Month: May 2020

 

D. L. Finn’s Poetry

MISTY MOUNTAIN MOMENT

It flows quietly on a breeze

Covering the landscape in its presence.

The world simplifies at that moment

While the mountain mist intensifies.

Its threatening chill keeps us indoors

Watching…

Waiting…

Worrying…

How long will it eliminate color from our world?

Yet, we’re securely tucked away inside.

We have a full stomach.

A place to sleep… others don’t.

Some live outside in this mountain mist

Trying to survive.

We offer what we can… from a safe distance.

As we head back to our protected lives

Suddenly, we get a glimpse past the monochrome.

Then we remember that a dreary gray mountain moment

Does not subdue the light that shines within all of us.

 

GONE

Gone is my freedom as I shelter at home.

Gone is abundant supplies; I must get in line to shop.

Gone are family gatherings, events, and appointments.

Gone is the income from those deemed non-essential.

Gone is the guarantee they will be helped.

This is all replaced by a new world.

Where procuring toilet paper is a reason to celebrate.

Where putting my wants over someone’s safety is a priority.

Where people risk their lives to save others.

Where people do without, perhaps for the first time.

Where learning how to make what used to be available.

Yes, so much has changed and is gone—for now.

My hope is this new insight and caring…

Stays long after everything that is gone, returns

And things go back to a new compassionate normal.

 

STORM

A storm tore through our world unseen

But we felt its presence as hospitals filled.

We tried to wash it off and hide from it

Yet, it kept coming.

Finally, we headed into the storm shelter

Only venturing out for food…

Unless we were needed to fight this storm.

So many heroes raced into the chaos

Sadly, some did not make it back home.

While the rest of us waited in our safety

Grateful for what we had

Worried for what we did not.

Here we wait for that sunny day

When the storm fades away,

And we return to normal again

Armed with a new understanding…

Of how fragile our existence is.

Something the wise won’t ever forget.

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With Hands Clasped: Thoughts of the Pandemic

By Harriet Hodgson

As COVID-19 spread across the land, Americans were directed to stay home. This news led to all sorts of questions. What will we do for entertainment? How will we teach the kids? Will we run out of food? As weeks passed, many Americans felt confined, even imprisoned. Not me. A freelancer for 38+ years, I was used to working at home.

My husband and I have been married for 62 years. “I love you more today than yesterday,” I often say. Staying home with him was a blessing. Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver, in one of her poems, uses the phrase “with hands clasped.” I lived her words with hands clasped in memory, in caregiving, in creativeness, in gratefulness, and in hope.

In memory . . .

When World War II started, I was four years old. COVID-19 made me anxious and scared. These feelings caused war memories to become vivid again: food rationing, gas rationing, digging potatoes in our Victory Garden, Mom working in a wartime factory, and air raid blackouts. Odd that a pandemic would cause memories to resurface, yet a world war and world virus are similar. Many experts compared fighting the virus to a war, one we would win.

In caregiving . . .

I have cared for three generations of family members. This is my 23^rd year in the caregiving trenches. In 2013 my husband’s aorta dissected and he had three emergency operations. When he woke up, he was paraplegic, unable to use his lower body or legs. The night I drove him to the hospital, I became his caregiver, and believe caregiving is love in action. Retired doctors and nurses rallied to fight COVID-19. I added virus protection to my caregiving To Do list.

In creativeness . . .

I have always been a creative person. While I sheltered at home, I revised two workbooks I wrote for grieving kids, edited a children’s picture book, explored doodle art, baked up a storm, and emailed publishers. So far, I have written thousands of articles and 38 books. Two publishers accepted the children’s books. Because of the pandemic, however, production of the grief books is on hold. The children’s picture book is still in production.

In gratefulness . . .

Americans are interdependent and need each other. COVID-19 showed that truckers, store clerks, housekeepers, home sewers, lab techs and countless others are heroes too. Staying home made me realize, yet again, that little things, such as the first robin of spring, are big things. As usual, I was grateful for my wacky sense of humor. (Yes, I laugh at my own jokes.)

Since I could not be physically close to others, I reached out in different ways. I sent surprise gifts to some, was a guest on blog talk radio, signed up for another show, posted book videos on social media, increased email to family members, gave books to friends and strangers. Though I am a kind person, I tried to be kinder, a lesson many learned from the virus. I also vowed to slow down a bit.

In hope . . .

I have survived cancer surgery and open-heart surgery. Each morning, when I awaken, I ask myself, “How can I make the most of the miracle of my life?” At age 84 I am still discovering pieces of my unknown self. Thanks to experience, I know how to adapt to the changes of life. I also know some changes are easy, and others test the soul.

Poet John O’Donohue, in his book To Bless the Space Between Us, refers to changes as thresholds. Thresholds can make emotions like confusion, fear, excitement, sadness, and hope come alive. It is wise to recognize and acknowledge thresholds, O’Donohue continues, and I have tried to do this.

The pandemic pushed America to a threshold, one that will define our nation. Let us cross this threshold together with kindness, dignity, and mutual respect. Let us cross with hands clasped in love.

 

Thank you for supporting today’s RWISA author along the RWISA “RISE-UP” Blog Tour!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the main RWISA “RISE-UP” Blog Tour page on the RWISA site.  For a chance to win a bundle of 15 e-books along with a $5 Amazon gift card, please leave a comment on the main RWISA “RISE-UP”Blog Tour page!  Thank you and good luck!

Please welcome fellow author, Sandra Cox here for the release of her new book, “Mateo’s Law.” I just finished it and the review is included at the end of the post!

Sandra has a question for us: If you were a shapeshifter and had the choice, what animal would you be? Would you choose a secluded or highly populated area to live in? Got a place in mind?

MATEO’S LAW

Blurb:

A modern day, shape-shifting sheriff.

He’s the sheriff of a sparsely populated county in Montana. His blood brother and childhood best friend is Chief of Police on the Blackfoot Reservation, but they no longer speak. His deputy is a southern transplant with the body of a high-priced call girl, a voice of honey and a mouth of a trucker. And if that’s not enough, he’s got a secret that would stun those that know him best. Other than that, it’s business as usual for Sheriff Mateo Grey.

 

Excerpt:

Mateo took a step past her, alert, dangerous.

Blair put a hand on his arm. Warmth surged through her fingers.  Motionless, his nostrils flared. She withdrew her hand.

One heartbeat. Two. The dark closed in around her.

Then the tension in him vanished as quickly as it came.

“Whatever, whoever is gone.”

“How do you know?” But she knew what his response would be. The same one it always was.

“Gut feeling.” He shrugged.

A gut feeling that caused his nostrils to flare and draw in a heavy inhale as if he sniffed the air. She shrugged it off. She was too much a realist to give credence to ‘gut feelings’ but she was also savvy enough not to argue about the sheriff’s. Instead, got down to the matter at hand.  “Don’t worry about it. Something’s come up.”

He cast one long, last look into the deep, dark of the woods then turned his sharp gaze back to her. “What?” He raked fingers through thick black hair, sprinkled with silver. Moonlight outlined damn fine pecs and a lean torso.

“We need to get to the rez.”

“Not our jurisdiction.” He started toward the house.

“The chief of police specifically requested you.” She fell in step beside him. Demanded more like, but she wisely kept that to herself.

“Kipp? Jesse Kipp?” His eyebrows rose.

Blair strove for patience, not her strong suit, and just managed not to roll her eyes. There was only one on the rez. “Yup.”

“Why?”

They crossed the porch and he swung through the door.

She stepped in behind him and looked around. A small entryway led into a sparsely furnished, spacious living room with a large west window that always drew her. Pine and oak beckoned. And when the sun went down, it turned the whole landscape into a crimson and purple pallet of glory. But tonight, the view she loved made her feel vulnerable as the sky blackened and the branches reached out twisty, skeletal fingers. Impatient with herself, she pulled her mind back to the reason for being here.

“There’s a little three-year-old girl that’s lost. The weather is supposed to drop. Jesse needs all the help he can get.”

He straightened. His strange amber-colored eyes flared. He gave an abrupt nod. “Give me two minutes.”

Amazon Purchase Link

 

Bio:

Sandra is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina.

Her stories consist of all things western…and more. She is a category bestselling Amazon author, Eppie finalist and Golden Ankh Award winner.

Connect with Sandra here:

 Website

Twitter 

Amazon Page

 Thanks for hosting me!

Here is my review:

Mateo’s Law 

by Sandra Cox

“Mateo’s Law” is an exciting paranormal, western romance that I read in two sittings. It is set in a small town in Montana, where Blair moved to join the force as a deputy. She is in a long-distance relationship but is attracted to the sheriff, Mateo. When something attacks a town resident, they investigate it together, but Blair is unaware of Mateo’s secret of being a shapeshifter. I love it when Mateo is in his alternative form, and I felt his freedom. The scenery is lush and the town a place I’d want to call home. Blair and Mateo have great chemistry, conversations, and working relationship. I was definitely rooting for Blair and Mateo and hope more stories are coming with these characters. If you love a paranormal page-turning romance, you won’t want to miss this! Five-Stars

 

 

Guardian of the Deep (Wytchfae, #2)

by Flossie Benton Rogers

“Guardian of the Deep” is a quick sexy-paranormal read. Layla is a succubus whose only job is to seduce men, but she finds herself attached to Samael, who watches over the ocean. They decide to take a vacation to a 1950s Montana Ranch to avoid all the issues their relationship is causing. Things don’t go as planned, though, and Layla is pushed to find the strength required. Samael and Layla definitely have strong chemistry and interactions that held my interest until the last page. I enjoyed the mythology mixed into the story, along with the determination of Layla. I will be reading more of this series. Four-Stars

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MINDER

by Sandra Cox

“Minder” is an exciting paranormal shapeshifter YA read! Aurora goes out to dinner with her aunt on her eighteen birthday and is told a strange Indian Legend about a princess being a minder or shapeshifter. When Aurora is out with her best friend, she finds the legend is more than just a myth.  I love the attraction between Aurora and Kylar and how that progresses. I could easily see the world through the black panther’s eyes and was intrigued by the puma.  This moves at a fast pace, and I read it in two sittings. A fun read for YA and adults if you love the paranormal with some sweet romance sprinkled into the action. Five-Stars

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The Ex Chronicles

by Maura Beth Brennan

“The Ex Chronicles” is a quick read that had me laughing out loud. Angie is headed home to her parents while she shares how a relationship ended badly with the reader. The descriptions were vivid, and although a serious topic, the humor came strongly through. Angie sees the world like a happily ever after movie, but reality pushes its way in with humorous results. A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. Five-Stars

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Unclear Purposes (Driscoll Lake Book Three)

by Joan Hall

“Unclear Purposes” is the final book in the Driscoll series and a great way to end it. Each book has focused on one woman in a group of three friends. Christine is a widowed teacher and raising a teenage daughter. Vince, the ex-FBI agent, came back to town when he opened a Private Investigation office in town. A run through the park brings them together in an unusual way, a murder. The characters were all well-developed.  The friction between Christine and her daughter was very realistic, and the misunderstandings Christine and Vince dealt with made sense to me. I love how characters show up from the other two books, so there’s an update on how they are doing.   Jason and Tami were two flawed characters that I appreciated. The mystery side of the book had me guessing until the end. I kept thinking it was someone only to think it was someone else right after that. There was a satisfying conclusion, and I look forward to reading more from this author. This is for you if you enjoy a good romantic mystery. Five-Stars

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Unknown Reasons (Driscoll Lake Book Two)

by Joan Hall

I have been wanting to read “Unknown Reasons” after enjoying the first book, “Unseen Motives.” When I started reading, I couldn’t put “Unknown Reasons” down. I finished it in two sittings. Rachael is a local doctor from a prominent family who has developed a friendship with Brian, who was a troubled teen but overcame that and now owns his own construction company. I loved these characters, and how they interacted, they felt real to me. I really sympathized with Brian’s struggles to overcome his negative messages from the past as he tried to move forward. The mystery of who was the arsonist had me guessing until the end. This was a page-turner because I had to see what was going to happen next. I’m already reading the next one in the series. If you love romantic mysteries, you will enjoy this one! Five-Stars

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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!

UPDATES:

Watch for a special edition blog this week!

“This Last Chance” is available for pre-order AMAZON PURCHASE LINK

Embrace your inner child by reading a book. Stay Safe! D. L. Finn