WordCrafter News: The Rock Star & The Outlaw Kickstarter Campaign

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August Kickstarter Campaign

I’m so excited! The Rock Star & The Outlaw is finally ready to make its debut, and it will be making its first appearance in an August Kickstarter campaign from August 1 to August 30, 2023. It will be released through distributors on Septmber 19, 2023, as well, but the Kickstarter campaign is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor, so to speak, and a chance to get early digital copies or signed print copies, that you won’t be able to get through distributors, as well as some really cool reward teirs and add-ons.

About the Book

A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.

LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.

In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.

LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.

They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.

What Else is Happening

While I impatiently await my Kickstarter campaign to fund in August, I will be working on the compilation of Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories, the 2023 WordCrafter anthology that we are all anxiously waiting for. This anthology will be an October release, just in time for Halloween, my favorite holiday, and it will have contributions from 15 fantastic authors, including the author of the winning story in the 2023 WordCrafter short fiction contest, Isabelle Grey. Some of the contributors are long time WordCrafter authors who have been featured in past anthologies, but we have a few new names in there, too.

Contributing Authors

  • Isabelle Grey
  • Denise Aparo
  • M.J. Mallon
  • Sonia Pipkin
  • Robert Kostaczuk
  • Michaele Jordan
  • Joseph Carabis
  • DL Mullan
  • C.R. Johannson
  • Rebecca M. Senesse
  • Paul Kane
  • Roberta Eaton Cheadle
  • Patty Fletcher
  • Chris Barili
  • Christa Planko
  • Zack Ellafy
  • Keith J. Hoskins
  • Julie Jones
  • Mario Acevedo
  • Kaye Lynne Booth

WordCrafter Press Independence Day Sale

White fireworks on a blue background with a red textbox and three anthologies in front.
Text: Celebrate Indepence Day with WordCrafter Press - WordCrafter Anthologies on sale July 1 - 4
Anthologies: Visions, $3.99; Once Upon an Ever After, $2.99; Refracted Reflections, $2.99

Purchase Links

Visions: https://books2read.com/u/49Lk28

Once Upon an Ever After – Modern Fairy Tales & Folklore: https://books2read.com/u/mKdWGV

Refracted Reflections – Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception: https://books2read.com/u/3kPyxn

Four Days Only

Spark off this Independence Day with spectacular anthologies from WordCrafter Press at discounted prices, July 1 – 4. Click on the links above to purchase the anthology of your choice. Choose from three sparkling anthologies:

Visions

Visions in print and on two digital devices.
Cover: Blue bubble background with bubble with face peering out in forefront Text: Visions, A WordCrafter Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

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.

What happens when:

An inexplicable monster plagues a town for generations, taking people… and souvenirs?

A post-apocalyptic band of travelers finds their salvation in an archaic machine?

JThe prey turns out to be the predator for a band of human traffickers?

Someone chooses to be happy in a world where emotions are regulated and controlled?

A village girl is chosen to be the spider queen?

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

Once Upon an Ever After: Modern Fairy Tales & Folklore

Moon over water in a night sky with fairy dust sparkles and butterfly on a leaf in background. Once Upon an Ever After in forefront.
Cover: Twisted trees form a framed archway with a moon and trees in background and text in center.
Text: Once Upon an Ever After, Modern Fairy Tales & Folklore, A WordCrafter Fantasy Anthology, Compiled and Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

This unique and imaginative collection of eleven thought provoking fantasy stories will delight readers who enjoy stories of wishes gone awry.

What happens when…

A woman desires to carry on her family’s legacy, uncovering a long-buried curse?

A not so perfect witch casts a spell to defy age and preserve her relationship with her handsome shapeshifting familiar?

A time traveler longs to be the savior of knowledge lost?

An incompetent delivery boy becomes an unlikely savior of forgotten artifacts?

A magic mirror yearns for a different question?

A tiny story witch desires to share her stories with the world?

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 careful what you wish for….

Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception

Refractions and Reflections…

A reflection can be revealing or deceptive. What stares back at you when you glance into the mirror?

A prison, designed to trap you and take away all that is dear to you?

A portal to another dimension? Another time?

An evil twin, luring you to the other side?

Your loved ones with a fond farewell?

A distorted version of yourself? A person you no longer even recognize?

A protective savior?

Do you dare to gaze into the looking glass?

Will what you see save you…, or haunt you forever?


