I must admit as a child, I wrote more stories than poetry. And the poems I wrote then were sentimental and trite. (During grade school (from third or fourth through sixth grade), I compiled annual Christmas books containing “Christmas” stories I wrote—but each year, the manuscript also included a Christmas poem (or one about winter) and a Christmas tale from Readers Digest (which influenced me to compose Christmas books). I also illustrated the books with colored pencils the first year and I gradually moved to water color illustrations (which I sometimes marked with felt-tip pens). My sixth-grade teacher (Mrs. Ferguson) introduced us to Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg, whom I liked, but I liked Emily Dickson the best when I attended elementary school—and I still consider her one of my favorites today. (Unfortunately, at the time, I was too naive to pickup on her style (and skills).
Being the nerd I was in high school, I opted to take a journalism classl. There, for the Christmas issue (of our high-school newspaper), I wrote a humorous Christmas poem from the staff, which I illustrated with an ink sketch of Santa , his gift-filled sleigh (which included B/W head-shot photos of each new-staff member )
and eight reindeer flying through skies above my sketches of Victorian two-stories. (Even then, I preferred old homes to the contemporary ranch styles where most my classmates and I lived.)
Also in high school, I continued writing in my diary, which I used to create short stories (from events in that diary). And I submitted those stories in English classes when a teacher requested them. But my poems were overly sentimental and personal. And basically about teen angst. (For example, one was entitled “Alone.”)
In fact, during my senior year in high school, my English composition teacher enjoyed my short stories and offered encouraging comments. I wouldn’t have shared my poetry, but she’d asked to see it. So I submitted the dreary poems I’d written (mainly centering on unrequited love). She read them and returned them without comment. I mean—absolutely NO comments. No encouragement. So I figured I was no better poet than I’d been a violinist. Sigh.
Thus, my true poetry journey did not take flight until my sophomore year at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, when fellow student Robert (“Bob”) Haynes and I became close friends. Even then, he was an excellent poet—and he boosted me along the journey to poet-hood. He shared not only his poems, but pointed out many contemporary experts who’d been gaining attention in the early 1970s, , such as W.S. Merwin, Galway Kinnell (both born the same year as my father: 1927), Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Alan Ginsburg, popular in the late 1960s.-and who gave a reading at UMKC. Bob also introduced me to surrealists Kenneth Patchen and Kenneth Koch, who inspired my frenzies, (which I didn’t write until fifty years later.) I discovered James Tate, who I’d include as a “surrealist,”too. Shortly thereafter I enrolled in the university’s poetry writing classes taught by professors Dan Jaffe and David Ray, who introduced me to an array of well-known contemporary poets, including Diane Wakoski (whom Dan Jaffe brought to UMKC to give a reading), James Dickey, Etheridge Knight, Denise Levertov, John Berryman, David Ignatow, Randall Jarrell, William Stafford, Robert Lowell, Thomas Merton, Later, I also started reading Adrienne Rich, Denise Low, and Mary Oliver.
And, I did improve—enough that my senior year, Dan Jaffe asked me to read a few of my poems at a poetry reading on the UMKC campus for the public. He also published two of my poems in an anthology he compiled, one that included many professional poets.
Favorite poem by another poet
O my goodness—I’ve read so many poets and poems, this one is a tough question. Along with the previous set of poets I mentioned, I’ve always admired Emily Dickinson’s style and work, along with William Butler Yeats (especially his “The Second Coming.” And T.S. Eliot: His “Wasteland” is remarkable, but far too long to include here. And the sounds in that poem make it come alive so much that it’s best to listen to a recording of it. Even his “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a bit long to include. Thus, I’ll share Yeates’s “The Second Coming,” which not only inspired one of my poems that I’ll share later, but also remains relevant to our current world situation (a century later).
The Second Coming
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi*
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast , its hour come round at last,
Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?
1920-1921
Favorite style of poetry and why
Although I love my surreal frenzies, I also like other forms of poetry, including sonnets, when they come “naturally.” (The two times I’d written sonnets but didn’t realize it until I re-examined them, tweaked them here and there, and voila! I’d written two sonnets without trying—the best for me). Those two appeared n my second published poetry book (the first full collection) Standing on the Edge of the World (Washburn University/Woodley Press 2008).
I’ve also fallen in love with the Japanese tanka form. (Haiku doesn’t allow enough syllables for my poems. 😉 ) Thus, I created a section of tankas in my last collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison (redbat books 2023). More about that later.
Moreover, I generally write in “free verse” with sounds and rhythms and internal rhymes (not at the end of a line), that flow so smoothly, the rhyme doesn’t “hiccup” or stop the reader. Why is this usually my favorite form? As I’ve mentioned in a number of my bios, “poetry is my way of singing.” Thus, in most poems I write, I strive to use sound so they have somewhat the same effect that a song does.
Favourite poem of my own
O so many poems—so little time. I cannot name one favorite poem. But three of them come to mind. First, here’s my response to “The Second Coming,” which I wrote in response to the violence occuring in Ferguson, Missouri:
Re-reading “The Second Coming’ by W.B.Yeats
after Ferguson, Missouri\
No one listens anymore. No one works
in tandem. No horses pull this cart.
Now trembling, it falls apart.
The center hub’s blown, exploded.
Rioting in city squares—rioting along beaches.
Is this anarchy—or something more?
The blood of victims rushes onto shores.
Innocents no more, their lungs fill
till they can’t speak—can’t breathe.
Their passions now sneseles, uneasy—
bringing the strange revelation:
the Second coming lies on the horizon.
