Author: Marje @ Kyrosmagica

Hi. Welcome to my blog: M J Mallon - Kyrosmagica Publishing. A blog about magic, books, writing, laughter, and much more! I'm a YA fantasy author, poet and reviewer. My first YA fantasy novel The Curse of Time - Book 1 - Bloodstone is set in Cambridge and Book 2 - Golden Healer is now out too. As well as this, I have contributed to several anthologies, created my own with some amazing international writers, bloggers and creatives during the pandemic: This Is Lockdown and written two poetry collections: Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity & Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose. I write book reviews on my blog and on Goodreads, book bub and on my bookstagram. I have a penchant for travel and have relatives in far flung places, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, (my birthplace.) I grew up in in Bonnie Scotland, in Edinburgh, and now live in Cambridge. I love sunny, hot places, particularly Rome, Venice, Portugal, Barcelona, and I forgot to mention the sun drenched beaches of the Caribbean, how could I? I am lucky to have been blessed with two lovely daughters and a husband who I fondly refer to in this blog as my black sheep. Family joke! With my passion for travel, culture, beautiful beaches, good food, books, theatre, writing, and humour, I hope to keep you entertained. I'm loving every minute of this creative journey, please join me.

The Curse of Time – A Thank You!!!

A big hug and a huge thank you to all the wonderful authors/bloggers who have been so kind as to host me on their blogs. You are all awesome!

Many thanks to Hugh at Hugh’s News and Views for featuring me as his Book of The Month in October:

https://hughsviewsandnews.com/2017/10/01/book-of-the-month-the-curse-of-time-book-1-bloodstone-by-m-j-mallon-marjorie_mallon/

And the lovely Ritu at But I Smile Anyway who was so kind to share my poem:

‘What Inspires You.’

Ritu at But I Smile Anyway,
Asked me ‘What inspires you?’
I scratched my head and replied…..
‘Everything!”
‘Everything?’ She repeated.
‘Yes.’
‘What’s everything?’ She asked.
So I said,
‘The sun, the moon and the stars,
Sunsets, Crystals, Cats, Shadows,
Art, Puzzles, Mysteries,
Books, Music, Film, Sculptures,
People, Photography and chit chat.’
‘What kind of chit chat,’ she enquired?
‘The kind that keeps me listening!”
‘Are your ears big?’ she said.
I laughed, grinned and nodded.
She stared at me wide eyed,
So I confessed, ‘My ears eavesdrop.’
‘Blame your lugs,’ she replied.
‘Yes, my lugs are criminals,’ I agreed.
‘Where do your rapscallion ears eavesdrop?’
‘On the bus, on the train, anywhere.’
‘Even at the bloggers bash?’ she cried, in shock.
‘No! Never there! Bloggers code,’ I replied.
Ha ha, she giggled. ‘Mum’s the word!’
Lol, I tweeted.
‘So that’s it? Inspiration’s end?’ she asked, unsure.
‘No, never!’ I cried, aghast.
‘This is only a beginning and a middle.
Inspiration never stops,
It just grows and bloody grows!’
Retweet, hashtag, Retweet, hashtag.
‘Inspiration bloody grows!’

and my new release: https://butismileanyway.com/2017/08/25/marjorie-mallon-poetic-inspiration-thecurseoftime-blogtour-author/

Furthermore, I had the opportunity to write two guest posts about Self Harm, (a sensitive topic that I touch upon in my novel,) via:

Christy Birmingham’s amazing blog When Women Inspire: https://whenwomeninspire.com/2017/08/21/self-harm-fiction-writing-guest-post/

And Adele’s Firefly 465: https://firefly465.wordpress.com/2017/08/09/marjorie-mallon-curse-of-time-1-the-bloodstone/

Here’s a link to an inspiration post I wrote for Chris Graham’s blog: https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2017/09/07/meet-guest-author-m-j-mallon-marje/

And a feature about my love of poetry on Charli’s Raw Literature: https://carrotranch.com/2017/08/22/raw-literature-haiku-tanka-and-a-debut-novel/

Plus and oh so welcoming guest post on Seumas Gallacher’s blog: https://seumasgallacher.com/2017/08/22/marjorie-mallon-poet-and-authoress-extraordinaire-come-be-entranced/

Here’s a link to some information about my collaboration with gifted artist Carolina Russo: https://yesterdayafter.com/2017/09/06/new-release-esme-bringing-alive-a-character-with-a-painting-collaboration-with-author-mj-mallon/

Carolina created an amazing portrait of my character Esme who you can see below:

©Copyright Carolina Russo

And a fun online interview on Lisa Burton Radio with my mirror bound character Esme: https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2017/09/21/the-curse-of-time-on-lisaburtonradio/

As well as a guest post at Christoph Fischer’s blog: https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/new-release-the-curse-of-time-book-1-bloodstone-by-m-j-mallon/

I headed off to take part in excerpt week at Marcia Meara’s : https://marciamearawrites.com/2017/08/05/excerptweek-the-curse-of-time-by-marjorie-mallon/

Then trundled off to do a Guest post at S C Skillman’s : https://scskillman.com/2017/08/22/the-curse-of-time-a-guest-post-by-m-j-mallon-author-of-the-curse-of-time-book-1-bloodstone/

More wonderful opportunities came along. I was thrilled to be a guest at Allan Hudson’s:

http://allanhudson.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/guest-author-marjorie-mallon-of-england.html

And delighted to be at Eloise De Sousa’s Book Tuesday:

https://eloisedesousa.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/book-tuesday-with-marje/

And Beaton’s oh so entertaining Becoming The Muse: https://becomingthemuse.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/of-a-book-tour-the-curse-of-time/

Plus a lovely feature at Helen Jone’s Journey To Ambeth:

https://journeytoambeth.com/2017/09/14/guest-author-marjorie-mallon-the-curse-of-time/

I was thrilled to be showcased at Sally Cronin’s amazingly supportive blog home on many occasions. Thank you so much Sally, but this particular link highlights me as ‘new on the shelves,’ https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-new-on-the-shelves-the-curse-of-time-by-m-j-mallon/

And last but definitely not least my two Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club fellow administrators featured me too:

Debby Gies https://dgkayewriter.com/guest-featured-author-book-mj-mallon-curse-time/

and Colleen Chesebro: (with a link to my story Rainbow Child,) https://colleenchesebro.com/2017/08/24/fairies-myths-magic-author-spotlight-guest-posts-rainbow-child-by-mj-mallon/

Prior to this there were pre-release Spotlights too on Vashti’s blog and Dan Alatorre’s : https://vashtiqvega.wordpress.com/2017/06/12/spotlight-m-j-mallon-author/ and https://danalatorre.com/2017/05/08/author-profile-23-questions-with-marje-from-kyrosmagica/

So many people to thank you! I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone!

More News: Semi-Finalist Authors DB Cover Competition

I am thrilled to say that my cover and Colleen Chesebro’s cover (both designed by Wendy Anne Darling, of Bookxeedo Book Covers) made the semi-final of the AuthorsDB cover competition! More about that here : https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2017/11/02/vote-for-the-curse-of-time-cover-competition-semi-finalist/

I will let you know who the finalists are once I’ve heard any news!

Birthday News, Reviews and Paper Back Release Plans!

Unfortunately, I have been very busy of late and I am struggling for time! So apologies for being a very poor blogger. The curse of time has truly struck! With a full-time job my hours are no longer my own, but I’m thrilled to announce that on my birthday – the 17th of November – I will be featured on Don Massenzio’s Blog, so keep an eye out for that.

I’ve been busy getting my paperback ready and hope that I will have a release date for you soon! So if you’d like a guest on your blog do get in touch, I’ll be looking for guest blog posts middle to end of November, beginning of December.

In the meantime, don’t forget about me! I am still alive and kicking! Happy to say that there have been some very positive reviews for The Curse of Time Book 1 – Bloodstone.

Isn’t that awesome?

Here’s a little review meme I made:

Bye for now, love ya!