WordCrafter News: Book Release, Blog Tour & Independence Day Sale

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The Winners of the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour Giveaway

We had a great tour last week for my debut poetry collection, Small Wonders. A full week of guest posts and poetry readings, DL Mullan interviewed me, and even a couple of reviews. Now it’s time to announce the winners of the WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour giveaway.

And the winners are….

Drumroll Please

  • dg kaye
  • Beetly Pete
  • Brenda Marie Fluharty

New Release from WordCrafter Press

This is How We Grow: Reflections for Perspective Shaping, compiled and edited by Yvette Prior will be released on July 18, 2023.

About This Is How We Grow

Digital and Print copies of This Is How We Grow in digtal and print formats
Cover: Joshua tree and transpaarent hills in the background
Text: Essays & Poems For Perspective Taking, This Is How We Grow, Yvette Prior Contributing Editor, Mahesh Nair, Sherri Mathews, Ana  Linden, Jeffrey D. Simmons, Trent McDonald, Marsha Ingrao, Robbie Cheadle, Mike Martelli, Cade Prior, Lauren Scott, Mabel Kwong, Miriam Hurdle

The way we think and behave is impacted by mental filters. Understanding how people experience the world can lead to positive outcomes.

This is How We Grow brings you into the world of diverse authors to help expand outlook, cultivate empathy, and explore components of concious experience and mental filters. The way we see the world is impacted by many variables.

This book aims to increase the reader’s ability to take the perspective of others through essay, story, and poetry. Cognitive empathy is a crucial component of social problem solving and conflict avoidance.

The WordCrafter This is How We Grow Book Blog Tour

"This Is How We Grow" Tour Banner
Sun and bushes in the background with digital and print copies of the book in front and WordCrafter logo.
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents This Is How We Grow, Contributing Editor Yvette Prior, Contributing Authors Mahesh Nair, Sheri Mathews, Ana Linden, Jeffrey D. Simmons, Trent McDonald, Marsha Ingrao, Robbie Cheadle, Mike Martelli, Cade Prior, Lauren Scott, Mabel Kwong, Miriam Hurdle, Yvette Prior

The WordCrafter This is How We Grow Book Blog Tour will run July 17-21, 2023. We will have guest posts from contributors, audio excerpts, an author/editor interview, reviews and a great giveaway. It is a wonderful book and it’s going to be a fabulous tour, so I hope you will join us.

_______________________________________________________

Blue background with white fieworks. Digital copies of Once Upon an Ever After ($2.99), Refracted Reflections ($2.99) and Visions ($3.99) in foreground.
Text: Celebrate Independence Day with WordCrafter Press, WordCrafter Anthologies on sale July 1 - 4

Once Upon an Ever After: https://books2read.com/u/mKdWGV

Refracted Reflections: https://books2read.com/u/3kPyxn

Visions: https://books2read.com/u/49Lk28


WordCrafter News: Book Release & Blog Tour, WIP Update & Anthology Cover Reveal

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New Release from WordCrafter Press

I’m pleased to announce the release of my debut poetry collection, Small Wonders: Reflective Poems, which will be June 20, and is available for pre-order at the purchase link below. A lifetime of poetry, for better or worse, I’m throwing them out there for all to see.

About Small Wonders: Reflective Poems

Small Wonders on a digital device and in print
Book Cover: Yellow and blackbutterfly on a stalk of purple bell flowers in a field of grass
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

The WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour

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

The WordCrafter Small Wonders Book Blog Tour is scheduled for June 19 – 23.

Join us to learn more about this unique poetry collection and its author, Kaye Lynne Booth. I will be sharing here on Writing to be Read, and visiting the lovely blogs of Robbie’s Inspiration, Un dawnted, and Carla Loves to Read, with guest posts and poetry readings, an interview with DL Mullan, and reviews of my debut poetry collection. And I’ll be giving away three digital copies of Small Wonders, and all you have to do for a chance to win, is show up and comment at any of the stops. There’s one chance possible at each stop if you follow the tour.

Midnight Roost Winning Story & Cover Reveal

The 2023 WordCrafter anthology, Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories, will be scheduled for an October release. This year we did the anthology like last year’s Visions anthology, with some of the stories coming from the annual short fiction contest and others that came by invitation and were not subject to the competition. Invitational stories include tales by Mario Acevedo, Paul Kane, Chris Barili, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Christa Planko, Julie Jones, Rebecca M. Senese, Keith J. Hoskins, Michaele Jordan, Joseph Carrabis, DL Mullan, and Patty Fletcher.

