Book Review: Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Novellas 1-3
Posted: February 23, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Review | Tags: All Hallows Eve Heist, Anna Celeste Burke, Book Review, Love Notes in the Key of Sea, Murder at Catmmando Mountain, The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
About the Books
When Georgie and Jack met it was love, and murder, at first sight. Middle-aged and in upper management at a Disneyesque entertainment empire, Georgie knows Marvelous Marley World isn’t always so marvelous. As a police detective, Jack Wheeler knows how to solve crimes. Together Georgie and Jack make a formidable team of crime fighters.
Join Georgie, Jack, and two delightful Siamese cats, Miles and Ella, as they solve the first three mysteries in this award-winning, bestselling series.
Included in the Box Set:
Murder at Catmmando Mountain
Love Notes in the Key of Sea
All Hallows’ Eve Heist
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Georgie-Shaw-Cozy-Mystery-Novellas-ebook/dp/B071GDK9SG/
My Review
I read The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series: Novellas 1-3, by Anna Celeste Burke: Mystery at Catmmando Mountain, Love Notes in the Key of Sea, and All Hallows’ Eve Heist. These three novelas come packeged together on Amazon, and I recieved a free copy of the set through a newsletter of some sort. It pays to have those newsletters in my email when I’ve wrapped up my reviews for the year and am looking for new stuff to read and review for the coming new year.
The cover above, however, isn’t the cover that caught my eye, and frankly, I don’t know if I would have downloaded the one with the cats. After reading the set, I have to say that all though the cats are a cute edition to this already kind of cutsie series, they do not play an integral part in solving mysteries, so I see the above cover as a ploy to draw in cat lovers, but it is a bit misleading. The digital book I chose to download featured a cover with a dark haired woman with a bob haircut and sunglasses appearing from behind a corner or a wall, (I’m doing this from memory. I don’t currently have the book in front of me), offering a mysterious, yet playful, tone representative of the cozy mysteries inside, and showcasing our amatuer slueth, as should be.
Georgie Shaw is a dynamic character who doesn’t like confrontation, loves cooking and food, owns two cats, and can’t turn away when things don’t add up and there’s a puzzle to solve, and her character is what carries these three cozy tales. For me, Jack and the cats were just sidebars which made the stories move more smoothly. But cover notwithstanding, these cozies are just plain fun to read. They are quirky, to be sure, and maybe even a little bit silly, but there was a smile on my face as I read each one.
It’s difficult to review the plots for mysteries without giving away spoilers, but I’ll give it a shot.
Murder at Catmmando Mountain
When the boss’ daughter is found murdered at the base of Catmmando Mountain, there is a mystery to solve, and Georgie Shaw is just the one to solve it. But 2 + 2 doesn’t add up to 4 in the the wacky world of Marvelous Marley World amusement park, where pets are welcome to enjoy the fun along with their owners. With Detective Jack Wheeler, Georgie works to uncover the clues until they add up to a mystery solved.
Love Notes in the Key of Sea
When she goes back with Jack to the beach where she was attacked and her fiance murdered, a song written especially for Georgie by her first love who died is the first clue that something is amiss in this cozy mystery. I tending to lend moral support to a friend in a similar situation, Georgie hadn’t planned on investigating a crime of the past which stirs up old ghosts.
All Hallow’s Eve Heist
All heck breaks loose at Marvelous Marley World once again, with active shooters in the park, during the big Halloween bash, when everyone is in costume. Georgie Shaw quickly sets to work figuring out who they are, where they are, and what they’ll do next. Once those pieces of the mystery are solved, she and Jack can solve the why and nab the bad guys.
All three of these cozies are a fun ride on the mystery rollercoaster. Light and witty, I give The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series: Novellas 1-3 five quills.
______________________________________________________
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Share this:
Treasuring Poetry – Poet and editor of MasticadoresUSA, Barbara Harris Leonhard, talks about poetry and a review #poetrycommunity #bookreview
Posted: February 21, 2024 Filed under: Books, Collection, Poetry, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Barbara Harris Leonhard, Memoir, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, Three-Penny Memories, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 23 Comments
A huge welcome to Barbara Harris Leonard, editor of MasticardoresUSA, and talented poet, to Treasuring Poetry.
What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
I’ve studied different poetic forms but generally read freestyle poetry, especially Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and so many more. I also enjoy the more formal classic poetry and other modern poets like Frost, Sandburg, and others. A favorite poet of mine is Emily Dickinson. I’ve written poems in the manner of Dickinson. Overall, however, the majority of poems I have read and written have been free verse.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
The first poem that comes to mind is Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “The Fish”. Here it is from poets.org. The description is exquisite, and the story is powerful. She catches a prize fish, admires him, and finds that the fish has been caught five prior times. After examining his wounds—the old hooks and broken fish-lines scabbed over in his mouth—she releases the fish. The imagery throughout the poem is stunning. The old fish is embattled and exhausted, not even resisting the catch. He represents something ancient and universal. He is more than a fish; he is history (“beard of wisdom”) and war as she describes his “weaponlike” lower lip and cutting gills. “The Fish” is a poem written with the skill I strive to have as a poet.
1911 –1979
I caught a tremendous fish
and held him beside the boat
half out of water, with my hook
fast in a corner of his mouth.
He didn’t fight.
He hadn’t fought at all.
He hung a grunting weight,
battered and venerable
and homely. Here and there
his brown skin hung in strips
like ancient wallpaper,
and its pattern of darker brown
was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses
stained and lost through age.
He was speckled with barnacles,
fine rosettes of lime,
and infested
with tiny white sea-lice,
and underneath two or three
rags of green weed hung down.
While his gills were breathing in
the terrible oxygen
—the frightening gills,
fresh and crisp with blood,
that can cut so badly—
I thought of the coarse white flesh
packed in like feathers,
the big bones and the little bones,
the dramatic reds and blacks
of his shiny entrails,
and the pink swim-bladder
like a big peony.
I looked into his eyes
which were far larger than mine
but shallower, and yellowed,
the irises backed and packed
with tarnished tinfoil
seen through the lenses
of old scratched isinglass.
They shifted a little, but not
to return my stare.
—It was more like the tipping
of an object toward the light.
I admired his sullen face,
the mechanism of his jaw,
and then I saw
that from his lower lip
—if you could call it a lip—
grim, wet, and weaponlike,
hung five old pieces of fish-line,
or four and a wire leader
with the swivel still attached,
with all their five big hooks
grown firmly in his mouth.
A green line, frayed at the end
where he broke it, two heavier lines,
and a fine black thread
still crimped from the strain and snap
when it broke and he got away.
Like medals with their ribbons
frayed and wavering,
a five-haired beard of wisdom
trailing from his aching jaw.
I stared and stared
and victory filled up
the little rented boat,
from the pool of bilge
where oil had spread a rainbow
around the rusted engine
to the bailer rusted orange,
the sun-cracked thwarts,
the oarlocks on their strings,
the gunnels—until everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go.
Copyright © 2011 by Elizabeth Bishop. Reprinted from Poems with the permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
I like free style poetry, mainly narrative and persona poems. Sometimes poetic forms feel restrictive because mastering the form becomes more important than the message of the poem. However, I feel practicing with forms enables a poet to mature in many ways. As I’m writing free style, I use many poetic devices, such as alliteration, slant rhyme, assonance, meter, and others. With free style, for me, some challenges include where to place the line breaks and group the imagery into stanzas. How the poem is organized can affect the meaning. I like the potential for ambiguity in free verse poems.
In “The Fish”, the last three lines are ambiguous. What does “rainbow” refer to? Epiphany? Was the fish a Rainbow trout? Maybe both interpretations apply. But the em dash is important. It interrupts the description of the fish to state an insight “—until everything”. The line break allows the reader to recall everything that was just said and speculate on more things. The repetition of “rainbow” three times insists there is insight. Pay attention. Rainbows are multi-colored, much like the fish. Rainbows presents diversity, inclusivity, and friendship. It’s no wonder she freed the fish.
the gunnels—until everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go.
Formal poetry can also have ambiguity and surprise. It’s just that I feel I have more freedom to play with the lines and stanzas in free verse poems.
What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?
In my book Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir, my poems are free style. I have several favorites, but “Marie Kondo Cleans My Purse at Starbucks” received recognition from Spillwords Press. It won Publication of the Month in Jan/Feb 2022. In this poem, I am carrying the grief from Mom’s decline due to Alzheimer’s and her death. I am burdened by the memories. Marie Kondo, who is famous for her books on how to declutter your house, offers to help clean my purse (let go of that which no longer serves me). As this poem is about healing from loss, it is in the last section of my book, “Echo”.
Marie Kondo Cleans My Purse at Starbucks
Konmari sees me at Starbucks,
my purse spilling over at the counter.
“May I help?”
She gathers me up
like I’m antique lace
washed too many times.
Before she begins, she whispers,
“Hello, the House,
I am safe. May I enter?”
She pokes through my purse,
pulling out the deck of cards
Mom once carried in her own purse.
A heavy bag of Mom’s pennies
to redeem for cash.
Her checkbook.
The messy old calendar
that listed her appointments
alongside my own.
The quilt she made me,
now falling apart. A cookbook
compiled in her own hand.
Konmari extracts other artifacts,
laying them gently on lined up tables.
People gather. My eyes bleed.
The extra-large pair of panties
Mom made me wear to Sunday school.
The wash, still not done.
A half-used bottle of Diethylstilbestrol,
she was prescribed to prevent spotting
when I was in vitro.
The tricycle she rode
around town at age three
because her mother never watched her.
My cancer scares, scattered
on the bottom of the purse
like cookie crumbs.
The scabs inflicted
by her compression stockings
I failed to wash one last time.
The clump of tissue
I miscarried, swaddled
in an inner pocket.
Her hysterectomy scar.
My hysterectomy scar.
Entwined on a spool.
My t-shaped uterus,
clenching a half-used packet
of Puffs Plus.
A dogeared photo of Mom.
A mirror reflecting
who I want to be.
Konmari has me
hold each item
one last time, saying,
“Thank you, tiny soul,
for sharing your life. I am
grateful.”
She teaches me
how to fold joy
three times.
How to throw out
what I can
no longer carry.
One strategy I appreciate about poetry, whether is is formal or free style, is the use of metaphor. In Bishops’s poem “The Fish”, the fish represents our history and ancient wisdom. Like the fish, we have all fought off death physically or spiritually. We are warriors who build muscle and bear wounds from our life battles. The fish holds our stories, and Bishop is masterful as she extends the metaphor to a universal level.
In my poem, I used the purse as a metaphor of my soul. In the book, Mom’s purse appears in several poems because her purse held her memories: her driver’s license (identity), her checkbook (finances), her comb (beauty), photos (family) and so on. Because I had to become Mom’s brain and hold her business along with mine, the purse took on significance as a brain, or a place to hold her life alongside my own. Grief work, for me, was a process of emptying the purse of all the attachments that no longer served me. And who could help declutter better than Marie Kondo? And revealing your wounds can be embarrassing, so why not do that at Starbucks? This choice gives a dream-like quality to the poem. It is surreal to carry your mother’s tricycle in your purse! Imagine all the nightmares of suddenly appearing naked on the first day of school or other important places. All my baggage is laid out on tables for everyone to see as though viewing a dead body. It’s no wonder “my eyes bleed”.
How do you promote your poetry and poetry books?
Connections sell books, so I’ve increased my online presence (Twitter/X, Mastodon, Linked-in, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, etc). I advertise my publications on social media. My position as Editor for MasticadoresUSA enables me to promote writers and get exposure. I also do interviews and readings online as well as readings, author showcases, and open mics in my hometown, Columbia, Missouri, and now other places in Missouri. I’ve gifted books to libraries. This past summer, 2023, Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir was chosen among other books for the summer reading program at our local library. My book sells on Amazon and is distributed everywhere, but I have also put it in independent bookstores in my hometown and in St. Louis, Missouri. I continue to publish poems mainly. I’ve started an account on Medium and am republishing poems there when the copyrights revert back to me. I sponsor Zoom poetry meetups and Zoom poetry critique sessions for the Columbia Writers Guild, a Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild (https://ccmwg.org/ ) and The Garden of Neuro Institute (https://gardenofneuro.com/). I’ve developed relationships with other poets and have reviewed their books. I publish the reviews on MasticadoresUSA, my blog extraordinarysunshineweaver.blog, and Medium.
Thank you, Barbara, for being a wonderful guest.
My review of Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir by Barbara Harris Leonhard
This collection of poems is a deep dive into the love between a mother and daughter. The collection takes the reader on a journey of the poet’s life and the development of the relationship with her mother. She covers her own life threatening illness and the subsequent incapacity and recovery process, as well as her later discovery of the poet’s inability to carry a child to term due to her mother’s ingestion of Diethylstilbestrol (DES) during her own pregnancy. How ironic that the poet’s mother took this drug to ensure the health of her own pregnancy and it resulted in childlessness for her own daughter. Life is full of bitter irony.
Throughout all the trials and tribulations of her life, the poet’s love for her mother burns like a flame, as does her mother’s love for her. And then came Alzheimer’s, the destroyer. The part of the book and the poet’s internal conflict and wrestle with her own feelings was close to my heart. Dementia and Alzheimer’s change people, turns them into someone you don’t know. Someone who doesn’t know you, someone who endlessly demands, complains, and makes bitter comments. In between, there are moments of normalcy and during those times, love returns in a rush, along with accompanying guilt for the conflicting emotions of the bad times.
This book captures the ebb and flow of human love and emotion exactly. It does not examine it, rather it describes and defines it.
A few stanzas from poems that stood out for me:
“One day says – out of nowhere –
shattering words out of her scattered mind
“You’re still childless? Don’t know why!
I dropped seven!”
From Mom’s DES Baby: The Hardest Pill to Swallow
“Mom, flat and detached
My fear. That she’s gone.
Now for good.”
From Fool’s Gold
“How will she manage
the mysterious passage?
This woman with no memories,
no way to find the path,
recall a friend, her mother,
recognise the welcoming
Angel of Death?”
From Departing from Gate 3
The collection is incredibly revealing and emotional, and exceptional read.
Purchase Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir by Barbara Harris Leonhard from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH99FS2T
About Barbara Harris Leonhard
I’m a retired Instructor of English as a Second Language. Although I have been writing since I was age 8, after retiring in 2017, I have had more time to devote to writing. My WordPress site is extraordinarysunshineweaver.blog. My work appears in online and print literary magazines, journals, and anthologies, and my poetry has won awards and recognition. My debut poetry collection, Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (EIF (Experiments in Fiction, 2022), which is about my relationship with my mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, achieved best-seller status on Amazon. Also, on Spillwords, I was voted Author of the Month of October 2021, nominated Author of the Year for 2021, and recognized as a Spillwords Socialite of the Year in 2021. I enjoy bringing writers together and have been sponsoring open mics on Zoom. I live in the Midwest of the United States with my husband, Dierik, and our cat, Jasper. Dierik and I enjoy long drives to the wetlands to count the deer.
You can find out more about poet, Barbara Harris Leonhard, on her blog here: https://extraordinarysunshineweaver.blog/about/
About Robbie Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fourteen children’s books and two poetry books. Her work also features in several 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 eleven 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 and Michael Cheadle have recently launched a new series of children’s books called Southern African Safari Adventures. The first book, Neema the Misfit Giraffe is now available from Amazon.
Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
Share this:
Book Review: The Atonement Murders
Posted: February 16, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Crime, Fiction, Review, Thriller | Tags: Agent Victoria Heslin Thriller series, Book Review, Crime Fiction, Jenifer Ruff, The Atonement Murders, Thriller, Writing to be Read 1 CommentAbout the Book
Four murders. One shocking motive.
When detectives find the same message—THIS IS YOUR ATONEMENT—at the staged scenes of four seemingly unrelated homicides, FBI Special Agent Victoria Heslin must uncover the connection between them to identify the killer.
The crimes are scattered across the East Coast. The victims are in their late twenties: an All-Star NBA player, an investment banker, a dental hygienist, and a bartender.
Who is punishing them? What have they done? And who might be next?
Victoria delves into the victims’ pasts, traveling from Boston to Charlotte to the North Carolina mountains, unraveling the dark mystery that links the crimes. As the killer’s motive becomes clear, Victoria is in a race to the finish that she must not lose.
Purchase Link:
Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Atonement-Murders-Agent-Victoria-Heslin/dp/B0C1T9VXRG/
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-atonement-murders-by-jenifer-ruff
My Review
I listened to the audiobook of The Atonement Muders, book 7 of the Agent Victoria Heslin Thiller series, by Jennifer Ruff and narrated by Kate Hanford. Although I have read several of The Agent Victoria Heslin Thrillers by this author, this was the first one I’ve consumed in audio. I felt Kate Hanford was a good choice of narrator. The narration was smooth, the inflections perfect, and her portrayal of the main character fit neatly with the idea of her which I had formed in my mind from the previous books which I’d read.
In The Atonement Murders, agent Heslin is on the trail of a serial killer, and it’s up to her to discover what the victims have in common and get at least one step ahead of them in order to prevent there being another victim. Four victims; two men, one a famous athelet, and two women, sisters. Victoria Heslin tracks down all leads until she discovers the connection to a summer twelve years earlier, when all four were at the same location with two other youth, but to discover who the killer is, she must uncover what happened that fateful night. The clock is ticking when the last two potential victims both fall off the radar, and she must figure out which one is the killer and prevent another murder.
In The Atonement Murders, Jenifer Ruff does not disappoint. I give it five quills.
Other Books in This Series
You can read my reviews of the other books in this series. All are highly recommended.
The Numbers Killer: https://wp.me/pVw40-3We
Pretty Little Girls & When They Find Us: https://wp.me/pVw40-7FF
The Ones They Buried: https://wp.me/pVw40-86z
____________________________________________________
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Share this:
Growing Bookworms – Meet prolific children’s book author, Janice Spina, and a review #GrowingBookworms #readingcommunity #childrensfiction
Posted: February 14, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Growing Bookworms, Interview, Review | Tags: Children's Books, Growing Bookworms, Janice Spina, Robbie Cheadle, The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost, Writing to be Read 50 Comments
My featured guest for this month’s Growing Bookworms post is prolific children’s book author, Janice Spina. Janice also writes for adults as J.E. Spina. This is an overview of Janice’s books:
Welcome Janice!
Tell us a bit about your books and your history of writing for children
I have always love writing poetry since a young child. When I wrote my first book, Louey the Lazy Elephant,I had to put it into rhyme. I find that children love rhyming; it keeps them interested if there is a cadence to the story.
I have 22 children’s books at present. Most of them are in rhyme and all of them carry important life lessons and family values. I first began writing for children but branched out later on into MG/PT/YA and novels for 18+. I have books about animals, dragons, and even short stories in a series of six stories per book for children ages 5-8 called Bedtime Stories for Children Series. Some of my stories in this series are based on experiences while others are purely from my overwrought imagination.
A number of your children’s books feature animals and creatures. Are these stories based on personal experience with these creatures?
Many of my children’s books are dedicated to individuals or based on imaginary animals or real-life pets that I have had in the past such as: Jerry the Crabby Crayfish – a pet blue crayfish, Lamby the Lonely Lamb – dedicated to my granddaughter and her stuffed lamby, Jesse the Precocious Polar Bear – dedicated to a little boy I met while vacationing in Aruba, Sebastian Meets Marvin the Monkey – dedicated to my youngest grandson and his stuffed monkey, Colby the Courageous Cat – dedicated to my daughter’s cat, Jeffrey the Jittery Giraffe – dedicated to a little boy who was nervous about loud noises, Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab – a pet hermit crab we once had, Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier – my first dog, The First Star – dedicated to my two children when they were young. I hope to continue to create stories to delight and entertain children for uyears to come along with my husband’s help creating the beautiful illustrations and covers.
The illustrations in your picture books are lovely. Your husband helps you with your illustrations. How much input do you put into the illustration process?
My husband, John, does do the illustrations and covers for all of my children’s books. He also creates the covers for all the other books I publish. Thank God for him! I would be lost without him.
I had to convince him to do this many years ago beginning in 2013. He told me that he wasn’t an illustrator but would give it a try after I told him how much it would cost to hire someone who was an illustrator. John has a quirky sense of humor. I do give him plenty of input about each illustration and cover, much to his chagrin. We don’t always agree on each one and therefore there are many revisions. But I am always pleased with what he creates as the finished product and give him an ample number of kudos online when I present his work.
What do you like best about writing for children?
I love writing for children. What I like best is to see children reading and enjoying my books or anyone’s books. The joy in their faces when they read or are read to is priceless. Reading is so important at an early age and not only for children but also for adults.
I love to hear from parents that their children loved one of my books and look forward to reading more. That is why I write. Receiving positive feedback in reviews is another way to make authors happy and give them an early Christmas gift.
Children – preschool to grade 3 are like sponges soaking up all kinds of things. My goal is to create entertaining and good, clean stories that are educational and full of important life lessons and family values that will stay with them for a lifetime. I hope my stories will enhance their reading experience, increase their reading levels, help to encourage them to become lovers of reading, and create readers and thinkers of tomorrow.
I also write for middle-graders, preteens, and young adults. This age group is a difficult group to entice into reading. They are always absorbed into the newest technology such as X-Box and video games, etc. I create stories in series for this age-group that have plenty of magic, mystery, suspense, wizards, ghosts, and time travel. It is a tough job but I will continue to do all I can to encourage this age-group to read.
What is your favourite children’s book or series for children?
Of all my 22 young children’s books my favorite is still, Louey the Lazy Elephant. This was the first book John illustrated. I love the crayon drawings that he created and how sweet and innocent he made Louey look. It is one of my most popular books alongside Jerry the Crabby Crayfish.
My favorite MG/PT book is Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series Books 1-6. I had such fun creating the twins and their twin-telepathy, adventures, magic, mystery, ghosts and even time travel. Kids enjoy this series but so do adults.
I was requested by a few readers to offer a series for girls after Davey and Derek were so popular. That is why I wrote Abby & Holly Series Books 1-6. These books are enjoyed by both girls and boys.
There are more stories in my head waiting to be written down, so stay tune for many more to come for all ages.
Thank you so much, Robbie, for inviting me as a guest. I thoroughly enjoyed answering your questions and sharing a little bit about myself and my books with you and your readers.
Thank you, Janice, for being a delightful guest.
My review of The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost (Davey & Derrick Jr. Detectives Book 5) by Janice Spina
This is the fifth book in the Davey and Derek Junior Detective Series. Davey and Derek, who are warlocks under the tutelage of their aunt, a witch, have already solved four mysterious cases and they have gained a reputation as detectives. Abby and her cousin, Holly, seek them out at school. The two girls believe the house they have recently moved into, called the Sheridan House after its previous owner, is haunted by a ghost. They have experienced some strange happenings. Davey and Derek agree to investigate and see if they can discover the source of the strange happenings and visitations.
With some advice from their Aunt Gigi, the pair set out to determine the cause of the girls’ anxiety. They embark on an intriguing adventure including cold spots, ghostly forms, and secret tunnels.
This book was reminiscent for me of the Secret Seven adventures series by Enid Blyton which I read as a young girl. It is full of the same energy and excitement as Enid Blyton’s books, but the Davey and Derek Junior Detective Series incorporates a taste of magic and the supernatural which appeals to modern children. This series also tackles topical issues faced by 21st century youngsters. The language is appropriate for the target audience and will keep young readers engaged and interested.
I enjoyed the subtle demonstrations of respect and family values incorporated throughout this book, which send an excellent message to young readers. An enjoyable book with an interesting storyline.
You can purchase The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost (Davey & Derrick Jr. Detectives Book 5) from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Mischievous-Ghost-Davey-Junior-Detectives-ebook/product-reviews/B072QBJ7LC
About Janice Spina
Janice Spina is a multi-award-winning author with 45 books of which there are 22 children’s books,12 MG/PT books and two books in a YA series with four more coming over the next few years, seven novels and a short story collection for 18+ written under J.E. Spina. She is also a copy editor, blogger, book reviewer and supporter of fellow authors. Her husband, John, is her illustrator and cover creator. Watch for more books to come over the next few years.
Jance has received the following awards for her books:
10 Mom’s Choice Awards – Silver Medals, 5 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards – Silver Medal, Bronze Medal, Honorable Mention and Finalist, 21 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards, 1 AUTHORSDB – Cover Contest, 2 Book Excellence Award Finalists, 2 Top Shelf Awards – First Place & Runner up, one Maincrest Media Award
Her logo is Jemsbooks – books for all ages! Her motto is – Reading Gives You Wings to Fly! Come soar with Jemsbooks! Happy reading!
Janice loves to hear from readers and appreciates and happily welcomes reviews.
Find Janice Spina
About Robbie Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fifteen 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 eleven 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 and Michael’s new Southern African Safari Adventures series is aimed at teaching young children about Southern African wildlife in a fun and entertaining way. Each book contains a rhyming verse story about a particular animal, as well as illustrations by Robbie Cheadle, photographs and links to video footage about that animal.
Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
Share this:
Book Review: Search
Posted: February 9, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Paranormal, Review | Tags: Book Review, Joseph Carrabis, mystery, Paranormal, Search, Thriller, Writing to be Read 4 CommentsAbout the Book
Search details one of the most tumultuous period’s in The Shaman‘s Gio “John Chance” Fortuna’s life. In college and having spent most of his life avoiding his grandfather’s trainings, he finds himself called to remember and practice his grandfather’s ancient ways to save children from human monsters.
But every step into The Old Ways drives a wedge between Gio and Jess, the woman he loves and wants to spend his life with. Originally relishing the idea of her own personal Superman, she grows increasingly fearful each time Gio manifests an ability beyond her comprehension.
And when both he and Jess realize he can use his grandfather’s teachings to force Jess’ to spend her life with him without her knowing he’s done so? Even though doing so violates everything he’s ever been taught?
Gio realizes being able to do anything doesn’t mean he can do everything, and that the strongest bonds on us are those we place on ourselves.
Content Advisory: Search contains graphic scenes of sex and violence.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Search-First-John-Chance-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CRNGXLQY/
My Review
Search, by Joseph Carrabis is a mystery of the most intense kind. There are so many working parts to this story that only ‘a good guesser’, like Gio Fortuna, will be able to figure out what is really going on. We first met the character of Gio in The Shaman. Same character, but very different stories. (You can read my review of The Shaman here: https://wp.me/pVw40-85U)
Some might say that Gio has shamanistic powers, others claim that he’s in league with the devil. But Gio knows things, and now, a young Gio embraces the talents which his grandfather taught him use, to help solve the disappearance of two young boys. But, there’s more going on than meets the naked eye, and Gio knows things, or makes ‘good guesses’. Gio uses his gift to reveal the person(s) behind it all, and the motives of every person involved, as he uncovers one parnormal clue at a time, putting them all together into a complex tapestry of life reflective of a reality I think many of us are able to identify with.
Carrabis is a master of skillfully unfolding a complex story. In Search, he’s outdone himself as he enters into the mystery genre with characters who feel real and an intriguing plot that keeps you guessing. I give it five quills.
_______________________________________
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Share this:
Mind Fields: Arkansas Pig Squeezin’ Contest
Posted: January 31, 2024 Filed under: Dark Humor, Fiction, Humor, Mind Fields, Short Fiction, Stories | Tags: Arkansas Pig Squeezin' Contest, Arthur Rosch, Mind Fields, Short Story, Writing to be Read 1 Comment
Addendum: Zoot’s Greatest Story
1968: On the road somewhere near Cairo, Illinois
The Mississippi river appears frequently to the left side of the road, as the Continental digests miles under its Goodyears. The river is like a giant python at the bottom of the bluff, twisting its silty way towards New Orleans. At Cairo it meets the Ohio River in a megalithic “Y”. The different colors of the different rivers make discreet etchings in the basic silver brown in the serpentine body of The Mississippi.
Zoot is snoring lightly, slumped in the front passenger seat with his elbow on the armrest, his head bumping gently against the rolled-up window. The car’s air conditioning is roaring like a distant storm, its wind coming from black plastic vents in the dashboard.
Aaron is in the back seat, trying to read a science fiction novel. The car’s motion is making him sick, so he puts the book down and watches the River as it appears and disappears amongst rows of trees.
Zoot jerks awake suddenly, yawns, rubs his eyes. He inspects Tyrone’s driving, looks at the speedometer. “You’re going a hundred miles an hour, man, and you in the slow lane. There’s a cop that cruises this road by name of Furley Robinson and he will love to jail my ass, so ease it on up.”
Tyrone looks innocent. “I don ‘t know how that happened, Zoot, sorry.” The speedometer drifts in fits and starts back down to seventy.
Zoot cranes his neck to see Aaron, slumped boredly in the back seat.
“I ever tell you the story of my true musical roots, of my Arkansas heritage?”
Aaron perks up and leans forward over the soft leather upholstery.
“Which one? The one about Preacher Scarby and the girls in the choir?”
“No, no, this one even earlier and more rooty than that one.”
“Let’s hear it, Zoot, we all ears,” Tyrone says, lighting up a cigarette.
“This is back when I was five, six years old,” says Zoot. “All the black farmers in Arkansas get together once a year for a musical festival, a Pig Squeezin’. They’d come from evahwhere, they’d come from Dawes County and Little Creek and Big Creek, from Meaty Bottom and Cradle Cave. They’d bring their best musical pigs and their women and children would barbecue up some ribs and haunches and they would contend for the position of Master Pig Squeezer. “
Aaron smiles. Tyrone wrinkles his brow, hoping to concentrate on the road but sneaking glances at Zoot, trying to discern just how far in his cheek is his mentor’s tongue.
“The greatest Pig Squeezer of all is a big fat gentleman by the name of Eufustus Rathbone. Y’ll understand, Pig Squeezin is a subtle art, it combines animal genetics, musical training, weight lifting and other forms of athletics and requires a fine hand at dealing with the hogs. You gotta take em when they’re tiny piglets and get em used to the feel of your armpit, your knees, you get piglets that like bein’ squeezed and handled evah which way. Takes a calm and pliable pig to squeal and bellow on cue. Why, Eufustus Rathbone can get a note out of both ends of a pig just by flexing his bicep, he is that good. He has a pig named Joby that can fart an E flat and squeal a perfect third above it.”
Aaron pats both his thighs hard, then pats them again, more softly.
Zoot pauses to light his three o’clock cheroot.
“You’re putting us on, right?” Tyrone swings his head sideways, then back to the road, then sideways,then back to the road.
“Lord’s Truth,” Zoot swears, solemnly. He winks at Aaron.
“This must have been nineteen ten, nineteen eleven,” Zoot continues. “It was my first Pig Squeezin and I thinks I is in heaven, they is so many people, so much food on big long tables, all kinds of little girls runnin’ round in checkered dresses with pretty hats.”
He exhales his stream of smoke languidly, cracks the window a bit to clear the air inside the car. Tyrone lights yet another in a constant string of Camels.
“You’re smoking too much,” he admonishes Tyrone. “You know that stuff wilts your dick, don’t you?”
Tyrone hastily stuffs out the butt in the ash tray. “Damn,” he says, “one fun thing fucks up another fun thing. Doesn’t seem fair.”
Aaron puts his chin into the crevice between the front seats, as if to prompt Zoot to continue his story.
“Okay, after two solid days of Squeezin’, there’s only three Squeezers left who can get up and withstand the sheer virtuosity of Eufustus Rathbone. This man has been Squeezin’ Master for six years runnin’. He has raised himself a breed of musical hogs that are light of weight but solid in volume and tone. He gets up on the stage that is built right there in the middle of Hanky Parkins’ fresh-mowed soybean field. He’s got Joby in one hand, he’s got two piglets named Squeak and Tweak on rope leashes, and he’s got an old sow named Hester draggin’ her udders on the floor boards. Hester is like his old standby, a reliable bass pig. He can just give her a jiggle and she will go ‘honk’ on the downbeat and the upbeat.”
Zoot’s left hand waves in the air and pictures seem to flow from his fingers, apparitions in the drifting smoke that lazily spiral up from the cheroot held loosely in his right hand.
“Eufustus starts out with The Star Spangled Banner, just to keep things simple, not to raise expectations or nothin’. The pigs squeeze in perfect counterpoint. Eufustus is sitting on the low three-legged Squeezin’ Stool, and he’s got Joby between his legs where he can control the pitch by bringing his thighs together, he’s got Hester under one foot and he’s got Squeak and Tweak in each armpit. After the national anthem he looks around as if to say, ‘can anybody top that? The crowd goes wild, everybody claps, looks like it’s all over. But when the noise dies down, a youngster by the name of Chester Wankus comes up the steps leading just two little piglets. There’s a gasp from the crowd, people saying ‘he can’t do shit with no two piglets, who he think he is?’ But Chester just scoots that Squeezin’ Stool over, sits down and starts squeezin’ these piglets and he gets them fartin’ and squealing and he plays “Battle Hymn of the Republic” real fast and he’s tapping with his feet too. It is amazing. Old Eufustus puffs up his chest like nothin’ happened, takes the stool back and plays the “Overture from The Marriage of Figaro”. The crowd falls silent, they figure that’s it, all over, nothin’ can top that. Chester leaves his piglets on the stage, jumps off the back, picks up a two hundred pound sow like it’s a twig and puts her on the stage, then jumps back up and gets her inside his legs. He takes a deep breath, everybody’s waitin’ for whatever’s gonna come next.”
Zoot leans forward and flicks the ash from his cheroot into the ashtray. He looks out the window. The sun is midway down the afternoon sky and its rays flash back from the river.
“Chester takes a minute to get himself braced, then he starts squeezin and out comes a perfect contrapuntal version of the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The sow is a trifle flat out her behind but Chester compensates skillfully by increasing the pressure from his feet and the rhythm is powerful enough that Eufustus starts turning a darker shade of brown than he already is. Joby just lays down on her side and Chester’s two piglets run over and start nursin’ from her. You’d think that is the end of the story but just then up comes a teenage boy from Smith County, and he’s got four piglets on leather leashes, he’s got a three hundred pound sow and he’s got a hairy wild boar in some kind of crazy harness. The judges take some time debating whether that is legal or not, but they allowed it, I mean a wild boar is a wild boar and they just have to give the kid points for difficulty.”
“What’s your name, kid?” the head judge asks.
“The kid replies, ‘My name is Felix Twitty and I’m from Smith County near the town of Goose’s Crack.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little ostentatious, all them pigs?”
The crowd grumbles its agreement, I mean, if the kid can ‘t come through with something tremendous he’d be seen as a total poseur, a Nouveau Squeezer with a big ego. He just takes the stool nice and calm, positions that boar under his left arm, arranges them other pigs in various ways with one of ‘em under his chin and he starts to play. At first nobody recognizes the music. It sounds good, it sounds mighty good, and finally the crowd realizes that the kid is playing Wagner’s “Finale from Das Rheingold” and he is making the boar sing the part of Thor and making the piglets do the parts of the Rhinemaidens. It is spectacular! Everybody almost passes out from amazement and Felix Twitty sure as hell won the Master Pig Squeazer prize for that year and for the next five years. He’s remembered as one of the greatest squeezers in history, and might have broken Tolly Scoobus’ eight year run, ‘cept he went off to France in World War One and got shot by a farmer who thought he was stealin’ pigs. He was just playin’ scales in the barn! All he wanted was a little practice. Mighty shame, that was. Mighty shame.”
The occupants of the car drive in silence for a while.
“You’re not pullin’ my leg, are you?” Tyrone asks sincerely.
“Lord’s Truth,” Zoot swears.
___________________________________________________________
About the Author
Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com
Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos
___________________________________________________
Want to be sure not to miss any of Arthur’s “Mind Fields” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you find it interesting or just entertaining, please share.
Share this:
Book Review: Neema the Misfit Giraffe
Posted: January 26, 2024 Filed under: Animals, Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Fiction, Review, Wildlife | Tags: Animals, Book Review, Girraffes, Neema the Misfit Giraffe, Robbie and Michael Cheadle, Southern African Safari Adventures, Wildlife, Writing to be Read 24 CommentsAbout the Book
Neema is different from her fellow giraffes. Their lack of understanding make her feel unwelcome. Neema sets off on a journey to find a new friends.
Includes illustrations, photographs, and links to video footage of giraffes, as well as fun giraffe facts.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Misfit-Giraffe-Southern-African-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0CMCZ7G93
My Review
I requested an ARC of the latest children’s book by Robbie and Michael Cheadle. I’ve followed this mother son writing team for several years, and truly enjoyed many of thier Sir Chocolate book series for young children. (I’ve reviewed many of those and will direct you to them at the end, if you’re interested.)
Neema the Misfit Giraffe is the first book in their new Southern African Safari Adventure series, and I wanted to see how their talents have developed as they’ve grown together as authors. As in the Sir Chocolate series, Robbie has designed the cover and illustrations herself, but this series features, not fondant art, but a cover done in gorgeous water colors and breathtaking photographs of live animals in the South African bush illustrate the pages. Also like the Sir Chocolate series, the book’s message is delivered in delightful verse.
Neema the Misfit Giraffe features an eye-catching cover that is bright and colorful, beautiful illustrations and even links to video of the animals their characters are based on, and fun facts about giraffes. This series is going to be a lot of fun, but it is also very educational, and I just love it.
I give Neema the Misfit Giraffe five quills.
____________________________________
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Share this:
In Touch With Nature – Giraffes chew bones and lions eat grass #animalkingdom #natureconservation
Posted: January 24, 2024 Filed under: Animals, In Touch With Nature, Nature, Wildlife | Tags: In Touch With Nature, Predators and Prey, Robbie Cheadle, Wildlife, Writing to be Read 107 Comments
Kaye and I are starting a new series this year entitled “In Touch With Nature”. We will be sharing information about the natural environment, and I will include some of my nature videos, artworks, and photographs.
For any writers, poets and authors who have an interest in nature conservation and our natural environment, I have joined the Society of Environmental Authors and Journalists. You can find out more about it here: Society of Environmental Authors and Journalists – Robbie Cheadle
For this first post in this series, I am discussing the topic of herbivores and carnivores.
The Oxford dictionary defines a herbivore as an animal that feeds on plants.
National Geographic expands on this to say that a herbivore is an organism that mostly feeds on plants. Herbivores range in size from tiny insects such as aphids to large, lumbering elephants. You can read more on this topic here: Herbivore (nationalgeographic.org)
Conversely, Oxford defines a carnivore as an animal that feeds on other animals.
National Geographic says: “A carnivore is an organism that eats mostly meat, or the flesh of animals. Sometimes carnivores are called predators.” You can read more here: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/carnivore/
With the above in mind, did you know that many herbivores chew on bones? It’s true. Giraffes, red deer, reindeer, camels, wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok, and sable antelopes, as well as domestic cows and sheep, are not the strict vegans we think they are. They have all been observed to consume bones in a practice called osteophagy.
These animals do not actually eat the bones or break them open to eat the marrow inside, they only chew on dry bones and only when they are mineral deprived. Chewing bones provides herbivores with essential nutrients, phosphorus, and a bit of sodium.
Phosphorus is an essential mineral for all animals. This mineral plays an important role in the formation of the skeletal system and is necessary for certain biological processes including energy metabolism, protein synthesis, cell signaling, and lactation. A lack of phosphorus results in delayed growth and failure to regenerate new bone as well as problems with the reproductive system.
Another way herbivores obtain essential minerals and other elements they need is natural licks, also called salt licks. These licks can be natural but many are artificial and created by humans for the animals. You will see deer, moose, elephants, hippos, rhinos, tapirs, woodchucks, fox squirrels, mountain goats, porcupines and frugivorous bats all making use of natural or artificial licks to obtain phosphorus and biometals (sodium, calcium, iron, zinc, and other trace elements).
A further surprise is that lions sometimes eat small amounts of grass to extract certain nutrients they need. As their digestive system is designed to digest meat, they cannot digest the grass fully and often vomit soon after eating it.
Some of the reasons a lion may eat grass are as follows:
- It helps provide them with a source of water;
- It helps maintain their body weight;
- It helps keep them cool in hot weather;
- It helps settle stomach aches; and
- Its an easy way for a lion to get nutrients.
Lions are versatile. This means that if they are hunting in dry regions like the Kalahari Desert, lions may eat plants and fruits as an alternate source of water. Lions don’t drink very much.
Domestic dogs and cats also sometimes eat grass for the same reasons as lions. Just like lions, they usually vomit after eating it.
Animals are adaptable and find ways to meet their dietary needs. There are few perfect examples of herbivores or carnivores in the wild.
Here are a few of my YouTube wildlife videos:
This black maned lion walked right past our vehicle:
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “In Touch With Nature” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
Share this:
Book Review: A Cry in the Dark
Posted: January 19, 2024 Filed under: Audio Books, Book Review, Fiction, Mystery | Tags: A Cry in the Dark, Book Review, Denise Grover Swank, mystery, Shannon McManus, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout the Book
When doing the right thing goes horribly wrong…
Caroline Blakely is certain of two things: She was happy with her life as a first grade school teacher, and she can never, ever return to it.
After discovering a shocking truth about her father, the wealthy businessman at the helm of Blakely Oil, she’s on the run – a difficult feat given her father’s endless resources and connections.
With the help of friends, Carly is able to secure a new identity, but her attempts to keep a low profile are blown to bits when she gets stuck in Drum, Tennessee. When she investigates a cry in the parking lot outside her motel room, she finds herself the lone witness to a murder.
Stranded in the small Appalachian Mountain town, she soon realizes that Drum is as riddled with secrets as her own past. A huge chunk of the intrigue centers around the Drummond family, ancestors of the town’s founders, and their oldest son, Wyatt – an ex-con.
She knows she’d do best to stay away from the Drummonds, especially Wyatt, and from the mystery she’s stumbled upon, but Carly’s sense of right and wrong demands that she help, even if it means risking her own secrets…and her life.
Purchase Links:
Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Dark-Carly-Moore-Book/dp/B083NLR3LT/
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-cry-in-the-dark-by-denise-grover-swank
My Review
I listened to the audiobook, A Cry in the Dark, by Denise Grover Swank, narrated by Shannon McManus. The narration was lovely and Miss McManus did a lovely job of portraying the diffferent characters in distinguishable ways.
The story itself is a well-crafted tale of a woman on the run getting caught up in the events of the town she is temporarily stranded in when her car breaks down. Landing a temporary job while her car is being repaired seems like a landfall of good luck at first, but when a young boy is murdered outside her motel room, landing her right in the middle of a mystery in a town filled with intrigue, Carly begins to wonder. Although she’s running to save her life, Carly is compelled to carry out the dying boy’s wishes to take a message to Seth’s grandfather, setting aside her own problems and the fact that the killers may know she was there. But with the message delivered, she finds herself embedded even deeper into the town and the mystery of who killed the boy, and it is only a matter of time before someone in this town recognizes her as tries to cash in the reward that’s offered for her. In a town full of strangers, Carly doesn’t know who she can trust or who to turn to, but she’s determined to get justice for Seth.
A thoroughly entertaining mystery which will grab a reader’s attention and not let go. I give A Cry in the Dark five quills.
________________________________________________________
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Undawntech: Emergence of the Engineered Reaction
Posted: February 2, 2024 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: Commentary, Technolgy, Undawntech, Writing Technology | Tags: AI Technology, technology, Undawntech, Writing Technology, Writing to be Read | 3 CommentsLike any other right we exercise, technology is no different. Our right to do something is balanced by our innate responsibility. Meaning: just because you can do something, should you do it? What are the ramifications? What is the legal perspective?
In recent weeks, technology has been used in an unscrupulous fashion. From images to videos, prominent figures in society are being defamed for clickbait. Clickbait is emotional advertisements that invoke a strong reaction like anger, hate, surprise, shock, and even curiosity. If you feel impassioned by a headline and its imagery, then it is best to steer clear of that link. This manipulation is milking the public for money without adding anything positive to culture.
Let’s say that you are an actor or musician in the public eye. Your identity is your source of notoriety and income. The public buys your products because they enjoy your style, image, and music or movies. The actor or musician also has contracts with production companies, record labels, agents, and others in their industry that bank on that specific style, image, and product. Many contracts have legal clauses, which prohibit any deviation from the artist’s public persona, as well as morality terms. A public figure has a vested interest in keeping the status quo.
If someone creates an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) image of an inappropriate nature, then the creator of said image has defamed you. Imagine that you are a young, female popstar with an innocent, wholesome image, but someone creates an A.I. representation of you as a blood-soaked, slut, then the generator of said image has defamed you as an artist. The same goes with male actors, who are purported to say or do something on video that is not them.
The First Amendment protects speech and freedom of expression, but not defamation, be it libel or slander. A public figure owns their appearance and likeness, public image, and other copyright and trademark rights. The First Amendment states:
If you would like to state unfavorable political, religious, social, or other views, then your right to say or write them is protected speech. Hate speech, which this fascistic phrase is not a legal term, is covered by the Bill of Rights. The right to speak, even to be silent (Miranda Rights), are both covered by the First Amendment. Comedy, as well as parody (Spaceballs) and criticism of another’s works (Book & Movie Reviews), are preserved as a right.
Nevertheless, the First Amendment does not cover every facet of speech or expression. For instance, freedom of speech does not grant someone the right to shout fire in a crowded theater, or threaten the health and safety of other people (fighting words). Pornographic materials created with minors is unprotected speech and expression (child pornography). Reckless disregard for facts and truth about a public figure is considered defamation (malice). Other actions unshielded by the First Amendment include: obscenity, perjury, blackmail, incitement (to be lawless), solicitation (to commit a crime), fraud, and plagiarism.
www.britannica.com/topic/First-Amendment/Permissible-restrictions-on-expression
In the age of technology, users must understand and navigate the legal framework of their rights, including speech and expression. What does the creative community do in an ever-changing landscape of expressive and innovative technology? First, read the law. Next, research case law. Both of these legal avenues will help creators create with peace of mind.
Copyright in the United States as a general rule is the death of the artist, actor, musician, et al., plus seventy years. If you would like to delve into the entirety of the law, visit the U.S. Copyright Office: www.copyright.gov/title17.
Besides laws to govern new technology, the best way to balance rights and responsibilities is to ask yourself: would I like someone doing that to me, my works, or my copyright/trademark? If the answer is no, then you have found the legal threshold.
__________
DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.
Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.
As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multi-genre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research backgrounds are woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.
Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawnted.com and www.undawntech.top.
________________________________________________
Want to be sure not to miss any of DL Mullan’s “Undawntech” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or informative, please share.
Share this: