Cover Reveal: The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet by M J Mallon #arc #poetrycommunity #flashfiction #new #release #indiepoet #coming soon! @colleen_chesebro

I’m pleased to announce that I have a new book coming out this summer The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet. I’m delighted that Colleen Chesebro designed the cover and formatted the files for me. She did a grand job… And I can recommend her wholeheartedly.

Colleen has a new formatting service… https://wordcraftpoetry.com/unicorn-cats-publishing-services/

Member: Midwest Independent Publishers Association

If you’re looking for quality eBook & print book publishing services, please email Colleen at unicorncatspubsvcs@mail.com, or contact her via the above link.

There is a google sign up form for the blog tour below.

Also, there is a free promo at the beginning of July for my poetry and prose book Mr. Sagittarius, so read on to find out more about that too!

The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet is a collection of poetry and flash fiction celebrating the beauty and the 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.

Poetry/flash fiction titles in section one of the collection include:

The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet, Rain Forest Love, A Forest Baby Boy, A Forest Baby Girl, A Modern Witch, Rock of Mine, Chester Don & I, The Network of Trees, More Trees Not Less, Two Boys Watching War, Mum Climbing Trees, Let’s Play, The Scorched Tree, Owl’s Holiday Home, A Man’s Holiday Home, A Child’s Excitement, The Teddy In The Woods, Run! The Organutans, All Hallow’s Eve Candy Girl The Forest Bash, Dreaming At Halloween, A Face on Bark, Golden Willow Tree, Rainbow – Parasol of Light, Lollipop Sunshine Tree,

In Section two I pay tribute to the following poets: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, Ruby Archer, King Forest, Bliss Carman, Woodland Rain, Emily Dickinson, Who Robbed the Woods, Rupert Blake, Stopping by The Woods on A Winter Evening,Oscar Wilde, In the Forest.

With my poetry inspired by their works:

The Forest Weeps, The Forest King, Raindrops and Childhood Dreams, The Woodland Treasures, Winter Woodland Moon, Child Me.

BLOG TOUR

I’d be delighted if you sign up for the blog tour via the form below.

Any questions, comment below, or email me at: marjma2014@gmail.com

Also, I’m delighted to announce as a double celebration my poetry and prose book Mr. Sagittarius (which has received many 5 star reviews,) is on free promotion in July for two days on these dates:

Free Book Promotion

Saturday, July 2, 2022, 12:00 AM PDT

Sunday, July 3, 2022, 11:59 PM PDT

Sharing Options:

June 24, 2022 21

Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 228, #Poet’sChoice @ColleenChesebro

A Slice of Sky Pie - Shadorma 

Blue and white 
A slice of sky pie
Massive tree
A redwood
 Leafy lollipop heaven
Steep climb to the top!

My poem is inspired by a recent trip to the botanical gardens in Cambridge. I noticed this magnificent tree and the wonderful slice of blue and white sky.

To join in Colleen’s poetry challenge:

https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2021/06/01/tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-228-poetschoice/

Here are some other magnificent champion trees that I saw on my walk. Enjoy!

And a bee hotel.

I intended to go for another walk today but it’s pouring with rain so I’m writing this blog post.

I managed to go for a walk in the rain later!

Check out this wonderful review post from Balroop Singh for Colleen Chesebro’s Wordcraft Prose and Poetry and my poetry and prose book – Mr. Sagittarius.

#Bookreviews #Prose & #Poetry

Bye for now,

Sharing Options:

June 4, 2021 26

#TANKA TUESDAY WEEKLY @ColleenChesebro #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 225, #SYNONYMSONLY

“LIFE & MOVE” are the prompt words this week.

For life I chose fate, for move I opted for disturbed

I saw these trees whilst out for a walk with friends. There was something quite melancholy about their soaked roots.

I see a wonder

Trees disturbed in deep water

Soaking up their roots

Drinking in fate’s wilful woes

Sorrow is an endless pit

I originally wrote this before I knew the prompt synonyms! The 2nd line was: Trees submerged in deep water, which I changed to Trees disturbed in deep water. And thereafter, I made a few other adjustments – fourth line – was Drinking in life’s wilful woes, I changed to fate’s wilful woes. Colleen’s SYNONYMS made me dig deeper for a different word!

Congratulations to Colleen on her new release and on her new poetry journal. So exciting!

NEW RELEASE: Word Craft: Prose & Poetry: The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry by Colleen M…. https://t.co/0eSqU4z0Es via @amazon
— 🌸Word Craft: Prose & Poetry🌸 (@ColleenChesebro) May 14, 2021

Submissions are Open for the Word Weaving Syllabic #poetry Journal. Start counting your syllables! https://t.co/jZNWvcBcY6 pic.twitter.com/S0RZWM9c3l
— 🌸Word Craft: Prose & Poetry🌸 (@ColleenChesebro) May 15, 2021

#Tanka Tuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 225, #SynonymsOnly

Sharing Options:

May 16, 2021 19

#TANKA TUESDAY WEEKLY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 218 @ColleenChesebro #EKPHRASTIC #PHOTOPROMPT #Haiku

Image Credit: D.L. Finn

This week we have a photo prompt from Denise. And a truly inspiring one it is. A lady in blue hugging a tree. Here is my take expressed in a series of haiku.

Her blue snow soaked gown

Holds a silent hug to bark

Trees weep heart’s full tears

***

Vital friend severed

Bark ‘s finger accuses sky

The winter mist spreads

***

Dryad masked in blue

Once full, her kind heart splinters

The tree holds her face

#TANKA TUESDAY WEEKLY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 218 #EKPHRASTIC #PHOTOPROMPT

I hope you enjoyed the series of haiku.

Before you go I’d love it if you could pop over to Sally Cronin’s blog. She is sharing the latest review for my poetry collection: Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2021/03/27/smorgasbord-book-reviews-poetry-lockdown-innit-by-m-j-mallon/

If you are an avid poetry reader and would like a copy to review (no obligation, of course,) let me know. Happy to send you a copy!

Please consider adding to your Goodreads and check out some of my other books.

Thank you peeps!

M.J. Mallon’s books on Goodreads

Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018

reviews: 7
ratings: 46 (avg rating 3.91)

The Curse Of Time (Bloodstone,#1)

reviews: 27
ratings: 34 (avg rating 4.26)

This Is Lockdown

reviews: 14
ratings: 19 (avg rating 4.95)

Mr. Sagittarius

reviews: 13
ratings: 16 (avg rating 4.94)

Lockdown Innit: Poems About Absurdity

reviews: 9
ratings: 12 (avg rating 4.67)

AUTHOR SOCIAL MEDIA DETAILS

Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Authors Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-J-Mallon/e/B074CGNK4L
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon

#ABRSC – Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829166787333493/
Goodreads:: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-j-mallon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/

Spiritual Sisters: https://www.facebook.com/5SpiritualSisters

Sharing Options:

March 28, 2021 10

Flash Fiction Challenge: Charli Mills @ Carrot Ranch #trees #flash #fiction #neighbourhood #mother-in-law #elderly

September 3: Flash Fiction Challenge

My flash is based on a true story. I visited my mother-in-law in Edinburgh, Scotland. She hadn’t been too well but made a miraculous recovery. At ninety-four she is an incredible woman! This tree and our conversation inspired me to write this piece of flash.

It was kind of eerie at the time… knowing what I know now. The wind was blowing lightly but I added a gust of ghostly wind to the flash fiction piece!

The Tree of Life
I encouraged my mother-in-law to venture out for a walk. She hadn’t been out since a fall laid her low before lockdown. We sat by the wise old tree. I had no idea that just a few days ago this area had been the site of a funeral gathering. The family decorated the branches with colourful ribbons, dream catchers, pretty baubles and teddy bears. As we talked, a tremendous gust of wind blew the ribbons, twirling them in a whirl of colour as the baubles and teddies danced.

I heard leaves rustling; it was his last goodbye.

I didn’t know the man who died, or what he died of. His funeral happened at a time when people couldn’t gather in the usual way. So, touching and sad. His friends and family came together to say their last goodbye amongst nature, by that tree, in the area in which he had lived. Passersby who may, or may not have known him saw the reminder of the vibrancy of his life in the colour of the adorned tree.

I picked some purple flowers for my mother-in-law which she carries in the photo. Purple is her favourite colour. She always mentions our walk each time I speak to her. Somehow, that walk to the tree have given her confidence back. I believe she has now walked to the shop again. I’m glad I encouraged her to walk with me even though I was so worried that she might fall. Sometimes you have to be brave to make a special memory.

Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Authors Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-J-Mallon/e/B074CGNK4L
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-j-mallon Collaborative Group: https://www.facebook.com/pg/5SpiritualSisters/

Sharing Options:

September 7, 2020 11

Magic of Trees: Purpurea – #SpiritualSisters – #Trees #MagicalConnections #Nature

In my last Magic of Trees post I introduced you to The Dawn Redwood: https://mjmallon.com/2020/04/25/magic-of-trees-dawn-redwood-magical-connections-spiritualsisters-trees-magic-nature-lockdown-reading-books/

Today come and join me, take a seat on the tiny bench and let’s wander in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden…

The gardens are home to one of the most magnificent tree collections in the East of England. I am most fortunate to be able to spend time there during my lunch breaks from work, (except now we are on Lockdown in Cambridge.)

I would like to share with you a Champion Tree of Britain and Ireland.

(Owen 2003) lists Cambridge University Botanic Garden amongst the top 15 gardens in Britain and Ireland with 21 champions and I have a treat for you.

Meet…

Catalpa erubescens Carrie`re ‘Purpurea’ (Bignoniaceae).

The above photo gives you some indication of this trees mighty bark.

This magnificent tree is situated in the Rock Garden.

If you stand under it’s branches it becomes eerie and imposing …. Giving a sense of its mysterious darkness…

From a distance you are struck by its cheeky, twisty bark – (its light side) – that dances and twirls in unity with the branches above.

Trees truly have a remarkable energy. A short spell spent with them during my busy day helps me to relax and recharge for the rest of the day.

A fascinating article about trees: The Guardian ‘Places of sanctuary, opportunity, menace and death.’

In the meantime remember to visit a forest, (lockdown permitting!) spend time in your garden, and hug a tree for me!

Do comment below about any nature walks you have enjoyed recently.

A reading suggestion… I hope you might like it:

Mr. Sagittarius is a collection of poetry, prose and photographic images inspired by the botanical gardens in Cambridge. Photography is in the genes! Both my uncle and grandfather were photographers. My grandfather A.G. Ingram was originally with the photography company Ingram, Gordon & Co in Haddington up until the mid thirties. Then he ventured on his own to form the Scottish Pictorial Press in Edinburgh supplying photos to the press. When war broke out Scottish Pictorial Press became defunct. After the war he started AG Ingram Ltd, Commercial Photographers, at 3 successive locations in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Available for free on kindle unlimited and to buy in kindle and paperback: http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius

https://www.facebook.com/5SpiritualSisters/

Sharing Options:

April 28, 2020 6

Magic of Trees: Dawn Redwood #Magical #Connections #SpiritualSisters #Trees #Magic #Nature #Lockdown #Reading #Books

I love trees! I swear trees have magic. I live on the edge of a park in Cambridge surrounded by an incredible vista of trees and as a child I was no stranger to the mysterious aspect of the woods which were just a short walk away.

I’m going to share with you various trees which I have photographed some time ago. They have all captured my attention and are special and meaningful to me. I promise a diverse range, and a few giggles along the way.

What better choice to begin with, than this magnificent tree – a deciduous conifer, the Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, native to Lichuan county in Hubei province, China.

Local villagers refer to the original tree from which most others derive as Shui-sa, or “water fir”, which is part of a local shrine. Since its rediscovery in 1944, the dawn redwood has become a popular ornamental.
Strawberry Fields is a landscaped section in New York City’s Central Park dedicated to Beatle John Lennon. At the northern end of the lawns are three dawn redwood trees. The trees drop their needles each fall and regrow them each spring, a symbol of eternal renewal. The trees are expected to reach a height of 36 metres (118 ft), making them visible from great distances. Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasequoia

Even the name itself – Dawn Redwood – conjures up spell-binding magic. I discovered the redwood and many other beautiful trees on my lunchtime walks in the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge.

I think you will agree it is a wondrous tree. I love the warm, inviting orange colour in the bark and the beautiful, ferny foliage which was a delicate coppery shade when I photographed it in the autumn.

There is a distinct feeling of energy about this tree. It calls you to come and touch its bark.

I discovered this blog:

https://www.thespruce.com/dawn-redwood-growing-profile-3269307

And was interested to see what they had to say about Dawn Redwood.

Just some of the words that were mentioned to describe this tree:

Renewal

Awakening

Joyous

Mother Earth

Primal Wisdom

A living fossil

Dates from prehistoric times

Endangered

No wonder the Dawn Redwood captured my attention! I hope it will fascinate you too!

***

I love to write about nature – My poetry, prose and photography collection Mr. Sagittarius is a light-hearted, magical story about fictional characters, twin brothers Harold and William, their sister Annette and the sibling’s connection to the beautiful botanical gardens in Cambridge.

Moreover, it celebrates many aspects of day-to-day life including: sibling relationships, beauty, nature, the seasons of the year, love and ultimately magic.

I love spending time in nature taking photos – my favourite photos in this collection are the robin, trees and the dragonfly that grace this little book.

Photography is in my genes – Both my uncle and grandfather were photographers. My grandfather A.G. Ingram was originally with the photography company Ingram, Gordon & Co in Haddington up until the mid thirties. Then he ventured on his own to form the Scottish Pictorial Press in Edinburgh supplying photos to the press. When war broke out Scottish Pictorial Press became defunct. After the war he started AG Ingram Ltd, Commercial Photographers, at three successive locations in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The photographic images in the book are all my own, apart from two images by Alex Marlowe – a talented photographer.

To purchase on Amazon follow the link below:

Available for free on kindle unlimited and to buy in kindle and paperback: http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius

Thank you for entering my worlds. I hope they bring you a touch of magic. And thank you to all the kind people who read and review my work. I appreciate you.

Please do comment, I’d love to hear about your favourite magical trees and your favourite books!

Some Tree Enthusiast links:

https://www.treehugger.com/health/iceland-recommends-hugging-trees-instead-people/

Facebook Group – I Love Trees: https://www.facebook.com/groups/127351843985408/

Keep safe – find a tree to hug this Saturday!

Hugs,

We are the Spiritual Sisters (formerly known as The Sisters of The Fey):

Adele Marie Park Author: Firefly465

Annette Rochelle Aben Author & Personal Blog: Annette Rochelle Aben

Colleen M. Chesebro Author & Personal Blog: Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry colleenchesebro.com

Debby Gies (aka, D. G. Kaye) Author & Personal Blog: https://dgkayewriter.com/

Marjorie (MJ) Mallon YA/Paranormal Author: mjmallon.com

Sharing Options:

April 25, 2020 6

An Introduction – M J Mallon – Sisters of The Fey – Spiritual Sisters

Hi, I’m Marje, otherwise known as MJ.

Who am I? Which spiritual sister am I? I have never had a sister, sigh, but now I have Colleen, Debby, Adele Marie, myself, and Annette. Isn’t that wonderful? We are the Spiritual Sisters.

I’ve always had a fascination with the alternative, a curiosity about the paranormal, an interest in the zodiac and the like. For a time I worked as an alternative therapist specialising in Aromatherapy and Reflexology. I even did a short course in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT.) It fascinated me, but in truth, I didn’t have a lot of clients. I hadn’t discovered the power of blogging or social media yet. Perhaps, if I had it might have been a different story.

During my time as a therapist, I became quite intuitive and I developed an interest in crystals, auras, and chakras. My first crystal purchase was a malachite.

I believe the malachite marked the beginning of my transformation!

In this new feature – Spiritual Sisters – which was originally posted on our collaborative blog The Sisters of The Fey, I hope to explore crystals and their properties, the paranormal, and perhaps drop in a few zodiac posts too (I have a particular interest in the Chinese zodiac.) I’ve partially written an MG story set in Edinburgh about a girl and a dragon at Chinese New Year, which I hope to publish in the future. I also hope to share with you my magical connection posts about the wonder of nature, trees and spirit animals.

For the moment I would also like to share with you a focus on protective stones as I believe there is an unexplained presence in our house. There have been some very strange happenings that the female members of our household have noticed. My husband seems to be oblivious!

Including:

A disturbing strange vision we saw in the garden.
A force (a powerful air draft) pressing against the front door when I leave or enter the house. This is even apparent on a still day with no wind.
When I am alone in the house I tend to hear loud noises such as doors slamming, or objects falling which can be very creepy. My daughters and other visitors to our house have noticed this too.
My daughter saw a strange ghostly image crouching on the stairs leading to the attic and heard whisperings.
There have been unexplained fingerprints on the windows and more disturbing, two bird wingspan marks an equal distance from each other on the back patio doors. I took this photo of one of the sides. Ok, I added some Instagram effects to show you how it made me feel…

The other day at work I noticed this black shadowed bird-like apparition on a tree… which a friend of mine said is a BOOBRIE – ‘a shape-shifting bird from the mythology and folklore of the Scottish Highlands’. I’m not sure if this is the case as I work far away from the Scottish Highlands and there are no lochs nearby, but…

Read more about the Boobrie here: https://intothewonder.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/the-boobrie/

All of these events have happened since a strange black cat appeared in our garden. He became my cat character Shadow in my book….

Image courtesy of my good friend, cat and crystal lover, Samantha and her son Alex Marlowe: https://samanthamurdochblog.wordpress.com

It’s not surprising that I wrote about a curse…

The Curse of Time… which is on #free #promo for one day only Friday 21st February 2020.

Universal buying link: http://mybook.to/TheCurseofTime

https://mjmallon.com/2020/02/21/free-promo-the-curse-of-time-book-1-bloodstone-ya-fantasy/

I hope you enjoyed this post, cheerio for now from Marje – Spiritual Sisters.

Look for Our Future Posts on our blogs:

Adele Marie Park Author & Personal Blog: Firefly465

Annette Rochelle Aben Author & Personal Blog: Annette Rochelle Aben

Colleen M. Chesebro Author & Personal Blog: Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry colleenchesebro.com

Debby Gies (aka, D. G. Kaye) Author & Personal Blog: D. G. Kaye, Writer

Marjorie (MJ) Mallon YA/Paranormal Author: mjmallon.com

Sharing Options:

February 21, 2020 12

Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge #Poet’sChoice #Etheree #Trees #Photography #Bookish

I love trees, and enjoy my wanders in the Cambridge Botanical Gardens which is home to many champion trees. Just recently I came upon this beautiful Paperbark Maple, such a find for an author: a tree that peels it bark, like the well-worn pages of a book that has been read many times! So, I decided to grace its beauty by writing an Etheree poem which you can see below.

I will also be sharing more about the Paperbark Maple soon on the The Sisters of The Fey Blog so do keep an eye out for that.

In the meantime, here is my poem, I hope you enjoy!

Paperbark Maple – An Etheree

see you

Paperbark

Peeling brown curls

Enticing me quick

Imagination twirls…

Wow, what a bookish delight!

A captivating, living art

Small tree but unique, fresh and renewed

You’ve captured my heart, Magic Maple bark!

https://colleenchesebro.com/2019/09/03/colleens-2019-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-142-1st-of-the-month-poetschoice/

Bye for now,

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/

Sharing Options:

September 7, 2019 8

Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 113, Happy December! Poets Choice of Words

Lollipop yellow
Leaves fall in fragile raindrops
Winter thoughts arrive.
Sweet autumn dissolving fast
Leaving sunshine memories

To join in follow the link:

h ttps://colleenchesebro.com/2018/12/04/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-113-happy-december-poets-choice-of-words/

Bye for now,

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

I’m a contributing author in the Plaisted Publishing House Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018 with my story Ghostly Goodbye.
Ghostly Goodbye by M J Mallon
Ghostly Goodbye is a paranormal love story about a young woman called Iris who can’t get over her husband’s death. She is mourning him so much that she feels dead inside. Her husband Ed sends her a ghostly message from beyond the grave via an old forgotten garment in her wardrobe. She responds by dragging herself from her tomb-like bed and he draws back the curtain of death to visit her in a most unusual way.

Available on Amazon, Apple, Nook, Kobo, Scribd, 24S, Playster, Indigo, Angus & Robertson, Mondadori Store: Universal Buying Link

Sharing Options:

December 8, 2018 17