There will be some new author names added to the list from the entries that were judged: Robert Kostanczuk, Denise Aparo, Sonia Pipkin, and MJ Mallon. And now…

The Winning Story

I am pleased to announce that the winning story in the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is…

Drumroll please.

“Red Door House”, by Isabel Grey.

The Cover Reveal

And before I go on to the next June news item, I would also like to call your attention to our awesome new and original cover, courtesy of DL Mullan of Sonoran Dawn Studios, below. I had a cover planned for this anthology, but when Dawn offered up this one, I just couldn’t say no. I really like it, and I hope you do, too.

Book Cover: Midnight Roost
Spooky graveyard scene
Text: Midnight Roost, Weird and Creepy Stories, A WordCrafter Anthology,Edited by KAye Lynne Booth

WIP Update: The Rock Star & The Outlaw

In June, I plan to finish up The Rock Star & The Outlaw and gear up for a Kickstarter campaign in July & August. I’ll be setting up the Kickstarter with some awesome reward teirs and creating content to fill those tiers, so you know I will be hard at work. If all goes as planned, I will be wrapping up the final edits and setting it up for a September release by the end of the month. I’m excited to able to share this western time-travel romance adventure novel with all of you, so be watching for it soon.

The Rock Star & The Outlaw on a digital device and in print

A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.

LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.

Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.

LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.

They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.

________________________________________________________________

There’s still time to get your FREE digital copy of Hidden Secrets, my paaranormal mystery novella.

My Memorial Day gift to you.

Get your FREE copy here: https://books2read.com/u/38RZ2O

Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.


A Mother’s Day Story

Pink background with pink flowers and Delilah on a digital device in the forefront
Text: Moms love strong female protagonists, WordCrafrter Press Mother's Day Sale, May 8 - May 14, Click on the link below to Make your mom happy for only $4.99,  Delilah A Great Gift for Mother's Day

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/DelilahWIW

The Mother’s Day Sale for Delilah ends tomorrow! So get your copy at a discounted price while you can. Strong female protagonists are great gifts for mothers, daughters, sisters or even as a pamper yourself gift for Mother’s Day.

I wanted to remind you all about the WordCrafter Press Mother’s Day Sale before it ends, of course. But I also wanted to share a story about an attempt to do what’s right gone terribly wrong, in my western flash fiction story, “I Had To Do It”.

“What does that have to with Mother’s Day?” you ask. Well, listen to the story and you’ll see. I’m pretty sure there’s a mom in ther somewhere. Enjoy.

“I Had to Do It”, by Kaye Lynne Booth – A western flash fiction audio story read by the author


WordCrafter Mother’s Day Sale: Delilah

Pink background with pink flowers and Delilah on a digital device.
Text: Moms love strong female protagonists, WordCrafter Press Mother's Day Sale, May 8 - May 14, Click on the link below to Make your mom happy for only $4.99, Deliah A Great Gift for Mother's Day

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/DelilahWIW

Moms love strong female protagonists

Delilah is a woman haunted by her past.

Her homecoming from prison quickly turns into a quest for vengeance when she is brutally raped and left for dead, and her fourteen-year-old ward is abducted. Sheer will and determination take this tough and gritty heroine up against wild beasts of the forest, Indians and outlaws to Leadville, Colorado.

Can the colorful inhabitants of the Colorado mining town work their way into Delilah’s heart, offering a chance for a future she thought she’d lost along with her innocence?

If you like strong and capable female protagonists, you’ll love

Learn more about Deliah and the Women in the West Adventure Series here: https://writingtoberead.com/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/wordcrafter-press/women-in-the-west-adventure-series/


WordCrafter News: Announcing Giveaway Winners, Approaching Deadline, and Preparations for Small Wonders

WordCrafter logo over newsprint.
Text: WordCrafter News

Poetry Treasures Giveaway Winners

WordCrafter "Poetry Treasures 3: Passions" Book Blog tour banner. The book on a sandy beach in front of treasure chest. Contributors are listed in text.

GiveAway Winners

We’ve just had a great book blog tour to send off Poetry Treasures 3: Passions and this is where we announce the winners for the Giveaway for that tour. I always love doing this post and then notifying the winners individually, because I get to make somone’s day with this announcement. Hopefully three someones.

I want to thank everyone who followed the tour or just dropped in to a stop or two, and of course my wonderful hosts. The hosts for this tour were Patty Fletcher and Patty’s Worlds, Miriam Hurdle and The Showers of Blessings, Carla Johnson-Hicks and Carla Loves to Read, Robbie Cheadle and Robbie’s Inspiration, and of course, Writing to be Read. And before I tell you who will be the recipients of the three digital copies of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions, I also want to give a big shout out to all of the contributing authors for this anthology, who all were great about doing their parts and helping to make the tour as fabulous as it was, with their audio/video poetry readings and guest posts. Every author participated and we couldn’t have had such a great tour without them.

And now, without further ado…

(Drumroll please)

The winners are…

Gwen M. Plano, John W. Howell, and Jacqui Murray!

Congratulations to all of you and thanks so much for following the tour. Please contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com, so I can send you a link for your digital copies of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions. I look forward to hearing from each of you.

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

 Passions treasures within.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, , Smitha Vishwaneth,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

You can get your copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions from your favorite book distributor through Books2Read:

https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

The Clock is Ticking

Just a quick reminder. The submission deadline for the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest is April 30. So, if you haven’t turned in your scary story submission yet, you need to do it soon. Come on. Scare me. I dare you.

You can find full submission giudelines and submission instructions here: https://wp.me/pVw40-6VU

Assembling a Poetry Collection

Book Cover: Small Wonders: Reflective Poetry by Kaye Lynne Booth

I have been busy compiling my poetry collection, Small Wonders for a June release. I have a lifetime of poetry to go through, so this has been no small task. Never-the-less, I look on it as a bit of a breather from all the heavy promoting I’ve done so far this year for Delilah, and then for Poetry Treasures 3. May is the first month this year that I haven’t been actively promoting a book, so it gives me a chance to shift gears as I make the final preparations for the release of this collection, and move in to the final stretch on the writing of The Rock Star & The Outlaw. But let’s finish up the poetry first before I move back onto fiction.

_____________________________________________________________________

Head shot: 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. 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. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

__________________________________________________________

Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.


Welcome to the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour

Welcome to the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 3: Passions Book Blog Tour! This is a very special tour, because at each stop, you will meet not one, but two of the contributing poets of the anthology. We’ve got a great tour planned with readings and inspiration posts from the authors, and book reviews. (Scroll down for the tour schedule with links, but be aware that the links won’t function until each post goes live.)Plus we have a great giveaway, so follow the tour to meet the contributing authors and additional chances to win a digital copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions!

Giveaway

Comment and let us know you were there, and get a chance to win a copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions in the digital format of your choice.Follow the tour and leave your comments along the way. One entry per stop.

About Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

 Passions treasures within.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, Smitha Vishwaneth,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Book Cover: Poetry Treasures 3: Passions on a background of a clam shell filled with gems

Purchase Poetry Treasures 3: Passions from your favorite distributor through Books2Read

Today’s Stop

On today’s stop, we have video readings from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Smitha Vishwanath. Rosemerry is sharing a reading of her poem, “Twenty Years Ago, Ten Years Ago, Last Week”, and Smitha is sharing a reading of her poem, ” “. Both of these lovely poems are featured in Poetry Treasures 3: Passions.

Meet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Today’s stop features a peotry reading by contributing Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, which is a real treat. Rosemerry is a performance poet, and I was privileged to attend one of her live performances back in 2010. She was spectacular. The way she draws you into the poem and makes you feel her words is amazing. Rosemerry is a wonderful, vibrant lady, who embraces the written word as if it were a lover, caressing and shaping it into what she needs it to be. I had the pleasure of featuring an interview with her, right here on Writing to be Read. That’s why I asked Robbie to invite her to be a guest on “Treasuring Poetry”, and why I am so pleased to have her work featured in this WordCrafter anthology. It is a privilege and an honor to work with her. I hope you will enjoy this reading as much as I have.

