Book Review: Snowman Shivers & Prospero’s Ghost
Posted: October 27, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Humor, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Humor, Short Fiction, Stories | Tags: Book Review, Dark Humor, Free Books, Kimberly Footit, Mark Leslie, Prospero's Ghost, Short Fiction, Snowman Shivers, Writing to be Read 4 Comments
About Snowman Shivers
You might never build another snowman again!
If you ever cast an uncomfortable glance over your shoulder when passing the silent snowy sentinels that stand looking at you as you pass on the icy sidewalk, if you’ve ever questioned what might really happen if the old silk hat placed on Frosty the Snowman’s head was truly magic, then these two dark humor snowman tales by Mark Leslie are for you.
Amazon Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Snowman-Shivers-Humor-Tales-Snowmen-ebook/dp/B006KF67GK/
My Review
Did you ever wonder what really happens when snowmen really come to life. Snowman Shivers, by Mark Leslie offers two darkly humorous that may send shivers up your spine, or at least evoke a few chuckles, and I guaruntee you will never think about snowmen in the same way.
About Prospero’s Ghost
Decades after his death, renowned Shakespearean scholar Dr. Marshall Emerson returns from the grave to seek vengeance on those who dared disturb his fitful sleep.
Emerson, whose specialty was the bard’s The Tempest and was nicknamed “Professor Prospero” could never be spotted walking the grounds of McMaster University without the precious 1861 folio edition of Shakespeare’s works clutched in his hands.
When McMaster University library and bookstore staff begin producing replica versions of his original text on a newly acquired Espresso Book Machine, Emerson’s ghost returns, intent to put a stop to this “desecration” of his beloved text.
Amazon Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Prosperos-Ghost-Cautionary-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B008BC28NQ/
My Review
I said it before, and I will say it again. I’m just a sucker for a good ghost story. Prospero’s Ghost, by Kimberly Footit & Mark Leslie is delightful short story of haunting porportions. It seems a love of literature A tale of a haunted campus library that can be read in one sitting, this story is for ghost lovers everywhere.
Get Them Free
You can find both of these books in the “FREE Reads” on Mark Leslie’s Books2Read author page here: https://books2read.com/markleslie. (You can find them both on Amazon, too, but Prospero’s Ghost is .99 cents, instead of free.)
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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 here.
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Dark Origins – A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe based on the Great Plague of London, 1665 #DarkOrigins #readingcommunity #history
Posted: October 25, 2023 Filed under: Books, Dark Origins, Fiction, Historical Fiction | Tags: A Journal of the Plague Year, BookReview, Daniel Defoe, Dark Origins, Robbie Cheadle, Writing to be Read 28 Comments
Overview
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is a most interesting book particularly in light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic that swept the world.
It is written in the first-person as a first hand account of the protagonist’s, identified as H.F. and described as an unmarried saddler, experiences during the great plague that afflicted London in 1665. The story is fiction but it contains detailed statistics of the death bills as the plague started to take hold and over the months of its duration, charts, data and extracts from government documents which make it read like the non-fictional personal diary of someone who was recording the facts and figures of the time.
When the plague first comes to the city, it is contained to certain parishes and is staved off by the colder winter weather, but when late spring and summer arrive, the numbers of the infected and the dead increase significantly. The protagonist is aware that the rich are leaving the city, but he is very religious and believes that God wants him to stay.
He describes how the poor are tricked into purchasing preventative medicines and charms by quack doctors, fortune tellers, and other tricksters. It is interesting that he picks this thread up again later in the book and states that all of these ‘pretenders’ succumb to the plague.
H.F. describes in detail the horror of the plague. How infected people go mad and run naked through the streets until they drop down dead. He describes how the authorities implement a system of the shutting up of houses in terms of which when any member of a household was identified as having being infected, the entire household were locked up in the house and a watchman placed outside the door so they could not escape. The protagonist is not in favour of this system as it results in all the inhabitants of the household becoming infected and dying of the plague. It also results in a lot of desperate bids to escape shut up houses that resulted in the plague spreading further. Interestingly enough, a similar attempt to keep people in their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic also didn’t achieve the expected success and resulted in a huge amount of resistance by people.
H.F. depicts a governing structure in the city that is sympathetic to the situation of the poor and ensures that people have access to bread at a reasonable price throughout the duration of the plague. He goes into a lot of detail about the price of bread versus the weight of the loaves before the plague. The city is kept free of bodies which are collected at night and taken to mass graves.
The protagonist also goes into a lot of detail about the effect of the plague on the people of the city. The grief experienced by survivors who have lost their entire families and who follow their dead loved ones and throw themselves into the mass graves and other ‘infected’ people who effectively kill themselves because of the pain the disease is inflicting on them.
The narrator tells a lengthily story about three brothers who leave the city to escape the plague and meet up with a small band of other people also leaving. The difficulties experienced by Londoners who left the city and attempted to live in the countryside while the plague raged are detailed. The suspicion and lack of welcome by the rural villages and town who do not wish to accept any Londoners into their areas for fear of their carrying the plague, and the lack of shelter, food, and other amenities. The three brothers and their band manage to make a success of it with some help from a local wealthy landowner. They actually outlive a lot of the villagers when the plague does spread out of London and into the surrounding countryside.
Reading this book after the Covid-19 pandemic was fascinating. The parallels between this event more than 350 years ago in London and the experiences and reactions of people during the time of the pandemic are have a dreadful similarity. People turn to religion and to quack remedies, people resist the attempts by authorities to contain the disease by findings ways to escape from their homes, people suffer depression and loss.
This book is certainly not for everyone as it is filled with facts and figures, but I found it very interesting and appreciated the historical information shared.
