Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “Small Wonders” Book Blog Tour

Tour Banner: Snowy mountains framed by pine trees in background. WordCrafter logo and Small Wonders in foreground.
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Small Wonders Reflective Poems By Kaye Lynne Booth

We are wrapping up the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour here on Writing to be Read. We’ve had a great week long tour, with a poetry reading at every stop, two delightful reviews and I had a lovely interview with DL Mullan. Now it’s time to wrap everything up, so be sure to comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of my debut poetry collection, Small Wonders. And you can still follow the links in the schedule below to visit each stop and comment for additional chances to win.

Schedule

Small Wonders, by Kaye Lynne Booth – June 19-23

Monday – June 19 – Opening Day – Post “My Moment of Fame” w/ reading “Aspen Tree”– Writing to be Read

Tuesday – June 20 – Guest Post “Fun with Poetry” w/ reading Tanka poem– Robbie’s Inspiration

Wednesday – June  21 Introduction & Comments – Writing to be Read/Guest Post “I’m a Bird Watcher” w/ reading “Bird Watching”, Interview & Review – Undawnted

Thursday – June 22 Guest Post “Someone to Look Up To” w/ reading “To Be A Cat” & Review – Carla Loves to Read

Friday – June 23 – Final stop –  Post “I Like to Grow Things” w/ reading Haiga Poem- Writing to be Read

The Small Wonders Giveaway

Three free digital copies of

Small Wonders

are up for grabs. Follow the tour and make a comment at each stop,

so I know you were there and you’re automatically entered.

One entry per stop.

Winners selected in a random drawing. (Really. I draw them out of a hat, literally.)

About the Book

Small Wonders on a digital device and in print
Book Cover: Yellow and black butterfly on a purple bell flower stalk
Text: Small Wonders Reflective Poems By Kaye Lynne Booth

The world is filled with amazing things, if we will just stop a moment and take notice. In this vast universe, we are but tiny individuals, filled with awe and amazement. From reflections on first love, to reflections on growing old. The poems within these pages express a lifetime of unique reflections in Small Wonders.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/b6WZ6E

I Like to Grow Things

I’m a gardener, and I love to share photos of my beautiful flowers that I grow.

In addition to the beautiful blooms that I plant to attract birds each year, I often plant nutritious vegetables to make attractive plates at my table. Last year, I had a monster cherry tomato plant that was huge, it’s fruit abundant, gracing not only my table, but the tables of neighbors and friends because there was plenty to go around for all. I had to look up to it standing on the porch. It was crazy.

An enormous cherry tomato plant in a pot on a porch

It’s not surprising that my garden activities have found a way into my poetry. The follolwing scenario occured only in my head, but it was fun to write. I promise no animals were harmed in the making of this poem.

A Mole in the Garden

There’s a hole in my garden where a plant should be

I think a mole feasts on my zucchini

A carrot just vanished and there goes a pea!

By all that is sacred, I must get that mole

Or I fear that my garden will be nothing but holes,

Leaving only the rocks, which he hasn’t stole.

I’ll take a shovel and smash his head.

One whack and surely, the mole will be dead.

Oh dear! I’ve smashed my best pumpkin instead.

My cabbage are gone leaving several large holes

A tomato plant is sucked straight down by that mole

Leaving a hole that looks like a very large bowl.

Perhaps there is another way

I’ll fill that hole with smoke today

Then that mole won’t want to stay.

I can’t see my garden as smoke fills the sky

It burns my eyes and makes me cry

It clears to a big empty patch in my rye!

There will be nothing left, that mole’s such a hog.

To save my garden, I’ll turn loose the dog

And flood it all out; turn it into a bog.

The dog tears through the garden, pouncing on each hole

He tromps on my plants and knocks down a bean pole.

A muddy mess is created, but alas! No mole.

I watch as another tomato plant disappears

There goes a potato and a head of lettuce. Oh dear!

I’d better plant enough for me AND the mole next year.

Haigas

“A Haiga is either a Haiku or a Senryu poem accompanied by an image…” (Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, by Colleen M. Chesebro, p. 57) Since Haiku and Senryu are not usually titled, it goes to follow that Haigas are also untitled.

Now, I’d like to share a poetry reading of a Haiga poem from the Small Wonders collection. Please take a moment to give it a listen. (If you like it, you can also subscribe to the YouTube channel while there.)

Poetry Reading – A Haiga Poem

That wraps up the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tours. I thank you all for joining us and helping to send off this unique debut poetry collection. I’ve enjoyed sharing my poetry with you and I hope you’ll check out the book. If you missed any of the stops, there’s still time to go back and leave a comment for even more chances to win a free digital copy, too. You can do that throught he links in the schedule posted above. I’ll post the winners in my WordCrafter News post on Monday.

