Alastair Birch’s poetry collection, Reflecting On Moments In Time is a great way to get to know the author. It’s an entertaining, amusing collection of rhyming style quirky poetry with a mix of funny, and more serious poems.
There are also alternative nursery rhyme poems, and many relatable topics such as family, getting fit, running, becoming older, friends, being a parent, being tolerant of others diversity, writing, modern life, big bellies and a sweet tooth! Other topics include anxiety and the blues, autism, and down’s syndrome. One of my favourite poems is about snoring… it’s called I have a little dragon. It will be sure to make you smile!
My rating 5 stars
I am also looking forward to reading his epic historical thriller The Girl from Berchtesgaden, co written with fellow author Kim Rigby.
Author Bio
Alistair Birch is a thriller writer and occasional poet. In June 2024 came the release of a co-authored epic historical thriller, The Girl from Berchtesgaden.
He has plans to re-release two action thrillers and one psychological in the future.
Outside of storytelling, his poems range from rather silly to tackling deeper mental health challenges.
He frequently runs around his home town and occasionally steps up to do the odd half or full marathon but this is all for fun and friendship rather than being super speedy.
Congratulations to author D. L. Finn on her latest release, Sounds In The Silence. I really enjoyed!
Book Overview
A dual timeline where murder has consequences forty years later for the living—and the deceased.Maria and Logan Davis stumbled upon the perfect old house by a secluded lake—a prime candidate for their dream inn. They knew a renovation was involved but didn’t expect a persistent ghost that pleaded to be found. Determined, Maria delved into the mystery, only to uncover a haunting love story and murder from the Roaring Twenties. Yet, the young couple’s curiosity shifts to fear when they realize someone is taking a dangerous interest in their barn. With time ticking away, they must unravel the secrets of their home’s past before it’s too late.
My Review
This is such a heart warming mysterious story with romantic, and ghostly elements.
A trapped ghost Helen is unable to get her message about her husband Charles across to the new owners of the inn, Logan and Maria. Terrible past events happened. She fears for Logan and Maria’s safety and wants justice to prevail so she can find happiness in the afterlife.
I really enjoyed this tale. The premise for the story is fantastic. It is told in a dual time style between the 1920’s, (mention of bible bashing and condemnation of drinking during prohibition,) and the 1960’s. The characters both human and furry… (there are two dogs and two cats too,) are well drawn out and the good guys are ones you can root for and sympathise with.
The initial ghost discovery wasn’t as eerie as I expected but the ghost is a friendly one.
It is quite exciting in parts with grim discoveries, a mysterious letter and gun shots firing!
Highly recommended for readers of mysteries, ghost tales with a romantic element running throughout the narrative.
D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.
Behind Closed Doors is personal poetry from author and poet Robbie Cheadle. It is a great getting to know the author poetry collection.
There is much to admire. One gets a sense of her struggle to achieve tranquility given her great dedication and work ethic in the poem ‘Achieving Tranquillity.’
‘Do You Want It Enough,’ speaks of an authorly desire for fame and acknowledgement. And ‘The Corporate Hunt,’ about the work jungle back stabbing culture for supremacy. Life choices, inspiration and purpose are the topics in ‘Making A Splash.’
‘A fabricated world,’ has a serious element in its musings.
There are also lovely light-hearted touches as in, ‘Can You See The Butterflies.’
There are also lockdown poems, tankas, haikus, limericks and poems aptly illustrated with photos of her undoubted cake making skills. I enjoyed the metaphorical poems about the differences between her and her husband. Relatable, as my hubby and are also so different!
My favourite poems in the collection are ‘Stars In Her Eyes,’ about the magic we will leave behind with our fantastical words. Beautiful. And ‘He Walks Away,’ about her son becoming independent. Again so relatable, though in my case daughters!
Highly recommended. An unusual thoughtful book for poetry readers.
My rating 5 stars
Author Bio
Robbie Cheadle has published fourteen children’s books and three poetry books.
Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations.
Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews.
Thank you so much to D. L. Finn for featuring me on her blog today with a wonderful 5 star review for my new release. Do pop over to her blog to celebrate my launch!
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.
FANTASTICNEWS! It is release day for Richard Dee’s Where’s Lizzie….
Blurb
𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.A missing child, a family full of secrets. Douglas was only gone for an hour. He left his wife and baby daughter in their broken-down car while he went for help. After all, they were safely parked in a layby. When he returned, his car had vanished. He found it, crashed into a tree, further down the road. wife was now in the passenger seat. She’d hit her head in the accident and lost her memory. Worse than that, his daughter was missing from the back seat. Who has her? Why do they want her? Will he ever see her again? Someone knows the truth, but is anyone ready for the truth to come out? 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧… 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬.
Book review
Fabulous new book from Richard Dee! He really is such a prolific and versatile author who is able to deliver imaginative and engaging stories in many genres including scifi, fantasy and now thriller.
A well plotted and intriguing story about a father’s quest to find his missing one year old daughter, Lizzie, and his hopes to rekindle the love of his wife after her memory is lost following on from a mysterious road accident. Absolutely loved the ending and the little alternating chapters which filled in the details about the love and family life of the two main characters, Douglas and Rom. And the twin sister dynamic of Rom and Bec and details of their overbearing, dominant father Archie and his charity work added extra mystery and unexpected twists and turns to this story.
I really enjoyed reading.
Highly recommended for thriller, mystery readers with a well devised human interest aspect and plot.
My rating 5 stars.
Release date 1st June, 2024.
About the author
I’m Richard Dee and I’m from Brixham in Devon.
I write all kinds of speculative fiction, from Science Fiction and Steampunk to sci-fi crime and psychological thrillers.
Forty years at sea gave me the ideas, I just changed the names and set them in the future or in an alternative now.
All my work is fuelled by black coffee and homemade digestive biscuits.
You can keep up with me at https://richarddeescifi.co.uk/ where you’ll find free short stories, regular features on writing, book reviews and guest appearances from other great authors.
I can also be contacted at richarddeescifi@gmail.com
Thank you so much to D G Kaye for sharing her excellent review of my new book of poetry.
Her 5 Star Review:
Mallon has created this volume of poems inspired by daily writing prompts and her observations and interpretations of the people and places she’s seen in her travels. She uses various poetic styles to showcase her thoughts in prose and poetry, including free-verse poetry for her longer pieces, which resonate with me most.
The sections are broken down into appropriate categories of poems. Many of the poems in the first section are written with food and drink as subject matter, with underlying tones of sensuality. Some of the poems also touch on holiday themes, love and discovery, love and loss, strangers, forgiveness, war, and nature. Much of the poetry is evoked with intimate and imaginative stirring of sensual images and others being quirky tales – as well as some with explicit sexual connotations. And an interesting spin I found with some of Mallon’s poems, that some were written from the male perspective.
I quite enjoyed this interesting twist on poetry story-telling, something very different than Mallon’s previous poetry. Here is a sampling:
Silhouettes
She is fair and I am dark.
Slight and I am robust.
.
We fill out together.
Completing our silhouettes.
.
As we explore each other.
Strangers a moment ago.
.
Now lost, unable to fade away.
.
Because we kissed the deepness
of each other’s shadows and stayed.
.
If you enjoy poetry that tantalizes and stimulates, you will no doubts enjoy Mallon’s poetry.
Thank you so much to Sally Cronin for featuring myself and fellow authors, Robbie Cheadle, Judith Barrow, Jan Sikes and Fiona Tarr on her review roundup.
Reviews as below!
The first review this month was for Robbie Cheadle, Square Peg in a Round Hole: Poetry, Art & Creativity.
Sally’s review for the collection May 8th 2024
The author is a talented artist moving from her exquisite fondant art to wonderful charcoal and watercolours of Africa’s wildlife and plants. You immediately feel her connection to nature and in this collection of poetry and micro-fiction that connection is strengthened.
As you move through the sections of the collection you are invited into the lives of a family not only at one with nature but also one that has undergone significant challenges, particularly with health. It takes resilience as a mother to watch your children go through multiple operations and more recently her parent’s and husband’s health.
Robbie Cheadle also has a senior executive role that means her time management skills are highly honed. Corporate life can be complex and this comes across in her section on her work and striking a life balance.
There are some wonderful photographic contributions from Wayne Barnes of Tofino Photography whose wildlife images are accompanied by some lovely syllabic poetry catching not just the beauty but humour too.