It’s the day, it’s the day—
O yes, it’s the holy day—
it’s the Day of the Dead.
A wide-winged beast rises above—
eyes black and gleaming, onyx
glistening through bone.
O Momma, Momma,
come back, come back
again. The world’s too cold.
No lion-bodied beast alouches
toward Bethlehem. It’s a creature
with a jackal’s head, a jackal’s soul.
Where Water Meets the Rock, p. 30 (39 WEST PRESS 2017)
Two other poems I must also count as favorites, because they seemed to write themselves.
The words came to me without me planning them. It was if they suddenly appeared in my brain, and I had to scramble to pen them onto paper before they evaporated.
The first, I wrote during the months that revealed my father was not to stay much longer on this earth. (This was when the frenzies started coming to me. Many of the frenzies are absurd—but comical. This one’s more serious. (And I’ve included it in three of my books: It must be a favorite.)
It’s Never Like the Movies—
for my father
this dying, no background chords
rising to a crescendo,
no adagio of strings.
You watch these ants instead,
trickle across peonies
They disappear. And you
can’t keep your grip
on that granite wall of reason
but slip downstream
into some wild current
till you run aground .
There, you search
for the deserted place, a Holy Land,
where Ekijah met God.
Even if you’re hiking
the Appalachian Trail, up
Standing Indian Mountain,
you watch vultures circle
in and out of clouds festering
into some murky, yellow soup.
And when lightning hits,
Father Davis says Hail Marys—
and there, on the horizon,
you see wovoka whirl
in his dance of ghosts.
Standing on the Edge of the World, p. 85 (Washburn U/Woodley Press, 2008)
The Book of Frenzies, p. 76 (Pierian Springs Press, 2022)
And “From the Emerald City to the Mountain of Quaff” is special to me because it came to me in pieces—often as I was awaking from sleep. At the time, it seemed to be one of the most imaginative poems I’ve written. Perhaps that’s why one of my former poetry professors, David Ray selected it to run in an anthology he assembled (Whirleybird Anthology of Kansas
City Poets, 2012).
From the Emerald City
to the Mountain of Quaff
(or This Must Be Kansas)
Go out and get that long face lost, you say,
Bury me in Jerusalem, I reply.
I want to be one of the first to rise,
like yeast on a rock in the desert,
among iron stones, hills filled with brass,
in a land of olive oil and honey—
wrapped in silver and gold,
where water eats fire
and fire drowns water, and the angel
of the presence outlasts them both.
Or, if poetry must be delirious and weird,
or even a prophetic frenzy,
then bury me in absurdia,
where the lemons bloom.
Inside Virgil’s Garage, p. 7 (Chatter House Press 2008)
Kansas City Voices (October 2007)
Whirlybird Anthology of Kansas City Poets, Whirlybird Press (2012).
The BOOK of FRENZIES, p. 66 (Pierian Springs Press 2022)
About CASHING CHECKS with JIM MORRISON
This book has a strange history. Although it resulted in being a sequel to CROSSING KANSAS with JIM MORRISON (Paladin Contemporaries 2016), it wasn’t exactly planned. I wrote the first collection in about six months. It was odd, too, because it took two years for me to write and revise the book’s initial poem entitled “Crossing Kansas with Jim Morrison, which, of course, became the book title. Yet—once that poem came together, I wrote the rest of the book within six months and entered it into the 2015-2016 QuillsEdge Chapbook Contest, Although it didn’t win, it was a finalist. Concurrently, Thorny Locust literary magazine ran three poems from the collection, and Amethyst Arsenic, another lit mag, took one more.
And the Jim Morrison poems kept coming to me. So I added them and others that fit into the collection, to make a complete book, which Paladin Contemporaries published that summer. On Amazon, the book made it to number 23 or so on the top 100 Poetry Books by Women list—and stayed there most of the following year. (Inside Virgil’s Garage was on that same list concurrently, but it didn’t rise as high Crossing Kansas w/JM did.
About two years later after Where Water Meets the Rock was published, I put together CASHING CHECKS, designed around the themesof actual money becoming obsolete. (Checks, along with credit cards, debit cards, and other contemporary methods of payment don’t include actual money, correct? It money going the way of the manual—or even electric typewriter?) That collection, of course, included other sectons centering around the tanka form and the frenzies. (At present three of my collectons include a section of “frenzies,” and of course, The BOOK of FRENZIES contains solely frenzies, some less zany than others).
In short, after accruing more Jim Morrison poems—I mean, Jim just wouldn’t hush, but kept popping words into my brain—I considered merging the new Jim Morrison poems with the CASHING CHECKS book.
When I submitted both versions to redbat books, both the publisher and her editor preferred the collection containing Jim Morrison. So that’s where we went with it.
What’s next?
What’s next? I’m now working on a manuscript, named for a 10-stanza poem (which can be set in five pages or in in ten, whichever works best) that’s appeared in three publications. I’ve been adding to it and hope to complete a full collection within a few months. The DARK HORSE WAITS in BOULDER, my fourth novel (third on Amazon) is scheduled to be released this spring—so that will precede the poetry book release. At present, I have one more poetry collection I’ve started but don’t see it going anywhere for a year or more. That one may be my last poetry collection, too. (Three more novels and one short story collections are ahead of that poetry collection.) And then, what may be my last novel—now in a VERY ROUGH state-of-being—just may allow the likely last poetry collection to supercede it .But who knows? Rock star archetype Jim Morrison may hop into one or the other manuscript and upset the entire scene.
My review of Where Water Meets the Rock
Picture caption: Cover of When Water Meets the Rock by Lindsey Martin-Bowen
I enjoy reading poetry collections that include a common thread that links all the poems together. The common thread for this collection is loss and recuperation. This theme is relatable to everyone as we all suffer loss in various forms throughout our lives and we are forced to recuperate whether we want to or not.
The collection is divided into three sections: Erosion which explores the slow build up to loss; Frenzies which seeks to unravel the immediate chaos and emotion that follows loss; and On the Shore which delves into the slow path to acceptance and continuation.
The poems are unique and make use of various techniques to either exaggerate or bring out the humorous side of deep emotion and complex thought patterns relating to loss.
A poem that resonated strongly with me in Erosion is titled Psyche in the Suburbs. For me, this poem exposed the conflicting emotions of love, resentment, and self sacrifice that arise when caregiving for aging relatives.
This is the final stanza in this poem: “Now, lavender scents fill the air, sending me to the Aegean Sea. When I step onto the asphalt, I remember the bottled water. I must go back. Without it, the world will know her face grows old. And she’ll blame me.”
Another poem in this section I especially related to is entitled My Bones are Glass. I have often thought this same thing when dealing with the elderly and aging. The poet includes an apology to Mark Strand, one of my favourite poets, so the style also worked very well for me.
Section 2: Frenzies, includes a lot of humour relating to people’s eccentricities and wants in their final moments. The poems also touch on the need for the observers to fulfil every desire and make the passing easier – perhaps to alleviate the guilt of survival. I enjoyed the poems although humour in poetry is not my personal favourite style. This section lifts the tension in death and loss and will appeal to most readers.
Section 3: On the Shore was very compelling for me. It explored inevitable change and endings coupled with new beginnings of a different sort. I reminded me that we move from one phase to another in our lives without even realising it until we look back and the end and beginning stand out in stark reality. The poem I enjoyed the most in this section was Two Mothers with Kids in Winchell’s. Perhaps because my children are now adults and have both finished school so I can understand and appreciate this poem through the lens of a soon to be empty nester.
This is one stanza in the poem that I strongly related to: “The Winchell’s mothers nod, talk in buzzing hums, eye their toddlers, who hop, slide on linoleum. The kids scratch glass, balance on window ledges. The pregnant one smooths seersucker. “Guys,” she says, “They don’t like that here. Come, be quiet, Sit down.” Like seatbelts, her words rein them in. I frown, wonder how she renders her voice firm but not loud.”
As a mother who always worked, this stanza fills me with thoughts about what might have been had my own path taken me along a different path. What kind of mother would I have been had I not always been struggling to balance work and home demands. A writer who can introduce such reflections has to be great.
Picture caption: Author image of Lindsey Martin-Bowen
Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison has just been released this fall (2023) by redbat books (a La Grande, Oregon publisher) as part of its Pacific Northwest Writers series. She serves as a Literary Consultant for Pierian Springs Press, which published The BOOK of FRENZIES in April 2022 (hardback copy in December 2022–BEFORE she became its Literary Consultant). She has taught Criminal Law and Procedure (online) at Blue Mountain Community College, Pendleton, Oregon since January 2019. Until August 2018, she taught writing, literature, and Criminal Law at MCC-Longview and taught literature and writing at the University of Missouri-Kansas City 18 years.
A Pulitzer-Prize nominee, her fourth full-length poetry collection, WHERE WATER MEETS THE ROCK (39 West Press 2017) contains “Vegetable Linguistics,” which received an Honorable Mention in the Non-rhyming Poetry category of Writers Digest’s 85th Annual Writing Competition (2016). Her third collection, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison, won the “It Looks Like a Million” Award for the 2017 Kansas Authors Club competition. The book is an expansion of her chapbook named a finalist in the 2015-2016 QuillsEdge Press Chapbook Contest. “Bonsai Tree Gone Awry” from INSIDE VIRGIL’S GARAGE (Chatter House Press 2013) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. This collection was also runner-up in the 2015 Kansas Authors Club Nelson Poetry Book Award. Woodley Press (Washburn University) published her first full-length collection, STANDING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, which McClatchy newspapers named one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. Paladin Contemporaries released her novels RAPTURE REDUX (2014), HAMBURGER HAVEN (2009) and CICADA GROVE (1992). Her work has appeared in NEW LETTERS, I-70 REVIEW, THORNY LOCUST, FLINT HILLS REVIEW, PORTER GULCH REVIEW, SILVER BIRCH PRESS, COAL CITY REVIEW, PHANTOM DRIFT, TITTYNOPE ZINE, BARE ROOT REVIEW, , AMETHYST ARSENIC, THE SAME, THE ENIGMATIST, ROCKHURST REVIEW, BLACK BEAR REVIEW, LITTLE BALKINS REVIEW, KANSAS CITY VOICES, LIP SERVICE, 21 anthologies, and others.
With Dennis Etzel, Jr., she edited GIMME YOUR LUNCH MONEY: Heartland Poets Speak out against Bullies (Paladin Contemporaries 2016). She holds an MA in English (creative writing emphasis) and a Juris Doctor degree.
Before focusing upon teaching and writing poetry and fiction, she served as a full-time journalist and magazine editor for THE LOUISVILLE TIMES, the Johnson County SUN, MODERN JEWELER Magazine, and THE NATIONAL PARALEGAL REPORTER. She also worked as a legal editor for the Office of Hearings and Appeals (USDI) in Washington, DC.
She has two brilliant children and contends with super Chihuahuas Chia Maria La Rue and Chico the Man, her canine companions. And often, she spars verbally with poet Carl Rhoden.
About Robbie Cheadle
Picture caption: Robbie Cheadle author picture
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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Ice Palace – Cripple Creek, Colorado – February 2026
The Ice Festival is an annual event in Cripple Creek, Colorado, where ice carvers sculpt spectacular figures from huge blocks of solid ice, competing for a $1,000.00 prize. The main thoroughfare, Bennett Street is closed off to vehicle traffic, leaving it open only to the foot traffic of visitors as the carvers sculpt their masterpieces. The sculptures are amazing, and viewing them at night, when they are all lit up with different colors creates an amazing walk through a fantasy world.
Each year has a different theme. I don’t make it to visit the Ice Festival every year, but I have made it a few times. I first visited the Ice Festival in 2015, when the theme was Story Time, but I was unprepared with no camera to photograph the amazing fantasy figures carved by these talented artists. I loved the Old West theme from 2016, (view them here), and in 2023, the theme was the Carver’s Choice, (view them here).
For the last three years, Cripple Creek has had an added winter feature to compliment the Ice Festival which is celebrated every February. Opening sometime each January, depending on the weather, Cripple Creek hosts the added attraction of a magnificent Ice Palace, with tunnels and slides and even a fire feature. 2026 hasn’t had a lot of snowfall, so the Ice Castle above may seem out of place. Tickets are a bit pricey and must be purchased ahead of time, for a specific time, and my trips to Cripple Creek are pretty spur of the moment, so I’ve never actually visited the Ice Castle, but have contented myself with photos from afar, which look like a huge snow blob from the outside. I will say, although difficult to photograph because of the glaring street lights, it does look pretty cool at night. But the real action lies within. Maybe someday.
The 2026 Ice Festival
This year’s theme was artist choice, I believe, so the subject of each sculpture varied. They had sculptures at both ends of Bennett Ave, with vendors of every kind in between on the main thoroughfare. At the far end, in front of the Double Eagle Casino, they had the traditional ice slide, but this old gal wasn’t doing it this year.
That end of the street didn’t have as many as the lower end, but some of them were pretty darned cool.
The signs you see tell the sponsoring business and you can scan them with your phone to vote for the sculpture you feel is best. Me, I just liked them all.
Down on the lower end of Bennett Avenue in front of the Triple Crown Casinos is where the majority of the sculptures were found. This is a competition and the artists compete for a cash purse prize.
Starting out with gigantic blocks of ice, these talented artists sculpt their amazing works with hand tools and chainsaws. Below is a photo of one master ice wizard adding finishing touches to his Sphynx face to finish up the Egyptian display. I visited on the last day of the competition, and he was about the only one still working his magic, creating icy desert images.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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This post is sponsored by the Time Travel Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press, spotlighting the upcoming release of The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions.
The Kickstarter campaign offers digital copies for less than retail price and exclusive signed copies, posters, goodie bags and more. We’re halfway through and almost 60% funded, so we need your help to reach the funding goal of $500. Support the Kickstarter and get your discounted and exclusive merchandise through the link below.
About Bewilderness – To be released August 11, 2026
Dr. Abby Corman has a bold idea: open a stable doorway between our world and an uninhabited parallel Earth. A new world we can use to mine resources to end poverty, grow enough food to end all hunger, and allow for population growth to end overcrowding. What could be a more noble aspiration for a brilliant young scientist?
But the path to hell is paved with good intentions…
The Gateway is in a secure lab in a huge office building in New York. Ultra-modern, totally secure, impenetrable by industrial spies or foreign agents. Once it goes into lockdown for the Gateway test firing, it becomes the world’s largest and most unbreakable vault.
Locked doors, though, can do more than keep bad things out. They can trap bad things in.
The Gateway spins completely out of control, sending infinite Earths onto a collision course with ours. Now, our reality is cracking apart, allowing creatures from Earth’s distant past and monsters from parallel worlds to emerge, turning New York into a hellscape.
Abby Corman did not open the Gateway, but she is the only one who knows how to close it. But an alien Hunter and her pack of deadly hellcats have stepped into our world, and they will stop at nothing to kill Abby. Because in a universe of parallel worlds, one Earth’s savior can be the worst criminal other Earths have ever known.
I received a digital copy of Bewilderness, by Jonathan Maberry from the publisher, WordFire Press, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
I chose to review Bewilderness because Jonathan Maberry is the author, and I know his stories are of a quality to be admired. In this, I was not disappointed. Mayberry has created a first-rate science fiction novel and a situation where literally anything is possible. This story has cinematic potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find it in theaters in the future. The book is a solid, well written, well thought out story with fleshed-out characters and almost non-stop action to keep those pages turning.
Abby Corman is a scientist of the highest caliber, assigned to a top-secret government funded project, called Gateway. Only, she’s not just assigned to it, she created it. They are preparing for the test run of the Gateway machine, which cab tap into uninhabited parallel worlds, offering unlimited resources to replenish Earth’s dwindling supplies, and ending world hunger. But when their funding is threatened and her partner panics and fires her, locking her out and bringing in another scientific mind, who may understand the project, but has no regard for safety protocols, and they fire the Gateway, bypassing the test run. Something goes terribly wrong, leaving the Gateway cycling through thousands of strange parallel worlds, and allowing creatures from those worlds to enter this one, turning New York into a pre-historic disaster zone. It’s up to Abby to set things right, making her way through a veritably impenetrable fortress turned upside down, and running from an alien huntress and her pack of hell cats, who is determined to stop her.
Cutting-edge suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow Abby in her quest to save the world. I give Bewilderness five quills.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Given the current state of affairs in the world, I think now is a good time to share my review of this post and pre-apocalyptic novel.
My review of On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Picture caption: Cover of On the Beach by Nevil Shute
One the Beach is a post-apocalyptic novel set in Australia. The Northern Hemisphere has been completely destroyed by a nuclear war, and the residents of Southern Hemisphere are waiting for the inevitable arrival of deadly radiation. The story is set in Australia during the heat of the summer, and all of the characters are struggling to come to grips with their situations as short-term survivors of the war and the awful knowledge of their impending deaths from radiation as the nuclear fallout travels steadily southwards.
Lieutenant Commander Peter Holmes of the Royal Australian Navy is given a new and welcome assignment during this period of waiting for the inevitable deaths of himself and his family. He is appointed as the liaison officer to the American submarine, the U.S.S. Scorpion, commanded by Dwight Towers from New England in the U.S.A. The Scorpion had been near Australian waters when the global conflict erupted, and Towers and his men are now stranded with no country or homes to return to. There is an immediate contrast between the two men, Holmes and Towers, as Holmes still has his home, his wife and his baby daughter while Towers knows his home and family are gone. Towers, however, has retreated into fantasy of a sort where he still thinks of his wife and children as being alive and well and waiting for his return home even though he knows they are dead. It is incredibly moving and makes Towers’ loss that much more tragic and poignant.
Towers’ submarine has been placed under Australian command and Holmes is tasked with inspecting the Scorpion and briefing Towers about their orders to set out northwards in search of surviving life. This mission gives Holmes a small glimmer of hope that all might not be lost. In an attempt to distract Towers from his unhappy situation, Holmes extends an invitation for Towers to visit his home in Falmouth and enjoy the beach and time with Holmes’ family and friends. Towers accepts and during the visit is introduced to Moira Davidson, a beautiful and engaging young lady who has turned to alcohol and partying for solace.
The story involves three primary threads, namely, the journey of the submarine and its findings, a light romance of a sort between Moira and Towers, and the preparations by the Australian characters for their eventual deaths from radiation.
This story was an exceptionally intense and sad read for me as the characters are all such decent and ordinary people. The beach setting and sunny days at the beginning of the story combined with the forced merrymaking and pleasure taking of Holmes group of acquaintances slowly gives way to the cold and bleakness of winter and the acceptance by the various characters of their deaths. Many choose to end their lives with a pill provided by the Government for this purpose prior to succumbing to the radiation poisoning. There is no happy ending to this story and that is what’s so striking and awful about this story. There is no hope for survival for anyone right from the beginning. This is one of the few books I’ve read in my life that has made me cry.
The standout theme for me of this novel is finding meaning and purpose in the face of certain death. All of the characters in On the Beach exist in a strange period of time between the ending of the Northern Hemisphere through nuclear war and the ending of their own existence when the radioactive fallout reaches them, a period of approximately six months. The novel delves into the reactions of different people to an uncontrollable situation that can only end in death and demonstrates how some people can rise above despair and self-pity and make the most of the time they have left. Some characters turn to perpetual drunkenness or reckless car racing, but many resolve to carry on to the end with dignity and continue to do their duty. For Holmes, his duty includes continuing with his navel duties even though they ultimately become irrelevant. His wife continues to care for their baby daughter and run her home as if nothing could ever harm them.
This book was written at the height of the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in ideological rivalry and a nuclear arms race. On the Beach reflects the fears of the period about a potential nuclear war and the destructive potential of atomic bombs.
Quotes from On the Beach
“It’s not the end of the world at all,” he said. “It’s only the end of us. The world will go on just the same, only we shan’t be in it. I dare say it will get along all right without us.” Dwight Towers raised his head. “I suppose that’s right. There didn’t seem to be much wrong with Cairns, or Port Moresby either.” He paused, thinking of the flowering trees that he had seen on shore through the periscope, cascaras and flame trees, the palms standing in the sunlight. “Maybe we’ve been too silly to deserve a world like this,” he said. The scientist said, “That’s absolutely and precisely right.” There didn’t seem to be much more to say upon that subject, so they went up on to the bridge for a smoke, in the sunlight and fresh air.”
“Mary looked at her gratefully. “Well, that’s what I think. I mean, I couldn’t bear to—to just stop doing things and do nothing. You might as well die now and get it over.” Moira nodded. “If what they say is right, we’re none of us going to have time to do all that we planned to do. But we can keep on doing it as long as we can.”
“Two days later they reached Port Darwin and lay in the harbour beneath the town. Here they could see nothing but the wharf, the roof of Government House, and a bit of the Darwin Hotel. Fishing boats lay at anchor and they cruised around these, hailing, and examining them through the periscope. They learned nothing, save for the inference that when the end had come the people had died tidily. “It’s what animals do,” John Osborne said. “Creep away into holes to die. They’re probably all in bed.” “That’s enough about that,” the captain said. “It’s true,” the scientist remarked. “Okay, it’s true. Now let’s not talk about it any more.” The report certainly was going to be a difficult one to write.”
Picture caption: my final chicken shawarma which was delicious
Marinade
15 ml garlic flakes
15 ml ground coriander
15 ml cardamon
5 ml ground cayenne pepper
20 ml ground paprika
10 ml chicken stock powder
black pepper to taste
10 ml lemon juice
45 ml olive oil
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add 8 cubed skinless chicken breasts, cover, and leave to marinade for at least three hours. Overnight is best.
Cook the chicken pieces in a wok or frying pan until they are cooked through.
Yoghurt sauce
250 ml double thick Greek yoghurt
10 ml garlic flakes
5 ml cumin
2,5 ml lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Slice5 or 6 flatbreads in half. Slice tomato, red onion, cheese, and lettuce.
