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:
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
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
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?
Here are the great books I read in May that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.
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” 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
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
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” 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)
Here’s the creative perspective others took on the below image:
Yvette Calleiro: LINK
Sandra Cox: LINK
My turn:
WILLIE (1000 words)
With a heavy heart, Samuel made his final nightly round as the head of the lake’s security force. The moonlight reflected off the murky, but still water. He was relieved no one was breaking the curfew. It was never a pleasant exchange if he encountered anyone wandering by the lake.
Only four years ago, this job had been a blessing following being shot after chasing a robbery suspect. Leaving the city and that job behind, he moved his wife and two young daughters to the lake where he’d enjoyed many childhood vacations. His family settled in and loved the peace of lakeside living. Unfortunately, everything changed one July afternoon when a huge green creature attacked a boat and a family of four. Their bodies never recovered.
Officials quickly evacuated people and there were many attempts to kill the creature. First, they dropped bombs into the still waters but never hit the creature. Bullets bounced off its green scales and the last attempt was poison delivered by a crop-dusting plane. The creature jumped high enough to snatch the plane in its large, heavily toothed jaw. The plane was spit out like a watermelon seed. The pilot was never recovered. The creature kept its snake-like eyes above water for days, watching. It was during this time they learned it could breathe air as well as water.
Competing theories emerged that included dinosaurs and aliens. The one thing everyone agreed on was the demise of its food source might force it to venture out of the lake.
“After confirming with local experts, we are restocking the lake with fish. From observation, it only wants to survive and eat,” Mayor Warner announced.
With great fanfare, it was done, and all was quiet.
Six months later, the Mayor made another announcement. “Welcome home Williams Lake residents! Willie, as he has been named, had only been defending himself. Although we won’t be fishing, boating, or swimming, I see a prosperous future with tourism. People want to see our unique lake creature.”
For three years, Mayor Warner was right. People visited from all parts of the world to see the giant monster. Locals grew rich. Willie seemed to know his part in this with frequent sightings and high-pitched cries. But the calm wasn’t forever.
Samuel sighed and turned away from the lake. “I wish they would have listened to me.”
In the last several weeks, Samuel had found dead deer, bears, and other animals’ bones by the lake. The mayor, council, and residents shrugged it off.
A rabbit, mirroring the other animal’s state, rested near the dock. Its life had drained away like a vampire had feasted. He shook his head as the crickets and frogs’ songs serenaded him. He climbed into his red pickup and turned on the radio.
“There’s been another sighting of a Willie creature in Oregon. This is the sixth one in the last week. All in natural lakes with no dams. Authorities are warning people to stay off natural lakes in the western states until they can investigate. Experts are suggesting they be mutated reptiles that had been pets at one point. Their hatching could be due to many factors but be assured they mean no harm if you don’t go into their territory. There is no reason to panic.”
Samuel shut the radio off. “Yeah, right. That’s no one’s pet. Maybe these experts should look one in the eye. They’d see they aren’t just lizards. We are under attack and people want to take pictures and buy tee-shirts.”
He signed out and left his resignation for the Mayor. Soon he was home. The rental with four bedrooms and a lake view deck had seemed to be too good to be true.
He walked through the door and pushed past the packed bags and boxes.
“You got everything, Selina?”
“Yes. All the things we came here with. Are you sure we should go? I mean, we are set back from the lake.”
“Something is coming. I can feel it. You’ve seen the intelligence in Willie’s gaze. It has been leaving the lake, and it’s only a matter of time before we are on its menu. I’ve found the perfect place, I promise. You’ll see. It has a well, a small creek, and no lakes or big bodies of water anywhere near it. Plus, it has a bunker. The man I bought it from was prepared for anything, including war.”
“You think we are going to war with those things, don’t you?”
“I do. I’ve been watching for years. I can feel the shift. I know it sounds crazy but…”
“No buts…I know you aren’t crazy Samuel, but I worry about money.”
“We’d be fine on our savings for a couple of years, but at the beginning of my shift, I got an offer to work security at a warehouse only a half hour from the house.”
“That’s good news. As long as we are together, I don’t care where we live.” Selina said added. “The girls are asleep. They think we are going on vacation.”
“Good, I’ll explain it to them later. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“Let’s get some sleep.”
“After I pack the pick-up.”
Selina nodded and headed upstairs.
