Winners in the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour Giveaway
Posted: January 17, 2026 Filed under: Blog Tour, Giveaways, Memoir, Nonfiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News | Tags: Healthcare, Memior, Nurse Sammy, The Ones Who Stayed With Me, WordCrafer Press, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 4 Comments
We had a great tour with four chapter excerpt readings by author, Nurse Sammy, and interview and three wonderful reviews. We’re giving away three digital copies of The Ones Who Stayed With Me, by Nurse Sammy, and each person who left a comment so I would know that they had visited at each stop received an entry. If you visited and commented at each stop, you would have five chances to win. Winners are chosen in a random drawing, where I literally draw names out of a hat, and now, all that’s left to do is to announce the winners.
And the winners are…
DRUM ROLL PLEASE
- Restlessjo from Day 2 – Roberta Writes
- Tidalscribe.com from Day 2 – Roberta Writes
- Carol anne from Day 1 – Poetry by Mich
Congratulations to the lucky winners!
If your name is on the list above and you have not heard from me yet, please contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com.
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Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour
Posted: January 16, 2026 Filed under: Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Review, Books, Memoir, Nonfiction, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Book trailer, Giveway, Interview, Nurse Sammy, The Ones Who Stayed With Me, WordCrafer Press, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 7 CommentsIt’s the final stop on the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour.
Giveaway
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of
The Ones Who Stayed With Me
By Nurse Sammy
One entry per stop.
Winners are chosen in a random drawing.
Sponsored by WordCrafter Press.
About The Ones Who Stayed With Me
Chronicles of the journey into the medical field as a young nurse and beyond, told with raw sensitivity and compassion. The Ones Who Stayed with Me offers small glimpses into the world of an L.P.N. put in difficult, often touching or humorous, situations—and Nurse Sammy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all. In these pages, Nurse Sammy tells her story and that of those she met along the way.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/OnesWhoStayed
Short Trailer
About Nurse Sammy
Nurse Sammy has spent her life walking the quiet edges of human suffering and human grace. Long before she ever wore scrubs, she learned how to read a room by the way someone breathed and how to steady a shaking hand. How to listen to the stories people only tell when they think it might be their last night to say them. Nursing wasn’t a career she chose; it was the language her heart was already speaking.
She has worked in places where life is beginning, and in places where life is ending; in rooms lit by hope, and in rooms where grief hangs heavy in the doorway. Rehab centers, memory care halls, pediatric units, assisted living, private homes, wherever someone needed gentleness, she went. She became the one who held vigil, the one who noticed the quiet details, the one who stayed.
Her personal life has carried its own ache, abuse survived, love lost, a marriage that bruised the soul, another built from healing, and a grief that still hums beneath her ribs. She writes from the tender, broken places, from the nights she rebuilt herself alone, from the mornings she rose anyway. Her words are shaped by both the wounds and the resilience that followed.
The Ones Who Stayed With Me is her first published work, a collection of truths disguised as stories, honoring the people who left fingerprints on her life in ways they never saw. Her writing is soft but unflinching, honest but merciful, threaded with the belief that even in darkness, someone is always holding a light.
Nurse Sammy lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she continues to care, to witness, to learn, and to turn the hardest parts of her journey into something that might help someone else breathe a little easier.
My Interview with Nurse Sammy
Kaye: The book tells a lot about your journey as a nurse. Would you tell us a little about your author journey? What inspired you to write The Ones Who Stayed With Me?
Sammy: My first year of nursing was very adventurous. I knew these stories would be written in a book one day. There was just something in me. I kept record of these stories. It took me a few years to work up the courage to write, but in the summer of 2025, I took the time to finally start. I started a new sticky note on my phone and wrote down the stories I wanted to write. I started a rough draft in word and would work on it before or after work. I spent lunch on my phone writing titles and brainstorming ideas. I was enjoying the process of writing so much that it was consuming my life, I could not stop. The emotions of writing helped me process what I had experienced and what others did too. I wanted to teach people what really happens behind the curtain.
Kaye: What are some of the challenges in writing this book for you?
Sammy: Writing was never my strong suit in school. I am a horrible speller, and grammar is not my forte. I was nervous that my stories would be unreadable and hard to digest. As I wrote, things got easier. I was stressed that this wouldn’t work out. I had to take a step back and remember that I was writing this for me first. No one had to see it if I chose that. I got more confident and showed some friends. It became easier.
Kaye: What is the most gratifying part of this book for you?
Sammy: Being able to share the stories with others. I wanted to educate and teach people what healthcare professionals go through. These are common stories in healthcare. A lot of us have had similar shifts. I wanted patients to understand that they are not alone either.
Kaye: What has been the biggest obstacle for you, as an author?
Sammy: Believing in myself. Having faith in myself to follow through on something. To start something and finish it. This was a big project for me. I was proud of what I was doing, that it kept me on track. I had to persuade myself once to keep going, I was determined.
Kaye: What author (dead or alive) would you most like to have lunch with?
Sammy: Judy Blume. She wrote childhood classics. Some of my favorite days in school were 4th and 5th grade. Judy Blume’s books were the books chosen for those two years. We read them out loud together. Did book reports on them. And had quizzes over them. I fell in love with them. They are simple cute books. But they were my childhood. Even as an adult, I read her books.
Kaye: What is the best piece of writing advice that you have ever received?
Sammy: Start. Just start writing. Everything will flow out as long as you start. Let the emotions out and write for yourself first and others second.
Kaye: Are there more books in the works, or is this just a one-and-done thing?
Sammy: I have started brainstorming and have a sticky note in my phone for my second book. There are many stories that still haven’t been written. The more years I work, the crazier things have gotten. Especially after Covid. I am excited to keep writing and hope I can educate more and more people.
Kaye: Where do you hope to see yourself as a writer, and as a nurse, in ten years?
Sammy: I hope to have a few more books written. I really enjoyed this process and hope to continue it. As a nurse, I dream of having my doctorate in nursing. I hope to go back to school soon to work towards a higher degree in nursing. I plan to one day be a Nurse Practitioner for pediatrics or geriatrics, only time will tell.
Kaye: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Sammy: Believe in yourself, even if no one else does. That spark in you wants to grow, let it. Even if you just write a sentence a day. Understand you are allowed to learn and grow as you write. You don’t have to be perfect.
Kaye: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
Sammy: I am currently working on social media accounts as an author. I will have profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Stay tuned.
Denise Aparo’s Review of The Ones Who Stayed With Me
The Ones Who Stayed With Me by Nurse Sammy
Book Review by Denise Aparo
The Ones Who Stayed With Me by Nurse Sammy is a powerful debut collection of true stories that leaves a lasting impression on both the heart and mind. These narratives are raw, honest, and emotionally intense—sometimes humorous, always compassionate—and reveal how grace can be found in the merciful field of nursing through care, service, and human connection.
Written in a memoir-style, journalistic format, Nurse Sammy chronicles eight years of her life working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). She guides readers through her journey from the very beginning, presenting her experiences through a series of chronological snapshots. The book may be read cover to cover or opened at random, as each chapter stands on its own while contributing to a larger, meaningful whole. The stories explore life’s beginnings, endings, and everything in between, taking place in rehab centers, memory care halls, pediatric units, assisted living facilities, private homes, and wherever compassionate care is needed most.
Interwoven throughout the book are deeply personal reflections on heartache, surviving abuse, profound grief, a lost marriage, and ultimately, healing and rediscovered love. The opening chapter, This Job Will Break Your Heart, immediately grounds the reader in the emotional reality of nursing, while also emphasizing resilience, strength, and the wisdom gained through hardship.
Each chapter offers a gripping short story filled with Nurse Sammy’s experiences, emotions, and adventures in the field. Not every story has a happy ending—some have no ending at all—but each carries a moral and a life lesson, delivered with sincerity, empathy, and at times, gentle humor. For readers considering a career in caregiving or nursing, this book provides invaluable insight into both the emotional demands and the profound rewards of the profession.
Ultimately, The Ones Who Stayed With Me serves as a moving reminder that angels often appear in our darkest hours—sometimes wearing scrubs.
Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s Review of The Ones Who Stayed With Me
The Ones Who Stayed with Me—Raw Stories from the Bedside (WordCrafter Press 2026)
Whew! Even though I am not a member of this collection’s target audience, indeed its true stories hooked me. (I admit, with a mother who was an RN from the late 1940s and returned to the profession after raising seven children, and a sister who works as a Nurse Anesthetist with a daughter whose first year of being a nurse was during the COVID epidemic, a story collection penned by an author named Nurse Sammy aroused my curiosity.)
