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.

Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge: Harvest of Hope

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Here’s my story for Charli’s Flash Fiction Challenge at Carrot Ranch.com.

September 21, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a ostory about what it is to gather a harvest. You can use the phrase or show what it means without using the words. Go where the prompt leads.

Respond by September 26, 2017, to be included in the compilation (published September 27). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!

Harvest of Hope

Mimi knelt on the soil, her bare knees were muddy, her eyes wet with tears. Before her was one tiny shoot. Nothing moved no creature, no human, alone she remained. The earthquake had done its worst. Her hands encircled the milk bottle of water, half full.  She placed healing stones around the shoot in a circle. Her precious crystals, calming rose quartz, cradle of humankind to heal mother earth, flint to stabilise, amethyst for hopelessness and red jasper for isolation. She cried, her tears mingling with the water, the shoot twitched, and the promise of a new harvest began.  

© M J Mallon 2017

 

I found the resource below very helpful regarding the choice of crystals:

http://www.judyhall.co.uk/miscellaneous/be-a-thriver-not-a-survivor-crystals-to-heal-trauma-and-create-inner-peace

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Grumpy Ana and the Grouchy Monsters

I am in awe of Diana (author D Wallace Peach) at myths of the mirror. She took some time off over the summer and created and illustrated a children’s book. So impressed.

D. Wallace Peach's avatarMyths of the Mirror

My first children’s book is out in print. During my writing break over the summer, I tried my hand at illustration. It was hard and I learned a lot. I have a whole new respect for professional illustrators! You are amazing.

Thank you to all the authors who offered their feedback on the text (a simpler print and no italics). I realize it looks small in these images, but I did order proofs of the book (twice) and the actual size works fine.

I published this through Createspace, and it was a (grizzly) bear dealing with the images. Took me days and days and days to get the dpi right.

I was never going to subject myself to the agent-seeking process again, but I did, rather lamely, send queries to 7 agents in August. No takers, naturally, and I didn’t care a whit. This book was written for fun, illustrated for fun, and published for fun.

I…

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Today I’m thrilled to have over, friend, author, and blogger, Marjorie Mallon with her debut book, The Curse of Time – Book 1 of the Bloodstone series, a YA Fantasy novel. Marje writes at her blog Kyrosmagica about writing, inspiration, photography, and magic Haiku. She also the founder of our Facebook group Authors/Bloggers Rainbow…

via Guest Featured Author with a New Book – MJ Mallon – The Curse of Time — D.G. Kaye Writer

T- To the one who curses time

Wonderful poem so on topic in my thoughts! Via Ameena at Randoms By A Random

Ameena k.g's avatarRandoms by a Random

IMG_5431Take heed my friend,
And curse time not;
The hands of the clock,
Move the same for all.

It ticks and it tocks,
With each passing dawn,
Allotting 24 hours
Regardless, to all.

The time I waste,
The time you make,
The best of use-
Is all the same.

Take heed my friend,
and curse time not,
For time is faultless,
We humans are not.

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Get Ready to Rodeo!

Get ready to rodeo at Carrot Ranch. Flash fiction competition… Carrot Ranch is hosting a Flash Fiction Rodeo with eight different contests throughout the month of October. It’s free and includes first place prizes in each category of $25. The best of all eight winning entries will be dubbed the All-Around Best Writer of 2017 Flash Fiction Rodeo and win an extra $50.

The Curse of Time, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Today is no ordinary day, today is a very special day my character Esme is being interviewed at Lisa Burton Radio, via Craig Boyack.

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Lisa Burton

Welcome to this week’s edition of Lisa Burton Radio. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl. Life is hard, and we all go through some rough patches. Some of us go through extraordinary patches, and we aren’t the same when we come out.

Imagine for a moment, you’re the most popular girl in school. You’re good at sports, tons of friends or hopeful friends orbit around. You’re beyond pretty. Then one day, you’re abducted. Everything changes, who you are, who you hope to become, gone in an instant. But it’s worse than that. What happened to you took a turn for the paranormal. That’s the case with my special guest today. “Welcome to the show, Esme.”

“Thank you Lisa, I’m honoured to be your guest.”

“Why don’t you tell our listeners where you are right now, please?”

“I’m trapped in a mirror.”