The next morning, they were three hours away from the lake and pulling into the driveway of their new concrete steel-fortified cabin. Selina and the girls jumped out of the car to explore. Relief flooded over him and he took the first deep breath in days.
Two weeks later, he was driving home with a truckload of supplies for their bunker when his favorite song was interrupted. “The State of California has issued a warning to those who live near the lakes where the Willie creatures have been spotted. Please leave the area immediately. I repeat evacuate now. Go to your nearest city. There have been several reported attacks outside of the lakes this morning. The National Guard has been called in. Please…”
Samuel turned off the radio. “It has begun.”
He sighed and climbed out of the truck, determined to keep his family safe.
The next Creative Perspective Challenge coming June 10th.
Welcome to the fifth Creative Perspective Challenge. Here’s the link if you would like more information: RULES
I hope you join in with a poem or flash fiction for this image:
I can’t wait to see the creativity! I will post links to those who participate and my own take on it.
I’ll be getting the newsletter out today. Watch your email for it, if subscribed.
Welcome to my May book reviews! These are four and five-star reads from April. 
Three Gates to Hell: Hell’s Detours Can Lead to Heavenly Destinations
“Three Gates to Hell” was a hard book to put down. It is a Christian suspense story set in the Bay Area, which caught my attention as I was born and raised there. Bobby is a prison chaplain in San Quentin who has received a request that he didn’t like. The story flashes back in his time in Vietnam to his career in the Oakland Police Department, and his family life. The little details made it feel like it was a real story being told, not fiction. Bobby is a devoted family man and a hardened cop with a heart. The gritty story weaves his progression to faith, creating a character I rooted for. A well-written faith-based novel I can highly recommend!
Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures
By DL Mullan, Barbara Harris Leonhard, Jude Kirya Itakali, Ivor Steven, Robbie Cheadle, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Gwen M. Plano, Elizabeth Gauffreau, David Bogomolny, Dawn Pasturino, Maggie Watson, Colleen M. Chesebro
I have enjoyed the Poetry Treasures collections and was eager to read this one. As always, I found a gifted group of international poets. I appreciate how it is set up with the author’s background and then the poetry. There’s symbolic and free-verse poetry with various topics and beautiful images to accompany them. I encountered both familiar and new poets, and each one of them pulled me with their words. A perfect book for a quiet afternoon or to wind down before you go to sleep. I can highly recommend this to any poetry lovers.
Burning Butterflies: Poetry About Southern African Flora and Fauna
This book, “Burning Butterflies”, offers insight into Southern Africa with stunning art, photos, and poetry. The paintings are stunning, and the personal pictures allowed me to immerse myself in a place I’ve never been. The words, though, not only entertained but educated me about animals I’ve only seen in the zoo. Plus, Ms. Cheadle followed up poems with additional details which I appreciated. I don’t want to pick a favorite poem because I felt like they worked together to tell a story. Worry is expressed for survival for some and how others survive. Plus, there’s a focus on the environment and what grows and blooms there. I can highly recommend this fantastic collection for those who not only care about our planet but love poetry, art, and nature.
The story continues as the different groups escape the volcano’s devastation. Yu’ung leaves her tribe in the hands of B’o as she accompanies the Old One to the mountain clan along with their proto-wolf. This allows the story to be told through more than one point of view and tribes as Yu’ung runs into issues that set them back. Despite the destruction of their environment, there persists a lack of trust among different tribes and species, but it also creates an opportunity for individuals who typically wouldn’t cooperate to do so. Having read the other series and the first book, I was eager to see what happened next. This story didn’t disappoint and had some twists and heart-stopping moments. The growth of Yu’ung into a strong leader is great to watch, and I have a soft spot for the wolves. Character integration feels seamless, yet identifying trustworthy individuals remains difficult. The details though are what draw me in and I feel like I understand as best I can the life our ancestors led. I can’t wait for the third book to see how the journey goes. I can highly recommend this, and it can be read as a standalone, but I’ve enjoyed reading it from the beginning and getting to know the characters better.
By Staci Troilo
“Weeping Boughs Don’t Break” is a family drama that focuses on a woman’s journey to independence, despite everything seeming against her. Claudia’s unexpected divorce is five years behind her. After suffering years of mental abuse and her husband’s cheating, she still lives in the house that carries all those memories, and all the debt. When her now-married ex-husband collapses, she gets a call from her children. They need her. So, as a good mother and a person who puts everyone in front of her, she goes to support them. But instead of giving that support, she finds out she’s responsible for making medical decisions for her ex. His current wife leaves unwilling to care for a sick man. Although Claudia reluctantly agrees to help because of her in-laws and kids, it takes a toll on her and reopens old wounds. The details of her Italian family and their faith added a special level to an already compelling situation. Plus, during all of this, she meets a kind, handsome man who befriends her, just when she needed it. A well-written Christian drama that I found hard to put down and can easily recommend!
By Sarah Penner
A young woman named Olivia is the wife of a famous magician in 1820s Venice. Suffering from amnesia after an accident, she helps her husband on stage, although she has no idea how he does his tricks. The husband appears to use her as a prop, but she is slowly rebelling. When one of their acts produces a fox, she immediately takes charge of it. Her care for the little fox leads her to search places she hasn’t been before. It’s here she discovers a secret. My theories regarding her fate were almost correct, but the truth still surprised me. A short story with an engaging historical setting and fantasy for those who like a bit of mystery, and a twist.
The Alchemist and the Woman in Trousers: a Cornelis Drebbel Adventure
“The Alchemist and the Woman in Trousers” was my introduction to Ms. Geneviene a few years ago on her blog, part of a weekly series. So, it was fun to revisit the story and read it in a couple of sittings. Felicity is a Victorian woman who refuses to wear the painful corsets with her gowns, but is more comfortable in her trousers. She travels with an alchemist, Cornelius, who isn’t exactly alive. Felicity comes across a young girl, Copper, who needs their help as an orphanage is coming to collect her, with her father missing. Plus, it isn’t only the orphanage that’s interested, including some unusual chimpanzees. Because of the circumstances, Felicity and Cornelius are left with only one option: keep Copper safe. Their search for Copper’s father drives the plot, featuring harmonic tuners, a purple world, villains, and an unusual green fairy. Steampunk and fantasy elements spring to life through vivid settings. An imaginative story that not only kept me entertained but also invested me in Copper, Felicity, and Cornelius’s outcome. I can easily recommend it to those who love an enjoyable steampunk fantasy.
Next week is the Creative Perspective Challenge, which is a week late due to my vacation. Will update soon on that!
Embrace your inner child by reading and reviewing a good book! D. L. Finn (Denise)
This year, we’ve seen an unusual number of pinecones dropping. I cleaned them up once already. From what I’ve read, they are more likely to drop in the fall, but some do in spring. We did have a very mild winter with rain that came in large amounts, with dry periods in between. Perhaps the pines are confused, or it’s what they call the mast year, where they overproduce. Either way, there are a lot of pinecones, and I hope it doesn’t mean insects are to blame for it. But it always gets me to think about not only the health of our forest, but how being in it can bring us health too.
So, yes, I’ll be out there raking once again and clearing the area for my fairies’ town to return. I may want to wear a hat, though, so I don’t get hit by one. Wondering about nature and my surroundings not only inspires stories but also poetry. Something I haven’t done in a while is to share some poems or even write them as I wonder…
Memorizing woods
Winds carry ancient wisdom
Planting future seeds
Clear minds, silent woods
In our peaceful surrender
Miracles abound
NOTE: There will be no posts here for the next two weeks as I will be on vacation. Will be back May 13th for my book reviews.
Also on my website there is a button for D. L. Finn’s Gratitude Store. I’d love if you dropped by and shared it. Maybe visit the store and tell me what you think.
Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn (Denise)
Have you enjoyed the stories from the image as much as I have? If you missed any, the list of participating authors is below.
Jan Sikes: LINK
Yvette Calleiro: LINK
This month I went with a tanka prose for the image.
The Escape
It was just me and Sadie, my horse. Only my backpack held what remained of my life. This left me with a change of clothes, soap, lip gloss, lotion, family pictures, my mother’s jewelry, a journal, a pen, and a map. My saddlebags had already been packed and were ready to be put on Sadie. Dried fruit, jerky, coffee, a water filter, and bullets filled them. I had the sleeping bag, cooking pot, cup, full canteen, and tent tied to the back of the saddle. My gun was on my hip, ready to use. I knew how to live off the land, and that was what I was going to do. There was now a day’s ride between me and the house that was fully engulfed in flames as I rode over the ridge. No one followed me, perhaps believing I was trapped in the fire or wasn’t important enough to chase. The rest of the horses were released. I hoped they would find safety, but that’s all I could offer them when the worst-case scenario happened. There had been just enough time to get away after the alarms were triggered. Tonight, Sadie and I will settle down by the creek and rest. There will be no fire tonight, just to be safe. I hope to find others like me along the way as we head north to what should offer safety and a place to start over.
enemies at door
my house the casualty
on horse, I escaped
freedom, a long ride away
I’m guided by hope and truth
The next challenge is a week later than normal, as I will be on vacation. So watch for it on May 20th.