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer co-hosts Emerging Form (a podcast on creative process), Secret Agents of Change (a surreptitious kindness cabal) and Soul Writer’s Circle. Her poetry has appeared on A Prairie Home CompanionPBS News Hour, O MagazineAmerican Life in Poetry, onCarnegie Hall stage, and on river rocks she leaves around town. Her collection Hush won the Halcyon Prize. Naked for Tea was a finalist for the Able Muse Book Award. Her most recent collection is All the Honey. Her daily audio series, The Poetic Path, can be found on the Ritual app, her daily poetry practice can be read on her blog, A Hundred Falling Veils, and her book of mindfulness poetry prompts is Exploring Poetry of Presence II. One-word mantra: Adjust.

https://www.wordwoman.com/

Headshot: Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Twenty Years Ago, Ten Years Ago, Last Week

If I could go back in time
and offer advice to my younger self,
I wouldn’t.
I would let her fail all over again.
I’d let her falter. I’d let her lose.
I’d let her stumble
and struggle and bomb.
But I would lean in close
and let her know
I am deeply in love with her.
It’s so easy now to give her this,
this self-compassion in full bloom,
this thing she believed
was impossible.

Reading of “Twenty Years Ago, Ten Years Ago, Last Week”

“Twenty Years Ago, Ten Years Ago, Last Week”, by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Treasure chest in front of rocks with a copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions leaning against each corner on gem strwn sand.

Meet Smitha Vishwanath

I first met Smitha Viswaneth through her interview with Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series, right here, on Writing to be Read, so I can’t say that I know her well, but I’ve been learning a lot about her. Smitha is an award winning poet of a National Poetry Month Challenge two years in a row, and she’s been nominated poet of the month several times on Spillword. She has poetry published in several online publications, and her debut novel, Coming Home, just came out last month.

Smitha Vinwnath sitting on a couch

Smitha Vishwanath is your quintessential ‘bored banker’ turned writer. After a rewarding career in Banking in the Middle East where she worked for leading banks in senior positions, she quit and moved to India in July 2018 with her husband who had been transferred to the country on an international assignment. Thereon she began her writing journey.

‘Roads’ is the first book she has co-authored. Having lived and studied in different countries and different states within India and worked with different cultures, Smitha understands that ‘change’ and ‘ups and downs’ are very much a part of life. It is this experience that reflects in her poems and her writing which are filled with positivity, acceptance and willingness to change for the better.

She also writes regularly through her blog: https://lifeateacher.wordpress.com

A child called, ‘Passion’

A child called, Passion,
I met him on my walk, one day
and asked him to come home.
He replied, ‘On one condition-
only if you give me your undivided attention.’

‘How difficult could that be? aloud, I wondered,
I raised a family with children- two!’
Smiling impishly, he said ‘Not much, if you surrendered.”
I laughed at his presumptuousness
Little knowing how true to his words he’d be.

The moment, Passion, walked in through my door
He obscured the rest of the world from sight
and kept me waking into the night
He pranced around all day-tireless, and unbound.
It made me loathe the day, him, I found.

Passion was a stubborn child
demanding complete allegiance.
His appetite was unappeased,
his thirst unquenched;
he made no allowance!

A ruthless master, a sorcerer
He turned me into a willing slave.
I fulfilled his every bidding;
the years went by, I couldn’t tell
and the children flew before I knew.

But, Passion, he stayed behind.
I grew old, and he grew kind.
Passion, that stubborn child
remained wilful until the end
and refused to leave,

even though my body was hard to mend.
He nourished my body and fed my soul
And made me feel as good as whole.
Passion, that stubborn child, simply would not let go;
no doctor could understand that child’s miraculous cure.

So, if you ever cross paths with a child called, ‘Passion.’
Hold onto him with a firm hand
Even if you must endure.
Lug around for a while if you must-
but don’t ever let go.

For when all the others leave-
He will be standing by your side
For, Passion, is a stubborn child
and loyal as can be
Let nobody tell you otherwise.

Reading of “A Child Called ‘Passion'”

Wrap Up

That’s it for the first stop on the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 3: Passions Book Blog Tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting Rosemerry and Smitha and the samples of their works. As an extra added treat, you can catch an interview with Robbie Cheadle and I on the Word Craft Poetry site with Colleen Chesebro, which happens to coincide with our opening day. So, after you’ve met our two poets, Rosemerry and Smitha, you might click on the link above to pop in and check that interview about the anthology, too.

A raving five-star review of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions on Goodreads.