Also contributing is her son Michael who has co-written the children’s books focused on the adventures in a fondant world. His poetry shows a maturity and depth of emotion and reflected his vision of a world from a health and environmental perspective. Very profound and thought provoking.
This is a collection that requires careful reading and should be enjoyed at a leisurely pace rather than read in one sitting. I have no particular favourites as each poem and image deserve reflection and respect.
The next review was for Her Covered Bones: An Australian Outback Crime Thriller (Opal Fields Book 6) by Fiona Tarr…
Sally’s review for the book May 11th 2024.
This has been an excellent series that has kept readers engaged over the five books so far. I was eager to discover the truth behind the overarching mysteries behind Jenny William’s cousin reasons for going missing ten years before, and the murder of her boyfriend Nick’s father.
This book picks up shortly after the last one finished and this times the discovery of bones is closer to home, as far as Jenny is concerned too close to home. Just how involved are her cousin and aunt with the murders and why have the rest of her family been keeping secrets. As she works hard to discover how involved they might be, she begins to feel her ongoing relationship with Nick will suffer.
Most of the main characters come together in an effort to resolve this mystery once and for all and a new character arrives to lead the investigation Detective Dawn Graves who stirs up the rest of the team with her approach.
As always there is plenty of action and revelations to keep the reader guessing as to the truth behind the murders, and it is a very satisfactory end to the series.
The author promises more from Jenny Williams in the future, but in the meantime is focussed on a new series featuring Detective Dawn Graves which I look forward to.
The next recommended book is by Judith Barrow... Live and Let: Tales of a Pembrokeshire Holiday Let
Sally’s review for the book May 15th 2024
This is a wonderful short book filled with treasures. The author takes us on a poignant journey through her teen years, marriage and growing family to set the scene for the highly entertaining stories of taking paying guests.
Having lovingly restored a neglected house in Pembrokeshire and wanting to add to the family income, a flat is created on the side of their home and over a number of years an assortment of guests take up residence during the summer season.
Some are clearly remembered with fondness, but others stand out for a variety of reasons and not always in the best light. Whilst laughing at the accounts of the antics these visitors got up to, it must have been extremely stressful to have to deal with them in person. The author has a lovely way of bringing these episodes to life and I would love to have been a fly on the wall.
These temporary lettings gave way to the arrival of a beloved aunt whose declining memory made from some heartwarming and also heartbreaking moments.
To round off a very satisfactory read, there is a short story about another house, another family facing challenges which ends with a twist.
I read Live and Let in one sitting and I am sure that anyone picking up the book will do the same. Highly recommended.
The latest collecton from Marjorie Mallon and my advance review for the book. Shh, Purely Poetry: Sensual, Love and Relationship Poems. On Pre-order June 2nd.
Sally’s advance review for the book May 18th 2024
Love in the romantic sense is a heady complex combination of physical and emotional attraction to another, sometimes bordering on the obsessive that completely takes over to the point of shutting out everything around you. Senses are heightened bringing a new perspective to the most mundane of activities, sights and sounds.
The author captures the depth of this sensual awakening and also the changes it brings to our lives in her poetry. The poems start slowly taking the reader through courtship into full blown relationships highlighting the highs and the lows along the way. The path of true love is not always smooth and as well as passion, one needs forgiveness and compassion.
This is a collection about love and relationships but also celebrates sensuality and whilst I don’t read erotica, this collection is a gentle reminder of the beauty that can exist between two individuals within a passionate relationship. There is a flow and softness that follows the cycle of love and passion..
As always with this author nature and humour also mingle with the more serious business of finding and expressing love. As a small taste of what is to come if you read this collection here is the opening verses to the first section in the collection: Love Is Fuel
Breakfast Nibbles
Avocado spread on toast, Like her bikini, green, shiny, lush, Skimpy but oh so satisfying!
Full breakfast, or bacon roll? Depends on afters… Your place or mine?
Head over to pre-order the collection for June 2nd: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US
And Sally’s final review this month was for the latest release by Jan Sikes… a world war two romance – A Beggar’s Bargain.
Sally’s review for the book May 25th 2024
A lovely heartwarming story of two young people who have lost so much and have little hope that their lives will change any time soon. Set just after WWII, times are hard, especially when drought and lack of work is being faced by millions.
For Laykin Martin having returned from the war to find his family farm has been left devastated following his parent’s death, and Sara Beth whose affluent father has his own plans, an unexpected turn of events throws them together to face an uncertain future.
The author always creates interesting and engaging characters and slowly over the story other down on their luck waifs and strays find their way into their home as they rebuild their lives. They expect hard work but not the kindness of others or how their own relationship will develop.
There are some devils in their lives who are determined to bring their hopes crashing down and it is a race against time for both crops and the safety of those they have come to consider familly.
It is a book I found hard to put down and read in one sitting and I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the journey of two young people determined to prove to themselves and to those who might doubt their decisions, that there is hope and love to be found.
Thank you so much to Richard Dee for this early book review and feature for my latest release due out 2nd June.
REVIEW
Well, where do I start?The author paints a picture in every poem, cleverly intermixing themes and providing a running commentary on aspects of love as part of life.With sections called LOVE IS FUEL, THE SUMMER & WINTER OF LOVE, LOST LOVE/DISCOVERING LOVE, LOVE, LIFE, WAR & FORGIVENESS, STRANGERS IN LOVE, QUIRKY! and SENSUAL SIGHS, there really is something for every mood, every stage of love, seduction and sensuality.The wordplay is deft and draws on powerful imagery, like this, from Breakfast Nibbles,Avocado spread on toast,Like her bikini, green, shiny,lush,Skimpy but oh so satisfying!or this, from Punk Music Babe,bold eyes blink in shadows,saucy salmon pink arch of eyebrows,her unrealluscious lookexcites me.There are so many other great examples, but I can’t show them all. Get a copy, you won’t be disappointed.This volume is recommended for anyone who likes to be taken on an exploration of the beauty, joy and exhilaration that can be found in relationships.
FOUR FRIENDS. A SECRET THAT WILL HAUNT THEM FOR LIFE
GOODBYE prog rock, flairs and mullets. Hello punk, ripped jeans and Mohicans. Yes, it’s the late 1970s but for pals Fred, Trish, Greg and Ricky, some things about growing up never change as they plunge into a whirlwind of outrageous antics. Together with their gang in a Scottish new town, they laugh, cry, booze, battle and obsess about sex as they discover the power of friendship and, for Fred and Trish, true love. But the bond is ripped apart when a drunken prank goes tragically wrong. Twenty-five years on, all roads lead home as teenage demons – and passions – are resurrected amidst ugly threats and shocking revelations that turn old beliefs on their heads. The lives the four have led couldn’t be more different but as showdowns loom, they all face the same question… Will confronting the dark secrets of the past redeem them or destroy them?
This is book 2 in the Shelter Gang series. I loved book one The Fenian, wrote a review, the review quote: “Pure dead brilliant, a delightful read,” which was included in Stopping To Rain’s front pages!
So… what do I think of book two?
What a title, what a book! Stopping To Rain is about the pauses in life, the what ifs, what could have beens, and perhaps what will be’s for the 1970’s kids of the Scottish new town of Cumbride.
Whilst reading I was drawn to the depth of the characters, so real, with individual personas. The wonderful detail in the descriptive scenes which really locate you immersively in the story. The humour and Scottish banter which had me chortling along at times. The playlist popular music titles of the time mentioned at the beginning of each chapter.
Given that I grew up in Scotland, I related to this so much. Every minute of this wonderful book took me back in time. The characters are so vividly drawn and the plot line flows with humourous laugh out loud moments. What’s not to love?
From despicable Ricky the sex mad new kid to Greg on his money making trails, (which are largely successful but when they are not… oh dear… he does get himself in trouble,) and Patti wee patti I loved her! I think we all remember a wee Patti from school. Who may be small, unattractive but can surprise us with her hidden depths. Then there’s a pecking order of fanciablility from Gloria that everyone fancies. And Trish.
Of the characters, it was Trish who my heart went out to the most. And Fred too, who feels the weight of his past making him commit to a lifelong penance for his one wrongdoing.
Not all the shelter gang are alike, some are only out for themselves, like money making Greg. But, with Ricky, the sex mad teen there is a glimmer of transformation as he grows older and finds his unexpected soul mate! And Sandra, Trish’s friend… what a godsend that lass is! No one is going to mess with her!
Fast forward twenty five years…
There is a sense of retribution, hope, change and forgiveness after the disturbing abuse revelations in Stopping To Rain.
A real belter of a story. Heartfelt. Highly recommended. Just like The Fenian which I loved too.
5 🌟 stars highly recommended.
About the author
As Mike Kernan learned from his years in newspapers, the best tales are always the human interest ones. He believes there are no more fascinating subjects than folk and, as a result, his stories are rich in character and bursting with the courageous, bizarre, dramatic, heroic, tragic, poignant and downright daft stuff that people get up to and talk about.
That shines through in his latest novel, Stopping To Rain, as well as in his previous books, The Fenian, and non-fiction Fishing In The Sun.
Mike might be a late starter as an author but he has been writing for a living since he was 17, as an award-winning journalist on a range of publications from local papers to national dailies.
Since taking early retirement in 2017, he has been making up for lost time by completing the books that have been in his head and in various scattered notes for years.
Stopping To Rain is the sequel to The Fenian and is a coming of age story packed with drama, romance, tears and laughter. The action switches between Scotland of the 1970s and the turn of the millennium. It tells how the past never really leaves us as the dark secrets of youth come back to bite a group of pals later in life.
Non-fiction book Fishing In The Sun is a collection of quirky, thought-provoking, funny and always entertaining stories on Mike’s other great passion, angling, which he writes about in a national newspaper column.
Mike, who lectured in journalism after taking early retirement from newspapers, has three grown-up children and lives on the west coast of Scotland with wife Margaret. Oh, and he’s also enjoying the role he reckons he was born for – as “Big Man” to grandson and best pal Jimmy.
If Martina Cole is the Queen of crime, Donna must be a Princess…
Do you believe in Karma? Peter Markham should have. The past has come tapping him on his shoulder with an appointment for a reckoning. There will be no tomorrow. The killer did everything to cover their tracks, but is that possible? Who is this mystery person to bear such a grudge, but more importantly, why? Is it possible to forgive the past?
DI Cora Snitton is new to the station and wants to make an impression. The pressure is on her to find Peter Markham and put the world back together again, at least for his wife. If Peter has a history, so have others. Secrets breed secrets while tragedy is only around the corner. It’s up to Cora and the officers on her team like rookie DC’s Darcey and Luke to solve the crime and deliver justice.
REVIEW
What a page turner! Secrets, secrets, secrets! The mounting tension towards the end culminated in an ending which wasn’t quite what I expected. But, given the underlying sense of the destruction, (and revenge killing,) it seemed in keeping with the tale to end the book in this way.
I believe this is a series, so there will be more to come. So much to say about this book. It would make a great film, or detective drama! The beginning made me ugh, wince a lot! It’s hard hitting. Though, the violence that occurs isn’t gratuitous, it has meaning in this book (there is a valid reason it is there and the author does a great job in building up the character of the murderer.) And this is also true regarding the characterisation of the coppers in the story, particularly Cora and Darcy. I liked how Donna Morfatt showed the other side to Cora, revealing her comedic interest which gave the story a rounded, lighter touch. I thoroughly enjoyed the sections about foster kids and the way this was so well plotted within the context of the murder story. Harrison, you must read about him, so sad.
Overall, this is a fabulous debut. 👌 Really impressed with Donna’s storytelling abilities. Highly recommended for those who like a well plotted, crime/detective series procedural but readers should be aware that there are triggers: violence, torture, rape.
My rating: 5 stars
Bio
Born and raised in a small Town in Bedfordshire.
Has loved reading as long as she was able to understand the words written on the page, and the love has remained. Now a way to help cope with mental health.
As with many people across the world, the pandemic left us with lots of time, and twiddling thumbs. As well as trying to complete a degree in Forensic Science at the time, Donna thought she’d try and write a book.
That book, although story wise is ok, needs a lot of work, and is yet to see the light of day. She likes the story and hopes to go back to it one day.
Donna then took part in NaNoWriMo, in November 2021, and wrote her first full length novel. Then there is Cassie, which came joint second in a recent short story competition. When entered, they were given covers and proper editing, so Donna thought, why not release it, and raise some money for charity. So thats how Cassie came to be.
Debut novel The Disappearance of Peter Markham is being released by Rampart books on May 23rd 2024.
If you’d like to get in touch or follow me on social media, then please do so here
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 