Embrace your inner child by challenging yourself! D. L. Finn
Welcome to the fourth Creative Perspective Challenge! I’ve been enjoying not only all the amazing and creative pieces everyone has been coming up with but the push it’s given me to create, too.
Here is this month’s image. I hope you join in, I look forward to seeing what you come up 🙂
Embrace your inner child by exploring your creativity! D. L. Finn (Denise)
I’m thrilled to have Sandra Cox here today to share her latest release, Reuben Hayes. Another book I couldn’t put down. Here’s the link for the review: LINK
The tough middle-aged rancher had only ever loved one woman. And now her daughter stood on his doorstep.
Blurb:
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 crusty ole cook, they’ll keep the Senator’s daughter safe. No matter the peril. No matter the cost.
Excerpt:
Reuben clapped heels to his big Appaloosa.
Once outside the trampled branding area, more tufts of scruffy grass sprang up in the red caliche soil along with yellow and blue wild flowers. Persistent carroty-colored dust spurted in the air with every thump of his horse’s large hooves. The rosy hues of the morning sky reflected on canyon walls, turning them a soft pinkie color, as alluring as a beautiful woman. Texas was harsh and survival wasn’t easy, but he loved her passionately. More than he’d loved any woman—with the exception of one.
Forty minutes later, he galloped down a low ridge where his rangy ranch house nestled in the center of a wide canyon that ranged five miles or better across. The sun hit the white poplar that loomed over the east side of the house and turned the leaves silver, flashing a halo of color on the pine-stained planks of the structure. A river rock chimney rose on the opposite side. Impatience warred with chest-swelling pride as he rode into his valley and saw his ranch.
But much as he enjoyed the view, he needed to get back to the roundup.
He swung out of the saddle, tied the Appaloosa to the hitching post in front of the house, and tromped inside.
“Soggy,” he hollered as he veered toward the living area then ground to a halt, his boot heels digging into the pine planks of the floor.
His legs froze. His breath caught.
A young woman stood in front of the large, river rock fireplace, gazing up at a painting of the ranch that he’d wheedled Alexandria O’Malley into doing after he’d seen her work displayed around the Silverhills’ ranch house. The painter had caught the wild feel of the valley in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm. The ranch house, the solid in the midst of chaos and danger, as lightning struck to the right of it. But the painting wasn’t what held his attention now.
The hair on the back of his neck rose and his fingers pricked. He hadn’t seen her in near nineteen years but even with her back to him, he’d recognize her anywhere. She wore a black silk dress that fit her like a glove and looked more stylish than what one normally saw in these parts. She hadn’t aged a day.
How was that possible when he looked like a piece of old cowhide, leathery and tough? The woman who haunted him, still had the same slender figure and the same wild mane of glossy chestnut hair, now sleek and smoothed at the nape of her neck instead of in disarray around her shoulders. The warm scent of lavender that always enveloped her drifted his way.
Character Facts for Soggy (Reuben’s cook)
Cantankerous with a heart of gold.
He’s known for his cinnamon rolls.
He been with Reuben since Reuben was a young man and fusses over him like a hen with one chick.
Soggy’s full name is Horace Eugene Winthrop
Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Reuben-Hayes-S-Cox-ebook/dp/B0DWQBGT88
Bio:
Sandra, who writes as both S. Cox and Sandra Cox, is an animal lover and avid gardener. She spent a number of years in the Midwest chasing down good Southern BBQ. By the time she moved to North Carolina where Southern BBQ is practically a staple, she’d become a vegetarian.
She and her husband are ruled by four cats and a dog. An award-winning author, her stories consist of all things Western and more.
Sandra can be found at http://www.sandracoxwriter.com
OR http://www.cowboytrivia.blogspot.com
OR https://sandracox.blogspot.com
OR https://www.pinterest.com/scoxauthor/
OR https://www.bsky.app @scoxauthor
OR Amazon.com: Sandra Cox: books, biography, latest update