Yes, once reading these episodes, I was snared. Nurse Sammy penned these true stories about her experiences serving in an array of positions in the nursing profession, (which she entered when she was 18), as a guide for those entering that field. By age 20, she served as a night shift Charge Nurse for a huge retirement community enclosed in a “sprawling” building linked to “elegant corridors easy to get lost in.” There, she “oversaw 190 residents, six Med Aides, and fourteen CNAs until 10 pm.” After that hour, she reminisced, she and six CNAs served that retirement home.
Afterwards, in a section entitled Finding My Groove: Rehab #3, Vancouver, WA, she describes where she believes she “finally received real training, two weeks across all shifts.” There, in that place which “felt like family,” she worked as a Floor Nurse from Monday through Friday, 2 p-10 pm.
“Nurses handled all meds and treatments,” she recalled. “It was intense, but I thrived. My usual shift included seventeen patients.”
And she remained there when “COVID-19 hit,” and she “volunteered for he new Covid wing. Sixteen rooms, one nurse, two CNAs, twelve-hour shifts, five days a week. I did it for five months. No one died on my watch.”
About halfway through this collection, she included another episode about the Covid experience, “2020 The Year the World Shut Down,” occurring when she was “twenty-two years old and two years into my nursing career.” There the residents were “people who already could not breathe on their own, long before COVID was a headline.”
When the facility received its “first positive [COVID] case” . . .[w]e all knew it was over,”
she wrote, then described how ill-prepared that institution was for the pandemic: “We stored our masks in paper bags, labeled with our names, praying they would still be ‘clean’ the next day. Some of us used the same face shield for weeks, wiping it down between patients, cracked forming in the corners. We all knew it was not enough.”
And here, she included the heart-breaking story of a 55-year-old patient she dubbed “Jane,” who’d been a resident for years.
“She had a trach and was on a vent, but she was vibrant, She had a laugh that filled the whole house, even with the voice that comes through a speaking valve. Every morning, she wanted her hair brushed, red lipstick on and her gospel music playing. She was not supposed to die, not yet.”
Nevertheless, Jane tested positive, and “she knew. She looked at me with wide, terrified eyes I wanted to believe. ‘No Jane. You are strong. You will beat that.” I could not. We both knew what this virus did to the lungs. Especially lungs relying on machines.”
Her body’s oxygen needs “skyrocketed” a day later, and by the third day, she could no longer laugh. Nurse Sammy sat by her bed in sweat-soaked gown, held Jane’s hand in
“double-gloved fingers, and whispered “Your are safe. You are not alone.”
Jane died the next day. Nurse Sammy added, We did no even have time to mourn her,” and added, “I did not sleep. I barely ate. I cried on the bathroom between med passes. Still, I came back the next day, and the one after that. Who else would sit with them? Who else would make sure they did not die afraid?”
Later, in the sections, Better Than Textbooks and Jane the Bitch, set in the second and fourth assisted living centers where she served as a memory care nurse, Nurse Sammy shares the experience with “John.” a senior citizen raised during the Great Depression, who shared stories about his family using “flour sacks for curtains” and “talked about sneaking sis of bootleg gin during Prohibition. “John lit up when I sat beside him. His eyes usually dull and half-lidded would brighten.”
Similarly, her short about “Jane the Bitch” revealed how that resident, a retired nurse, who “had worked nights for decades,” was sharp, sarcastic, condescending and downright mean,” was tamed when Nurse Nanny watched how she liked to take her meds “with ice cold milk” and “liked the lights dimmed,” and stared serving her milk “in a chilled glass,” turned down the lights and “picked up on her other quirks.”
“ . . .surviving Jane meant learning her code. Once I cracked it, something unexpected happened. She started talking. Not in her usual bark, but in something softer. Once night, she told me about her first years as a nurse. How she worked in the E.R., sometimes twelve days in a row. How she buried her stress in sarcasm and bourbon, How she lost her husband, and how pain had followed her for years before it ever settled in her bones.”