Assemble your shawarmas by adding a layer of lettuce, tomato, cheese, red onion, and chicken and topping it all with the yoghurt sauce.
Picture caption: these are the sides I prepared including the yoghurt sauce
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and their themed anthologies.
Tales From the Hanging Tree: Imprints of Tragedy:There exists a tree that is timeless, spanning across all dimensions, which absorbs every life as those who are hanged as they die… and it remembers every one. The stories within are a select few of the Tales From the Hanging Tree.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Legends: Monsters That Go Bump in the Night:Coming in 2026
Today we’re going to take a look at two versions of the same movie: The Running Man, based on the novel by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman. It’s been a long time since I read this book, since it was released back in the 1980s, but I can tell you now that the movie which just came out with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin is definitely closer to the original story line of the book. That puts it higher in my opinion than the 1987 movie with Arnold Swarzenhegger and Richard Dawson, although the first movie is a good story in its own right.
In the reality TV show The Running Man, the only objective is to stay alive.
This “slam-bang action suspense” (Gilbert Cruz, Vulture) from Stephen King is now a major motion picture from Paramount.
Ben Richards has no job, no money, and a young daughter who urgently needs medical attention. Desperate, out of options, he signs up for The Running Man, “the biggest show in the country.” It’s an ultraviolent competition where the stakes could not be higher. Ben must stay alive for thirty days while an elite strike force, trained to kill, hunts for him. If he can survive for a month, he wins a billion dollars. No contestant has ever lasted longer than eight days. Can Ben Richards win this ultimate game of life and death?
The Running Man (2025) with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin
Ben Richards is a man with a conscience and a family, and when he speaks out against the networks in this futuristic world where the networks run the show, he falls from the group of haves, into the category of the have nots. Blackballed from working for the networks, with a sick child to care for, he tries out for the reality shows as a way to earn the money for the much-needed medicine to save his daughter’s life, and is cast in a spot on the deadliest game of all: The Running Man. Contestants must survive for thirty days, evading the Network Hunters, with everyone in the city out to collect the bounty. The running man has no friends because to help him is to risk their own livelihood. The Network is everywhere and ratings are everything.
If you read my descriptions of these two films it may sound like the big difference between these two films is the fact that Richards is a willing contestant in one and is forced to play on the other. While this is one big difference, the 1987 film also differs in the game playing field. While the book and the 2025 movie play the game out in the real world and members of society may earn prizes by reporting contestants’ whereabouts, the 1987 film veers from the plotline with a contained playing field and sensational hunter characters to be cheered by members of the audience.
“Arnold didn’t look like somebody who had been missing many meals. He was ripped,” King says. Also, “he doesn’t seem like an Everyman. He seems like Arnold. And Glen seems like a regular guy: You would believe him in this part. He’s handsome, but he’s not a Clark Gable, big movie star kind of guy. He’s a regular guy who’s just better looking than most of us.”
The Running Man (1987) with Arnold Swartzenhagger and Richard Dawson
Ben Richards (Arnold Swarzenhegger) is an ex-military good guy who defied orders and refused to kill innocent, unarmed people. When he is sent to prison for his alleged crimes and makes a spectacular escape, he catches the attention of Network Executive Damien Killian (Richard Dawson), who sees his rating potential. In this futuristic world, where the Networks run the show, (pun intended), you don’t sign up to be a contestant on the reality shows, and after his recapture, Richards is forced to play The Running Man, a reality game show, where the hunters play for keeps, and the networks will do anything for ratings.
I think the 2025 movie actually has more nonstop action than the 2005 film, each has its own merits.
Both versions are good stories. Both are entertaining. And both are full of surprises. As a huge fan of the story’s original author, I lean more toward the version that is closer to the storyline in the book.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Everyone is a Critic” is sponsored by the Time Travel Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.
When a Girl with a Guitar Meets a Man with a Gun, It’s Time to Travel
It’s that time of year again. Time for the annual sponsor drive on Writing to be Read.
I offer sponsorship for this blogsite to help support the time and effort required to assure we can continue to bring you great content. Sponsorship money helps cover the costs of the annual hosting fee, and other services required to keep our content going. Right now, the WtbR blog team contributes not only content, but time and effort without any kind of much deserved compensation. My goal is to be able me to compensate the members of the team for the content they contribute.
Don’t just click ‘like’ on those blog posts you enjoy so much. You can be a sponsor for as little as $5 for a single segment, or you can sponsor your favorite blog series for a full year, (12 segments), for only $50. Advertise your blog, your website, or your book right here on Writing to be Read. When you become a sponsor, your ad, with a direct link to your blog or website appears at the bottom of the Writing to be Read post, and you pick which blog series you’d like to sponsor:
“Writer’s Corner”, with Kaye Lynne Booth
“Everyone is a Critic”, with Kaye Lynne Booth
“WordCrafter News”, with Kaye Lynne Booth
“Poetry Treasures”, with Robbie Cheadle
“In Touch With Nature”, with Robbie Cheadle
“Read and Cook”, with Robbie Cheadle
“Undawntech”, with DL Mullan
“Lindsey’s Writing Practice”, with Lindsey Martin-Bowen
“Mind Fields”, with Arthur Rosch
You find out more about sponsoring for Writing to be Read by visiting the Writing to be Read Sponsor Page. Sponsorships are first come, first serve, so hurry to be sure you can sponsor the blog series of your choice.
We can’t do it without you, so help us keep all the great content of Writing to be Read coming strong.
About a month ago, an interesting piece landed in my online mailbox.
