I recently wrote some poetry. The poems are on the darker side and right now I think something more positive is needed. The gloom I felt in that moment will be shared later– maybe. They were written in the darkness of a power outage while I was snowbound, sick, and the news grew increasingly bad by the hour. So, here’s two poems I wrote while sitting in the forest just a few weeks before.
WOODPECKERS
The forest is silent…
Not a woodpecker within its boundaries
But their past work is on display.
Broken trees still stand proudly reaching for the sky
Filled with abstract holes creating a stunning design
All from the bird’s simple search for bugs.
Some of their creations are arranged on the ground
Where the carpenter ant’s creativity takes over.
It is a limited forest engagement, though
The artwork will disappear into the landscape
Only to become part of another tree and concept
The woodpeckers will start all over again
One peck at a time, hunger pours into beauty.
PEACE
I find peace here deep in the forest
Away from modern conveniences.
Sitting on a hard-cold bench
That’s long lost its visual appeal
I don’t mind; it’s my special place
Where I find heart amongst the beauty.
Its intelligence is more than a feeling
From the long-standing cedars, pine, and firs
Knowing wonder in the design of a pinecone.
I deeply breathe in health…
Releasing all the anger, frustration and worries
As the gentle winds caress my soul.
I know from the alertness of my dog
Others join in the moment, safely hidden
Deer, bears, raccoons, foxes, and rats.
They leave a bit of their presence
A welcome gift to me that I accept.
We all share this place…
A place we can be free under the sun
As it filters down into a healing
I’m grateful for my moment of peace.
My blogs in April will be all reviews since I’ve done a lot of reading this month. I’m taking off one Sunday for Easter. There will be special edition blogs to watch for.
Sorry I’ve been quiet on social media. I was processing what’s going on in our world, and focusing on family.
Embrace your inner child by reading a good book. Stay safe! D. L. Finn
Meet “Simon” a Western Pond Turtle. He was found crossing a street by a person who should have relocated the turtle to a safe spot where he was found. But that didn’t happen and the turtle ultimately ended up with my husband. My husband brought him home. Then, he made several phone calls to find out where to return the turtle. Once it was established what type of turtle he was we picked the perfect pond to release him.
This pond is in front of my youngest daughter Danielle (you’ve met her here on my blog before) and her husband’s house. Lots of turtles live here. So, in a rather big downpour, we all got together and put Simon back where he belonged. Here’s my husband releasing him, as the wildlife lady had directed him to. Simon immediately burrowed into the mud. Hard to see but that is the turtle is under the water.
We were told Western Pond Turtles are the last of native turtles in California. So glad to get him back where he belongs. Apparently, he had just come out of hibernation and was looking for a nice female to make friends with.
Turtles seem to be a theme for our family. Just last year, the same daughter and I swam with a Sea Turtle. Curious, I looked up the spiritual meaning of turtles entering your life. The meaning is varied including to be patient, peace, and appreciate our blessings. I think it’s a great message right now for all of us.
It’s also a reminder to take the time to do the right thing. Luckily, there are people like my husband who still do that. Every little act of doing the right thing makes our world a better place.
Embrace your inner child and follow your heart! D. L. Finn
I’m excited to welcome the founder of #RRBC and #RWISA, author, Nonnie Jules on her “No Pedigree” Blog Tour!
Giveaways: (2) e-book copies of NO PEDIGREE, (2) $5 Amazon gift cards & (1) 3-Day Weekend blog tour! Total of 5 Winners! To be entered into the drawing for either of these gifts, you must leave a comment below as well as a comment on the author’s 4WillsPub tour page.
Hi, and thanks for dropping in on Day 6 of my NO PEDIGREE blog tour! After today, there’s only one day left and I’m so grateful to those of you who have followed my tour thus far. I’m especially grateful to Denise for hosting me today on her blog. Here is just a snippet of Ch. 6 from my short story, NO PEDIGREE. If you enjoy it, I do hope you’ll pick up a copy of the book!
EXCERPT: Ch. 6
“Do you know who I am, girl?” Claire Tillotson had a reputation for making the lower class feel two feet tall.
“Uh, the name’s Baylee, and no, ma’am, I don’t believe I do,” Baylee replied, tapping her chin with her pencil, feigning innocence.
Mrs. Tillotson peered over the top of her glasses and raked her steely green eyes over Baylee, from head to toe. Her weak attempt at making Baylee nervous, failing.
“Should I … know you, that is?” Baylee could feel the heat emanating from Mrs. Tillotson’s body. Her now candy apple red complexion, a sure sign that her blood was boiling, gave her away.
“Isn’t your Motha that colored woman who works for Betsy Sinclair?” Mrs. Tillotson sneered.
Now, it was Baylee’s temperature on the rise.
“Ma’am, my Motha isn’t colored any more than you are,” Baylee snapped back, mimicking the woman’s Southern drag on the word. “Now that we’ve cleared that up, once again, what … can … I …get you?”
Baylee had only one trigger – negative talk about her mom.
“How dare you speak to me that way, you little piece of white trash!”
“Claire!” Mrs. Tuttle reached for her chest with her left hand and across the table with her right, gently placing it atop Mrs. Tillotson’s in an awkward attempt to calm her down – clearly embarrassed at what had been said aloud.
Baylee wasn’t impressed by her gesture, though. Her mom always said, ‘Birds of a feather, flock together,’ so witnessing Mrs. Tillotson’s blatant racist nature on display, was surely not a first for Mrs. Tuttle.
BOOK BLURB…
Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, Baylee never quite fit in… anywhere. She was taunted and teased because her clothes had no designer labels, and spit upon because her only pair of shoes had holes in the bottom. The butt of many jokes, she was excluded from all social activities, sneered at by the parents of her peers after school as she waited for the bus, watching them drive away in their fancy cars; assaulted in the most unthinkable fashion.
Having been born to a white father and a black native American mother didn’t make things any easier. In fact, that circumstance made her life ten times harder – until the day she made them all stand up, take notice, and regret every ugly word and deed they had inflicted upon her.
“No Pedigree” is a short story able to convey so much in a few words. It tackled difficult subjects, including racism and poverty. Baylee was thrust into an elite high school where her mixed-race left her shunned and cruelly treated in a world of designer clothes and attitudes. Her mother worked hard to make ends meet, giving her daughter a good example of how not to give up. Baylee’s strength was the center of this story, especially when she suffered through a horrendous attack. Karma came to mind as it all played out to a satisfying ending. This was a well-written short read that I highly recommend.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Hi, I’m Nonnie Jules – President & Founder of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {RRBC} and RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS {RWISA}. As a writer who values the (polished) written word, it is my mission to help my fellow authors understand that their reputations as writers should be treated as rare treasure, and that the only way to be taken seriously in this business, is to ensure that your writing (no matter the forum) is impeccably written and well edited. If not, you’re just another “Joe” with a pen who was the first to raise his hand when Amazon asked, “Hey, any old Joe out there wanna publish a book? Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be good and there’s absolutely no hard work involved.”
FYI: If you don’t care what you put out into the world, you’re just a laughingstock in the literary community … and your name is “Joe.”
Spring came early this year in the Northern California foothills, and we even had a few small fires during our driest record-setting February. The only rain that month came in the very last four hours. Yet, winter is paying a visit this week with over 2.5 feet of snow. Still, the birds have returned, including our gentle cooing dove, dogwoods are preparing to bloom, and soon the bumblebees will grace the lavender flowers. When the forest awakens, it is full of beautiful possibilities, like life. Spring is a magical place in time, much like the books I read. Books not only entertain me, but move me, or change my perception. Here are my spring picks in no particular order.
It amazed me that Haikus could tell a story like this! My poetic introduction to Maine has fueled my imagination of a place I want to explore. Each season offers a beautiful vision through Ms. Stevens carefully crafted Haikus.
“My Maine” is a fantastic collection of nature haiku. Going through the seasons, I would think I’d found my favorite one, but I hadn’t because they were all good. It was impressive with the limited wordage of the poems that so much information came across. The pictures added more depth to the words, and I enjoyed learning some new details along the way. This is an excellent blend of poetry, photographs, and facts about Maine. If you love nature and poetry, you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend this!
So much is packed into this coming-of-age, short story. It’s very relevant for the times we are living in and a lesson to look deeper than a designer label or skin. But there was a very dark side of hatred that was portrayed. I hope that ugliness disappears from our society, and we learn to see the soul.
“No Pedigree” is a short story able to convey so much in a few words. It tackled difficult subjects, including racism and poverty. Baylee was thrust into an elite high school where her mixed-race left her shunned and cruelly treated in a world of designer clothes and attitudes. Her mother worked hard to make ends meet, giving her daughter a good example of how not to give up. Baylee’s strength was the center of this story, especially when she suffered through a horrendous attack. Karma came to mind as it all played out to a satisfying ending. This was a well-written short read that I highly recommend.
I became Catholic at nineteen years old. There are periods in the Church that make me question that decision at times. Racism is one of those ugly parts I have a hard time absorbing. There is another part of me that is more hopeful. This book teaches us about the past but opens our hearts to the future.
I love history and what we can learn from it.”Our Lady of Victory: The Saga of an African-American Catholic Community by Shirley Harris Slaughter is exactly that–history we can learn from.
Ms. Slaughter has written a fascinating reflection not only of the Catholic Church but racial issues within it and the surrounding community in Detroit. Not only did the author show the Church through her own family’s history, but the book covered many well-documented backgrounds from the parishioners that attended the Church, the Priests, and Nuns. Included were pictures giving the reader a full insight as to what happened in the rise and fall of this parish.
Ms. Slaughter showed us a past in which we can improve upon. Our Lady of Victory: The Saga of an African-American Catholic Community” fills a void in history that I was unaware of was missing. For anyone who has an interest in history, religion or the African-American experience. I highly recommend this book!
NOTE: I was silent for a few days. My power and landline were down during a powerful snowstorm. Kind of living the storyline I’m finishing up editing–minus the killer:) I will try to catch up the best I can. You were all missed!
Stay safe while embracing your inner child this spring by reading a fantastic book! D. L. Finn
We welcome back the renewal of spring this week in the midst of chaos. To remember the beauty in our world, here’s a poem that shows spring breaking through on my magical trail.
TRAIL
The trail weaves through the forest
Winding around logs of past lives
It takes me past a mysterious pit
While brushing the edge of wilderness.
I meander slowly on the red dirt
Like a river on a warm summer day.
Each step brings me closer to my soul
As spring magic sprinkles the trail
Awakening the beauty of renewal
It rises from its quiet hibernation
With a long stretch, its eyes open.
It embraces me in a cyclic cuddle
That flows through me an awareness.
Each tree becomes a welcomed friend
The birds are now my exclusive guides
While the insects teach me about life.
This eternal nexus tethers me to the moment
Grateful, my meditative walk continues
Guided only by the magic on my trail.
UPDATES:
It’s time for the 2020 Spring “Books That Changed Me” List! Watch for it this week.
If you are subscribed to my newsletter it will come out Friday! Check your emails for it on 3-20.
Stay safe everyone while you embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn
Please welcome fellow #RRBC AUTHOR, ROBERTA EATON CHEADLE, on her tour “While the Bombs Fell” Day # 3
While the Bombs Fell
The joys of flowers and nature
While the bombs fell is a collaboration between my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton, and me and tells a fictionalized account of her life as a small girl growing up in the small English town of Bungay, Suffolk during World War II.
Despite the food, fuel and clothing shortages faced by people during World War II in Britain, children still derived joy from the natural environment and took pleasure in the flowers, trees and other beautiful things around them.
I can always remember my mother telling me about all the gorgeous flowers that grew on Bungay common when she was a small girl. After a long, cold winter, the first flowers to show their face and announce the coming of spring were the snowdrops. The snowdrops were pretty, with a single small,
white bell-shaped flower that drooped on their stems.
The snowdrops were quickly followed by other flowers, as the weather gradually started to warm. Elsie and her siblings would go for long walks and look for pale yellow primroses, sky purple violets and yellow cowslips, which were quite difficult to find.
During the warm summer days and long evenings, the breeze would carry the delightful smell of the flowers through the windows and into the small three bedroomed cottage that housed my mother’s family.
I read a lot of Enid Blyton books when I was growing up and I was familiar with gorse bushes as a result. I can remember my mother describing these pretty bushes with their sharp thorns and telling me about how her brothers used to force their way into the middle of these bushes and hide there. When she told me these stories, my eyes always felt prickly and I had to close them as I imagined the horrible thorns scratching at them. As I write this, I still fancy that my eyes are being scratched by thorns.
One of the most beautiful places my mother and her siblings liked to play, was a hill called Target. It sloped down to Ditchingham House which was the home of author, Sir Henry Rider Haggard’s daughter, Lilias. The following is an extract about Target from the book:
“After breakfast, the children set off to walk to Target.
The public path that took the children to Target ran along the top of a steep and heavily treed hill. Bluebells carpeted the woods at this time of year. The path ran through the grounds of Ditchingham
House which had been occupied by Sir Henry Rider Haggard and his wife, Louisa, before their deaths.
Their daughter, Lilias Haggard, currently occupied the house.
From the path, the children could see the beautiful two and a half storey red-brick house which seemed
enormous to Elsie. A lush garden and an orchard with apple and mulberry trees, and even a quince
tree surrounded the house.
Sir Henry Rider Haggard had lived in South Africa and visited other parts of Africa. The children
thought him a most interesting character. A famous author, he had written many adventure books set in
Africa including She and King Solomon’s Mines.
When they reached the top of Target, the children all dared each other to slide and scramble down the
hill as fast as possible. Down they went, clutching onto the saplings, roots and anything else available
to them to grasp.
Elsie clung tightly to Jean’s hand so that she would not fall and roll down the steep hill.”
BOOK BLURB:
What was it like for children growing up in rural Suffolk during World War 2?
Elsie and her family live in a small double-storey cottage in Bungay, Suffolk. Every night she lies awake listening anxiously for the sound of the German bomber planes. Often they come and the air raid siren sounds signalling that the family must leave their beds and venture out to the air raid shelter in the garden.
Despite the war raging across the English channel, daily life continues with its highlights, such as Christmas and the traditional Boxing Day fox hunt, and its wary moments when Elsie learns the stories of Jack Frost and the ghostly and terrifying Black Shuck that haunts the coastline and countryside of East Anglia.
Includes some authentic World War 2 recipes.
AUTHOR BIO:
Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with six published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about my mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of my children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.
I also have a book of poetry called Open a new door, with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.
I have recently branched into adult and young adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my adult writing, I plan to publish these books under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first supernatural book published in that name, Through the Nethergate, is now available.
I have participated in a number of anthologies:
Two short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Dark Visions, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle;
Three short stories in Death Among Us, an anthology of murder mystery stories, edited by Stephen Bentley under Robbie Cheadle;
Three short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Nightmareland, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle; and
Two short stories in Whispers of the Past, an anthology of paranormal stories, edited by Kaye Lynne Booth under Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
Here are my recent books read. I only post my 4 & 5-star reviews. If I don’t like a book, I won’t finish it. It doesn’t feel right leaving a review in that case, but I have been known to email the author:) Life is too short not to enjoy every book you read!
“Serang” is a companion book to “Voyage of the Lanternfish,” but it isn’t necessary to have read it to enjoy this story. I was very excited to explore Serang’s history, and this book didn’t disappoint. Her mother abandons her at a temple as a young girl, but I like Serang is given a choice about that later. When the new Emperor removes her way of life, everything changes again. This journey into adulthood and her relationship with a monk were the heart of this story. The fights were exciting, and the moments of learning were thought-provoking. The detail in the scenery brought me into her world as they battled, searched for water in the desert, or slept in a cave. There were times I was worried for Serang and other times enjoyed her accomplishments. A fantastic fantasy coming-of-age tale that I highly recommend.
I went into reading “The Hanged Man,” thinking this would be a paranormal mystery. When the killer was revealed a third of the way through, it left me pondering — where can this go next? It became a journey of the Prison Pastor, Digby Rolf trying to prove the innocence of John Moorland set in England in the 1950s. Digby is an untrained investigator and appears to be very lucky in his survival or the paranormal part of the story. His relationship with his landlord’s niece, Summer, was nicely mixed into the story. This was told through many POVs, and a few times I found myself lost in that. But I liked knowing what everyone was thinking and doing. Digby’s past still haunted him, which added to his depth, but the story only touched on that part. There were a few gruesome scenes mixed in that made complete sense given the situations. This was an interesting story that took a twist I didn’t expect at the end. I enjoyed this book and was engaged until the last page.
“Terra’s Call” is a YA science fiction book that can easily be read by younger readers and adults. The story is told through four POVs or the teenagers who had extra gifts and unusual eyes. I loved their community and the relationship between the teen’s three families. The combination of Cherokee, Aliens and the Bible was the right blend for me. Showing a world’s weather out of balance with Jewel, Sky, Pax, and Storm figuring out how they were supposed to save the world had me all in. Jewel was my favorite of the four, and I adored her abilities. There were a few times I lost track of whose POV I was in since the four teen’s personalities were similar, but that didn’t matter as my interest held. Ms. Perrin takes questions we all ponder and creates a world in which we get some answers. There was a cliff-hanger ending, but I was satisfied with what had been resolved. I will definitely be reading the second book to see what happens next, especially after the teaser at the end!
“The Istanbul Conspiracy” is the first Code Raven book I’ve read in the series. So, I jumped right in without the benefit of knowing the past stories and relationships. Luckily, Ms. Filler included a brief bio at the beginning, which helped. The story starts with the wedding of Yunus and Sudi that goes wrong and it pulls you right into the action. Then help comes, Raven Group, to figure out what’s going on in Istanbul. There were a few surprises and lots of action, but my favorite part was being immersed into the city with all the details. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but my favorite was Luke and Samaar and her daughter, Alice. Politics and history are a fascinating part of the story and you can tell the author has done her research with that. I am definitely curious to see what happens next in this political thriller series and will be reading the next book.
This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Cronin, but it won’t be the last. It’s a wonderful collection of poetry and short stories. In the first part of the book, there were many different types of poetry and subjects, but my favorites had to be nature and the faeries sections. The Haikus of the different seasons really stood out to me. I’m always amazed at how much can be said in flash fiction, but the short stories were my favorite part. From animals to human enhancement in the future, there was a lot of variety. The animal stories tugged at my emotions and were the highlight of the book for me. I highly recommend “Life’s Rich Tapestry,” especially if you love poetry and short stories with heart.
“Allergic to Life” describes the author’s journey through illness over several years. I grasped Ms. Treat’s frustration as she searched for answers. I understood her fight to survive through her eyes, and I felt like I was at each doctor’s appointment. The added poetry and pictures brought it more to life, a woman whose life had changed so drastically. Reading this brought back some memories with my health struggles and the anxiety I felt, but what I went through was nothing compared to her fight with mold allergies. This book shows a woman who never gave up trying to get better. She had the support system and determination to get healthy. While being surrounded by some wonderful understanding doctors, she had to deal with those who thought this was just in her head or didn’t understand. I loved how Ms. Treat documented everything carefully and stood up for herself. I know that is hard to do from experience and admired her strength. I highly recommend this book.
Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn
