Kyrosmagica Publishing – The Magical Home of Books, Writing, Poetry, Photography and Inspiration
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.
A young dancer’s naive dream of working in the Far East turns into a nightmare.
She finds herself in a plethora of situations which she is ill-equipped to deal with. Dancing her way across South Korea with two friends, she is propositioned by the Mafia, turned away by the British Embassy, caught in a student riot, and taken to Korean brothels.
At times both shocking and humorous, this is the story of a timid young girl finding her voice and learning to stand up for herself in a male-orientated world of alcohol, sex and seedy nightclubs.
My eldest daughter spent a year in South Korea Teaching English As a Foreign Language so I was curious to pick up this memoir of the author’s experiences. I am glad that I did. It was so funny! Lighthearted and fun. There’s a lot to recommend Fishnets with the antics of the dancers, their differing personalities, all three: Michele, Louise and Sharon are so different.
Follow their crazy madcap adventures: the motorbike episode, strip bars, dancing disco spots, unsalubrious dives, food, (and the desire to eat!) kim chi, hooker hill, and details of the national drink – soju (which is lethal.)
The poor dancers experiences are absolutely horrendous with death threats, misognistic behaviour, danger, rats (furry and not.) The hysterical male performer and his furry g string will remain in my mind forever as will Sharon’s insatiable appetite for men, Mr. Lee’s ‘no work,’ the Korean’s love letter to Michelle and the threat of starvatian to boot!
And poor Louise and Sharon’s extra curvy figures being referred to in derogatory terms as the: ‘Travelling elephant Show.’
This challenge by Colleen Chesebro explores Ekphrastic poetry, inspired by visual art or photographs. D. L. Finn provided the photo for this month’s challenge:
My poem is a diatelle, which is a fun, syllable counting form like the etheree with a twist. The syllable structure of the diatelle is: 1,2,3,4,6,8,10,12,10,8,6,4,3,2,1.
My latest poetry is featured in the following anthology. I’d highly recommend you get a copy as there are many great poets in the collection compiled by Kaye Lynn Booth and Robbie Cheadle.
I’m pleased to announce I am a contributing author to WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Book 2: Relationships compiled and edited by Robbie Cheadle and Kaye Lynn Booth.
This is a fabulous collection of poetry! So, grab a copy while you can…
Contributing authors are: Arthur Rosch, Elizabeth Merry, D Avery, Robbie Cheadle, Harmony Kent, Lauren Scott, Jules Paige, Leon Stevens, Colleen M. Chesebro, Miriam Hurdle, Lynda McKinney Lambert and myself!
Many thanks to Kaye Lynn Booth and Robbie Cheadle for all their hard work bringing this anthology to life!
A sinister town that’s not on any map, mysterious black vans and missing people, a book that can kill you, a vengeful mother, an account of life after death, and your worst nightmares come true. This is a strange and dark collection of poems, short stories and musings on a variety of gritty subjects, such as revenge, body image, fear, death, life, motherhood, nature and writing.
My review
This is an interesting collection of unusual tales and poems some of which will stay in my thoughts for a long time!
Many were relatable to me personally – the poem – We Write – and – The Writer Woman – A Cautionary Tale exploring the addictive side of writing obsession which is oh so understandable to us writing types!
Three of my horror favourites – the tale of so-called friends in Child’s Eye, Dylan’s Dream, and the weird, grotesque and not so simple purchase of a shed in The Shed!
The unwelcome attitude to strangers in small towns is portrayed and executed with a creepy ending in Black Hare Valley. There are some character style, reflective and human interest poems like Stan, Dark Little Girl, All These Thoughts of Dying, A Woman of a Certain Age and Crushed By A Number which I really was impressed by.
And poignant tales about death, risk, darkness, fear and confusion… 7 minutes,Moonlit Shadow,Driving The Bends, The Black Van and Slug which will creep you out especially if you are scared of slugs!
Another favourite was The Rubbish Man about people who dump their rubbish. The working world, difficulties, and challenges of life are explored in poems such as Monday Morning, Fine Wine, and Tired. And the darker thoughts of the pandemic and worst case scenario in tales such as Outside. Those who love the forest, (I do!) will be drawn into The Forest.
I loved the poem called The Universe which brings a sense of hope in difficult times.
A collection which you would benefit from reading more than once to gain more insight. Excellent tales and poetry. Highly recommended.
Chantelle Atkins was born and raised in Dorset, England and still resides there now with her husband, four children, and multiple pets. She is addicted to reading, writing, and music and writes for both the young adult and adult genres. Her fiction is described as gritty, edgy and compelling. Her debut Young Adult novel The Mess Of Me deals with eating disorders, self-harm, fractured families and first love.
Her second novel, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side follows the musical journey of a young boy attempting to escape his brutal home life and has now been developed into a 6 book series. She is also the author of This Is Nowhere and award-winning dystopian, The Tree Of Rebels, plus a collection of short stories related to her novels called Bird People and Other Stories. The award-winning Elliot Pie’s Guide To Human Nature was released through Pict Publishing in October 2018. A Song For Bill Robinson is the first in her YA trilogy.
Hi Claire, welcome to my blog. It’s lovely to have you visit.
Tell us a little about yourself…
I’m a mum, wife, writer and deputy-editor for writing magazine Write On! I love reading books and eating cake but I also like being out in the great outdoors. I always seem to be slightly behind with things but I am beginning to accept that’s just life!
What is Write On! magazine?
Write On! is a magazine created by Pen to Print for writers, by writers. What that means is the magazine is put together by a dedicated team of volunteers who are all writers published and unpublished and our content is made up from wonderful local and global submissions. We accept poetry, prose, non fiction and art of all kinds showcasing talent in the Barking and Dagenham area and beyond. Pen to Print is the parent organisation and is committed to bringing creative workshops to the local area and worldwide. As well as Write On!, they run regular competitions for novel writing, short stories, poetry, audio plays and stage plays. Every year they run a literary festival called ReadFest in September and have a whole host of guest speakers of a variety of genre and other writing related topics. It’s a wonderful project to be part of.
Why do you write in the fantasy genre and what in particular is it about fantasy humour that appeals to you?
I have loved the fantasy genre since I was about twelve years old and first discovered the fantasy and sci-fi shelves in my local library. I would take home massive books, a dozen at a time, on the bus and spend my time devouring them. My debut book was actually hopeful dystopia with just a hint of fantasy within. It wasn’t until I started writing the Roshaven books that I felt like I’d hit my stride. I love Piers Anthony, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Ben Aaraonovitch – all authors with that ability to make you read along, nodding and smiling to yourself at the wit and humour. I never set out to write fantasy humour, the characters made me do it. The Rose Thief is the first book in the Roshaven series followed by The Silk Thief and The Bone Thief. There is also a novella called The Interspecies Poker Tournament.
Tell us what inspires you?
I am inspired every day by other writers, especially other indie authors, who always seem so focused and so dedicated. I am currently on a wobble and taking a small break from writing so I can reenergise and get back to it. I think it’s important to recognise that taking a break is okay.
In your Roshaven series who is your favourite character and why?
There are so many wonderful characters in Roshaven but I think my favourite is Jenni, the stinky yet loyal sprite.
Are you a plotter, pantser, or plantser (somewhere in between!) Lol. Or do you dare to follow no rules?
I’m a discovery writer. My usual format is to get an idea, get terribly excited and start writing making it to the 20-30k mark. Then I realise I need a bit of structure so I do a little bit of loose planning before carrying on, plot hole oblivious. Usually by the 45-50k mark I start working out the end and putting in brief chapter headings of what I want to happen. Sometimes I don’t even write those in the first draft. I start to get antsy because I know I have plot holes so that’s when I usually give in and start second draft editing. I usually have to do a lot of jigging about, extra writing and emergency filling in. I tried to plan once and got so bored going through the planning motions that I had no desire to write the book.
Complete this sentence. Your writing muse (or your character’s/muse’s name.) hollers in your ear because… they’re tired of waiting for me to sit down and write haha.
Who are your favourite fantasy authors?
Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Ben Aaronovitch, Robert Jordan, Sara Douglass, Robin Hobb, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Piers Anthony, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Gail Carriger, Genevieve Cogman and probably hundreds more but that’s what was on the top of my head.
I believe you are… ~Writing passionately and hopelessly addicted to cake~ Me too! What is your favourite cake you like to bake and why?
It varies – of course – I love my Nan’s Victoria sponge and I make a mean lemon drizzle. Battenberg is a personal favourite, carrot cake done well and of course a good dense chocolate cake, not too sweet.
Have you ever had a baking disaster? Did you save it?
Oh my days, I’ve had millions usually to do with sinkage. Sometimes it gets saved and served under custard other times it gets chucked. It depends what the final outcome was meant to be. I don’t bake as much as I used to and I do miss it.
I love poetry and I believe you also write poetry. What is it about this form of expression that appeals to you?
I like how poetry can be such a personal expression of mood in the moment but you don’t have to hold on to it. You can express it and then move on. I find writing poetry very cathartic.
How do you market your books?
Probably not as well as I should. I try to be visible on social media with regularly posting but I know I’m not as engaged as I should be. Time is always the issue, I never have enough. I do try to keep an eye on what works and what doesn’t so that I can be as effective as possible when marketing. I have a newsletter, I take part in giveaways, I’ve tried some paid promotions with various success but it’s definitely something I need to get more focused on.
I’ve recently finished writing a second in a series and found it darn hard. What are your feelings about writing series. Any advice you can give to current/future writers of series…
Oh my gosh, it is tough – especially when you leave a long gap between books as I did, twice! My advice is to keep a worldbuilding bible, even if you are writing in this world, having all your places and characters in one place really, really helps. Two of my characters have very distinctive accents so they have a lexicon of words so I don’t forget how they say something. I am still working on my bible and 5 books in, it’s becoming very necessary. From a planners point of view, I think you need to know your arc over the series before you write and ideally, have most of the series fleshed out in some way or another before you publish – you never know when a character is going to throw a spanner in the works and change everything.
Do share an excerpt of your writing.
An extract from The Rose Thief
There was a bit of shoving and muttering as Ned pushed his way through the ranks. He didn’t have to look too hard to find the murder scene, all he had to do was follow the curious crowd. A fair number of the shifty looking men in nondescript clothing had come to make sure Two-Face Bob was actually dead. Certain people owed certain things and if his death were true, life had suddenly become a lot brighter. It only took one look to know for certain. One of Two-Face Bob’s faces stared lifelessly at the smog ridden skies above, both eyes missing. The other face, which incidentally remained on his head, attached to his body, had eyes popping, mouth open as if to scream, and a terrified look of fear and shock frozen in place. Someone had clearly taken a violent dislike to the man. Looking down at the separated visages of Two-Face Bob, Ned felt a flicker of unease surge in his stomach. It could be because he hadn’t eaten in the past twenty-four hours. Or it could be because Two-Face Bob had been to see him less than five minutes ago, claiming intel on the Rose Thief. Ned didn’t hold much weight with coincidences. The viciousness of the attack was unusual for the type of murder usually committed in the city of Roshaven. Put that together with Two-Face Bob’s extensive protection system of both magical and mundane origin and it was obvious.
‘He’s been ripped apart by a wraith,’ Ned muttered under his breath.
‘Care to comment, Spinks?’
Ned turned to his left, his heart sinking at the tall, willowy figure standing next to him. Mariah Neeps was… well she was a damn fine figure of a woman provided you never wanted to keep a shred of personal information to yourself. Neeps worked for The Daily Blag.
‘No comment.’
‘I’ll just elaborate on my Warlock theory then. Shouldn’t be too difficult. They had a ruckus with one up in Narborough a few months back.’ Neeps sucked the end of her recorder thoughtfully as she internally swept through the memorised headlines from her rival news bringer, The Chronicle.
‘They what?’ asked Ned.
But before Neeps could elaborate, Mrs Wicket barged her way through the crowd to stand in front of Ned. Her general shape and appearance were hard to identify thanks to the several flowing capes and feathered hats Mrs Wicket wore when she sallied forth. She was of the opinion that you can never have too much of a good thing and in her mind capes and feathered hats were the epitome of fashion. She was right, if she’d lived a hundred years ago. Still the capes and hats made her a local celebrity, the one person that simply everyone knew.
The bright orange feather on her highest hat was dangerously close to Ned’s eye. He attempted to sidle to the right slightly but was stopped by a podgy hand poking a sausage shaped finger hard into his chest.
‘What are you going to do about my safety, hmmmm?’ Mrs Wicket turned her head left and right, to make sure she had a suitable audience. Feathers whipped Ned in the face.
‘All citizens’ safety is a high priority Mrs Wicket, yourself included. My fellow catchers will be here shortly to seal the scene and a full report will be generated for the Emperor.’
‘May he live for ever and ever.’ The crowd chanted firmly, all eyes fixed on Ned.
All my links including my website, Amazon book page, email newsletter and social media posts can be found on my linktree:https://linktr.ee/clairebuss
Author Bio:
Claire Buss is an award-winning multi-genre author and poet. She wanted to be Lois Lane when she grew up but work experience at her local paper was eye-opening. Instead, Claire went on to work in a variety of marketing and administrative roles for over a decade but never felt quite at home. An avid reader, baker and expert procrastinator Claire won second place in the Barking and Dagenham Pen to Print writing competition in 2015 with her debut novel, The Gaia Effect, setting her writing career in motion. Since then, Claire has published seventeen novels and poetry collections and had her short fiction published in six anthologies. The Gaia Effect won the Uncaged Book Reviews Raven Award for Favourite Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel in 2017 and the first book in her humorous fantasy series, The Rose Thief, won in 2019. Working with Pen to Print, Claire delivers regular Book Surgeries offering marketing help and advice to new and established authors. In 2019 Claire was part of the original team involved in creating and establishing Write On! Magazine and continues to support, work and promote the magazine in her role as Deputy Editor, a different kind of Lois who champions new writers and helps them share their creativity. Claire continues to write passionately and is hopelessly addicted to cake.
Sign up for Claire’s newsletter & get The Blue Serpent & other tales for free – http://eepurl.com/hVNwRP
Thank you so much Claire for being such an entertaining and interesting guest. I am also passionately addicted to cake! And her humorous fantasy books sound fab. Do comment below to share your love of books and cake!
Thank you so much to dearest Sally for sharing Adele Marie’s 5 star review of Golden Healer… yeah… and an extract… More about this here… on Sally’s brilliant blog do visit!
Thank you to Janice Spina for this interview and review of Bloodstone, my YA Fantasy… read on to discover more!
It is always a sincere pleasure to welcome a fellow author to Interview an Author on Jemsbooks.blog. Today, please help me welcome talented author, Marjorie Mallon.
Thank you, Marjorie, for stopping by today to share a little bit about yourself and your books. I am excited to have you here! The floor is yours!
Marjorie Mallon
Thank you so much Janice for hosting me on your lovely blog.
Jjspina: My pleasure, Marjorie. Love the photo!
How do you come up with ideas for your stories?
I’d say that I am a visually inspired author whose ideas largely come from intriguing places and striking creations I’ve seen, or unusual creatures both human and of the furry kind! I love taking photos of the natural world and these often inspire my writing. This is particularly the case in my poetry, prose and photography book,Mr. Sagittariuswhich features many photos of trees, flowers and creatures! What projects are you currently working on? My current focus is on Book 2 in my YA paranormal adventure – The Curse of Time series, Golden Healer, which is currently with my publisher Next Chapter. After the final editing process, it will need approval of edits before it is published. Also, I will be listening to chapters of the audio-book production of the first book, Bloodstone. I’m so excited about these developments. The Curse of Time series is a true labour of love, a story that I spent considerable time perfecting. I am so proud that Book 2 is finished, it has been the hardest project I’ve attempted to date. Recently, I received an award for Bloodstone from Amazon Reviewer/Influencer N. N. Light – finalist in her International Author, and Fantasy award for books awarded 5 stars and 5 stars ++ which really boosted my confidence. Furthermore, I have a poetry collection waiting to be finished. It is entitled, Do What You Love. It is a celebration of all my loves: writing, family, friends, and special places I adore.
Thank you so much to Adele for this wonderful blog post celebrating the release of Book 2 in The Curse of Time series: Golden Healer.
