Merry Christmas News! Advent Stories, Poetry Releases, #Charity #Anthologies #DarkFiction #anthology and #Reviews

Merry Christmas Everyone.

It’s been a busy year of writing, reviewing and editing. I’m currently working on various projects for 2025 including a YA Fantasy book, tentatively called The Shadow Dragon Pearl. I am working through the 1st phase of critiques of early chapters mainly on Scribophile and thereafter will be looking for ARC readers when the story is complete.

In 2024 I released Shh Purely Poetry, a different type of poetry book for me. It was nominated in Indie Visible’s Charity Awards, (Indie Visible is a fantastic group run by Hayley Anderton on Instagram,) under the category Best Poetry/Anthology Collection. The awards raised £300 for Brain Tumour Research. I also participated in the Halloween Hauntfest which was great fun, so much so, that I will be participating in at least 4 events next year, perhaps 5 to help introduce new readers to my books.

Blurb

A compilation of sensual, love and relationship poems. Quirky, unusual and evocative.

Shh, Purely Poetry is a collection of poetic pieces about love, sensuality and relationships with sections entitled: love as fuel, (food and coffee love,) the summer and winter of love, strangers in love, quirky aspects and nature as sensuality.

For Ari Meghan’s Christmas Advent I wrote a lovely story about a surprise. It’s all about a little dog called Chalkie and Tai Chi in the Portuguese sun. If you haven’t read it yet here is the link:

https://mjmallon.com/2024/12/03/advent-calendar-story-train/

To read all the advent stories in the chain follow the link below, some are still ongoing.

2024 Advent Calendar Story Train

It’s been a year of contributing to some brilliant anthologies which I’ve really enjoyed being a part of. Here’s the detail, the most recent of which is Sunflower Tanka.

Sunflower Tanka

Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle & Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual anthology of contemporary tanka, tanka prose, & experimental tanka from a broad mix of new and established poetic voices from across the world.

Our theme, “Into the Light,” draws inspiration from the way a young sunflower bud constantly turns to face the sun. Poets delved into the realms of death, love, and the natural world, capturing their human experiences in the timeless form of syllabic poetry.

Contributors to the first edition of the Sunflower Tanka: Suzanne Brace, Yvette Calleiro, Kay Castenada, Luanne Castle, Robbie Cheadle, Colleen M. Chesebro, E.A. Colquitt, Melissa Davilio, Destiny, Tamiko Dooley, Lisa Fox, Cindy Georgakas, Chris Hall, Franci Hoffman, Marsha Ingrao, Jude Itakali, JulesPaige, Kenneth, MJ Mallon, Brenda Marie, Selma Martin, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Lisa Nelson, D. Wallace Peach, Freya Pickard, Dawn Pisturino, Gwen M. Plano, Jennifer Russo, Aishwarya Saby, Reena Saxena, Merril D. Smith, Nicole Smith, Ivor Steven, Ben Tonkin, Trilce Marsh Vazquez, Cheryl Wood.

I’ve ordered a physical copy and look forward to reading in the New Year!

I won 1st prize with my story The Seagull Man in Wordcrafter Press’s Midnight Garden.

17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare.

Contributing authors include Paul Kane, Ell Rodman, DL Mullan, Joseph Carrabis, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Denise Aparo, Jon Shannon, Zack Ellafy, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Robb T. White, Abe Margel, Julie Jones, Molly Ertel, Peter McKay, Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Martz, and M.J. Mallon

The French Winemaker’s Daughter Tour @DIY_Author @lellsworth #historicalfiction #WW2

Day 3 of The French Winemaker’s Daughter Tour via Kaye Lynn Booth https://writingtoberead.com/

Introduction

About The French Winemaker’s Daughter

Set during World War II, an unforgettable historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty told in in the voices of two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis.

1942. Seven-year-old Martine hides in an armoire when the Nazis come to take her father away. Pinned to her dress is a note with her aunt’s address in Paris, and in her arms, a bottle of wine she has been instructed to look after if something happened to her papa. When they are finally gone, the terrified young girl drops the bottle and runs to a neighbor, who puts her on a train to Paris.

But when Martine arrives in the city, her aunt is nowhere to be found. Without a place to go, the girl wanders the streets and eventually falls asleep on the doorstep of Hotel Drouot, where Sister Ada finds her and takes her to the abbey, and watches over her.

1990. Charlotte, a commercial airline pilot, attends an auction with her boyfriend Henri at Hotel Drouot, now the oldest auction house in Paris. Successfully bidding on a box of wine saved from the German occupation during the Second World War, Henri gives Charlotte a seemingly inferior bottle he finds inside the box. Cleaning the label, Charlotte makes a shocking discovery that sends her on a quest to find the origins of this unusual—and very valuable—bottle of wine, a quest that will take her back fifty years into the past. . . .

A powerful tale of love, war, and family, The French Winemaker’s Daughter is an emotionally resonant tale of two women whose fates are intertwined across time. Loretta Ellsworth’s evocative and poignant page-turner will linger in the heart, and make you think about luck, connection, and the meaning of loyalty.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/French-Winemakers-Daughter-Novel-ebook/dp/B0D3CJYP5Y

About Loretta Ellsworth

Loretta earned a master’s degree in Writing for Children from Hamline University. She’s the author of four young adult novels: THE SHROUDING WOMAN, a Rebecca Caudill nominee; IN SEARCH OF MOCKINGBIRD, which won the Midwest Bookseller’s Choice Honor Award, was a Teen’s Top Ten finalist, an IRA Notable, and was named to the New York Library’s List of Books for the Teen Age; IN A HEARTBEAT, which was named a spring Midwest Connection’s Pick and an ALA Notable; and UNFORGETTABLE, which was a Kirkus Pick of the Month. Her debut adult novel STARS OVER CLEAR LAKE, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2017. Her debut picture book, Tangle-Knot, will be published by Page Street Kids in 2023.

A former Spanish teacher, she lives with her family in Minnesota.

Visit her website at: www.lorettaellsworth.com and follow her on twitter @lellsworth.

Writing Behind Your Back

By Loretta Ellsworth

I was raised on writing rough drafts and making sense of them later. This was taught to me by Jane Resh-Thomas in small classes in her Minneapolis living room, where she dispensed her wisdom to all of us who eagerly made copious notes. One thing she taught us was the concept of ‘writing behind your own back’. It’s the meat of the story, underneath the plot and characters. During the process of writing, things come to you without you knowing what they mean, or why they’re part of the story. But that’s often the important part. It’s what the story has to do with you, and every story has something to do with you as the writer, even when you don’t see it at first.

And we don’t see it. Not at first. When Kate DiCamillo wrote her book The Tiger Rising, one of the characters has a terrible rash on his legs. She said, “I wrote that book and re-wrote and re-wrote it and Rob’s rash was always present, front and center. And it wasn’t until after the book was done, that I remembered my own eczema, how it bedeviled me as a kid (not that I had forgotten the eczema, only that I hadn’t connected it with Rob’s eczema). I didn’t know what I was writing about, but I was writing about my heart.”

During the revision process, it’s important to ask ourselves why we’re writing a particular story, to recognize what we’re really writing about even when we think it’s something else. When writing The French Winemaker’s Daughter, I concentrated at first on the mystery of a rare and valuable wine bottle, one that spurs pilot Charlotte to search for the owner fifty years later. It wasn’t until after several revisions that I started to see a connection to my own life. My father spent time in Japan during WWII, and amid some of the things he brought back was a small delicate handkerchief decorated with a picture of a red sun and Japanese writing. I found out after his death that it was called a Good Luck Flag, filled with messages of love and support from the family of a soldier going into battle. I wondered what happened to the soldier who’d carried this, the story behind the flag we had owned all these years, and if his family could be located. Although I found out it might be almost impossible to find the family now (he had a common last name), it was suggested that the flag belonged in a museum. It made me wonder what we owe others, especially those who have lost so much during the war? And I realized that my book was searching for a way to bring restitution for my family for owning what we’d assumed was a common handkerchief all those years, but may have been an important piece of someone else’s life.

When examining your story, look for how it’s connected to you, the writer, and don’t be surprised that it’s something you tried to keep secret and buried. But it will reveal itself, and in doing so, will help us as writers to write our truths and reveal the themes of our books.

Tour Schedule

Mon. 12-16: Writing to be Read – Opening day – Interview

Tues. 12-17: Carla Reads – Guest Post

Wed. 12-18: Kyrosmagica – Guest Post

Thurs. 12-19: Book Places – Guest Post

Fri. 12-20: Writing to be Read – Closing day – Book Review

Book Review: In God’s Hands @ritubhathal #bookreview #rishtayseries

Book overview

They kept hearing, “When will we celebrate your good news?”

The perfect partner, the perfect job, mostly perfect in-laws.

Bali and Kiran had it all.
Except for that baby.

After a few years of marriage, the natural step of starting a family beckoned, but nothing was simple or natural.

Constant whispers, superstitions, and rumours cause havoc in what was a solid relationship, and Kiran struggles to face the possibility that her dream may not come true.

Pregnancies and babies all around her. Why not hers?
All she can say is, “It’s in God’s Hands.”

Book Review – In God’s Hands

This is book 3 in the Rishtay series. I’ve read Marriage Unarranged and Straight As A Jalebi and can highly recommend all three books.

I enjoyed reconnecting with the characters again. The third book in the series is an emotional read focusing on childless couples struggling to conceive and to carry a baby to term.