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!


A Lovely Review for “Small Wonders”

Thank you Baydreamer- Lauren Scott. ❤ ❤ ❤


Small Wonders by Kaye Lynne Booth #Poetry #BookReview #Blog Tour

Today we’re over at Carla Loves to Read for Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Small Wonders” Book Blog Tour with a guest post, a poetry reading and a delightful review. Come join us and leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of my debut poetry collection, “Small Wonders”. I hope to see you there.

Carla's avatarCarla Loves To Read

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Kaye Lynne Booth’s Poetry book: Small Wonders, Reflective Poems. Scroll down for a guest post, a reading of one of her poems, a giveaway and my review.


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Day 3 of the WordCrafter “Small Wonders” Book Blog Tour

Tour Banner: Snowy mountains in the background framed by pine trees. WordCrafter logo and Small Wonders on a digital device in foreground.
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Small Wonders Reflective Poems By Kaye Lynne Booth

It’s Day 3 of the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour and we have a double stop today. We’ll be hanging out both here on Writing to be Read, where I will share some of my poetry with you from the Small Wonders collection, and on Un dawnted, where DL Mullan interviews me and offers a review of my debut poetry collection, Small Wonders. You will want to leave comments to enter the giveaway. You can get to her stop by clicking on the link here, so be sure to check out the interview and review there when you finished the post here: http://www.undawnted.com/2023/06/wordcrafter-blog-tour-for-small-wonders.html

You’ll find the tour schedule below for your convenience. You can follow the links to each tour stop, but they won’t work until the post is live.

Tour Schedule

Small Wonders, by Kaye Lynne Booth – June 19-23

Monday – June 19 – Opening Day – Post “My Moment of Fame” w/ reading “Aspen Tree”– Writing to be Read

Tuesday – June 20 – Guest Post “Fun with Poetry” w/ reading Tanka poem– Robbie’s Inspiration

Wednesday – June  21 Introduction & Comments – Writing to be Read/Guest Post “I’m a Bird Watcher” w/ reading “Bird Watching”, Interview & Review – Undawnted

Thursday – June 22 Guest Post “Someone to Look Up To” w/ reading “To Be A Cat” & Review – Carla Loves to Read

Friday – June 23 – Final stop –  Post “I Like to Grow Things” w/ reading Haiga Poem- Writing to be Read

The Small Wonders Giveaway

Three free digital copies of

Small Wonders

are up for grabs. Follow the tour and make a comment at each stop,

so I know you were there and you’re automatically entered.

One entry per stop.

Winners selected in a random drawing. (Really. I draw them out of a hat, literally.)

About the Book

The world is filled with amazing things, if we will just stop a moment and take notice. In this vast universe, we are but tiny individuals, filled with awe and amazement. From reflections on first love, to reflections on growing old. The poems within these pages express a lifetime of unique reflections in Small Wonders.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/b6WZ6E

I’m a Bird Watcher

Those of you who follow my blog, Writing to be Read, and in particular the “Tales from the Bird Sanctuary” blog series, know that I am a bird watcher. I am fascinated by the feathered friends, more and more each year, which visit my mountain yard, and I share my fascination through photos in the blog series. In Small Wonders, I also share it through my poetry, as my bird friends have been a great inspiration.

Roger Raven

Roger Raven was camera shy

Whenever he saw the small black box,

He’d take to the sky

His big black wings would beat the air

Ruffling up the camera lady’s hair

Then Heather Hummingbird came around

The lady pointed the box and Heather acted the clown

She swoop and flutter and hover about

Roger Raven gave her a shout

“Hey! Get out of there!” he said,

“That camera lady wants your head”

“Silly bird. She’ll make me a star.”

The picture appeared right before Roger’s eyes.

“When she prints my photo, I will go far.”

Roger Raven watched in awe.

“She’s captured you!” he said with a caw.

“Bird Watching” – an acrostic poem

An acrostic poem is one in which the first letter of each line spells out a word, usually the title of the poem. I’d like to share in a poetry reading, my acrostic poem, “Bird Watching”, from the Small Wonders collection. Please take a moment to give a listen. (If you like it, you can also subscribe to the WordCrafter YouTube channel.)

Poetry Reading – “Bird Watching”

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!


Tour Correction – Small Wonders

We all make mistakes, and this one was mine. I sent the wrong reading to go with the post at today’s stop on Robbie’s Inspiration. The video you saw today is the same one you’ll see tomorrow and makes no sense under the Tanka poem portion. The reading that went with today’s post is below. My apologies.


Robbie’s Inspiration – Day 2 of the WordCrafter “Small Wonders” Book Blog Tour

We’re over at Robbie’s Inspiration for day 2 of the WordCrafter “Small Wonders” Book Blog Tour, with a guest post and poetry reading. Be sure to drop by and leave a comment for a chance at a free digital copy of my debut poetry collection, “Small Wonders” in the giveaway. I do hope you will all join us.

robbiesinspiration's avatarRobbie's inspiration

Today, I am delighted to welcome poet and author, Kaye Lynne Booth, to Robbie’s Inspiration to chat about her new poetry book, Small Wonders, Reflective Poems.

Fun with poetry

I’m not an artist. I never have been. I lack the skill to make the paint do my bidding on the canvas and I am unable to transform the pictures in my mind into something that is shareable with others. When I try to draw or paint… well, you might be able to figure out what it is I am trying to portray, if you really look at it, but observers shouldn’t have to work that hard to make sense of what they are seeing.

But with poetry…

With poetry, I can paint a picture with words. This is probably why Haiku poetry is so appealing to me. I fell in love with Haiku when we studied it in the fourth…

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Welcome to the WordCrafter “Small Wonders” Book Blog Tour

Tour Banner: Snowy mountains in the background framed by pine trees. WordCrafter logo and Small Wonders on a digital device in foreground.
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Small Wonders Reflective Poems By Kaye Lynne Booth

Welcome to the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour. This week we have a great tour planned, with guest posts from me, an interview and reviews, and the reading of a different poem at each stop. Plus we have a great giveaway and there will be three winners. Follow the links in the tour schedule below to visit and enter at each stop.

Tour Schedule

Small Wonders, by Kaye Lynne Booth – June 19-23

Monday – June 19 – Opening Day – Post “My Moment of Fame” w/ reading “Aspen Tree”– Writing to be Read

Tuesday – June 20 – Guest Post “Fun with Poetry” w/ reading Tanka poem– Robbie’s Inspiration

Wednesday – June  21 Introduction & comments – Writig to be Read/Guest Post “I’m a Bird Watcher” w/ reading “Bird Watching”, Interview & Review – Undawnted

Thursday – June 22 Guest Post “Someone to Look Up To” w/ reading “To Be A Cat” & Review – Carla Loves to Read

Friday – June 23 – Final stop –  Post “I Like to Grow Things” w/ reading Haiga Poem- Writing to be Read

The Small Wonders Giveaway

Three free digital copies of

Small Wonders

are up for grabs. Follow the tour and make a comment at each stop,

so I know you were there and you’re automatically entered.

One entry per stop.

Winners selected in a random drawing. (Really. I draw them out of a hat, literally.)

About the Book

The world is filled with amazing things, if we will just stop a moment and take notice. In this vast universe, we are but tiny individuals, filled with awe and amazement. From reflections on first love, to reflections on growing old. The poems within these pages express a lifetime of unique reflections in Small Wonders.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/b6WZ6E

My moment of fame

The phone rang.

“Hello.”

A male voice with a very strong English accent came through the line, asking for me.

“This is she,” I replied.

The voice at the other end identified himself as Mitch Barrett, an artist who I had gone to great lengths locating his contact information and emailed, asking permission to use the image of one of his paintings in my poetry display. Of course, it was. Who else could it be with an accent like that. And he was calling me. All the way from London!

I had contacted Mitch Barrett via email, about using one of his paintings, “Voices”, as a background for my poem of the same name in my poetry displays, which I was creating for participation in a small, local writers & artists’ fair, the first I had ever attended or participated in.

I had a booth, but no book, so I collected a few of my favorite poems and put backgrounds behind them, selling them for $5 a piece. I had written a poem called “Voices”, about all the different voices that make demands upon us, and when I found Mitch’s painting, by the same name, depicting the same concept… well, call it serendipity, if you like, but I knew it was more than just chance. This was the background for my poem and I knew it, but of course, I had to gain permission from the artist.

Of course, Mitch granted me permission to use his painting in my display, but that phone call was the beginning of a longer correspondence, one in which Mitch informed me of a pair of paintings he was working on, in which he wanted to incorporate poetry, and he asked me if I would write a poem for him to use with them.

From that conversation, I wrote “Intimacy & the Harlequin Dance”, which he used in one of the paintings, “Intimacy”. I don’t think the second painting was ever finished, but that first painting was placed on display at the Kaleidoscope Gallery at Battle Sea Park, in  London, in 2010, with my poem, until someone eventually bought it.

