Fantastic poem shared on Sally Cronin’s blog from Joy plus links to her books. Snuggle in it will make you smile.
5 Awesome Marketing Sites for Authors
Great post from Brigid about book marketing sites.
If you are a new author, exploring book marketing sites, can become quite overwhelming.
I did not pay for any marketing for my memoir “Watching the Daisies,” (apart from a couple of short, unsuccessful campaigns which cost not a lot, but put me off paid marketing) for a total of eighteen months.
Meanwhile, I was able to build up book reviews, and form a solid foundation on both my blog and social media links.
I am forever thankful for all the support I received on my journey.
My previous post 20 Marketing Tips for New Authors includes my tried and tested FREE marketing tools for new authors.
Paid Book Marketing Sites
In May 2018, I dipped my toe back into the paid marketing waters once again.
Sticking to a modest monthly budget, I have spread my marketing campaign evenly over each month.
I have continued to build on my…
View original post 503 more words
Share this:
Flash Fiction #Unusual #Valentines
This is my flash fiction piece for Carrot Ranch’s prompt Valentine’s!
https://carrotranch.com/2019/02/14/february-14-flash-fiction-challenge/
Damages, broken limbs, a most unusual valentines – the poor restaurant didn’t stand a chance!
We squeezed into a corner next to a giant sized Valentine’s chocolate egg, exquisitely wrapped in pink, shiny wrapping.
My daughter nearly toppled it over with a careless swipe of her crutches. I can just see the look on the waitress’s face, a real shocker, Halloween horror expression.
Luckily, the prize-winning egg was saved.
We chose the Valentine’s menu but we stayed off the wine.
It was a long way back on crutches and we were terrified she might break more bones or chocolate!
See the original post about my daughter Natasha’s broken ankle here:
https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/an-unusual-valentines-adventure/
Bye for now,
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Share this:
February’s Speculative Fiction Prompt : A Very Unusual House Warming Party
A Very Unusual House Warming Party
Mr Elephant’s long lashes filled with tears. His heart lay in tatters and the endless falling snow and blizzards were making him wonder what was the point in going on. He longed for blue skies, warm sunshine, lush green trees and someone to play with.
One day he tiptoed upon a charming little tree house in a vast clearing. Unfortunately, even though he liked tiptoeing about, he knew he was too clumsy and cumbersome to live in such a sweet little abode. His trunk could just about fit in the window and extend to the other side but his body would crush it to pieces. He philosophised about the unfairness of this with several stamps of his rather large feet. His gaze trailed up, and he realised that a bunch of cheeky mice were playing on the roof. This made him even more angry. He pressed his trunk against the house and in a fury he pushed hard. The tree bent and strained against his enormous bulk and the house groaned and shook.
The mice scurried about squeaking in high-pitched protestations trying their best to find a safe place to escape from the fury of the elephant.
Mr Elephant paused for a moment to observe these tiny creatures who were as white as the falling snow. He curled his trunk in thought. Was he being as nasty as those humans who had killed his herd? Perhaps, he should be the one to fear these mice? After all, his mum always told him that elephants are frightened of mice, but he believed this to be nonsense. How could he, one of the largest creatures to walk this earth, fear these tiny, rodents? Surely, it must be the other way round?
But, did he need to scare these silly things?
He blinked his eyelashes as large snowballs fell on top of the mice.
‘Stop that Mr Elephant! You big bully. Your eyelashes are sending loose snowballs in our direction and your bulk is threatening to topple over our new home. Can’t you see we are about to have a house-warming party?’ said one tiny, but confident mouse.
‘I don’t care! You… You, didn’t invite me to your party and I so love to play! You – unfriendly mouse.’
‘I’m not. Mice are very friendly. If you take a moment to stop being so uppity with your trunk in the air, tiptoeing like a ballerina, you will see that I speak the truth. We’d like to invite you in, but we can’t. You won’t fit. You’re – too big.’
‘Hey, that’s not true. I can fit. My trunk is a master of contortion. It can fit through the window, or pop in via the front door.’
‘Oh! I never thought of that. That’s brilliant Mr Elephant,’ said the mouse. ‘I suppose it would be rude of us not to invite you. You are our nearest neighbour, and a talented contortionist.’
‘Oh, thank you! I would love to come. What a treat! I have been so lonely and lost since my family died.’
The mice gasped in unison. ‘Your family died?’
‘Hunters killed them for their tusks,’ said the elephant in a sad whisper.
‘That is dreadful. Humans are wicked. We wish to make your day a little happier by making you our guest of honour,’ said the confident mouse.
‘Thank you mouse, that means so much to me. I will never have a tree house but it would be lovely for my trunk to come for a house-warming visit.’
All the mice giggled. ‘Come in, come in, Mr Trunk.’ they chorused, standing on their hind legs.
Mr Elephant’s trunk didn’t hesitate. His trunk was a huge hit at the party. The mice had endless fun sliding down what amounted to an endless slide. It was the best party game they had ever had. And Mr Elephant enjoyed spending time with his new, tiny family and he appreciated a chance to pretend that he owned his very own tree house nestled amongst the snowy clouds far away from cruelty.
© M J Mallon
To join in Diana’s speculative prompt: https://mythsofthemirror.com/2019/02/01/februarys-speculative-fiction-prompt/
I hope you enjoyed!
Bye for now,
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Share this:
Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 123 #SynonymsOnly
I could have gone Valentine’s with the prompt words: meaning and passion but instead I went love of trees! Lol. I am a funny one!
An expressive face
Full of such feeling
Carved in wood. I pause.
Mr Frowning Tree,
Stops me on my way to work,
With his cheeky frown,
Little devil what a tease,
I doubt he’s really that sad!
To join in Colleen’s poetry challenge: https://colleenchesebro.com/2019/02/12/colleens-2019-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-123-synonymsonly/
Hope you enjoyed! I love this tree!
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
Unique Selling Point: Unique, Imaginative, ‘Charming, enchanting and richly layered this is purely delightful.’
Share this:
Chiastolite – Writing Excerpt The Curse of Time Book 2 – Golden Healer #YA #Fantasy #Crystals #Magic
Today, I am thrilled to share with you details of a crystal that I have recently discovered.
Chiastolite
Chiastolite is such a fascinating crystal! I have chosen to feature it in the second book in the Curse of Time YA Fantasy series. This current work in progress stands in the region of 70,000 words. I am very excited about how it is progressing.
Chiastolite exhibits may be brown or green with a black cross pattern. The meaning of its name comes from the Greek word “chiastos” meaning cruciform or crosswise.
It has many wonderful properties: stone of balance, harmony, creativity. It is spiritually grounding, an excellent tool for meditation, psychic protection, problem solving, understanding aging, death, and is considered to be a stone of prosperity.
Let me share with you the unedited prologue/first chapter of The Curse of Time Book Two – Golden Healer. I hope you enjoy! Any feedback would be gratefully received.
Prologue
Eruterac wore a round knitted rasta cap embellished with bright sun-cured palm leaves. At the centre, he’d attached a shining Chiastolite – otherwise known as the death crystal.
The Chiastolite shared the brown colour of the earth he inhabited apart from a distinct black cross in the middle. Other than that and several cakes of mud he was naked, if you can call such a creature naked.
His filthy, matted dreadlocks tumbled forwards as he picked off a wriggling worm which dared to crawl across his bony frame. He held it inches from where his mouth used to be and dangled it in front of Leanne’s nose.
‘Dinner,’ he joked, as he bobbed his skeletal head.
‘No thanks, dearest creature,’ replied Leanne, as she tucked a strand of her silver pink hair behind her ear. ‘I prefer caviar. But I do like your new hat – that Chiastolite is very fetching!’
Leanne picked up her teapot and poured the liquid into a cup. It flowed slowly, twinkling with the brilliant colour of a thousand crystals. When it filled the cup, it turned the colour Leanne expected. She’d thought of green tea and magical green tea it was.
Eruterac reacted by choking and spluttering on clods of earth as he laughed. ‘That’s foul. Green tea, how can you drink such muck? Stinking Caviar. Sturgeon’s excrement.’
‘Huh, you can talk! You’re the one infested with worms.’
‘Worms… yes… I don’t blame you for hating worms. Worms are a wriggling nuisance but heavens to cemeteries they are nowhere near as bad as rats. Disrespectful Vermin!’
‘Poor you! Take heart, look, it must cheer you up to see such beauty every day,’ Leanne turned and pointed at the rose and myrtle garden and the cottage beyond with its walls of brilliant crystals.
‘My heart beats no more but I adore the tranquillity and beauty of this magical garden and cottage.’
A white dove landed on Leanne’s shoulder, she turned and smiled. But the dove thought better of it and alighted on the Creature’s hat. It pecked away at the worms making the creature smile.
‘Cheeky doves, always favouring you and your sunny hat when you’re around.’
‘They know who provides them with a constant dinner of worms. And who’s… boss.’
‘Huh! Yes to dinner, but a boss? You? That Chiastolite’s making you big-headed. Oh, my days. The mythological protectors and my dearest doves are all I – and my dear cottage need. And… to return to our earlier conversation, the mythological fly is up to his tricks.’
‘Where’s that stinking fly from hell been to this time?’ asked Eruterac, leaning forward, sending a bunch of worms tumbling towards Leanne’s teacup. Her eyes grew wide as she placed a protective hand over the top but a few swift worms landed in the saucer. She swiped them away.
‘Oh, anguish me. Worms in my saucer! How my flesh crawls. Ugh. I feel giddy,’ she placed a trembling hand on her forehead.
‘Leanne, forget the innocent worms. We were talking of the fly?’
‘Yes, we were. Now let me see. The fly has been to Amelina’s,’ she paused for a moment, her eyes wide. ‘He flew in the window but I am at a loss to figure out what happened next. My naughty crystal ball refuses to grant me a vision. I do know this – I placed my trust in Amelina – but I fear I was hasty.’
Leanne sighed.
‘Your heartfelt sigh makes me glad I’m dead. I no longer experience human stress and with time to waste, I’m a master at pontificating about nothing. But, I have a gurgling sensation in my once gut which tells me that the Grasshopper and the fly are in cahoots. Either way, I could suggest this or that, but it would all be for nought. Amelina is young, she will learn to master the magical crystal gifts you have entrusted to her. Time is on her side. I have every faith in her.’
He lifted his hat in a calculated salute to Leanne. A family of rats who had been resting on his dreadlocks ran free, knocking over Leanne’s cup.
‘Ugh. I wish you wouldn’t do that Eruterac,’ said Leanne. ‘You pretend to honour me but the last time you did that, you broke my precious teacup!’
‘Me! Mercy!’ replied Eruterac, laughing so hard that his eye sockets crunched together producing a horrendous grinding sound.
‘Stop that! You know you have no eyeballs – you devil! The rats devoured both your eyes long ago. Enough, our conversation is at an end,’ she paused for a moment before proclaiming, ‘The Bloodstone will find a way.’
‘Of Krystallos blood and Amelina I am certain,’ replied Eruterac, bowing.
© M J Mallon
I hope you enjoyed finding out more about Chiastolite and reading a WIP excerpt from The Curse of Time #2 Golden Healer.
What an extraordinary stone!
Do you own a Chiastolite? Let me know… Do pop over to the Sisters of The Fey blog tonight where I will be chatting some more about Chiastolite.
Bye for now!
Social Media Links
Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
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/
Share this:
The 2019 Bloggers Bash Blog Post Competition
The bloggers bash blog post competition focusing on the number five.
Share this:
Why you need to have Beta Readers
Great advice from Ari Meghlen about beta readers.
Beta Readers are an important resource for writers that can help strengthen your WIP. So I thought I would go over some points regarding getting some beta readers.
NB: Thanks for all the comments, faves, followers and reblogs – sorry I’ve not been replying. I have no internet in my new house yet. (All these posts are scheduled.) I’ll reply to you all as soon as I can!
View original post 1,602 more words
Share this:
Colleen’s 2019 #Book #Reviews – “Voyage of the Lanternfish” by Author, @Virgilante, C. S. Boyack
Colleen’s glowing review for Craig’s Voyage of The Lanternfish. #recommended #reading
Share this:
Nominations are Now Open!
Here’s the post to nominate your favourite blogs for the annual bloggers bash awards.
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 