May 2021 – Author D.L. Finn

June 1st Tree Fairy Blog Stop! #newrelease #childrenbook #middlegrade #fairies #writingcommunity #summerreading

Today the Tree Fairies pay a visit to fellow Story Empire author, John Howell! Along with visiting John, the fairies hope they get to meet Lucy and Twiggy:)

Link to Post

“Tree Fairies and Their Short Stories” is now available! #childrensbook #ASMSG #WritingCommunity #middlegrade #mustread #indieauthors

“Tree Fairies and Their Short Stories” is here! Last week I shared the cover and blurb. Today I’ll talk a little about it, share some Finn Facts, and offer an excerpt.

I originally wrote Tree Fairies as a poem, which I included in the story. It was inspired over 25 years ago by one of my husband’s acoustic song that reminded me of fairies flying. Then, a story grew from that poem, and it sat for years.

A couple of years ago, I wrote the two fairy stories and finally decided to make it into a collection, but still, it sat.

When I was in-between stories and needed something for my group to critique after I published Dolphin’s Cave last December, I pulled this story out. Once I was drawn back into the tree fairy world, I stayed there. It took many years to get here, but I’m happy to finally share their story.

FUN FINN FACTS

We have fairy houses in our forest, just in case.
Yes, I’ve hugged a redwood tree.

TREE FAIRIES EXCERPT

A Walk through the Forest

I awoke suddenly in a dark tent lit only by moonlight. It was quiet—not even a crackle or pop came from the campfire. Mom and Dad were zipped up in their sleeping bags on my right side. Their gentle breathing soothed me as I turned over toward Colette to go back to sleep. Her sleeping bag was open, with no Colette inside. Alarmed, I sat up, grabbed my flashlight, and double-checked the tent, especially the area near Mom and Dad. She was gone.

I unzipped the tent door and stepped out into the cold night with a shiver. I immediately spotted a light in the forest near the outhouse. I guess she forgot that Dad set up the porta-potty in the tent for night use.

“Colette went to the outhouse alone. I’m going to check on her.”

My parents didn’t reply.

I tapped Dad’s shoulder to wake him up, but he didn’t stir. I figured I could handle my little sister. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my coat and flashlight before I rezipped the tent door and headed into the darkness.

Branches littered the forest floor, and tiny pine cones crunched underfoot. A light bobbed in the distance. Colette had a good lead on me, and now she wasn’t headed in the direction of the outhouse. I paused, wondering if I should go back and get Dad, but if I did that, I might lose her. I quickened my pace.

“Colette!”

No response. Was she lost? I shone the light toward her, quickly gaining ground.

“Colette! Wait!”

She didn’t answer. Was this some sort of game? Right when I got to her, my flashlight died.

“I just changed the batteries,” I mumbled, shaking it.

Sighing loudly, I shoved the flashlight in my pocket and followed Colette’s narrow beam of light. Tripping over branches now only lit by the moon’s glow, I finally caught up to her.

“Colette! Where are you going?”

She didn’t respond and kept walking.

“Stop!”

Amazon Purchase Link

Smashwords Purchase Link

Available in print too!

I will continue to post links here for the continuing Tree Fairy Blog Tour. It is spread out over June. There will be no posts in the third week of June because I’ll be on vacation. The final post will be on June 25th.

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

May 28th Tree Fairy Blog Stop! #ASMSG #WritingCommunity #authorsupport #newrelease #childrensbook #mustread #indieauthors

Today on the Tree Fairy Tour I’m visiting Sandra Cox’s blog! She a wonderful author and supportive friend. I hope you stop by and see what the fairies are up to today!

Here’s the link: BLOG POST

WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 227, #THEMEPROMPT @ColleenChesebro #WritingCommunity #poems #indieauthor #authors

Here’s Colleen Chesebro’s Weekly Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge. This week is a theme based on, Travel and Journey.

I decided to use a Tanka format 5/7/5/7/7 and a picture from last week’s hike for inspiration.

NATURE’S REMINDER

The moment floats by

safely behind a wood fence

when nature beckons

gently evoking wisdom

recognizing souls can fly.

Celebrating Release Day! #ASMSG #WritingCommunity #authorsupport #newrelease #childrensbook #mustread #indieauthors

Today is release day for “Tree Fairies and Their Short Stories!” I’m celebrating it over on Miriam Hurdle’s The Showers of Blessing Blog. She throws a great party! Stop by and join in the fun:)

TREE FAIRIES RELEASE DAY LINK!

New Release “Lunar Boogie” by C. S. Boyack! @Virgilante #StoryEmpire #IndieAuthor #NewRelease #WhatToRead

I’m excited to welcome fellow Story Empire author, C. S. Boyack, here today to talk about his latest release, “Lunar Boogie. ” I’ve loved the Hat Series, and couldn’t wait to dive into this great story. Here’s my review.

Thanks for lending me your space, Denise. I’m here to tell your fans about my newest publication, “Lunar Boogie.” This is book number four in The Hat Series. This is an ongoing series that uses the same main characters in subsequent tales. They are intended to be dark comedy.

I’ll let the cover and blurb do their jobs. Today, I want to talk about what comes next. This is kind of a standard blog tour topic, but it’s a fun one.

Lizzie St. Laurent is a regular twenty-something college dropout. She works hard to make ends meet. I paired her up with a creature from another dimension, known only as the hat. He has supernatural abilities, but they need each other to take advantage of them.

When they debuted in the first book, “The Hat,” it was very well received. This is my best seller, and has more reviews than any other. Many readers asked for sequels and the series was born. They also wanted to explore deeper into the witchcraft world presented in that story. This is something I also wanted to do, but it posed a little problem.

Lizzie is a regular girl. She’s also our point of view into all the strange things going on in this underground environment. This means she isn’t going to attend some school and learn all about witchcraft. She has to observe it as an outsider, and the readers do too.

I wanted Lizzie to get some seasoning before I returned to that environment. After four unique adventures, it’s time to get on with it. The next book in the series will be called “Good Liniment,” and it’s going to take a deep dive into the world of witchcraft.

This will include a bunch of new characters, but they’re going to be unique enough that readers will remember them. As the series grows, I want to have a pool of characters that can appear in future stories.

This poses a challenge for me, because one of my goals is that readers can pick up any volume and enjoy the story without prerequisite reading. I don’t know if I can keep pulling that off, but have every intention to try. It requires a small introduction for the recurring characters, but, as long as it isn’t obtrusive, long term readers might appreciate the reminders. I don’t mind a good challenge, but I can only produce about one of these per year.

Today, you have “Lunar Boogie” to check out. It’s brand spankin’ new, and I’d appreciate some readers and reviews to give it a good launch.

Stick with me, because I have about four more storyboards going in this series, and two of them are ready to write today.

***

Lizzie and the hat are back in action, only this time they’re up against the most tragic monster of all, a werewolf.

This adventure is more like hunting an animal, and the werewolf is unlikely to come to any of their musical performances. This puts Lizzie out in the dark corners and wooded areas of the city. It may be more beneficial to get the monster to hunt Lizzie than to stalk him on his own turf. All she has to do is be quicker on the trigger than the wolf is on his feet.

At the same time, the police think they’re after a serial killer. Lizzie tries to keep them alive while also keeping them out of her way. As the body count rises, so do the pressures. It doesn’t help that people are blaming Lizzie and the hat for the killings. This involves an urban myth about them that the locals call Hellpox.

Pull on your boogie shoes and join the hunt. Designed as an afternoon read, this one is tons of supernatural fun.

PURCHASE LINK

Cover Reveal and Pre-Order! “Tree Fairies and Their Short Stories” by D. L. Finn #ASMSG #WritingCommunity #newrelease #childrensbook #mustread #indieauthors

I’m excited to share the cover and pre-order for my final planned children’s book, “Tree Fairies and Their Short Stories!” It is a chapter book suitable for middle-grade and those young at heart.

Here’s my first attempt at a children’s cover:)

BLURB:

When reality and magic meet in the forest

It’s 1969, and twelve-year-old Daniel Burns is camping in the redwood forest with his family. Danny wants to listen to his music and read, but his family has other plans. S’mores around the campfire and stories end their first day. The family is sleeping soundly in their secluded tent when Danny wakes up and finds his sister, Colette, is missing. Assuming she went to use the outhouse, he goes after her. When he finds his sister, they discover there is a thin veil between reality and fantasy.

Two bonus short stories offer a glimpse into the magical world that finds Danny and Colette. These hidden beings not only share our world but have a role in protecting their forest.

Pre-Order Amazon

SMASHWORDS PRE-ORDER

The release date is May 26th:)

I ended up picking this date not only because it’s my son’s age, but it’s a full moon and lunar eclipse! An event made for fairies:)

Paperback to follow!

Note: I was focused on this release so I wasn’t around as much on blogs and social media this week. I will try to catch up as best I can, and will be around more next week:)

There will be a Tree Fairy Blog Tour weaving through the end of May and into June. Miriam Hurdle has graciously offered to host on release day to get the tour started. Watch for it, and all the other amazing sites the tree and city fairies will be visiting!

I will keep you updated here.

May Book Reviews Part 3! @ElizabethMerry1 @mhurdle112 @teagangeneviene @harmony_kent #ASMSG #WritingCommunity #bookreviews #mustread #indieauthors

MINUS ONE: With Haikus and Other Poems: The Story of a Life

by Elizabeth Merry

“Minus One” is a wonderful collection of poems that took me on an emotional journey. There was a mixture of Haikus and free verse that offered an insight into the highs and lows of life. Plus, there was the bonus of lovely pictures. Here are a few of my favorite passages: Seascapes, “Damp knees in the damp sand. Uneasy in the stillness, /watching for the yellow hair of fairies, /hidden in the tide, their voices from another world,” Haikus, “Blessed, healing rain/soaks my parched skin and/flushes out all grief,” and more Haikus, “Broken by the storm/branches bent as if with grief/hold their beauty yet.” A beautiful read that any poetry lover would enjoy.

Tina Lost in a Crowd

by Miriam Hurdle(Author), Victoria Skakandi (Illustrator)

“Tina Lost in a Crowd” is a sweet children’s book for beginning readers and parents reading to them. I loved the beautiful illustrations that enriched the story and the fact this was based on an actual event. Tina, who just finished 3rd grade, invited a friend to go on a family excursion to see a symphony and fireworks. Everything was going perfectly until intermission, and the girls needed to use the restroom. I loved how Tina and her friend handled being lost. It was a good lesson on how to handle a situation like this. As a parent, I know the fear of not finding a child, and reading this story with children allows talking about what to do if it happens. I’ll be adding the paperback to my collection for my grandchildren, and we’ll be reading it together—a wonderful debut children’s book by Ms. Hurdle.

Dead of Winter, Journey 4, The Old Road

by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

I love the journey Ms. Geneviene has taken us on, so far, with this series. In this installment, “The Old Road,” the focus is more on the Deae Matres, with more attention going to Boabhan. The Lady in Green, Boabhan, intrigues me, and I feel like there is so much more to uncover. With peril surrounding this group, Emlyn finds herself in constant danger. I don’t want to say too much, but I was happy with returning characters and terrified of ones who made an appearance. I enjoyed this being a longer read than the first three, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

The Vanished Boy

by Harmony Kent

“The Vanished Boy” is a terrifying glimpse into an 18-year-old’s disappearance. Carole is a widow who never stopped grieving. When her only child, Jayden, left a cryptic message on her cell phone and then didn’t return home from a party, she began searching for him. I couldn’t imagine being in her place, yet I felt all her pain as I read it. Finding his laptop, Carole began digging into her son’s digital life. This is when the realization came that she didn’t really know her son. That was a great insight into how the internet allows us to reach out to others yet be more distant from the ones we love. Carole is a strong character that was relatable and determined. Her relationship with her sister felt very real, and the love for her son pushed her beyond any normal limits. As I kept reading, I formulated some theories, but I couldn’t have guessed the outcome. This is a well-written story that was hard to put down, and I highly recommend it!

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!

Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! 🙂 D. L. Finn