses. It guides us through dark alleys to show the streaks of light that shimmer through the clouds.

 

Purchase link

 

Paperback link

 


 

Excerpt:

 

Emerging From Shadows

 

 

Speaking soothing syllables to myself

I try to form new words,

Words of self-solace

Words of wisdom that are forced out

That could resonate with pain...

 

Love is not always revered

Sensitivity is not universal

Emotions are difficult to decipher

The spotlight never shines

If you hide behind those shadows

 

Shadows of indifferent past

Shadows of dreary darkness

The sheen of my dreams

The delusion of my success

Faded in that shadowy existence

 

I convince myself to rise, to react

To push perils that glare grimly

To satiate shadows that gloat glibly

Positive light is just round the corner

The hope is beckoning bright.

 

I refuse to remain tied to false promises

I would choose my own path

A path that is luminously lucent.

I need freedom from the clutches

Of guile, of hypocrisy, of servitude.

 

I know my journey is arduous

But I am ready for new challenges

I have abandoned fears and tears

A new life begins now.

 

 

***


Meet the Poet:

 Balroop Singh, a former educator always had a passion for writing. She would jot down her reflections on a piece of paper and forget about them till each drawer of her home started overflowing with poetic reminders, popping out at will! The world of her imagination has a queer connection with realism.  She is a poet, a creative non-fiction writer, a relaxed blogger and a doting grandma. She writes about people, emotions and relationships.

 A self-published author, she is the poet of Sublime Shadows of Life,  Emerging From Shadows,  Timeless Echoes Moments We Love,  Magical Whispers,  Slivers: Chiseled Poetry. Her latest poetry book Hues Of Hope has just been released. She has also written self-help books: When Success Eludes, Emotional Truths Of Relationships, Allow Yourself to be a Better Person.

Her poetry highlights the fact that happiness is not a destination but a chasm to bury agony, anguish, grief, distress and move on! No sea of solitude is so deep that it can drown us. Sometimes aspirations are trampled upon, boulders of exploitation and discrimination may block your path but those who tread on undeterred are always successful.

 


Balroop Singh has always lived through her heart. She is a great nature lover; she loves to watch birds flying home. The sunsets allure her with their varied hues that they lend to the sky. She can spend endless hours listening to the rustling leaves and the sound of waterfalls. The moonlight streaming through her garden, the flowers, the meadows, the butterflies cast a spell on her. She lives in California.

Connecting linkshttps://twitter.com/BalroopShado

Blog: https://balroop2013.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emotional-Shadows/151387075057971

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340810.Balroop_Singh

Amazon: http://goo.gl/X1NEFf