Excellent interview with author Heena Rathore P on Cathleen Townsend’s blog. Do read it and found out more about my blogging friend Heena, and her upcoming psychological thriller Deceived.
Ronovan Write’s Haiku Challenge: Rein and Quest
![ronovan-writes-haiku-poertry-challenge-image-20161[1]](https://i0.wp.com/mjmallon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ronovan-writes-haiku-poertry-challenge-image-201611.png?resize=736%2C394&ssl=1)
I have to say I was struggling with Ron’s prompt words this week: rein and quest… until I began cooking the dinner. I asked my daughters what they’d like to have with their chicken and they said skinny chips. So I thought no problem, just bought them today, they’ll be in the freezer. WRONG!! Could I find those skinny chips anywhere …. no I couldn’t, somehow I’d misplaced them, they were so skinny that they’d vanished, evaporated into thin air. Along with my evidence – my grocery receipt- had I bought them at all or had it just been a wicked figment of my imagination? Who knows. Anyway, to cut a long story short I had to find an alternative. Of course there were big fat chips, potato croquettes, and two healthier options: new and sweet potatoes in the fridge. In other words every combination of potato known to man was present and correct apart from the much desired skinny fries! I suppose I could have made some triple fried chips… what on earth, maybe not. So as a consolation, I chopped up the sweet potatoes and added some herbs and a touch of olive oil. Much more healthy! So our quest for skinny chips became a quest for healthy eating, with the added bonus of a salad too!! Luckily no one complained, everyone loves sweet potato chips.
So here’s my haiku with that in mind:
Photo courtesy of Freepik: Freepik.com
Sweet Tatty Fries!!
Rein it in darlings,
Quit that quest for skinny chips,
A ‘Triple fried’ please!
Mum’s lost the chip plot,
Rein in your greedy tummies,
Quest: sweet tatty fries!
© Marjorie Mallon 2016 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
Do pop over to Ronovan’s blog to join in the haiku fun:
Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge-98- Rein and Quest
I’m currently reading – Amber Wake Gabriel Falling, oh I do love a pirate adventure… how exciting, more about that soon …. review to follow…. perhaps it might have been our pirate captain who stole my skinny fries… maybe Ronovan will have an angle on that? I hope I won’t have to make him walk the Kyrosmagica plank for his misdoings!
Hope you enjoyed my haiku.. keep on smiling pirates!! It’s Friday tomorrow, doesn’t that sound good? Oh dear do take care watch you don’t succumb to too many glasses of vino…. or you might hear man overboard!
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
My fun (totally not serious but nevertheless 90% true,) author bio on Wattpad – Link below.
Marjorie Mallon was born in Lion City: Singapore. She grew up in a mountainous court in Hong Kong. Her crazy parents dragged her spotty soul away from her exotic childhood and her much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. There she mastered Scottish country dancing, haggis bashing, bagpipe playing and a whole new Och Aye lingo. As a teenager she travelled to many far flung destinations to visit her abacus wielding wayfarer dad. On one such occasion a barracuda swam by. It stopped to view her bikini clad body, longing to take a big bite. With dogs' fangs replacing barracudas' teeth, she returned to her mother's birthplace: Kuching, Cat City. There, Blackie, a black-hearted dog sniffed her frightened butt, whimpered and ran away! Shortly after this extraordinary event an angry female Orang-Utan chased her unfit ass out of the Malaysian jungle believing that she was a threat to her babies! She still monkeys about, would love to own a cat, or a replacement Topsy but refuses to entertain murderous dogs, or over-protective monkeys. It's rumoured that she lives in the Venice of Cambridge, with her six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and her two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing her author's mind has taken total leave of its senses. When she's not writing, she eats exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surfs to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out she practises Tai Chi and Yoga on the crest of a wave. If the mood takes her she goes snorkelling with mermaids, or signs up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes. She is a child of the light and the dark. Her motto is simply this: Do what you love, stay true to your heart's desires, remain young at heart, and inspire others to do so, even if it appears that the odds are stacked like black hearted shadows against you...
My Links:
Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Distance
I didn’t know if I would find a photo for Hugh’s Weekly Photo prompt- distance – but it’s strange how sometimes distant things can literally be on your doorstep. Yesterday a flower peeped out from above me as I walked home from work. I saw a tempting triangle of sky – a promise of a mysterious place beyond it to explore. This little piece of sky is my distance shot, it leads to the river pathway that exists in my novel The Curse of Time, which is currently with beta readers awaiting critique. So distance can sometimes refer to something within your grasp which still seems far away like my intention to publish. Both that piece of sky and my goals are a step away but if I try really hard, and believe in myself I will get there!
In Hugh’s words: For this week’s photo challenge take or choose a photo that shows an object that is in the distance. Maybe it’s a building or a wonderful view that contains an interesting object or scene that, although it is in the distance, shows up really well in the photo? Maybe you can spot where you are headed to from a plane or train and you’ve managed to capture it?
Want to join the fun? Here’s what you need to do.
1. Take or choose a photo that you’ve taken which defines Distance.
2. Create a new post on your blog entitled “Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 26 – ‘Distance’
3. Add the photo(s) you have taken to the post and tell us a little about what you are showing.
4. Create a pingback to this post or leave a link to your post in the comments section so other participants can view the post.
Not sure how to create a pingback? Click here for a step by step guide on how to create one.
Do pop over to Hugh’s blog to join in the challenge: Hugh’s Photography Challenge: Distance
Hope you like my distance shot. Have a lovely week…
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
My fun (totally not serious but nevertheless 90% true,) author bio on Wattpad – Link below.
Marjorie Mallon was born in Lion City: Singapore. She grew up in a mountainous court in Hong Kong. Her crazy parents dragged her spotty soul away from her exotic childhood and her much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. There she mastered Scottish country dancing, haggis bashing, bagpipe playing and a whole new Och Aye lingo. As a teenager she travelled to many far flung destinations to visit her abacus wielding wayfarer dad. On one such occasion a barracuda swam by. It stopped to view her bikini clad body, longing to take a big bite. With dogs' fangs replacing barracudas' teeth, she returned to her mother's birthplace: Kuching, Cat City. There, Blackie, a black-hearted dog sniffed her frightened butt, whimpered and ran away! Shortly after this extraordinary event an angry female Orang-Utan chased her unfit ass out of the Malaysian jungle believing that she was a threat to her babies! She still monkeys about, would love to own a cat, or a replacement Topsy but refuses to entertain murderous dogs, or over-protective monkeys. It's rumoured that she lives in the Venice of Cambridge, with her six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and her two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing her author's mind has taken total leave of its senses. When she's not writing, she eats exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surfs to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out she practises Tai Chi and Yoga on the crest of a wave. If the mood takes her she goes snorkelling with mermaids, or signs up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes. She is a child of the light and the dark. Her motto is simply this: Do what you love, stay true to your heart's desires, remain young at heart, and inspire others to do so, even if it appears that the odds are stacked like black hearted shadows against you...
My Links:
My Kyrosmagica Review of Oak and Mist by Helen Jones
Goodreads Synopsis:
“The end of everything? Great, no pressure then.”
Pushed between two trees at her local park, Alma never expected to find another world. But Ambeth, where a palace gleams in green gardens by a wild sea, has been expecting her.
Now she has to find a lost sword or the consequences for humanity will be dire. With no idea where to look, despite help from her new friend Caleb, things get even more complicated when a handsome prince of the Dark seems to be interested in her. Add in some time-twisting, concerned parents and a battle between Light and Dark for control of a lost sword, and it’s enough to make any fifteen-year-old want to give up. But then she wouldn’t see Caleb any more. Or Deryck..
My review:
Oak and Mist by Helen Jones is the first book in a YA Fantasy novel series. In my opinion this novel would appeal to younger YA readers who enjoy a well described beautifully detailed fantasy realm, coupled with sizzling romance and a hint of darkness. The main protagonist is a fifteen year old girl called Alma who is pushed by a bully into an alternate world. In this strange land she finds that she is the one prophesied to find the lost Regalia of the land of Ambeth. This startling revelation frightens and intrigues her in equal measure. A huge weight is put on her young shoulders – if she doesn’t succeed Ambeth and the human world will be lost to the mercy of the beautiful but potentially menacing Dark Lords. An ominous threat hangs in the air…. What will life be like if the Dark lords get hold of the regalia? Will they continue to create foul creatures such as the Galardin?
The Taliath bracelet allows her to do short stint time travel hops so she can return from her own land to Ambeth safely, and burns if a dark lord comes near her.. This could be a bit of a problem if she hooks up with Deryck, (the Dark Lord’s son,) the burn marks might be a bit of a downer!
On the whole the characters are well rounded, this is particularly true of Alma, Caleb, and Alma’s love interest, – Deryck. There is a fair amount of romance in the story which will appeal to YA readers. There is also a sense of Caleb’s frustration at Alma’s obvious attraction to Deryck. Caleb would be a wiser choice for Alma but Alma (being a red headed lass,) goes for the ‘bad boy!’ This adds an interesting element to the story – a love triangle between the opposing forces of light represented by sweet Caleb and dark in the form of the more experienced (one supposes,) Deryck.
Some of the subsidiary characters could have perhaps been developed a bit more – I didn’t get much sense of Alma’s mother and at times I found her reaction to Alma’s popping out at all hours to go to the park (to make her way to Ambeth,) a little underplayed. The interaction between Alma and her best friend Sara could perhaps have been been developed a bit more too. But I do see that this would have to be carefully done so as not to distract from the quest aspects of the story.
At one point in the novel Deryck refers to Alma as a dolt. I have to say that I’m not sure if many YA readers will know what this word means… but I suppose it doesn’t take much to find out! There are a few typos, and minor phrasing issues, but these do not distract much from the story.
I felt that the cliff hanger and revelation at the end of the book provided an interesting twist but perhaps the ending could have been curtailed at an earlier junction – at the point of the revelation to draw the reader into reading more. I was left with a bit of a …. is that it moment at the end…. having said that I do think this series will develop and I’m interested to see where Book 2 will take the reader. Particularly as there are many similarities between my writing and Helen’s – we both write about light/darkness. I hope that the darkness aspects are developed more in the second book…..ha ha !! Hopefully we’ll see Deryck being a real dark lord… given the title of the book – No Quarter – I reckon it sounds likely! How exciting!
My overall recommendation – Definitely read Oak And Mist, it is an entertaining fantasy story. Its strength lies in its beautifully descriptive writing, and believable dialogue set in an intriguingly magical realm. The plot is simply written but manages to keep the reader entertained and interested throughout.
I have a guilty confession: I tend to be a bit lazy about reading sequels to books – I really have to like them a lot to do so – but I am really looking forward to reading No Quarter, Book 2 in the Ambeth Chronicles: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26101561-no-quarter
Author Bio:
Helen Jones was born in the UK, then lived in both Canada and Australia before returning to England several years ago. The thought of finding magic in ordinary places is one that inspires her; when she was a child she did find a strange valley and hear a scream – the incident stayed with her and was the starting point of the Ambeth Chronicles.
Helen has worked as a freelance writer for the past ten years, runs her own blog at http://www.journeytoambeth.com and has contributed guest posts to others, including the Bloomsbury Writers & Artists site. Ambeth is not the only world she plans to visit in her books, but it’s where she is now.
When she’s not writing, she likes to walk, paint and study karate. She’s now working on several other novels unrelated to Ambeth, enjoying the chance to explore other fantasy worlds.
Book Vector Designed by Freepik
Designed by Freepik.
DISCLAIMER: “As of 13th September 2017 we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
My opinions are my own and any reviews on this site have not been swayed or altered in any way by monetary compensation, or by the offer of a free book in exchange for a review.
AMAZON VERIFIED PURCHASE.
UK Kindle Edition: http://amzn.to/2y3d50R
UK Paperback Edition: http://amzn.to/2jtI0B3
Have you read Oak and Mist or No Quarter? Do let me know in the comments below I’d love to hear your opinion..
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
#SoCS: Stream of Consciousness Saturday: Break/Brake
Today I’m joining in a new link up for me – Linda Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday. In her words: ‘Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “brake/break.” Use one, use them both, but whatever you do, enjoy!’ Here’s the link to join in: Linda Hill
Ritu from But I Smile Anyway and I were having a blogging chat about our kids exam nerves so that got me thinking that I’d like to write a post and a poem about that…The prompt words sounded pretty relevant to how I’m feeling at the moment. My youngest is going through her GCSE’s and this is such a trying time for her (and me!) as she suffers from exam anxiety. This dates back to her doing her SAT’s. She works so hard, and often I have to tell her to have a break! Well the upshot of this is she is well and truly exhausted and been pretty ill this morning at 6 am. So she needs to press on the brake a bit, slow down, focus less on the exam emotions regarding the exam she has just sat, and concentrate on getting ready and rested for the next one.
So with her in mind and all students taking exams at the moment here is a little GOOD LUCK poem with a crazy touch of humour to cheer you all up:
The Poor Invigilator Needs A Defibrilator
Factor in a break, a well-earned rest,
Press that brake pedal,
Breathe….. It helps to..
Fill your lungs as you count,
Whatever you do don’t vomit it out!
Can you imagine the mess you’d make?
The half-filled exam paper covered in puke,
Poor invigilator’s face turning stony,
Pulse weak, he’s having a bald-headed fit,
‘At least no one’s died,’ whispers some bright git.
Press that brake pedal,
Take a big breath in,
And let it all out,
Don’t rip the exam paper to shreds,
Heads turning as you run out for meds.
Press that brake pedal,
Take a big breath in,
And let it all out,
Don’t turn as white as a sheet,
Tip over your chair, and fall at the invigi’s feet.
Press that brake pedal,
Take a big breath in,
And let it all out,
Don’t pick that juicy zit,
Splattering blood all over your exam script.
Press that brake pedal,
Take a big breath in,
And let it all out,
Whatever you do don’t run out the door.
The poor invigilator might need a defibrillator.
Press that brake pedal,
Take a big breath in,
And let it all out,
Pray for the invigilator!! It’s time to believe,
Breathe, Break, Brake, Blast that paper….ACHIEVE!
Show those teachers at school,
Your mum and your dad,
That pesky invigilator,
Your kitty, your dog, the stuffed bear,
Those wonky exam tables and chairs.
Show ‘em a thing or two…
Shuffle those D’s to C’s, C’s to B’s,
B’s to A’s A’s to A* s, shuffle them all.
The good and the bad and the ugly too!
Breathe, break, brake… you can do it! ATISHOO!!
© Marjorie Mallon 2016 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
GOOD LUCK in your exams.
Do feel free to comment in the link below. Do you suffer with exam anxiety? If you do are there any things you find helpful to cope? I’d love to hear your tips..
Bye for now,
![unnamed[1]](https://i0.wp.com/mjmallon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/unnamed11.png?resize=300%2C220&ssl=1)
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
My Links:
#MondayBlogs: (Totally Not Serious) Author Bio Generator
I discovered this Totally Not Serious Author Bio Generator via Helen at Journey to Ambeth, and as I like a giggle I thought I’d have a go and share it for Rachel Thompson’s @RachelintheOC,#MondayBlogs.
See if you’d like to try it out – the more crazy and humorous the better! Her link is at the end of the post – so do visit her blog to congratulate her on coming up with this awesome idea. By the way I’m currently reading Helen’s book Oak and Mist and will be reviewing that soon, so do keep an eye out for that.
Just fill in the blanks!!!!!
(your name) was born (time, place) and grew up in (place, dimension etc) learning to (do something odd). They left (your birthplace) for (a far flung destination) where they (did something amazing). (your name) now lives in (somewhere fabulous and unusual) with their (living companions). When not writing bestselling novels, (your name) likes to (do some sort of unusual and creative hobby).
I kind of got a bit carried away with mine, it started off as a short paragraph and grew….. into a mini story… I really enjoyed this! This is about 90% true, ha ha…… I had an unusual childhood!
My Funny Author Bio:
Marjorie Mallon was born many moons ago in the Mount Alvernia Hospital in Singapore, otherwise known as The Lion City. She grew up in a high rise heaven scraper in a mountainous court in Hong Kong.
Her Far East stint was cut short by her crazy parents who decided that the relentless humidity, fabulous food, and endless parties were too much to bear. They dragged her spotty soul to the frozen wasteland of Scotland. Kicking and screaming she left her exotic childhood and her much loved dog Topsy too. Relentless tears and a posh attaché briefcase made this girl a target for primary school bullies. In this new regime she was duty bound to master Scottish country dancing, haggis bashing, farting, bagpipe playing and a whole new Och Aye lingo. Some say that this Scottish coming of age convert heard tell of the root of all evil: the thing that lives in hiding beyond the ken of the kilted sporran!
As a teenager she travelled to many far flung destinations to visit her abacus wielding wayfarer dad Ronald. On one such occasion steel bands were playing Calypso music. A silver barracuda swam by. It viewed her snorkelling bikini clad body, longing to take a big bite. This began a pattern that has continued to this day. With dogs’ fangs replacing barracudas’ teeth, she returned to her mother’s birthplace, Kuching, otherwise known as cat city. Her friendly Malaysian relatives introduced her to a ferocious dog called Blackie who sniffed her frightened butt. She must have smelt pretty terrible -it was a scorcher of a day – poor Blackie whimpered and ran away! It didn’t end there……more animals became a feature of her adult life. Notably an angry female Orang-Utan chased her unfit ass out of the Malaysian jungle believing that she was a threat to her babies!
She still monkeys about as much as possible, would love to own a cat, or a replacement Topsy but refuses to entertain any murderous dogs, knife wielding maniacs, or over-protective monkeys.
It’s rumoured that she lives in the calm punting Venice of Cambridge, with a six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and two enchanted daughters. These youthful babes are often seen surfing the country park lake before the soul stealing trees awaken.
Of course after such an insane upbringing her author’s mind has taken complete and utter leave of its senses and she now lives in a fantasy world where her family and complete strangers pay her millions to write all day and every day. When she’s not writing bestselling novels, she likes to eat exotic delicacies while belly dancing, and surfs to the far reaches of the moon to keep her abs trim. To chill out she practises Tai Chi and Yoga on the crest of a wave. If the adventurous mood takes her she goes snorkelling with mermaids, or signs up for idyllic holidays with Ch’i lin (or K’i lin), the Chinese Unicorn. This mythical creature radiates a myriad of extraordinary colours, and has a voice that sings like a thousand wind chimes.
She is a child of the light and the dark. Her motto is simply this: Do what you love, stay true to your heart’s desires, remain as young at heart as you can – and inspire others to do so too, even if it appears that the odds are stacked like black hearted shadows against you…
I loved writing this!!! It was such fun……Do have a go and don’t forget to link it back to Helen’s original post: Helen’s Link
Can you guess what’s true and what I’ve made up or embellished?
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
My Links: