Month: September 2017

Cooking with D.G. Kaye

Cook from Scratch 2017 – Holiday Stuffing (D.G. Kaye Style) | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

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Cooking with D.G. Kaye

Cooking with D.G. Kaye

 

I’m Over at Sally Cronin’s blog today with a Thanksgiving recipe, just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving!

 

Cook from Scratch 2017 – Holiday Stuffing (D.G. Kaye Style)

 

Sally’s call for our favorite cook from scratch recipes comes just in time for me as we Canadians celebrate our Thanksgiving Monday, October 9th this year.

I’ve used this recipe for decades, only I’ve altered it through the years to accommodate my gluten-free diet. And it still gets rave reviews. This was my beautiful Aunty Sherry’s recipe. She wasn’t known for her gourmet cooking skills, but often made up recipes on the spot that just stuck around. I’ve also seemed to inherit that wonderful skill from her, lol.

This stuffing recipe originally was invented for her Stuffed Pork Chop recipe which became a favorite of mine and my siblings when we were kids, and its versatility transformed it into a Turkey Stuffing recipe that I’ve used ever since – with a few tweaks.

Because neither my aunt, nor I were ever big on measuring ingredients (mad chefs!), measurements will be approximated. My aunt introduced me to the ‘taste as you go’ method, which is pretty much how I roll in the kitchen, yet my husband and my guests love my cooking. Just don’t ask me how much of what I put in because it’s magical. I do make some of my favorite dishes frequently, but as you may well imagine, some days the product comes out tasting different from the last time I made it.

As you can see, I’ll never make it to Masterchef on TV, but I promise, this stuffing is a great go to, and it’s delish! Continue reading over at Sal’s . . .

 

Source: Cook from Scratch 2017 – Holiday Stuffing (D.G. Kaye Style) | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

We are the World Blogfest

#WATWB – Girl’s Singing Puppets Hilariously Snub Her In Show-Stopping AGT Finale.

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We are the World Blogfest

 

It’s the last Friday of the month again and time for a #WATWB share. And once again it’s time to spread a little love for the happy and nice things to share to detract from some of the negative news going on in the world.

 

One of my favorite shows I look forward to watching is America’s Got Talent. I love this show because it’s so uplifting, the judges are funny and entertaining, but most of all, they give inspirational hope to so many contestants who have a dream and offer them a platform to showcase their special talents. Many of these contestants have disabilities, sad stories to share, and low self-esteem. This show builds their confidence, and for many of them who don’t end up winning, they still get opportunities for stardom.

This little 12 year old girl, Darci Lynne, caught my heart and attention right from the get-go. I loved so many of the contestants, but this girl touched my heart-strings, and besides that, she had absolute star quality, even though she didn’t know it. She was a shy girl who expressed herself by talking with puppets, so her parents entered her as a contestant for AGT. And I was thrilled when she actually won the whole competition.

I’ve attached a link below to read more about her, but do enjoy this little video clip to watch this little ventriloquist in action.

 

America first fell in love with Darci Lynne a few months back. She walked out on stage and giggled from nerves, but those soon fell away when her bunny Petunia began to sing.

Ever since then, she’s amazed us time and time again with heart-melting & charming performances that provoke cheers and full-belly laughs. But during last night’s finals for “America’s Got Talent,” the 12-year-old ventriloquist showed everyone what she was truly made of.  Continue reading , , ,

 

The Last Friday of every month is dedicated to #WATWB where all bloggers can contribute a post about random acts of kindness. If you’d like to contribute a post, please click on This Link to add your name and post.

 

Your cohosts for this month are: Michelle Wallace , Shilpa Garg,  Andrea Michaels,  Peter Nena,  Emerald Barnes.

 

Source: Girl’s Singing Puppets Hilariously Snub Her In Show-Stopping AGT Finale.

Editing tips

Do You Use ‘Text to Speech’ to Read Your Work Back to Yourself? – #Editing Tips

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Editing tips

 

 

Many of us aren’t aware of the many options that Word offers to help with our writing. Although I don’t profess to know what all the functionalities are on the Word ribbon, I was happy to learn about the ‘Read Aloud’ feature, also known as ‘text to speech’.

 

My friend Marcia Meara of The Write Stuff wrote about a program she found that helps her immensely with editing her books called Natural Reader. As I was excited to learn more about that feature and made a note to download the program, I noticed in the comments in her post that if you use Word, you don’t even need to download an app because ‘Read Aloud’ is available right in the Word program. You can find it by clicking on the ‘Review’ tab on the Word ribbon toolbar.

Since I’m currently in the revisions and editing stage of my newest upcoming book, I decided to try it out. I found it incredibly helpful. But let me preface by saying that having our work read back to us does in no way replace an editor. So to demonstrate how I used it and what I got out of it, I’ll share with you.

 

When I used the Reader:

 

After going through revisions and re-writes of my current WIP, I then print out a copy of my manuscript to re-read with my own eyes on paper to catch typos and other goodies I miss from reading on the computer. After making all the changes on paper, I then go back to my manuscript and make the new changes I came across on the paper edit. After all the changes, I then went back to the beginning of my MS and turned on the feature to allow the boring guy with the boring voice read back my book to me.

 

What did I find?

 

Wow! I sat in front of my computer as the voice read back my story to me. I found myself pausing it quite a few times when I’d hear a sentence that required a comma in it, detected by the sound of either a run-on or incoherent sentence. I found quite a few prepositions missed or added such as: on, it for and to. I also heard a few sentences that although weren’t originally flagged as fragmented, sounding a bit wonky to myself. The kind of sentence you may come across when reading a book that has you doing a double-take or scrolling back on your Kindle, wondering what the author meant to convey.

 

So, my conclusion is that this feature is immensely helpful in detecting little oversights we may have missed otherwise. Often times when we read our own work back to ourselves, we read what we expect to see, rather than what is actually in front of us. That’s why we have editors to pick up on things we miss. But this little feature should further help us to catch more little pesky oversights before sending our work to the editor, eliminating some time, and cutting the cost of the editing fees in doing so. I highly #recommend putting your work through the Reading Aloud test!

 

Here’s link to read more about it an demonstrate exactly how it works, as well as enabling speech to text – https://office-watch.com/2017/make-microsoft-office-speak-read-aloud/

Note*  My bad, thanks Marcia for reminding that in order to enable the Read Aloud feature, you must highlight the text you want read back to you first. 🙂

Note #2 It’s come to my attention from some of you readers that you aren’t able to access the feature on your ribbon. Here’s some help:

If you don’t see the ‘A’ in the review tab with ‘Read aloud’ under the ‘A’, you can find it! It may not have been enabled automatically on your program. Click on the tiny the tiny arrow on the top left-hand of your toolbar and a drop down box will open > click on ‘More Commands’ >Scroll down the list until you find either ‘Read Aloud’ or ‘Speak’ > Click on it and it will add the feature to your Word ribbon under ‘review’ tab. Once you’ve added it you can use it by clicking on the ‘A’ in the review tab or by the new tiny speech bubble icon that should now be right beside that tiny arrow where you click to find the ‘more commands’. Please let me know if this helped you.

Are any of you currently using this Word feature, or any other one you find effective?

Maya Angelou

Goodbye My Friend

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Goodbye My Friend

 

Maya Angelou

 

I’m thinking about the past 15 years, We’ve gabbed, laughed, shared rants and pieces of our lives together. I came to you with sore neck and shoulders and locked hips through the years and you healed me many times over with your magical healing hands and heart,

 

You’d always begin by asking what music we should listen to in the background while you worked on my aches, and shared your personal self with me as we exchanged stories. Your enthusiastic interest in everything I had to say, and your concern about my life went beyond the scope of a doctor’s care.

 

I’m remembering the time my husband and I renovated one of our homes until our bones could no longer move and you spontaneously called me to say hello and check up on us. You knew we were too busy to take care of ourselves and made a visit to our home, schlepping along with you, your equipment to fix us both. I’m also remembering another time my overly ambitious husband, then in his mid-sixties decided he must sod our half-acre backyard by himself, and as the morning grew late into night on his knees, determined to finish sodding before he’d stop, only to get pinned down by the last load of sod in a wheelbarrow that fell on his leg. No amount of physiotherapy or chiropractor relieved his pain, but one visit to your office, and hours later, you sent him home pain-free.

 

I’m remembering how we’d laugh about our crazy menopause symptoms together, and how we’d compare notes on outlandish relief methods.  And don’t think for a moment, some of the hurts you kept hidden inside, I didn’t recognize, but I allowed you your space.

 

Everyone who knew you, knew how special you were as a person, and as a magical healer. There was and will never be anybody to replace you,  No matter the struggle going on in your own life, you wore a smile and filled a room with good vibes.

 

I’m remembering the countless times I came to you to fix my aching bones and muscles, and the two and three-hour sessions you’d spend working on me without charging me an extra dime. And it didn’t matter if it was a weekday or a weekend day, you always accommodated a last-minute request to see you.  You always gave of yourself to others first and put your personal life second, too busy to take care of yourself, helping others.

 

How could this happen? How were you always there for us and suddenly you aren’t anymore? I’m pretending I will see you again in a few months. And when that few months comes, I will pretend I had to cancel my appointment and see you in another few months. Maybe, after all those ‘laters’ pass, I’ll begin to accept that I won’t be seeing you again. I can’t even think about what I’ll do the next time my hips lock, but one thing is certain, the pain in my heart when remembering you’re not here will surely overshadow whatever pain I will physically feel.

 

? ??

 

Today I went for my routine checkup to my wonderful naturopath’s office – Dr. Eric. I almost dropped to the floor when he informed me our friend Dr. Shelly had passed over a month ago.

I met Shelly through Dr. Eric when they used to share office space together. We became fast friends. Shelly and I had so much in common, especially our taste in music. We both loved songs by some of the great R & B artists, our absolute favorite was Luther Vandross, whose passing we both mourned together.

Shelly was passionate about healing and often worked right through the weekend as an osteopath, well-versed in accupunture and natural remedies for healing. But it was her magical hands when placed on you that could instantly pinpoint exactly where the problems were rooted, and could heal you with just one treatment.

Shelly was the typical example of a professional caregiver who dedicated her time to fixing others, often neglecting her own ailments. Nobody knew that Shelly had cancer – not even Shelly until it was too late. She died only two weeks after her diagnosis.

 

Music

 

Rest in peace my dear friend. I will never forget you for your friendship and all that you have done for me through the years. I’d like to think you’re grooving up there with Luther Vandross and I’ll think of you every time I hear him on the radio. I will always miss you❣

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

Sunday Book Review – The Right Wrong Man by Pamela Wight

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Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

 

 

Today’s Sunday Book Review is on Pamela Wight’s – The Right Wrong Man. All is not as it appears to be when Meredith’s seemingly comfortable life becomes entwined with mystery, intrigue and a drug cartel.

 

Pamela Wight's The Right Wrong Man

Get this book on Amazon

 

Blurb:

 

Meredith Powers’ career as a medical editor seems safe enough as she searches for love with the right man. But she is pulled suddenly from her serene world in Boston to one of intrigue, kidnapping, and murder in the Caribbean.

Meredith’s simple life becomes terribly complicated when she works with an author who drags her into a drug heist. The reappearance of her ex-boyfriend, the D.E.A. agent, and the stunning response from her current accountant boyfriend all lead to complications, danger, and more than a few questions.

Meredith wonders if she really knows the people who surround her in her daily life. Her parents, her best friends, her boss, even her lover. She discovers that almost everyone holds secrets, and the unearthing of those cover-ups lead to mystery and danger that changes everything, and everyone, she thought she knew.

 

My 4 Star Review

 

Romance and intrigue abound in this thriller where Wight introduces us to some interesting and well developed characters with an intriguing storyline. At first we’re not sure how all these characters are connected, but as the story develops, the setting takes us from Boston to the Caribbean where we’ll find out the secrets the characters are hiding.

As the story begins, editor, Meredith gives up her romantic relationship with Parker when she can no longer endure his mysterious disappearances, and trades up for a calm and supportive accountant, convincing herself that stability is better for her than the constant mystery she lived in with Parker. The only trouble is, her heart is still with Parker.

Soon Meredith’s quiet little life in Boston is disrupted when she is forced by her boss to appease a demanding author by going to work directly with her on her book for a few days on her yacht in St. Thomas. And then the plot thickens where a seemingly little island getaway leads to Meredith’s entanglement in an illicit drug scheme, complete with a drug cartel and people in her life showing up in the intrigue. As Meredith is caught up in the cat and mouse chaos, she begins piecing together her suspicions of characters and mishaps she encountered back in Boston, and the men she thought she knew so well in her determination to escape and return to her comfortable life back home.

Well rounded characters and various sub plots introduce and carry through this romantic mystery. Although I found the pace slow, yet interesting as the story unfolded, after about a third way into the book, I couldn’t put it down once caught up in the action of Meredith’s web of deceit and determination to escape the drug lord who held her captive and the real identities of those she thought she knew.

Reblog and featuring

My WIP – Tales from the Irish Garden- with Illustrations by Donata Zawadzka | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

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Reblog and featuring

 

It’s time for an update from our friend, author, blogger and promoter of others, Sally Cronin.

 

Sally is always so busy sharing the work of others, so it was a nice treat for her to update us on her own work in progress and share one of the stories from her newest upcoming book, Tales from the Irish Garden.

Tales from the Irish Garden by Sally Cronin

 

 

 

My WIP – Tales from the Irish Garden- with Illustrations by Donata Zawadzka

 

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I first published the following story in February of this year and at the time Donata Zawadzka had just been introduced to me by Paul Andruss.  Tales from the Irish Garden was just a twinkle in my eye, but I was already writing some stories down to be included.

 

Eight months on and I am delighted to say that Donata has now produced four wonderful illustrations that I will be using as part of the artwork for the collection. Because I loved this illustration so much, I have also bought the original to use in the book with this story.

 

Tales from the Irish Garden, follows on from Tales from the Garden which was set in Madrid.  Queen Filigree will be forced to relocate from her home in the sun in Spain to her cousin’s kingdom in Ireland… expect some misadventures along the way. New characters such as Jeremy the Donkey will play their role in making Queen Filigree welcome, and there will be badgers, mice and eagles…

 

Tales from the Irish Garden – After the Festival story by Sally Cronin – Illustrated by Donata Zawadzka

Princess Persephone slowly and painfully regained consciousness, and keeping her bleary eyes closed, tried to establish exactly where she was. Her wings might have been gossamer thin and delicate, but right now they felt like a ton of bricks. Her head was pounding and it seemed that her body had been stretched over a barrel that was making munching noises.

She felt obligated to make some form of protest at this treatment, but found that her mouth was so dry, her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. By all the gods, including Zeus and Hades, what had someone done to her? The last thing she remembered was drinking some gold label, honey nectar made by the Lerpersian brewery in a cave near Glendalough. She was sure she had only had a couple; it had tasted as sweet and innocent as its name.

The crunching and chewing sounds continued beneath her, and finally she managed to open her eyes; nearly falling off the barrel. In front of her face was a delightful tiny straw hat, perched between two very large ears sticking out at right angles. Persephone burped in a very un-regal manner and covered her mouth with a shaky hand.

‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,’ she mumbled behind her fingers. Her older sister Princess Narcissus was going to kill her when she got hold of her. Continue Reading . . .

 

Books by Sally Cronin

 

 

Source: My WIP – Tales from the Irish Garden- with Illustrations by Donata Zawadzka | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

New book feature

Guest Featured Author with a New Book – MJ Mallon – The Curse of Time

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New book feature

 

Today I’m thrilled to have over, friend, author, and blogger, Marjorie Mallon with her debut book, The Curse of Time – Book 1 of the Bloodstone series, a YA Fantasy novel.

 

Marje writes at her blog Kyrosmagica  about writing, inspiration, photography, and magic Haiku. She also the founder of our Facebook group Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Group along with myself and Colleen Chesebro,   as fellow admins for that group. It’s a place for bloggers and writers to share all things writing and seek help with issues they may encounter with blogging and/or self publishing. Please feel free to come join us there!

Today, Marjorie is going to share all sorts of goodies with us about her debut book, The Curse of Time. The book  is in the YA/MG Fantasy genre and includes a smorgasbord of human elements and issues along with mystical magic.

Marjorie Mallon author

About Marje

 

I am a debut author who has been blogging for three years: https://mjmallon.com. My interests include writing, photography, poetry, and alternative therapies. I write Fantasy YA, middle grade fiction and micro poetry – haiku and tanka. I love to read and have written over 100 reviews: https://mjmallon.com/2015/09/28/a-z-of-my-book-reviews/

My alter ego is MJ – Mary Jane from Spiderman. I love superheros! I was born on the 17th of November in Lion City: Singapore, (a passionate Scorpio, with the Chinese Zodiac sign a lucky rabbit,) second child and only daughter to my proud parents Paula and Ronald. I grew up in a mountainous court in the Peak District in Hong Kong with my elder brother Donald. My parents dragged me away from my exotic childhood and my much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. In bonnie Edinburgh I mastered Scottish country dancing, and a whole new Och Aye lingo.

As a teenager I travelled to many far-flung destinations to visit my abacus wielding wayfarer dad. It’s rumoured that I now live in the Venice of Cambridge, with my six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and my two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing my author’s mind has taken total leave of its senses! When I’m not writing, I eat exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surf to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out, I practise Tai Chi. If the mood takes me I snorkel with mermaids, or sign up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes.

 

Marjorie Mallon

 

Get This Book on Amazon!

 

Blurb:

 

On Amelina Scott’s thirteenth birthday, her father disappears under mysterious circumstances. Saddened by this traumatic event, she pieces together details of a curse that has stricken the heart and soul of her family.

Amelina longs for someone to confide in. Her once carefree mother has become angry and despondent. One day a strange black cat and a young girl, named Esme appear. Immediately, Esme becomes the sister Amelina never had. The only catch is that Esme must remain a prisoner, living within the mirrors of Amelina’s house.

Dreams and a puzzling invitation convince Amelina the answer to her family’s troubles lies within the walls of the illusive Crystal Cottage. Undaunted by her mother’s warnings, Amelina searches for the cottage on an isolated Cambridgeshire pathway where she encounters a charismatic young man, named Ryder. At the right moment, he steps out of the shadows, rescuing her from the unwanted attention of two male troublemakers.

With the help of an enchanted paint set, Amelina meets the eccentric owner of the cottage, Leanne, who instructs her in the art of crystal magic. In time, she earns the right to use three wizard stones. The first awakens her spirit to discover a time of legends, and later, leads her to the Bloodstone, the supreme cleansing crystal which has the power to restore the balance of time. Will Amelina find the power to set her family free?

A YA/middle grade fantasy set in Cambridge, England exploring various themes/aspects: Light, darkness, time, shadows, a curse, magic, deception, crystals, art, poetry, friendships, teen relationships, eating disorders, self-harm, anxiety, depression, family, puzzles, mystery, a black cat, music, a mix of sadness, counterbalanced by a touch of humour.

 

Now, let’s get to know a bit more about Marje and her book.

 

Please share with us how you came up with the name Kyrosmagica for your blog?

 

The Kyros derives from the Greek – Kyros (KIRos) meaning power that is legitimate, but limited and compassionate.

In Ancient Greek it means κρύσταλλος (krustallos, “clear ice”), from κρύος  (kruos, “frost”)

Magica sounded magical so I combined them together to make my interpretation of the word – Kyrosmagica, a powerful, compassionate, magical crystal!

 

I love all the beautiful quotes from famous writers you’ve posted on your blog’s about page. Which one resonates with you most and why?

 

Oh, that’s so difficult to answer but if I had to pick one it would be this:

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” Maya Angelou.

 

I know you believe in magic. What realm of magic fascinates you most?

 

I’ve always loved legends and wanted to explore the interaction between the realm of magic and myths. So with this in mind I created a main character, Amelina who could spirit walk to a time of legends. I had fun dreaming up a new King Arthur passage and Amelina chatted to Merlin to get grandfatherly advice. I introduced Greek myths into the story via the mysterious Crystal Cottage. I’d better not say too much about that, for fear of spoiling the story! Myths and Legends play a part in Book one The Curse of Time and this concept is further developed in Book two.

 

So, you love superheroes? Can you please share with us how you came up with your alter ego ‘Mary Jane’?

 

I wanted an author name but thought my name Marjorie Mallon sounded long-winded and boring. So I considered my options, I could have a pseudonym, but that didn’t appeal, so I decided on my initials and my author name became M J Mallon. My alter ego MJ became my fitting tribute to Spider man’s Mary Jane. Spider Man is my favourite super hero! I love romance so I embrace the thought of being MJ, tiptoeing up to kiss spiderman!

 

The Bloodstone is key to solving mystery in your book, and you include a character who deals with crystals. Do you work with crystals yourself?

 

No, sadly I don’t work with crystals but I would love to! I collect crystals and find myself drawn to them. My first crystal purchase was Malachite, a stone of transformation!

Read about that here: https://mjmallon.com/2017/02/18/the-bloggers-bash-competition-c-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-o-n-s/

My lovely friend Samantha Murdoch has a wonderful blog celebrating her love of crystals and cats. Here’s the bloodstone she kindly permitted me to use on the spine of my book. It’s a photo taken by her son Alex Marlowe.

Bloodstone - Marjorie Mallon

 

 

Your book sounds like an eclectic mix of magic, fantasy, mystery, and teenage struggles, what a fascinating combination. Can you please tell us a bit about what inspired you to write this book?

 

Oh, there are so many inspirations that have shaped my writing…

Crystals – in particular The Crystal Grotto that I visited in Juniper Artland – The Light Pours Out of Me – by Anya Gallaccio.  Here’s my photo of it…

Marjorie Mallon Crystal Grotto

 

I wrote this poem inspired by the grotto a long time ago: https://mjmallon.com/2016/01/14/ronovan-writes-haiku-prompt-challenge-crystal-and-hope/

 

Clocks/Time – The extraordinary Corpus Chronopage and Grasshopper on King’s Parade Cambridge invented by Dr John C Taylor OBE. I had the incredible fortune to meet with him in person on the 11th of September, 2017. He is an extraordinary man; it is a day I will not forget. His beautiful chronopage clock features on my book cover. I owe him a huge thank you for permission to use his images on my book cover, marketing, and blog.

Marjorie Mallon

This lovely man is an inventor, adventurous spirit, philanthropist, pilot, and photographer.

 

Art/Beauty/Youth/Mirrors – The concept of art coming alive fascinated me particularly after reading Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray. Time is indiscriminate and cruel. We age and loose our youthful beauty, mirrors capture this momentary beauty but they also capture our decline.

Shadows/Light and Yin/Yang. Life is balanced if there is equilibrium but what if our senses trick us and we are unable to determine good from evil?

Black Cats. In the early stages of writing my manuscript a strange black appeared in our garden. He was sleek, panther like, and so beautiful that I swear a witch had cast a spell on him to make me love him! He became my muse – Shadow the black cat in the Curse of Time. When he disappeared I had to find a black cat supermodel to portray him and I did. The lovely Samantha Murdoch had such a wonderful cat, Lily and here she is cuddling Buddha! Isn’t she exquisite?

 

Lily with Buddha

 

Please tell us a bit about your book and share an excerpt with us.

 

The Curse of Time #1 Bloodstone is a YA/MG fantasy set in the UK, in the beautiful university city of Cambridge which I call home. It is Book one in a series, book two is partially written and entitled The Curse of Time #2 Golden Healer. Both books will feature the three central themes: time, shadows and crystals.

 

Excerpt:

 

Puzzle Piece 1: The Invitation

 

Opportunity,

An unexpected invite,

Such a mystery,

To explore and discover,

A hidden cottage of light.

 

I found it to be a mystifying situation. An unnatural stillness seemed to linger after many days of storms. Today, the sky reminded me of a painting. It appeared too perfect, too bright, too still, a picture landscape with no beginning or end. Instead, the vault of heaven spread out toward an endless grey forever, as if seeping around the edges of an untamed watercolour bleeding into the rest of the day. Even so, the sight filled my heart with promise, a ray of hope in an otherwise dull morning.

The quietness of my contemplation came to an abrupt end. I heard the sound of an envelope crashing through the mail box. I jumped at the clatter. The letter landed on the floor as the sound of a thousand crystal chandeliers echoed throughout the house. I rushed to retrieve the envelope and turned it this way and that. I couldn’t find an address label and wondered if the note had been hand-delivered. Who could this message be for?

I stood puzzling over this peculiar circumstance when out of nowhere my name: Amelina Scott appeared in bold writing. I watched wide-eyed as the final character of my surname was spelled out in a delicate font. I tore the dispatch open and inside I discovered a card printed on the finest paper with gilt edges and embossed calligraphy. There were few details, just an instruction to visit:

Crystal Cottage, River Walk, Cambridge, and the following added at the bottom as an afterthought: R.S.V.P – Not required. We promise to be welcoming when you arrive. When you’re ready, you’ll discover us…..

 

I shook my head in disbelief.  Nothing good ever happens to the Scott’s so this invitation might look magical, but surely it must be nonsense. Weird messages from unknown sources count as dubious junk mail, the way I look at it.

I grabbed the envelope and attempted to rip it into pieces, but it wouldn’t tear. With a mind of its own the envelope curled its edges in protest. I searched in a drawer until I found scissors and tried to cut the invite. That didn’t work either. My hand ached, but the invitation endured intact as if mocking me.

Frustrated, I tried to cut the invitation again. A sputtered cursing sound filled the room even though I was alone. On my third attempt, I tore into the card with success. (I think it let me.) And once again, I perceived a noise, an angry murmur, and then nothing. Quiet descended in the room, so I threw the torn parts into the bin.

Finally satisfied that the annoying issue with the strange invite would no longer plague me, I brushed my hands together, and picked an apple out of the bowl on the kitchen counter, polished it on my jumper and then took a bite. In no time my hunger had abated, and as I chucked the core towards the bin, I registered a chuckle. I stopped, my feet rooted to the ground as a feeling of certainty filled my soul. I knew what to expect. I have no idea how I did, but I could see the image in my mind, the invitation had reformed. The invitation was playing games with me! I peered in the rubbish, and there I saw the envelope, connected in one perfect, unblemished piece. What the heck?

 

Thanks so much for visiting with us today Marje, and sharing your work with us. I love all the elements that comprise your book and look forward to reading it. ❤

 

Links:

http://www.johnctaylor.com/the-chronophage/

https://www.jupiterartland.org/artwork/the-light-pours-out-of-me

https://samanthamurdochblog.wordpress.com https://alexmarloweblog.wordpress.com/

https://alexmarloweblog.wordpress.com/

 

Photo Credits:

Book cover photography – Dr John C Taylor, OBE. Corpus Chronopage and Grasshopper

Black cat – Shadow modelled by Lily – via Samantha Murdoch, photographed by her son Alex Marlowe.

 

Connect with Marje:

My Amazon UK Author Page

My Amazon US Author Page

My Amazon Canada Author Page

 

My blog – for information about new releases, photos of main characters/character interviews, book reviews and inspiration: https://mjmallon.com

My New Facebook Group #ABRSC: Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook

 

Instagram: Instagram

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and Twitter: @curseof_time

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I have devoted the past few years to writing over 100 reviews on My Goodreads Review Account, and on my blog to help support traditional and indie writers.

 

 

 

 

Newflash

Attention #Canadian Drivers – Check Your Car #Insurance Rates Now!

Published on by 25 Comments

Canadian Driver #Auto Insurance Rate #Alert!

 

Newflash

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR CANADIANS REGARDING YOUR CAR INSURANCE RATES. LISTEN UP!!!!

 

Okay, this blew me away!!!!!!!!! I received my annual car insurance renewal. I freaked out when I saw my new rate. Let’s keep in mind, I have a perfect driving record and have several ‘good driver’ discounts on my account for years. I also have a device plugged into my car that monitors good driving habits for a further discount. I barely ever drive my car anywhere.

 

Yes, rates go up annually, but usually 30-$40 dollars a year. I opened my bill and my insurance was almost $400 HIGHER!!!!! I was gobsmacked and phoned my insurer to rant and tell them I’m leaving them. But then, the agent asked me what year I got my licence.

 

I asked her what that had to do with anything. BUT IT DOES!. Apparently, the Ministry of Transportation has got involved with the merit system. The longer you’ve had your licence, the cheaper your rate. What’s the catch? The Ministry only went back ‘x’ amount of years in the database. When they slacked off, your year you became licensed is most likely not accurate! Exactly what happened to me.

 

My agent went through the ministry files and got my actual date I received my licence and my rate came down almost $400!!!!! I asked her WTF? People don’t know this and if they don’t call to inquire about their raised rates they just pay it? Pretty much!

 

The Ministry has to get their shyte together if they want to penalize people for dates they started driving and aren’t inputting the correct dates to their system. According to my agent, she had to go into the ministry backfiles to find the actual date my husband and I were each licensed  because the date that was given to them was decades off from the actual date.

 

EVERY CANADIAN SHOULD CALL THEIR INSURER IF THEY NOTICED THEIR RATE SKYROCKETED THIS YEAR!

 

This is a public service announcement from me. You’re welcome!

 

Note: Please share this important info around, even if you are not Canadian, I’m sure you have Canadian friends who need to know this. Thank you.