Another great post I just had to reblog from Chris at The Story Reading Ape Blog. Cute and amusing. Trust me this will make you smile. 🙂
The Cherished Blog Fest
THE CHERISHED BLOG FEST
I discovered the Cherished Blog Fest via Dan Antion, at No Facilities.
So what is my cherished possession?
It is this very lovely camphor wood chest that dates back to my childhood in Hong Kong. My mum and dad brought back various items of oriental furniture from their time in the Far East. When my brother and I left home we were both given a beautiful chest to take away with us. I store all my favourite photos of my childhood, my life and my children in this precious chest, as well as wedding momentos, anniversary cards, and special birthday cards.)
It is totally deserving of the term cherished.
In fact this chest became quite a catalyst of inspiration.
Here’s a couple of paragraphs from my manuscript on the theme of precious items hidden in a chest:
Reaching inside her camphor wood chest she delved for her secret lucky dip of stashed bits and bobs that she kept away from the prying eyes of her parents. Inside the chest were crystal books, pretty little stones, trinkets, a tattoo henna kit, and her much loved drum-sticks. She placed her art set in amongst all her precious things and closed the chest tight.
And –
An overwhelming feeling came over her that today would be a day that she would remember forever. It wasn’t just a dream! It had really happened, and the proof, the Red Jade Crystal, lay hidden in her precious chest of secrets.
© Marjorie Mallon 2015 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
How to join in the Cherished BlogFest
Rules as per the organisers:
Cherished is the word!
The Cherished Blogfest is about the most cherished object in your possession. I once came across an assertion that life is but memories. Without memories there is no life. Memories trigger our emotions and we interact by our emotions. The things that we love, that we cherish the most, that we hate and loathe, and fear—we treat them as such because of the memories attached to them, invested in them.
The Cherished blogfest is NOT just for the members of the BFF: Peter Nena, Damyanti Gosh, Dan Antion, Sharukh Bombat, Paul Ruddock, and Cheryl KP.
We would also love you to tell us about the objects that spark off your fondest memories.
Therefore, for the Cherished Blogfest, we invite you to talk to us about one of your cherished objects. Tell us what it is, post a picture of it if you like, and tell us why you cherish it.
Keep your posts to a maximum of 500 words, and join us on the 24th, 25th and 26th of July 2015 in sharing memories, emotions, information.
Above all, join us in making new connections and renewing old ones. Visit the blogs of the cohosts and follow them, even as you increase your own followers and readers.
Add your name and blog link in this Linky List, sign up for the Cherished Blogfest, and share your cherished memories on 24th, 25th and 26th of July 2015.
Place the badge on your sidebar, and help us spread the word on social media.
NB: The Badge is a courtesy of Cheryl KP and Daniel Antion, both of whom are truly extraordinary people, full of heart, passion, dedication, and love.
Hope you enjoyed my Cherished Blogfest. Do you have a particularly cherished possession that you’d like to share too?
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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Author Interview: Mariana Llanos
Reblog of Author interview with Mariana Llanos, author of The Staircase on Pine Street, a story about a ten year old girl called Lily coming to terms with her grandfather’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
THE STAIRCASE ON PINE STREET
BY MARIANA LLANOS
1) Please provide a short excerpt of what your children’s book is about.
The Staircase on Pine Street is a story that will touch your heart with its tenderness, humor, sensitivity and page-turning narrative. I have crafted a beautiful story of family love to share with readers of all ages. Ten-year-old Lilly has to learn to live with her grandfather’s diagnose of Alzheimer’s disease. Lilly and Grandpa Leo have a close, loving bond but ever since he’s been diagnosed, things have drastically changed. Alzheimer’s is taking away her grandpa’s memory. Lilly feels that there is nothing she can do to help. Until one day, Grandpa Leo gives Lilly an important assignment: to find a long-forgotten treasure. Lilly— with the help of her best friend, Mei Ling— goes on an exciting quest where she discovers more than she could have ever imagine.
2) What inspired…
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My Kyrosmagica Review of Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Goodreads Synopsis:
In this darkly riveting debut novel—a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also a heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory, identity, and aging—an elderly woman descending into dementia embarks on a desperate quest to find the best friend she believes has disappeared, and her search for the truth will go back decades and have shattering consequences.
Maud, an aging grandmother, is slowly losing her memory—and her grip on everyday life. Yet she refuses to forget her best friend Elizabeth, whom she is convinced is missing and in terrible danger.
But no one will listen to Maud—not her frustrated daughter, Helen, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth’s mercurial son, Peter. Armed with handwritten notes she leaves for herself and an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth and save her beloved friend.
This singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud’s rapidly dissolving present. But the clues she discovers seem only to lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II.
As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud discovers new momentum in her search for her friend. Could the mystery of Sukey’s disappearance hold the key to finding Elizabeth?
My review:
This is a remarkable debut novel full of insight into the day to day life of someone suffering from dementia, and the impact that this terrible syndrome has on family and friends caring for the dementia sufferer. What amazed me most is the way in which this sad decline is portrayed so well, obviously Elizabeth Healey had first hand knowledge of dementia.
The following passage is taken from Elizabeth Healey’s website:http://emmahealey.co.uk/
In 2008, after the death of one grandmother and the decline of the other, she began to explore the idea of dementia in fiction, and she moved to Norwich in 2010 to study for the MA in Creative Writing at UEA. She is the winner of the 2014 Costa First Novel Award for Elizabeth is Missing.
But what is even more remarkable is the way in which Elizabeth Healey has taken a very sad and serious subject and given it a somewhat humorous voice.
“Oh, Helen,” I say. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. That girl you’ve hired, she doesn’t do any work. None. I’ve watched her.” “Who are you talking about now? What girl?” “The girl,” I say. “She leaves plates by the sink and there are clothes all over the floor of her room.” Helen grins and bites her lip. “Pretty good description. Mum, that’s Katy.”
Of course Katy is Maud’s granddaughter.
It’s as if Maud, the aging dementia sufferer is vaguely aware that something’s wrong and she’s almost laughing at the crazy things she does. Like her buying heaps of peaches because she can’t remember what it is she ought to be buying. She has masses of paper messages to remind her what she should be doing, yet she seems to remember events of the past in some detail.
As the novel progresses, the humourous passages begin to disappear and are replaced by Maud’s decline as her dementia progresses. There is a sense of Maud’s memory slipping even further and therefore inevitably Elizabeth is Missing is at times a sad read, so be prepared for that.
The little things that are forgotten, suddenly seem to matter so much to Maud, her frustration is palpable:
“I don’t look up. It’s such a little thing—knowing where to put cutlery—but I feel like I’ve failed an important test. A little piece of me is gone.”
Elizabeth is Missing also works so well as a mystery. A little piece of Maud is missing and her friend Elizabeth is missing too and this inability to find Elizabeth distresses Maud terribly. This is the one thing that she clings to, the one fact that she is sure about. Maud is determined to find her much to the dismay of her family, and the police:
“I have been to the police station four times. I know because I have written it down. Four times, and they will do nothing. They think I’m a dotty old woman. I think they might be right. “
Alongside this there is also the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her sister Sukey, who vanished many years ago. The two plot threads interweave in a totally entertaining and engrossing way, enabling us to get an insight into the youthful Maud too, who seems somewhat in the shadow of her older sister Sukey.
So would I recommend Elizabeth is Missing?
Yes absolutely. Highly recommended to readers of Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, and Adult Fiction.
My Rating:
4.5 stars.
Have you read Elizabeth is Missing? Do leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge #54 Free and Think
RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #54 Free&Think
This week’s prompt words for Ron’s Weekly Haiku Challenge are Free and Think.
Here’s the link to Ronovan’s blog to join in the challenge: https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/07/20/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-54-free-think/
Both of my Haiku this week are more serious in nature, this is a bit unusual for me but somehow the prompt words seemed to lead me down a more thoughtful path. Of the two Haiku the second one is more light-hearted.
The following Haiku are especially for anyone who is or has ever experienced the overpowering symptoms of anxiety. This is much more common than you would ever believe possible, it seems that this fast paced world that we now live in is the perfect breeding grown for anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety
Free my racing pulse
No thought but relentless fear
Anxiety bites
My second Haiku is inspired by AAT, whatever could that be?
Read all about it after this haiku, a much needed hug for all sufferers getting through another day, living with the crippling effects of anxiety.
Pet Hugs
Cruel thought assailant
Anxiety wires your brain
Pet hugs free event
© Marjorie Mallon 2015 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
Words good or bad, are my very own!
At my daughter’s University, they had this special event, dogs where brought into campus for students to help counter stress relief. A hug a dog day or something like that! The official term is Animal Assisted Therapy or AAT for short. Which also happens to be the abbreviation for Accounting technicians, I know which of the two I prefer!
What a great idea, not the accounting I hasten to add. I’d rather hug a cat or dog than add up a row of figures any day of the week, and I should know I used to be a book-keeper many years ago!
Here’s a link to find out more about Animal Assisted Therapy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal-assisted_therapy
Let’s not go without mentioning a new development regarding our cat friends, CAT CAFE’S!
I’ve just found out there’s one in Edinburgh, which I must go and visit.
It’s called Maison de Moggy and it’s in Stockbridge: http://catcafes.co.uk/uk-cat-cafes/maison-de-moggy/
I’m planning to go up in August, but the trip will be a stressful one as my mum is going into hospital for an operation. She loves cats so maybe when she’s feeling up to it, I’ll take her for a bit of R & R to the cat café.
For more cat cafés in the UK and abroad visit: http://catcafes.co.uk/
There’s a shed load of benefits attributed to owning a cat or a dog. Here’s the ones that spring readily to mind: great for reducing your blood pressure, making you more active (taking your dog for a walk,) widening your social network with other dog/cat owners, staving of loneliness, and reducing stress!
No wonder so many writers have a dog or a cat. I’m missing out…… My pet free way of unwinding is going to Tai Chi or doing a bit of Yoga, and having a bubble bath and a glass of wine does wonders for me too….
So whether it’s hugging a human friend or a dog or cat, it’s all so very good for you.
Check out Val Boyko’s wonderful blog which is full of tips to nourish and restore you: http://findyourmiddleground.com/2015/06/22/stressed-quick-tips-to-nourish-and-restore/
Please do comment, I love to hear from you. Have you a dog or a cat? Or an unusual pet? Have you any tips about reducing stress?
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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Writer’s Quote Wednesday: Terri Guillemets
Welcome to Writer’s Quote Wednesday an open invitation from Colleen at Silver Threading to join in the fun.
Here’s a link to her blog: http://silverthreading.com/2015/07/15/writers-quote-wednesday-ann-patchett/
This week I’ve had a go playing around on one of the photo editing sites that Colleen recommends: http://www.picmonkey.com/
It seems easy to use, so thanks for the great tip Colleen.
If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it I might
be writing in my dreams.
Terri Guillemets.
Just love this quote from Terri Guillemets.
Writing whilst dreaming! That would really be something. Can you imagine how wonderful your writing would be! Dreams can be such a wonderful source of inspiration, especially if you have very elaborate, and exciting dreams!
About Terri Guillemets from her website Quotegarden:
Terri Guillemets is a quotation anthologist from Phoenix, Arizona who has collected quotes since age thirteen. Her passion is sharing literary, inspirational, thought-provoking, and humorous quotations with a worldwide audience via her website The Quote Garden at www.quotegarden.com, one of the most long-standing online quotation collections and the first to offer a wide variety of special occasion topics. With a specialty in reviving vintage writings from the 1800s, she shares her love of old books, the art of writing, and the beauty of words with a personal, heartfelt approach — “spreading quotatious joy” as she calls it. A curmudgeonesque optimist whose inner child will never grow up, she also enjoys nature, photography, cloudgazing, and family.
Thanks for joining me for Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Hope you dream some wonderful dreams, come share some here if you’d like.
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
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52 weeks of photos
Reblogging BlueDaisyz open invitation to take part in the 52 weeks of photos this sounds fun, must take part some time…..
I got some new camera kit for Christmas – more about that soon. I love photography, but I forget that I like taking great photos and just end up taking everyday photos. So, I thought a challenge was in order. I looked online for a challenge, but couldn’t find one that was going to start this year, and that I was happy with. Everyone was doing daily challenges, or a challenge with a photo a day for a month, or challenges with boring (or overly simple) topics.
In the end, I decided to come up with my very own 52 weeks of photos challenges. Why not? I didn’t use topics or ideas that I already had photos to match, but just looked around for random ideas that I liked.
Here’s the challenge – I am going to take a photo a week for 52 weeks, thinking about the topics below…
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#Blog Battle Week 19 Theme: Musk
Well it’s time for another Blog Battle, if you haven’t come across Rachael Ritchey’s Blog Battles here’s your chance.
This link will take you to her blog battle page: http://rachaelritchey.com/blogbattle/
The rules are:
Date to Post: Tuesday, July 21st, 2015
Rules:
- 1000 words max
- fictional tale (or true if you really want)
- PG (no more than PG-13) Content – let’s keep this family friendly!
- Your story must contain the word(s) from the theme and/or be centered around the theme in a way that shows it is clearly related
- Go for the entertainment value!
- Post your story by Tuesday 11:59 PM PST
- Use the hashtag #BlogBattle when tweeting your story, put a link back to your #BlogBattle Short Story in the comments section of this page, and/or include a link to this page in your own blog post (it creates a “ping-back” which will alert me and our friends to your #BlogBattle post)
- Have fun!
The prompt word this week is Musk.
Now this had me stumped for a while but then it came to me in a flash of inspiration I could submit a part of a chapter that I’ve already written from my second manuscript (yes I have more than one, this is my second work in progress!) about a cheeky young lady called Morag Eu Fungh and her dragon.
How can this children’s fantasy tale possibly have anything to do with the word musk? Funnily enough my mind works in peculiar ways so musk is quite appropriate!
My #BlogBattle Entry:
Morag’s Musk Load of Trouble
Morag sneaked upstairs as fast as her short legs allowed. In her bedroom she cautiously peered at her reflection in the mirror. She drew back in horror. A large rabbit stared back at her.
The rabbit wasn’t attractive or cute.
It was no cute pet bunny rabbit
with a fluffy tail and floppy ears.
No, this creature staring back at her
had the definite air of a wild rabbit,
a dirty and downright ugly, wild rabbit.
Morag screamed but no sound came out. Panic rippled through her furry body, sending nervous twitches down her large ears, and tears threatened to smart her eyes but no tears came.
Morag’s rabbit body sneezed. Then between sneezes she started to say a few words to her rabbit reflection.
“This can’t be happening. I must be dreaming.”
But the more she stared the more she realised that she was indeed a rabbit.
Then, a string of words tumbled out of her furry mouth before she could stop them.
“It’s that dragon. He’s cursed me, turned me into a stinking, smelly, ugly, rotten old rabbit. Ugh.”
Morag hopped all the way down the stairs and out the door, mumbling, and groaning without her mother noticing her at all. She was otherwise engaged chatting up the postman!
Out in the large expanse of garden Morag felt very small and vulnerable. She heard the sound of a cat meow. She hid under a bush, only daring to come out when the cat disappeared. The sounds and smells all around her had magnified to an intense level. She could hear tiny insects scurrying about in the earth. The drone of a faraway lawn mower hammered in her eardrums. Her stomach gurgled so much that she made for a patch of juicy grass and ate, and ate, and ate. Then to her horror she began to gulp down whole, small round pellets of rabbit poo that were sprinkled across the park area beyond the garden. Augh, how disgusting! When night came a darkening sense of terror burrowed into her thoughts. The stars in the sky did nothing to make her feel better. She tried to stretch her long rabbit body and relax but no sleep came. In fact she was so frightened that a fox or an owl would attack her that she kept her eyes wide open all night long. In the silence of the night she heard a whisper, and then a loud crackle, and then another. Soon she was convinced that someone nearby must be lighting a fire. She hopped towards the sound to investigate. A flash of red, and then a blast of fire scorched the night sky.
The dragon.
Only the dragon could light up the sky like that. For a long time she remained still, watching, too scared to approach him. But at last her courage grew and she moved nearer and nearer.
Morag could feel the force of his relentless stare scorching the fur on her back. She hopped back and nearly turned tail and ran but the Dragon stopped her in her tracks with his words.
“How does it feel Morag, to be a defenceless rabbit?”
“Horrible,” Morag’s rabbit ears seemed to fold into themselves in despair.
“My thoughts entirely,” said the dragon, though he didn’t sound sympathetic at all.
“I have this musky smell. I eat poo. I have ticks, lice, and a family of mites are crawling all over me.”
“Yes you reek!” said the dragon pulling a face, “What an overpowering scent. Musk. It may be all the rage with deer but it isn’t dear to me! Huh, serves you right. Such a terribly mean thing that you did to your sister. I have no sympathy, you’re lucky that I didn’t turn you into a rat.”
“Please, mighty dragon. I can’t live my life as a rabbit. I’ll do anything you wish, just turn me back. I can’t live out here in my back garden.”
“Of course you can. Rise to the challenge, scaredy rabbit. Be a rabbit for a day. If you survive the night and aren’t eaten by a cat then maybe I might just come back tomorrow and turn you back. But it depends on how busy my day is. I’ve got lots to do you know,” said the dragon as he admired his long, sharp nails as if he intended to file them.
“No. You can’t leave me. You wouldn’t be so mean. I won’t last the night.”
“Stop grovelling, of course you will. Be a resourceful rabbit, see you tomorrow. Best of rabbit luck.”
With those final words, and a cold-hearted backwards glance the mighty dragon turned and disappeared into the night sky.
Morag shivered. Nearby she heard an owl hooting, and then all the sounds of the night seemed to chorus into song as if they were singing just for her, except they sang a song that she didn’t want to hear. She tested out her rabbit legs, and was satisfied to find that at least her hind legs were strong. She hopped fast across the lawn and then leapt into the air. What fun! So she did it again, and again, and again. Being a rabbit had its plus points! Soon, she was warm. Then she saw and heard a rustling in the nearby grass. A snake was twisting and turning its way towards her. Her ears pricked up in alarm. In a panic, she scampered to the right and the left zigzagging this way and that. It was time to find a burrow and hide, before she met any more snakes, owls, or foxes. Foxes frightened her more than anything with their big, furry bodies and sharp teeth. Thank goodness she could see so well but that wasn’t much compensation. She wanted to be a girl again, standing up on her own two feet, rather than hopping about on her hind legs. Being a wild rabbit and smelling of musky deer certainly didn’t make her feel cute like doey-eyed Bambi!
Hope you like my #BlogBattle story. I’m enjoying writing this one. Do let me know what you think.
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
© Marjorie Mallon 2015 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
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RANDOM MONDAY FUNNIES WITH ANIMALS…
Reblog of a bunch of Random Monday Funnies from Chris at the story reading ape blog. 🙂
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Daunted by Self-Publishing Platforms?
Self-publishing platforms reblog from Marcia Meara – originally posted on C. S. Lakin’s remarkable blog, Live, Write, Thrive
Here is a great post from C. S. Lakin’s remarkable blog, Live, Write, Thrive. If you are as daunted as I by all the venues out there for self-publishing, guest blogger Jessica Bell has some great information to share with you. Check it out. It’s a keeper, but then I think almost everything on this blog is. I’ve learned so much there, from grammar, to novel construction, to proper usage of similar words. Just everything. I highly recommend following!
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 