My social media links:
Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

https://mjmallon.com

http://dgkayewriter.com/

https://colleenchesebro.com/

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
Instagram
Facebook

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Are you a poet looking to get published?

Al with details of how to be included in his friend Richard Arthur’s poetic anthology raising money for cancer research UK.

A Certain Point of View

My friend in poetry, Richard Archer, is compiling a collection of poetry for charity – Diverse Verse 3. I contributed to the book 2, and will be rustling up something for book 3 too – it would be great if you could join me!

Here’s how you can get involved and see your poem in print

All you need to do to be involved is to email a poem to the email address below and it will be considered for the book based on the following rules. Please note entry is free.

All poems must be the authors own work, please don’t submit something that isn’t yours.
Poems are welcome from anyone, anywhere in the world.
Please submit no more than one poem.
A submitted poem must be in arial font in a format free word document. If you are unable to do such then just paste your poem into…

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7 Ways to Handle Reviews: Brought to you Buy Tongue & Cheek

Tips on handling reviews by Charles Yallowitz

Legends of Windemere

Yahoo Image Search

We all want reviews and there’s always the one that makes us regret politely asking that people leave reviews. Then we go right back to asking for them because they’re part of the life blood of an author. Reviews are the highs and lows of our adventure, which are becoming harder and harder to come by. Now, the methods of getting reviews are numerous in amount and range all across the morality spectrum. Instead of poking fun at how we get them, I’m going to give some T&C tips about reacting properly. I have to say this is humorous because it’s a topic that people take very seriously. Been there before and don’t have any plans of revisiting that debate again.

Do NOT publicly react to negative reviews even if they get personal. If you have loyal readers then they will handle it, but responding in person…

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#Vote for The Curse of Time – #Cover #Competition #Semi Finalist!!

cover-contest-2017-the-curse-of-time-5-1504444953

I’m delighted to say that my novel The Curse of Time is a semi finalist in the AuthorsDB cover competition!

Thank you to http://www.johnctaylor.com/ for his magnificent photos of The Corpus Christi Chronopage and to my talented cover designer, Wendy Darling. Wendy has two covers in the competition, mine and my good friend Colleen Chesebro’s The Heart Stone Chronicles.

Isn’t that amazing news!

Here’s my link to vote for get me in the final! https://www.authorsdb.com/2017-cover-contest-results/24831-cover-contest-2017-the-curse-of-time and Colleen Chesebro’s, The Heart Stone Chronicles: https://www.authorsdb.com/2017-cover-contest-results/24840-cover-contest-2017-the-swamp-fairy

So you can vote for both of us as we are in different categories, Colleen is in Fiction – Young Adult and I am in Fantasy!

Well done to https://wendyannedarling.wordpress.com/ for helping create two wonderful book covers.

Very happy to be a semi-finalist!

Bye for now,

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My social media links:

Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon @curseof_time

Instagram

Facebook

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Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Tuesday Challenge: EERIE & COSTUME

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This week the prompt words are eerie and costume but there’s a catch, Colleen has asked us to use synonyms.

To join in Colleen’s challenge follow the link: https://colleenchesebro.com/2017/10/24/colleens-weekly-poetry-tuesday-challenge-eerie-costume/

Here is a relevant passage from my novel The Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone to set the tone for the poetry.

I sensed a change in the dream when a strange creature appeared. His body and features fused together with rotten flesh, matted mud, skin, and protruding bones. The creature did not speak. His silent presence terrified me, and I shivered.
The beast stood motionless and pointed a bony finger at the ground. Fear clenched at my heart. A flood of messages bombarded my brain. Warning signals went off suggesting a multitude of horrible intentions that the creature may have in store for me.
A tremor shook my body, and my teeth chattered. My ears rang with the sound of the earth cracking below my feet. It meant that I had left it too late to run. My eyes fell downwards as the world tilted on its axis, and the realisation came to me that the only way out was via a slide which suddenly appeared at my feet.
With one glance, I could tell the slide had a definite beginning but no visible end. I placed a tentative step onto the slide. The minute I touched it I knew no time for fear. I swallowed hard and plunged into the darkness, sliding into oblivion. Every emotion I possessed had compressed into mere seconds – a momentary adrenalin rush. Sensations continued like the aftermath of the wildest rollercoaster ride. Fuelled by fear, it sent my senses reeling, the ultimate blood pounding, stomach churning thrill.
I slipped down the slide and landed onto a stone floor, yet it cushioned my landing, like a silky feather down quilt. No longer afraid of the shadows, I felt welcomed, at home. With wide-eyed astonishment, I took in the magnificent interior of the Crystal Cottage. Gems, in a myriad of welcoming shades, purple Amethyst, white Quartz, red Jade, blue Topaz, covered the walls. A riot of colours reflected in the facets of the crystals which welcomed me with their brightness. This magnificent display promised more, luminous lights twinkled and burst forth from each separate gem in a firework-like extravaganza. I gasped. My breath caught in my throat, and I glanced down at my hands. They were sparkling as if they had touched an enormous glitter ball. A crystalline light bounced off the walls of the cottage, finding a resting place on my face. The brilliant light caressed me.
My heart filled with wonder at this miraculous event and I wished the exquisiteness of the moment would last forever. I willed this spectacle to carry on, and on, but the glowing display tapered off. The colours became darker, and glimmers of the crystals’ bright lights darkened to a menacing black, then lightened to a grey, washed-out colour, before turning a muddy brown.
In horror, I could feel the skin on my face puckering like an orange peel stripped of all moisture. My body shivered, and I shook. I stirred in my sleep, suspended in the haze of the dream. I struggled to remain, not wanting to leave the beauty and comfort of the Crystal Cottage. So, I remained, floating in the abyss, fearful but longing to find out more.

The Creature

The Creature

His ensemble reeks,

Of graves, and forgotten things,

An unearthly vibe,

Matted hair, and worms for flesh,

Beside such crystal splendour.

Oh how I love the creature! Love all my characters! Hope you enjoyed the passage and the tanka. If you’d like to read more or buy a copy of The Curse of Time – book 1 – Bloodstone here’s the link:

I am currently working hard on the paperback and hope that it will be ready for launch by the end of November/beginning of December.

Wish me luck!

Bye for now,

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My social media links:

Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time

Instagram

Facebook

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Fellow Administrators of our Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club #ABRSC on Facebook, myself, my good friends Colleen Chesebro and Debby Gies. Click on Colleen’s and Debby’s photos to be directed to their awesome blogs. These ladies rock!

https://mjmallon.com

https://colleenchesebro.com/

http://dgkayewriter.com/

The 7th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest

Here’s my entry for the 7th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest.

The Candy Corn Monster

The Candy corn Monster,
Lives alone.

They say he gobbles candy.

They say he doesn’t share.

They say his tummy’s big,

I say his yellow, orange and white eyes are bigger.

He lives alone amongst shadows,
But I’m not scared.
I’ll knock on his door with a rat, tat, tat.
He’ll growl, and growl,
So I’ll give him a kiss!

And shine a beam of light in his eyes!
He’ll drop all of his candy quick,
I’ll grab it fast!

See candy corn is for sharing,
No ifs, no buts, he will see,
We’re all little monsters, him and me!

Hope you enjoyed my entry. If you’d like to join in the competition here is the link to do so: https://susannahill.com/2017/10/16/bic-folks-announcing-the-7th-annual-halloweensie-writing-contest-guidelines/

Bye for now,

My social media links:

Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

https://mjmallon.com

https://colleenchesebro.com/

http://dgkayewriter.com/

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon @curseof_time
Instagram
Facebook
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My #Review of Poetic Rituals by Ritu Bhathal

Goodreads Synopsis:

Delve into a book of verse exploring different topics and different genres, all with a RITUal twist.
A collection of poetry drawing on the experiences of the writer, ranging from matters of the heart, love for the family, situations in life and some verses written with a humorous twist.

My review

Anyone that follows this blog will realise just how much I love poetry. I enjoy writing it, and reading it too.

Ritu Bhathal’s collection of poems is accessible, easy readable poetry that warms the heart and keeps you smiling. It would appeal to everyone. It’s not high brow, it’s very down to earth, human and touches upon so many topics that readers will relate to – such as the trials and tribulations of bringing up children, family life, and relationships. It’s very witty, and made me smile in lots of places.

The chapter headings give you an excellent indication of the breadth of poems covered:

Family Rituals, (children, motherhood, being a daughter and sibling, even a few poems about cats!)

Life Rituals – Life, Different cultures, Christmas and positivity – and Ritu’s poem But I Smile Anyway that is the title of her blog: https://butismileanyway.com/

Rituals of The Heart. Tender first love and sizzling passion too !

Rituals to make you Smile. Lots of witty ones in this section!

Would I recommend it?

Indeed I would. I rate it 4 stars, a very lovely collection of poems.

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 UK Buying Links -kindle : http://amzn.to/2xqb7rE

Amazon UK Buying Links – paperback: http://amzn.to/2yU1xks

Have you read Ritu Bhathal’s Poetic Rituals? Do comment if you have.

Bye for now,

untitled

My social media links:

Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

https://mjmallon.com

https://colleenchesebro.com/

http://dgkayewriter.com/

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon @curseof_time

Instagram

Facebook

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3rd Halloween Poem Contest – 3rd Group Of Submitted Poems —

Latest poems for Aurora Alexander’s 3rd Halloween Contest. Wonderful entries and I’m included too!

Writer's Treasure Chest

Picture courtesy of: http://preventioncdnndg.org/eco-quartier/eco-tips-for-halloween/

*
Please respect each authors’ and poets’ copyright. The rights remain with the writers. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from each of the poems author’s is strictly prohibited and violates copyright laws in the country you are reading this work in as well as in the country you are trying to re-publish this work in. – Aurora Jean Alexander
*

All Hallows by Raymond Walker

Dark and frost prich’t, on this cold nich’t, Witches did rumble.
Sprites and bumpkins, nipp’d ankles, and spakles, nipp’d noses.
Hoar on trees, ice on the burn’s, on which faeries tumble
And laugh, and caper, winter approaches, creatures creep from loaches
Hedgerows, and crypts, Duns, barrows and Cysts, Frich’t, and humble,
alike take tail and bridle and scramble away as true evil approaches.

Each jigsaw cow and horned ram, no matter how old, cries for…

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Guest Post: Me Too

A very personal Me too abuse post from Em Linthorpe via Suzue Speaks.

Suzie Speaks

**Trigger Warning – Domestic Violence and Abuse**

The allegations surrounding the predatory culture within Hollywood has once again highlighted the frequency and acceptance of sexual harassment and abuse, with a whole host of celebrities (both female and male) sharing their own personal and horrific experiences. Unfortunately, while the majority of the focus was initially directed towards a single person, it is not an uncommon nor new story and it’s something that takes place daily in every walk of life, prompting thousands to share their own stories, or simply respond with ‘Me too.’

Today’s post is an extremely personal one from Em Linthorpe. I have the upmost admiration for her courage to discuss such an experience, and I will leave the comments open below for you to respond with the courtesy and respect she deserves…

First I want to mention two bloggers who after reading their posts this week, inspired me…

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How to Embed Tweets in Your Blog Post

How to embed tweets in your blog post via Sarah Brentyn.

Lemon Shark

Tweets aren’t just for Twitter anymore.

Here’s a neat thing you can do with those tweets right here on your WordPress blog. It’s wicked cool. And easy. 3 steps…done.

All of you lovely bloggers know I’m not a techie but I wanted to share this fun find with you.

I have visuals, too, which is awesome. Admittedly, I went a bit bonkers with the arrows but…you get the point. (I know. I’m hilarious.)

First we’re going old school with a “cut and paste” URL option, then we’ll embed an html code like we know what we’re doing.

No need to hurt your eyes squinting at the screenshots—you can click to enlarge them. Let’s get tweeting on our blogs.

Copy Link Option:

STEP ONE:

Choose the tweet you want. Click on the cute, little grey v-shaped thingy in the top, right corner.

Click to enlarge

STEP TWO:

You’ll see a drop-down…

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