Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet, Ray Whitaker, and a review
Posted: September 9, 2026 Filed under: Collection, Poetry, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Animals, Author Interview, Book Review, Poetry, Ray Whitaker, Robbie Cheadle, Writing to be Read 25 Comments
Today, I am delighted to welcome poet and editor of Masticadores Canada, Ray Whitaker, as my September Treasuring Poetry guest. You can find Masticadores Canada here: https://masticadorescanada.wordpress.com/ and the general submission guidelines are here: https://masticadorescanada.wordpress.com/submissions-guidelines/.
Tell us a bit about Ray Whitaker and your journey to becoming a poet.
All writers and poets are writing out of “the Self” however there are directions that the self speaks into, that change. Now Ray’s writing is to put foremost in his work, just who he is writing for. He intends on writing for the everyday man and woman. He firmly believes that poems need to reach into the everyday person’s pictures in their minds, and engage with those. This is where he aims to make a difference in his creative writing. He’s fulfilled when he sees that his work is provoking thought in his readers. Ray has six books published, and two chapbooks. His work has been published in fourteen different countries. He’s working on two new manuscripts now.
Ray was a Delegate to both the 2023-24 Writer’s International Panorama Festival in January, and is a Delegate to the 2025 Festival He participates regularly with several zoom poetic events worldwide. Among them, he has been spotlighted on a US National Poetry broadcast from Quintessential Listening Poetry Online Radio In April, ’24; and also an International Poetry Recital hosted by The Fertile Minds out of India this past April 19th, 2025. In May ‘26 he was the reading featured poet in David Leo Sirois’ Spoken Word Online, associated with Spoken Word Paris. He was a one of the featured Poets on Mayori Literature associated
with Poetry Global Network this past August. He is Moderator for Michael Lee Johnson’s FB “My Voice,Your Words- Poetry In Action” page; and Editor for Masticadores Canada Journal.
Can be found at FB: Whitjr1, his personal website is “raywhitakerpoet.com” and at Masticadores Canada. wordpress.masticadores.canada.com
What is your favourite style for writing poems and why?
I have to say that my favorite style, or form, of poetry writing is American Freestyle. I do not stick to a particular form, which is how I have lived my life as well. Being rather disciplined about being un-disciplined, I have continually engaged this “form” as a Poet.
I have written poems in several different forms. However, do not consider the sonnets I have written to fine examples of that form. Haiku is another form, that I feel my works are pretty good.
If I ever take a Masters degree in Creative Writing, it is possible that that educational endeavor will expose me to the many other forms of Poetry. Here, I must also say that I have a difficult time considering myself as a “Poet”. I am well-read in preceding poets, altho there are many I still intend to read the work of. I am continually humbled by the Men and Women Poets that have walked before me. There is a part of me that resides in comparison with these acclaimed individuals, and I always wonder how history will judge my work.
Which of your own poem is your favourite?
Ahh, this is a hard Q to answer.
I have a handful of poems that I consider especially near and dear. You want one to suffice to answer this Q. So I will attempt to choose one!
After much soul searching, here are two [I simply cannot choose one!]:
The first piece, NO WAR, is a honest memorial to my own Father. Written many years ago. He was my hero, as I was coming along, and even to this day. His examples still resides in me, those of courage, determination, resilience and ability.
The second piece, BLACK BISON, is a current favorite of mine. Written last month, in August. It reflects a couple of my loves:
–my memories of dreams, that I write down every morning after waking.
–my love for Nature and it’s remarkable diversity, my awe of God’s creations.
NO WAR
My Father did not plant fruit trees
or a garden with any sort of vegetable,
like a tomato plant, or peppers.
It was I that planted, harvested all of that.
His example did not lodge with me
never having flown down from the sky
wrapped in a fighter plane
machine guns blazing towards a ground confined enemy
they there, trembling in fear, hiding from
his bullets and bombs thrown while in God’s bubble.
I loved him so, yet my path differed
the healing arts chose me as sure as water churns in rapids
born unafraid of cleaning up lacerations, wiping blood from torn flesh
when someone’s life was seeping away
staunching the flow
with giving a damn ever present, it was
acceptable risk to be in combat with purulent infection
.
He was a great man even having never planted a plum tree
his bravery and deciding loving family decisions made
did lodge with me, so it is now that he is gone
as it was when he, my best friend, was still here amongst us
his courage tempered my abundant compassion
like the wind rippling the fall colors
in an autumn high plains field.
I can’t fly a fighter plane
or command a tactical sortie in dive bombing a bridge
I have come home with blood on my scrubs tho
bearing stains from other’s wounds, having worked
like a mule plowing furrows, towards healing Life’s casualties
and I have planted plum trees, some were for him
his face peering out from the green leaves
feeling his hands on the shovel with mine.
BLACK BISON
Out of the grey mists of dreams
he approached me
friendly, stepping carefully
to stand silently beside
nuzzled me in friendship
no words were spoken
even so, there was a communication
on these green grassy plains
daylight, now under a blue sky
few clouds going where they will
a sudden gentle breeze blew
while we were standing together.
I put my arm around his great neck
a loving embrace
like between two friends,
a closeness unrivaled
beast and human
not threatening
as in a natural place
without fear.
Black bison then spoke to me
out of the times and places
his story was quite clear
about the millions of his clan murdered
for skins and bones,
of the mountains of skulls piled,
and the shock
of The First Peoples.
Then we spoke about the strength of endurance
the hidden qualities of independent self reliance
the answered prayers when abundance appeared
of prosperity
a sign of depth
a grounding for the unknown future.
There was no longer a mist about,
dapper sunlight beat down
upon our faces.
A sense of purpose
towards the highest
those hunting grounds of the conscious,
the resilience of the qualities of twoness
our eyes met, again
speaking, Human
told Bison of the path
toward that place
where thoughts were as a dream
when The Peace was sought and found
there Human and Bison lived together
and did not have
the hypocrisy of carelessness
of the weakness producing impatience
of oversensitive intolerance
where prayers were for the tremendous events
within the Great Mystery.
Which poem by another poet is your favourite?
Another difficult Q to answer. Did you stay up nights dreaming up Q’s that were incredibly rich, for folks like us to answer?
I have around 150 books of Poetry on my library shelves. There are many from The Dead Poets Society [credit given to Robin William’s movie by the same name], as well as the flock of remarkable Poets writing today. I really love many of them.
Among them, I should mention a few of my “Poet Heroes.” These are the Poets I really love, their many works, and are the ones I am going to choose that answer to this incredibly difficult Q. They are The Irishman Seamus Heaney, the American Billy Collins, the Swede Tomas Transtormer, the Native American N.
Scott Momaday, the American Woman Mary Oliver…. are but a few.
You really are going to make me choose one…. hmmm….
I recently lost a Dear Cousin, and was asked to read a poem at her funeral. This is the one, by Tomas Transtormer:
THE HALF FINISHED HEAVEN, by Tomas Transtormer
from his book by the same name, 2001, Greywolf Press, pp 23.
Cowardice breaks off on its path.
Anguish breaks off on its path.
The vulture breaks off in its flight.
The eager light runs into the open
even ghosts take a drink.
And our paintings see the air,
red beasts of ice-age studios.
Everything starts to look around.
We go out in the sun by hundreds.
Every person is a half-open door
leading to a room for everyone.
The endless field under us.
Water glitters in the trees.
The lake is a window into the earth.
What’s next for Ray Whitaker?
I have discovered a new true love in my late sixties. It isn’t a Woman; I have been lucky enough to have two real loves with significant Women in my Life. Both of them are gone now. Now in my seventies, it is the writing of poems. In my mantra of undisciplined discipline, I choose to do something creative every day.
So, look for a new book of poems most every year, a regular highlighting of other Poets worth reading, and a developing interest in getting out there -Globally- with my own Poems.
My review of Animals by Ray Whitaker
I have enjoyed some of this poet’s writing on-line so I was pleased to see he had some published collections. When I saw the title and blurb for Animals I was thrilled as I am a huge animal lover. I was not disappointed as this book is packed full of wonderful tributes to the fauna that inhabits Ray Whitaker’s world. The collection also features glorious word pictures of the landscapes comprising the eastern range of the Rockies in Colorado. I have never visited this part of the world but the poet’s descriptions left me feeling as if I was experiencing it all in person.
The poems cover a wide range of experiences of the natural kingdom from rare and shy wild animals to domestic pets and also working animals. One of the poems about the amazing relationship between a dog and his human that has stayed with me is Warrior Loves a Dog. This is a short extract from this powerful poem:
“he and his dog sense
they could be, just perhaps
are but one in the present
and also in the past,
bridging a Love so absent
in those red enemy skies”
On the other side of the coin of the animal world are wild creatures in the wilderness. This extract is from a poem called In a Tent on the Bear Preserve and captures the joy of camping in a bear preserve and experiencing a bear in its natural environment from a close proximity:
“The Black Bear walked nearby on the lake’s rocky shore,
Careless in moving stones about
her tracks distinguish, define
there are no fish to catch in this place.
The tracks move away from where the waves lap
vanishing as silent as a leaf falling in the wood.”
Other poems pay tribute to the rivers and mountains. One such poem is Two Rivers which describes the power of two rivers meeting and joining forces becoming “one mighty flow.”
There are also some reflections on the benefits of engaging with nature and embracing its harmony and peace. Walking That Old Road Again is one such poem and I loved this verse:
“You can sit on the place of the broad, open bank
with your feet in the water
sunlight and water splashing on wet toes, it’s just sterling
wondering where next is it you need to go,
to continue to grow,
which path is there, to take you to destiny cares.”
A beautiful collection that will bring peace and gratitude into your heart and soul.
Purchase Animals by Ray Whitaker from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/ANIMALS-Poems-Ray-Whitaker/dp/B0F3TYTCFN
About Ray Whitaker
I have long aspired to be a writer since I was young. Throughout my writing journey, I struggled with finding my voice. When I wrote my first fantasy book Dragon’s Breath I discovered my voice for the first time. Writing fantasy for young adults has become a passion of mine. I hope to create more work in the future that people can enjoy. With enough hard work and effort, anyone can archive their goals.
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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Chatting with New Blood: David Deane Haskell
Posted: July 20, 2026 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Hard Science Fiction, Interview, Nonfiction, Review, Science Fiction, Writing | Tags: Author Interview, Book Review, Chatting with New Blood, David Deane Haskell, Kaye Lynne Booth, The Solarian Deep, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
I’d like to introduce you to the most recent addition to the WordCrafter Press author tribe. David is an independently published author, who has published at four novels, short stories and a memoir. He has recently agreed to be a contributing author for the Ask the Authors 2027 writing reference anthology, which earned him a place on the new WordCrafter Press Author Tribe page, and here, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him better.
About Author David Deane Haskell
David Deane Haskell writes about what it means to make sense of a world that doesn’t come with instructions—and that none of us make it through unscathed.
His work explores that reckoning—through failure, obsession, and the slow reconstruction of the fractured self. Across speculative fiction, memoir-driven essays, and recovery-centered writing, he returns to outsiders, seekers, and wounded people trying to become whole without abandoning the parts of themselves that helped them survive.
He is drawn to stories of evolution under pressure: societies reshaped by artificial intelligence, people unraveling within systems they don’t understand, and the lonely, wrenching but ultimately beautiful work of learning to listen to the heart.
Blending emotional honesty with speculative reach, his writing moves through technology, spirituality, trauma, and imagination to explore shame, connection, creativity, and the lifelong process of becoming you.
My Interview with David Deane Haskell
Kaye: Let’s start with a bit of backstory. Tell us about your writer’s journey and how you became an author.
David: My writing journey started in a real way in college, when I took a creative writing class. Before that, I always thought that writing was all about the rules, never really imagining that I could write fiction. I figured that was for special, highly trained “novelists.” Instead, I played music, and that was my creative outlet. But I loved books and movies, especially sci-fi. I just never thought that I could tell my own stories.
That creative writing class was very free and open, the teacher a really chill grad student. He was open to whatever creative ideas we might come up with. And I just started writing what I felt like, and sort of aimed to shock the class when it came time to share. I wrote for reaction, which was the first time I did so, and I did get some really interesting feedback. Not everyone in the class liked it, but some did.
And that was the spark.
Then, I didn’t really do much for a while. Publishing seemed beyond daunting. You had to go through all the gatekeepers and face rejection at every turn, all that unappealing nonsense. But the Kindle explosion happened in the early 2010s, and I decided to get in on it, not really thinking that it would become the life passion it has for me.
I published my first full-length novel in 2013, Too Much Information, and three more in short order. Emergence was the last of that early stage, published in 2019.
By then I was going through a lot emotionally and spiritually, contending with trauma and addiction issues which were threatening to ruin my life. That caused a five-year writer’s block from 2019 to 2024. I couldn’t write a thing worth keeping, couldn’t really tell you why, and wondered constantly whether I should just give up.
But I couldn’t.
Finally, right around the new year in 2024, the block ended. Just like when I was blocked, I couldn’t tell you why I wasn’t anymore. I just wasn’t. And I started writing more than ever before. It really was pouring out of me, fiction and nonfiction. Wasn’t how I planned it, but it was a new phase of my career in almost every way.
