IWSG Wednesday and Did You Know

 

 

The first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 

Twitter handle: @TheIWSG  

Hashtag: #IWSG 

The awesome co-hosts for the May 1 posting of the IWSG are Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional

May 1 question - How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

Yup, pretty much derailed. You?

April/May Reviews in no particular order.

* Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore them and don't factor them into my review.

 

A FESTIVE VERISIMILITUDE by Paul Stanton

A captivating take on Christmas…and the devil

 

This is the second in the Festive Series and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first.  The author gives a unique perspective on the role of the devil, especially on the days before Christmas as he goes through London and gives people who are on the edge of eternal damnation a chance to change their ways, showing them what awaits them if they don’t.  And in some cases, just spreading magical goodwill. From an old man at Charing Crossing to a good Samaritan at St. Paul’s Cathedral, each narrative holds its own charm.

I found these stories to be well-written with fascinating bits of London’s history sprinkled throughout. Each tale held a hint of dry humor and a dollop of goodwill and hope.

Recommended reading that’s not limited to the Christmas season.

Available at Amazon

 

 

THE SHADOWSPELL ACADEMY: THE CULLING TRIALS, Book 1 by Shannon Mayer and K. F. Breene

Wild, a young woman growing up poor on a ranch, must face the culling trials of a magical school, if she wants to save her family.

A great read for YA fantasy fans. Highly recommended.

THE SHADOWSPELL ACADEMY: THE CULLING TRIALS, Book 2 by Shannon Mayer and K. F. Breene

The culling trials begin and Wild must save not only herself but her group as well, that includes a goblin, a necromancer, and a shapeshifter.

THE SHADOWSPELL ACADEMY: THE CULLING TRIALS, Book 3 by Shannon Mayer and K. F. Breene

In book three, kids are going missing and it’s up to Wild to find them and save them.

THE SHADOWSPELL ACADEMY: YEAR OF THE CHAMELEON, Book 4 by Shannon Mayer and K.F. Breene

The Culling Trials are over, but the danger remains.

THE SHADOWSPELL ACADEMY: YEAR OF THE CHAMELEON, Book 5 by Shannon Mayer and K.F. Breene

The Shadowkiller and Frost, both chameleons, are both after Wild.

THE SHADOWSPELL ACADEMLY: YEAR OF THE CHAMELEON, Book 6 by Shannon Mayer and K.F. Breene

Wild has learned a shocking discovery about the Shadowkiller. Now she must figure out who is friend and who is foe AND save her family, the academy and the students and teachers in it.

Available at Amazon

 

 

MARTIN VAN BUREN     by Ted Widmer

Van Buren was the eighth president of the United States and I knew absolutely nothing about him before this read. He was a professional politician and an architect of today’s Democratic Party. Those two items were my main takeaways. I really would loved to have known more about his wife and family. They were barely mentioned, except for his son John who he had high hopes would someday be president. Oh, and the other take away, the term OK came from Old Kinderhook, Van Buren’s nickname. 

Available at Amazon

 

ZODIAC ACADEMY: Book 4 SHADOW PRINCESS by Caroline Peckman and Susanne Valenti

When the twins, Orion and Darius enter the shadow world they make a stunning discoverDiy.

ZODIAC ACADEMY: Book 5 CURSED FATES by Caroline Peckman and Susanne Valenti

The stars are definitely not aligning for the twins and the men they care about.

I am very torn about this series. The authors have done an amazing job with it. The emotion is raw and elemental. There is conflict aplenty. Great characters. And the action just keeps on coming.  Definitely my kind of read, EXCEPT its erotic and I just don’t do erotic. Just let me say that by the number of reviews they’ve received that plenty of folks do and that’s just fine, it’s just not my thing. So, I find myself flipping through a huge number of pages without reading them. Also, I feel the e’s are priced a bit high. By the time you’ve read the whole series, you’ll have spent some coin. That said, I’m still hooked 😊

Available at Amazon 

 

NEW RELEASES

POETRY TREASURERS 4: IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

WordCrafter Poetry Anthology compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth and Robbie Cheadle

Available at Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOM’S MEMORIES AND REFLECTIONS ON MOTHERHOOD - A guided journal - by J.Q. Rose

Available at Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

AND

Did you know, among many others, the phrase 'in a pickle' came from Shakespeare?

For more information:

List of Phrases Shakespeare Invented (thoughtco.com)

 

 

 

 

Ketch-up Day

 How are you? We are perking along here.

The HH got me this T shirt.  Ever feel this way?

AND

Pics of The Eternal Garden

And

A couple critter pics😊

As you can see, not a lot going on here. What about on your end?

Weekend Wishes

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

 What is your synonym, sentence or meaning for:

Example:  That speaker was truly bodacious.

 AND

Did you know that MLK paid for Julia Roberts' birth?

 

For more information:

Julia Roberts' birth was paid for by MLK. Yes, really : NPR

 

Ketch-Up Day

 

 

Did you have a good weekend? Having a good week? 

I'd like to share with you an experience a wildlife rehabber I know had years ago.

She had taken in a litter (passel) of orphaned possums. One of the youngsters became friends with the dog. They ate together, slept together, and played together. Friends.

When it was time to re-home the possums, she took them into the woods and let them go. The little possum who was friends with the dog came back. This happened several times before it finally acclimated to the wilds and wasn't seen again.

A couple of years later the dog died unexpectedly and they buried it on the property. That evening, at twilight, my bud (the rehabber) looked out the window and to her stunned surprise saw the possum sitting on the grave. 

I have to believe it came to say goodbye to its old friend.

AND

The Eternal Garden pics

 

 

 

 

What about you, blogger buds? Got any unusual critter stories? Is your garden blooming yet?

Weekend Wishes

 

AND

AND

I'm blogging about Mysterious Airships in the Old West at Cowboy Kisses.

Writerly Wednesday and Did You Know

 What's your synonym, example or sentence for:

Example:  The protesters staged quite a ballyhoo.

AND

Did you know, dogs can sniff out cancer in humans.

 For more information: The science of sniffs: disease smelling dogs :: Understanding Animal Research