Month: December 2017

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

Sunday Book Review – Sarah Brentyn – On the Edge of a Raindrop

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Sunday Book Review

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

To end off the year, today I’m sharing my review on Sarah Brentyn’s – On the Edge of a Raindrop, short fictional stories that make you ponder about real life.

It was Sarah’s writing that got me thinking about the ‘less is more’ theory about writing, using short micro bursts of story to convey the essence of a character’s life or situation summed up. My piqued interest even prompted me to enter a Flash Fiction (Nonfiction) contest a few months ago at Charli Mills‘ Carrot Ranch.

 

On the Edge of a Raindrop by Sarah Brentyn

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Blurb:

 

When You’re on the Edge, It’s Easy to Fall

These are stories of lives on the edge.

A girl tortured by the world within her. A boy powerless to escape his home. A mother doomed to live with her greatest mistake. A man lost in a maze of grief.

Each raindrop provides a microscopic mirror of ourselves and those around us. But we can’t always trust what we see. The distorted images disorient the mind, altering our view of reality.

This second collection of flash and micro fiction explores the depths of the human condition and the fragile surface of our perceptions.

Dive into these tales of darkness and discover what life is like On the Edge of a Raindrop

Each selection is approximately 100 words, with a bonus section of Microbursts in which each story is told in 50 words or less.

 

My 5 Star Review:

 

It was Brentyn’s first book, Hinting at Shadows that drew me in to the mysterious world of micro-fiction. This type of writing fascinates me, how a whole story can be painted in so few words, leaving so much to be taken in with pause and reflection.

On the Edge of a Raindrop leaves plenty thought provoking moments from Brentyn – Mistress of Flash Fiction. She can sum up a life in a paragraph and create moments of human awareness with so few words. As she writes, “There is a world inside a drop of fiction.”

This passage in particular resonated with me, “Sugar coated lies, though easier to swallow, have a bitter aftertaste.” Two other stories grabbed at my heartstrings – Puddles and Wishes.

These short bursts of stories pack a real punch and because of the short length are easy to go back and read again and again, and perhaps leave a different impression. Highly recommended, especially for those who enjoy being able to read shorter works without losing the impact of a story.

 

Happy New Year

 

New Years wishes

New Year’s Wishes from DGKayewriter.com – Always Stay Humble and Kind

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New Years wishes

 

Wishing you Health, Happiness and Peace

 

I’d like to take the time to sign off the year here sharing a little thing I like to add when sending greeting cards. When I sign a card, included in my wishes, I always add before signing the card – wishing you happiness, health and peace.  It makes no difference if I sign ‘best wishes’, ‘with love’ or any other sentiment, but I always felt an overwhelming compulsion to add in those wishes. I can’t think of anything else in the world that matters more than health, love and peace, so instinctively I like to send those wishes along with my greeting. What else doesn’t take up much room but comes from the heart and can fit in an envelope?

 

I’d like to wish you all a beautiful new year filled with love, hope, and happiness and good health. And I wish peace for the world and all of God’s creations. If we can remember gratitude, kindness, patience and to love one another, it would be a huge step to turning the world back into a positive force.

 

In the words of Tim McGraw . . . . . .

 

 

Happy New Year

 

We are the World Blogfest

#WATWB – We are the World Blogfest – Random Acts of Kindness

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Random Acts of Kindness #WATWB

 

We are the World Blogfest

 

 

Every last Friday of the month, a group of writers share something inspirational for the We Are The World Blogfest #WATWB. Anyone can join in by sharing an inspirational post about anything random you find that offers goodness in the news.

 

For December there is no mandatory posting to contribute, but I thought this post was a good reminder that elderly could always use a little extra compassion. For this month’s contribution to the #WATWB I thought I’d include something which evokes compassion for the elderly. Many seniors don’t get enough interaction, and at this particular time of year, offering a kind gesture could mean so much. You can pay a visit to an elderly friend or relative, offer a service that may help them out for the season, or in this case below, give them a nice memory and some physical contact with a dance.

The #WATWB will resume again in January 2018, the last Friday of each month. Hope you will join in and post some inspiration in the new year.

 

Seasons Greetings

 

 

D.G. Kaye's books reviewed

New Reviews For Twenty Years: After “I Do” and Words We Carry – D.G. Kaye

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New Reviews Are In

 

D.G. Kaye's books reviewed

 

What a beautiful way to end a challenging year! Two new reviews for my newest book – Twenty Years: After “I Do” and another for Words We Carry. There is no better gift an author can ask for than to hope for a glowing review for her books. It’s always so gratifying to know the stories I share from my own life can offer some positive messages to my readers. Thank you.

 

Get this book on Amazon

 

 

MegaReader
5.0 out of 5 starsRecommended 5 Star Read

December 22, 2017

Format: Kindle Edition
Marsha Ingrao
5.0 out of 5 starsShould You Marry a Man Twenty Years Older Than You Are?

December 21, 2017

Format: Kindle Edition

Are you thinking about getting married? Worried about the future? What happens twenty years later? Most women marry older men when they are younger. Twenty Years: After “I Do explains what you might expect twenty, thirty or forty years later.

Debby G. Kaye writes what I would label as memoirs. Her editor calls this one a self-help book. Deb has a story so compelling that her memoirs work their way into being helpful. She inspires me, not to write my memoirs because I’m not as brave and forthright as she is. However, as an educational consultant, my gut reaction is that her book needs a study guide, and I’m just the person to write it.

Are you married or thinking about getting married to an older man? Maybe not, but if you are married for very long, you will be married to an older man whether you set out to do that or not. D.G. Kaye points out some authentic problems in Twenty Years: After “I Do that you are going to encounter when your husband reaches his 60s or 70s. Probably if you thought about all of them in your 20s, it would paralyze you, and you would never get married. However, as she points out, you think you are invincible when you are that age, and you just jump in. Yet, many people jump into marriages in their later years. They will face these problems without as many years of understanding of their partner.

If you read this book, you will learn how Debby managed to “navigate companionship challenges and show love and kindness to her partner, handling life together gracefully and in harmony.” Some of the hard challenges she shares must have been excruciating to write. What happens when or if wee willy wimps? How do you talk about death, burial, wills? Does your partner have grown children? They certainly play more of a part in your relationship than you might expect since they are out of the home.

This is the perfect gift for the holidays. It’s an easy read with lots of good advice.
Twenty Years: After “I Do”: Reflections on Love and Changes Through AgingTwenty Years: After “I Do”: Reflections on Love and Changes Through AgingTwenty Years: After “I Do”: Reflections on Love and Changes Through Aging

And thank you so much to Marsha Ingrao for this in-depth book analysis report she wrote a post on for Twenty Years: After “I Do”

 

How to Learn What To Expect Twenty Years: After “I Do,” Even If You’re Not a Young Newlywed

 

HOW TO LEARN WHAT TO EXPECT TWENTY YEARS: AFTER “I DO,” EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT A YOUNG NEWLYWED

 

SHOULD YOU MARRY A MAN TWENTY YEARS OLDER THAN YOU ARE?

What happens twenty years after you marry an older man? Most women do marry older men when they are younger. Twenty Years: After “I Do”  tells you what you might expect twenty, thirty or forty years later.

Are you thinking about getting married? Worried about the future? Read on.

 

MEMOIR OR SELF-HELP BOOK? OR BOTH?

Debby G. Kaye writes what I would label as memoirs. Her editor calls this one a self-help book. Deb has a story so compelling that her memoirs work their way into being helpful. She inspires me, not to write my memoirs because I’m not as brave and forthright as she is. However, as an educational consultant, my gut reaction is that her book needs a study guide, and I’m just the person to write it.

When you read Twenty Years: After “I Do” . you will learn how Debby managed to “navigate companionship challenges and show love and kindness to her partner, handling life together gracefully and in harmony.” Some of the hard challenges she shares must have been excruciating to write.

 

YOU MEAN THERE MIGHT BE PROBLEMS IN OUR MARRIAGE?

Are you married or thinking about getting married to an older man? Maybe not, but if you are married for very long, you will be married to an older man whether you set out to do that or not. D.G. Kaye points out some authentic problems in Twenty Years: After “I Do”  that you are going to encounter when your husband reaches his 60s or 70s. Many people jump into marriages in their later years. They will face these problems more quickly than younger people. . . . Continue Reading

 

 

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5 Stars

Negative words thrown at us with disregard when young can linger for a lifetime.
ByS. G. Croninon November 9, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition

This book was gifted to me by the author without any expectation or recompense for reviewing. The views are entirely my own.

Words We Carry is packed with the accumulated knowledge, wisdom, survival tips and strategies from someone who went through difficult and unhappy childhood and teen years.

I think it is fair to say that most of us are less than confident about our body shape, and that is particularly tough when you can no longer use the excuse of puppy fat, and your friends are heading out in slinky black dresses and high-heeled shoes.

Unfortunately, not all mothers are born with the nurturing gene and as soon as you become competition, there is an opportunity to reinforce your lack of self-esteem with carefully chosen and cutting words. I would like to think that the experiences that D.G. Kaye describes were rare, but I am afraid that after counselling women on their health and weight for twenty years, the story is very familiar.

Those harmful words from those who are supposed to love us, are the ones we carry throughout our lifetime, unless we can find a way to dilute their power and replace them with affirmations of a much more positive nature.

D.G. Kaye describes her strategies to claim her own identity, build her self-esteem and evolve from the ugly duckling that she had been made to feel she was, into a swan. This involved a makeover in a number of departments, including wearing high heels at all times and over every terrain, and standing out from the crowd with her now signature titian hair colour. She also developed a healthy, outgoing personality and independence that led her to discover groups of people who accepted and embraced her as a friend.

In the second section of the book Kaye looks at the impact this early negative conditioning had on her relationships, including romances with older men whose different approach to dating and expectations provided a more secure environment. Unfortunately, having entered one serious and long-term relationship, echoes of the verbal abuse that she received as a child and teenager, threatened to undo all the hard work that she had accomplished. Thankfully she went on to find happiness and empowerment with someone who appreciates all that she has become.

Kaye looks at issues such as the difference between Alone vs. Lonely, Negativity and Self-Worth, Forming Healthier Relationships, and importantly Exposing our Personality Through the Internet. All the chapters provide commonsense strategies to overcome a lack of self-confidence, and I do think that women and men in their 50s and 60s, will definitely be able to draw parallels to Kaye’s own experiences.

Whilst I recommend this memoir/self-help book to men and women of my age, I also think that it should be read by all mothers whose daughters are heading into their teens and beyond. It might just remind them of how fragile their child is when about to face the outside world, and that there are enough external challenges to be overcome, without encountering them in the place they should feel safe.

It is also a book for young women who are struggling with weight issues and those who feel that they are not as attractive as their friends, or who feel that they are somehow going through something never experienced before.

There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. By reading this they might take strength in knowing that this is an age old problem, and that they can change the narrative and write their own story.

Happy Holidays

 

Books by Sally Cronin

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Christmas Book Fair Extra… I nearly forgot to promote my own books!!! | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

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Book Promotions Featuring Sally Cronin

 

Books by Sally Cronin

I wanted to give a shout out to Sally Cronin and her books here because she’s been a tireless promoter of the works of so many of us everyday and all year and particularly during this holiday season where she has featured so many of us and our books, entertained us with Christmas guest features, music, art, poetry, and, well, let’s just say ‘A Smorgasbord of Festive Delights’.

 

Sally rarely posts about her own books and funny enough, she managed to get a post out before Christmas to promote her own books. In fact, as you can see by the title of her post – She almost forgot to promote her own books! LOL. So in gratitude for all Sally does for me and so many of us, I want to help spread the word around about her books because I’ve read most of them and loved them all, and besides her highly recommended books on health and nutrition, her short stories all have an element to them that are sure to touch your heart.

 

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Christmas Book Fair Extra… I nearly forgot to promote my own books!!!

Here are my some of my current books that I would like to share today.  I have also included some of the reviews for the books on Amazon and by bloggers.  The icing on the cake..

All except for Just Food for Health are available in E-versions for most readers. You can buy all my books from my own bookstore at the links beneath the titles below but also on

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Sally-Cronin/e/B0096REZM2

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sally-Georgina-Cronin/e/B003B7O0T6

Smashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SallyGCronin

More reviews can be found on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7979187.Sally_Cronin

My latest book was published on July 27th 2017 – What’s in Name – Volume Two – Stories of life and romance. The print version of combined volumes one and two is available in the UK and Ireland

About What’s in a Name Volume Two

Our legacy is not always about money or fame, but rather in the way that people remember our name after we have gone. In these sixteen short stories we discover the reasons why special men and women will stay in the hearts and minds of those who have met them. Romance, revenge and sacrifice all play their part in the lives of these characters.

Kenneth watches the love of his life dance on New Year’s Eve while Lily plants very special flowers every spring for her father. Martha helps out a work colleague as Norman steps back out into the world to make a difference. Owen brings light into a house and Patrick risks his life in the skies over Britain and holds back from telling a beautiful redhead that he loves her.

Meet Queenie and Rosemary who have both lost their husbands and must face a very different future. One that will take courage and the use of new technology.

Sonia is an entitled princess whose father has reached the end of his tether and Theresa has to deal with a bully in the checkout. Usher is an arrogant narcissist with a docile wife and is used to getting his own way and Vanessa worries about the future of her relationship with her teenage son.

Walter is a loner and is happy with just his dog for company, Xenia is the long awaited first baby of a young couple. Yves is a dashing romeo who has the tables turned on him unexpectedly and Zoe… Well she can see into the future.

In one way or another all these characters will be remembered by those whose lives they have touched.

The most recent reviews.

One of my most FAVORITE reads of 2017 By Carmen Stefanescu on September 5, 2017

What’s in a Name? Book 2 is a wonderful collection of short stories that will touch your heart. You will find romance, tragedy and heartache. Each story is titled with a male or female name which continues alphabetically from Book 1.

Sally Cronin is a consummate storyteller who has the innate ability to weave a fascinating tale that grips the reader from the first sentence. Please continue reading over at Sally’s blog . . .

 

Source: Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Christmas Book Fair Extra… I nearly forgot to promote my own books!!! | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

 

Happy Holidays

 

Online friendships

#Guest Author #D.G.Kaye: Friendships – Online and Otherwise | TINA FRISCO

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I was honored to be invited over to Tina Frisco’s blog and share a guest post. In the spirit of the season, I got to thinking about how grateful I am for the many friendships I have made here online, and so, that’s what today’s post is all about – Online Friendships.

 

I’m thrilled to welcome Debby Gies, aka D.G. Kaye, as a guest author to my blog. She and I met online in 2016 and became fast friends.

 

In this article, Debby speaks about the spirit of friendship and how neither time nor distance need alter its integrity. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did. Now over to Debby, and more about her at the end of this post.

 

Friendships – Online and Otherwise

 

I’m wondering if the old stigma is still attached to  the concept of online friends. Do you ever find yourself feeling as though you have to explain some of your online friendships when talking to the people in your ‘real’ world? Have you ever been told that ‘those people’ aren’t real friends because they’re online?

Some people think that our online friendships are just that – online only, and when we’re offline, those friendships are out of mind. But that couldn’t be further from the truth for me with the many friendships I have made online. There, I said it again, I hate that term ‘online friend’. It’s that term that gives the friendship that feel that we’re only friends when we find each other online. That’s like saying, our real-life friendships are only friendships when we’re actually spending time together with those friends and when we don’t see them, there’s no friendship, now that’s just ridiculous thinking.

Many people physically go to their jobs where they interact with co-workers on a daily basis. Others, work from home on their computers where their daily working life is spent online, like mine. As writers and bloggers, we live in two worlds, both the physical world and online. We engage with others in writing groups, social media, on blogs, and with other creatives in our field. So just as people make friends with co-workers in the live world, it would only make sense we also form friendships in the online world.

Writers in particular, work in solitude creating, and I couldn’t imagine my world where I spend most of my waking hours, without friends. Only other writers understand our world. And after spending so much time with those we interact with daily, it only makes sense that we also form friendships with many people, and more intimate friendships with some. The beauty about the friendships we make online is that we become friends with like-minded people. And just as in our real worlds, we eventually gravitate to certain people that we have things in common with, and thus, friendship bonds are formed.

In actuality we probably spend more time with our “online” friends than we do with our real-time friends. We take some of those friendships to a higher level by communicating about more personal things that friends share through emails, instant messaging, phone calls, Facetime, Skype and various other methods of chatting live. Heck, I do that more with my friends across the miles than I spend time visiting with friends in my actual world. We share thoughts and opinions, help each other out with dilemmas on our work, promote each other’s work, laugh and sometimes even cry together. We even send virtual hugs after conversing, just as we’d do when we’re parting with a friend in our real world. That’s what friendship is all about.

Some of my best friends now were made online. Those friendships are no different than the ones I have with some of my old real-world friends, which some of them too just happen to live across the miles. How do we communicate with our loved ones who live far away in a different country? Exactly, through the same means we communicate with our friends in our online community.

So yes, I don’t care much for the term ‘online friend’. I don’t like to justify to someone in my actual world when I’m talking to them about a friend I have online. Those friendships I’ve made with people I met ‘online’ are just that – friends – who I happened to have met online. I ‘met’ them online, they aren’t just my ‘online’ friends. The geography between us has nothing to do with the value of our friendship. See the difference?

I am blessed to have a large and wonderful circle of friends I just happened to meet online. I don’t refer to them as ‘my online friends’. And when I’m chatting to my husband or a friend in my actual world about one of those friends who happens to live in another country, but I have the luxury of being able to communicate with them at the stroke of a keyboard, they are simply referred to as my friend.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on friendships made online.

 

Originally posted on Tina’s blog  –  Source: #Guest Author #D.G.Kaye: Friendships – Online and Otherwise | TINA FRISCO

 

 

 

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

Sunday Book Review – The Longest Nine Months by Carol Balawyder

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Sunday Book Review

 

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

I recently finished reading Carol Balawyder’s – The Longest Nine Months, and thoroughly enjoyed it as much as I have all of Carol’s books. This book is the last of the books in the Getting to Mr. Right series. As in all Carol’s books, she brings believable characters to her stories with issues that women can relate to. Also, this book is a wonderful standalone read. You don’t have to have read previous books to get into the story. I highly recommend Carol’s books if you enjoy Women’s Fiction.

 

The Longest Nine Months by Carol Balawyder

Get this book on Amazon!

 

Blurb:

 

In Getting to Mr. Right, Campbell debunked the Prince Charming myth, only to meet a special man who turned all her assumptions upside down.
Now she’s married to Chand..
But Happily-Ever-After turns out to be another illusion.
Campbell deals with job burnout and struggles to find her place in the world. An unexpected pregnancy and its complications undermine her relationship with Chand and take her to a difficult crossroad. No matter which way she decides to go, nothing will ever be the same!

 

My 5 Star Review:

A wonderful last book to the – Getting to Mr. Right series. This book takes us into the marriage between Campbell and her husband Chand and gives us reasons to pause and reflect on how we would handle the news if we found out our unborn child may be born with a birth defect.

We don’t often take into consideration what’s involved with the choices parents must make when faced with consequential decisions. In this story, a mother’s love for her unborn child champions any challenges she’ll have to face, but we’ll learn about the father’s indecision as well, and why. We’re taken through the rollercoaster of emotions Cam must face about the future of her unborn child and her marriage.

Balawyder has a knack for developing rich characters, in this series friendships were formed by four women who each have a story about her life and love to share. I love how she brought the end together with a most satisfying conclusion – almost unexpected after the dilemmas presented in the story. A beautiful series of books I’ve enjoyed each book and am very much looking forward to Carol’s next book!

 

Merry Xmas

 

 

Merry Christmas

Christmas Posts from Your Archives – #Christmas Holiday Wishes – My Christmas Wish by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

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My Christmas Wish

Merry Christmas

I was recently invited over to Sally Cronin’s Christmas Archive Series and shared my thoughts and wishes for Christmas. Today I want to share here for you all my Christmas wishes and wish all of you a beautiful, happy Christmas.

 

Smorgasbord Christmas Posts from Your Archives – #Christmas Holiday Wishes – My Christmas Wish by D.G. Kaye

Another Christmas post from the archives of D.G. Kaye and this time it is to share what Christmas means to her personally.

I’d like to take this time to wish all of my friends here a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season. Yes, I love saying Merry Christmas, and with the world full of political correctness, just about everything that’s said seems to be getting some sort of scrutinizing, but there are just some phrases that remain a part of us.

I’m not of the Catholic or Christian faith, but since childhood, I was smitten with the magic of Christmas. Sure, I was captivated by the glistening of Christmas lights on the city streets, and I yearned for a Christmas tree to have in my home in all its shining glory, but Christmas time is so much more than lights and presents.

Christmas for me is a time to remember the importance of friends and family, a time to reflect on the year about to pass. It’s also a time where I miss loved ones who have passed, just a little bit more, and most of all, a time to remember gratitude.

The world seems to be in such a volatile state these days. There is much doubt and faith, many questions unanswered, too much violence, and greed. My wish is that mankind could revisit goodness, kindness, and compassion, and remember to be grateful for some of life’s most mundane things we so often take for granted.

I’m remembering my loss of my loved ones, and with that in mind, it serves to remind me just how precious life is. I’ve watched suffering, and I’ve been stunned at how in a moment’s notice a loved one can be snatched from our lives, sometimes even without warning, without a sign of illness. These types of reminders show us how quickly life can turn on a dime.

Let us remember our lost loved ones by holding them dear in our hearts, and remember the love we hold for those who are all here with us now. Let us find joy in our hearts for every little thing we have, and remember gratitude for every single day we are gifted with another day of living.

If we can all learn to let go of some of the hurt and uncertainties that dwell within us and turn that into forgiveness and hope, maybe as a unified chain of positivity, we can help to make the world a better place. This is my Christmas wish.

Wishing you all happiness and health and peace for now, and for all the years to come.

©D.G. Kaye 2016

Debby has chosen Celine Dion singing “O Holy Night” to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Please feel free to visit the original post over at Sally’s Smorgasbord

 

Source: Smorgasbord Christmas Posts from Your Archives – #Christmas Holiday Wishes – My Christmas Wish by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life