Adele’s Review for Golden Healer
It was exciting and wonderful to find myself back in the world of Marjorie Mallon’s characters. A beautiful and magical place to visit but it also contains a dark and menacing edge. When visiting be careful as it will draw you in and captivate you.
In Bloodstone Curse of Time Book One, Amelina, the main character learned about her magical birthright which served her well as she rescued her father and saved her family.
At the beginning of Golden Healer her family life is as perfect as it ever has been, but, and it’s a big but, the crystal, Bloodstone is missing. The one she swore to protect above all others.
As things unravel they are all caught in a spiraling web of danger.
I felt for the characters, I wanted them to succeed, to be happy.
Marjorie Mallon’s characterisation is so intense I was drawn in and found myself caring not only about those on the side of light but also those who do not let their light through. In this world people are a mixture of light and dark and this shows in the world of The Golden Healer.
At times I was nearly screaming as I read what was happening to them then breathed a sigh of relief as they were clever and escaped.
Ryder the main antagonist is darker than before, slimyier than before but there are surprises in store for him and you dear reader.
I was lucky to receive an arc copy of Marjorie’s novel The Golden Healer. In both novels in the series so far, she deals with the subject of self-harm. I started to self-harm when I was eleven and it is an ongoing struggle. Marjorie highlights self-harm in a sympathetic and knowledgeable manner and you can also find the links above to various organisations which can help.
I loved this novel, I can not believe I finished reading it and the ending left me gasping.
Five out of five stars for this wonderful read and do please check out the links to other works that Marjorie has been featured in. She is a rising star in the writing world. Read for yourselves, I promise you will not regret immersing yourself in the world of The Bloodstone.
An old evil threatens to rise from the depths of the warded city… Sixteen-year-old Marianne lives a simple life as a healer in the Link, looking after her younger brother since their parents’ exile. Little does she know how everything will change after attending the blessing in the city of Obanac. After her brother is wrongfully imprisoned, Marianne seeks his release from Crawford Reign, the Lord of Obanac. But she’s faced with an impossible choice—the lord wants her in exchange. To save her brother she turns to the daring outlaw Robbie and his friends for help. Along with the help of Theo, the holy man’s son, a daring rescue soon uncovers rumors of an old sorcerer who may still live and whispers of the phantom’s curse—an evil that requires a host and seeks to destroy the world—threatening to resurface. With the threat of an old evil rising in Obanac and the attacks of the Black Riders throughout the realm, nowhere seems safe. To save the people of the land and everyone she cares about, Marianne must unlock the secret to who she really is and embrace the mage magic that stirs within her.
My review:
The premise of this story is a simple one: fighting the forces of a terrible evil with good magic, the importance of family/ community and mentions of the city folk and the lower towns, giving a privileged and underprivileged vibe too.
At the beginning, the story revolves around two siblings Marian, (who is on the cusp of turning 16 and a healer,) and Newt, (her younger brother,) who live in the lower towns of Obanac.
There are some lovely passages of descriptive writing which I really enjoyed.
After ‘the blessing,’ which happens when children turn 16, Newt (who is accompanying Marianne,) is taken away for allegedly stealing an apple. The protective love that Marianne (Maz,) feels for her younger brother is clear and well portrayed. Maz is distraught and sets out to rescue her brother from captivity.
The love interest in the story, Robbie reveals that the wicked lord – Crawford, ‘sacrifices young girls for dark magic.’
Crawford has his secrets and his plans involving Marianne. Revelations follow and a battle ensues between good and evil.
Evil in the form of.. Crawford, Cassius, the phantam, as well as an undead, unholy army of black riders.
At one point Cassius uses a purple crystal to raise the phantam. There are other magic scenes, one mentions an orange orb. I would have liked a bit more explanation of some aspects of the story, such as the magic system and more development of the growing ‘love’ expressed between Robbie and Marianne.
But the relationships between Marianne, and her wee band of helpers: Xander, Eli, Fergus and Robbie are entertaining to read. Also, I enjoyed the feisty character of Marianne!
And the scene in which Crawford is ‘set free,’ allows the reader to be more sympathetic to the bad guy!
So overall an enjoyable, quick read, perhaps more suited to middle grade, or younger YA. And recommended for those who like short, entertaining stories with a determined female protagonist.
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 