Thank you to Sally for my first post from my archive #potluck #health #gallbadder #operation.
#Bookreview – Soul Swallowers by D. Wallace Peach and giveaway winner
Wonderful review by Robbie Cheadle of Soul Swallowers by D Wallace Peach. And great news I’ve won the giveaway for Double Blind by Dan Alatorre.
What Amazon says
When swallowed, some souls gift insights, wisdom, a path to understanding. Others unleash power, proficiency with a sword, and indifference to death. One soul assimilates with ease. But swallow a host of the dead and risk a descent into madness.
Estranged from his family over the murder of his wife, young Raze Anvrell wields his fists to vent his rage. Then a chance at a new life beckons, and he retreats to the foothills of the Ravenwood, the haunt of unbound ghosts. He and his mentor build a freehold, a life of physical labor and the satisfaction of realizing a dream. They raise horses and whittle by the fire until the old man dies, and Raze swallows his first soul.
When his brother reaches out, open wounds begin to scar. But the tenuous peace won’t last. While those who rule the Vales yield to the lure of…
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There Is Far Too Much Emphasis Placed On Planning
Great advice from Jack Eason about keeping planning to a minimum to let your creativity flow. #writerstips #writing
I know I’ve spoken about planning in the past. But like a lot of seriously overused writing crutches, it bears talking about yet again.
So many new and not so new writers insist on planning every single detail in their current work in progress almost to the point of being totally paranoid about it. It’s as if they need an Idiot’s How To Guide to be able to write. It has to be said that following this inflexible method leaves nothing to be desired. Neither does it make you think before you write. Nor does it allow you to make use of your imagination, not to mention being adventurous and therefore spontaneous. Give me research and spontaneity over planning any day.
It’s fine if you are just another hack with no imagination whatsover, ghost writing for a living. But I ask you, where’s the fun in that? Where is the…
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Carrot Ranch June 20 Flash Fiction Challenge #FlashFiction
June 20, 2019, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about having to wait. Who is waiting and what for? Think about how the wait impacts the character or the story. Go where the prompt leads!
Respond by June 25, 2019. Use the comment section below to share, read, and be social. You may leave a link, pingback, or story in the comments. If you want to be published in the weekly collection, please use the form. Rules & Guidelines.
The idea for this piece of flash came about from job shares. Imagine if the person who you were job sharing with was a murderer… What a thought!
My flash:
Only two more hours, she joked as she left. I smiled. I knew I would say the same to her after two days’ time. The weekend is teasing me, waiting with a glass of wine. At two minutes past five I open her drawer to eat the snack she left me. It kills me to admit it but it tastes good. She’d said it was foul but lied. One more bite.
Shame that death arrived before the weekend. She didn’t need to poison me—we were both on the same prolonged career path.
https://carrotranch.com/2019/06/21/june-20-flash-fiction-challenge/
Cheerio for now!
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
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COLLEEN’S 2019 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 132 #SYNONYMSONLY
I’m looking for a Christmas venue for our staff party which is proving to be more difficult than I first anticipated. A colleague at work suggested I considered The Cock pub. Anyway, to cut a long story short I called The Cock and checked the size of the venue. We require a big capacity – over fifty guests – and I was informed that the venue was too small. Dead pan, I reported this back to my colleagues with the words: ‘the cock is too small!’
Cue much laughing… Oh my!
Thereafter, not content with the way things were going I googled other possible pubs and discovered a feisty possibility called The Wrestling Cocks. This wasn’t big enough but I was impressed by their passionate pride to their pub! They pointed us in the direction of another venue – the name escapes me – but sadly this didn’t meet my exalted expectations either…
So after much soul searching and a protracted period of titillating I’m now considering a more simple approach. Perhaps a venue with a numeral in the name such as The Three Buttes, or The Eight Ding-Dongs...
ALL PUBS NAMES IN ITALICS HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THEIR PRIVACY!
The pressure’s growing
To find a perfect venue
A decision soon
Be it big, or small in size
Carry on… up the pub dears!
Synonyms: For influence (I used pressure) and perception: (feeling)
To join in Colleen’s poetry challenge:
Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
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#BookReview The Start of Something Wonderful @JaneLambert22 #TuesdayBookBlog #booklover
Fantastic review of Jane Lambert’s The Start of Something Wonderful from Lucy at blonde write more. #Midlifecrisis #romance #uplifting
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Book Review of Devil In The Wind by Frank Prem #Poetry #BlackSaturday #Wildfires
Goodreads Synopsis:
Devil In The Wind is an account of catastrophic fire and its immediate aftermath.
In this 21st century, the whole world seems to be on fire. America burns. Europe burns. Greece is reeling after its own tragedy of fire.
And Australia burns, as it has always done, but now so much more fiercely.
In February 2009, wildfires burnt through entire communities, taking 173 lives and injuring hundreds, while destroying thousands of houses and other buildings. Up to 400 fires destroyed 450,000 hectares of forest, native fauna and habitat, livestock and farmland.
In the aftermath of the fires, the voices of people who had lived through the experience — victims, rescuers, and observers — spoke and were heard.
Devil In The Wind is Frank Prem’s poetic testament to the personal, and very human, accounts of those who themselves experienced and survived Black Saturday.
My review:
I discovered my love of poetry as a teenager and this love continues to this day.
Devil in The Wind is very different from any poetry book that I have ever read before. I’ve never encountered stream of consciousness poems before, or poetry that chronicles such a devastating experience in such a thoughtful, honest, human and visual way.
Poetry delivers raw emotions in a way that prose sometimes struggles to do.
My favourite poems are:
Evidence to the Commission of Enquiry
Like A Duck on The Lake
Portraits in Green And Gold
The look of salvation
First bus to Marysville
The strength of a Trukie
Ever again
Don decides
Frank Prem’s links:
https://frankprem.wordpress.com/
Thank you to the author for a copy – this in no way affects my review.
My recommendation: 5 stars. Definitely read this, it is a fantastic collection.
Have you read Devil in The Wind?
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
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The Bloggers Bash 2019 – Highlights and Photos #bloggersbash @BloggersBash
I can count on one hand how many bashes I have attended – five in total. Each have been different but one aspect is undeniable – I have put on a little weight since the first one.
I blame Ritu’s wonderful cakes!
Do check out Ritu’s new author blog:
It was lovely reconnecting with old friends and making new ones too.
Unfortunately, as with all bashes there is always that moment when you realise that you haven’t had a chance to speak to everyone. So apologies to those I missed and to those I only chatted to briefly.
I took very few photos. Getting lazy…
But here are some, below myself, with Willow and Ritu.
Congratulations to Ritu for winning best book blog and to Sam Smith at Loving The Fifty Something Blog for winning the writing competition this year. I really enjoyed chatting to Sam and wish her every success and happiness with her writing and inspirational lifestyle.
Highlights
I particularly enjoyed listening to guest author Gemma Todd talking about her writing journey.
From working class girl with no books in the house, or readers in her family, to librarian and Headline author! That shows determination, tenacity and a love of the written word! Gemma flitted across the stage in an exuberant but down-to-earth way making me smile. She shared some touching anecdotes about her father and her genuine authenticity shone through.
The journey of a writer. Interesting and emotional talk by @GemTodd #BloggersBash pic.twitter.com/P9uZF22BEv
— Shelley Wilson (@ShelleyWilson72) June 15, 2019
I’ve followed Gemma on Twitter and will be finding out more about her book series which sounds fab. You can find out more about Gemma on her author website is via this link: https://gxtodd.com
Other highlights of the day were the flatlay session with Suzanne Elliot. Great tips from Suzanne followed by Sacha helping me with my creation.
Sacha Black’s invaluable advice was simple: less is more – don’t clutter your #flatlay photography. Add items to identify your unique style.
In Sacha’s case she includes a skull in her #flatlay. In my case, I could consider adding an item in red (like the colouring on my book cover.)
This is my work in progress flatlay… red item to be added at a later date. Perhaps a red bloodstone!
And The Panellists
Discussion was very interesting too. We heard from three knowledgeable bloggers/writers.
Listening to @esthernewton201 @ShelleyWilson72 and @FulltotheBrum during the panel discussion at the #BloggersBash pic.twitter.com/oucKOMJo6n
— Suzie81blog (@suzie81blog) June 15, 19
Great summation of the bash by my lovely friend Ritu: https://butismileanyway.com/2019/06/17/chai-and-a-chat-37-chaiandachat-bloggersbash-special-bloggersbash/
The perspective of a new blogger who hadn’t been before – Marian:
https://justmuddlingthroughlife.co.uk/2019/06/16/annual-bloggers-bash-2019/
More about the Bloggers Bash and Flatlay workshop from Eloise:
https://eloisedesousa.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/bloggers-bash-flatlay-workshop/
https://eloisedesousa.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/bloggers-bash-2019/
From the Bloggers Bash Website:
And Willow’s wonderful account full of photos: https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2019/06/16/the-annual-bloggers-bash-june-15-2019/
Sherri’s fab post on the bash: https://sherrimatthewsblog.com/2019/06/18/five-years-and-another-fab-bloggers-bash-2019/
Bye for now.
If you haven’t been to the bash yet I hope you might consider coming!
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
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Scrummy Food, Tulips and Cocktails #Food #Montreal #Canada #Holiday #Tulips
One of the things I discovered as we were sitting in the taxi on route to catch our bus to Heathrow was I’d forgotten my coat! So, I ended up borrowing my eldest daughter’s jacket when I could – this furry brown one was my favourite!
Here I am at Venice, Montreal, wearing her jacket and my woolly hat! And here she is when she grabbed it back on a later day outside Bevo Bar and Pizzeria!410 Rue Saint Vincent, Montreal QC H2Y 3A5
As you can see we stopped for a cocktail – the first of many!!! We went there on another evening to sample their fantastic pizzas. Yum…
I did buy myself a new jacket… think tulips and jazzy coat. I’m in the slideshow below. The tulips were stunning at the Botanical Gardens, Montreal. Talk about a field of colour…
Getting back to cocktails. See the green one below? That was my favourite! We were on a rooftop bar, and it was the bizz!
The food… Boy, was it tasty – my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Here are a few of the amazing dishes we tried… Look at this plate of beautiful food at Arthurs Nosh Bar… 4621 Notre-Dame O Rue, Montreal QC H4C 1S5 Not only does it look like a work of art it tasted like one too! It was well worth the wait. We had to queue to get in but this looked and tasted fantastic. A definite favourite!
And these two meals were from the same pub which was very near our AirBnB, Pub Bishop and Bagg 52 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montreal QC H2T 2K8 the food was amazing. See those potatoes they were cooked to perfection. Yum… And there vegetarian option was fantastic too. All very hearty but tasty food.
Then, we tried a vegetarian/vegan place called Lov. I chose the vegan burger and it was fab. 464 McGill Rue, Montral QC H2Y 2H2
https://www.lov.com/
At Taiyo we ordered from a tablet on our table and after a while we couldn’t quite remember just how much we ordered! Needless to say we ate everything but had less room for the amazing banana fritters. 1709 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal H2X 3K4.
Montreal is definitely a foodie’s paradise. This is just a sample of some of the amazing restaurants we went to and the cocktails… what can I say? Whilst on holiday, it’s imperative to let your hair down!
Time for a diet… and detox. Lol.
Do check out my other Montreal posts:
https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2019/06/06/notre-dame-basilica-montreal-canada-travel-holiday/
https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2019/05/26/grafitti-murals-montreal-canada/
And check out this post on Canadian travel:
https://noatech.travel.blog/2019/06/09/16-top-rated-tourist-attractions-in-canada/
Have you been to Montreal?
Do comment, I’d love to here from you.
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
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Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 131 #SynonymsOnly
It’s nice to welcome Colleen back after her break finding and settling in to her new home in Arizona. I’ve missed writing poetry but I’ve been super busy getting feedback back from my early readers and beta readers on my WIP: The Curse of Time Book 2 Golden Healer.
The synonyms I’ve chosen for beginning are dawn, and for consume – exhausted.
The tulips are from my recent trip to Montreal, Canada – Botanic Gardens. I had a wonderful time there on holiday with my two daughters.
Fields of Bright Tulips
With every dawn
Inspiration finds a way
To bloom in choice words
Until exhausted I dream
Fields of bright tulips
Hope you enjoyed my tanka poem.
Bye for now, happy creating!
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 