I didn’t make any money from that poem, but that didn’t make me any less proud to have it featured in Mitch’s painting. Thanks to him, I had a special accolade which not many poets had. My work was featured in a work of art, my second publication, so to speak. I had had one poem published at the time for which I had received $5. I was proud of that, too, but this… this was something really special.

And now, “Intimacy & the Harlequin Dance” is featured in Small Wonders, so that everyone can enjoy it.

Painting: "Intimacy" by Mitch Barret

Intimacy and the Harlequin Dance

We dance through the masquerade of life

Disguised to fit the music

Of so many different melodies

That at times, we forget which tune

Holds the heartstrings of who we really are.

Then one day, we find the perfect dance partner,

But to attain the perfect rhythm

We must open ourselves up and reveal our souls.

Intimacy requires that we relinquish the mask

To expose the genuine self that lies beneath.                                       

After all the years of dancing to false tunes

Will we be able to keep time

To the genuine dance and the original rhyme?

Or shall we don the mask once more and continue to

Keep time to the false melody of the Harlequin dance?

“Aspen Tree”

I’d like to share with you one of the poems included in the Small Wonders collection. This is a minimalist poem, and the goal is to paint a picture in as few words as possible. It was first published in Colorado Life Magazine (2016). Hopefully, it describes for you my favorite tree. It is titled, “Aspen Tree”

Poetry Reading – “Aspen Tree”

That’s it for today’s stop on the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this first stop on the tour enough to want to follow the tour and viosit each stop along the way. You can do that through the links in the schedule above, but remember that the links won’t work until each post goes live. Be sure to leave a comment so that I know you were there, and I’ll give you an entry in the giveaway. Tomorrow we wil be over at Roberta Writes/ Robbie’s Inspiration with a guest post and poetry reading by me. I hope to see you there.

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!


Book Review: Hex in the City

A box full of books Text: Book Reviews

About the Book

HER LOVE WILL BRING ABOUT HIS DEMISE.

Michael Andrews and Gail Sommers have finally found the love that had eluded them for so long.

But their romance has uncovered an ancient evil curse neither of them could have anticipated. It does more than bring down a plague on their houses – it unleashes something far more sinister that can destroy humanity.

Now they must choose: battle the evil forces out to destroy them, or continue to meet in secret while the rest of the world burns.

If you like thrilling action, paranormal adventure, and quirky humor, you’ll love Hex and the City. Read it today!

Though this is book six in a series, it can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. A “the story so far” summary is available for readers.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hex-City-Canadian-Werewolf-Book-ebook/dp/B0B1XPGVHZ/

My Review

Hex in the City, by Mark Leslie and Julie Straus, is Book 6 in Mark Leslie’s Canadian Werewolf series. Admittedly, I have read all of the novels which came before this one in the series, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but Leslie and Straus never fail to fill their pages with supernatural surprises.

After listening to the audio version of the first book Leslie co-authored with Straus, Lover’s Moon, they became the voices of Michael Andrews and Gail Sommers for me. As I read the digital version of Hex in the City, I could hear the authors’ voices in my head, I swear, and that made the story ever so much more real for me. In book 6, Gail and Michael have found each other once more and are determined to be happy together. But, once again, forces beyond their control just seem to get in the way.

But in this book, more is revealed about two of the supporting characters, who have been there, but taken a back seat, all along, Gail’s BFF, Isabeau, and her brother, Ben. And in learning more aboutn these two, many of the missing pieces of Gail’s past fall into place. And we also learn a thing or two about Michael’s mysterious traveling friend, Buddy, who always seems to show up in the right place, at the right time. After reading this book, I have more of the pieces to the puzzle, I still hae the feeling that there is so much more to this story.

Enjoyably entertaining, as are all the books in this series. It’s so much fun to watch the story unfold between the two main characters, who by book 6, are starting to feel like good friends. I give Hex in the City five quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.


Bonanza!

Photo of an old ore mill in the mining town of Bonaza, Colorado, now partially fallen down
Old Ore Stamping Mill, Bonanza, Colorado – Photo by Kaye Lynne Booth

History

Bonanza, Colorado is an old silver mining town, settled in 1880, which I have visited for many years. Originally, purported to have over 100 buildings, including 36 saloons and 7 dancehalls. It also boasted a post office, a drugstore, a hardware store, a town hall, a schoolhouse, a furniture store and two hotels. As the silver mines were played out the population dropped, but the town got a second wind when the Rawley mine was discovered in the 1920’s and they carried the ore out to the mill in Shirley by cabletram. The town was virtually abandoned after ore production fell off in the 1930s.

Bonanza Today

Now, just a small number of year round residents, (17 in 2020 according to wikipedia), some of the old mining buildings are still standing beyond the township. Although the town is kind of cool, these mining structures, which can be found beyond the town up a four-wheel-drive road, are what has always interested me more than the town itself.

The old ore stamping mill, seen in the photos above, is now crumbling down in disrepair, but in years past I explored the interior with my children. Most of the staircases were intact when I first explored the remains of Bonanza, and at one time, I climbed all the way to the top of the mill, but today only two short stairways are even passable. The equipment that was to large and too heavy to be carried off by scavengers and vandalls, such as the large stamps used to crush the rock so they could seperate the ore, and the engine which ran the pulley system that brought the ore up from the mine remained thirty years ago, but today even these items have been hauled out by those determined enough to collect the scrap metal fee from them.

Exchequerville

Above Bonanza there exists an old cabin, which is the only remians of the townsite of Exchequer, or Exchechequerville. On the hill above is an old cemetary, which caught my interest, so I’ve visited there two or three times. I’ve always wondered what the story was about this little mining town. Whenever I’ve visited, I’ve felt like there was a story there, and it has made me curious. I found very little information about this strange place with one building and a cemetary to attest that it ever existed at all.

All I did find was a tidbit to make an interesting aside, probably of more interest to female authors. According to a site called Haunted at Timberline, Exchequer fame is attributed to three female authors wrote books using Bonanza and Exchequer as their setting. Anne Ellis wrote a sereis of letters chronicaling the pioneer life of she and her family, much of which took place around Exchequer, and the collection is housed in the University of colorado Boulder Libraries. Her book, titiled “The Life of an Ordinary Woman”, is a part of a triad of famous books written by female authors during the gold and silver rushes in the mid-to-late 1800s, including Father Struck it Rich, by Evalyn Walsh McLean and Tomboy Bride, by Harriette Fish Backus. Ellis, her mother and her two brothers are all buried in the cemetary above the old townsite.

Site Seeing

At an elevation of 9, 470 feet, Bonanza is a favortite spot to visit for fall colors, as well. With several four-wheel-drive trails which venture into the hills above, including the Ottis Mears Toll Road, there is plenty of trees and open space for picnicking, hiking, riding, camping, or however else you choose to enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.

Photo of a view from the top of Otis Mears Toll Road - Ledge Road

References

“Bonanza, CO Ghosttown – By Villa Grove”. Uncover Colorado. Retrieved from https://www.uncovercolorado.com/ghost-towns/bonanza/

“Bonanza, Colorado”. Western Mining History. Retrieved from https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/colorado/bonanza/

“Rawley Mine, Bonanza, Colorado”. onX maps. Retrieved from https://www.onxmaps.com/offroad/trails/us/colorado/rawley-mine-bonanza

Bradford Harrison. “About Exchequer Cemetary”. Haunted at Timberline. Retrieved from http://hauntedattimberline.com/about/exchequercemetery.htm

“Anne Ellis Papers Collection”. University of Colorado Boulder Libraries. Retrieved from https://archives.colorado.edu/repositories/2/resources/96


Book Review: Undercover on the Calypso

A box full of books Text: Book Reviews

About the Book

Book Cover: Undercover on the Calypso, Book One: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries, Lizzie Josephson

Adrianne Chrisander inherited a small cruise line from a great uncle she hadn’t seen since she was two. Exciting, huh? But there were problems..

Somebody was occupying the Owner’s Cabin on The Cosmos Calypso, and the crew seemed to think he was their new boss. Who was he? What was his game?

And was the famous Contessa Cosmetica owner Sylvie Marconi telling the truth about the theft of her fabulous rejuvenating skin cream, or did she stage the incident for publicity?

Adrianne and her friend Carol needed to get to the bottom of it all before the reputation of The Cosmos Cruise Line was severely damaged!

Purchase Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Calypso-Book-Cruise-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0892QDZS2

My Review

Undercover on the Calypso, by Lizzie Josephson is a cozy mystery aboard a luxury cruise ship. There is plenty of light-hearted antics, which move the story along, but there isn’t enough conflict to make me buy into this story. For one thing, the cruise line is inherited in a surprise revelation, and the heroine, Adrianne, seems to take all in stride, when an inheritance such as that would knock most people off their feet, or at least cause them to stop and catch their breath. She immediately decides, for no apparent reason, to check out her new cruise line undercover, before it becomes public knowledge that she is the new owner. In fact, everyone in this story seems to just accept that things are what they are, without expressing any doubt or resistance, and nothing really stands in the way of the mystery being solved.

That being said, it would be a great read for someone looking for a light read with a plot that runs smoothly, for a warm summer day, although it is not the book for me. I give Undercover on the Callypso three quills.

Three quills

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.