Month: April 2019

Our house has been blessed with many pets that include two dogs, five cats, and a goldfish. They’ve brought us joy, unconditional love, and were there when it felt like no one else was. They’ve been my muses and writing companions, too.

These pets have inspired poems and many photos. They are our furry family. We watch over them, and they watch over us. Our eldest animal our cat, Thunder, who’s in her 18th year, but doesn’t look a day over 12 years old, still lets the other cats know who’s the boss. Each animal has a unique personality and contributes to the household in its way. Alice, known as the Huntress, brought me a gift recently…a mouse. She was fully prepared to bring it inside when I let her know in a high shrill voice not to do that. That prompted her to drop it, and it ran off. So, another mouse saved that returned to the forest.

Our dogs, the black-lab mix and Shepard mix were what we call, youthfully middle-aged. Walks were always a challenge as their leashes tangled as they went in different directions, but they’d always alert us to bears or raccoons in that unique high-pitched bark. They always greeted us home or when we got out of bed and were our protectors.

There were some subtle signs of aging to these youthful middle-aged dogs with a bit of white, especially on our black lab, Hermie. But age never showed up in his actions. He was full of love, a gentleman and always had a lick ready for you. He was much like an endearing toddler whose one look would melt your heart even after he found his way into the trash or over the fence.

Hermie came to us from the grocery stores parking lot. He was that little black runt bouncing around while his brothers slept soundly. He protected us more than once on walks when an unleashed “pack” of dogs came at us, and never sick a day in his 11 years.

Right before Easter one of those unexpected moments happened when our lab collapsed. No warning.

My husband rushed Hermie to the closest 24-hour vet, an hour away. A phone call later, a decision was made to end his suffering. He had a cancerous mass by his heart and was in the end stages of congestive heart failure. He’d shown no signs of that until that end moment.

He was a treasured, and sometime rascal, member of our family. The emptiness we all feel are filled by his memories. Now we take that walk without him on the Magical Trail where he rests near, but we know that each day we shared with him, was a blessing.

Embrace your inner child with memories and blessings, D.L. Finn

I’m pleased to have fellow #RWISA #RRBC author, Eric Borgerson and his book, “When the Eye Sees Itself” here today. His book is on my TBR list.

Blurb:

Award-Winning Genre-Bending Novel: A Legal and Political Epic, Sci-fi Thriller, and Hard-Knocks Spiritual Allegory. Winner in Science Fiction at the Independent Press Award. Best Book in Science Fiction at the Pinnacle Book Awards. First Runner-Up In General Fiction, 2018 Los Angeles Book Festival.

In a society that segregates Aggressives and Vulnerables from full-fledged Citizens, a culture war rages over access to the powered class.

Behind this public conflict lurks a new technology that enables people to touch minds. Intelligence agencies and hacktivists, cops and criminals, spiritual seekers and purveyors of institutional oppression, commercial opportunists and political revolutionaries race to control its staggering potential.

The struggle for power lays bare both a rift and a linkage more fundamental than even the most sacrosanct of divisions, as the fight for country and world becomes a battle of the mind.

When the Eye Sees Itself is a fast-paced epic, an exciting mosaic of human interconnection, and a cautionary mirror for a world growing both smaller and larger at speeds too fast to perceive.

AMAZON PURCHASE LINK

You can follow the blog tour here: #RRBC 2018 WRITERS’ CONFERENCE & BOOK EXPO SPONSOR BLOG HOP

I’m excited to have a fellow #RRBC member and poet, Balroop Singh here today in celebration of National Poetry Month!

Poetry: My First Love

I don’t remember when I started liking poetry. Probably I was born with it or was fascinated by the lyrics of Mother Nature. My love for words dates back to those crazy days of playing word games in school, when we perused our dictionaries to accomplish the challenge of finding new words and guessing the meanings.

Despite those word-challenging games, my vocabulary remained so insignificant that I had to look up simple words like ‘gaunt’ to give the exact meaning to my students.

Can you believe that I have been accused of using difficult words in my poems?

Can you fathom my elation at such a compliment?

It is indeed a compliment for a person who has always struggled with words; who was not that blessed to be surrounded by books as a child; who was always eager to borrow books from the library but had to return them half-read!

Poetry soars on the wings of words; I like it due to its succinct style. Just one metaphor could speak volumes. I poured all my woes and emotions into words to create poetry. Soon I learnt to fly on its wings and my themes widened.

Poetry touches your deepest cords effortlessly. It develops perceptions.

It liberates us from mundane events and situations. It is cathartic, as it could carry me from detachment to forgiveness.

Due to its ambiguous nature, it can be interpreted in more than one way, depending on how a reader discerns your thoughts.

When I published my debut book, ‘Sublime Shadows of Life’ my excitement was at the ninth cloud and I got some copies printed for friends and family and sent them, even to those friends whom I met occasionally or had not met after school days.

One of my friends who had not been in touch with me for a long time rang me up and asked: ‘Are you okay?’

I replied in affirmative and asked why was she asking.

She had a grim tone and said: ‘Is everything going well in your life?’

I laughed loudly at the tone of my fun-loving friend and asked her what was wrong with her.

She told me that she got alarmed at some of my poems, which talked about oppression and dark moments.

Though I had mentioned in the blurb “I, you, he, we and they are universal symbols, which highlight the fact that happiness is not a destination…” but who reads the introduction!

Authors draw inspiration from life and people around them and many of them agree that they do creep into their stories.

Some of my poems do give a peep into my life. I have written about an incident that moved me deeply. Some of my poems are an emotional outburst; some are inspired from the life of my friends but all of them are not about me.

The following poem is an excerpt from my debut book: Sublime Shadows of Life.

Pain… My Antidote

Nearer to thee, my pain

Nearer to thee…

Now I have embraced you,

Conquered you!

You have become my antidote,

You can no longer break my spirit,

You were my constant companion,

Now I have befriended you,

Made you my dearest confidant.

You have always mothered me,

Rocked me, pushed me around

Sometimes pricked me

In the form of a sibling,

Made fun of me,

Challenged my capabilities.

Many times you have

Surrounded me with

Selfish, self-centered,

Incompetent, insecure people

You have flattered me

In the form of fair weather friends

You have made me suffer in silence.

As a child, I could not confront you

But growing with you

Emboldened me, enriched my life,

Made me realize

You cannot even touch my soul.

I have emerged stronger,

Kinder, perceptive, forgiving

To embrace you with all the humility.

© Balroop Singh

An excerpt from Emerging From Shadows:

Oasis Of Peace

Blooming blossoms, whispering wind

Carried me far into the haven of peace

Solitude softly spoke in serene tone,

We welcome weary travelers alone

Divesting dirty robes of dissent

We revel in the glorious sun

You too can embrace this light

Just follow it with smiling delight

The light that enlightens the mind

The light that permeates all around

Adds new dimension to thoughts

Guides us out of those knobby knots

Illumines those innate virtues

When we try to shake them off

In annoyance, in rage, in resentment

Leisurely hours are wistfully spent

Rejoicing in the new found glee

We sat and shared upon His knee

Palpable peace pervaded all around

Into which all dismay drowned.

© Balroop Singh

Author Bio:

Balroop Singh, a former teacher and an educationalist always had a passion for writing.  She would jot down her reflections on a piece of paper and forget about them till each drawer of her home started overflowing with poetic reminders, popping out at will!

She is a poet, a creative non-fiction writer, a relaxed blogger and a doting grandma. She writes about people, emotions and relationships. Her poetry highlights the fact that happiness is not a destination but a chasm to bury agony, anguish, grief, distress and move on! No sea of solitude is so deep that it can drown us. Sometimes aspirations are trampled upon, the boulders of exploitation and discrimination may block your path but those who tread on undeterred are always successful.

When turbulences hit, when shadows of life darken, when they come like unseen robbers, with muffled exterior, when they threaten to shatter your dreams, it is better to break free rather than get sucked by the vortex of emotions.

A self-published author, she is the poet of Sublime Shadows of Life and  Emerging From Shadows and Timeless Echoes.

She has also written When Success Eludes, Emotional Truths Of Relationships Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited and Allow Yourself to be a Better Person.

Read more HERE 

You can visit my BLOG

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Thank you for inviting me to your blog Denise; I am feeling honored.

I’m very excited to have fellow #RRBC author, Suzanne Burke for her cover reveal and pre-order! I have my copy.

Whatever It Takes

by S.Burke

Available to Pre-Order NOW. At the special Pre-order price of $0.99c
Release Date: May 8th, 2019
>Psychological > Thriller & Suspense >.

It is such an exciting time for an author when releasing a new book! I would be remiss in not sharing my heartfelt thanks to the marvelous people who gave of their time so readily to beta read my latest book. Their valuable insights helped me enormously when crafting “Whatever It Takes” A big thank you to my wonderful editor and friend Rich Bowden @Bowden_Writing

At long last, I’m able to share the cover and blurb for “Whatever It Takes” my latest Psychological Thriller. “Whatever It Takes ” is due for release on May 8th, 2019.

It is NOW available for Pre-Order at the special Pre-Order price of $0:99

I have many good friends sharing this cover across the blogosphere today and tomorrow, so you’re likely to see it pop up in various places. Thank you to the marvelously generous hosts participating in my cover reveal splash, and to everyone dropping by to share in my excitement. Here’s my new baby . . .

With much gratitude to Eeva Lancaster at The Book Khaleesi for the cover creation.

Cover Created by Eeva Lancaster at The Book Khalessi

And now the cover …

BOOK BLURB

James Kincaid had it all.

He’d made it the ‘A’ list in Hollywood, a town that prized and idolized its winners above all else.

Then life began exacting a price that no man could be expected to pay as the people he cared about began dying and dying badly.

He couldn’t move on with the dream without knowing why.

Andi O’Connor is the woman he’s hired to do ‘whatever it takes’ to find him the answers.

Could this disenchanted, street-hardened, ex-homicide cop uncover the truth without adding to the growing list of those already sacrificed on the altar of a serial killer’s insanity?

From New York to Los Angeles the body count continues to rise.

Time is not on their side.

***

Prologue.

James Kincaid had long held to the belief that the red carpet he’d walked so often was stained that color with the blood of all those that had bled on the journey to satisfy their heady and addictive dreams of fame.

He’d shed more than his own fair share to get there. He hated the dream destruction, as much as he understood it. This town drew dreamers from every place on the planet, all in need of completion, all hungry for fame and holding on for dear life to the belief that it was only a matter of time before their artistic genius was recognized. No other drug ever gave them that high pulsing adrenaline rush that you soon became reliant on and addicted to. Those first glimpses of recognition hit harder than heroin. Until even those with a strong moral compass became lost.

Lady Luck had become his constant companion only five years before. After twelve years struggling to make headway in the business he became the latest ‘overnight’ sensation, winning the coveted role in what was tipped strongly to be the next ‘big thing’. He knew he could do justice to the part and that knowledge became abundantly clear as the audition cameras rolled.

James Kincaid found himself launched into the stratosphere. This was the only game in town and he was now a lead player.

He was feted and celebrated, pimped out and postured until the day when everything in his world fell into an oxygen-deprived free fall as people he cared about started dying from anything but natural causes.

**

Pre-Order Whatever It Takes HERE on Amazon

Suzanne Burke Amazon Author Page

On TWITTER.

On Facebook.

My Blog

Thank you so much for joining in my excitement. Your support is very much appreciated.

I would be delighted to hear your thoughts and comments below.

I’m pleased to welcome fellow #RRBC author, Susanne Leist here on her tour!

PREY FOR THE DEAD Blog Tour  

I created two covers for my second book in THE DEAD GAME Series. So far, I have used the first one as my book cover and the second one as a banner. Did I choose wisely? What do you think? Please read the book’s synopsis below to get a better feel for the book. Then tell me what you think. 

I’m dying to give away Kindle copies of THE DEAD GAME for those who participate. Once you read THE DEAD GAME, I know you’ll be dying to read PREY FOR THE DEAD. If not, The Dead can help bring you to the next realm.

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE.  

Lastly, Susanne is a member of the best book club ever – RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {#RRBC}! If you’re looking for amazing support as an author, or if you simply love books, JOIN US! We’d love to have you!