In God’s Hands is written in a moving and knowledgeable way from the author’s own experiences.

With mentions of cultural aspects and the pressure (especially from mother-in-law’s and ‘aunties,’) for married couples to produce a child.

One can’t help but root for Kiran and Bali!

In this human interest and family centred novel relationships between husband and wife, friends, family, and the wider community are explored.

I was a little surprised at the emotional distance between Kiran and her mother. I didn’t find her character was mentioned much. Instead, Kiran’s relationship with her father-in-law, Daddy-Ji, is the one that shone throughout. He is level-headed, sensible and kind. I really liked his character! Such a sweet man. Her mother-in-law, Mummy-Ji, is intolerable at the beginning and then suppressed revelations are shared which make a difference.

A lovely cultural personal and touching read. ❤️

My rating 4 stars

About the author

Ritu Bhathal was born in Birmingham in the mid-1970s to migrant parents, hailing from Kenya but with Indian origin. This colourful background has been a constant source of inspiration to her.

From childhood, she always enjoyed reading. This love of books is credited to her mother. The joy of reading spurred her on to become creative in her writing, from fiction to poetry. Winning little writing competitions at school and locally encouraged her to continue writing.

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher, she has drawn on inspiration from many avenues to create the poems that she writes.A qualified teacher, having studied at Kingston University, she now deals with classes of children as a sideline to her writing!

Ritu also writes a blog, http://www.butismileanyway.com, a mixture of life and creativity, thoughts and opinions, which was awarded first place in the Best Overall Blog category at the 2017 Annual Bloggers Bash Awards, and Best Book Blog in 2019.

Ritu is happily married and living in Kent, with her Hubby Dearest, and two children, not forgetting the fur baby Sonu Singh.

Blog Tour Suzanne Stephenson: The World According To Patrick White and Santa Pig #santapig #patrickwhite #dlmbooktours #review @lilmissmorfett

I am on the blog review tour for Santa Pig and Patrick White by Suzanne Stephenson, DLM Book Tours, via Donna Morfett.

Santa Pig Blurb

Being a talking pig is not easy, particularly if you belong to a lawyer. Patrick the pig not only finds himself involved with the Parish Council but also finds himself on trial.

Will he be able to save the local Christmas festivities?

This is a comedy of pigs, law and Christmas which, like seasonal punch, should be enjoyed for warm seasonal cheer, or sometimes just enjoyed for a bit of laughter at humans’ expense.

“A very entertaining book, full of humour that had me chuckling along with the wisdom of a very clever pig.” – Review by D for The World According to Patrick White.

Amazon link https://amzn.eu/d/bq3NOm2

Patrick White blurb

Is this a pig of a legal drama?

Or more a story of how a pig might see our world?

Emmie is a part-time lawyer and a part-time farmer who finds she is in possession of a talking pig.

Odd? Yes. But this is only a part of the piggy story.

“Patrick White” as he calls himself questions our rules, our religions and our politics. He is curious and clever and he often finds human behaviour incomprehensible.

Patrick White ends up in court as an expert witness about porcine behaviour. After all, the world needs to know his side of the story. When he meets a royal dignitary, the piggy tail takes another twist.

Patrick has his own views about human behaviour.

Can you imagine what they are?

Dare you find out?

Amazon Link https://amzn.eu/d/9QLvWCZ

My Review of the books:

The World According To Patrick White

A fun and amusing read about a very clever talking pig. I enjoyed it and the lovely illustrations in the book. Patrick White likes beer, tv and listening to the radio. And he has a great enthusiasm for lady pigs. But he is much more than just a breeding pig. He is such an intelligent fellow! When news spreads about his capabilities all sorts of incredible things happen, read this sweet book to find out more.

Santa Pig

This continues the story of the talking pig, Patrick White. Introduces a new pig character, who isn’t much good for reproduction, who is clever like Patrick. Patrick is lonely and longs for intellectual company, so he befriends the sow. Much more happens. Cleverly done. A fun and amusing read with simple but appealing illustrations. A recommended read for older children and adults too to brighten your Christmas!

Author Bio

Living in the English countryside I already had a couple of careers before I became an author. Having been a Family Lawyer and Family Mediator I became a District Judge in the year 2000 and officially retired from judging in early 2021.Sitting on complex family cases did not leave me much time for my interests of writing and sketching but when I had free-time I tried to visit interesting places .I hope my ancestors helped provide some inspiration as well. My father was a Holocaust survivor and my maternal grandfather a gynaecologist and composer. The people and countryside of Eastern England also are embedded in my psyche .

Ari Meghlen’s Advent Calendar Story Train: Day 3 #blogshare #stories #advent #storytrain

Welcome to the Advent Calendar Story Train, hosted by Ari Meghlen where you can read through 24 stories under the theme Surprise.

My story…. is inspired by this little gal Chalkie.

Little Chalkie often comes to the tai chi class that I attend in Portugal whilst I am there. Here she is looking up at us. She’s quite an inspiration…

WHAT CHALKIE SAW!

A leaf landed at my feet, crunching it underfoot. It made me smile. It was as if the trees had joined in, dropping their colour at my feet.

Tai chi in the sun. No expectations, just join in and be present. If you’re late, it isn’t a problem. If you forget a move, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing rigid about tai chi. It flows like a river.

The class is human, but there are dogs too, the littlest of which is a beige coloured gal named Chalkie. She’s a rascal, jumping up the legs of participants, hoping for a pat. Sometimes, she disappears to Le Santo cafe! Sniffing the flowers and meandering about until she comes back.

Sometimes she snorts at us, indignant at our time wasting. If she could speak, I’m sure she’d say stupid humans, what are you doing?

She’s her own enemy, incapable of experiencing the calming effect of tai chi!

Instead, she anticipates the coming moment. Expectation reaches a climax at the end of the warmup when we all roar, pretending to be tigers. That sets her off. Every time! Barking, she banishes a multitude of tiger demons.

I’ve always wondered why… Why does this tiger caper set Chalkie off? When we pound our chests, or rub our knees, or blow bubbles why doesn’t she react?

Today, I forgo coffee to investigate further. I say goodbye to my fellow tai chi folk. Now, alone, I pick a spot beside a broad tree which has several individual branches. One of which points ahead, one right and one left, just like the instructors whispered instructions to turn right, à direita, left, à esquerda or ahead, à frente.

I pause. What a pretty tree. A tree I’ve never noticed before. Its pink blossoms are stunning, but it’s the tree trunk below which captures my attention. It looks like a carving of a reclining figure. How have I never seen this before?

It surprises me with an unexpected movement. How odd. Did I imagine it? Trees don’t move. Or do they?

Perhaps the energy from the tai chi has transformed the nature that lives here.

I must discover what little Chalkie sees…

During the next class, I make an excuse to watch, pretending that I’ve injured my knee. I wait with bated breath. The leaves on the trees rustle, the roar is loud, but Chalkie’s frenzied barking is even louder. She races the full breadth of the park. And I see it. A momentary sighting. The tree trunk stirs, becoming a young girl, her long dark brown hair flowing with curves. And then she’s gone!

Later that evening, I walk to the park alone, going past Le Salto restaurant I make a silent plea to the tree: please reveal your astounding secrets.

Instead of my usual position, I stand within a short distance of the tree. As I begin the warmups, I notice the moon is full and high in the sky. I root my feet into the earth and roar with all my might to summon the young girl again. The moon trembles, as if it might fall into my hands, leaves shake, the flowers open their petals. The base of the tree trunk stirs, a wooden hand appears, and then a foot.

With a loud popping sound, the maiden of the tree is standing before me.

“You released me!”

Astounded by her presence for a moment, I don’t respond.

A tear falls from her eyes and then another and another. “I am free,” she exclaims. “Please, help me. You are the first person to discover my presence. Chalkie has tried to alert you to my entrapment, to no avail.”

Entrapment! I move to get a closer look at her. She’s no illusion. But she is crafted of wood.

“Please hurry! Knock on my bark to release me from the spell!”

For a moment, I wonder if I’m hallucinating. Or whether I’m dreaming. But even though the experience is surreal, I believe her.

“Knock where?”

“Here,” she says, pointing at her wooden chest. “My heart.”

I tap it lightly.

“Harder, with purpose. Please. Now!”

I pound on her chest.

Her cheeks become rosy, and her eyes bright. She gently pushes me away and continues pounding her chest, with her wooden fists. She is roaring now.

As I wait, I observe her miraculous transformation from a woman of wood to a living human.

Now aware of her nakedness, she blushes. Gathering fallen leaves and flowers; she adorns herself with a floral dress.

She hugs me. “Thank you, thank you, so much.”

As she steps back, her tears water the ground. A flower grows. She steps down and picks it up, handing the orchid, my favourite flower, to me.

“A magic flower for you,” she says, with a heart-warming smile.

I return her smile. “Where will you go now?”

“I will return to the hills where I once lived. No one will remember me, so much time has passed. I will live a life of freedom amongst nature and for that I will be grateful.”

“I promise we’ll find the wicked person who did this to you!”

Her lip trembles… but her eyes tell me she doesn’t know who did this to her.

“You mustn’t find out, or you’ll be in danger. Trust me! Faraway, in the hills, amongst the tree folk I will be safe from harm.”

I nod, hearing the wisdom in her words. “I’m reluctant to leave such wickedness unpunished, but… I will respect your wish. I’m sad to see you go, but glad you’ll be free.”

Chalkie never forgot the girl of wood. She continued to bark at the tiger’s roar. Perhaps she was raging at the evil so and so who had trapped the maiden in the tree. I’ll never know for sure. But every day thereafter, she sniffed the tree’s bark as if checking that the trapped girl was really gone. Satisfied, she’d wag her tail before following her master on her next grand adventure.

end…

Thank you for reading today’s story. The next one will be available to read on December 4th, titled “Nightingale Knitting Group Ladies Club“. This link will be active tomorrow when the post goes live.

If you missed yesterday’s you can go and read it here.

Halloween Hauntfest Sale – Indie Visible #sale #kindle #offers #ya #fantasy #poetry

I’m in the HALLOWEEN HAUNTFEST Indie Visible Sale.

Here are my titles on free kindle offer:

My ya fantasy book Bloodstone is one of many of brilliant books featured in the Halloween Hauntfest organised by Indie Visible events, on Instagram, Hayley Anderton.

Lots of books on sale, some of which are free, or .99, 25th to 28th October! So check Indie Visible’s Website!

More about the Halloween Hauntfest via my Instagram. @mjmallonauthor

Bloodstone, Book 1 in the Curse of Time series

Blurb

I didn’t think my life could get weirder, but I was wrong…

Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who is imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house.
When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden path where she encounters Ryder: a charismatic, perplexing stranger.
With the help of a magical paint set and some crystal wizard stones, can Amelina discover the truth about her family?
A unique, imaginative mystery full of magic-wielding and dark elements, Bloodstone is a riveting adventure for anyone interested in fantasy, mythology or the world of the paranormal.

TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains mention of self-harm, mental health issues and alludes to the potential dangers of sexual attraction, which may trigger younger/sensitive readers.

INSPIRED BY: The World Famous Corpus Christi Chronophage Clock, created by Dr. John C Taylor, OBE, and artist Anya Gallaccio’s Crystal Grotto, in Juniper Artland, Scotland.
‘A smartly plotted YA fantasy adventure with a strong cast of characters.

A RED RIBBON
WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.

Indie Visible Events (Scroll down to Bloodstone)

Available in wide Distribution : Kobo, Scribl, Smashwords, Nook, etc and in paperback & hardback in Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc:

https://books2read.com/u/bOyrgW

My poetry books are on sale during the Halloween Hauntfest 25th to 28th October.

The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet and Mr Sagittarius Poetry & Prose. Both of which will be on free kindle offer for the duration of the event.

Blurb – The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet

The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet is a collection of poetry and flash fiction celebrating the beautiful vulnerability of the forest kingdom.

It begins with the poetic tale of the kind-hearted Hedge Witch, Fern, who discovers an injured stranger in desperate need of her woodland spells and magic.

The sweet pairing learn from each other and through Fern’s guidance, Devin embraces the power of magic to leave behind his troubled past to become The Musical Poet.

Indie Visible Events – Poetry

Mr. Sagittarius Poetry & Prose

Blurb

Twin brothers Harold and William love the magic of the natural world.

When Harold dies he leaves a simple memorial request.

Will his brother William and his sister Annette honour it?Or, will the garden work its magic to ensure that they do.

A magical story expressed via an original compilation of poetry and prose with photographic images.

#NaturalWorld #Trees #Magic #Spirit #freebooks #tiktokbooks #bookstoread #poetry #books #indiebooks #magical #shortreads #fairytalestory

Also, I am offering the following kindle poetry books for free during the event too:

Shh, Purely Poetry

Blurb

A compilation of sensual, love and relationship poems. Quirky, unusual and evocative.

Shh, Purely Poetry is a collection of poetic pieces about love, sensuality and relationships with sections entitled: love as fuel, (food and coffee love,) the summer and winter of love, strangers in love, quirky aspects and nature as sensuality.

Inspired in part by daily prompt poems written for the 365poetrypromptchallenge, observations of places, people and my travels.

Early Reviews
A beautiful collection of sensual poetry based on love and relationships of all kinds. As many of these pieces come from word prompts, it’s interesting to see these different voices/narratives come to life. There are some observers, some voyeurs, some sapphic, some with varying innuendos, some in mourning for lost love and some enthralled in a new beginning. I enjoyed the use of rhyming schemes in poems such as ‘Gotta stick together ladies’, the alliteration in ‘Blooms of Blossoming Bliss’ and repetition in ‘War Talk’. The imagery throughout is wonderfully conveyed and makes each poem vividly its own tale. A unique and thoughtful collection that easily connects to a reader, and I would thoroughly recommend! (I also enjoyed the ‘Blackpool Funny Girls Drag Show’ as I attended the afterparty of The Book Party and the conga was brilliant!!!) Review Quote Amy B Garratt.

A loving collection of poetry that delicately weaves in relationships at many stages. Many are sensual, full of texture and images, and some offer unique takes on human interaction. Here are a few beautiful passages: “The Sweetness/The longing/Each kiss deeper/different and the same/Like I belonged to more than him/Like I belonged to the poetry.”؅—Dining on Poetry, “…beautiful calligraphy to highlight/tiny ink splodges to add character/tear drops to remind me of sad days.”—Love Hidden In the Margin, and “She is fair and I am dark/Slight and I am robust/We fill our together/completing our silhouettes.”—Silhouettes. “Shh, Purely Poetry” is meant to be savored more than once by lovers of sensuous and thoughtful poems. Review Quote D. L. Finn

A beautiful and loving collection of poetry that discusses love and relationships of all kinds. It’s fun, sensual, full of imagery and very unique. This collection of poems contains many pieces that are derived from word prompts, so it was really interesting to explore all the different narratives that were weaved throughout. I believe this is a collection of poetry that is super sweet and meant to be savoured (see what i did there? 😉)
My personal favourite from this collection was “The Universe is Ours” Review Quote Book Sirens

M J’s compelling poems celebrate the colour of sensuality, the power of love, the sweetness of desire, and the four seasons of romantic relationships.
Vivid imagery and evocative language capture the essence of sensuality, while awakening the senses and igniting the imagination – the partner’s body is often explored like a treasure map, with descriptions of carnal beauty and the pleasure of touch, celebrating the irresistible pulchritude of the human body and the joy of physical connection:

“I can still feel her lips on mine
Salty like the caramel snack
That she turned down for peanuts.
My hands caress her breasts
They sit up pert. Asking – no begging to be touched.”
~ fragment from ‘Valentine’s In Chocolates’ Review Quote Book Sirens

Do What You Love : (author type poetic memoir)

Do What You Love is a personal poetry collection celebrating how the fates may have a part in all that we do.

With special poems and short reflective moments inspired by family, flowers and nature, love, scrumptious morsels, places I’ve visited, lived and intend to live in, the friendships and hopes I have for the future.

The overarching theme is to live a life well lived… And to do what you love.

float along with me
create clouds of sweetest joy
to do what you love
hold fate’s hand as we venture
near and far on life’s journey

ARC reviews:

★★★★★ 5 stars Oh what a lovely book, filled with poetic gems and beautiful prose!
I enjoy reading MJ Mallon’s poetic fiction, where she ties poetry with prose, and have read several of her previous books written similarly.
Do What You Love is almost autobiographical in a sense that she has taken her memories and written them in poetic form, and the fictional, almost fantastical element is where she meets the three sisters of fate through her journey of reminiscences, and they talk about her different memories.
It’s not linear, but no conversation ever is, is it? Memories jump from the more recent to the older ones as they come tumbling into your mind.
I felt a keen connection to the poems about her daughters, and the autumn trees. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons.
A lovely book with a personal touch. Ritu – But I Smile Anyway.

★★★★★ 5 stars I’ve read this author’s work before: young adult novels, poetry and flash fiction, and I love her imaginative handling of the magical, the phantasmagorical and surreal. This short book is no exception to the quality of MJ Mallon’s output. I found her exploration of her past life captivating.

We may consider that the inclusion of often very personal material in a compilation of this sort would make it difficult for the outside reader to find a way in. This is not true at all of MJ Mallon’s poetry and prose: in many places, I related so much to what she writes, especially about a daughter ‘flying the nest’ to a faraway country. I particularly loved the device MJ Mallon uses to draw all this together: she presents it as a conversation with Atropos, one of the three Fates in Greek mythology: the Morai.

Atropos presides over the past. I thought this worked extremely well as a central metaphor. It had me googling the three Fates, and reading all about them: Clotho, who spins the threads of life, guardian of the present; Lachesis, who measures the length of life with her measuring rod, and is guardian of the future: and Atropos, who is the guardian of fate and destiny, and who chooses the manner of death by snipping the threads of an individual’s life.

MJ Mallon has had a fascinating and varied life experience: born in Singapore, she spent her childhood in Hong Kong and her teens in Edinburgh. She now lives in Cambridge. Every culture she has lived in, I believe, has influenced her imagination, her interests and her approach as a writer. In this book, we find a compilation of words and images which draw us in: poignant, sensitive, delicate, playful, as she opens up for us her past and present relationships, the places she has loved and spent time in, and her thoughts and feelings about it all.

A highly recommended book for you. Review by Sheila Robinson

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-You-love-Fragility-Photography-ebook/dp/B0BKLC9DYY

Thank you, hope you enjoy your downloads.

Blog Tour : The Tale of Philida Thrush by Suzanne Stephenson @lissmissmorfett

Blurb

When a song-thrush has her nest demolished by the builders, what can a bird do but look around town for a new home?Assisted by a hedgehog friend and two sparrows, Philida goes on a quest to find somewhere to live.

