Friday, 3 November 2017
A Garden Without Butterflies
Childhood memories of the lazy, hazy, day's of summer, stay firmly in the forefront of my mind. The smell of fresh mowed lawns and the scent of the flowers tickling my nose. Butterflies and bees flitting from flower to flower, pollinating the plants as they went.
Young sparrows, and robins feeding like kings on the abundance of insects that lived in every nook and cranny of our garden. Pesky flies and wasps gate-crashing the impromptu picnics that were spread upon a green and white checkered tablecloth on the back lawn.
It seems that the insect world whether you love them, or hate them, are slowly depleting. We humans are destroying nature's pollinators and sources of food for our wildlife, with our chemical insecticides and pesticides.
It's sad to think that future generations of children may never know a garden with butterflies.
"What's a butterfly garden without butterflies?"
Roy Rogers
Sunday, 29 October 2017
Halloween Special
As Halloween approaches I thought I would give you a devilish treat. Here is chapter twenty-one of, Salvation Hyperlink to Lost Souls. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salvation-Hyperlink-Souls-Christina-Rowell-ebook/dp/B016IRYV7G/
Chapter Twenty-one
Day Twelve
cont’d: Help! Get us out of here.
Five minutes have
passed since we last chatted and
the horror
continues. The hole has stopped expanding
but, thankfully,
hasn’t swallowed us all up. Yet. There’s
a lot of rumbling
going on and it isn’t my tummy. The
deep crater that has
now formed is smoking. I think it
leads to Hell
itself. There are flames growing in height
as I speak.
“We
need all the prisoners together. Bring yours
here,” orders the
bronze guy. He is the overall boss in
this group. “Hey,
where’s your baton?” Trouble ahead;
he’s noticed that
I am missing a vital piece of equipment.
Keep
your thoughts clean.
“I
lost it when I was standing near the hole just as it
was opening up, and
I must have dropped it.” Listen to
me. Liar, liar pants
on fire. A weird look has come over
his face. It’s
difficult to put into words, but I think it’s the
stare that does it
for me. He pushes a spirit out of his way
and starts to move
towards me and he waves at the clay
man who spoke to me
earlier. He’s encouraging him to
join
him. Told you there was trouble brewing. I think I
gave the wrong
answer to his question.
Heck, this is not
the time for me to get visions of my
past life. I’m
back in the schoolyard playing statues.
The thing is, I can
see the faces of the other kids. All
that is holy, don’t
let evil play with my memories. My
apparitions all seem
to be splintering into pieces; it’s
important I get them
out of my head, or I’m not going to
be
able to deal with this imminent situation.
Deep
breath, mind has cleared, and bad vibes and visions have been locked
away in the closet in my mind.
“I asked you a
question. Where’s your baton?” asks
the bronze man. His
eyes are flashing like an animal’s
when an automobile’s
headlights catch them in the dark.
“I dropped it back
there and I had no time to retrieve
it.” Oh, oh. That
excuse must have been a lame one
because I haven’t
halted the men’s advance.
“How could you
have dropped it?” asks the same
guy.
“It just fell out
of my hand, I told you.”
“It can’t fall
out of your hand. It manifests from your
wrist band. The
wrist band that can only be removed
from
an ordained disciple of the Devil himself.”
“Eh…”
Can’t answer that one.
“I think we have
an imposter amongst us here. Look,
he has no bracelet.”
Do you recall the scene in Robin
Hood, Prince of
Thieves, when Robin Hood visits the
Sheriff of
Nottingham and Robin is impersonating one
of the bad guys.
Well, that’s the situation that’s going
down right at this
minute. No kidding. All I would need
now is a hood, bow,
arrow, and a group of Merry Men
for support. The
likelihood of that is near impossible, me
thinks.
I’ve
stopped pushing the light out of my body, so I’m
no longer glowing.
If I had been in any other location in
the island, it would
now be difficult for these humungous
guys to catch sight
of me. But the fires creeping up the
hill are now well
stoked and the light they’re giving off
is enough for these
guys to see me. The only advantage
of the attention now
being on me is that the guardians
have stopped trying
to herd the prisoners. So, at least the
prisoners for now
are safe.
“Whatever
happens, try and stay put,” I say to the
girls. They’re not
saying anything. The three of them
are
crouched down, arms around each other. Sobbing.
The
bronze man is the first to grab hold of me. Since
eliminating my glow,
I can feel my strength regenerating,
so I’m hoping I’m
up for this fight.
His hand clamps onto
my right arm. It’s so tight it
feels like a vice.
I’m trying to disperse my particles and
pull my arm free.
Yep, managed. He looks at his empty
palm. His buddy the
clay man fancies his chances. He
has his big hand
around my throat. Excuse me if my
voice comes over a
little funny at this point and I don’t
mean ha, ha. I
shouldn’t do this cliché thing, but I say
them
so you don’t get all bored on me.
I think I might pass
out if I don’t get my neck out of
his hand. He’s
lifting me up by the neck and shaking me.
I wriggle free by
altering the shape of my head. Not a
good look and, for
goodness, sakes don’t try this at home.
Here he comes again.
I manage to push him with
some force. He’s
lost his footing and he’s started to
roll down the hill.
He won’t be coming back soon; he’s
being engulfed by
the flames. Just be glad there is no
soundtrack to this
book, or you would hear his awful
squeals.
Clay
man isn’t giving up. Here he comes. As he tries
to catch hold of me,
I surround him with my particles,
which I’ve
re-illuminated. He’s confused and, now, he’s
rotating like a
ballerina doing a pirouette. As he spins
around, he swipes at
me, but his hands can only grasp a
few molecules of me
at a time and not enough to do me
any permanent
damage. I feel a slight pinch but nothing
else.
Nada. Thanks be to God.
He’s
continuing to swipe at my particles though with
his wand. “Ouch!”
he managed to make some contact.
The brute. An
electrical charge buzzes through me. Hope
it recharges my
batteries.
I’m trying to
raise as much strength as I possibly
can
from the inner soul of my soul. If that makes sense.
Although
it’s not easy when a big guy with red eyes is
swiping at you and
you’re trying to contain him at the
same time.
Please God, help me
raise my inner strength. I
suddenly feel
revitalized. Never believe anything is
impossible because
everything is attainable if you truly
want
it. Hey, and it’s within reason of course. Reach for
the sky, kids.
White light emanates
from my dispersed body form.
I use the power of
the light to squeeze him tighter and
tighter. With the
heat I have generated on an already
melting body, the
clay man has been force into a smaller
form. He’s gone
all sticky and gooey. Here was me
thinking that he
would fragment into tiny pieces, shows
how much I know. He
can’t be made of proper clay; it
must
be some kind of devil-made product.
He’s
thinner now but still the same height. I need to
compress him down if
I can. I manage to rise above him
slightly and push
his head down into his narrow body.
One slap down with
the palm of my hand, his head
vanishes within the
clay. Yeah! Done and crushed. He
can no longer do me
any harm.
I
start to put my spirit back into a more manageable
metaphor and push
hard to flatten clay boy out. I kick
him hard and he
slides down the hill like a puck across
the ice at an ice
hockey match.
Two
down. Eh…one, two, three to go. I’m hoping to
generate further
heat from my form. I’ll tell you why in
a minute. I need to
focus. It worked; the waxy guy who
thought he could do
better than his buddies is already
flaking
all over the place. So, I don’t think it’ll take much
to tip him over the
edge so to speak.
He’s now lunging
at me. My metaphorical arm strikes
a blow to his head.
Yeah. He felt the full force that was
behind
it. A chunk of his face has fallen off. Huh, I wish I
could
take a quick photograph for you. But hey ho, that’s
out of the question.
I’ll describe him and you can draw a
photo fit. Big guy,
six two, or bigger. Bulbous pink eyes
with a piece of his
face and skull missing. His head now
has the appearance
of a lop-sided church candle with
hair.
I
hit his head again with all the power I can muster.
Whoops, his head has
just fallen off. “You shouldn’t lose
your head so easily,
buddy.” Corny, I know. It rolls on
its own accord down
the hill. It ignites instantly in the
flames and I can see
it’s melting away into oblivion. The
rest of his strange
manifestation has already turned into
a big puddle of wax.
Gone.
I
scan my eyes over to the girls; they’re okay. To the
right of them is
another waxy guy, but he’s not coming
for me, he’s
taking a step back. The only two guys left
are now running
towards me and they’ve linked arms,
showing they are
united in their quest to annihilate me.
“Holy crap.” I’m
on my back and they’re both kicking
me
and thumping me with their wands.
It
doesn’t matter how I change my body shape, every
blow and kick that’s
being targeted at me is hitting a
bulls-eye, the
bulls-eye being all over my body. Aaagh!
Hey, what’s
happening? Zenda and Ruth have jumped
onto the backs of my
clay and waxy attackers. Beth is
helping out by body
punching each of the big brutes in
turn. These girls
mean business. Ruth is poking the clay
man in the eyes and
he’s pulling at her arms frantically.
This girl would be
good on a bucking bronco, for sure.
Although these
broncos are unlikely to be tamed in the
near
future.
I’m
now able to resume my devil-slaying role since
I’m no longer
being beaten with vengeance. I’m not
back onto my feet.
Deep breath, deep breath. I’ve filled
my spiritual lungs
with air. Note, I didn’t say fresh air,
because
in this state I run on empty.
That
description would come under writers license,
I think. You know
how those authors get carried away
with words and make
life on occasions sound rosier, or
worse than it really
is just for the sake of selling a book.
Um,
moving on.
Concentration
time. I require it to get my particles
in order to create
some extra destructive light and heat
waves. I believe
that, when I beam this stuff out of me, I
will eliminate all
that’s standing in the way of me getting
Ruth and Beth safely
out at this present time anyway.
Because devil
slaying I don’t believe is going to stop
here. We still have
to get back to the Island of the Blessed.
Puuush. I’m now
lit up like a light bulb and streams of
the
white light and heat is emanating from each of my
arms.
Each arm is now pointed at a distracted warder.
The white heat
sizzles into the matter that makes up
these evil spirits
and makes strange zapping sounds. I
realize I have been
calling them men previously, but it’s
easier
for you to imagine them if I give you a description
that you can relate
to.
Otherwise, you may
think that they were just a mass
of air floating
about, or would you? Maybe I do you a
disservice, my
friend, and you know what I’m talking
about right from the
start and it’s not necessary for
me to spell it out
each time. I’m rambling again. Okay.
But I think I’ll
go with the safe option and continue to
explain things as
best I can. Why I am I doing that for
you? Because that’s
the kind of guy I am. Loveable,
considerate…
I’m
fully energized; say a little prayer, you guys. The
waxy spirit is now
headless and Ruth has nothing left to
circle her arms
around and slides down his back. Beth
kicks his right leg
with all her might and his leg cracks at
the knee joint and
crumbles into small pieces. His other
leg snaps in two
with the weight of his upper body. He
is
now a legless, headless torso lying on the ground. Beth
and
Ruth jump on top of him and jump up and down on
the matter that is
now left like they were on pogo sticks.
The heat around here
would make a cauldron bubble
and the spirit’s
unstable body bends and splits into many
pieces. He isn’t
ever going to give anyone any trouble
again. I think they
could probably stop now, but it will
do them good to get
their frustrated emotions that have
built up out of
their systems.
Zenda
is struggling with with her victim, and I use the
word victim very,
very loosely. I can now use a fullstrength
light beam on him.
This should do the trick.
Zaaap! That was a
mass of white light leaving me. It left
me so quickly and
with such force that I now actually
feel dizzy. Gone.
He’s just collapsed into a tangled heap.
“Hooray,” the
unguarded captives cheer at the
destruction of their
keepers. Problem is, I now have a
group of spirits
that think I’m going to lead them all to
freedom.
Answers
on a postcard as what to do next.
Friday, 27 October 2017
Meet Author Catherine Mesick
I'm
happy to introduce you today to the wonderfully, talented, Catherine
Mesick in my, Author Spotlight, post. Catherine is a US based
indie author and writer of teen paranormal fiction. The first book in
her three book series, Pure was published in 2014 and she has agreed to a Q&A to give us an
insight into her fictional world.
Thanks very much for having me today! I’ve really enjoyed my time in the Author Spotlight!
Welcome Catherine!
Catherine : Thanks very much for
hosting me today!
Q & A
- What made you decide to write teen paranormal fiction?
I enjoy reading teen
paranormal fiction myself, so I just kind of fell into it naturally.
The teen years are so important and formative, and you get to explore
a lot of ideas that are new and exciting for teens. In addition, I
always love anything with magic or the supernatural, and writing
using those elements has been really wonderful. It’s great fun to
dream up and create a paranormal world.
- Have you faced any particular challenges writing for a YA audience?
Teens have very active
minds—they’re always learning. So, I always try to bring
something fresh and new to each story I write. I want to make sure
that my plots, characters, and themes are inventive and thought
provoking. I think that’s the biggest challenge in writing for a YA
audience—making sure that you can capture their attention and keep
them engaged.
- Does your work appeal to the more mature YA reader?
My characters are all
about seventeen or eighteen, and I try to give them the sophisticated
material readers of that age deserve. You face a lot of big questions
as a teen, and I try to come up with themes that have universal
appeal. I always try to include a mystery element, too—which I
think the more mature YA reader likes. Who doesn’t enjoy a good
mystery!
- How did you decide on the three titles of the 'Pure' series?
The first book, ‘Pure,’
was named after the struggles that the character William was having.
William was thrown out of his society, and he believes that he is
fundamentally flawed now—he feels he’s not good enough, not pure
enough. The second book, ‘Firebird,’ is named after the fabled
bird of Russian folklore. Russian folktales have a strong tradition
of heroic female characters, and finding the firebird is often part
of a quest that involves seemingly impossible odds. In this book, I
felt like Katie’s quest to save others (and possibly sacrifice
herself) was like her own personal quest for a ‘firebird.’ The
third book, ‘Dangerous Creatures,’ is really just a reference to
all the monsters Katie always seems to have chasing her.
- 'Dangerous' was the last title to be released in your series, are you tempted to add another title? Or, do you have a new WIP that you can tell us something about?
I’m working on the
fourth book in the series right now. It’s titled ‘Ghost Girl,’
and in this one, Katie meets a new adversary named the Queen of the
Moon. The title refers to both the queen—who’s been making people
disappear—and to Katie herself, who has been kind of hiding out
from her own abilities. I’m also working on an anthology of short
stories titled ‘Everyday Magic.’ I’ve had a lot of fun writing
it, and I hope readers will enjoy it.
- Please can you give us a glimpse into your paranormal world and introduce us to one of your favourite characters?
With the ‘Pure’
series, I wanted to create a place where there was magic around every
corner. The action in the first book starts out in a small town named
Elspeth’s Grove. I wanted Elspeth’s Grove to be a typical small
town in the U.S., but a small town with secrets. And then, when the
action shifts from Elspeth’s Grove to Krov, Russia, I wanted it to
be like going from the known to the unknown. Traveling to Krov is
like stepping into a fairy-tale world with spirits both light and
dark, and all sorts of supernatural creatures. One of my favourite
characters is Odette, and one of my favourite chapters in ‘Pure’
is one where Odette and Katie take a moonlit walk through Krov.
Odette is a conflicted character, and she has some unpleasant
personality traits, but ultimately, she’s lost and wandering and
just wants to find her way. I feel a lot of sympathy for her.
- Catherine, I'd like to thank you for taking the time today to introduce me and my readers to your world. But, before you go can you tell us a little about your journey into the writing world?
I’ve had a wonderful
time meeting writers and readers through Facebook, Twitter, blogs,
etc., and I’ve really learned a lot. I always thought the older way
of getting published—sending out query letters and waiting months
to get a response was a little cumbersome, so I was drawn to indie
publishing from the very beginning. So, on the advice of an author
that I very much admired, I decided just to take the plunge and
publish my first book. It’s been hard work, but it’s also been a
lot of fun, and I’m very thankful that I’ve had the opportunity
to do this. I’m thankful, too, to all of the readers who’ve
taken a chance on a writer who isn’t famous!
I’m always trying to learn and improve, and I’m working now to
get all of my books redesigned before my latest book is released.
This new world of writing and publishing is a wonderful place, and I
feel very lucky to be a part of it.
Thanks very much for having me today! I’ve really enjoyed my time in the Author Spotlight!
Link
for my old blog: http://catherinemesick.blogspot.com/.
You can read some free short stories here.
Link
for my new blog: https://catherinemesick.com/.
I’m just starting this one up, so there isn’t a whole lot of
material. But you can read the first chapter of ‘Pure’ here.
Please
feel free to say ‘hi’ some time on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CatherineMesick
or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PureBookSeries/.
And
if you would like to check out my books, you can find them on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=catherine+mesick
Monday, 23 October 2017
Novel
The classic poem I am featuring today is by French poet, Arthur Rimbaud. The poem tells us of the innocence of youth. For many youths are carefree in life and carefree in love. As his writing career finished at a young age I can only surmise that the words in this poem reflect his own attitude towards life and love at one time. The author himself died of cancer, at the age of thirty-seven years, but by this time had found out after a stormy love affair, that love wasn't so carefree after all.
Novel
No one is serious at seventeen
On beautiful nights when beer and lemonade
And loud, blinding cafes are the last thing you need
You stroll beneath green lindens on the promenade
Lindens smell fine on fine June nights!
Sometimes the air is so sweet that you close your eyes
The wind brings sounds, the town is near
And carries scents of vineyards and beer
Over there, framed by a branch
You can see a little patch of dark blue
Stung by a sinister star that fades
With faint quiverings, so small and white
June nights!
Seventeen! Drink it in
Sap is champagne, it
goes to your head
The mind wanders, you fell a kiss
The mind wanders, you fell a kiss
On your lips, quivering
like a living thing
The wild heart Crusoes through a thousand novels
And when a young girl walks alluringly
Through a streetlamp's pale light, beneath the ominous shadow
Of her father's starched collar
Because as she passes by, boot heels tapping
She turns on a dime, eyes wide
Finding you too sweet to resist
And cavatinas die on your lips
You're in love. Off mark till August
You're in love. Your sonnets make her laugh
Your friends are gone, you're bad news
Then, one night, your beloved, writes!
That night you return to the blinding cafes
You order beer or lemonade
No one is serious at seventeen
When lindens line the promenade
The wild heart Crusoes through a thousand novels
And when a young girl walks alluringly
Through a streetlamp's pale light, beneath the ominous shadow
Of her father's starched collar
Because as she passes by, boot heels tapping
She turns on a dime, eyes wide
Finding you too sweet to resist
And cavatinas die on your lips
You're in love. Off mark till August
You're in love. Your sonnets make her laugh
Your friends are gone, you're bad news
Then, one night, your beloved, writes!
That night you return to the blinding cafes
You order beer or lemonade
No one is serious at seventeen
When lindens line the promenade
Arthur Rimbaud 1854-1891
Thursday, 19 October 2017
A Right to be Heard
As an obvious lover of storytelling, I was excited when my teacher told the class stories daily, at the start of my first year in infant school. However, my excitement quickly turned into dread, as we were increasingly encouraged to express ourselves, following these sessions.
It wasn't that I didn't want to speak, it was because I found it difficult to do so as I had a stammer. Having to speak in front of my peers opened me up to ridicule and mocking, something that I tried to avoid constantly even at the young age of five years.
There are millions of individuals, from children through to adults who struggle to be heard because of a speaking disorder. A battle they may face for only a short period of time, but for others it will be a battle of lifetime. Luckily, for me it was the former.
Sunday, October 22 is, International Stammering Awareness Day, please be a good listener. We all have a right to communicate and to be listened to.
https://www.stammering.org/get-involved/help-us-raise-awareness/international-stammering-awareness-day-22nd-october
http://www.isastutter.org/what-we-do/isad
Sunday, 15 October 2017
Her Voice
Oscar Wilde's Signature in Visitors book at Abbotsford House |
Today I'm celebrating the life of the notorious poet and writer, Oscar Wilde. Again as many of the writers I have included in this regular spot his life was cut short. However, his wit and charm live on in his written word. The poem I've featured today tells of a love break up, something that we know is hard to do.
Her Voice
The wild bee reels from bough to bough
With his furry coat and his gauzy wing
Now in a lily-cup, and now
Setting a jacinth bell a-swing
In his wandering
Sit is closer love, it was here I trow
I made that vow
Swore that two lives should be like one
As long as the sea-gull loved the sea
As long as the sunflower sought the sun
It shall be, I said, for eternity
Twixt you and me!
Dear friend, those times are over and done
Love's web is spun
Look upward where the poplar trees
Sway and sway in the summer air
Here in the valley never a breeze
Scatters the thistledown, but there
Great winds blow fair
From the mighty murmuring mystical seas
And the wave-lashed leas
Look upward where the white gull screams
What does it see that we do not see?
Is that a star? Or the lamp that gleams
On some outward voyaging argosy
Ah! Can it be?
We have lived our lives in a land of dreams
How sad it seems
Sweet,
there is nothing left to say
But this, that love is never lost
Keen winter stabs the breasts of May
Whose crimson roses burst his frost
Ships tempest tossed
Will find a harbour in some bay
And so we may
And there is nothing left to do
But to kiss once again and part
Nay, there is nothing we should rue
I have my beauty, you your art
Nay, do not start
One world was not enough for two
Like me and you
But this, that love is never lost
Keen winter stabs the breasts of May
Whose crimson roses burst his frost
Ships tempest tossed
Will find a harbour in some bay
And so we may
And there is nothing left to do
But to kiss once again and part
Nay, there is nothing we should rue
I have my beauty, you your art
Nay, do not start
One world was not enough for two
Like me and you
Oscar Wilde 1854-1900
'Somehow or other I'll be famous, and if not famous,
I'll be notorious.'
Friday, 13 October 2017
Zero Tolerance to Hunger
I love food. Not just eating it, but cooking too. I'm on a diet at the present, I'm happy to say it is successful and that I don't feel hungry.
Being on a diet is my choice, what I cook for dinner and buy with regards to food for my home is up to me. If I want to go to a restaurant, I can. The options I have to fill my thankfully, shrinking tummy are endless.
But, there are so many in the world that do not know where their next mouthful of food is going to come from. Parents don't know how they are going to feed themselves, never mind their children. Natural disasters, climate change, poverty and wars add to millions of people's desperation.
As individuals we can do very little, but governments and large organisations can. On Monday 16th October it is, World Food Day and Pope Francis will join ambassadors of the United Nations to discuss how we can eradicate hunger in our world.
It won't be an easy task, but we can only hope that plans can be put into action and the people effected can at least have one less thing to worry about.
http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/2017/home/en/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCwWybijNYA
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