Roberta Writes – Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour featuring Patty Fletcher and DL Mullan #MidnightRoost #Halloween #readingcommunity

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Giveaway

A chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop. Just leave a comment to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.

The story behind “Casualties of War” by Patty Fletcher

For years, the manuscript for The Blended Lives Chronicles Book One: Sides of the Order, which is where the story, Casualties of War originally came from languished in a folder. It went from computer to computer with me. Then, in early 2022 I woke at 3 AM with a soft voice whispering in my ear saying, “It’s time. Time for you to be brave and tell the tale.”

I threw off the covers, bumbled to the coffee pot, brewed a cup, and began.

Now, that manuscript is ready to be turned into a full-length book, but when I finished it, I knew there was to be more.

I get bored after I’m done with the main thrust of work where a manuscript is concerned, so one early morning, when I couldn’t sleep, the second book began.

Later that day, I saw a call to action from Kaye Lynne Boothe for the anthology Midnight Roost and I thought, “Well, since I’m not sure where this portion of writing belongs, why not turn it into a short story and see what Kaye thinks.

I worked on it all that day and the next too. Then, while holding my breath I sent it away.

I wish I still had the exact words Kaye wrote to me upon reading the piece, but the crux of it was, “I think this story has potential, I’d like to have it in the anthology, but it needs work. So, if you’re welling to put in the sweat, I’m willing to give it another read.”

I’ve never worked so hard on a story in my life. I wanted to make the cut. Furthermore, I wanted people to read this story as well as the books it came from because the message is one, we must spread everywhere.

About Patty Fletcher

Patty Fletcher is a single mother with a beautiful daughter, of whom she is enormously proud. She has a great son-in-law and six beautiful grandchildren. From April 2011 through September 2020, she owned and handled a black Labrador from The Seeing Eye® named King Campbell Lee Fletcher A.K.A. Bubba. Sadly, after a long battle with illness on September 24, 2020, King Campbell went to the Rainbow Bridge where all is peace and love. In July 2021, she returned to The Seeing Eye® and was paired with a Black Labrador Golden Retriever cross named Blue. You can find her at  https://pattysworlds.com/.

Patty’s story, “The Portal Brings Christmas Love” is featured in the 2022 Visions anthology from WordCrafter Press.

New Book Available for Pre-order by Patty Fletcher

I was so pumped when I saw Kaye’s call to action for Midnight Roost that along with my having just sent a related manuscript to my editors, I poured everything I had into the story.

Picture caption: Promotional book banner for The Blended Lives Chronicles Sides of the Order in white writing with a white key on a red background

Available for pre-order from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL8CRDH6

Casualties of War is the continuation of my first Full-length fiction The Blended Lives Chronicles. I just had to know what happened next.

Here’s the backstory.

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

IT’S COMING! IT’S COMING!

OCTOBER 2023 just in time for the Celtic new year.

The Blended Lives Chronicles:

A LADY MOONWALKER SERIES

BOOK ONE

SIDES OF THE ORDER

By Patty L. Fletcher

Independently published with assistance provided by

Dawn Blythe

Illustrations by Colleen Myles

Editing by Jo Pinto and Dawn Blythe

104 pages. 51441words.

Not long ago, while sipping a glass of white Moscato and talking on the phone with my editor and illustrator with their amazing help, I finalized the manuscript and discussed book covers. I could hardly believe it. We’ve worked on this project for so long. Now, my dream is becoming reality.

I’m so super excited!

I originally began working on this book in 2016. Over these many years, the manuscript languished in a folder, somehow surviving computer crash after crash.

The Blended Lives Chronicles: Book One Sides of the Order is dedicated to those who share the mission of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled.

And to the late Phyllis Staton Campbell.

Phyllis read the original draft of this book in 2016. When she was finished she said, “I believe you’ve got something here. It needs work but if you put your imagination to the test, I know you can do it.”

I cannot believe it’s almost here.

What am I shouting about? You ask.

Read below for more!

Synopsis

Lady Laya MoonWalker is a well respected author and magazine owner and a high priestess in the magickal community. After a drawn-out battle with the forces of dark magik, she has come into her own. She lives and works on Planet Korponious, where she is the owner and creator of an Interplanetary Magazine called “Blended Lives Chronicles.” Her mission is to blend the lines of race, creed, and disability that separate so many and to elevate the recognition of the training and ability of Service Animals of all kinds to a new level. She has just been accepted into the Blended Lives Federation and now hopes to continue her work in a way like nothing known to her before.

Laya has created allot of wreckage along the way through her dark journey into the light, and now she wishes to set this to right. She has just received her best break ever. Frank Prince, the CEO of The Blended Lives Learning Center, has invited her to the Celtic New Year Convention and Witches Ball as a reporter to write a story on the progress of The Blended Lives Planetary Federation. She will be their guest speaker at the opening ceremonies.

When Laya arrives at the Celtic Convention, she finds herself face to face with an old and dear friend, Blended Lives Learning Center Instructor and member of the Order of the Night, Derrick Gibbous. As they begin to connect, causing old sparks to reignite, they are tossed into a nasty battle from which not everyone will escape. People are not as they seem, and not everyone supports the side for which they appear to work.

As their love for one another grows, so does the battle. Despite everything, Laya and Derrick are determined to see their work to unite beings of all kinds succeed.

Being Mangled is Just the Beginning by DL Mullan

Mangled-
: severely injured or damaged by cutting, tearing, or crushing
: spoiled or made incoherent
-Merriam Webster

What if you could live forever? Television shows and movies have regaled us with bionic people, heroic mutants, and even moral immortals, but what if these innocuous forms of entertainment were the pretext for a darker agenda?

Mangled delves into the topics of human engineering through medical science and technology, and then says the quiet parts aloud. Gone are the days of looking at this phenomenon with rose-colored glasses. Transhumanism is not about piercings or tattoos; it is a brand of pseudo-scientific philosophy that places the human race in danger with its unethical behavior.

Problems arise as humans rely on technology more than their own innate abilities to discern their reality for themselves. People, including children, are plugged in, tuned out, and immersed by curated information, influence operations, and other psychological manipulations. If people had good boundaries and respected themselves, technology would be an asset, instead of being a crutch.

Mangled factors in these variables into a narrative based on a true story, historical fact, and an author’s intuitive imagination. As a writer and researcher, I have combined threads of information into a coherent supposition of cascading effects. This short story sheds light in the dark places that no one talks about for fear of reprisal. As I have learned from numerous whistleblower interviews, sometimes it is better, and safer, to tell the truth in fiction. I let my
characters do the heavy lifting while opening gateways into critical thought. We need these skills more than ever. Over a decade ago, reports of placing chips inside the brains of soldiers surfaced. Then confirmation that in order to work in certain ranks of the Pentagon that a soldier must have a chip implanted in their heads. That is a national security threat, but no one blinks an eye. As links between technology and animal brains have already been studied, clinical trials for humans are already being conducted. Not far into the future will humanity have to grapple with reality written in Mangled. In addition, it is true that a government contractor was given a black
tag and placed in a hallway to die after an incident in a foreign land. The podcaster survived, unlike her fictitious counterpart, Sarah Mitchell, to tell the tale. That is where the similarities end.

My short story follows the fictional account of Sarah Mitchell, a specialist in the United States armed forces. She is wounded by a roadside bomb, taken to a foreign hospital, and left to die at the end of a hallway. Although her injuries were fatal, she lives through the night against all expectations to the contrary.

Without her consent or knowledge, she is hooked into a virtual reality that is conjured by an artificial intelligence. She is lost and unprepared. Her tour of duty has not only been extended for an eternity, but she also has no autonomy. In this brave new world, Sarah must navigate her way to freedom. How she reclaims her independence and makes an ally, which guides her into untangling herself from this web, helps readers understand the lengths someone will go for their
liberty.

Do not take the author’s word for it, read Mangled for yourself. Just like Specialist Sarah Mitchell discovers: living forever has its consequences. Chose which eternity that you would like to spend
wisely.

Before someone else decides for you.

Sarah Mitchell Video

About DL Mullan

A writer at heart, Undawnted’s own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. This year, DL Mullan has begun sharing her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter at www.undawnted.com.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

DL Mullan’s story, “The Reality Hackers”, is featured in the 2022 Visons anthology from WordCrafter Press, and cover designer for the Midnight Roost anthology, also from WordCrafter Press.

About Midnight Roost

20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.

Tour Schedule

Monday – October 16 – Opening Day –Isabele Grey (Interview & Reading) – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 17 – M J Mallon (Reading) & Christa Planko (Interview & Guest Post)– Undawnted

Wednesday – October 18 – Chris Barili (Guest Post) & Paul Kane (Guest Post) – Patty’s Worlds

Thursday – October 19 – Julie Jones (Reading) & Keith Hoskins (Guest Post) – Robbie’s Inspiration

Friday – October 20 – Michaele Jordan (Reading) & Mario Acevedo (Guest Post) – Writing to be Read

Saturday – October 21 – Patty Fletcher (Guest Post) & DL Mullen (Guest Post & Video) – Roberta Writes

Sunday – October 22 – Sonia Pipkin (Guest Post) & Roberta Eaton Cheadle (Reading) – Kyrosmagica Publishing

Monday – October 23 – Closing Post –Denise Aparo (Reading) & other stories – Writing to be Read

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

70 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour featuring Patty Fletcher and DL Mullan #MidnightRoost #Halloween #readingcommunity”

  1. Well done to Patty, and congratulations to Kaye Lynne and all of the authors (Congratulations, Robbie!) for another great anthology, and so appropriate for this time of the year. Best of luck!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

        1. Hi, yes, I’ve managed to get into a few anthologies over the last year.

          You’re welcome for the complement.

          About Patty L. Fletcher

          Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

          See her published work and more here.

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply

    1. Hi Jacqui. Unfortunately I don’t live there anymore. Of all the things I miss about that home and neighborhood that room is the biggest thing. It was my office and dog room. I could come into that room with Blue and King Campbell before him, put up the baby gate, scatter toys all over the floor and write for hours in total bliss.
      Now I live in an efficiency one-room apartment and my window faces the parking lot.
      Today, I’m working from my recliner. I wish for a lap desk but no such funding for that sort of luxury.
      Just glad to have a place to be and to keep writing no matter what.
      Thanks again. Your support here means tons.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

          3. The biggest trouble is that I’d let him and get nothing done. LOL.

            Loves.

            About Patty L. Fletcher

            Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

            See her published work and more here.

            Like

        2. I do have a nice place to work. I put my worktable which was subbing as a kitchen table by the living room window. It does get the morning sun. That makes it nice.

          It’s not what I had, but like you say, we make it work.

          The desk I was using is in my bedroom but right now my plants Silvia a poinsettia and Sammy the peace Lilli are living on it. It gets all the afternoon sun, and they are thriving there.

          One day I’ll be in a better place but for now, it’s what it is.

          I’m grateful to be in a home.

          About Patty L. Fletcher

          Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

          See her published work and more here.

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply

      1. Hey Kaye! How about popping over to Patty’s Worlds if you’ve not already? You could be my winner?

        I’ve a bonus Giveaway happening.

        After all, two free books are always better than one.

        About Patty L. Fletcher

        Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

        See her published work and more here.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

    3. Hi Lauren.

      Thanks tons. If you’ve not yet been to my blog, please go there to leave your comment so you’re in the drawing for the giveaways.

      I’ve a giveaway going too.

      About Patty L. Fletcher

      Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

      See her published work and more here.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

          1. Thanks much. The story has found its way into the second book in my series. Go figure. LOL.

            But this is such fun!

            About Patty L. Fletcher

            Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

            See her published work and more here.

            Liked by 1 person

    2. Good afternoon, Timothy.

      I hope you’re well.

      Thanks for dropping into the post here.

      Please pop into Patty’s Worlds as to get qualified for both giveaways.

      Thanks for reading and have a super day.

      About Patty L. Fletcher

      Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

      See her published work and more here.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

          2. 😊

            About Patty L. Fletcher

            Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

            See her published work and more here.

            Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Liz.

      Thanks for dropping by Robbie’s for this post.

      Please make sure to come by the original post at Patty’s Worlds where you have a chance at not one but two giveaways.

      About Patty L. Fletcher

      Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

      See her published work and more here.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

        1. Hi, I goofed, I meant for the reblog not the original post.

          Too many things flying around in my inbox today. Sorry.

          About Patty L. Fletcher

          Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

          See her published work and more here.

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply

    1. Thanks for dropping by the tour Stevie.

      About Patty L. Fletcher

      Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

      See her published work and more here.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

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