Book Review

This is a lovely book written in rhyming verse and illustrated by Suzanne Stephenson which can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. It follows the song thrush as she looks for somewhere new to live after her home is destroyed by a bulldozer. Along the way she meets Stanley the hedgehog, two sparrows called Paul and Sonja, the Major who tries to help, but she struggles to find her perfect home. Until… at last she discovers it and it couldn’t be more perfect.

A sweet kid’s book I’d recommend for nature lovers of all ages. The illustrations are pencil sketches simply done but effective.

My rating 4 stars

Author Bio

Uk to buy link: https://amzn.eu/d/aAkfUFJ

Book Review: Size Always Matters @sgc58 #weightloss #journey #eatingwell #bookreview

Delighted to feature Sally Cronin’s latest book on my blog today!

Blurb

At age 41 in 1994 and weighing 330 lbs, Sally Cronin had two choices when she was told that she was unlikely to live to 45. Carry on eating or get her act together.

She chose to study nutrition and change the way she approached the food she ate and her other lifestyle choices.

Her first book, Size Matters, told the story of her weight loss of 154 lbs and shared the programme she designed to both lose the weight and regain her health.

Now, thirty years on from the start of that journey, having worked as a nutritional therapist with hundreds of clients as well as acting as a health consultant on radio for several years and on her blog, she shares an updated version of the programme.

Weight loss is not just about calories in and calories out. It is about identifying the physical, emotional and mental attachments we have to food and developing a deeper respect for the fuel we require to be healthy.

As well as exploring the many elements involved in healthy weight loss, she also shares the nutritional balance we need to achieve to prevent many of the lifestyle issues that accompany obesity. This includes some easy to prepare recipes which provide nutrient dense dishes for the whole family.

In 2022, 2.5 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight, including over 890 million adults who were living with obesity. 37 million children under the age of 5 were overweight. Over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 years were overweight, including 160 million who were living with obesity.

If you need to lose 10 lbs or 100 lbs you can adapt this programme to lose the weight healthily and to enjoy a better quality of life. Don’t be included in the statistics and start losing weight today.

Book Review

Size Always Matters

I learnt a lot about the body and our relationship with food from this personal account from Sally Cronin’s own experiences – at 41 she was told she was unlikely to live to 45, weighing 330 lbs, she lost 154 lbs and is now 71.

It’s been a tough journey for author Sally Cronin and this account of her weight loss journey and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle is nothing short of inspiring.

Sally Cronin is honest, informative, and encouraging throughout.

If you want to lose a little, or a lot this book will help you on your journey. It explains the science, the role of different foods, sugars, carbohydrates, proteins and fats in our diet and the harmful effects of candida albicans.

It struck me as being full of sensible advice, (you can eat butter but from grass fed cows, full fat or semi skimmed milk, treats in moderation, but make sure you have your fish, lean protein in moderation, whole grain carbohydrates, healthy fats, handful nuts, and a wide variety – 5-7 a day fruit and veg, natural, unprocessed food, etc,) such a no nonsense approach and the opposite of yoyo dieting, or fads.

Basically, think about what you eat, respect and protect your body, exercise, live well and this will benefit you.

There are shopping lists for healthy foods and also a few recipes at the back of the book. I’m tempted to try her recipe for Irish Soda Bread and Mushroom soup.

Highly recommended for those about to begin a weight loss journey, or all those interested in nutrition and living well.

My rating: 5 stars

#weightloss #weightlossjourney #bookstoread #bookrecommendation #bookreview #booksofinstagram #booksandbooks #books #lifestyle #healthyliving

About The Author

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog.

This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is an extended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includes the nutritional element to losing weight and some recipes with ingredients that provide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued good health.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

Her blog: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

A book that is beneficial to keep and follow. I intend to try to lose about a stone!

Bye for now, see you soon,

Marje

Blog Tour Day 5 Midnight Garden -Wordcrafter #darkfiction #shortstories #blogtour @DIY_Author @RobertaEaton17 @PaulKaneShadow @JosephCarrabis

Day 5 – Midnight Garden Tour

Delighted to present to you Midnight Garden which is an outstandingly brilliant dark fiction anthology, I’m honoured to be included in. Today I present to you two authors in the anthology Abe Martel and Molly Ertel. More about them both below. Do follow all the stops in the anthology and remember to comment on each stop in order to be entered into the giveaway, giveaway details below…

About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow

Giveaway

https://writingtoberead.com/2024/10/07/welcome-to-the-wordcrafter-midnight-garden-book-blog-tour/

Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit.
If you miss a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below. (Links won’t work until the stop goes live).

Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game” & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes

Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz

Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read

Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration Reading from “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica

Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted

Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces

Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb”) – Writing to be Read

Buying Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology

Inspiration for “My Balance” by Abe Margel

How much do we really know about our neighbours?
Whether you live on a farm, in an apartment or a house you probably know little about your neighbours’ lives. What have you learned about the purple hair woman you’ve shared an elevator with a dozen times, the one that lives on the sixth floor? For two years you’ve bumped into each other in the same little cubicle, nodded hello then stared at the wall. Who is she? What’s her job? Does she have a husband, kids, a python, a hash pipe?
The fellow with the dragon tattoos that lives right next door to you, the guy who just built a tree house for his five kids, what does he do for a living? Why do you never see his wife, the mother of all those children? Who’s white van is parked in his driveway every Tuesday night from exactly nine-fifteen to exactly eleven-fifteen?
Of course you could ask them but then they might have questions of their own. Why is a young woman like you always dressed in navy blue, and only navy blue; navy blue skirt, top, shoes, socks, coat, mittens, scarf, hat? And what happened to the engagement ring you were wearing last month? Why did it disappear? Well, it’s none of their business is it? Is it?

The fictional story, My Balance, grew out of a conversation with a friend. Andre had been in an accident and told me how difficult it was for him to get around in the walking cast he was now required to use. After months of rolling around in the back of my mind a plot emerged. I envisioned a man in a walking cast returning from the hospital to his empty home. On his street he is surprised to discover an ambulance is sitting by his neighbour’s house. The story’s main character, George Fitzpatrick, is a divorced middle-aged man who’s balance is literally and emotionally off. His irascible neighbour, Francis Allard, is largely a mystery to George.
We learn in the story that as difficult a person to like as Francis was, he nevertheless seems to have had a soft spot for George. Or did he? Exactly how little George knew about Francis becomes clear as the narrative progresses to its troublesome end.

About Abe Margel

Abe Margel worked in rehabilitation and mental health for thirty years. He is the father of two adult
children and lives in Thornhill, Ontario with his wife. His fiction has appeared in Spadina Literary Review,
Mystery Tribune, BarBar, 7 th – Circle Pyrite, Yellow Mama, Ariel Chart, Uppagus, etc.

Inspiration for “Antepenultimate” by Molly Ertel Reading
https://youtu.be/XHUgCIPDMHQ

About Molly Ertel

Molly Ertel’s short stories have appeared in Akashic Books, Jerry Jazz Magazine, and the Dark City Crime and Mystery Magazine. Additionally, she was a reader/editor for the Silver Blade Anthology. She has recently completed the first book in a two-book series for middle grade readers, Jujube at the End of the World, set during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The second book has been written and is undergoing the rewriting process. Other projects include a middle grade novel about an environmentally-conscious ghost and a possible visit to a rage room as the basis for a short fiction.

Enjoy spooky reads!

Check out all the Youtube videos about author stories:

“Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book”: https://youtu.be/qmhkgXslA9o

“The Seagull Man”: https://youtu.be/sgsCgd7y1ds

“The Blackest Ink”: https://youtu.be/KJD4Xd-7Va4

“Antepenultimate”: https://youtu.be/XHUgCIPDMHQ

“The Last Drop”: https://youtu.be/MeVOnnd62GM

“The Exchange”: https://youtu.be/8imZAd_Ug6Y

“Grande Ture”: https://youtu.be/iOKyI0fG9Qg

Day 1 Wordcrafter Blog Tour: Midnight Garden Anthology @DIYAuthor #darkfiction #anthology #blogtour

Delighted to be featured over at Kaye Lynn booth’s blog, on Day 1 of The Wordcrafter Blog Tour for Midnight Garden Anthology.

Follow the link to join in the anthology release celebrations!

Welcome to the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour

Joseph Carrabis has also been featuring authors over on his blog too, details of which I’ve shared to my Tiktok.

https://www.tiktok.com/@mjmallonauthor/photo/7422170869042089248

He asked fellow Midnight Garden anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication.

Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story inspiration came about.

My feature: https://josephcarrabis.com/…/mj-mallons-the-seagull-man…

Abe Martel:

https://josephcarrabis.com/…/abe-margels-my-balance-in…/

Denise Aparo:

https://josephcarrabis.com/…/denise-aparos-jack-moon…/

Molly Ertels:

https://josephcarrabis.com/…/molly-ertels…/

The Blog Tour Info:

Schedule

Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read: http://writingtoberead.com/?p=36912

Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game” & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes: https://roberta-writes.com/2024/10/08/roberta-writes-book-blog-tour-midnight-garden-where-dark-tales-grow-readingcommunity-midnightgarden-darkanthology/

Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz: https://paulmartz.com/blog/day-3-midnight-garden-tour/

Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read: http://writingtoberead.com/?p=36917

Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration for “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica

Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted

Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces

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