A writer named Alle posted “tips for writing emotionally heavy scenes.” It went like this:
Alle sez:
1. Make a cup of tea while you don’t think about the work. Let images, phrases, feelings
float under you and through you.
2. Take a heartening sniff of the freshly brewed tea. Sip and savor. This moment is for you.
3. To your writing space.
4. Sit comfortably. Feet flat on the ground.
5. Write relentlessly. Write-write-write and don’t stop.
6. Check your feet. Still flat?
7. Write som’ more.
When you feel you have a first draft, lean back to enjoy many more sips.
Although I’m sure Alle’s suggestions will help many writers—and dear readers, please use them if you believe they’ll kick-start your work. (And please share with me if those hints do.)
Nevertheless, every writer is different. This technique would not work for me—not for an “emotionally heavy scene.” That tea would likely send me back to bed. (Perhaps I might dream about an emotionally heavy scene, but when I awoke, I’d likely forget it.)
So what are my suggestions for penning a heavy emotional scene?
Drink coffee. Lots of it. At least, as much as you’ll require to get your pulse flowing with the heat of that “emotionally heavy scene.” I am serious here. I admit, my coffee leans more toward cafe au lait (half-coffee, half-milk). Plus, I add a bit of hot water, just so I don’t become too jittery. But I need a drink that helps me soar with those emotions I attempt to capture on the page. Especially when they contain dialogue—or spats between lovers or siblings. Or between enemies. I mean, c’on: tea for emotion? (Perhaps that works if one is wearing a kimono and performing The Mikado. But I’ll never sing opera—no matter how hard I try.) In short, I must get down and dirty with only coffee.
And then, here’s an exercise that might work well for we coffee-drinkers. Not only would it be emotional, but it might also keep us from floating too far from the earth:
First, select one of your favorite songs—with or without lyrics—and play it on whatever device works for you. Savor it while you sip that coffee, then
—Imagine you meet an alien whose world is identical to yours—EXCEPT it consists of NO MUSIC. While you sip away and savor the music, write what you would tell the alien about music. (And note—trying to describe this to a being from a planet where music does not exist will likely become a highly emotional scene, correct?) How will that alien respond?
—So, explore your thoughts and feelings about music.
—Consider what OTHERS might feel and think.
—What do you know about music anyway? How would you explain it?
—What do you observe about yourself when you listen to it?
—Do you experience an overwhelming feeling that the music creates?
—Are you able to connect what you already know and feel to something you are experiencing and observing while you listen to the music?
—Are you able to predict how the alien will respond, how he or she would feel?
REMEMBER: Writing is discovering.
Finally, after undergoing this writing exercise, consider what new observations, discoveries, relations to what you knew about music before this exercise. Have you experienced any new connections to understanding your relationship with music and expressing it to some being who had never experienced it?
And please remember to have fun with this. I did.
About Lindsey Martin-Bowen
On Halloween 2023, redbat books released Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s 7th poetry collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison. Her 4th collection, Where Water Meets the Rock, was nominated for a Pulitzer; her 3rd, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison was a finalist in the QuillsEdge Press 2015-2016 Contest. In 2017, it won the Kansas Writers Assn award, “Looks Like a Million.” Writer’s Digest gave her “Vegetable Linguistics” an Honorable Mention in its 85th Annual (2017) Contest. Her Inside Virgil’s Garage (Chatter House Press 2013) was a runner-up in the 2015 Nelson Poetry Book Award. McClatchy Newspapers named her Standing on the Edge of the World (Woodley Press/Washburn University) was one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. It was nominated for a Pen Award.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need,WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
I’ve run a few Kickstarter campaigns in the past, and I’m running one this month for my Time Travel Adventure Series and the release of the second book, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions. It began yesterday, March 1, and will run through March 28th, 2026. (Little secret: March 3rd is my birthday, but your gift of support lasts forever.) If you’d like to check it out, and maybe even support this author with a pledge, you can check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/the-rock-star-and-the-outlaw-2-double-visions
I started down this road back in 2023, when I successfully funded two campaigns, including one for the first book in this series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. I chose to sell my books through Kickstarter because the buzz is, that Direct Sales and Kickstarters are the successful author’s future. Since the WordCrafter website isn’t set up for direct sales as yet, Kickstarter looked to be the best option.
We’ve Come a Long Way Baby
When I first started writing books, the publishing world was entering a transition phase. Traditional publishers had run the show for a very long time, and if you were an author, you peddled your book to literary agents. Once you found one of those, they would peddle your book to publishers and hopefully, found it a home with one of the Big Five. Or, you could peddle your book to smaller, independent publishers and try to find a home for your book yourself. Either way, very few authors found a way in, and even fewer made the best seller lists. If you were fortunate enough to be picked up by a traditional publisher, you might get a substantial advance when you signed your contract, which the book would have to earn out in sales before you could receive any further royalties. If the book didn’t earn out, you never saw another dime. But this was the way the publishing industry worked. You didn’t get in without making it past the gatekeepers; the agents and publishers who held all the power.
At that time, independent publishing carried a nasty taste with it. The world of independent publishing was filled with vanity presses that would publish your book for a cost, and they thoroughly took advantage of authors who tried to buck the system and bypass the gatekeepers. As publish on demand (POD publishing) gained popularity, it offered authors the opportunity to publish their work for much cheaper, but it also opened the door for anyone who wanted to, to claim authorship. Not everyone cared about quality, and authors who chose this cheaper route were likely to have skipped costly steps like editing, too. This flooded the market and gave independent authors a bad name, but traditional publishers still viewed them not as a threat, but a nuisance.
Traditional publishers stuck to their guns, and continued to do things the same way they always had, because that was the way it had always been. But as they began to falter, their advance payments grew smaller and smaller, and today, even if you get a traditional deal with one of the Big Three, you may not receive an advance at all. Indie authors began to hit the best seller lists, offering some real competition and traditional publishers began to take indie publishing more seriously. Suddenly, there was a new route past the gatekeepers. If your book hit the best seller lists, a traditional publisher might come knocking with an offer, even if you weren’t looking for one.
And why should independent authors go trad? With only small advances being offered, if at all, and less and less of the marketing efforts being put forth by trad publishers, there really was little reason to go with traditional publishing unless you were just after the literary prestige. An indie author, who did the work to publish and market their own work got to keep more of their royalties than the 40% traditional publishers were offering.
With the rise of aggregators, such as Lulu, Smashwords, and Draft2Digital, independent publishing became even cheaper for authors, and traditional publishing continued to look less and less appealing, at least to me. So today, authors can do it all. Write the story, publish the book, and market it, all by themselves. That’s a lot. So, of course, they can also choose to outsource any of the work, depending on how much they want to spend. Because it’s all up to them. The author is the boss and the choices are all theirs.
Now we are faced with more choices about where to sell our books. We can publish exclusively, placing them on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited, but to me, that’s putting all your eggs in one basket. We can publish wide and place our books on retail sites around the globe. Or we can sell direct from our website, start a store on Shopify, or sell through crowd funding on Kickstarter.
Many authors use a combination, selling direct or crowd funding and placing their books on retail sites, as well. This is what I perceive to be the future of book marketing. Direct sales are how authors can make the most money from their books, but retail stores have the visibility to get their books discovered.
Why do I say these are the future of book marketing?
Come along as we explore the pros and cons, below.
Direct Sales
Direct sales are the best way to go if you are able to set up a store on your site. Having an onsite store would be a bigger expense from the hosting site, in order to give your site monetary capabilities, so it is more expensive initially. I’m still struggling to get enough sponsors and donations to cover the annual costs of the Writing to be Read site on the current level, so the upgrade must wait, although this would be my preference for selling my books.
Why?
One big reason is authors who sell through direct sales cut out the retailer middle men and get to keep more money from each sale. So, when you can buy a book directly from the author’s site, you are supporting that author more than the person who buys the same book through a retail site. Because they don’t have to pay 30-70% of their royalties out to retailers, the savings can be considerable.
Authors may have to do all the marketing for their books, but these days, that may be the case even with traditional publishing, so why not do the work and reap the reward?
The Kickstarter Platform
Kickstarter is a crowd funding platform that can be a great way to finance all your creative projects, if done right. They keep a small percentage of each project that is successfully funded. So, while you are giving them a small cut of the royalties, they handle the collection and distribution of monies, and provide promotional materials in return. Plus, it gives.you access to the crowd funding community, which is big on creative projects and accustomed to supporting them. And if it doesn’t fund, it doesn’t cost you anything.
I like running Kickstarter campaigns upon launch because I can offer books at less than the prices set on retail sites, and exclusive offers, such as signed print copies or special edition books, which aren’t available anywhere else, so my readers benefit, too. I can also offer package deals, combining two or more books.
For those same reasons, it pays to support your favorite authors on the Kickstarter platform because you can get some really awesome deals on some really great books. I not only sell on Kickstarter, but I’m also a supporter of the projects of others. You can show your support, usually for as little as $5. It’s a great way to get books and other exclusive merchandise, and of course, I wrote reviews for all the books I bought to further show support for the author.
International bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson, runs at least two Kickstarter campaigns per year, with some astounding results. Likewise, Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Katherine Rusch run several each year. As does author Russell Nohelty. But you don’t have to be a big name to run a successful Kickstarter campaign. I’m the proof of that. To date, I have run three successful campaigns and only one that failed to fund.
The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions Campaign
If you’d like to support this author and help to fund my current campaign for The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, drop in via the link below. We have great deals on Books 1 & 2 of the Time Travel Adventure Series, including signed print copies, plus posters and goodies bags available only through the Kickstarter campaign. All support is greatly appreciated.
About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions
In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.
She wakes up in 2030, in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not have been born. Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past.
She and a version of Monique which is different from the one she grew up with travel back to 1887 to try and make things right.
Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things begin to get wild.
When the time loops are crossed, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended and pretty soon, everybody is seeing doubles.
If you’d like to know more about the second book in the Time Travel Adventure Series, we’ll be running a book blog tour March 23-27, 2026, right here on Writing to be Read. Join us for readings and guest posts about the inspiration and creation of this series, and a great giveaway of digital and signed print copies.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by theRobbie’s Inspiration blog site, where you can find ideas on writing and baking with hostess, Robbie Cheadle.
It’s not a matter of a foolish belief sustaining me.
My belief is not foolish. My belief is my survival.
There simply is nothing large enough,
other than God,
to hold the grand squalor,
the screaming birth,
the wriggling, enduring heart at the center
of this beleaguered world.
I have no strength, no courage,
I have nothing but strategies to avoid
agony, and they don’t always work.
I survive, for a time,
while the world survives
forever, stronger than
I can be, deeper than I can fulfill,
more powerful than my will,
defiant in the face
of my disappointment in myself.
The world and something loving that redeems
all torment,
survives.
About Arthur Rosch
Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Mind Fields” is sponsored by the Roberta Writes blog site, where you can find the poetry, photos, videos, and book reviews by Robbie Cheadleand so much more.
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of seventeen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of four poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3
Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: 14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare. https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil
