Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Shadow Blade” Book Blog Tour

Posted: July 24, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Today we’re over at Roberta Writes for Day 4 of the WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour with an excerpt reading by Jeff Bowles from the free prequel, Baiting the Hook, which comes with the WordCrafter Press edition of Shadow Blade. I hope you’ll hop on over and join in the fun as we re-launch this exciting fantasy romance adventure. We’re giving away three digital copies and one signed print copy of the book, so be sure to leave a comment at each stop that you visit.

Roberta Writes – WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour Day 4 #fiction #readingcommunity

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Day 3 of the WordCrafter “Shadow Blade” Book Blog Tour

Posted: July 23, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Today we’re over at Un dawnted for Day 3 of the WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour, where DL Mullan interviews author Chris Barili. Join us and help send this stealthy fantasy romance adventure off right.

Don’t forget to leave a comment here for a chance at one of three digital copies, or even a signed print copy, as the Un dawnted site does not support comments.

http://www.undawnted.com/2025/07/undawnted-interviews-chris-barili-day.html?m=1

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In Touch With Nature – The near threatened southern white rhinoceros and the poaching crisis #whiterhino #InTouchWithNature

Posted: July 23, 2025 | Author: robertawrites235681907 | Filed under: Uncategorized | 76 Comments

The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhino is the largest of the five living rhino species. It is also one of the largest land animals with only elephants being bigger. A male white rhino weighs up to 2,300 kilograms and a cow between 1,600 and 1,700 kilograms. The white rhinos most well-known feature is the two horn-like structures on its snout. The horns line up, one behind the other, and are comprised of densely compacted keratin fibers and not bone.

Unfortunately, it is the rhino’s beautiful horn that has led to these creatures being poached to near extinction. Rhino horns are in high demand in certain Asian countries, in particular China and Vietnam, due to a false belief in the medicinal value of the horns. Despite confirmation by the scientific world that these beliefs are not true, the demand continues. In some cultures, rhino horn is viewed as a status symbol and represents wealth and success. The demand for rhino horn as gifts fuels the poaching crisis. In addition, rhinos are still hunted for sport with hunters displaying their horns as trophies.

The white rhino population is estimated to be around 17,464 individuals with the majority being found in South Africa. Currently a near threatened species, the white rhino populations are declining with approximately 420 being poached every year. The latest white rhino poaching statistics for the three months ended 31 March 2025, are 103 averaging 34.33 white rhinos per month.

The fight against rhino poaching is on-going and multifaceted. Game reserves are protected by anti-poaching patrols which include drones and aircraft. I often see the anti-poaching units when I am in the bush, and I have even seen them practicing maneuvers. I am very supportive of these brave men who risk their own lives to save our rhinos from poachers. South Africa has introduced stricter wildlife protection laws and international organisations like the Internation Fund for Animal Welfare work ceaselessly to combat the online trade of illegal wildlife products.

One of the steps taken to reduce poach is dehorning. A landmark international study published on Thursday, 5 June 2025 has revealed that dehorning significantly reduces the risk of poaching. The study, led by the University of Cape Town found that “Dehorning rhinos to reduce incentives for poaching … was found to achieve a 78% reduction in poaching using just 1.2% of the overall rhino protection budget.” You can read more about this study here: https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2025-06-05-uct-led-study-finds-dehorning-rhinos-reduces-poaching. I always feel sad when I see a dehorned rhino in the bush, but better dehorned rhinos than none at all.

The impact of the extinction of any animal species extends far beyond the specific animals and species itself. Rhinos, for example, play a critical role in maintaining balanced ecosystems in their natural environment. Rhinos are herbivores and their grazing patterns shape landscapes, support plant biodiversity and influence food chains. The extinction of the white rhino would have a significant impact on the decline of other species dependent on the environmental balance rhinos help to maintain.

A cute poem from Lion Scream by Robbie Cheadle

Listen to me, Mom

“Mom, what’s that box on wheels?
Why is it stopping?
 Listen to me, Mom, I’m asking you something.
Stop ignoring me, Mom
I’ve got a question”

“If you don’t answer me
I’ll back into you
Can you feel it, Mom, I’m bumping into you?
I’m not going to stop
Until you answer”

“Fine, be mean if you like
I know what to do
I’ll just lie down and have a short siesta
Let me know when it’s gone
And we can move on”

A few of my white rhino wildlife YouTube videos

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

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/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

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

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Day 2 of the WordCrafter “Shadow Blade” Book Blog Tour

Posted: July 22, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Join us for Day 2 of the WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour over at Robbie’s Inspiration with a guest post from author Chris Barili on the inspiration for the story. Drop by to join in the fun, and don’t forget to leave a comment, so we know you were there and give you an entry in the give away.

Robbie’s Inspiration – WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour Day 2 #fiction #readingcommunity

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Treasuring Poetry – Welcome Nolcha Fox, poet and editor of Chewers by Masticadores and reviews #treasuringpoetry #poetry #bookreviews

Posted: July 16, 2025 | Author: robbiesinspiration | Filed under: Uncategorized | 32 Comments

Today, I am delighted to welcome Nolcha Fox as my Treasuring Poetry guest. Nolcha is an accomplished poet and also the editor of Chewers by Masticadores. You can find out more about Chewers by Masticadores here: https://chewersmasticadores.wordpress.com/

Nolcha is also the co-poetry editor of LatinosUSA which you can read more about here: https://latinosenglishedition.wordpress.com/

Take it away, Nolcha:

What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc.?

I don’t have a favorite style. What I enjoy is poetry with unexpected twists, poetry I want to continue past the end. I enjoy poetry I can dance to because of the rhythmic quality of the words. My favorite books are still “Alice and Wonderland” and “The Cat in the Hat.” 

What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?

I’ve always loved Robert Frost, especially “The Road Not Taken.”

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Every time I read this poem, I find something new.

What is your favourite style of poetry to write? 

It’s a toss-up between freestyle and pantoum. I don’t like to write rhyming poetry (funny because I enjoy reading it, when well-written). Needless to say, I break many poetry form rules.

I enjoy writing poems with a strong rhythm. Internal rhymes happen accidentally. As I write, I internally feel the bum-bum-bum-bum-bum.

What is your favourite of your own poems?

Robbie, almost every poem is my favorite when I write it. Until the next poem. This is my latest favorite (published in Medusa’s Kitchen), even though I have no idea what I wrote:

Sunflowers in My Hair

I can’t untangle flowers

from the memories of youth.

They are the knots I can’t brush out

until the withering winter.

If it’s not a favorite after I write it, I hit it on the head with a shovel and bury it in the backyard. I’ve learned to run my unfavorite poems past a poet friend (or two). Many poems have been allowed to live because of the feedback I received.

My favorite poems are included in two books, if you want to check them out:

“Memory is that raccoon” (favorites through 2023): Memory is that raccoon

Here is my favorite poem in “Memory is that raccoon:”
Stay as long as you want

but pay by the hour

at the Underbelly Motel.

VACANCY is a bat

blinking at your headlights.

Your room is reserved.

The spider in the corner

grants absolution 

for a bottle of gin.

Your lust lays on stained sheets

with her legs wide open.

Leave your pants on the floor

and your conscience in the fridge.

“My Pelvis Wants to Be Elvis” (favorites through 2024): My Pelvis Wants to Be Elvis

Here is my favorite poem in “My Pelvis Wants to Be Elvis:”

My pelvis wants to be Elvis

on The Ed Sullivan Show, you know,

I want to be that cutie who shakes her booty

while Elvis bumps and grinds. Who minds

gyrating hips and snarling lips?

The truth be said, my darling Ed,

the rest of me wants to be

in bed.

Please tell us about your poetry book, Finger Painting with Words. How did this book come about? What would you like readers to take away from this collection?

“Finger Painting with Words” is a collection of short poems written to inspire readers to see the world with refreshed eyes — through imagination, through the senses, through the emotions. Not through a cell phone (although that could be a different book).

I also wrote this book to thrill my mother. She loved that her daughter was an author. Unfortunately, she died before this book was published.

Book reviews

Seesaw: Quirky Poems by Ken Tomaro and Nolcha Fox

This poetry collaboration between Nolcha Fox and Ken Tomaro is darkly humorous and most entertaining. The poems celebrate daily life in all its boring ordinariness and, by demonstrating how much worse it could be if these chores and activities were not undertaken, highlight the charm of ordinary life. They also ‘take the mick’ out of people’s ridiculous obsession with social media and watching life being lived by others. These poems made me smile and reminded me of the poetic works of Roald Dahl.

Two short extracts that highlight the style and content of the poems:

“Debris that hurries by
becomes a melody and why
aren’t we taking cover
instead of videoing
this hurricane
on our phones?

Aluminum siding
and a trampoline whiz by.
So, I’ll snap a pic
for all the wandering eyes,
just to break the monotony
of cat photos
on my phone.”

“I come to a door
I open it.
Not because it is easy,
or because I’m curious,
or because I’m bored,
but because it is the only one
that will open.
I take weak little steps.
Not because I am unsure,
but because I am tired.
I follow the same path.
Not because it is worn,
but because all paths are the same.

The only door that opens
is to dirty dishes, unmade beds,
laundry someone left behind.
By the time I clean this house,
I’ll be too weak
to find a pathway out of here.”

A book that will give your spirits a lift as you laugh at yourself and life.

Purchase Seesaw: Quirky Poems from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Seesaw-Quirky-Poems-Ken-Tomaro-ebook/dp/B0F22N2D5T

Finger Painting with Words by Nolcha Fox

This is a relatively short collection of fascinating and different poems and the first collection I’ve read by this poet. I have read a lot of classic books and poems written by British authors and poets and have only recently started exploring American writers and poets. The difference in style and content is intriguing to me and I have developed a real appreciation for the boundaryless thought processes and unstructured writing styles of American writers.

For me as a reader, Nolcha Fox’s poetry is a wonderful example of thinking and writing outside the ‘box’ and I enjoyed each poem in this collection a great deal.

An example of this freedom in writing is her poem, Catch Them, as follows:
“In morning dark, the stars are blinding white,
rampaging fireflies on steroids.
Hollyhocks defy gravity and aphids
to kiss the sky before the weight of
summer
tilts them to kiss the ground.
Heat bakes the sidewalk
into squares of peanut butter fudge,
sweet sludge from oven top.
Each second a butterfly
I scoop with net of tangled words
before it flies pastward to cocoon.”

This is an interesting and thought provoking short collection of poems designed to make you think. I must also mention the lovely cover which I found very attractive.

Purchase Finger Painting with Words by Nolcha Fox from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Finger-Painting-Words-Nolcha-Fox-ebook/dp/B0DBNZ7WR9

About Nolcha Fox

Nolcha Fox’s poems have been curated in print and online journals. A best-selling author, her poetry books are available on Amazon and Dancing Girl Press. Nominee for Best Of The Net and Pushcart Prize. Editor of Chewers by Masticadores. 

Website: https://writingaddiction2.wordpress.com/ and https://nolchafox2.wixsite.com/nolcha-s-written-wor/blog 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nolcha.fox/ 

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

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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 “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.

Get Your Copy Today!

Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature

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