Tag Archives: poetry

August 20, 2021 · 7:00 am

The Art of Time by Martine Therese & Martina Franca (Book Spotlight)

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​In The Art of Time: A Mother-Daughter Sprezzatura on the Spirit of Time, Martine Therese and her daughter, Martina Franca, invite you into a lush world where time has no limits. Consisting of paintings, meditations and poetry, The Art of Time merges maternal & youthful wisdom into a one-of-a-kind artistic showcase with a powerful message: humanity’s experience can be enhanced by developing our minds into sensual thought.

A gorgeous book to be treasured by everyone from art connoisseurs to children, The Art of Time offers concepts and images that introduce readers to a new—and wonderful—realm of being.

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Meet the Authors: 

Martine Therese was a practicing Certified Public Accountant when she became pregnant with her daughter, Martina Franca. She decided to leave her accounting job and focus on her daughter instead. The transition, while “brutal,” completely transformed Martine’s life, and opened up a whole new world of possibility.

For Martine, who has been writing poetry all her life, motherhood expanded her creativity, and she finally felt the courage to bring her work to the world. Martine and her daughter discovered a love for painting, and their artwork, combined with Martine’s poetry, form the basis of The Art of Time; A Mother-Daughter Sprezzatura on the Spirit of Time. The book is a token of their shared loves and talents.

Martine and Martina Franca are putting together a follow-up collection on the topic of what it means to be human, exploring the theme of building the potential of humanity. Martina Franca embraces her maternal side on a daily basis, be it with caring for her baby dolls or her puppy, Marcello. She gets a kick out of tailgating with Mom and watching people’s reactions, and playing practical jokes like hiding Daddy’s shampoo bottle, and she loves having conversations. She regularly chills out with Mom during yoga in their special “rainbow room,” a room just for the two of them to recharge. On sunny days, gorgeous rainbows fill the wall of the Rainbow Room, and Martina and Mom bask in those colors—which is why Martina loves infusing her art with rainbows.

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Connect with the Authors: Facebook ~Instagram
 

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July 23, 2021 · 7:00 am

Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia by Julia Hengst (Book Review)

VenusUnderwater-Interior-Ingram-EBOOK-ISBN- 9781736137512.indd

Genre: Children/ Songs/ Poetry/ Puns

 

The first book of a new series that will empower your child discover their inner flow, Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia introduces the magical underwater world of Mermaidia. This humorous and whimsical collection of poems and songs reveals how baby mermaids are made, what mermaid families are like, and how mermaids study magic at School of the Fish to become Sea Witches (not Sand Witches). Created by family therapist Julia Hengst the Venus Underwater series helps nurture the whole child, promoting self-esteem, confidence and social/emotional/mental health whilst helping with anxiety in a fun, playful way.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from R&R Book Tours.
I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Little kids love mermaids and want to believe they are real. Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia by Julia Hengst feeds into their imagination by explaining the mystery of the merpeople. 

Many elements of Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia were sweet. Examples: How Baby Mermaids Are Made, family portrait (Families of Mermaidia), and A Mermaid’s Lullaby. 

While Julia Hengst’s story is centered around fictional and mythical beings, the overall message/points are not fictional. 

Spread kindness. 

Families take all forms! 

Like families, friendships come in all forms. Accept those different than you. 

Live a life of peace and harmony. 

Children are not born to hate. As adults, we need to foster their love and acceptance of others. 

Read Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia. Encourage your child to spread kindness like the merpeople in this magical tale. 

Special note: We love to sing in our house. While we loved the songs in the story, we didn’t know the tune/beat of them. Maybe add this feature in future stories if songs are present. Thanks! 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤

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About the Author

J+Round

Julia Hengst is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an avid surfer, traveler and word nerd who resides in Maui. Passionate about psychology, spirituality and media literacy, she holds an undergraduate degree in Media Studies from UC Berkeley, a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology, and an imaginary degree from the University of Puns. 

Julia Hengst | Facebook | Instagram

 

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May 22, 2021 · 7:00 am

The Many Personalities of Me by Miss Yael Gottesman aka Bailey Gee (Book Review)

Comprised of poems hand chosen by the author, The Many Personalities of Me tells a story of struggle, triumph, heartache and above all perseverance. Stories and poems based on first hand experience from my every day life living with mental illness.

Contents:

Stranger in the Mirror
Footsteps in Reflection
The Loneliness Pandemic
Bigger than Life
Because of You
An Ativan, an Invisibility cloak and my thoughts …..
Jekyll and Hyde
Blade of Glory
A Different Kind of Drought
Lost
Tired
Faded Memories
People ask me
2012
She wonders
Today I went to a funeral
Cross my heart
New blood

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

 

Miss Yael Gottesman (Bailey Gee) opened her soul up when she wrote The Many Personalities of Me. Through her poetry, she shared what it’s like to live with an abuser and mental illness. 

As a person living with her own set of mental demons, several poems moved me drastically: “Stranger in the Mirror,” “Tired,” “Lost,” and “An Ativan, an Invisibility cloak and my thoughts.”

A few touched so close to home that they were painful to read—those involved cutting. Example: “Blade of Glory” 

I know for a lot of people they get great comfort in knowing they are not alone, that other people have gone or are going through the same situations as them. For me, it makes me face things I have worked hard to bury. I know I’m not taking the healthiest route, but it’s kept me moving forward for over 3 decades (the decades I realized I was different). 

I do commend Miss Yael Gottesman (Bailey Gee) on expressing her emotions, all her struggles. I do hope she keeps moving forward and never finds herself in another toxic relationship or situation. She has shown a great deal of strength, so I have complete faith she will find her happiness one day. 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤1/2

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Bailey Gee is a graduate of her local colleges creative writing program, and has since published two books. She has a special interest in writing poetry, which tells a story about her life experiences living with mental health issues. Her books are a prime example of perseverance and strength, and is a reminder to anyone going through similar situations, that they’re not alone. Bailey is currently working on her third book of poetry to be released later this year.

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April 4, 2021 · 7:00 am

Anarchy Zone Time Yarns (Time Yarns Anthologies Book 2) by Erin Lale, Plus 4 More Contributing Authors (Anthology Review)

Print length : 52 pages

Contents:

Streamliners by Gordon Yaswen
The Anarchy Zone by Erin Lale
1400 Hours by Ian Miller
An Etonean Dilemma by Humberto Sachs
Host by Giampietro Stocco

Art Contents:

Hope by Alex Storer
At All Goes Away by Lisa Yount

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(review request submitted by Erin Lale, contributing author/editor, for an honest critique) 

 

(Story One) Do you love poetry? Do you love science?

If you said yes to both, you must check out Streamliners by Gordon Yaswen because, as you can probably surmise, Yaswen combines both. 

 

(Story Two) The Anarchy Zone by Erin Lale:  Since I love comic books, talk of mutants made me think of that world. I didn’t like people targeting them, but that’s a shared endeavor in stories with mutants – whether they have four arms or some other oddity. 

 

(Story Three) 1400 Hours by Ian Miller discusses Schrödinger’s cat – a hypothetical cat that can and can not exist at the same time depending on one more thing, opening a box to find out the answer. 

In 1400 hours, a man suffers this conundrum. He exists in one universe but is hidden in another. Linked together but also separated by an impenetrable wall.

Two universes divided by mere 1400 hours—a small amount of time to one person- an eternity to another. 

 Oh yeah, this is a scientific mind-bender, and I loved it! 

 

(Story Four) An Etonean Dilemma by Humberto Sachs: While there were some science fiction aspects to An Eternal Dilemma, this story felt more politically driven than anything else. While I can feel and appreciate how passionate the author is about the tension between two particular countries (names withheld on purpose), I wish he would’ve focused more on science and less on the political drama we face every day on the nightly news. 

 

(Story Five) Host by Giampietro Stocco mixed sci-fi with some horror-style imagery to create a brilliant short story. Plus, it spoke of events that could possibly happen in the future.

Comets could hit and destroy most of Earth.
New diseases could erupt because of it.
New weather and weather patterns would emerge.
Humans would go to any length to survive.

Science fiction meets plausible reality — oh yeah, Giampietro Stocco, I like your style!

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

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Gordon Yaswen, poet and college professor in California.

Erin Lale, Native American, inventor of technical processes in iDEN and CDMA wireless communications technology.

Ian Miller, New Zealander, inventor of algae based products and owner of Carina Chemical Laboratories Ltd.

Humberto Sachs, from Brazil, co-designer of the International Space Station.

Giampietro Stocco, of Italy, winner of the Premio Alien per la fantascienza 2006 for his story L’Ospite (The Host) which appears in this anthology for the first time in English.

Alex Storer, science fiction and fantasy artist in the UK.

Lisa Yount, artist and jeweller in California.

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December 6, 2019 · 5:00 am

Yuletime at Cherrywood Hall: Once Upon a WolfPack Anthology by Veronica Cline Barton (Book Showcase)

Once Upon a Wolfpack

Contributing author, Veronica Cline Barton

I was so honored to have my short story, Yuletime at Cherrywood Hall, Pippa’s First Christmas, included in the #WolfpackAuthors anthology that was published earlier this year. The anthology is a compilation of works by authors of all genres, and all proceeds are donated to the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (LARC) My contributed short story is one close to my heart—it is a prequel to a storyline in the 3rd book of my #cozymystery series, Deadly Receptions; the Debut of Castlewood Manor. It tells the tale of a tainted bridal veil from years gone by and introduces the readers of my series to Aunt Pippa, the beloved ancestral aunt who saved the Cherrywood Hall estate with her marriage to Charles Lancaster, the 4th Marquess of Kentshire.

The short story takes place in the weeks before Christmas. Pippa has been receiving demeaning messages criticizing her every move as an American married to the popular marquess. A chance snowstorm brings her nemesis to Cherrywood Hall. Pippa meets her husband’s previous fiancé, the author of the critical notes–a jilted woman who is filled with anger at the woman who holds the position and privilege that she thought would be hers. As a blizzard rages outside, her mind is set on deadly revenge…Will Pippa’s first Christmas at the hall be her last?

Read more about the #WolfPackAuthors anthology and the great cause it benefits here:

The idea was simple: form a group of authors based on the mantra, “Do good things for the right reasons.” We are a pack – #WolfPackAuthors. Together, we expand exposure for our books, help one another with all aspects of the process, pick each other up when the lonely life of writing gets us down.

As with wolves, words can be dangerous or healing. The reintroduction of the wolf, hunted to the brink of extinction, carries such far-reaching results as to make vegetation grow on what was once barren, and to change the paths of rivers. Considering these powerful facts, we chose to donate the proceeds of this anthology to Lockwood Animal Rescue Center /LARC, a facility with a unique mission. They are one of the few organizations focused heavily on wolves, integrating military veteran rehabilitation into the caretaking process.

In this collection of work, you will find a showcase of many of our members’ talents: A young girl betrothed to a werewolf, yet her father, a human, is the true monster. Two snipers who lay in wait, an otherworldly supreme being watching them, in the form of a majestic wolf. A she-wolf sets her sights on a young woman, married to the man she loved. The paradoxical story of the big bad wolf, who through no fault of his own sets out on a calamity filled adventure. A batch of witty private investigators at work solving crime. A sarcastic banshee, a shapeshifting detective, and a vampire, all friends, investigate a string of murders. There are many others, varied in style or genre.

Come on an adventure with the WolfPackAuthors. We’ve got the stories you want; together, we hope to make the world a better place for wolves, humans, and those who dare to dream.

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Cozy Mystery – Yuletime at Cherrywood Hall: Veronica Cline Barton
Fairy Tale/ Parody – Unfairy Prosecuted: J.W. Crawford
Fairy Tale – Poppy: Tia Fanning

Fantasy/ Supernatural – For the Love of the Pack: Sharon Lopez
Horror/ Meta horror – The Untold One: B.L. Clark
Horror – Frost Harbor: Alexander Pain

Literary – Omega Road: Lee M. Tipton
Magical Realism – An Early Snow: Andi Marchal
P.I./ Detective – The Wolf: Joe Congel 

P.I./ Detective, Cozy Mystery – Mrs Solberg’s Problem: CW Hawes
Poetry – Wolf Pack United: Angie-Marie Delsante
Poetry – Welcome to the Den: Lori Katherine

Romance/ Supernatural – The Soap Maker’s Mother: Christina van Deventer
Science Fiction/ Military – Sacha: Jeff DeMarco
Science Fiction/ Paranormal – Wolf Cry: Z Gottlieb
Science Fiction/ Paranormal – Circus of the Night: Stefan Angelina McElvain
Urban Fantasy – True Nature : Luna Selas

 

Veronica Cline Barton earned graduate degrees in both engineering and business and has had successful careers in the software and technology industries. Her lifelong love affair with British murder mysteries inspired her to embark on a literary career. The Crown for Castlewood Manor and Cast, Crew, & Carnage; the Filming of Castlewood Manor are the first and second books in what she calls her My American Almost Royal Cousin Series. When not traveling and spinning mystery yarns, she lives in California with her husband, Bruce, and her two cats, Daisy and Ebbie.

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