“Ooooh, tough blow, Esme. Mirrors have been magical…

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Back to Windemere

Discover The Legends of Windermere series via C.S. Boyak, (the creator of Lisa Burton Radio.) In this blog post Craig showcases an excerpt of Path of The Traitors in the Charles E. Yallowitz, Legends of Windermere series. Charles’s first book, ‘Beginning of a Hero’ is free! Click on the source below to find out more…

Source: Back to Windemere

September 14: Flash Fiction Challenge

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This is in response to Charli Mill’s Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge. The theme is riptide.

Here’s my entry:

The Riptide Suitcases

The riptide hid in two shallow suitcases. Foreign tee-shirts lay crushed against jumpers, jeans pressed unfolded next to sandals and boots. I lifted my daughter’s larger suitcase up; it was heavy but not as heavy as my swirling heart.

No traffic impeded our journey. The ripples began early, too early. We shared coffee but didn’t eat. The departure gate beckoned. The riptide began. It burst out of me. I cried, no I wailed. Guilt crashed against waves of sadness. Sadness wrestled and drowned my heart. Never again will I feel such depths of emotion. My adventurer, daughter had gone.

Recently my daughter left the UK for at least a year (perhaps more,) to work abroad in South Korea, teaching English as a Foreign Language. I couldn’t be happier for her but I couldn’t be any sadder either at her departure. I cried and cried! Such emotions, perhaps I’d been keeping them in for a long time? I didn’t cry when she went to University, and now I made up for it, spectacularly. What an outpouring!

To enter Charli’s challenge respond by September 19, 2017 to be included in Charli’s compilation (published September 20). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!

https://carrotranch.com/2017/09/15/september-14-2017/

 

Perhaps you have had similar experiences when your son or daughter has left home? Do comment below.

Bye for now,

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My social media links:

Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Twitter: @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
http://dgkayewriter.com/

Poetry Inspired by the Dragon Chronopage – Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 50 #Haiku #Tanka #Haibun: VOICE & WATCH

I’ve had a fantastic week, on Monday I met the esteemed inventor Dr John C Taylor, OBE.

What an experience, Dr Taylor is an extraordinary person. He is an inventor, pilot, adventurer, photographer, architect and philanthropist. After meeting him it’s no wonder that I’d be inspired to write a Tanka poem about one of his amazing Chronopage inventions. He has three in total, the Corpus Chronopage below resembles a grasshopper and features on the front cover of my novel.

Here I am with Dr Taylor by the Corpus Chronopage in King’s Parade, Cambridge.

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Below is the Midsummer Chronopage, a huge mythical fly-like creature with intricate wings and a sting in its tail.

http://johnctaylor.com

http://www.johnctaylor.com/the-chronophage/midsummer-chronophage/

And the interactive Dragon Chronopage does everything a dragon should short of breathing fire and flying away.

DrTaylorwiththeDragonChronophage

Here’s a close up of the dragon’s shiny blue tongue with pearl!

http://johnctaylor.com

and now for the eye!

http://johnctaylor.com

http://www.johnctaylor.com/the-chronophage/dragon-chronophage/

Isn’t the Dragon Chronopage fabulous?

Using Colleen’s prompt words this week – voice and watch – I wrote a little Tanka poem. I used statement instead of voice and I kept watch even though I had chronograph.

Tanka (9)

Before I tootle off I’d just like to say that Dr Taylor has some magnificent stamps that you can order and collect featuring his wonderful inventions – all proceeds go to the Teapot Trust – a worthy charity – art therapy for children with chronic illness:  http://www.teapot-trust.org/

Here’s the link to order @DrJCTOBE  stamps: https://www.iompost.com/stamps-coins/collection/invention-and-innovation-dr-john-c-taylor-obe/

All funds received by Dr Taylor from sales of these stamps will be donated to the
Teapot Trust.

To read more about Dr Taylor’s Philanthropic work here’s a blog post I discovered about his professorship of innovation: https://venitism.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/professor-of-innovation/

To join in Colleen’s weekly poetry challenge follow the following link:

https://colleenchesebro.com/2017/09/12/colleens-weekly-poetry-challenge-no-50-haiku-tanka-haibun-voice-watch/

Many thanks to the lovely Tina Fotherby at Famous Publicity for emailing me the wonderful images of the Dragon Chronograph and Midsummer Chronograph.

Photography Credit: Dragon Chronograph, Midsummer Chronograph – Dr John C Taylor, OBE.

If you’d like to vote for me in the WritersDB first line and cover contest here’s the link to my blog post about that: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/please-vote-for-me-in-authorsdb-first-line-contest/

Bye for now dearest clock and dragon lovers don’t forget to leave a fiery message below.

Much love,

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My social media links:

Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time

Instagram

Facebook