The Great Plague of 1665 – 1666
The plague that broke out in London in 1665 was the worst outbreak to effect England since the black death of 1348. It is believed at approximately 15% of the population of London died. The recorded deaths were 68,596 but it is believed at least 100,000 people died. The population of the city in 1665 was 460,000.
The plague was carried by fleas on rats and they were attracted to the poorer parts of the city where rubbish and waste filled the streets.
There were three types of plague:
- Bubonic plague that caused swellings (buboes) in the lymph nodes found in the armpits, groin and neck. These sufferers experienced headaches, vomiting and fever. Sufferers had a 30% chance of dying within two weeks.
- Pneumonic plague which attacked the lungs and spread to other people through coughing and sneezing; and
- Septicaemic plague which occurred when the bacteria entered the blood. The chances of survival of this type of plague were very slim.
The treatments and methods of prevention were privative. Patients were bled with leeches. The air was cleansed using smoke and heat as people thought bad air caused the distemper. Children were encouraged to smoke to ward off bad air. Some people sniffed a sponge soaked in vinegar.
When the winter arrived, the plague started to decrease. Scientists believe this was due to people developing a stronger immunity to the disease rather than the great fire of London on 2 September 1666, making any notable impact through the destruction of houses within the walls of the city and on the banks of the River Thames. Many of the plague deaths had occurred in the poorest parishes outside the city walls
On The Plague Year: London, 1665
By DM Lovic
In London Town, the children played, the kittens purred, the flowers bloomed,
The adults laughed, the horses neighed, for no one knew they all were doomed.
Yes, all within the world was right when Death sneaked into town that night.
Beneath a haunted summer moon, upon a flute that whistled flat,
He played a slow, hypnotic tune that summoned every flea and rat
Who came from cellar, slum and glade to march the Devil’s plague parade.
Searching streets from side to side, the weakest souls with sword he struck,
Then left a token on their hide to signify the loss of luck.
For no one touched would e’er be saved, ‘twas six mere hours from spot to grave.
The wealthy fled to distant hills, doors were bolted, shutters locked,
But none could stop the morbid chills when death stood on the stoop and knocked.
Inside, they wept and fought with fate but, patiently, he’d smile and wait.
Sickness turned into despair, howls of terror, dreadful shrieks,
They echoed through the London air for weeks and weeks and weeks.
But panicked cries and wailing tears were only music to his ears.
One ghastly year that madness reigned and when Death fin’ly had withdrawn,
The price was tallied and explained: one hundred thousand souls were gone.
And London Town, in stark reverse, returned to life without the curse.
On city streets, the children played, the kittens purred, the flowers bloomed,
The adults laughed, the horses neighed, for every soul knew he was doomed.
From: The Poetry Nook
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
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Treasuring Poetry – Meet the poet, Merril D Smith, and a book review #poetry #poetrycommunity #bookreview
Posted: October 18, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Interview, Poetry, Review, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Book Review, Merril D. Smith, Poet Interview, Poetry, River Ghosts, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 65 Comments
Today, I am delighted to welcome talented poet, Merril D Smith as my October Treasuring Poetry guest. Merril has recently launched River Ghosts, a beautiful book of poetry which I have reviewed below.
Tell me a bit about your poetry collection, River Ghosts. What inspired the poetry in this book? Does it have a particular theme?
I had submitted a chapbook to Nightingale & Sparrow Press, which was longlisted, but ultimately not chosen for publication. The editor gave me some positive feedback, and I decided I would submit a full-length manuscript the following year. Of course, I did not expect a pandemic, nor that my mom would die from it in April 2020 during the first wave and lockdown. By that time, she was in a nursing home, and we were not allowed to be with her. I compiled River Ghosts in the months after her death with some already written poems—some published—and some new poems.
I walk by the Delaware River nearly every morning. Sometimes I go to a nearby park, which is also a historic battle site. The battle took place during the American Revolution, and there is an eighteenth-century house there. Recently, they’ve found more remains of soldiers—Hessians who fought for the British. If ghosts exist, I think they are at rivers, which carry so much history, and because of the battle and soldiers killed, I imagine them here.
So, the collection’s title comes from my musings about rivers and ghosts, including the ghosts of memory. However, I don’t think River Ghosts is all about sadness and grief by any means! I also want to mention that my older child, Jay Smith, designed the cover art, and the book is dedicated to my mother’s memory.
Do you do a lot of editing of your poetry or does the poem manifest itself fully formed?
That really depends. I nearly always do some editing, even for poems written for prompts. Sometimes, I go back to poems though, and I revise them. Then again, I’ve had some poems published that I pretty much wrote and sent off.
What do you find to be the most effective way of sharing your poetry with fellow poetry lovers?
I don’t know about effective. I suppose more people read my poetry on my blog, especially in response to a prompt, than anywhere else. I’ve also shared poems on Twitter /X for Top Tweet Tuesday (run by Black Bough Poetry), and I’ve read at some online open mics.
Do you think poetry is still a relevant form of expressing ideas in our modern world? If yes, why?
I think it’s relevant. I think I’ve read there’s been an upsurge in poetry, both reading and writing. Perhaps that’s because of social media and Covid lockdowns. I think most people enjoy poetry, especially if it’s read. For example, so many people were energized by Amanda Gorman’s reading of her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021. She is the youngest poet to have read a poem at a US presidential inauguration, and she is also an activist.
Which of your own poems is your favorite and why?
I don’t have a favorite anything—book, movie, song, or poem– it depends on my mood. But I will share one of my favorites from River Ghosts. “Moon Landing” was originally published by Black Bough Poetry.
Moon Landing
On that warm July night,
my father watched moonstruck
as Neil Armstrong took his giant leap.
I remained firmly earthbound,
watching our new puppies in the TV screen light,
their small black and white bodies tumbling,
stepping hesitantly into their futures.
