Today is Day 4 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 4 Book Blog Tour and we’re over at D.L. Finn’s lovely blog site, d.l.finn author, with a guest post from contributing poet, Patricia Furstenberg. Please join us in sending of this lovely poetry anthology, and leave a comment to show your support of its contributors and enter in the giveaway. Come on by and learn more.
Day 3 of the Wordcrafter Poetry Treasures 4 Book Blog Tour finds us over at Book Places where Kay Castenada interviews contributing poet, Emily Gmitter, and Selma Martin shares a beautiful reading of her poem “The Bridge Home”. Please join us in sending of this very special poetry anthology, Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature. Be sure to leave a comment to enter the giveaway, too.
Today were over at Merril’s Historical Musings for Day 2 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 4 Book Blog Tour with a lovely reading from contributing poet, Andrew McDowell. Join us in launching this delightful poetry collection and support the contributing poets. And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance at a free digital copy in the #giveaway!
It’s day 1 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 4 Book Blog Tour, and today we have contributing poet D.L. Finn with a reading of her poem, “The Island”. Stick with the tour for the rest of the week for readings and guest posts from contributing authors Andrew McDowell, Patricia Furstenberg, Merril D. Smith, Selma Martin and Robbie Cheadle, an interview with contributing author Emily Gmitter, and a review on Carla Loves to Read. If you leave a comment at each stop, you’ll be entered in our great giveaway.
Giveaway
Leave a comment for a chance to win one of three free copies of
Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature.
Leave a comment at each stop for additional chances.
Winners chosen by random drawing.
You can keep up with the tour through the links in the schedule below, but they won’t work until each stop goes live.
Mon. April 8 – Writing to be Read – Reading by D.L. Finn
Sat. April 13 – Carla Reads– Review/ Reading by Robbie Cheadle
Book Trailer
Book Trailer for Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature – created by Robbie Cheadle
About the Anthology
This volume of the Poetry Treasures series is a special one for me because it is the first volume to feature my works. I am proud to be featured along side such talented poets as Colleen Chesebro, D.L. Finn, Frank Prem, and Robbie Cheadle who I have gotten to know and I am familiar with their works. In addition, I got to work woth many creative poets who were new to me, introduced through Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” series right along with the series readers. These include Andrew McDowell, Patricia Furstenberg, Emily Gmitter, Marcia Meara, Selma Martin, Luanne Castle, and Merril D. Smith. Without their contributions and willingness to pitch in with the promotions, there would be no anthology. I have so enjoyed working with this group of poets, who have stuggled to meet tight deadlines and put up with my confusions as I shuffled through emails to & from hosts and contributors, and contributors who were also acting as hosts as I put this blog tour together. A big thanks goes out to them for all their efforts and hard work.
The quality of poetry in this volume makes it a poetry treasure to be sure, and I’ve had several contributors thank me for all my hard work. It has been a labor of love. But although I co-edited and did the final formatting, this is really Robbie’s baby, and without all of her hard work, this project wouldn’t be. The anthology was born from Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” blog series, and it is Robbie who invited the guests to submit their work, compiled and organized them all into a coherent manuscript, and did the first round of editing. Somehow, she fit all that into her very busy life, and it is she who should be commended, not I.
This is my blog post, my addition to the tour as a contributing author, as well as editor of the project. I will not burden you with my photo and bio, which you, my readers, see with every post I make. Instead I will get right to the main attraction for this stop and move on to a reading by contributing author D.L. Finn.
Introduction of D.L. Finn
Author of children’s books, adult fiction and poetry, D.L. Finn is a multi-talented Califirnia author. Her Haibun and syllabic poetry draw vivid pictures in the mind and I am pleased to feature her works within this volume of Poetry Treasures. She shares with us today a reading of her poem, “The Island”.
Reading of “The Island”, by D.L. Finn
About D.L. Finn
D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.
That wraps up today’s stop. Don’t forget to leave a comment and enter the giveaway for a free copy of this lovely poetry collection. Tomorrow will find us over at Colleen Chesebro, Author & Poet with a guest post by contributing poet, Merril D. Smith. Join us and don’t forget to leave a comment for another chance to win a free digital copy of Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature.
Celebrating National Poetry Month with a Great Price
During the month of April, all poetry volumes on the WordCrafter Press backlist are on sale for only $2.99 each. That’s right. Any poetry volume on the WordCrafter Press backlist can be purchased for this great low price all month long. So, check out the list below and add these great poetic volumes to your library of poetry today.
I’m pleased to announce that Poetry Treasures 4: Natural World will be released in April. Featuring the poetry of Andrew McDowell, Robbie Cheadle, Patricia Furstenberg, Marsha Meara, Luanne Castle, D.L. Finn, Emily Gmitter, Kaye Lynne Booth, Selma Martin, Meril D. Smith, Frank Prem, and Colleen Chesebro. We are shooting for April 8th for this one, but stay tuned, as I’ll be posting an updates with more information on its release.
Short Fiction Contest Deadline
Just a reminder: The deadline for the 2024 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is April 30. So get those dark fiction stories in before it is too late. It’s only $5 to enter. Winner guaranteed inclusion in the WordCrafter 2024 Short Fiction Anthology, as yet untitled. You can find submission guidelines and fee entry portal here: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/01/01/call-for-submissions/
Its the start of a new year and time to announce the call for submissions for the annual WordCrafter Press short fiction contest. For 2024, the theme will be dark fiction of any genre: Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Dark Humor, Horror, Noir… I’ll even accept romance, if the story is dark.
The submission deadline is April 30, and the as yet, untitled anthology will be released in October. All submissions will be considered for publication, and the winning story is guaranteed a spot in the anthology. Follow the submission guidelines below.
Submission Guidelines
WordCrafter Press is looking for original short stories with dark elements. Previously unpublished stories only.
Genres: Any genre as long as the story is dark.
Length: up to 5000 words
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2024
Pay: Royalty share
Rights: First Anthology Rights and audio rights as part of the anthology; rights revert to author one month after publication; publisher retains non-exclusive right to include in the anthology as a whole.
Open to submissions from January 1 through April 30, 2024.
Submit: A Microsoft Word or RTF file in standard manuscript format to KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com
2024 promises to be exciting at WordCrafter Press and I am thrilled to tell you about it.
In January, book 2 of the Women in the West series, Sarah launches on Kickstarter and its going to be a good one. Rewards will include not only early digital and signed print copies of Sarah, but Special Edition Illustrated copies of both Sarah and Delilah, never before offered.
In March, Sarah will be released through distributors, and will be available at your favorite online retailers. I’ll be launching with a book blog tour and giveaway, so be sure and watch for that.
In April, Poetry Treasures 4: Natural World will be released through distributors. (The cover pictured above is just a fill in.) Featuring poetry written by guests of the 2023 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series with Robbie Cheadle. There will be a book blog tour for this book, with audio/video readings by the poets.
In May, my nonfiction writing reference book, D.I.Y. Author will be released through distributors, and will be available at your favorite online retailers. If you’re an author on a shoestring budget determined to find ways to write and sell books, this book is for you. Naturally, a book blog tour and giveaway will accompany this release.
In July, we have a Kickstarter campaign planned for my children’s book series. I’ll be releasing the first three books in the My Backyard Friends series, Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans, and Charlie Chickadee Finds a New Home. After a first illustrator experience which turned sour, these books have been awaiting an illustrator for eight years. But I finally found one, whose illustrations I am proud to have featured in my books, Robbie Cheadle. If you know her, you might be familiar with the wonderful illustrations she’s begun to do recently, and you’ll understand why I am so thrilled to have her as an illustrator. These stories feature animal and bird characters in tales that each teach a social lesson. With Robbie’s beautiful illustrations, they are not to be missed.
In August, the first three books in the My Backyard Friends series will be released through distributors, and will be available at all your favorite distributors. I’ll be launching with a book blog tour and giveaway.
In September, a by invitation only themed anthology, Tales From The Hanging Tree, will be released through distributors and launched with a book blog tour and giveaway, with audio/video readings by the authors.
In October, the 2024 WordCrafter anthology will be released. Each year I release the annual anthology in October, which is just a scary month. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I love scary stories, and other scary stuff, so releasing in October is condusive to dark fiction. In 2023, we had a great line-up of dark and scary stories in Midnight Roost, so we’re going with a dark fiction theme again this year. It will include both by invitation submissions and contest submissions that are worthy, and feature the winning story from the contest. (See Call for Submissions below.)
WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services
I’m happy to announce that in 2024, WordCrafter will be adding Book Trailers to our list of quality author services. We will have three different trailer designers available to choose from: myself, Robbie Cheadle and DL Mullan, and they will be offered at affordable prices.
On Writing to be Read, 2024 promises more of the new monthly blog series, “POP with Jeff Bowles”, which has been well recepted. A blog series about all things POP, the first Wednesday of every month.
We also have a new addition to the WtbR team. Starting in January, DL Mullan will be bringing us another new blog series the first Friday of each month, “Undawntech: Technology and the Creative Arts”. Be sure to check it out and give Dawn a big welcome.
Call for Submissions – 2024 WordCrafter Anthology
It’s time for the Call for Submissions for the 2024 WordCrafter Anthology, which we’re calling “Dark Fiction” for now. Dark fiction is the theme: horror, paranormal, dark fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction. Any genre as long as it is dark or scary will do. I’m leaving it wide in the hopes of bringing in a diverse selection of stories that will keep readers awake at night.
Submission Guidelines
Genres: Paranormal, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Dark Humor, Speculative Fiction any combination there of.
Length: up to 5000 words
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2023
Submissions open January 1 and close on April 30. Watch for the January 1 post for full submission guidelines and contest entry.
Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, as a sampling of her works just for joining
Nineteen gut-wrenching reports from the front lines of the War of the Worlds, as logged by Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, H.P. Lovecraft, Winston Churchill, Jules Verne, and many of the other most famous writers of the time. The most popular and acclaimed science fiction writers of today relive the Martian invasion through the eyes of their famous predecessors.
My Review
I received War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches as a stretch goal reward from Kevin J. Anderson’s Bats in the Belfry Kickstarter campaign. This anthology offers a global take on the invasion begun in a novel by H.G. Wells and the 1938 radio broadcast that caused near panic when thought to be real. Compiled by Kevin J. Anderson, this anthology contains stories by various authors, portraying the invasion through the eyes of various historical figures. Authors with featured dispatches include Kevin J. Anderson, Dave Wolverton, Mike Resnick, David Brin, Gregory Benford, Walter Jon Williams, Connie Willis, Robert Silverberg, and others. MacLeod Andrews narrates these fictional tales from arounf the globe.
H.G. Wells nearly created a mass hysteria with his famous radio broadcast in 1938. By now, we’re all familiar with the infamous tale of a Martian invasion and foiled plan to take over the world. They came, smashing their cyclinders into the Earth at every vantage point they could find. We know what happened here in the U.S., where the original story was set, but what about the rest of the world?
Global Dispatches presents nineteen different perspectives on the Martian invasion from around the world, with more tripods and tentacles than you can count. Mike Resnik offers up the perspective of Theodore Roosevelt, Kevin J. Anderson speaks as Percival Lowell, a Chinese Empress speaks through Walter Jon Williams, Danial Marcus gives us the Picaso perspective, etc… How each of these historical figures might have percieved such an alien invasion is presented through nineteen talented authors.
To me, it seemed like all these stories were just more of the same, and I was easily bored as one tripod looks the same as the next. The fact that I was familiar with the oiginal story and knew how it ended, made it difficult for me to feel fear for any of the characters in these tales. Reactions are not surprising. All watch in fear as the invaders wreck havoc wherever they are until they all eventually come to a halt as our viruses and germs which their systems couldn’t fight off.
Although it may be interesting to explore this tale from different historical perspectives, how much variance can there be between the different areas of the globe? This one wasn’t for me. I give this story collection 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.