Since that time I’ve published two books. The Solarian Deep, a first-contact sci-fi about transformation and societal upheaval, set in a post-apocalyptic undersea society known as ‘Technoquatics’. I also published Wounded Angels: A Memoir That Lights the Path to Your Own Inner Child Healing. This is a real-time record of the emotional and spiritual healing work I was in the thick of in the summer of 2024, written as it happened.
Kaye: I read and reviewed The Solarian Deep, which is Book 1 of the Technoquatics series. Tell us about that book and the plan for the series, if you would.
David: The Solarian Deep originally started as a serialized novel. This was early in 2024, when I was just getting back into writing, and wanted to get back in the game quickly. I didn’t want to sit in a room for a few months, write a novel, and publish it like before. I decided to put it out a chapter at a time, for reader feedback and also as a motivational reason to keep writing.
Because I was writing it chapter by chapter, I really didn’t know where it was going to end—and it went all kinds of places that I wasn’t expecting.
It’s a story of transformation and transition, a story of those who underestimate themselves, consider themselves unimportant—but who have more to offer than they ever realized. How a handful of beings can have a profound impact on entire societies.
It also gets into how we get along, dealing with the mysterious other, and how emotions like fear, wonder, confusion, and loyalty play into these actions and reactions.
All of that set in a post-apocalyptic, under-the-sea world with lived-in technology and things that appear magical at first glance, but ultimately turn out to be more natural, more evolutionary, than anyone could have imagined.
The series, I can’t say too much about, because like in first first book The Solarian Deep, I am adjusting as I go. I have started book two and I can tell you that it’s far more expansive. From a small part of the world with two opposing, city-sized societies, book II opens up the world to our characters, and they are now travelers, seeking others who are evolving in mysterious, inexplicable ways. Not just two societies anymore, nor are there just one or two ways the evolution is unfolding. So, I can promise you that the transformations you read about in book I are just the beginning. More will be revealed on that front as the publication date draws closer.
Kaye: I also read Tommytune, which is just a very short story. Are you using that brief tale like a reader magnet? How effective has that been?
David: I didn’t really plan for Tommytune to be a reader magnet. Although on daviddeanehaskell.com you can read it for free, along with one of my novels, Emergence. So you get a whole book, and also the short story, but the reasoning is a bit different.
Because Tommytune is actually the beginning of a brand new series that I’m working on, the Resona series. The Vibrants is Book 1 of that series, and Tommytune is a stand-alone story set in the same place and time, with a couple of the key characters you’ll get to know much better very soon.
Kaye: Why do you choose to write hard techno-science fiction, as opposed to other genres you might write?
David: I never really chose what to write. I was always a sci-fi guy. When I was a kid, I was a Star Wars and Star Trek guy. My reading was Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke and the like. So, I naturally gravitated in that direction.
Michael Crichton is a big influence as well, so the techno-thriller side of things appeals to me. Sometimes I write very near future, or even what could essentially be present day. I don’t really write anything set in the past. The only things I write about the past are my nonfiction works, and that’s just the way it’s turned out.
I’m not saying I would never write some medieval jousting novel or something like that. I just haven’t so far.
When it comes to hard techno-science fiction, I think it has to be plausible for me. I love fantasy. I’m a big Star Wars guy, so I’m into the Force and all of that, but that’s mystical and magical. And I do think I’m starting to lean into spiritual writing in a sense.
But for the most part, if I write science fiction, it needs to be something I can explain in my own head. It needs to feel plausible. So, I don’t write a lot of distant-future stories. I don’t write a lot of faster-than-light travel or alien civilizations.
It’s more about what Earth might look like in 20, 50, or 100 years and what might be going on with us then. Maybe that’s because I’m trying to figure out my own future and what that looks like for all of us. Something along those lines.
Kaye: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
David: I don’t know if I received this as writing advice directly, but I’ve heard it many times, and I’m a big believer in this: There Are No Rules
You can write anything. It’s limitless. Literally limitless.
And yet I do limit myself more than I’d like to. I’ll think, you know, you can’t say that or you can’t do this. And as I said, I don’t really write fantasy too much. But I could. Sure, I could write about a magical world or an absurdly skewed morality structure, maybe. Maybe a universe wher propr spelin gehtzuu da deth pennnalteee.
Or a book where all the various thoughts just sort of wind up…
Only to go off in another direction and then…
It could be abstract. It could be chopped up. It could be scenery-based with very shallow characters, or in-depth character examinations without much of a world around them. Real or unreal, or something in-between. I can change it all in the middle, from real to absurd, or vice-versa. I could edit the beginning and the end and leave the middle in free form (not recommended, perhaps, but I *could* .. heck, that’s a lot of what jazz music winds up looking like when you really come down to it).
I may have coined the phrase “nom-fiction,” nominally fictional, where it’s kind of reality, but not really. It’s my reality, but of course that’s in my head, right? Other people perceive what’s going on differently than I do, so why should that be any different in the writing? What is ‘fiction’ anyway? What is it in a post-truth world? What is it when powerful forces utilize psychological propaganda on the masses?
So yeah. There are no rules. Go from there if you’re feeling creatively stuck, anyway, and it might just break the shackles.
Kaye: Which do you enjoy writing most, heroes or villains? Why?
David: Heroes, actually. Or at least, the protagonist. Although my main characters and their compatriots aren’t so much heroic as defiant. Struggling to make sense of an unfair system or a massive machine they can’t even begin to figure out how to contend with.
The struggle against ‘the powers that be’ is a big theme in my stories. The little guy who’s getting stepped on by the mega-corporation, the odd one out who isn’t allowed to be themselves, as the ‘normal ones’ try to force them to conform, and punish them when they don’t. He sticks it to them in the end. So, it’s not exactly a hero, just one of us, trying to figure out how to get by in this vast, confusing world, with Machiavellian stuff going on that they can’t even wrap their head around. Until something shifts the balance in their favor, and they just might have a chance to make changes after all. But there are powerful forces out there who like things just the way they are, thanks very much, so it’s never as easy as deciding to “stand up for yourself”.
This parallels my own life and past experiences with trauma, being scapegoated, and being an introvert in an extrovert-friendly world, and extends into my attempts at making it as an indie publisher in a rough game which rewards loud, confident voices and bold moves.
I wrote about that directly in my second novel, The Gold Club, which might be a bit of a “David’s Fantasy outcome” story when it comes to how I’d like my work to be received, accepted, and ultimately judged on its own merits, rather than how easily I can manipulate the algorithm on TikTok!
Ted Ward, the main character in that book, does just that. Finds a way to beat the system, or try to at least—and that kind of hero is my kind of hero.
As for the villains, I try to make them real. I don’t really get into the mustache-twirling, “ahaha, I’m a bad guy because I’m a bad guy!” kind of thing. I like to think about their perspectives. Why are they doing what they’re doing?
And that often comes from damage and harm, the same as for the heroes. Hurt people hurt people, as they say.
Again, I write a lot of healing stuff, trauma-related stuff, addiction and recovery, inner-child work, and spiritual healing work on my nonfiction side. So, I think more and more that’s getting integrated into my fiction as well. So, in a sense, especially in my recent books, there isn’t so much a bad guy per se, or if they are, there are reasons. Reasons I hope my readers can really relate to.
There is a lot of that kind of speculation in The Solarian Deep. Even more of it in Tommytune and the full-length novel it comes with, The Vibrants.
Kaye: What kind of research do you do that might be specific to your stories?
David: Well, I’m not sure that I do any specific research per se, but I do like technology a lot. I’m really amazed at the leaps and bounds that technology has taken in my lifetime.
Since I was a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s, through the era of the first personal computers, I’ve been fascinated by it. My dad had a computer, and I was into playing computer games. Later on, I got into software and technology-related interests. It’s always been on the side. I never worked in computers or anything, but I was always interested in robotics and AI.
So, seeing the future unfold in front of us now is a sort of research in itself. I watch those tech YouTube channels all the time, and I’m sure I get ideas from them.
The biggest thing for me now as a sci-fi writer is trying to stay ahead of the wave.
I’ll write something, and then reality catches up. Emergence is a perfect example, the novel that I give away for free on my website. I wrote and published it in 2019, and it’s about robot sentience, or androids if you will. I think I got a lot of things right, and some things wrong. One thing that surprised me was the idea that it might be code, software, or even drones that become more important than physical robotics.
So, my science fiction in 2026 is evolving in that direction.
What fascinates me most is not the technology itself, but how society reacts to it. The rift between people who are concerned about these technologies, people who fully embrace them, and people who fall somewhere in between is endlessly interesting to me.
In that sense, watching companies, governments, and AI organizations interact in real time is research of the highest order. Seeing these dramas play out, the conflicts, the fears, the incentives, the power struggles, that’s absolute gold for my fiction writing.
Kaye: What is the best advice you have for aspiring science fiction authors?
David: The best advice I would give an aspiring sci-fi writer is the same as I mentioned before, the best advice I ever got: there are no rules.
People might argue with that and say you should do it a certain way. You should write to market. You should be careful to edit this way or that. Don’t use slang. Don’t use bad language. Follow this structure. Hit this beat. Avoid this mistake.
But man, if you don’t like periods and commas, then leave them out. See how it goes.
If everybody who reads it says it bothers them, then it’s up to you whether you keep writing that way. But if some people say, “Wow, this is really revolutionary. I love reading stuff without periods and commas,” then you’ve really done something, haven’t you?
I’m not brave enough to go that far in my own writing, at least not yet. But I do hope that I’ll become more outside the box rather than less as I go along.
Kaye: You also have written a memoir, Wounded Angels. Would you like to tell us a little about that?
David: Wounded Angels is very dear to me, and it was difficult to publish because it was an extreme act of vulnerability to put something so personal out into the world.
I do think it’s an important book for people who are struggling with trauma, abuse, addiction, rejection, isolation, and many of the other challenges that can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves and others. All of that is in the book.
It also circles back to my fiction writing in a very deep way because I believe that, both personally and as a society, we need to learn how to heal. We need to learn how to take better care of ourselves, how to get well, so that we can help each other and show up more fully for the people around us. And when more people begin that process, maybe things start to improve.
But it starts with one person.
I’ve always found inspiration in people who have overcome great difficulty, and hopefully the emotional trauma that I am working hard to overcome can inspire others to start looking at their own struggles and finding their own path forward.
That’s what Wounded Angels is all about.
Kaye: Thank you for being my guest today, David. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. Before we go, tell us where readers can go to find out more about you and your books.
David: Thank you so very much for allowing me the opportunity to sit for this interview with you. It’s so important to connect in this way, and I am really grateful for your efforts in our community!
You can find me easily on my website, daviddeanehaskell.com – with links to all my online activities, my Amazon author page, and my Substack fiction short stories and nonfiction essays (all free!) right there on my website. I also offer free stories there, including a full-length sci-fi novel you can download and keep forever.
Podcast interviews, essays, and other work are easy to find if you Google “David Deane Haskell,” but make sure you include my middle name. There is another David Haskell out there — David George Haskell — who is a Pulitzer Prize–finalist biologist and nature writer. So if you search only “David Haskell,” you may find him first. For my fiction and inner-child healing work, search my full name: David Deane Haskell.
All of my books are also available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and other formats. And if you have Kindle Unlimited, several of my books are available there as well, including Too Much Information, The Gold Club, Dark Alignment, and of course, The Solarian Deep.
My Reveiw of The Solarian Deep
I received a free digital copy of the Solarian Deep, by David Deane Haskell from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Calistya and Krystal are best friends at the school for orphaned girls, but the administration feels Krystal, who has a history of trouble, will be a bad influence on Calistya, who has a promising future ahead of her; one which would not normally be available to under privileged orphan girls. They might be surprised to know that it’s Calistya taking the lead and leading her friend into the forbidden Deep, where she discovers an aquatic boy who shouldn’t exist, but does. Even after the girls are separated, Calistya is driven to continue her forbidden forays to find the mysterious boy, until she suddenly disappears beneath the ocean floor.
When Krystal goes missing, as well, the whole community falls out in search of the missing girls, which are not the first disappearances of this kind. It seems the answers to what’s happening now, lie in the events of the past, which no one can seem to remember. When the mysterious aquatic boy shows up in the city, wrecking havoc wherever he goes, it brings the two communities to the brink of war.
The technologically advanced, aquatic world, built post-human-civilization-collapse, which Haskell has created is rich with both human and aquatic creatures, once thought to be mythical. Both civilizations are fearful of the other, but through the actions of two girls and a merboy, they discover perhaps they aren’t so different after all.
Haskell has envisioned a wonderful world and brought it to life with vivid clarity. I give Solarian Deep four quills.
About Solarian Deep
Humanity didn’t flee to the ocean. It was built for it.
Calistya is a groundwalker — half-adapted, half-committed, priced out of the Full-Gill Enhancement that would make her whole. No gear, no limits, no more being told she swims like she doesn’t belong. Just the open ocean, endless and free.
She can’t afford it. She’s an orphan. That’s just life.
Until the day she dives too close to The Deep.
Below the city’s light, at the edge of the abyss where sentinels don’t go, she sees a boy. No oxygen rig. No surgical scars. No implants. Just skin, and something about him that shouldn’t be possible.
He shouldn’t exist.
He looks at her once. Then he’s gone.
When her best friend Khrystal vanishes into the abyss chasing the same impossible truth, Calistya faces a choice: stay safe inside a city that was never quite home — or dive deeper than her gear was ever designed to reach.
Down in the dark, she’ll discover that evolution didn’t wait for surgery.
And whatever came first is still down there. Watching.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Solarian-Deep-Book-Technoquatics-ebook/dp/B0GPN8DBJS/
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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 “Chatting with New Blood” is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.
The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.
Get Your Copy Now.
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle
Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee
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Chatting with the Pros: Children’s Author, Darlene Foster
Posted: February 15, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Chatting with the Pros, Children's Books, Fiction, Interview, Writing | Tags: Amanda in Scotland, Author Interview, Book Reveiw, Chatting with the Pros, Children's Books, Darlene Foster, Kaye Lynne Booth, Writing to be Read 77 Comments
I first met Darlene when she sent me a pitch for this interview in response to a call for pitches I put out. I’m always thrilled to meet other children’s authors and I have to say, I really liked her attitude and her approach. I believe children’s authors have the gift of viewingthe world through a child’s eyes, or maybe they just retain more of their own inner child than others do. When I saw her author photo (below), I saw this in her wonderful smile and the sparkle in her eye.
Join me here, in learning more about her and her lovely children’s books, the Amanda Travels Series, (ten books and still more to come). She also writes short fiction, which has been featured in several anthologies, and has a short fiction collection, .
About Darlene Foster
Darlene Foster grew up on a ranch in Alberta, Canada, where her love of reading inspired her to see the world and write stories. She is the author of the exciting Amanda Travels series featuring spunky Amanda Ross, a twelve-year-old girl who loves to travel. All ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another in unique destinations. When not travelling, meeting interesting people, and collecting ideas for her books, Darlene enjoys spending time with her family in Canada and her house in Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia.
My Interview with Darlene
Kaye: Please tell us a little about your author’s journey.
Darlene: Since I was a little girl on the farm, I enjoyed telling stories, often making them up in my head as I daydreamed. My wonderful grade-three teacher suggested I write my stories down. I had a short story published in the local newspaper when I was twelve but didn’t do much serious writing until I was a grandmother. I visited a friend in the United Arab Emirates and had such a great time that I planned to write a story about it. After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to try writing the story from a twelve-year-old’s point of view. Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask was born. It took me three years to write the book and another five years to find a publisher, but I persisted. In the meantime, I wrote Amanda in Spain: The Girl in The Painting and had ideas for Amanda in England: The Missing Novel. I now have ten books in the series and am working on the eleventh.
Kaye: You are a member of the Children’s Writer’s Guild. Can you tell us how authors benefit from being a member of such organizations?
Darlene: I belong to CWILL BC (Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC) I love being part of an organization like this as it is important to mix with other authors. One of the many benefits is the sharing of knowledge. It is the best way to keep up to date on the writing/publishing industry which is an ever-changing world. It’s imperative to keep on top of trends etc. These organizations put together workshops and special events, in person or online, and provide marketing opportunities. Because of my membership, I have done in-class presentations all over the world via Zoom. I used to belong to more similar organizations, but there is only so much time to commit.
Kaye: You have a children’s series, the Amanda Travels series. Tell us about the books and the series.
Darlene: Here is the Reader’s Digest version. Spunky Amanda Jane Ross loves travelling to interesting places, meeting cool people and learning fascinating new things. Her curiosity and eagerness to help people often gets her into trouble wherever she goes. Her adventures have taken her to the deserts of Arabia, castles in England, Spain’s sunny beaches, historic cities along the Danube, spooky buildings in New Mexico, the tulip fields of Holland, and mysterious standing stones in Scotland. Life is never dull for this tween.
Kaye: Amanda in Scotland makes ten books in the Amanda Travels books, and in each one she travels to a different country. Would I be wrong in assuming that you have visited all the places Amanda has traveled?
Darlene: You would not be wrong. In fact, I have made it a policy that Amanda can not go anywhere I haven’t been!
Kaye: Which country is your favorite? Why?
Darlene: That’s difficult to answer as I like all of them for different reasons. Perhaps the United Arab Emirates as it was so very different from anything I had ever experienced, and it got me started writing the series.
Kaye: Which country is Amanda’s favorite? Why?
Darlene: Amanda doesn’t have a favourite country. She loves them all and always has a great time wherever she goes. As long as she is making friends,learning new things, and solving a mystery, she is happy.
Kaye: If Amanda goes to a different country each year, how old was she when the series began? How many countries does Amanda go to each year?
Darlene: Amanda turned twelve when she wished for travel and adventure before blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. She stays twelve years old throughout the series. Nancy Drew is the same age in all 34 books. I believe Trixie Belden stays around the same age too. The books are stand-alone and don’t have to be read in any particular order. I prefer writing for tweens instead of teenagers.
Kaye: Where does Amanda plan to travel next?
Darlene: Amanda will be off to Ireland to attend her cousin’s wedding. She will have a fabulous adventure in the Emerald Isle; the land of leprechauns, fairies and dangerous bogs. The working title is, Amanda in Ireland: The Body in the Bog.
Kaye: You are a traditionally published author and the Amanda Travels series is signed with Simon & Schuster. (Congratulations, by the way.) How much of the marketing and promotion for your books are you required to do?
Darlene: The first nine books were published by Central Avenue Publishing, a small independent press in Canada. CAP has recently become an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which is wonderful. I self-published, through Draft2Digital, Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones. As for marketing and promotion, I have always done most of my own. I set up book signings and visits to bookstores, schools and libraries, as well as blog tours and social media marketing. I do some marketing every day as it is part of the job. It is great to have a distribution company like Simon & Schuster for bookstores, libraries, and schools to order from.
Kaye: After being traditionally published for nine books, why the switch to independent publishing through D2D?
Darlene: My publisher has decided not to publish kids’ books anymore. We are still on good terms, and I am leaving the first nine books with her. The publishing world is very changeable and as writers, we need to be adaptable.
Kaye: According to your bio, you are an award-winning author. Would you tell us about the awards you’ve won for your books? Which are you most proud of?
Darlene: I have won awards for my short stories, which can be found in a number of anthologies. I’m very proud of my story, The Day Dief Came to Town. It’s based on an hilarious event from my childhood. It was the first prize I got for my writing and gave me the confidence to carry on. I included it in my short-story collection, You Can Take The Girl From The Prairie
Kaye: Your books are available in both digital and print editions. What differences do you see in digital and print sales for children’s books?
Darlene: Initially (15 years ago), I sold 50% e-books and 50% print books. Now it is more like 25% e-books and 75% print books. Kids still enjoy holding a book in their hands, and adults prefer buying print books for them. School libraries like to stock print books, and teachers use the print books as part of their curriculum.
Kaye: What advice do you have for new authors trying to break into the children’s market?
Darlene: Never give up and never stop learning. Search out other writers who can serve as mentors or become part of your street team.
Kaye: Where can readers find out more about you and the Amanda Travels series?
Darlene:
My website https://www.darlenefoster.ca/
My blog https://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/
My Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Darlene-Foster/author/B003XGQPHA
My goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3156908.Darlene_Foster
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog!
Kaye: You’ve been a wonderful guest. Thank you so much for your candid responses.
About Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones
What could possibly go wrong on the magical Scottish Isle of Arran? It’s such a peaceful, charming place with castles, mountains, old graves and ancient standing stones.
Amanda Ross and Leah Anderson are visiting Aunt Jenny who owns an old house on the island. But something is not right. A mysterious woman, who seems to have stepped out of the past, keeps appearing, Leah’s father hasn’t contacted the family for some time, and Aunt Jenny’s house may have an uninvited guest.
Amanda is intrigued by this picturesque island, often called Little Scotland. She watches exciting sheepdog trials, attends a lively ceilidh, makes friends with the locals, and visits the mystical Holy Island. Join Amanda as she tries to solve the mystery of the strange woman and the disappearance of Leah’s father. Will the past catch up with the present?
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Scotland-Standing-Stones-Travels-ebook/dp/B0D5TMLSLC
My Review of Amanda in Scotland
I received a digital copy of Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones, by Darlene Foster is a delightful middle-grade mystery reminescent of the Nancy Drew mysteries, with the element of travel thrown in. In the Amanda Travels Series, Amanda is a curious and bright twelve year old, who discover and solve myteries through her travels. Readers are introduced to the various countries she travels to through Amanda’s eyes as she learns about the history and culture of each destination.
This story takes us to the Arran in Scotland, where Amanda visits her travel friend, Leah, and her Aunt Jenny. As the girls explore Arran and the surrounding islands, they meet a mysterious woman, recieve puzzling messages from Leah’s father, and they experience other odd occurances which don’t add up. On an island where many places are reported to be haunted, Amanda determines to follow the clues and unravel the mystery. Like any good mystery, all is revealed by the end of the story.
Foster manages to give vivid descriptions, allowing readers to picture the castles, ruins and landscapes of Scotland in stunning detail, while delighting in the thrill of solving a mystery. I’ve no doubt the other books in the series are just as delightful. A great way for young readers to learn about the world around us. I give Amanda in Scotland five quills.
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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 her Time-Travel Adventure novel, 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. 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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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 “Chatting with the Pros” is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.
The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.
Get Your Copy Now.
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle
Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee
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Day 3 of the WordCrafter “Sarah” Book Blog Tour
Posted: May 8, 2024 Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Historical Fiction, Historical Inspiration, Interview, Western, Women in History, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Audio Reading, Author Interview, Excerpt, Historical Fiction, Kaye Lynne Booth, Sarah, Western, Women in the West, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Leave a comment
Please join us over at Book Places for Day 3 of the WordCrafter Sarah Book Blog Tour, where host Kay Castenada interviews me, the author, Kaye Lynne Booth, and my reading of an excerpt from the book. Remember to comment for entry in the giveaway and you could get a free digital copy of the book. I hope to see you there.
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Day 3 of the WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 4” Book Blog Tour
Posted: April 10, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Author Interview, Book Release, Books, Poetry, Poetry Readings, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Author Interview, Emily Gmitter, Poetry, Poetry Anthology, Poetry Reading, Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature, Selma Martin, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 6 Comments
Day 3 of the Wordcrafter Poetry Treasures 4 Book Blog Tour finds us over at Book Places where Kay Castenada interviews contributing poet, Emily Gmitter, and Selma Martin shares a beautiful reading of her poem “The Bridge Home”. Please join us in sending of this very special poetry anthology, Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature. Be sure to leave a comment to enter the giveaway, too.
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My Interview with Sean Taylor on Bad Girls, Good Guys, and Two-Fisted Action
Posted: March 19, 2024 Filed under: Books, Fiction, Interview, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: Author Interview, Bad Girls Good Guys and Two-Fisted Action, Kaye Lynne Booth, Sean Taylor 1 Comment
I just came across this interview I did back in January with Sean Taylor for Bad Girls, Good Guys, and Two-Fisted Action. I’m proud of this one, so I hope you’ll check it out.
https://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2024/01/kaye-lynne-booth-who-almost-wasnt.html
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My Interview on “Write Any Genre”
Posted: December 28, 2023 Filed under: Interview, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: Author Interview, Kaye Lynne Booth 1 CommentMary Deal was kind enough to interview me on Write Any Genre. Drop by and check it out. It’s pretty awesome.
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Day 2 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Roost” Book Blog Tour is over at Undawnted
Posted: October 17, 2023 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Giveaways, Guest Post, Horror, Interview, Paranormal, Review, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Author Interview, Christa Planko, Giveaway, M J Mallon, Midnight Roost, Reading, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 7 Comments
Join us over at Undawnted for Day 2 of the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour with a guest post and an interview with contributing author Christa Planko and a reading from MJ Mallon. Drop by and join in on the fun while learning more about Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories. And if you leave a comment
http://www.undawnted.com/2023/10/wordcrafter-blog-tour-for-midnight.html
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Growing Bookworms – Meet children’s fiction and adult fiction and non-fiction author, Toni Pike and a review #growingbookworms #childrensfiction #bookreview
Posted: June 14, 2023 Filed under: Book Promotion, Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Fiction, Mystery, Review, Thriller | Tags: Author Interview, Book Review, Children's Books, Cody Brody and the Step Mother From Outer Space, Growing Bookworms, Robbie Cheadle, The MAgus Covenant, Toni Pike, Writing to be Read 61 Comments
Today, I am delighted to introduce children’s and adult fiction author, Toni Pike. Toni is a prolific writer with at least two non-fiction books, six adult thrillers, one women’s fiction, and two children’s books, all available from Amazon. Today, we are focusing the discussion on Toni’s two children’s books in the Brody Cody series. I’ve read both and they are wonderful for middle school children.
I love your books about Brody Cody as they are filled with excellent, age-appropriate humour without resulting in facetious child characters which is a pitfall with many modern children’s books. Is there any particular children’s book author whom you admire and consider to be a role model for your writing?
Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Robbie – I’m delighted that you liked my characters. That means so much to me, coming from such a wonderful writer.
Roald Dahl is my favourite children’s author – his irreverent stories and characters are so wickedly delightful, and his plots are so beautifully constructed. I find children love this irreverence, and I was horrified to read recently that his stories were to be “sanitised” for the modern world. I think young readers could only benefit from enjoying his classic stories.
One of my other favourite role models is Judy Blume – I love the characters and familiar situations in “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.”
Is Brody Cody entirely fictitious or are some of his characteristics based on real life models?
I always say that they are entirely a figment of my imagination – but quite a few aspects of Brody’s character are drawn from various real-life situations. In particular, I drew on memories of my own children and their friends, and also some snippets and ideas from children I taught at school. Having said that, nothing would be recognisable. I also drew on my own experience of childhood – even though that was a very long time ago! Two examples were Brody’s reluctance to get involved with extra-curricular activities, and also his insecurities, things Brody and I have in common.
How do you go about ensuring the language and flow of ideas in your children’s books are appropriate for the target age group?
Whether it’s for adults or children, I always try to write fast-moving stories that are plot-driven to keep the reader turning the page. That style seems suit me best, and it’s one of the reasons I like writing thrillers. To keep the language age-appropriate, I tried to think of how my children spoke when they were that age. I also made sure I used simple words and sentences, and always attempted to add humour. The setting was Australia, which of course is my home, so I knew the local idioms. I didn’t worry too much about the latest slang expressions – I tried to avoid that.
The theme of your first book, Brody Cody and the Stepmother from Outer Space, is very relevant in our modern age of frequent broken families and remarriages. Was there anything specific that compelled you to write this type of story? What were your aims with this book?
I wanted to write about a little boy who had lost his mother, because that immediately created sympathy for the character. I wanted it to be both scary and funny, but to have a very positive message about children and parents. I know there are a lot of blended families these days, so I hoped it would strike a chord but also be something all children could enjoy.
What are your goals for the Brody Cody series? Can we expect another book in this series soon?
I have a list of ideas for future Brody Cody stories, and want to add to the current two-book series. However, I also love writing books for adults, and I’m currently working on another thriller – which is still at a very early stage. I feel torn between the two, and don’t want to disappoint my grown-up readers who’ve followed me for a few years now. So, for the moment, I think my adult writing is winning.
Books for children are harder to market than books for adults. How do you go about marketing your books and what works best for you?
Attracting readers for the series has been far more difficult than I anticipated – much more so than for adult books. Of course, that’s only my experience and other writers may not find that. I was thrilled with the response from those who did read them, and many of the reviews were wonderful. But I would prefer to find a wider audience.
I use the same techniques for marketing that I used for my other books The first essential is to have some reviews – and I send out advance copies for that. I enrol my books in Kindle Unlimited, and have both the ebooks and paperbacks on Amazon. I find reads on Kindle Unlimited account for a fair proportion of my royalty income. Occasional free days, especially for the first book in the series, helps to boost subsequent sales of all books in the series and also helps to get some reviews. I also use Amazon sponsored ads, targeting similar books and authors. I do, however, keep a tight rein on my budget for that.
The best marketing tool of all, though, is a supportive writing community. I’ve become good friends over the last few years with other writers like yourself from all over the world, and supporting and sharing each other’s writing and blog posts is a great way to spread the word. Your Growing Bookworms series about children’s writing is a great inspiration for children’s writers, and a great learning tool for parents.
My review of Brody Cody and the Stepmother from outer space
This book is a hilarious and fun read for young readers aged 7 to 13 years old. It is quite reminiscent, with its quirky and slightly dark humour, of Roald Dahl’s books, in particular, it reminded me a bit of James and the Giant Peach where James’ parents are eaten by a rampaging rhinoceros.
Cody, the young hero if this book, is raised by his relaxed and nonchalant father after his mother is mowed down unexpectedly by a runaway bus. Cody is spared because he flies out of his pram and across into the hands of the police constable who catches him like a baseball.
Cody is a happy boy who lives with no rules and little parental intervention. His father works from home in the afternoons, and is not given to checking on Cody’s homework or making sure it is done. They have an interesting diet too that comprises of sweet and sickly cereal in the morning and some fabulously unhealthy father created meals in the evenings.
Cody is happy and doesn’t believe he needs a mother like other children have. He has freedom and he is happy living with his father.
One day, Cody’s father needs to go away to an out-of-town conference. Cody cannot go with him and is sent to his friend’s home for this period. Cody’s friend has a mother and she sets about trying to mend Cody’s lackadaisical ways. Just before Cody is due to go home, he gets a quick call from his father telling him he has met and married a woman he met at the conference.
Cody is horrified and returns home quite determined to reject this new mother, but things don’t go quite according to plan. Cody discovers things about his new mother than lead him to believe she is an alien.
This really is a rollicking good story and young children will love it.
My review of The Magnus Covenant
The Magnus Covenant is an exciting thriller that starts of with an unusual and strange murder. From there the excitement and pace just keep increasing, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Jotham Fletcher and his girlfriend, Antonella Pavoni, a lecturer at the University of Rome, arrive at a famous Catholic Church where Jotham is expecting to deliver a lecture about Simon Magnus just in time to view the body of an elderly man in a black cape who may have committed suicide. As an expert on Simon Magnus, a cult leader from the time of Jesus, who thought he should be the head of the church and who was believed to have been a magician, Jotham mentions to the police the similarities between the deaths of Simon Magnus and this old man. Unfortunately, Jotham’s comments and interventions make him a prime suspect for murder.
Jotham does give his lecture and is the recipient of an extraordinary question from a journalist who subsequently disappears. He is also the recipient of antagonistic comments from a young Catholic brother who is also a member of the audience.
Shortly after the delivery of the lecture, Jotham is kidnapped and becomes embroiled in a complicated intrigue involving the members of the Simon Magnus cult, which has been in existence for 2,000 years, a brotherhood of extreme Catholics and a wealthy individual who may be the cause of all the agitation through the discovery and restoration of an ancient document. Jotham quickly realises that he can’t trust anyone he knows or meets and that his life is in danger.
Jotham is a great character. He has suffered personal loss through the deaths of his wife and child and is struggling with his faith. He’d thrown himself into researching Simon Magnus as a distraction from his loss and emotional turmoil. The deception of many people around him comes as a complete surprise to Jotham and he gets himself into a mess. He is able to pull himself together, discover his survival instincts and set about unravelling the intrigue all around him.
I thought the plot of this book was clever and interesting and the action kept me interested throughout.
About Toni Pike
Toni Pike is a multi-genre author who enjoys writing page-turning fiction for adults, hilarious books for children, and non-fiction. She also loves travelling and being with family and friends. She lives in Australia and firmly believes that coffee and long walks are an essential part of any day.
Do you like books that you can’t stop reading? Pike is the author of LINDA’S MIDLIFE CRISIS, DESOLATION BLUFF, DEAD DRY HEART and The Jotham Fletcher Mystery Thriller Series: THE MAGUS COVENANT, THE ROCK OF MAGUS, THE MAGUS EPIPHANY and HOLY SPEAR OF MAGUS.
The Brody Cody Series is for children aged 6-9: BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE and BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE.
She’s also the author of two non-fiction books. THE ONE WAY DIET is a no-nonsense guide to losing weight. HAPPY TRAVELS 101 is a short book of travel tips with advice for anyone who wants to travel overseas.
To find out more, her website is tonipike.com.
About Robbie Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published thirteen children’s book and three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
The ten Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
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Treasuring Poetry – Meet multi-genre author and poet, Patricia Furstenberg, and a review #Poetry #writingcommunity #bookreview
Posted: March 15, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Interview, Poetry, Review, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: "Writing to be Read, As Good As Gold, Author Interview, Book Review, Patricia Furstenberg, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry 65 Comments
Today, I am delighted to welcome author and poet, Patricia Furstenberg, as my March Treasuring Poetry guest.
Why do you write poetry?
To me, writing poetry is like being a flâneuse of the literary world.
The history and meaning of flâneuse (with its masculine form, flâneur) derive from the turn of the century, late 19th to early 20th. It defines those men and women who had the time, the inclination, the passion (and the finances, back then) to wonder along the streets of a big city and to observe and be a part of the daily city life. Those who enjoyed taking in the city.
It was after this past holiday, when my family and I covered about 200km on the streets of Romania, in Bucharest and Sibiu, that I learned this expression, flâneuse.
Writing poetry is my reaction to being a flâneuse in a city of words. Writing poetry is like strolling among literary creations, classical or modern (buildings made of words if you wish) and taking in their beauty and rhythm. A turn of the word here, a phrase there, they blend with the breeze, the song of bird, or the memories of my youth (like dappled shadows) – creating poetry.
Do you think poetry is still a relevant form of expressing ideas in our modern world? If yes, why?
Absolutely. Poetry permanently sheds a light on the world; it helps us see our everyday life through a different perspective. It adds colour to a world monotonous in its everyday violence. It also highlights, thus helping us remember, the forgotten beauty of life.
Poetry also creates bridges that unite us, past distances (and I mean social distances) or any other barriers. Poetry is that one constant in times of change. Because poetry helps us understand our emotions and communicate them. It helps us make sense of an uncertain future or of a tumultuous past. Poetry translates, by use of imagery that what – at first – is hard to comprehend and it appears scrambled.
Which poem by any other poet that you’ve read, do you relate to the most and why?
So many times I asked myself this question and the answer varied, but more often it was Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” the poem I most relate with.
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.
Life, the simple act of living and of leading a happy and fulfilled family life, are such a tremendous gift – but we tend to take it for granted. I think that contemplating the road that brought us here, as well as the ones followed by our ancestors, is a valuable exercise.
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about the choices and the opportunities we encounter in life. But unlike Frost’s poem, I believe that it isn’t the regret over the roads not taken that should overshadow our future, but the excitement for further choices, born out of our past decisions. Life is a continuous maze, and a beautiful and exciting one.
Which of your own poems is your favourite and why?
I enjoyed following the antics of the puppies depicted in my poetry book “as Good as Gold”. There were times when I would write and laugh. When I grew up in Romania we would live in an apartment so we shared some pretty close living quarters with our dog. Whoever looked after a puppy will remember that, at the beginning, they hardly sleep through the night.
While writing “As Good as Gold” I enjoyed mentally watching a puppy conversing with the moon, or meeting an owl (during night-time, of course) for the very first time. Writing from experience… Today I look fondly on those memories. Thus, my favourite poem is “Why, Rain?” where we follow a puppy on his first encounter with a surprise storm during what starts like a perfect summer day, just right for some nature exploration.
Is writing poetry easy for you compared to prose or do you do a lot of editing and revision of your poems?
I enjoy writing poetry for its free form and lack of constraints. Poetry allows my thoughts to roam unrestrained. For me, writing poetry is like finding shapes in the clouds – they can be anything and I won’t be wrong in writing them as such. The reader, in turn, can interpret them the way she sees them and none will be wrong for taking that what her / his heart chose to see.
Writing prose asks for much more structure, although I enjoy it just as much. Writing prose is like building a house.
Poetry is like writing a song. Sometimes you hum it for a long time before you get the melody out on paper just the way you heard it in your mind. Prose is more like writing a symphony. Just as rewarding, perhaps more demanding. Prose will confer a whole set of ideas, where poetry will distil the thought to a perfect, silky thread.
What mode (blog, books, YouTube, podcasts) do you find the most effective for sharing your poems with poetry lovers and readers?
As an independent author with self-published poetry books as well as poems published in various poetry anthologies I find that, today, readers show a fear of commitment towards poetry. I discovered that publishing my poems on my blog or into an online literary magazine I can reach a wider audience than publishing a poetry book.
My review of As Good as Gold, A dog’s life in poems by Patricia Furstenberg
As Good as Gold: A Dog’s Life in Poems is a delightful and uplifting collection of poems about domestic dogs and puppies. Each poem is accompanied by a lovely photograph of the dog through whose eyes the poems is written. I liked that the poems were told from the perspective of the dogs and I thought the freestyle form of poetry suited this book well as each poem is a mini story or adventure.
The writing style is conversational and relaxed. The following few extracts give a feel for the style of the poetry:
“Puppy tiptoes,
Takes a peek.
Sniffs carefully …
What IS that squeak?”
“It’s oval, it bounces, it floats away,
It’s pink like his tongue, it wants to play!
“I’m coming!” barks pup and off he goes.
Down the hill the pink shape flows
And puppy follows suit. It’s just within his reach,”
For cat lovers, there are also a few poems told from the perspective of our feline friends and I loved those especially, as I am a cat owner.
I think this book is a lovely way of teaching children about animals as pets and the writing is appropriate for both children and adults, all of whom will adore the antics and curiosity displayed by the dogs, especially the puppies.
Purchase links
Patricia Furstenberg’s Amazon Author page
About Patricia Furstenberg
Writer and poet Patricia Furstenberg authored 18 books to date. Patricia grew up in Bucharest and was brought up listening to the legends and folktales of Romania’s past. She came to writing through reading, her passion for books being something she inherited from her parents. Her writing career followed a sinuous road that passed through a Medical Degree, practicing medicine, extensive traveling, and it also produced a happy marriage and two children. The recurrent motives in her writing are unconditional love and war, while Patricia’s keen interest for history and dogs brought her writing, through a perfect loop, to her native Romania. Today Patricia writes fiction and poetry. Her poems were published in anthologies by Green Ink Poetry, The Poem Magazine, and Lothlórien Poetry Journal as well as in over thirty online literary journals
Find Patricia Furstenberg
Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn / Goodreads / Book Bub / AllAuthor
About Robbie Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published thirteen children’s book and two poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
The ten Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
