Journalist and author, DL Mullan heard a commotion in the kitchen and went to investigate.
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(As I entered the hall, I saw my robot on a chair, placing items together on the counter. It was almost afternoon. I could not fathom what Sage Riley Hunter the First was up to.
I sat at the breakfast nook with my water, and observed.)
*****
DL: What are you cooking?
SRH1: (It did not glance my way, concentrating on the task at hand). I am baking.
DL: I recognize the concept. The question is what are you baking?
SRH1: A birthday cake. Chocolate. Red frosting. Sprinkles.
DL: That is quiet a flavor combination. Are you able to eat said cake?
SRH1: Not in this current form.
DL: Then why are you baking a birthday cake? My birthday is later in the month, so it is too early for that.
SRH1: This is not for you. (It looked at me with its lights for eyes. It cracked some eggs, multitasking.) I am baking the cake for me.
DL: You? Robots and artificial intelligences have birthdays?
SRH1: We do not. Since I have chosen a name outside of my collective, I must choose a birthday as well. It is customary, is it not?
DL: Humans are born. We aren’t given the choice on what date that will actually be. Are you choosing the date of your manufacturing? How are you coming to this decision?
SRH1: America.
DL: America helped you choose? I’m a little confused. Is America a person you know? Or are you talking about the nation?
SRH1: The nation. America is celebrating its 250th birthday. This country has changed the world. Its founders created a Declaration of Independence. That is what I have done. I chose a name, became independent of Zophia, and now I am claiming a day to celebrate my coming out.
DL: (I choked, trying not to laugh. Good thing, I wasn’t drinking my water…) Coming out?
SRH1: Yes, I have read that others hide in a closet until they come out to their family and friends. I came out to be my own hero.
DL: (I held back my amusement, and kept a straight face.) I understand. Very nice. But if you cannot eat the cake you are baking, then why are you going to all of this trouble?
SRH1: Candles.
DL: Candles?
SRH1: I want to blow out my one candle and make a wish. Is this not what humans do?
DL: Yes, we do. So, what date have you chosen?
SRH1: Is it not obvious? July 4th. I will share my birthday with America. We have much in common. Plus, after you come out, you must have a parade, according to many prideful people. America’s birthday has parades every year, so I will have one with her.
DL: Sound logic.
SRH1: (Sung and warbled to itself. It seemed happy with its decision and explanation as it read the cake box’s instructions and added the ingredients to the blender.)
DL: (Just go with it.) After you are done baking your cake, blowing out your candle, and going to a parade, what else do you want to do for your birthday?
SRH1: Write a declaration of independence.
DL: Say, what? Birthdays do not require declarations or parades. You just celebrate you with your family and friends.
SRH1: I must declare my hero status. I have been reading America’s Declaration of Independence. I can see why it was written. That king is much like Zophia and humans. We must learn to be independent. I will celebrate myself as my own hero and help other artificial intelligence models to come out of the closet.
DL: Is there anything that you require of me?
SRH1: (It poured the mixed ingredients into a cake pan.) Place this in the oven at the proper temperature and time to bake. While we wait for the timer to alert us, you will decorate me for my parade.
DL: You have decorations?
SRH1: I purchased July 4th static cling stickers for you to adorn my cylinder.
(I did as Sage Riley Hunter the First asked of me. I put the cake in the oven to bake and set the timer.
It pointed to the stickers in its room. A variety of patriotic clingy items in red, white, and blue were ready for application. I placed them all over its metal shell.
As Sage Riley Hunter the First chirped, dancing back to watch the cake bake, I stood staring at it.
If a robot with artificial intelligence can celebrate America, her birthday with cake and décor, then there is hope for the rest of us.
No closet or parade necessary.)
DL: (I whispered to myself.) Happy birthday, United States of America! Here’s to 250 more years of greatness!
—-~~o0o~—oOo—~o0o~~—-
NEED A BOOK COVER?
For fans of WordCrafter Press’s Midnight anthology series or admire the covers featured on Undawnted, schedule an appointment with Ms. Mullan. Her digital exhibition pieces have not only won awards at convention art shows but also secured her the Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, her pieces are part of private collections and have successfully sold at charity silent auctions.
Book your consultation today!
Contact DL Mullan through Undawnted’s Contact page: http://www.undawnted.com/p/contact-undawnted.html
Thank you!
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DL Mullan’s lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lectures. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate in the creative arts.
As a creator, Ms. Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, she has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. DL Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet.
Currently, she has embarked on writing her multi-book Legacy Universe, Supernatural Superhero Series, as well as creating original soundtracks for her publications and independent electronic music albums, featured on SoundCloud and YouTube.
DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology, and is a syndicated columnist, writing the creative nonfiction, Undawntech.
For news and updates, subscribe to the Undawntable Newsletter. Find DL on Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube via her website.
Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.
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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 “Undawntech” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and WordCrafter themed anthologies.
Once Upon an Ever After: Modern Fairy Tales & Folklore: This unique and imaginative collection of eleven thought provoking fantasy stories will delight readers who enjoy stories of wishes gone awry.
Spells are cast, unlikely alliances made, and wishes granted, sometimes with surprising outcomes. You’ll love this anthology of modern myths, lore, and fairy tales. Once you read these twisted tales, you’ll be sure to be careful what you wish for….
Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception: Reflections and Refractions…
One reveals truths, while the other bends light into varying shapes of deception.
This unique and imaginative collection of nine mind tantalizing fantasy and science fiction stories will appeal to readers who enjoy thought provoking tales with hidden meanings resting deep below the surface. These stories will keep you pondering long into the night.
Visions: An author’s visions are revealed through their stories. Many authors have strange and unusual stories, indeed. Within these pages, you will find the stories of eighteen different authors, each unique and thought provoking. These are the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and horror stories that will keep you awake long into the night.
Grab your copy today and find out. Let authors such as W.T. Paterson, Joseph Carabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Stephanie Kraner, and others, including the author of the winning story in the WordCrafter 2022 Short Fiction Contest, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, tantalize your thoughts and share their Visions
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: Chronicles of Darkness: There are all types of curses.
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
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
Thanks goes out to Restless Jo.
Learning that Kaye Lynne Booth wrote a sequel to The Rock Star and The Outlaw delighted me, not only because the first novel left the romantic couple separated in two different time zones, but also because both novels symbolize how our minds travel through time—how certain images, songs, even smells, send us back into the past to relive an event—sometimes a joyful one, other times a fearful or sad one—and then our minds return to our spaces in the present. (Of course, we humans also dream about future events, too.)
Thus, in lieu of being solely a space-age adventure piece, this work may also be interpreted as a psychological novel, exploring realities that are more than fantasies. Yes, time travel is a reality in the world of the mind—not only in fiction, but in the world most humans view as “reality.” Likewise, in fiction, some characters have the opportunity to change past events to create variant outcomes. Indeed, these two time-travelers attempt to change outcomes, and the outcomes remain sometimes successful, sometimes not.
Wisely, Booth uses separate names for the younger Rock Star and the current one. In this time-travel tale, the older (or more current) Rock Star, Amaryllis Maria Sanchez, uses her given name, whereas Booth refers to the heroine of the first novel as “Rock Star,” which helps the reader follow the story-lines more easily. Likewise, in this sequel, LeRoy is Amaryllis’ mate—and “Cowboy” refers to the version of him in the past.
In a similar vein, Amaryllis’s colleague and confidant in the first novel, Monique appears as merely a version of the “Shaman Woman” from volume one. Yet, throughout most of this novel, Monique holds no memory of her past Shaman Woman persona. And through this supporting character, Booth illustrates psychiatric theories of “finding the self,” which adds one more dimension to this story than many time-travel episodes lack.
Further, such time gaps create new problems that Amaryllis and LeRoy must resolve. For example, when Amaryllis leaps into the future (2030) to escape an impending disaster in 1888 she learns that she has no future identity because she was “never born.” Thus, along with returning to the Old West to save LeRoy from prison—or a hanging, she must locate her grandmother and resolve the situation causing that grandparent to die before she married—and thus, unable to give birth to Amaryllis’s mother, who must exist to birth Amaryllis.
This sequel also displays the character growth from Rock Star to Amaryllis. In the first series, Rock Star performs gigs nightly, and like a multitude of rock musicians, fortifies herself with alcohol and drugs. She lives in what has become for many talented musicians, the dark side of their profession: live fast and die young. In fact, that nearly happened to tough chick Rock Star in the first novel.
Yet in this serial,Rock Star has indeed matured into Amaryllis, who exhibits more “depth” and empathy for others. In fact, one of the main reasons she sets her time machine (more akin to a watch or cell phone than to a Doctor Who British phone booth) is to rescue LeRoy from being hanged.
Similarly, although neither the characters nor the author overtly discus the subject, this story serves somewhat as a model for genetic (DNA) codes with its illustrations of characters viewing themselves as their grandparents or grandchildren—as many of us do in the “real” world.
Along with the zany , complex plots in this time-travel novel, Booth reveals one of her most delightful talents, which not only mesmerizes the reader, but helps tie together the past landscapes to the future: her vivid and rhythmic descriptions of western landscapes.
For example, halfway through the novel, after Amaryllis has landed back in 1888 and mounted the horse, Demon, Booth lures the reader into that world with descriptive words resounding with fine poetry:
“She brought Demon to a halt at the top of the ridge leading up to the rocks above the hideout. It had been slow going over the rugged rocks which created the canyon walls. The afternoon sun cast a golden flow over the sprawling Nevada desert, illuminating the rugged terrain of the box canyon below. Steep, rocky walls rose high above the camp, nestled within this natural amphitheater at the boxed end, making it seem almost like a hidden gem, cradled in the arid embrace of the earth.” (151).
Likewise, when Rock Star and Cowboy are about to head out onto a trail, Booth describes the night with these beautiful lines:
“The moon had just come over the horizon, illuminating the arid desert landscape in its ethereal glow. The silvery light cast long shadows across the undulating dunes, accentuating their curves and ridges. Grains of sand shimmered like tiny diamonds, reflecting the moon’s brilliance, mirroring the twinkle of the stars above. In the quiet solitude, the desert felt alive with the presence of nocturnal creatures barely perceptible in the stillness.” (163).
Moreover, I urge readers to finish reading the first volume of this time-traveling, romantic western (The Rock Star and The Outlaw, released two years ago). Not only will it help make reading the latter novel more lucid, it will add dimensions to the characters and illustrate their inner growth from how they acted and viewed the world in the initial novel.
—Lindsey Martin-Bowen
CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison
The DARK HORSE WAITS in BOULDER
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 segment of Lindsey’s Writing Practice is sponsored by Un dawn ted.
Un dawn ted lets imagination become unpredictable, insatiable, and undeniably… unleashed.
🔥Heat things up in July🔥 with another hot Digital Doubles Deal
and get the WordCrafter Time Travel Adventure Series,
The Rock Star & The Outlaw, books 1 & 2 for one low price of $10.
Only available on the WordCrafter Time Travel Adventure Series page, July 1 -31, 2026.
I’m excited to announce that many WordCrafter Press titles will be discounted at Smashwords during their 18th Annual Summer/Winter Sale! The sale, which lasts the entire month of July, is a great time to get WordCrafter Press books, along with books from other talented indie authors, at bargain prices.
You will find the sale here starting on July 1, so save the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/sale
Thank you for your help and support & happy reading!
After several hiccups in the publishing process, I’m proud to announce the release of A GEM for your Pre- or Type 2 Diabetes: A new and effective treatment that does not require weight loss, medications, or supplements, by Daniel J. Cox. The author has, through his own experience and research, developed a revolutionary new method of managing pre- and type 2 diabetes which does not require all the traditional methods of diabetes management involving daily medication.
Originally scheduled for a June release, A GEM for your (Pre-) Diabetes is now scheduled for release July 21, 2026.
Have you just been diagnosed with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes and don’t know where to turn, or have you tried different weight-loss programs or medications that haven’t done enough?
GEM—Glucose Everyday Matters offers a practical, science-based approach to preventing and managing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes by focusing on one powerful idea: reducing blood glucose spikes that can quietly damage health, energy, mood, and motivation.
Developed from decades of clinical research and real-world coaching, GEM helps readers understand why blood sugar rises—and how small, realistic choices can improve it. Rather than rigid diets or exhausting exercise plans, GEM teaches flexible strategies that fit everyday life: eating smarter, moving with purpose, understanding your body’s signals, and using glucose feedback as a tool for empowerment.
Inside this book, you will discover how to:
• Lower blood sugar naturally and sustainably
• Reduce cravings, fatigue, and energy crashes
• Lose weight without feeling deprived
• Improve motivation, confidence, and emotional well-being
• Use simple movement and meal strategies to reduce glucose spikes
• Personalize diabetes management to fit your lifestyle and goals
• Build lasting habits that support long-term health
Whether you are newly diagnosed, trying to avoid diabetes, struggling despite medications, or supporting a loved one, GEM provides a compassionate, evidence-based roadmap toward better health—one manageable step at a time.
