Books That Changed Me: 2025 Summer Edition! #writingcommunity

heading books that changed me 2025 summer edition

Happy Summer! Welcome to the Summer Edition of Books That Changed Me.

Here are my three top books that will provide great summer reading. If the blurb catches your eye, click on the book title and enjoy your next fantastic read.

Reuben Hayes

By S. Cox

BLURB

A classic Western

The crusty middle-aged rancher had only ever loved one woman. And now her daughter stood on his doorstep.

A young woman shows up at the Hayes’ ranch, bringing bad news and danger.
Sage Baylor is the daughter of the only woman Reuben ever loved. Now she’s on his doorstep, bringing with her the news her mother is dead. Shortly after her arrival, her father, the Honorable Senator Baylor from Missouri, arrives. That’s when bullets start flying.
Both the senator and Sage are in danger from an unknown source. When the senator leaves, he tasks Reuben with keeping his daughter safe. Help comes from an unexpected source in the form of an engaging young gunslinger. Between the two men, and Reuben’s cranky ole cook, they’ll keep the Senator’s daughter safe. No matter the peril. No matter the cost.

Badlands (Savage Land #2)

By Jacqui Murray

BLURB

Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

In Badlands, Book Two of the trilogy, the tribes split up, each pursuing dangerous but necessary goals, all at the mercy of the Nature. How they collaborate despite their inborn distrust could end this journey before it starts or forge new relationships that will serve both groups well in the future.

Weeping Boughs Don’t Break

By Staci Troilo

BLURB

A vow broken. A covenant shattered. A duty she can’t escape.

Claudia Abruzzo expected her mid-life crisis to begin when her kids left for college and culminate in a trip around the world when her husband retired. Instead, it started with Leo divorcing her for a woman young enough to be their daughter, and there was no end in sight to her heartbreak.

Five years later, the only change is her last name—back to Valenti. She still lives in the same memory-filled house in the same tiny town with the same financial and emotional struggles since losing her partner. While she doesn’t miss her ex, she does miss being married. She’d meant it when she’d said for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or health, and forsaking all others.

Leo had meant none of it, especially the forsaking part.

Now, his life is on the line and he—as well as his family—expects her to uphold her vows.

Crises of conscience, faith, and family test the flimsy tether of resolve that kept her moored when her life blew apart. Leo is forcing her into another no-win situation, and this time, when her world inevitably explodes, she might not have the strength to pick up the pieces.

Enjoy your inner child this summer by picking up a good book to read! D. L. Finn (Denise)

#CreativePerspectiveChallenge Six Result! #sandracox #teaganriordaingeneviene #poetry #flashfiction #writingcommunity

Here are the fantastic results from Sandra and Teagan, along with my tanka prose for Creative Perspective Challenge Six.

Sandra Cox: LINK

Teagan Riordain Geneviene: LINK 

Jan Sikes: LINK

Magical Moment

Amber reverently sat on the soft summer grass in front of the old grand tree stump. She crossed her legs, smoothed her long blue robe, and bowed her head breathing in the solitude. She’d heard tales her entire life of its magic, where it comes to life under the strawberry moon. The candles were placed carefully at the old stump’s base, exactly like her grandmother had described to her when she was a child. Before modern times, this was the place where young women came before their eighteenth birthday to learn their life’s fate. The delicate white moths were as drawn to the moment as Amber was. In the candlelight and under the full moon, the face on the old redwood tree stump appeared. Now all she had to do was wait, confident the tree would speak to her. Tell her what her heart yearned to hear, that the bygone magic was in her.

eyes fluttered open

words came from the wooden mouth

speaking to her soul

awakening ancient blood

she had the fairy magic

With the holiday next month, the Creative Perspective Challenge will be on July 8th with the results on July 15th 🙂

This Friday is the first day of summer and my post for Books That Changed Me: 2025 Summer Edition, and also my newsletter will be going out that day.

Embrace your inner child with creativity. D. L. Finn (Denise)

#CreativePerspectiveChallenge Six! #writingcommunity #poetry #flashfiction

Welcome to Creative Perspective Challenge Six! We are halfway through this year’s challenges.

Also, I’m on vacation, so I may be late in responding this week but I will.

Now, here’s the image:

Tree stump in an enchanted forest GI by FairytaleDesign from Getty Images

I will be posting the links of those who participated and my own effort on June 17th. I hope you join in the fun!—Denise

#NewRelease! Gratitude & No Fairy Tale Just Her Poetry Book Three. #writingcommunity #poetry

I’m happy to announce I have a new poetry book available! I didn’t do my usual preorder this time and had no date set, just went with when it was ready.

This new collection is a blend of old and new. With my No Fairy Tale: The Reality of a Girl who wasn’t a Princess and her Poetry memoir no longer available, my poetry wasn’t either.  These poems cover many years and became part two of Gratitude & No Fairy Tale. I updated two poems to make the message clearer and pulled a few that were more suited for the memoir. The rest are untouched and as they were. It wasn’t easy not updating the words to my current thinking but it was more honest to leave it as it was.

Part one is my newer poetry that I use now in my store and have included in calendars I gift at Christmas. I hope to put together a book with the color photos soon, but the black and white print is available now and more reasonably priced!

Blurb:

Explore D. L. Finn’s poetic journey, from her newest to earliest works. Part One immerses you in a combination of her photography and symbolic poems. Peaceful winter days, forests, and sunsets illuminate her search for the magic of life. Part Two retraces her journey from her first poems. Her life is revealed through free verse poems and photographs that were featured in her memoir, No Fairy Tale. She discovers gratitude on her path to happiness. Join her as she explores her reality through emotions and nature in this special collection.

Excerpt from Part One

I included the poem under the picture so it would be easier to read.

in between the storms

a beautiful day emerged

my time to rejoice

 

 

beautiful moment

scampers softly through my soul

a gift from heaven

AMAZON PURCHASE LINK US

AMAZON PURCHASE LINK UK

I am also pulling my books from Kindle Unlimited and going back to other markets through D2D. My older books are still migrating there from Smashwords. So this is a process. I am trying D2D for print but in the past have gone through Ingram. Always more to learn as a writer, isn’t there?

June Book Reviews! #PatSpencer #CindyGeorgakas #KathleenHarryman #MarinaOsipova #CSBoyack #AudreyDriscoll #whattoread #writingcommunity

Here are the great books I read in May that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.

Oceanside: A Healing Place

By Pat Spencer

“Oceanside” is a short story that tackles a difficult subject, human trafficking. Although not too graphic it was brutally honest. A young girl meets an older man, and she keeps the relationship a secret from her family. He showers her with gifts until the worst thing that can happen does. This is something I think every parent should be talking about with their teens as these types of predators exist whether we want to think about it or not. It is a tough read, but it does offer kind people willing to help. I can easily recommend it

Celebrating Poetry

By Cindy Georgakas 

“Celebrating Poetry” is a beautiful collection that touched my heart and inspired me. Although it is a companion book to “Re-Create and Celebrate” it wasn’t necessarily for me to have read it, but I sure will be now. There are many poems I loved, and more importantly, felt, and I chose a few that I highlighted to share here. “Plans change in mid flight,/like birds who move south for the winter./Keep your vision as you adapt to the elements/and nest in the new beginnings and endings…”—Plans Change, “There’s always been music perhaps,/I just didn’t hear the symphony in the background./There’s always been color, but maybe I was in a dark place and/never looked up to see…”—There’s Always Been Music, “Silence births unspoken words/longing to find a home,/where noise is drowned,/sitting quietly amongst the redwoods…”—Root Like the Redwood, and “I breathe in the morning as it breathes into me./Slowly, savoring the moment between sleep and wakefulness,/lingering in the pause…”—Morning Prayer. This was poetry I connected to in many ways and can easily recommend this for all poetry lovers!

The Other Side of the Looking Glass

By Kathleen Harryman

Kate wakes up in a hospital room unable to remember anything about her past. Soon she learns she’s married to a man she doesn’t feel anything for. Laim her husband is a character I grew to hate completely while feeling for Kate. I liked how it was told through more than one POV which made some of it chilling reading. Some twists completely surprised me, but I don’t want to give anything away. I rooted for Kate and loved her strength in the worst of situations. This was a hard book to put down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. A great psychological thriller where murder is as easy as ordering a pizza, but with love weaved in there the unexpected happens. A story I can easily recommend.

BEELITZ-HEILSTÄTTEN: Where Ghosts Never Die

By Marina Osipova

A newly married woman’s tour of the hospital where she was born quickly turns into time travel. Marion ended up in Germany in 1918 at Beelitz-Heilstatten. With a bump on her head, she is taken into the nursing program to care mostly for soldiers. She mingles with the people of this time with ease but feels repulsion for one patient for good reason. Her thoughts of what to do with a pillow to that man would have crossed the mind of any person who has seen the outcome in modern times. There is a relationship she develops with a doctor who she is drawn to. The attention to historical details is the jewel of this story and made this a page-turner. The descriptions and setting made this feel very real at times to me. There was a twist that pulled the two times together in a way I didn’t see coming. I can’t say enough about the research that had to be involved in writing this but it certainly held my interest in one of our darkest historical times. A story I can easily recommend.

Run for the Roses (The Hat Book 8) 

by C. S. Boyack

I love the Hat Series and always look forward to diving into this masterfully created world. Lizzie and the Hat mingle with some familiar faces and new ones. Lizzie is worried about paying the rent and bills and needs to work when the headless horseman asks for their help. It seems a witch is terrorizing the horses so she can pick the winning horse at the track. I immediately worried about the horses and hoped they would find the witch soon. As in all the stories, the humor is strong, especially between the Hat and Lizzie. That is a favorite part for me, along with the strong and flawed characters. Another story element to appreciate is how the music is woven in so naturally with the Hat as the manager of them. There’s a nod to a few missing bodies from the past that made me smile. Another great addition to the series that I read during a long plane flight, and it made the time speed by. This can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend going back and reading it from the beginning. It’s worth it!

She Who Comes Forth

By Audrey Driscoll

“She Who Comes Forth” first reminded me of a historical mystery that veered into the paranormal with a big twist. Twenty-one-year-old France is accepted to work at an archaeological dig in Egypt in 1962. She takes clothes, her precious cello, and the emerald ring given to her by her step-grandfather and heads off on an exotic adventure. She handles an older man’s unwanted attention, a jealous wife, and a nuclear physicist who intrigues her. Along the way, she questions her grandfather’s past and things that happen around her that make her question what she believes. A favorite part of this story was the setting and detail of the history. It brought the story to life. One of the gritty directions surprised me the story took, but I still found myself captivated, wanting to know what happened next. This is a story I can easily recommend for those who love paranormal mysteries.

NOTE: Watch for tomorrow’s post and my exciting news 🙂

Embrace your inner child by reading a great book! Next week is the Creative Perspective Challenge. D. L. Finn (Denise)