Raving Revue

“…It’s an eclectic collection and a fabulous way to discover new poets to read. Expect varying interpretations of poetic passions. Not all are amorous! Some are thoughtful, personal to the author, (the author’s interests, experiences and loves,) and many have deep insight into human trials and tribulations…”

M.J. Mallon

You can find the full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128125978-poetry-treasures-3#CommunityReviews

Follow the tour to meet other contributing authors and for more chances to enter the giveaway. The links in the schedule below won’t work until each post goes live. Tomorrow we will be over at Patty’s World with Patty Fletcher with a guest post from Contributing author, Colleen Chesebro and a reading by Robbie Cheadle of contributing author, Chris Hall’s poem, ” What Will Become of Us?”, so don’t miss it. I hope to see you there.

Tour schedule 4/17 – 4/21

Monday – Opening Day – Readings by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer & Smitha Vishwanath – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – Guest Post from Colleen Chesebro & Reading by Robbie Cheadle of poem by Chris Hall – Patty’s Worlds

Wednesday – Readings by D. Wallace Peach & Abbie Taylor – The Many Showers of Blessing

Thursday –Reading by Willow Willers & a Guest Post by Patty Fletcher/Review – Carla Loves to Read

Friday – Readings by Penny Wilson & Yvette Calliero – Robbie’s Inspiration

Saturday – Closing Post – Reading by Yvette Prior & Guest Post by Judy Mastrangelo – Writing to be Read

Pirate guarding his booty at sword point with a copy of Poetry Treasures 3: Passions on top. Dialog balloon says, "Shiver me timbers! Get your copy of Poetry Treasures 3: PAssions today or I'll make ye walk the plank! Arrgh!" Text: Poetry Treasures 3: Passions Available at your favorite book distributors through Books2Read

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Writer’s Corner: Revisiting Poetry – A Look Back

Caracature of a womantyping at a computer on a messy desk 
Text Writer's Corner with Kaye Lynne Booth

It All Started with Poetry

When I first started writing, I wrote poetry. In fact, my first sale of my writing, back in 1996, was for a poem. I wrote on a manual typewriter and submitted via snail mail, (I know. I’m dating myself terribly.). My poem, “A Prayer for Guidance” was published in a small poetry magazine called Dusk & Dawn, which is no longer in publication, and I made a whole $5 from it, but boy, was I ever proud of that sale.

Text: Poem "A Prayer For Guidance" with wheat field in the background

I put my poetry on backgrounds, like the one above for my very first writing event. It was a local event that a friend saw advertised in the paper and said, “You should see if you can get a table. I called and got a table at the event, then realized I had nothing to offer at my table. I hadn’t yet published a book or anything, so I printed up my poetry on backgrounds , which I sold at my table for $5 a piece, and made almost $100.

For that event, I had a poem called “Voices” about the different voices that speak in my head, and as I was searching for backgrounds, I came across a painting of the same title, that I knew was the perfect background for this poem. So I poked around on the internet until I found a way to contact the artist, Mitchell Barret, and sent him an email, requesting to use his painting as my background. I was more than surprised when I recieved a phone call from him all the way from England. You must understand that this was right at the beginning of the internet era, and I still had a land line with long distance charges, so a call from another contentent was a pretty big deal to me, and I absolutely adored his English accent, although I had to ask him to repeat himself a couple of times during the call. He gave me permission to use his painting for the writing fair, and we conversed for a while, sparking up a friendship that was one of my first internet networking experiences.

Text: Poem "Voices" over painting of many heads screaming, "Voices", by Mitch Barrett

Poetry & Art

In a later contact, Mitch said he was working on a series of paintings and he would like to include some poetry with them. He sent me the sketches for the paintings, and I wrote a poem for him. “Intimacy and the Harliquin Dance”. To my knowledge only one of those paintings ever came to fruition, but he did use a portion of my poem in his painting, which he titled “Intimacy”. The painting was on display and was sold at the Keliedescope Gallery, in Battle Sea Park, London in 2010.

Text: A portion of poem, "Intimacy & the Harlequin Dance" in a painting of half-nude dancers, "Intimacy" by Mitch Barrett

After Michael

When my son died in 2009, I wrote poetry almost constantly. When I wasn’t physically putting words to page, I was putting my feelings to verse in my head. I wrote enough poetry about Michael and my loss of him to fill a chapbook. It was my way of processing my grief, I think. I don’t know if any of it was really good, but I felt it to be some of the most powerful writing I’d ever done.

Most of my poetry was rhyming, and by this point, I had taking some creative writing courses, where my poetry professor informed me ryhming poetry was no longer in vogue. Because of the rhyming, sing-song style of my poetry, it was evaluated by one critic as childish. And perhaps it is a bit childish. Rhyming poetry is fun to write. I’m a big fan of Sid Shelden and Dr. Suess, after all.

When I enrolled at Western State Colorado Unversity to earn my M.F.A. in Creative Writing, my focus shifted away from poetry and I began writing fiction, which has taken up my energies ever since, but I’ve never lost my love for poetry. I still submitted poetry here and there, even getting a few published in magazines such as Colorado Life Magazine, and anthologies such as Manifest West #5: Serenity and Severity. I just wasn’t writing anything new in the poetry realm.

Renewed Interest

A couple of years ago, I came across a book by Colleen Chesebro, WordCraft Prose & Poetry: The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry, which delves into the art of syllabic poetry. I couldn’t read this book without dabbling with the different forms myself, reviving my love for poetry all over again. (See my “Review in Practice” of WordCraft Prose & Poetry here.) And I used my newfound poetry skills to answer a creative challenge posed on the blog of Teagan Riordan Geneviene with a Shadorma poem with an image.

Image of bare winter trees frosted over with snow Text: poem "Winter Comes".

Now that my M.A. in publishing is completed, I find a have more time in which to ponder the words which I place on the page, and play with poetry. For that is what poetry ultimately is – play with words. I don’t mean that it shouldn’t be taken seriously, but that creating with words, no matter the form it takes, should be fun and satisfying for the creator, and poetry offers a wider license for this than do other forms of writing. This is known over at Colleen M. Chesebro’s WordCraft Poetry blog, where every Tuesday brings a #TankaTuesday challenge involving syllabic poetry, introducing readers with all kinds of new poetic forms. And so, I’ve been revisiting poetry once again, playing with sllybic poetry and rhymes. (I still love rhyming poetry, even if it is out of fashion.)

A New Poetry Collection on the Horizon

Book Cover: Small Wonders: Relective Poetry, by Kaye Lynne Booth

As I look through the poetry I’ve done in the past, I’m finding a plethora of poetry that needs to be shared. So, in addition to the two novels, and two anthologies which I had planned to publish through WordCrafter Press in 2023, I’m going to publish my first collection of poetry, some old, some new; some rhyming, some syllibic, and maybe even some freestyle to be included. It will take me down an old road to go through the poetry already written, and over a new road to experiment with forms of poetry both new and old, and the process of compiling the collection will be fun. Heck, it may even get me an invitation to be a guest on “Treasuring Poetry” with Robbie Cheadle.

To me, poetry is word play at its finest. What does poetry mean to you?

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Poetry Treasures 3: Passions in April

April is National Poetry Month here in the U.S., so it is fitting that the release of the annual Poetry Treasures anthology, from WordCrafter Press comes sometime in April each year. This year’s volume will be Poetry Treasures 3: Passions. It will be released on April 18, 2023, and is available now for preorder.

Preorder Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

Book Cover - Poetry Treasures 3 : Passions,  AordCraftr Poetry Anthology compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth and Robbie Cheadle

 Passions treasures within.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, , Smitha Vishwaneth,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

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Head shot: Author Kaye Lynne Booth, bright-eyed and smiling

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. 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. 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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Celebrate National Poetry Month with WordCrafter Press: New Release!

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions next to a wine bottle and half-full glass. Left side text includes list of contributor names.  Top text: "Fine wine and poetry. They just go togerther." Right side text: "Available in digital and print editions at your favorite retailer through Books2Read

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions will release on April 18 and is available for pre-order now. This exceptional collection of poets & poetry includes the works of guests from the 2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series, as they share their passions with us. Learn more about this anthology and help WordCrafter Press send this poetry anthology off right with a book blog tour April 17 – 21, starting right here, on Writing to be Read.

About Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

Book Cover on digital reader: Poetry Treasures 3: Passions

 Passions treasures within.

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures

of guests on

 Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s

2022 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Included are treasures from:

Patty Fletcher, D. Wallace Peach, Yvette Prior,

Penny Wilson, Colleen M. Chesebro, Abbie Taylor,

Yvette Calliero, , Smitha Vishwanath,

Chris Hall, Willow Willers, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer,

and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions is available for pre-order now from your favorite book distributors through Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR