Author

Blogger’s Books: Cheryl Oreglia

~ beetleypete ~ 35 Comments

I am delighted to announce that the lovely American blogger, Cheryl Oreglia, has published her first book! You can read Cheryl’s blog by following this link.
https://cheryloreglia.blog/

Here she is.

And here is her book.

Grow Damn It! is a captivating work by Cheryl Oreglia, who uses uncommon honesty and arresting humor to draw you into her cantankerous life, forty-year marriage, and revolving empty nest. She claims the space between past and future is where our potential is created or destroyed.

If you don’t like where your life is going, dig deeper, and write a new story. By weeding out the things that clutter her life, she invites you into a refreshing space with some of her most popular posts from her beloved blog Living in the Gap.

She surrounds herself with a gaggle of intriguing friends, along with a large and rambunctious family who challenge both her and the reader to live fully in an ever-changing world. Her provocative writing dares us to confront our lives not only with optimism, but courage, and uproarious laughter. Oreglia uses her experience to explore what matters most in life… the degree to which we love and are loved.

The book is available in paperback and Kindle versions, and free on KU in Britain. Here are some buying links.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grow-damn-it-cheryl-oreglia/1142988382?ean=9781685131449

https://www.blackrosewriting.com/nonfiction/growdamnit

UK sales.

Please show Cheryl some support and encouragement by reading her post about this new book.

Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened

And if you think this is your kind of book, please buy a copy too! I just bought my Kindle version. 🙂

Guest Post: Haunted Halloween Holiday by Robbie and Michael Cheadle.

~ beetleypete ~ 79 Comments

Robbie and Michael have a new book out! Just in time for Halloween too.

Robbie and Michael Cheadle are delighted to present their new book for children, Haunted Halloween Holiday. This book, for children aged 5 to 9 years old, is illustrated with Robbie and Michael’s fondant and cake art and introduces new fantasy characters including Count Sugular, Witch Honey, and Baby Howler.
You will also find our old favourite, Sir Chocolate, featured. He’s in the thick of the Halloween Party, helping the Nougat Clown brothers, Hoot and Flute, deal with Toot’s anxiety and depression.

Clink on the link to listen to a short reading from Haunted Halloween Holiday:

About Haunted Halloween Holiday

Count Sugular is delighted when the Sugarpop Bats invite his family to a Halloween party at the Haunted House. He and his wife, Witch Honey, decide to hire a caravan and enjoy a weekend away with their family.
Includes some fun limericks to introduce the various characters.
You can find the book trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fr5OxyUfd4

Purchase links
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product/haunted-halloween-holiday-robbie-and-michael-cheadle/
Lulu.com: https://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-cheadle-and-robbie-cheadle/haunted-halloween-holiday/ebook/product-vd5778.html?page=1&pageSize=4

About Robbie Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle is a South African children’s author and poet with eleven children’s books and two poetry books.
The eight 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 and Michael have also written Haunted Halloween Holiday, a delightful fantasy story for children aged 5 to 9. Count Sugular and his family hire a caravan to attend a Halloween party at the Haunted House in Ghost Valley. This story is beautifully illustrated with Robbie’s fondant and cake art creations.

Robbie has published two books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.

Robbie has two adult novels in the paranormal historical and supernatural fantasy genres published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. She also has short stories, in the horror and paranormal genre, and poems included in several anthologies.

Robbie Cheadle contributes two monthly posts to https://writingtoberead.com, namely, Growing Bookworms, a series providing advice to caregivers on how to encourage children to read and write, and Treasuring Poetry, a series aimed at introducing poetry lovers to new poets and poetry books.
In addition, Roberta Eaton Cheadle contributes one monthly post to https://writingtoberead.com called Dark Origins: African Myths and Legends which shares information about the cultures, myths and legends of the indigenous people of southern Africa.

Robbie has a blog, https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com where she shares book reviews, recipes, author interviews, and poetry.

Find Robbie Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Robbie-Cheadle/e/B01N9J62GQ
Robbie Cheadle Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications Robbie Cheadle Author Page: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SirChocolateBooks
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA

Guest Post: Marjorie Mallon

~ beetleypete ~ 21 Comments

I am very pleased to bring you a guest post from blogger and author, Marje Mallon.

Writing A Fantasy Series – Tips and Pitfalls

Thank you Pete for inviting me to guest post on your blog.

I’m pleased to announce that the 2nd in my fantasy series, Golden Healer has just been published by Next Chapter Publishing.

Blurb – Golden Healer

Golden Healer is The 2nd in The YA Paranormal Adventure Series – The Curse of Time.
I didn’t think my life could get any weirder, until the dreaded rollercoaster…
Amelina Scott’s destiny is to be a Krystallos: a magician of light, chosen to learn the ways of crystal magic on her 16th birthday. Located on a river pathway in a mysterious part of Cambridge, the Crystal Cottage is guarded by mythical beings.
Unfortunately, there are those who seek to harm this haven of light. Learning of Ryder – a Shadow Sorcerer with hypnotic powers – Amelina discovers that her own magic is now threatened, and that the Curse of Time might be unleashed again.
As secrets abound and the creatures of the Chronophage come alive, can Amelina become the true magician she needs to be?
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. NOTE: 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.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60216858-golden-healer
The idea for the Curse of Time series came into being many years ago nurtured by my curiosity about:

* Crystals, (inspired by Juniper Artland’s magnificent crystal grotto designed by Anya Gallaccio which I visited in person,)

Anya Gallaccio: The Light Pours Out Of Me


* Clocks and the fragile nature of time and aging. (The Corpus Christi Chronophage clock in Cambridge, invented by Dr. John C. Taylor who I had the pleasure of meeting in person.)
http://http://www.johnctaylor.com/the-chronophage/
https://mjmallon.com/2017/09/17/poetry-inspiredby-the-dragon-chronopage-colleens-weekly-poetrychallenge-no-50-haiku-tanka-haibun-voice-watch/
* Art… and aging… particularly the notion of art coming alive, as in Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray.

The first in the series, my debut novel, Bloodstone, has been well received, receiving a recent award from N. N. Light, a blue tick Amazon influencer. Luckily, her review awarded Bloodstone 5+ stars and she also awarded me finalist in her 2021 International Author Award. A huge boost to my confidence!

Here is her review:

A magical invitation, that doesn’t tear up, urges Amelina to go to Crystal Cottage to seek out the hidden secrets of her family. Amelina Scott knows her family isn’t what you call normal and neither is her house. No one she knows has a girl trapped in the mirrors. When she receives an invitation to visit Crystal Cottage, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Is it a prank? Is it a trick? She decides to ignore it and throws it in the trash. Only it doesn’t stay in the bin. She tries to cut it up but it doesn’t cut. It sings, it dances, it is somehow alive. She finally decides to travel to the Crystal Cottage to see what happens. Along the way, she meets Ryder and discovers magic (both light and dark) is all around. She interacts with magical people, beings, and objects while learning the truth of her family. What happens next will astound you, the reader. Are you ready for an adventure?

Bloodstone is an imaginative fantasy adventure I enjoyed from start to finish. From the first page, I connected with Amelina. She’s a delightful heroine. I could relate to her on so many levels. Everything from her curiosity to her reactions to her emotional state rang true. While it’s tricky these days to write an original fantasy story, M.J. Mallon wrote one of the most original fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. Taking bits from fantasy authors of the past, M.J. Mallon adds her own blend of magical realism and emotional coming of age to make Bloodstone a gem. The plot moves at a good pace with each chapter starting with a puzzle. What a creative way to keep the reader invested. The world-building is intricate and riveting. The characters are engaging and easy to connect with. Overall, Bloodstone is a brilliant story and when I finished, I wanted to read it all over again. If you’re a fantasy reader, you need to read Bloodstone. Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I’d review it. My thoughts are all my own.

Her Rating: 5+ stars

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

The manuscript for The Curse of Time series book 1 and book 2 was originally one long draft which I split into two novels. Therefore, the earlier drafts of book 2 were lacking detail, and made the job of writing book 2 much harder. I wouldn’t recommend this! At all. So, make sure you plot a series, even if it is just a rough outline. I didn’t plot, I wrote from my imagination, which meant the story is wildly imaginative but needed a huge amount of determined edits to give it structure.

Actually, I spent hours upon hours editing, and reediting both books. At last, after interminable edits I succeeded! I owe much to my beta readers – to mention a few: Richard Dee, Ritu Bhathal, my daughter Natasha and the editing help of Heena Rathmore Pardeshi who really helped me shape this fabulous story.

So, what did I do?

* I incorporated details about the characters, new storylines and reminders for readers (who’ve read the first book,) and gave insight to new readers who might pick up the series at book 2 and not know the storyline.

* As well, I added a new aspect to the antagonist Ryder fleshing him out some more!

This seems to have worked, as suggested by this first review quote for Golden Healer:

“Ryder is a character who could have an empathic side if he allowed it, but I did like how he developed in the story.” (Review Quote Golden Healer, D. L. Finn.)

And I added new exciting scenes and revelations.
* The Witch’s Shop
* Ryder’s creepy abode, etc….

I kept the main ideas and format structure from Book 1…

* Including a poem to begin each chapter, calling each chapter title a puzzle piece.
* I continued Amelina’s interest in music and mentions of her band.
* And I kept the same cast of characters, though some changed massively in character… read the story to see why!
* I included a Prologue (this time Eruterac the creature, and Leanne the owner of the crystal cottage introduce the story.)
* And an Epilogue… because I hope to write more books… and Leanne and Aphrodite’s shocking discussion might help me to do so.

It truly has been a labour of love, and a complete an utter rollercoaster!
“Not only did the plot take the reader on a rollercoaster, but there was also an actual one in the story.” Review Quote Golden Healer – D. L. Finn

And without a doubt, this is the most complex endeavour I’ve ever undertaken.

“The Curse Of Time by M.J. Mallon is an intricate fantasy novel with unique supernatural and magical elements which serves as a highly entertaining read. I had a great time reading this novel and exploring the magical world of Amelina full of magic crystals and enchanted mirrors.” Heena Rathore Pardeshi, (review quote Bloodstone)

I’ve always intended to write a book 3… I have some fabulous ideas but at this moment I don’t even have a rough draft. I know that the final instalment would feature Dr. John C. Taylor’s dragon chronophage … so please encourage me to write book 3 by reading the series and sharing your thoughts in a review.


Image of The Dragon Chronophage Detail via Dr. John C. Taylor OBE.

It would mean the world to me.

Blurb – Bloodstone

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.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58417468-bloodstone

Bloodstone (The Curse of Time Book 1)
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Series name: The Curse of Time Book 1
Release Date: 22nd June 2021
ISBN:
Paperback: 979-8525375833
Hardback: 978-1006529818
Page Count: 290 pages
Buy Link (multiple platforms): https://books2read.com/u/bOyrgW

Golden Healer (The Curse of Time Book 2)
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Series name: The Curse of Time Book 2
Release Date 23 January 2022
ASIN: ‎B09R1MTQPY
ISBN: 979-8407305149
Page Count 336 kindle
Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mgjY67

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My alter ego is MJ – Mary Jane from Spiderman. I love superheros!
M J Mallon was born in Lion city Singapore, a passionate Scorpio with the Chinese Zodiac sign of a lucky rabbit. She spent her early childhood in Hong Kong. During her teen years, she returned to her father’s childhood home, Edinburgh where she spent many happy years, entertained and enthralled by her parents’ vivid stories of living and working abroad. Perhaps it was during these formative years that her love of storytelling began bolstered by these two vivid raconteurs. She counts herself lucky to have travelled to many far-flung destinations and this early wanderlust has fuelled her present desire to emigrate abroad. Until that wondrous moment, it’s rumoured that she lives in the UK, in the Venice of Cambridge with her six-foot hunk of a rock god husband. Her two enchanting daughters have flown the nest but often return with a cheery smile.
Her motto is to Do what Your Heart Desires.
And her favourite genre to write is fantasy/magical realism because life should always be sprinkled with a liberal dash of extraordinarily imaginative magic!
Accolades: M J is a finalist in the Fantasy category of N. N. Light’s Book Award for her novel Bloodstone and a finalist in the International author. She has also contributed best-selling short stories to Dan Alatorre’s Box Under The Bed anthologies.
Winner of the Blogger’s bash blogging prize with her flash fiction piece The Queen’s Dress Down Day. https://mjmallon.com/2018/03/21/the-bloggers-bash-blog-post-competition-2018-the-queens-dress-down-day/
Winner of Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Contest with her murderous piece: Mr. Blamey https://carrotranch.com/2017/12/19/winner-of-flash-fiction-contest-7/
MJ’s Poetry, anthologies, and Flash

Kyrosmagica Publishing

Mr Sagittarius (Poetry, prose and photography)
http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius
This Is Lockdown (Anthology/Compilation)
Kindle: http://mybook.to/Thisislockdown
Paperback: http://mybook.to/Thisislockdownpb
Lockdown Innit: Poems About Absurdity (Poetry Collection)
http://mybook.to/Lockdowninnit

Amazon Author Page:

Contributor to:

Writing Skills Anthology
100 Ways to Write A Book compiled by Alex Pearl: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09PHHC2YX/

Chasing Driftwood’s A Year of Writing Through Lockdown: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stay-Home-Writing-Through-Lockdown/dp/B09JF88YHW/

Short Stories in Anthologies:
Bestselling horror compilations
Nightmareland edited by Dan Alatorre
Scrabble Boy (short story)
Spellbound edited by Dan Alatorre
The Twisted Sisters (short story)
Wings & Fire edited by Dan Alatorre
The Great Pottoo (short story)

Authors Links:
Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Authors Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-J-Mallon/e/B074CGNK4L
Buy Link Bloodstone (multiple platforms): https://books2read.com/u/bOyrgW
Next Chapter Publishing Author Page: https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/mj-mallon
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon – https://twitter.com/Marjorie_Mallon
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
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjm_reviews/

Please follow the links, and show Marje some support from our blogging community.

Guest Post: Jon Risdon

~ beetleypete ~ 21 Comments

I am very pleased to present a guest post from my blogging friend, Jon Risdon. He is an actor, author, and blogger who resides near the lovely seaside town of Whitby, in north-east England. https://wilfredbooks.wordpress.com/

Why Wilfred Books?

Wilfred Books was set up at the end of 2013, primarily to publish Black Shirt and Smoking Beagles, the biography of Wilfred Risdon, my grand uncle (that is: my grandfather’s brother), whom I never met, I regret to say. I discovered him in the course of my family history research, and the more I found out about him, the more interested I became in his life & work, so I thought there might be at least a few other people out there who would share my interest in him enough to also want to read his fascinating life-story. For what seemed, to me, to be very sound reasons, namely: he was not a household name; he was involved in contentious politics and activism for most of his adult life; it would probably be a strenuous & stressful (and, probably, ultimately futile) task to find an agent and/or publisher to take an interest; I decided to bite the bullet and publish the book myself. To market the book I set up the Wilfred Books website, which accepts payments securely, using PayPal, so no personal details are registered on the site, and I also created a WordPress blog, to promote the website, but also to write about subjects which might have interested my relative.

As related above, the first book published under the imprint of Wilfred Books was Black Shirt and Smoking Beagles, and it is still available as a print version (product code WB01), but also downloadable versions: PDF (product code WB02), ePub (product code WB03) and Kindle versions (product code WB04), in both popular formats (.mobi & .azw3); the ePub version can be read using iBooks on iOS devices, and on a wide range of other platforms; the Kindle version required can be selected from the link in the email confirming the purchase. In the future, I might also publish other books, either about Wilfred Risdon, or subjects related to his life and work, especially his animal welfare concerns; or any other subject/genre which I think is appropriate: check the New Items section on the About page on the website from time to time, for additions to the catalogue.

On that note, in 1967, Wilfred Risdon wrote & published a biography of a man whom he held in high esteem, and for whom he had great respect, the Edinburgh surgeon Robert Lawson Tait and, as it is now out of print, Wilfred Books is pleased to be able to offer a PDF download facsimile version, with the catalogue code WB05, of the original publication, with a preface to the new edition by J. L. Risdon. The book is called Lawson Tait: A Biographical Study and, given Wilfred Risdon’s close association with the National Anti-Vivisection Society, Wilfred Books will donate 10% of the annual net profit, over a minimum amount, from the sales of this edition to Animal Defenders International (ADI), the successor to the previous organisation. If there is sufficient interest, it might be possible to consider making it available in the other download formats, or as a print edition: please email me to register your interest. I look forward to hearing from you!
Jon Risdon jrisdon17@googlemail.com

I hope you will visit Jon’s blog and see what he has to offer.

Bloggers Books: Jack Eason

~ beetleypete ~ 10 Comments

Our blogging friend and author Jack Eason has a new book released soon. Four short stories compiled into a 28-page book, ‘East Wind: A Love Story’.

‘A long short story about four differing aspects of love, the last being ‘the love that shall not speak it’s name’.

Jack Eason
Jack Eason lived in New Zealand for forty-two years until 2000 when he returned to his birthplace in England. As far as he is concerned he will always consider himself to be a Kiwi. After military service in the 1960’s, he travelled the world, visiting exotic lands and making many friends. At seventy-three he is content to write and travel via the Internet. Besides writing novels and short stories, he contributes to his own blog “Have We Had Help?” Some of his short stories and numerous articles appear in the No: 1 online E-zine “Angie’s DIARY”. His literary interests include science fiction, history, both ancient and modern, and humorous tales like those written by his fellow writer Derek Haines, such as “HAL”. He lives in semi-retirement in his home town surrounded by his favourite books, ranging from historical fact to science fiction. His literary icons are J.R.R Tolkien, George Orwell, Arthur C Clarke and John Wyndham.

Here is a link to Jack’s blog.
https://havewehadhelp.wordpress.com/

The book is available from the 1st of January at the bargain price of 99p. I have pre-ordered my copy, and if you would like to do the same, here is an Amazon buying link.

Blogger’s Books: Lucinda E Clarke

~ beetleypete ~ 42 Comments

Author and blogger Lucinda has a new book release on the 23rd of November, and I am very happy to feature it here today.

When Polly Won the Lottery

Polly London was found on the steps of a polyclinic in London when she was only a few hours old. She was approaching thirty when she received a text telling her she had won over £150 million in the national lottery.

A whole new world opened up, but would it change her for better or for worse?

How do you react to winning a fortune? Do you keep it a secret or shout from the rooftops?

Polly did both, with alarming consequences. From that moment, her life took two separate paths, but at every step of the way, she was unaware of a shadowy figure that followed her all over the world.

Who was he and what did he want?

This is a book with a difference, with an ending you’ll never expect!

One quote from a beta reader:- Words are exploding in my mind.

Intriguing, Confusing, brilliant, split personality, enjoyable.

Polly was a very real person I laughed and wept with her.

Please check out the Reader Beware warning at the beginning of the book! It will help you to decide how you would like to read it!

Here is an Amazon link.

And you can find out more about Lucinda and her writing here.

Welcome

I like the sound of this one a lot, and I have just pre-ordered a Kindle copy at the bargain price of 99p. It is also available in paperback.

Guest Post: Darlene Foster

~ beetleypete ~ 106 Comments

I am delighted to present a guest post from the lovely blogger and author, Darlene Foster.

Here is her short bio.

Darlene Foster grew up on a ranch in Alberta, Canada, where her love of reading inspired her to see the world and write stories about a young girl who travels to interesting places. Over the years she worked in rewarding jobs such as an employment counsellor, ESL teacher, recruiter, and retail manager, writing whenever she had a few spare minutes. She is now retired and has a house in Spain where she writes full time. When not travelling, meeting interesting people, and collecting ideas for her books, she enjoys spending time with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia.

Never Too Late To Become A Writer
by Darlene Foster

A goal without a plan is just a dream.

Many of us dream of being a writer. After all, we have tons of ideas. We spend years talking about it, fantasize about signing our books, and envision people saying, “I read your book and loved it.” But there is always an excuse. We are too busy working, raising kids, keeping a house, volunteering, looking after grandchildren or ageing parents; the list goes on. Then one day there is a bit more time and we say, “Now I’m too old to write a book. If only I had started years ago. It’s too late.” I have heard this many times.

I was one of those people. I had so many excuses for not sitting down and writing a book. I took writing courses and attended seminars, wrote a few short stories and submitted to the occasional contest, but the idea of writing a book was too daunting and I often felt I had left it too late.

Then I went on a fabulous holiday to the United Arab Emirates and decided I needed to write about it. It worked best for me to write my story from the point of view of a twelve-year-old and target it to middle-grade readers. Although I was already in my fifth decade, I was still busy working a full-time job, tutoring part-time, volunteering and sitting on a few boards. How was I going to fit in the time to write a book?

I came up with a clever plan. The plan was to write the book in three years; a realistic time frame for me. How was I going to do this? I planned to write one chapter a month by writing two hours a day, five days a week. By breaking it down into doable steps, it was not so difficult. I simply eliminated watching television for two hours every evening after work. Soon my friends and family understood that I could not be disturbed for those two hours. If I missed one day, I would write for two hours on the weekend.

My plan worked. At the end of three years, I had Amanda in Arabia-The Perfume Flask completed and ready for submission. It took another 5 years to find a publisher, but I persevered. In those five years, between researching publishers and writing query letters, I continued to write and completed, Amanda in Spain-The Girl in the Painting. After all, I was used to writing at least one hour a day.

I now have eight books in the Amanda Travels series published and have organized numerous book signings where people of all ages have approached me saying, “I love your books. I hope you write more.” My dream has come true!

I still write for at least two hours every day and can now write a book in one year. My next book, Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady will be released on May 11th, 2021. I am working on the ninth novel as we speak and have many more ideas. There is no stopping me now!

The lesson I learned is that it is never too late and you can never be too busy, to make your dream of writing, or any dream, come true – if you make a plan and stick to it. As a much wiser person than I once said, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C. S. Lewis

Darlene´s books can be found on most booksellers´ sites including Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=darlene+foster&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

She can be contacted on various social media sites.

website http://www.darlenefoster.ca
blog https://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/
facebook https://www.facebook.com/DarleneFosterWriter
twitter https://twitter.com/supermegawoman

Please use the links to connect with Darlene and to find out more about her books.

Guest Post: Robbie Cheadle

~ beetleypete ~ 82 Comments

Today I am delighted to feature author, poet, and blogger, Robbie Cheadle.

Robbie Cheadle has published nine books for children and one poetry book. She has branched into writing for adults and young adults and, in order to clearly separate her children’s books from her adult books, is writing for older readers under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle.

Robbie Cheadle’s Sir Chocolate children’s picture books 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. Her books for older children also incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.

Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s supernatural stories combine fabulous paranormal elements with fascinating historical facts.

Children’s picture books – available as a square book and an A5 book (co-authored with Michael Cheadle):
Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Crystal Caves story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Ice Cream Rainbow Fairies story and cookbook

Middle school books:
Silly Willy Goes to Cape Town (includes five fun party cake ideas)
While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with Elsie Hancy Eaton)

Poetry book:
Open a new door (co-authored with Kim Blades)

Supernatural fantasy YA novel:
Through the Nethergate

Horror Anthologies (edited by Dan Alatorre):
Spellbound
Nightmareland
Dark Visions

Paranormal Anthologies (edited by Kaye Lynne Booth):
Spirits of the West
Whispers of the Past

Murder mystery Anthology (edited by Stephen Bentley)
Death Among Us

Find Robbie Cheadle
Blog: https://bakeandwrite.co.za/

Blog: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Twitter: BakeandWrite

Instagram: Robbie Cheadle – Instagram

Facebook: Sir Chocolate Books

Treasuring Poetry and Poetry Treasures

I have always enjoyed poetry. From the moment I read Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery when I was ten years old, I wanted to be a poet. I spent a lot of time in my tween and early teenage years attempting to write poems and I am sure mine were as overblown and overcomplicated as Emily’s were in this memorable book.
When my children were young, the desire to write poetry and rhyming verse stories came back to me. This may have been because I spent a great deal of time reading nursery rhymes, and rhyming verse stories to my sons. Dr Seuss books and Pete the Magic Dragon were firm favourites. My natural interest, combined with my son, Michael’s, interest in making up stories and characters, lead to the creation of our co-authored Sir Chocolate series of books.
We published our first Sir Chocolate book in August 2016 and soon after that I started my first blog, Robbie’s Inspiration. I embraced blogging and the blogosphere and was delighted to discover that a huge number of talented poets regularly published their poetry on their blogs. Over my 4 ½ years of blogging, I have developed a lot of friendships among the blogging poetry and writing community.
In 2018 I met Kaye Lynne Booth of Writing to be Read blog (https://writingtoberead.com/blog). Kaye’s blog is aimed promoting writing in all forms and she shares a lot of book reviews and interesting articles by a few bloggers, including herself, about a wide spectrum of matters relating to reading, writing, and other artistic undertakings.
In 2020, Kaye and I collaborated on a new series on Writing to be Read called Treasuring Poetry. This series is aimed at promoting poetry and poetry books and providing a platform where poets and lovers of poetry can meet new bloggers and writers and have discussions about their own, and well known and famous poets, work. This series proved to be popular despite the pandemic, lockdowns, and all the related issues and drama and in December Kaye suggested we ask the Treasuring Poetry guests to contribute to an anthology.
From this great suggestion, Poetry Treasures, the first anthology in the WordCrafter Press poetry anthology series, was borne with contributions from several talented poets in the blogging community including Sue Vincent, Frank Prem, K Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Colleen Chesebro, Jude Itakali, Geoff Le Pard, Victoria Zigler, and myself, publishing as Roberta Eaton Cheadle.


A collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read in 2020. Open the book and discover the poetry treasures of Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria (Tori) Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kitya Itakali, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle.

https://books2read.com/u/3n7BDR

The anthology includes between three and five poems by each contributor including five delightful poems from Sue Vincent. Sadly, Sue passed away a few weeks before this anthology was published, and the book includes a tribute to her and her wonderful poetry. She is greatly missed in the writing, poetry, and blogging community.
Today, I would like to share one of Sue’s poems from Poetry Treasures which I read and recorded on her behalf on my Youtube site. The poem is called Poetic vision.

Please use the many links to connect with Robbie, and check out her varied books.
She has something for everyone!

Featured Blogger: Pete Springer

~ beetleypete ~ 62 Comments

American blogger and writer Pete Springer is a retired teacher. He has only been blogging for less than two years, but has already become a great asset to our blogging community.

Welcome

He has published a book that he hopes will interest and inspire new teachers, based on his own memories of a lifetime as an educator.

Here is one of his recent posts, giving some idea of what you will find on his blog.

An Impressive Young Man

There are times in a teaching career when you wonder, “Was it all worth it? Would I do it again?” My answer has always been a resounding “yes” to those questions, but I don’t think there is a teacher alive who hasn’t wondered about those things on occasion. All teachers inevitably have bad days, and it can leave you feeling, “What am I doing? I must be the world’s worst teacher.”

One of the mysteries of teaching is that you can have one of these awful days from nowhere. With experience, you learn that these things can happen randomly for no apparent reason. Many times, it has nothing to do with you but difficult situations that are going on in your students’ lives that you are unaware of. Sometimes you discover why things went amiss, but many times you don’t. Just as often, the following day, everything goes according to plan, and you feel like the consummate professional. Such are the ups and downs of being an educator.

I’ve written previously about some of my favorite post-teaching moments. One post was entitled The Delayed Rewards of Teaching https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/2019/08/15/the-delayed-rewards-of-teaching/ and, most recently, an article called Our Future is in Good Hands. https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/2020/07/09/our-future-is-in-good-hands/

This past week I had one of those beautiful post-teaching experiences that reminded me why I became an educator. When you’re in the middle of a school year, you have these memorable experiences when you see a child accomplish something remarkable or observe a fantastic transformation in a child’s academics or behavior. While these accomplishments are rewarding, the big payoff often comes years later.

I taught Samy Awwad in third grade several years ago. He was a bright and sometimes mischievous (never mean) boy with a great deal of potential. I had the pleasure of teaching Samy’s brother the year before him, and his younger sister two years after I taught Samy. They all were exceptionally bright students with promising futures. Unsurprisingly, their parents set an excellent example by being educated, kind people, who put tremendous value on education.

Just because a student is intelligent is no guarantee of future success. I saw bright students get sidetracked for various reasons as they became young adults. The most common reasons were dysfunction in the family, childhood trauma, lack of motivation, hanging out with the wrong peers, or substance abuse problems.

Then there are students like Samy Awwad, who not only do well in school but take their natural ability and run with it. Imagine being a sixteen-year-senior, having already received preadmission to Stanford, and starting up a nonprofit organization for young people.

Awwad’s nonprofit is called IMMUNIGLOBAL. http://www.immuniglobal.org/ His primary focus is to bring education and awareness of the importance of vaccinations to the community in fighting preventable diseases such as the measles or flu.

Immuniglobal is not a small undertaking. Awwad built his nonprofit from the ground up, including website design and development, workshops, outreach, and phone education.

He approached the problem of vaccine education logically by first building his website from scratch to provide information regarding immunizations. A couple of the most startling facts on Awwad’s website are that according to the World Health Organization, between two and three million deaths are prevented each year by vaccinations. According to the CDC, a savings of an estimated 42,000 lives occur in the United States per year.

Awwad sees the big picture and comprehends that real change comes at the grassroots level while also understanding the need to work with huge companies. He has partnered with large organizations and institutions such as the CDC, CLOROX, and UCLA.

The level of thought and action that Awwad has taken is inspiring. He recognized the lack of immunizations that were happening in Humboldt County, his place of residence. Humboldt was recently ranked 54th out of 58 counties in California in terms of vaccination rates.

So why do some people choose not to get their children vaccinated? There appear to be several reasons. According to The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the four most prevalent anti-vax philosophies are:

Religious Reasons
Personal Beliefs or Philosophical Reasons
Safety Concerns
Desire for Additional Education
According to a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey, the top reasons for not getting a flu vaccine are:

36% feel they are healthy and do not need the shot.

31% do not like needles.

30% do not think it works.

27% worry about the risks.

While 70% believe it is vital to get an annual flu shot, only 46% say they typically get vaccinated.

Perhaps what is most troubling is that diseases that were once mainly under control are becoming more prevalent again. Measles cases are on the rise. The majority of people who get measles are unvaccinated.

Beyond the probable life-saving gains, vaccines have an economic benefit and cut medical costs throughout the world. When diseases occur, more hospitalizations are the result. The COVID-19 pandemic has added considerable costs and added higher risk to medical professionals.

Awwad realizes that one of the most effective means of communication is to take his knowledge to the community directly. He has made several presentations in K-12 classrooms in Humboldt County. (Most of these have been at the high school level.) His approach helps young people become more educated about vaccines and encourages them to become involved in vaccine education and other current critical issues.

One of the most important local programs that Awwad became involved with was a vigorous vaccine education program at McKinleyville High School. He organized an Adolescent Immunization Poster Contest with the Humboldt County Department of Public Health and some local pediatricians.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the importance of developing a vaccine has come to the forefront. Worldwide deaths have now reached over 600,000 people with several times more than that becoming ill. Even those who make a full recovery from the Coronavirus may have long-term health effects.

Awwad looks at the present and the future to see how he can use his talents and energy. Once a COVID-19 vaccine is released to the public, he would like to present a series of vaccine-related workshops and activities in schools and other places around Humboldt County.

As far as what comes next for Samy Awwad, the possibilities are endless. He is one of thirty undergraduate fellows selected recently at Stanford’s chapter of an organization called “Effective Altruism.” The goal for this two-month fellowship will be to identify the most pressing issues in the world and then decide how best to implement this resulting knowledge in his career.

Awwad plans to take a gap year to continue his work with ImmuniGlobal before enrolling full-time at Stanford. The most likely path for him will be a future in medicine as a physician. Another possibility is for Awwad to study and conduct research in the field of brain diseases. He is always thinking several steps ahead and has several other irons in the fire unrelated to vaccinations. He hopes to use his voice to help minorities and find ways to tackle important issues such as racism and classism.

I find great inspiration from Samy Awwad’s selfless acts to improve his community and make a difference throughout the world. I can’t wait for the next chapter in his life, and I know that his teachers are all proud of the young man he has become. If ever you doubt America’s youth, perhaps Samy and others like him will help change your mind.

Please find some time to check out Pete’s blog, and get to know him and his writing.