Now—ensorcelled by moon-glow—
I plummet back, landing my time-rocket
on the rocky surface of memory.
Which poem by any other poet that you’ve read, do you relate to the most and why?
Again, I can’t say there is any poem that I relate to the most. I like many different types of poetry.
I think this is the poem I wish I had written. You will see in a way it’s connected to the poem of mine that I shared. “My God, It’s Full of Stars” is by Tracy K. Smith, who was US Poet Laureate, and who won a Pulitzer Prize for her collection Life on Mars.
My God, It’s Full of Stars by Tracy K. Smith
We like to think of it as parallel to what we know,
Only bigger. One man against the authorities.
Or one man against a city of zombies. One man
Who is not, in fact, a man, sent to understand
The caravan of men now chasing him like red ants
Let loose down the pants of America. Man on the run.
Man with a ship to catch, a payload to drop,
This message going out to all of space. . . . Though
Maybe it’s more like life below the sea: silent,
Buoyant, bizarrely benign. Relics
Of an outmoded design. Some like to imagine
A cosmic mother watching through a spray of stars,
Mouthing yes, yes as we toddle toward the light,
Biting her lip if we teeter at some ledge. Longing
To sweep us to her breast, she hopes for the best
While the father storms through adjacent rooms
Ranting with the force of Kingdom Come,
Not caring anymore what might snap us in its jaw.
Sometimes, what I see is a library in a rural community.
All the tall shelves in the big open room. And the pencils
In a cup at Circulation, gnawed on by the entire population.
The books have lived here all along, belonging
For weeks at a time to one or another in the brief sequence
Of family names, speaking (at night mostly) to a face,
A pair of eyes. The most remarkable lies.
2.
Charlton Heston is waiting to be let in. He asked once politely.
A second time with force from the diaphragm. The third time,
He did it like Moses: arms raised high, face an apocryphal white.
Shirt crisp, suit trim, he stoops a little coming in,
Then grows tall. He scans the room. He stands until I gesture,
Then he sits. Birds commence their evening chatter. Someone fires
Charcoals out below. He’ll take a whiskey if I have it. Water if I don’t.
I ask him to start from the beginning, but he goes only halfway back.
That was the future once, he says. Before the world went upside down.
Hero, survivor, God’s right hand man, I know he sees the blank
Surface of the moon where I see a language built from brick and bone.
He sits straight in his seat, takes a long, slow high-thespian breath,
Then lets it go. For all I know, I was the last true man on this earth. And:
May I smoke? The voices outside soften. Planes jet past heading off or back.
Someone cries that she does not want to go to bed. Footsteps overhead.
A fountain in the neighbor’s yard babbles to itself, and the night air
Lifts the sound indoors. It was another time, he says, picking up again.
We were pioneers. Will you fight to stay alive here, riding the earth
Toward God-knows-where? I think of Atlantis buried under ice, gone
One day from sight, the shore from which it rose now glacial and stark.
Our eyes adjust to the dark.
Continue reading here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55519/my-god-its-full-of-stars
Here is the last part of the poem with a reading by Tracy K. Smith:
My review of River Ghosts
River Ghosts is the perfect name for this beautiful collection, which gives the reader glimpses into the poet’s life in the present, shadowed by memories, and coloured by traditions and behaviours passed down by her parents, and the ancestors that came before them. It is, in essence, an insight into the factors that make the poet who she is, and that have shaped her thoughts, ideas, and actions.
I found the ideas of loss contained in this book, interwoven with the concepts of long-lasting memories and loved ones living on through us, their offspring, compelling and delightful. For me, it made the overwhelming thought of the losses that must come, more bearable. Love, and the family traditions and behaviours we continue to honour, and pass down to our own children and grandchildren, bind us strongly to those who came before and to those who will come after. I love that idea.
A few examples of beautiful stanzas and/or lines:
“a tiny glove in the street,
the small hand grows colder
now unclasped from a larger one.”
From Observe, And Again
Above and about, dreams soar –
I pluck one from a thousand –
of red petals crushed beneath rocks
after a storm, like blood drops growing, glowing”
From Almost, and Never
“Once some brilliant star breathed time
in the after-wake of explosion and danced across a universe
exploring eternity”
From And If Always Lives
This poetry collection is a wonderful investment of time and mental energy.
River Ghosts Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WZ8F9XJ
About Merril D. Smith
Merril D. Smith is a poet living in southern New Jersey. Her work has been published in poetry journals and anthologies, including Black Bough Poetry, Acropolis, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Storms, Fevers of the Mind, Humana Obscura, and Nightingale and Sparrow. She holds a Ph.D. in American history from Temple University in Philadelphia and is the author/editor of numerous books on gender, sexuality, and history. Her full-length poetry collection, River Ghosts (Nightingale & Sparrow Press) was Black Bough Poetry’s December 2022 Book of the Month.
Twitter: @merril_mds
Instagram: mdsmithnj
Blog: merrildsmith.org
US Amazon Link for River Ghosts: https://www.amazon.com/River-Ghosts-Merril-D-Smith/dp/B09WZ8F9XJ
UK Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Ghosts-Merril-Smith-ebook/dp/B09XKLDG6Q
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Book Reviews: Pretty Little Girls & When They Find Us
Posted: October 13, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Crime, Fiction, Review, Thriller | Tags: Book Review, Crime Fiction, Jennifer Ruff, Pretty Little Girls, Thriller, When They Find Us, Writing to be Read 7 CommentsThe Agent Victoria Hesling series
Pretty Little Girls is Book 2 & When They Find Us is Book 3 of the Agent Victoria Hesling thriller series, by U.S.A. Today bestselling author, Jennifer Ruff. I reviewed book 1 of this series, The Numbers Killer, by Jennifer Ruff back in 2019. (You can read my review of The Numbers Killer here.) All of the Victoria Heslin series can be Read as stand alones, and I also reviewed book 4, Vanished on Vacation recently. (You can read my review of Vanished on Vacation here.) So, when I had the opportunity to pick up books 2 & 3 of this series, I couldn’t resist. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, the common thread being FBI agent Victoria Heslin.
About Pretty Little Girls
Winner of the 2020 Reader’s Favorite International Book Award in Thriller Fiction
FBI Agent Victoria Heslin is called to Charlotte, NC to investigate alongside local police, but the mysteries only get deeper. Why are the girl’s parents so uncooperative? And why are the local authorities resisting Victoria’s help?
When her efforts uncover a sex trafficking operation, Heslin enlists friend and fellow Agent Dante Rivera to go rogue and try to save the girls, before it’s too late.
Pretty Little Girls is the second book in the popular Agent Victoria Heslin Thriller Series by USA Today Bestselling Author Jenifer Ruff.
Pretty Little Girls Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Little-Girls-Victoria-Heslin-ebook/dp/B07V6M12JS
My Review
Pretty Little Girls, by Jennifer Ruff is a crime thriller you won’t want to miss. A sex trafficking ring is on the prowl, peddling underaged girls from other countries – girls who won’t be missed – to rich Americans. But something more is going on when an affluent American girl who doesn’t fit the pattern at all is grabbed, and it’s up to FBI agent Victoria Heslin to fit the pieces together, before the bad guys break and run.
A fast moving tale with characters you want to care about. I give Pretty Little Girls five quills.
About When They Find Us
After breaking up a sex trafficking ring, FBI Agent Victoria Heslin wants nothing more than to visit the rescue shelter she sponsors, a trip that also offers a much-needed European vacation and a chance to figure out her new relationship with Ned. Comfortable in first class, she drifts off—only to be shocked awake when her plane crashes.
Lost in an empty, frozen wasteland, Victoria and a few other survivors battle extreme temperatures, as each day brings more tragedy. One by one, the desperate group is winnowed down. The remaining passengers must decide if they’ll stay with the wreck, waiting to be found, or brave the harsh elements and venture out in search of help.
When Agent Dante Rivera learns of Victoria’s fate, he puts all his energy and expertise into finding her plane, which seems to have vanished from existence. As he unravels a technological mystery and layers of scheming, he fears his worst nightmare will be realized: that he won’t find his coworker and friend alive.
When They Find Us is book 3 in the Agent Victoria Heslin thriller series. It can absolutely be read as a standalone novel.
When They Find Us Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/When-They-Agent-Victoria-Heslin-ebook/dp/B08BTMLCTT/
My Review
When They Find Us, by Jennifer Ruff is an outstanding nonstop thriller. When the plane goes down mysteriously, with FBI agent Victoria Heslin on board, no one knows why or where. It could be an equipment malfunction or an act of terrorism. Someone may have targeted Victoria or one of the other passengers.
While agents scramble on the ground to find the missing plane, Victoria and the other surviving passengers must figure out how to survive in the freezing cold on a very snowy mountain top. Strangers trapped in a struggle for life and death, and all motives are suspect, but they must depend on each other.
When They Find Us is a gripping thriller which grabs a hold and won’t let go. I give it five quills.
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Growing Bookworms – Great Halloween reads for children #Halloween #GrowingBookworms
Posted: October 11, 2023 Filed under: Children's Books, Growing Bookworms, Reading, Teaching children | Tags: Children's Books, Children's Stories, Growing Bookworms, Halloween, Writing to be Read 67 Comments
I didn’t grow up with Halloween. In fact, I learned about the Halloween festival much later in my life through social media and books.
Looking back on my childhood reading though, I always had a fascination with all things creepy and chilling. Below I’ve discussed two of my favourite childhood books about witches, monsters, and other fantasy and mythological creatures, as well as Michael and my latest Sir Chocolate book: Sir Chocolate and the Chinese Candy Dragon.
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Blurb
This is not a fairy-tale. This is about real witches. Real witches don’t ride around on broomsticks. They don’t even wear black cloaks and hats. They are vile, cunning, detestable creatures who disguise themselves as nice, ordinary ladies. So how can you tell when you’re face to face with one? Well, if you don’t know yet you’d better find out quickly-because there’s nothing a witch loathes quite as much as children and she’ll wield all kinds of terrifying powers to get rid of them.
My thoughts
I loved The Witches. The main characters of the book are a grandmother and her young grandson. Grandma comes from Norway and has had several experiences with real witches disguised as lovely and kind ladies. There are lots of way of identifying ‘real’ witches and Grandma passes this wisdom on to her young grandson. The story is told from the perspective of the unnamed grandson.
Following an illness, Grandma and her grandson book a holiday in a hotel near the sea. Grandma needs fresh ocean air to convalesce. When the pair arrive, a conference of the “Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children” is in progress. The grandson manages to get himself trapped behind a screen in the ball room where the conference is being held. It doesn’t take long before the lovely attendees of the conference are revealed to be witches. The Grand High Witch has come up with a plan to rid the world of its children and she is sharing this plan with all the witches of England.
It is up to Grandma and her grandson to stop the witches and save the children of England from a ghastly fate.
Grandma was such a wonderful character, full of creepy stories and antsy comments. I really enjoyed her, and this is one of my favourite Roald Dahl books.
You can purchase The Witches by Roald Dahl here: https://www.amazon.com/Witches-Roald-Dahl-ebook/dp/B00INIYHJQ
Which Witch by Iva Ibbotson
Blurb
Arriman the Awful, feared Wizard of the North, has decided to marry. But his wife must be a witch of the darkest powers…
A sorcery competition is held to discover which witch is the most potent and fiendish, and glamorous Madame Olympia conjures up a thousand plague-bearing rats! Belladonna, the white witch, desperately wants to be a wicked enchantress, but her magic produces flowers instead of snakes. How can she become more devilish than all the other witches?
My thoughts
Iva Ibbotson has many entertaining children’s books that feature witches, monsters, and other fantasy creatures. This one was the first of her books I read, and I never forgot it. When I had my own children, I searched for this book and purchased it to read to them.
Arriman the Awful, a dark and powerful wizard, lives in Darkington Hall. Arriman has become bored with his dark magic and decides to choose a wife from his hometown of Todcaster. He is aware of a prophecy that he will be replaced by a wizard with much greater powers than his own and believes this great dark wizard must be his son. Arriman doesn’t have any children and isn’t married so he decides to remediate this situation as quickly as possible.
Arriman decides to choose his wife through the holding of a contest between the seven witches of Todcaster: (Mabel Wrack, Ethel Feedbag, Mother Bloodworth, Nancy Shouter, Nora Shouter, Madame Olympia, and Belladonna). The witch who performs the darkest magical act will become his wife.
All the witches are black witches except for one: Belladonna. She is a white witch and is not able to perform acts of dark magic. Belladonna is, however, in love with Arriman the Awful and wants to win the contest.
Shortly before the contest, Belladonna meets an orphan boy named Terence Mugg. Belladonna is able to perform a really dark act of magic to rescue Terence from the dreadful and unking matron of the orphanage. The pair believe that Terence’s pet worm, Rover, is a powerful familiar and has enabled Belladonna to perform this black magic.
Belladonna and Terence, with the help of Rover, come up with a plan to ensure Belladonna wins the contest.
However, the best laid plans often go astray and this one is no exception.
You can purchase Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson here: https://www.amazon.com/Which-Witch-Eva-Ibbotson-ebook/dp/B003GGST7Q
Sir Chocolate and the Chinese Candy Dragon
How this book came to be published
Sir Chocolate and the Chinese Candy Dragon is the third book in Michael and my new “Sir Chocolate High days and Holidays” book series.
We decided to self-publish this new series which celebrates various Christian holidays and other international celebration days like Valentine and Halloween.
The source of these stories is mainly promotions for the Sir Chocolate book series that we have written over the last seven years since the first Sir Chocolate book, Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream berries story and cookbook was published.
Our intention with this series is to share a fun, rhyming verse themed story and to include some fun activities (mainly baking and food art but there are some other activities included) that parents or caregivers can make with their children in line with the holiday or theme that is the focus of the book.
Sir Chocolate and the Chinese Candy Dragon is a Halloween themed book and includes three fabulous themed baking activities that children can make under parental guidance.
This book includes five fun limericks for children. This is one example:
Blurb
The Chinese Candy Dragon has taken all of Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet’s Halloween treats. Will he return the stolen goodies and mend his relationship with the villagers?
Includes three fun Halloween activities for children.
Book trailer
About Robbie Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fourteen 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’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
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Join us for a Midnight Roost
Posted: October 10, 2023 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Dark Fantasy, Dark Humor, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Horror, Mythology and Legend, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Anthology, Book Release, C.R. Johansson, Chris Barili, Christa Planko, Dark fiction, Denise Aparo, DL Mullan, Isabel Grey, Joseph Carrabis, Julie Jones, Kaye Lynne Booth, Keith J. Hoskins, M J Mallon, Michaele Jordan, Midnight Roost, Patty Fletcher, Paul Kane, Rebecca M. Senese, Robert Kostanczuk, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Sonia Pipkin, WordCrafter Press, Writing to be Read, Zack Ellafy 10 Comments
It’s coming! Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories to be released October 17, 2023 and is available for pre-order now!
About the Midnight Roost
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Preorder Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
The Contributing Authors
- Zack Ellafy – “House on the Plains”
- Chris Barili – “Shaken”
- Joseph Carrabis – “The Beach”, “Blood Magic”, and “Binky”
- DL Mullan – “Mangled”
- Christa Planko – “The Easterville Glass Ghost”
- Paul Kane – “The White Lady”
- Sonia Pipkin – “Once Upon a Time”
- C.R. Johansson – “She Shed Galleria”
- Roberta Eaton Cheadle – “The Behemoth”
- Patty Fletcher – “Casualties of War”
- Keith J. Hoskins – “Teddy”
- Denise Aparo – “The Pines”
- Julie Jones – “Night of Terror”
- Isabel Grey – “Rabbits Can’t See Pink Firework” and “Red Door House” (Winning story in 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest
- Rebecca M. Senese – “Take Two”
- Mario Acevedo – “Immediate Intervention”
- Kaye Lynne Booth – “Melina”
- Michaele Jordan – “Afterward”
- Robert Kostanczuk – “A Visitor Comes to the Window”
- M J Mallon – “The Cull”
Upcoming Book Blog Tour
To celebrate the release of this wonderfully weird and creepy anthology, join us for the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour October 16-23, starting right here on Writing to be Read. Meet the contributing authors, find out about the inspirations behind the stories, read excerpts, meet the characters, listen to readings from the stories, and get chances to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at each stop.
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Writer’s Corner: Direct Selling Through Kickstarter
Posted: October 2, 2023 Filed under: book marketing, Book Sales, Fiction, Kickstarter, Writer's Corner | Tags: Book Sales, Direct Selling, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kickstarter, Writer's Corner, Writing to be Read 5 Comments
Note: “The Viscareal Character Portrayal” segment of “Writer’s Corner” promised last month has been postponed, but will be featured soon.
Why sell direct?
Many of you may be aware of my use of the Kickstarter platform to sell my books direct, before they are released through distributors. My business model utilizes both direct selling and offering my books wife through distributors and libraries. But, ‘why bother?’ you might ask. By my own admission in previous posts, Kickstarter campaigns are a lot of work, create a certain amount of tension as I wait to see if they will fund, since Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal, and since I am not Bryan Sanderson, Kevin J. Anderson, or Joanna Penn, have produced only a small amount of money, just barely funding each time.
But, did you know that authors who sell direct make more money from their books by cutting out the percentage that distributors take, so they get to keep more of their royalties. I would make even more if I sold direct from my site, but I’m not set up to do that yet.
So, by buying direct from an author’s site or through a Kickstarter campaign, you are supporting that author more than you do by purchasing through a distributor. I’m all for anything that makes me more money from my books and gives less to Amazon. While I do have to give a cut of the money I make on each campaign to Kickstarter, it’s only 5%, which is much less than the 30 – 70% that have to give distributors.
Why Kickstarter?
Traditionally, authors would submit their work to publishers, and if they were lucky enough to have their book catch a publishers eye, they would get a contract and an advance on their earnings, and their book would be published eventually. But that advance was basically what most authors would make on their book unless it hit the best seller lists, because you had to earn out the advance before any more royalties would be distributed. With the rise of indie authors, traditional publishing, publishers began offering less and less for advanced, and doing less and less marketing, until I hear now, that in many traditional publishing deals today, authors are lucky to get any kind of advance at all, and they are expected to do most of the marketing, as well.
I look at Kickstarter as the indie authors advance for their books, and the best part is, you don’t have to earn that out before receiving more royalties from distributors. So, while $500 isn’t a lot of money, that’s where I set my funding goals for now, because it’s low enough to offer me a chance to reach it, since I don’t have a big reach… yet. I figure that’s a pretty good advance, and it gives me more funding to keep my writing business operating for a while longer.
Not all crowd funding is equal. I understand that other crowd funding platforms charge a lot more to host, are more general in their uses, and feel a bit like begging. But Kickstarter is set up to accommodate creative projects, and they have formed their own inner eco-system, so you can reach out to a whole new audience. Backers from earlier campaigns are automatically notified when you launch a new campaign, and they have internal messaging set up, so you can engage directly with your backers and develop more of a relationship. And I’m not begging. I’m offering real value to my backers in exchange for their support. The going may be slow, but this is one way to find those 100 true fans that will read everything I ever wrote, just because I’m me.
How Does It Work?
Why you might want to back a Kickstarter?
There are several reasons for backing Kickstarter campaigns. You might know or be familiar with the author and want to show your support. I support Kickstarter campaigns of authors I know, and they, in turn, back my campaigns, as well. That’s one thing I love about most author communities – we support one another.
But, there is another reason which can be even more motivating – the value offered through the Kickstarter system. Of course, the higher pledge levels offer more value through bigger and better rewards.
Plus there are add-ons, which you can get for an additional pledge. Since international shipping is beyond my reach at this time, I offer plenty of digital goodies for my add-ons. I tried offering an interview with the author, but as a still relatively unknown author, I didn’t have any takers on that one. Hopefully, that will change soon.
But there’s more. Once the funding goal is reached, stretch goals can be added, which offer bonus goods if a new goal is reached, as I touched on above. For example, you might receive a bonus book for everyone who backed the project at the $5 level or higher for hitting a certain amount of pledges, or bringing in a certain number of new backers by a given deadline. The more goals reached, the more rewards backers get. And it’s not just books. Kevin J. Anderson offers audiobooks. Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rush offer workshops valued at $150. Other authors offer artwork, interviews, in-person hang outs or Zoom calls, or consultations. Backing a Kickstarter at the $5 level can return some great value.
My campaigns offer an early digital copy of the book, before its release through distributors at the $5 level, and a signed print copy for U.S. backers at the $25 level. For Rock Star, my highest level offered a goodie bag with all the rewards from the lower levels and more. For Delilah, backers at the highest level got to name a character in the second book. I’ve had a lot of fun developing the characters of Lillian Alura Bennett and Owoz Crebo for Sarah.
Things to be aware of
Kickstarters are a lot of work. Seriously. And you must keep in mind that Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal, so if you don’t reach your funding goal, you get nothing, and neither do your backers.
On the other hand, it’s a great way to engage with readers, as Kickstarter provides internal messaging which allows you to interact directly with your backers. Backers for one campaign are automatically notified when you run the next one, so it helps to build your following. Because it is a form of direct sales, you profit more than you would selling through distributors.
A look at my past Kickstarters
I have done two Kickstarter campaigns, and both successfully funded. The first was in January, for Delilah and the Women in the West adventure series. You can learn more about that campaign here: . I’m planning another series Kickstarter in January 2024 for Sarah, book two of the series.
The second campaign was in July of this past year for The Rock Star and The Outlaw, my new time-travel adventure. Although I am not a big author, with a big reach, this campaign also funded, and it did so a little faster than the first, leaving me three whole days of campaign to offer a stretch goal. Stretch goals are extra added goodies, which can be offered to try and gain more pledges, thus making more money once you’ve reached your goal. I added a stretch goal for reaching an additional $100, but didn’t quite make it. Still it was excited to have the opportunity to offer it to my backers. I like being able to offer cool things to my supporters. It felt good to be able to offer an extra value. Maybe next time, we will make it.
Looking forward
I have two Kickstarter campaigns planned for 2024. The first is the January Kickstarter for Sarah, mentioned above. I’m really looking forward to sending off the second book in this wonderful western series, with its strong female protagonists and historic female characters. Big Nose Kate will make an appearance in the second book, along with young Sarah, the fiery youth who was kidnapped and sold to the Utes in the first book.
The second campaign will be in July, for the first three books in the My Backyard Friends children’s series. I almost had this one published back in 2015, but problems with the illustrator prevented it from coming to fruition. You can learn more about the difficulties encountered here: . This series is inhabited by characters based on birds and wildlife which visit me at my Colorado mountain home. Each book is stand alone, so they need not be read in order, and I will be launching the first three from the Kickstarter platform Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans, and one other story to be determined.
I finally found a wonderful illustrator for these books, and she was right under my nose. I’m happy to announce that this series will be illustrated by our very own, multi-talented Robbie Cheadle! I am thrilled to have Robbie doing the illustrations, and can’t wait to present the first three books on the Kickstarter platform.
In conclusion
I hope this post has given you a better idea of what Kickstarter is all about, and how it might be useful to you, as an author. I also hope it has encouraged you to check out my Kickstarter campaigns, and maybe even throw your support behind me. I’ll keep an eye out for you next January and July.
To learn more about Kickstarters
Here are a few places where you can learn more about Kickstarter and get tips on what to do when launching your own campaign.
Get ting Your Book Selling with Kickstarter, by Russel Nohelty and Monica Leonelle. (Watch for my “Review in Practice” for this book next week.)
Stark Reflections Podcast: Episode 149 – Killing it on Kickstarter with Russell Nohelty
The Creative Penn Podcast: Episode #627 – Kickstarter for Authors with Monica Leonelle
The Creative Penn Podcast: Episode #619 – Kickstarter and Multiple Streams of Income with Bryon Cohen
About the Author
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; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. 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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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
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Book Review: Stonewhisper
Posted: September 29, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Hifgh Fantasy, Review, Young Adult | Tags: Book Review, H.Y. Gregor, High Fantasy, Stone Whisper, Writing to be Read, Young Adult Fantasy 2 CommentsAbout the Book
Lovers of the Night Angel trilogy and the Ember Blade will enjoy this dastardly tale of torn loyalties, a criminal empire, and a fallen hero.
Erion spends his days fighting Daemanon’s monsters and his nights skirting the line between criminal and victim. He’s stuck as a hired thug for the Crimson Fang—forced to pay his father’s debt as he tries to keep the Fang from discovering his younger brother’s potent Life Magic. When Erion kills the wrong man, he gives the Fang exactly what they need to bring him into their criminal ranks.
When a Guardian of Pelinon arrives to investigate a series of disappearances, Erion and his dodgy allies unearth the truth of the disappearances buried beneath layers of stone, secrets, and death.
Necromancers weave dark rites. Chaos erupts. For Erion, is there any good in being a hero if there’s no one left to save?
For lovers of Dungeons & Dragons and GameLit, this is a book from the sweeping epic fantasy world of Eldros Legacy.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Stonewhisper-Crimson-Fang-Eldros-Legacy-ebook/dp/B0C3Z3RRMC/
My Review
Stone Whisper, by H.Y. Gregor is a young adult high fantasy adventure of the highest caliber. This story was crafted to provide tantalizing plot and subplot lines, skillfully woven into a complex tale of magic, monsters, and mayhem. Gregor offers interesting and complex characters, vivid discriptions, and an intriguing plot.
As Erion slays his way through monsters and hellhounds to discover who is behind the recent rash of disappearances of young peasant women, he uncovers a great evil happening right under the noses of all. But, he’s caught in clutches of the Crimson Fang, a criminal gang running rampant in the city, in order to clear his father’s debts, forced tol use his earth magic for their benefit. Torn between a need to keep his younger brother hidden until he can come up with asuccessful plan to get him away from the city, and his obligation to pay his father’s debt to the criminal Crimson Fang, and a realization that the evil must be stopped.
The adventure is high and the stakes are higher, and all is not as it seems. Stone Whisper is a thoroughly entertaining read. I give it five quills.
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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 here.
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Dark Origins – The Road by Cormack McCarthy, a novel set in a post apocalyptic world with a drastically altered climate #darkorigins #TheRoad #readingcommunity
Posted: September 27, 2023 Filed under: Apocalyptic, Books, Dark Origins | Tags: Apocalyptic, Climate change, Cormack McCarthy, Dark Origins, Robbie Cheadle, The Road, Writing to be Read 48 CommentsCormack McCarthy’s novel, The Road, is set in a world that has been devastated by a cataclysmic event resulting in a drastically altered climate. The story begins in the middle with a father and his son travelling along a seemingly endless road in bitterly cold conditions and pushing their limited food and other supplies in a shopping cart. The world around them is completely grey from the dull grey sky overhead to the grey, ash covered wasteland they are travelling through. All the trees, plants and crops have been burned or scorched and there are no living creatures anywhere. It gets progressively colder as the pair’s journey continues and they are always hungry. The only food available is tinned or canned food they can scavenge from the desolate and abandoned houses they pass. The repetition of the word grey in all descriptions of the environment symbolises the bareness of the landscape
The following quotes describe the landscape depicted in The Road:
““Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold beyond anything they’d yet encountered. Cold to crack the stones. To take your life. He held the boy shivering against him and counted each frail breath in the blackness.”
“He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.”
“The soft black talc blew through the streets like squid ink uncoiling along a sea floor and the cold crept down and the dark came early and the scavengers passing down the steep canyons with their torches trod silky holes in the drifted ash that closed behind them silently as eyes.”
As the story progresses, the details of the night of the catastrophe that ended civilization, and the rapid descend of the survivors into savagery’s following the scorching of the entire planetary ecology, are shared through memories of the father. This aspect of the book is similar to the degeneration of the school boys in William Goldings book, Lord of the Flies. Survivors have gathered in groups many of which have resorted to cannibalisms to supplement limited food supplies. It quickly becomes apparent that aside from the threats presented by the cold and hunger, other people pose an even greater danger to the travelers. In addition to all these obstacles, the father is very sick. He is suffering from some sort of lung disease, possibly lung cancer or a form of tuberculosis, which may have been caused by the ash in the air. The pair wear masks to filter the air they breath.
The Road acts as a warning about the irreversible and drastic consequences of climate change. This message is continuously driven home by the them of the certainty of death in a dying world. Death lurks at the edges of the father’s and son’s lives continuously. It takes many potential forms: the terrible cold, the father’s sickness, starvation due to the lack of food, and the evil cannibals’ patrolling the countryside. All of these are inescapable dangers for the pair and they will continue for the rest of their lives. The Earth is dead and is no longer able to sustain life.
I have focused on the themes of climate change and the death of Earth for this discussion as my purpose was to examine it against the backdrop of the current extreme weather being experienced around the globe resulting in flooding, fires, droughts, earthquakes and similar catastrophes.
For completeness sake, I will also mention that although the main conflict of the book is the struggle to stay alive in the adverse circumstances, there are also themes of hope and love. The entire purpose of the journey is one of hope to survive in the expected better climate at the coast. The father also constantly expresses his belief that their are good guys like them somewhere in the world. The boy is also depicted as an extremely empathetic and kind person despite the formidable nature of his circumstances.
The book ends on a relatively uplifting note with the boy finding ‘the good guys’ his father spoke about.
There is a movie of The Road and this is the trailer:
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
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Mind Fields: I Tear Apart Marvel Comics With My Grandkids
Posted: October 6, 2023 | Author: artrosch | Filed under: Comic Hero, Commentary, Mind Fields, Parenting, Writing to be Read | Tags: Arthur Rosch, Children, Marvel Universe, Mind Fields, Social Commentary, Writing to be Read | 17 CommentsWhen I’m with my grandkids watching movies from the Marvel Comics universe I have to remind myself not to view this material with an adult mind. It’s better to watch with the mind set of my 13 year old grandson and ten year old grand-daughter.
Last night we watched “Ant Man And The Wasp”. My grandkids loved it. I liked it. Well… I endured it. There’s so much filler in Marvel movies. Every “BOP! POW!” or “WHAM!”, every end-over-end toppling of a character whose booties excavate the pavement or crush an office building: all that stuff is so much dross. Such destruction! Miraculously, no one is annihilated by the falling buses or shattered facades.
It seems to me that great writers are those who go the extra mile. Lazy writers are those who go right up to the mile before the mile before the EXTRA MILE. That’s what’s frustrating about Marvel movies. The producers know that they can inject a liberal amount of fake fighting and harmless destruction into the script. How much? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? Maybe half an hour of combat-without-consequences? IF (and we are) raising children with this stuff it sets a dangerous idea, that is, “THERE ARE NO REAL CONSEQUENCES”. There are just provisional outcomes that can always be changed by using a time machine or some deus ex machina, some easy out. Kids absorb this data hungrily and without critical thinking. They love the bop!bam! stuff and don’t seem to be frustrated by the relative emptiness of the script.
“Ant Man And The Wasp” deals with some heayy concepts, like the world of Quantum Mechanics, the realm of the minute sub-quark particles. I enjoy the psychedelic visuals to depict these mysterious areas. “Someone” I thought (but did not speak aloud) has been smoking some DMT or ingesting psilocybin. I took a few moments to explain Quantum Mechanics to my grandkids. They’re super-bright little people who are far more powerful than I am. They’re still kids. So I have to tell myself to chill; watch the Marvel Universe with an uninformed mind. They understood my explanation of Quantum Mechanics“ as a continuum, from the mighty sizes of galaxies to the infinitesimal sizes of sub atomic particles. BUT..if you live in any of these places then it all looks normal-sized. To you and your friends”. Right? Right.
My grand-daughter just came into my office and asked “Whatcha doing?” I said that I was writing a review of the movie we saw last night. I explained my point of view and she seemed to grasp that a world in which no one REALLY dies is a bit fatuous. I explained that Marvel’s tactics remove the real terror from their productions. We all know that none of the heroes will die. That there’s some last minute rescue. Or the sequel will resuscitate the seemingly annihilated people.
Hasn’t the media world always been like this? The soft-peddle American media archives are full of plots with happy endings. The hero always triumphs; the frustrated couple always get their kiss. I think this is true, but now, in 2023, it’s just more so. There’s more technology, more ways to soften the blows of so called REALITY.
Reality has never been less real.
The sound track of “Ant Man And The Wasp” brings a relentless rhythmic figure, a continuous percussive BAH BUH BUMP BUMP that induces an excited state in the viewer. It was so pernicious that my sleep was disturbed until I got up at around three in the morning and quietly played some Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. THAT was the last thing I heard before returning to bed and snoring away the next four hours. It’s important to understand this level of mind hygiene. The last sounds you hear remain in your head until you hear something else. If you want to sleep, you need to ditch the rough stuff in favor of something soothing. At least it works that way for me.
I explained the thrust of this essay to my ten year old granddaughter: that none of the heroes REALLY die and that makes the movies way less scary. I’m pretty sure she grasped my point. She’s really smart. I don’t know what kind of people god is now manufacturing but they are somethin’ else.
I’m less worried about the future when I see how these kids cope. Quantum Mechanics? They don’t care; its just something people say that means invisibly tiny stuff, like stuff that makes bacteria look HUGE!
They get it. They know that bacteria are too small to see, so why not even smaller stuff?
Why not? In a world where nothing is impossible; everything that’s going to happen has already happened and continues to happen. The future is giving way to this stuff. And it’s happening again.
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
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