Especially in those two pieces, Nurse Nancy revealed how a nurse may connect with elderly persons who must live the rest of their lives in assisted living centers.
She added that after she and Jane connected that night, she caught Jane “watching me from her recliner while I quietly filled the med cup.”
“She said, ‘You are good. You pay attention.’ That was the closest U ever got to a compliment fro Jane. Weirdly, it meant more than the thank yous I had gotten that week. . . I learned that even the most difficult people need connection. Even bitches deserve consistency. Sometimes the person who fights you the hardest is the one who needs you the most. . . Jane was the bitch I never saw coming, and one who never left me.”
(Note—Nurse Nancy refers to all the male patients as “John” and all the female patients as “Jane,” to preserve their identities.”
A Pacific Northwest writer, Nurse Sammy continues to serve the medical community as an LPN. This collection of stories is her first published book, which she wrote to “honor the
people who left fingerprints on her life in ways they never saw.” And by doing so, she created a collection well-worth reading—even for us non-nurses.
—Lindsey Martin-Bowen
Cashing Checks with Jim Morrison (redbat books 2024)
Wrap Up
That wraps things up for today’s stop and for the tour. Thank you all for joining us, and don’t forget to leave a comment to show your support, and for an entry in the giveaway for a free digital copy. If you missed a stop, you can still visit each one through the links in the schedule below.
Tour Schedule
Mon. 12 – Poetry by Mich, Hotel by Masticadores & Masticadores Phillipines – “The Backbone of Healthcare: The C.N.A.” Reading by Nurse Sammy –
Poetry by Mich: https://michnavs.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-tour-stop-1/
Hotel By Masticadores: https://hotelmasticadoreshouse.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-tour-stop-1/
Masticadores Philippines: https://masticadoresphilippines.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-tour-stop-1/
Tues. 13 – Roberta Writes – “Better Than Textbooks” Reading by Nurse Sammy – https://roberta-writes.com/2026/01/13/roberta-writes-guest-post-the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-wordcrafter-book-blog-tour/
Wed. 14 – Undawnted – “Is it B.M. or Chocolate Pudding?” Reading by Nurse Sammy & Review by DL Mullan
Thurs. 15 – Book Places – “The Year I Ate $2 Hotdogs” Reading by Nurse Sammy – https://bookplaces.blog/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-day-4-word-crafter-book-blog-tours/
Fri. 16 – Writing to be Read – Interview, Review by Denise Aparo & Review by Lindsey Martin-Bowen
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Day 4 of the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour
Posted: January 15, 2026 Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Memoir, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Excerpt Reading, Memoir, Nurse Sammy, The Ones Who Stayed With Me, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 3 CommentsYou can join us over at Book Places for Day 4 of the WordCrafter The Ones Who Stayed With Me Book Blog Tour, where Nurse Sammy offers one last chapter excerpt reading. (Then tomorrow, we’ll wrap up with an interview and a couple reviews, right here on Writing to be Read.) I do hope you’ll join us.
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Day 3 of the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour
Posted: January 14, 2026 Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Review, Books, Giveaways, Memoir, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Excerpt, Giveaway, Memoir, Nurse Sammy, Nursing, The Ones Who Stayed With Me, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 6 CommentsFor Day 3 of the WordCrafter The Ones Who Stayed With Me Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Undawnted where Nurse Sammy offers another chapter excerpt and host DL Mullan shares her review of this lovely memoir. Join us in sending off The Ones Who Stayed With Me and get in on the giveaway. Undawnted doesn’t take comments, but you can comment on this stop here.
http://www.undawnted.com/2026/01/OnesWho.StayedWithMe.TourStop3.Undawnted.html
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Read and Cook – Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Sally Lunn Teacakes
Posted: January 14, 2026 Filed under: Book Review, Fiction, Recipes, Review, Robbie Reads and Cooks | Tags: #ReadandCook, #RobbieCheadle, Baking, BookReview, Kenneth Grahame, Sally Lunn Teacake, Wind in the Willows 16 CommentsWind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Introduction
The Wind in the Willows is a charming tale that centres around four animals living in an idyllic English setting. The descriptions of the English countryside are delightful, and the book embodies the best of English country life.
The story commences with the mole experiencing a sudden desire to have an adventure and experience life outside of his underground home. He is busy doing his spring cleaning, but he follows the urge to throw down his paint brush and dig upwards and outwards. He comes out in a beautiful spring meadow. Seeing the river for the first time, he goes down to see it and meets the Water Rat. The two animals strike up a conversation and the Water Rat offers to take Mole on a picnic along the riverbank. During the picnic, Rat tells Mole about all the characters who live around the riverbank including Mr Toad, an impetuous creature who inherited wealth from his father and indulges himself in a variety of obsessive behaviours, the hermit-like Badger who lives in the Wild Wood, and Otter. On the way back to Rat’s den after the picnic, Mole seizes the oars from Rat and tries to row. He overturns the boat and nearly drowns. He is pulled out by the Rat who proceeds to rescue all his belongings and his boat from the water. The Mole is overcome by remorse at his rash action that caused the Rat so much trouble. Mole ends up spending the night at the Rat’s den and the pair become friends.
A few days later, Rat takes Mole to visit Mr Toad, a landed gentleman who lives in the best house in the area, Toad Hall. This visit results in the friends going off in a caravan with Toad who has a desire for adventure and to see the larger country. This adventure ends with Toad learning about motor cars and declaring that he shall have one. Mole and Rat return to Rat’s den and Mole ends up staying, time passes, and winter comes.
Rat has told Mole all about Mr Badger, a kindly creature who lives in the Wild Wood, a scary place where the river animals do not often go. Mole is curious about Badger who is a recluse and rarely undertakes social activities. One winter’s day while Rat is sleeping in his armchair in front of the fire, Mole sets off on his own to find Badger. This unfortunate decision nearly ends badly for Mole and the brave Rat, who comes to find his friend when he discovers he is missing. Good fortune, however, has the pair stumbling across the home of Badger and they are saved. Mole also gets his wish of meeting Badger. During their time at Badger’s home, the subject of Toad comes up and the reader learns that Toad’s obsession with motor vehicles has resulted in him wrecking eight vehicles, ending up in hospital a few times, and getting into trouble with the law because of his reckless behaviour on the roads. Badger decides that the Toad’s three friends, himself, Mole, and Rat, must take Toad in hand in the spring.
This first part of the novel introduces the two main themes of home as a source of strength and the power of nature. The development of the Mole’s character from a timid, nervous, and excitable animal into a brave, dependable, and thoughtful friend. It is only by leaving his home that Mole can learn about the vastness of nature and the joys of companionship and friendship.
The homes of Rat and Badger are integral to their characters and roles in the story. Water Rat and the river are joined together almost as one. Both are calm and poetic but also in constant motion as they follow the tides. Rat is a gregarious creature and accepts the changes to his life brought by the seasons and the river’s reactions to the seasons, with good grace. Rat is as accepting of flooding of his home as he is of newcomers into his life.
The Badger has a vast underground home that suits his slow, lumbering movements and winter hibernation. Badger’s home is his place of sanctuary from society where he can be alone and restore his equilibrium after social interactions.
When the spring comes, Badger makes good on his promise and the trio go to Toad’s house and confront him about his irresponsible behaviour. Toad refuses to listen and promise to amend his behaviour, and so Badger decides to imprison him in his bedroom until he sees reason. Naturally, the deceitful Toad manages to escape. Toad steals a car and gets arrested and thrown in jail for twenty years. The charges are theft, reckless driving, and being disrespectful to the police.
This sets the stage for the second part of the story which revolves around forcing Toad to behave with proper etiquette suited to his station in life. This second section of the book expands on the themes of home as a source of strength and the importance of animal etiquette. Mole learns these lessons quickly while Toad must learn them slowly and because of numerous unfortunate and difficult life lessons.
My thoughts
I loved the beautiful and scenic writing in this book. Nature is a force in this book that the animal characters must pay constant attention to or risk their lives. I liked how nature was so true to life, neither benevolent nor malevolent but rather a condition for existence that must be acknowledged and accommodated.
The scene where Mole and Rat are so in tune with nature, they can hear the music of the Piper while searching for the missing baby otter. The music guides them, and they find Portly and get a glimpse of nature personified as a demi-god. This scene is spiritual and powerful.
This book really spoke to me as it encapsulates everything I value in life: home, nature, and social harmony including consideration and respect for others.
Quotes from this book
“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.”
“All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.”
“But Mole stood still a moment, held in thought. As one wakened suddenly from a beautiful dream, who struggles to recall it, but can recapture nothing but a dim sense of the beauty in it, the beauty! Till that, too, fades away in its turn, and the dreamer bitterly accepts the hard, cold waking and all its penalties.”
“He saw clearly how plain and simple – how narrow, even – it all was; but clearly, too, how much it all meant to him, and the special value of some such anchorage in one’s existence. He did not at all want to abandon the new life and its splendid spaces, to turn his back on sun and air and all they offered him and creep home and stay there; the upper world was all too strong, it called to him still, even down there, and he knew he must return to the larger stage. But it was good to think he had this to come back to, this place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted upon for the same simple welcome.”
Sally Lunn Teacake recipe
Ingredients ( 1 large teacake or 2 medium teacakes)
360 ml plain or cake flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 grams powdered yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
165 ml milk and water (2/3 milk and 1/3 water)
30 ml (1 Tablespoon) butter
Egg or milk to glaze (I used milk)
Glace icing (I used this recipe for glace icing: https://www.snowflake.co.za/recipes/glace-icing)
Method
Sift the salt and flour into a mixing bowl. Mix the yeast power with the milk and water heated until its tepid (lukewarm – NOT HOT) and the sugar, pour into the flour and combine. Add the melted butter (NOT HOT) and beaten egg and mix to a light, sticky dough. Knead for few minutes. If you are doing the kneading by hand, cover hands with a coating of flour before starting to help prevent sticking. Grease a small cake tin or two smaller cake tins and transfer the dough to the tins. Set in a warm place to rise until the dough has more than doubled in size (I put in in a cool oven – 100 C) for 30 minutes.
Paint the top of the risen dough with warm milk and place in an oven pre-heated to 230 C (450 F) and bake to approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. When cold, cover the teacake with glace icing.
About Robbie Cheadle
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/
Find Robbie Cheadle
Blog https://wordpress.com/home/robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
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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 “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and their themed anthologies.
Tales From the Hanging Tree: Imprints of Tragedy: There exists a tree that is timeless, spanning across all dimensions, which absorbs every life as those who are hanged as they die… and it remembers every one. The stories within are a select few of the Tales From the Hanging Tree.
Curses: Chronicles of Darkness:
There are all types of curses.
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Legends: Monsters That Go Bump in the Night: Coming in 2026
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Day 2 of the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour
Posted: January 13, 2026 Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Books, essays, Fiction, Giveaways, Memoir, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Chapter Reading, Giveaway, Memoir, Nurse Sammy, The Ones Who Stayed With Me, WordCrafer Press, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 6 CommentsToday’s tour stop is over at Roberta Writes on the WordCrafter The Ones Who Stayed With Me Book Blog Tour with another chapter excerpt reading by the author, Nurse Sammy. Please join us in sending off this unique collection of stories that will open your eyes and touch your heart.
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Welcome to the Opening Day of the WordCrafter “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” Book Blog Tour
Posted: January 12, 2026 Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Giveaways, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News | Tags: Memoir, Nurse Sammy, The Ones Who Stayed With Me, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 2 CommentsTomorrow, January 13th, is the release day for a fabulous new memoir-ish collection of personal essays, stories that will make you laugh and some that will make you cry, written by a debut author, Nurse Sammy. Whether you are in the health care industry, or just curious for a glimpse behind the scenes, The Ones Who Stayed With Me will educate and entertain. Her open and honest voice will draw you in and capture your heart.
Join Us
Today is the opening day for the WordCrafter The Ones Who Stayed With Me Book Blog Tour, where we’re sending Nurse Sammy’s book off right, with chapter excerpt readings by the author at each stop, except the last. That one is reserved for a delightful interview with Nurse Sammy, right here, on Writing to be Read. There’s a great giveaway, where your comment at each stop offers a chance to win a free digital copy of the book, too.
For all the details and today’s reading, please drop in on today’s tour stop, on one of three different blogs:
Poetry by Mich: https://michnavs.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-tour-stop-1/
Hotel By Masticadores: https://hotelmasticadoreshouse.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-tour-stop-1/
Masticadores Philippines: https://masticadoresphilippines.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/the-ones-who-stayed-with-me-tour-stop-1/
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Book Review: “In the Name of Blood Vampires are Relative”
Posted: January 9, 2026 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction | Tags: Book Review, DL Mullan, In The NAme of Blood Vampires are Relative, Speculative Fiction, Vampire fiction, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
About In the Name of Blood Vampires are Relative
Riley Austin believes life is predictable. That is, until she helps her friend, Tony, catch the kidnapper of three little boys. While using her sixth sense to find the missing kids, she and Tony are attacked and Riley is taken by Julian, a vampire, who wishes to use her gift for his own purposes.
When he asks for her assistance, Riley discovers a kindred spirit in Julian. Moreover, she discovers that an insane, power-hungry vampire, called Wilhelm, is at the center of many disappearances. A bond grows between Julian and Riley and is strengthened when she saves his life. For her own protection, Julian returns her to the safety of the mortal realm.
What Julian does not realize is that Riley was never going to remain safe…
My Review of In the Name of Blood Vampires are Relative
I received a digital copy of In the Name of Blood Vampires are Relative from author DL Mullan in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Lured into a conflict between two vampires, one a viciously insane vampiric killer who thrives on torturing her, Riley is determined to see Wilhelm stopped at any cost. The other vampire, Julian, is after the same prey, placing them both on the same side, and he is equally determined to keep Riley from harm’s way because they are related. This is book one in Mullan’s Legacy Universe series, and I got the distinct impression that Riley will play an important role in something much bigger in future books.
Mullan doesn’t use dialog tags, which makes it difficult to know who is speaking at times, but probably reads aloud smoother. Perhaps she plans to do audiobook versions in the future. Her characters are larger than life, and you can almost feel Riley’s pain from Mullan’s vivid descriptions. I’m not sure I buy into vampires with governing bodies, as these seem to, but I can accept it for what it is and immerse myself in the world for a time.
An interesting take on the vampiric universe. I give In the Name of Blood Vampires are Relative four quills.
About 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; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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LINDSEY’S WRITING PRACTICE
Posted: January 7, 2026 Filed under: Lindsey's Writing Practice, Poetry, Writing, writing exercise | Tags: Imagist Poem, Lindsey Martin-Bowen, Lindsey's Writing Practice, Poetry, Writing to be Read 20 Comments
Imagery: Here’s one method to capture a reader’s attention—and evoke feelings. In fact an entire poetry movement was formed around this element: The Imagist Movement.
A MERMAID LIVES HERE
She flicks her tail
mornings,
sprays me with
sea foam
when I
so want to sleep one
more hour
before arising
Again flicking
her tail, she leaps in
the bathtub
so smoothly
—Lindsey Martin-Bowen
Penned by William Carlos Williams, the following poem is an example of the Imagist Movement, wherein the poem was “the thing.” In other words, Imagist poets ignored symbolism, rhyme, rhythm, and other poetic elements and focused upon creating an image.
Consider this your opportunity to attempt writing an Imagist poem. Using your own words, copy merely the style—and perhaps the “beat”—of the WCW poem (on the left) to create yours. And remember to enjoy writing this.
THIS IS JUST TO SAY
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
and so sweet
and so cold
—William Carlos Williams*
*WCW also wrote numerous short stories that included other essential elements in writing, such as dialogue, action, symbolism and so forth. He was also a physician, who wrote between appointments with patients, some of whom he used as sources for characters in his fiction.
One of my college students (a sophomore) wrote the poem (below). I submitted it to the campus literary magazine, Shorelines, which published it:
I have ruined
your lipstick
that was hidden
in your purse
the coral
shade you wore
only
to special events
I’m sorry it
was just so rich
and soft
and so bright
—Melissa Brower
Please feel free to submit your imagist poem to me. Happy New Year, too. May 2026 bring you joy, prosperity, and other blessings.
If you would like to try your hand at this, please submit your efforts in the comments below, or post it on your own blog and link back to this post, then submit the link to the post in the comments below. We’d love to see what you come up with.
About Lindsey Martin-Bowen
On Halloween 2023, redbat books released Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s 7th poetry collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison. Her 4 th collection, Where Water Meets the Rock, was nominated for a Pulitzer; her 3rd, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison was a finalist in the QuillsEdge Press 2015-2016 Contest. In 2017, it won the Kansas Writers Assn award, “Looks Like a Million.” Writer’s Digest gave her “Vegetable Linguistics” an Honorable Mention in its 85th Annual (2017) Contest. Her Inside Virgil’s Garage (Chatter House Press 2013) was a runner-up in the 2015 Nelson Poetry Book Award. McClatchy Newspapers named her Standing on the Edge of the World (Woodley Press/Washburn University) was one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. It was nominated for a Pen Award.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Lindsey’s Writing Practice” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3
Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: 14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare. https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil
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Writer’s Corner: To use AI, or not to use AI?
Posted: January 5, 2026 Filed under: AI Technology, Writer's Corner, Writing 4 Comments
I’m not a big tech person, but I have found uses for AI tools as they develop, as we all have. Today we use AI search engines, and have an Alexa or Seri or, whatever yours is named in nearly every household, AI creates illustrations, narrate books, and can even write our books for us. (Just because it can, doesn’t mean it should.) I use generative AI tools to work out my descriptions of places I’ve never been, or places I have been but far in the past. I don’t use the AI description given, but rather, pluck little gems from it and make them my own. I use book covers created with AI assistance. So, I definitely see the potential uses for AI.
I was the holdout parent, who would not allow my children internet access when “everybody else does” at school, because I saw the potential for the invasion of privacy. But eventually, I relented. I usually do. I still don’t do my banking online, use credit cards, or share address and phone number online. (To tell the truth, the identity theft who steals my identity would be sorely disappointed, so I don’t know why I worry.)
I don’t have a smart home device, but I do have a Google Assistant on my phone, and it scares the heck out of me when I’m talking to someone else and out of the blue the Assistant responds to something that was said, and I didn’t even say, “Hey, Google.” I have to ask myself, “Is someone listening in on my conversations?” It gives me the creeps. (Maybe there’s a story there.)
Do these things bother anyone else? I mean, don’t you ever wonder?
Now, they are telling us that generative AI has been using authors’ works without the proper permissions to train the AI, resulting in a weird form of plagiarism. I don’t quite understand how that all works, but I do understand that it is a bad thing. Our words are like our brain children and AI has committed a massive kidnapping of our intellectual properties. (My first response upon hearing about this: “Wow! If my stuff is good enough to train AI, I must be smoking! But come to find out, it doesn’t really matter whether you are a good writer. AI doesn’t care and will use anything it can get, regardless of quality.)
I also have to wonder why they name AI devices and apps? Is it to make them seem more human?
They are even making sex-robots now, which can do anything a human partner can do in addition to fulfilling all your sexual pleasures. They are actually doing this, and each one carries the same name, probably with a number designation tacked on the end. They also speak like real humans, (they were probably trained with one of my books). AI narrators, too. You can choose from several, male or female, each with a different name, but they still have little glitches that give them away as AI. You also get to the reading speed for the AI, (at least on Google Play Books you do). I have three AI narrated audiobooks on Google Play Books, but no one has listened to them to ask for opinions on them.
You know the whole NaNoWriMo thing came to a screeching halt last year, after they allowed AI writing to be used during the annual writing challenge. I guess everyone raised a big stink about it, although I didn’t hear anything about it until this year when I went to sign up. As I said, I use generative AI during my writing, but I don’t use its words. I don’t know if they submitted completely AI written manuscripts in last year’s NaNoWriMo, or if they just didn’t disclose that their story was AI assisted. But even as I peruse a manuscript with the assistance of an AI editor, (I use two, Microsoft Word editor and ProWriting Aid), I realize there is something an AI just can’t quite capture, and that is the author’s voice. How silly it is for someone to try and pass off AI written work as human created. (Could it happen? Could an AI written story be passed off as human writing? Maybe… probably. Even if it can’t be done yet, (or maybe it can), I have no doubt that it will be possible, probably in the near future.
To use AI or not to use AI? That is the question. We all have to find our own personal answer that we are comfortable with, or can at least tolerate.
What’s your answer?
About 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; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
___________________________________
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 “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by the Robbie’s Inspiration blog site, where you can find ideas on writing and baking with hostess, Robbie Cheadle.