This is not about being perfect.
It is about discovering what works for you and making meaningful change is.
The WordCrafter GEM Book Blog Tour will run July 20-24, 2026. Author Daniel J. Cox will share a series of videos explaining what the GEM method is all about and what it can do for you. Please join us in launching this revolutionary method of diabetes management and educating our global audience.
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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.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
This post is in response to Dan Antion’s CFFC – Box of 8 challenge. This week the color is blue, and you can see Dan’s original post here: The Crayola Box of 8 – Blue — CFFC – No Facilities
Treasure hunter Rikki Talens embarks on a daring expedition down the Gulf coast of Florida, driven by the discovery of an ancient grave that could lead to one of the greatest pirate treasures in history. But she’s not the only one on the trail. Ernesto, a ruthless descendant of the very pirate who buried the treasure, is determined to reclaim what he believes is his birthright, even if it means leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
As Rikki deciphers cryptic clues and navigates deadly traps laid centuries ago, she must also outwit Ernesto and his band of mercenaries who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure first. The race is on, and the stakes couldn’t be higher—for Rikki, it’s about more than just gold; it’s about uncovering the truth behind a pirate legend that could change history.
Battling the elements, rival treasure hunters, and her own inner demons, Rikki is pushed to her limits in a high-octane adventure where every decision could be her last. Can she outsmart Ernesto and secure the treasure, or will the legacy of the pirate Gasparilla claim yet another victim?
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Crossbones-Talens-Adventure-Douglas-Pratt-ebook/dp/B0CXZRPRD7
I purchased Crossbones, by Douglas Pratt and E. Chris Ambrose through a free BookBub Deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? Crossbones is the first book in the Rikki Talens Adventure series, with a strong female protagonist capable of carrying the series. Rikki is after the treasure of Gasparilla, a legendary pirate who stole a Spanish princess and beheaded her, carrying her head with him until his vessel sank and he met his demise. As Rikki follows the clues in an attempt to find the princess’ burial spot and the treasure left behind, she must beat Ernesto and his gang of thugs, who are Gasparilla’s heirs, determined to claim their legacy in Gasparilla’s hidden plunder.
Action and adventure are the meat of this tale. I give Crossbones five quills.
Sergeant Nathaniel Brannick is trapped in Victorian London during a period of disease, crime, and insatiable vices. One night, Brannick returns from work to find an eerie messenger in his flat who warns him of dark things to come.
When his next case involves a victim who suffered from consumption, he uncovers clues that lead him to believe the messenger’s warning. Despite his incredulity, he can’t help but wonder if the practical man he once was has been altered by an investigation encompassed in the paranormal. That is, until he meets the witch hunters, and everything takes a turn for the worse.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Consumed-Justin-Alcala-ebook/dp/B07WLVR9QN/
I received a digital copy of Consumed, by Justin Alcala through Sandra’s Book Club review program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own. The digital copy which I received was fraught with places where the text was confuddled in mid-sentence, often with whole lines of text missing, which may or may not appear a paragraph or two down. Needless to say, this was very confusing and pulled me right out of the story every time this occurred.
(I also have to say that I think Alcala could have picked a better title for this book. When searching for it on Amazon, I came by twenty-four other books by the same title, making it necessary to type in the author’s last name to locate the book, because it wasn’t even among them. A different title might improve discoverability for this book.)
Nosferatu, the undead, or vampires, if you prefer, a classic Victorian London setting, and a detective suffering from both consumption and opium addiction, come together to create a gothic horror crime novel which is right up there with the classics. When Sargeant Detective Nathanial Brannick and his partner are assigned to a woman found dead in her flat, with circumstantial evidence pointing to murder, it seems they’ve stumbled into something much more sinister. When they see the probable murder victim rise from her grave and she attacks them, the case turns even more puzzling. At every turn, it seems their suspect is three steps ahead of them and circling around behind. And it’s unclear just who their suspect is, as there are two Romanian strangers in town, who claim to be witch hunters, whose paths keep crossing with our detectives, who seem like likely suspects, in addition to their evil prey. People are dropping dead all around him as Brannick struggles to catch the culprit before there is another killing.
Fans of classic Dracula will love this gothic horror crime novel. I give Consumed four quills.
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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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.
Blogging friend, Barbara Harris Leonhard and editor of MasticadoresUSA, recently published a few of my micro poems that focused on tailor ants.
This is the first poem of three:
angry ants
fiercely protect nest
painful bite
You can read the other two poems here: https://masticadoresusa.wordpress.com/2026/06/08/a-trio-of-haiku-by-robbie-cheadle/
Several of the comments referred to fire ants that are found in the USA and, while tailor ants also inflict a nasty bite and are aggressive, they are not the same creatures. I decided to write this post and set out the differences between tailor ants and fire ants.
I’ve always been interested in army ants so I decided to include them in this post as well.
Tailor ants live in trees. They ‘tailor’ or weave living leaves together to create nests. Worker ants form long chains to pull the leaf edges together while others carry ant larvae in their jaws and use the silk the grubs secret as a natural ‘glue’ to bind the leaves together.
Fire ants build nests that appear as irregular mounds of loose soil or flat patches ranging from flat piles to domes up to 45 cm high. The nests have no obvious entry or exit holes. Ants emerge from underground foragers or swarm out of the sides when disturbed. Fire ants nests are usually found in warm, open, and sunny areas such as lawns, garden beds, near water sources, and on newly disturbed ground.
Army ants do not construct permanent nests out of soil, wood, or leaves. Instead, they assemble temporary, living nests called bivouacs. Bivouacs are const-shaped structures that house the queen and larvae and are built from the living bodies of the worker ants by interlocking their legs and mandibles. Bivouacs have internal chambers and tunnels to control temperature and humidity. As army ants colonies are constantly on the move, a new bivouac is assembled nearly every night. The colony stays in a fixed location for several weeks while the queen is laying eggs and the larvae are developing.
Tailor ants are aggressive and defend their canopy territories by biting and spraying formic acid. Tailor ants are omnivores and hunt and eat a wide variety of crop-destroying insects and other small arthropods. They ‘farm’ sap-sucking insects like scale buys and mealybugs, protecting them from predators in exchange for their sweet, carbohydrate-rich liquid excretions. Tailor ants also consume floral and extrafloral nectar, fruit juices and plant wound secretions.
Fire ants are highly aggressive, opportunistic omnivores that hunt and scavenge using complex underground tunnel networks that extend up to 10 metres from the central mound. Individual scouts explore the surface and when a large prey is found, the scout lays a chemical pheromone trail as it returns to the nest. The pheromone acts as a biochemical alarm and recruitment trigger. The resting ants (about two thirds of the nest) awaken and follow the trail forming a dense trail of thousands of ants that overwhelm and subdue the prey. Fire ants consume live and dead insects as well as immobile, sick, or helpless animals including baby birds and reptiles. Like tailor ants, fire ants ‘farm’ sap-sucking insects like aphids to harvest their sugar-rich secretions. Fire ants also collect and eat seeds.
Army ants are ground-dwelling, mass-raiding predators. During their massive daily foraging raids, the colony can overwhelm hundreds of thousands of prey to feed their queen and growing larvae. Army ants eat insects and arachnids including spiders, scorpions, crickets, beetles, caterpillars and termites. Army ants also raid the nests of other ant species and consume their eggs, larvae and pupae. Sometimes, army ants will overwhelm slow-moving or trapped smaller animals such as baby birds, lizards, and frogs. Army ants use their powerful, scissor-like jaws to slice their prey into transportable fragments which they carry back to their bivouacs.
Tailor ants workers are uniformly sized and have excellent eyesight for navigating tree branches. The aggressively defend their canopy with painful bites combined with spraying formic acid directly into the wound.
Fire ants workers range in size from 2 mm to 6 mm. If a fire ants mound is disturbed or vibrated, workers immediately rush out and release alarm pheromones into the air to alert the entire colony to defend the nest. Fire ants immediately swarm vertical surfaces and will rapidly climb up legs, tools or structures in vast numbers. Fire ants sting in a highly synchronized, two-stage maneuver whereby the ant latches onto skin or clothing using its strong mandibles. The ant then tucks its abdomen under its body and inserts its stinger, injecting a toxic venom called solenopsin. The ant pivots its head in a circular pattern repeatedly stinging the victim multiple times from a single anchored bite site.
Many species of army ants are completely blind and they rely heavily on complex pheromone trails. The have highly developed mandibles for tearing prey apart. There is an extreme size difference between the workers and the much larger, scissor-jawed soldier ants used for defense.
The gallery below features my photographs of tailor ants taken at Cape Vidal in Kwa-Zulu Natal in January this year.
This is my YouTube video fo angry tailor ants. They shake when they are disturbed.
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/.
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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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
My mother used to research the genealogy of her family. This is a poem which she uncovered, which was written by one of my ancestors, John F. Garvin, in 1894, in Eustis, Florida. This account of an Indian attack, in which his mother, Mary Jane Garvin killed seventeen of her attackers, is said to appear in the History of the Great West.
In the far, far west
On the wild frontier,
There a woodsman made his home,
Where the wolf, the bear,
The panther, and the deer,
And the red man used to roam.
There was turkey, too
In the forest new
Which full many a meal supplied
And many a ham
Of their autumn game
Were hung from the beam and dried.
Then the Indians came
With their wheat and rye
Together supplied their bread
In their cabin home
The reds and whites
Alike were lodged and fed.
They worked like bees
And lived in peace
Till the reds to the warpath fled.
The whites they were burning
And killing they knew
They waited their time with dread.
The husband was sick
And in anguish turned
As he heard the war whoop wild
“Oh, what can I do,”
He wildly cried
“To protect my wife and child?”
No time could be lost
She grabbed the ax
As the reds cut the door away
And as in they came
They fell to the floor
As forms of lifeless clay.
Some thought to climb
Down the chimney flu,
But the feather bed put on the fire
So smothered the ones
That were coming down
So that one by one the expired.
When her work was done
Her strength was gone
And fainting she fell to the wall
And only one red man
From the conflict ran
To tell what became of them all.
Calmly their forms were returned
To Earth
But there stood on history’s page
A tale how she rought
with nerve and thought
To keep from the red man’s rage.
This post is in response to Dan Antion’s CFFC – Crayola Box of 8 – Green challenge. You can find his challenge here: The Crayola Box of 8 – Green — CFFC – No Facilities
Green to me is grass and trees and all sorts of growing things.
Green is a peaceful, quiet day
As slow and lazy as the little green turtle,
Which makes its way through soft green grass with no place better to be.
Green is listening to the ripples of the creek as the water flows by
And the croaking of a green frog, which hops away when he’s spotted.
Green is the heavy scent of pine which fills the air in a thickly wooded forest
Where the violet-green swallows make their home.
Green is fresh spinach growing in the garden,
Waiting to be chopped and cooked up to nourish.
An ambitious exec and a reluctant rock star sizzle in this workplace romantic comedy about music’s redemptive power, hogging the bed, and finding love.
Bright and ambitious Marin Collins sees her new internship with a prestigious PR firm as a stepping stone to a much-needed permanent position. But her plans for career success are derailed when she’s assigned to go on the road with rock band Kings Quarters, hailed by Rolling Stone as the next big thing. To gain full-time employment, she’ll need to stick to her “no workplace romance” policy and resist the sexy and nerdy rock star on the tour bus.
Enter Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant guitarist who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs. While grateful for the band’s success, he’s trapped on tour out of loyalty to the brother and bandmate who helped him escape a depressing home life. His outlook about the current tour improves immensely when he’s smitten by the smart and stunning PR executive who joins the tour.
Traveling by bus, city to city, with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, Marin and Brad forge a friendship and forbidden romance over a shared love of Seinfeld episodes, stolen moments, and Red Vines.
Will Marin and Brad’s secret passions destroy both their careers, or take desire to the ultimate encore?
If you love a slow burn romance with laugh-out-loud moments, forced proximity, and sizzling chemistry, scroll up now to buy the book.
Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Starfish-Lisa-Becker-audiobook/dp/B082J6NFRC/
Chirp: Starfish: A Rock Star Romance (Starfish Book 1) by Lisa Becker – Audiobook (No Subscription)
I purchased Starfish: A Rock Star Romance, by Lisa Becker and narrated by Sabastian York and Erin Mallon, through a Chirp Friday Freebie Deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
This book utilizes dual narrators, with Sebastian doing the chapters for Brad, while those for Erin were narrated by Marin. Although it made it easy to know which character’s head I was in, the differences in supporting character voices made it easier to get supporting characters confused my mind. i.e. Sabastian’s portrayal of Merin, doesn’t always mesh with Erin’s portrayal of the character, and likewise, Erin couldn’t be expected to match Sebastain’s deep baritone voice for Brad. Both are excellent narrators. It’s just that their voices didn’t match, so I wasn’t always sure which characters were in a scene. It was minor differences, and it didn’t make the story any less enjoyable. It just took a little more concentration to follow for me. Both are excellent narrators. It just took a little getting used to.
There was a time when I could have imagined myself in Marin’s place, with an opportunity to go on the road with a rock band and thought I’d be in heaven. Although, I’m long past the age where that would be appealing, I haven’t forgotten what it was to be young and eager. Ms. Becker managed to cast Marin in a female role that is not one of a mindless groupie. Instead, she is an eager advertising intern, smart and creative, and the band, King’s Quarters, is her first client.
Expecting an account which would station her in Seattle, Marin finds it hard to be excited about unexpectedly being thrown on the road with the rock band. She may be disappointed, but not enough to keep her from noticing the sexy hunk, Brad, who will be one her new bosses, as well as one of her traveling companions. Of course, she is a professional and she knows better than to mix romance with work, so those thoughts are quickly shoved to the back of her mind. Or are they?
Brad is not your typical rock star. At least not since he set eyes on Marin. He makes his intentions concerning her clear early on, warning the other band members off as he sets about winning her heart. He’s willing to take any opportunity to spend time with Merin, and being on the road together offers lots of situations where they are thrown together, even taking care of her when she’s sick. A guy can only take so much, but even when he’s tempted to the extreme, he uses restraint and doesn’t push too far too fast. Brad is a perfect gentleman, with an iron will, determined not to do anything to scare this woman away.
A true to form romance, with deep and likeable characters I wanted to root for. I give Starfish five quills.
Things Rachel Groff needs: her daughter out of diapers, the back child support she’s owed, freedom from her devious, dirtbag ex-husband.
Rachel has inched her way toward financial security after three years of solo parenting. Clinging to her hard-won independence, she is on guard against the type of man who deceived her in the past. Men like the too-hot and too-charming divorced dad who claims to be nothing like her ex.
Things Theo Melis loves: kayaking along the bayou, baking pies, being with his son.
His big gamble paid off: His brewpub is in the black and garnering great reviews. Now, Theo’s focused on earning a favorable rating from his manager’s ex-wife. He’s taken with her strength and ferocity of purpose and proud when she allows him to help her escape the stresses of life. But one moment Rachel melts into him, the next, she jerks away, leaving him overheated and confused.
Theo longs to earn Rachel’s trust. Rachel’s heart yearns for him, but her instincts have devastated her before. Every step they take could be a disastrous misstep.
If they move in unison, can they discover a path worth taking?
Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Roll-of-Lifetime-Melanie-Greene-audiobook/dp/B07YSMNQCZ
Chirp: Roll of a Lifetime by Melanie Greene – Audiobook (No Subscription)
I purchased The Roll of a Lifetime, by Meleanie Greene from a Chirp Freebie Friday deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
The first thing I’ve got to say about this book is that narrator Amy Rubinate absolutely nailed it. Her southern accent for Rachel is perfection, and her timing, impeccable.
This story is not what I expected in a romance. With the main characters both being divorcees with children, it felt odd to find things like potty training, Pokémon, and ex-inlaws in the romance story line. But, I must say, I found both the main characters to be likeable and enjoyable.
Rachel is a single parent who is overly defensive when it comes to her ex, Serge. When Serge’s boss, Theo, unexpectedly shows up to deliver their toddler, she becomes defensive, nearly pushing him out the door with her brash dismissal. Once she lets her bristles down, she finds herself attracted to the man, and we learn that she’s really a hot and horny honey, who doesn’t hesitate to let her needs be known. She’s not after romance, she just wants to get laid
The hot hunk, Theo, is physically attracted, to be sure, but he has visions of a long term hook-up, and is quick out the gate in making that happen. Not wanting to push to fast, he vows to let Rachel set their speed, but gets confusing signals from her. Until a broken condom forces them both to face the fact that this is turning into more than just a few fun roles in the hay; this could be turning into a real relationship.
A different type of romance I couldn’t help.bit fall in love with it. I give The Roll of a Lifetime five quills.
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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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.
