A huge thank you to talented writer and editor, Esther Chilton, for sharing my post about Te Wairoa, The Buried Village in New Zealand. This is the setting from one of the short stories in my new short story collection, And the Grave Awaits. If you are interested in seeing more photographs from this visit, please see the pictures below the link.
Esther offers Editing Services and also has some wonderful non-fiction books about writing and a few fiction books too.
During my 2 1/2 day visit to Oslo, TC and I visited Vigeland Sculpture Park. I shared pictures of the Tower of Bodies in a previous post. This post will share some of the doors, naturally, as well as the entrance gate and a few more sculptures.
Picture caption: This is the entrance gates to Vigeland Sculpture Park. We didn’t go in this way, but this is where we exitedPicture caption: The gates into Vigeland Sculpture Park from the inside. I always do everything back to front – grin!Picture caption: One of the water fountains. I really liked it.Picture caption: another shot of the water fountain a short while later. See how the sky has darkened.
This is my YT video of this lovely fountain:
Defiance (Tanka)
Manmade water flows
Silhouetted by dark cloud
Nature does not weep
Withholds its natural bounty
Defies humankind
More sculptures that I liked.
The Children (Tanka)
Shelter the children
Protect them from treachery
Retain innocence
So easily imploded
By the hands meant to guide them
My YT video of some of these sculptures on the bridge:
Picture caption: a door in the Vigeland Sculpture ParkPicture caption: a beautiful metal work picture at the park
Fun fact about me! This is the song I walked down the isle too over 23 years ago:
A huge thank you to the marvellous Sally Cronin of Smorgasbord blog for sharing this wonderful promo post for my new paranormal short story collection, And the Grave Awaits.
Sally’s blog is packed with book promotions, book reviews, music, health advice and all sorts of other articles in the manner of an on-line magazine. Do go over and take a look around. Sally also has some excellent books which you can find here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/my-books-and-reviews-2024/
My June In Touch With Nature post features African honeybees, and their relatives Africanized honeybees, also known as African killer bees. Thanks to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting.
A daring and thrilling adventure with the jailer’s daughter
In this mystery set in 1968, Christi, a shy and awkward teenager, never expected to get sucked into helping her cousin, Lily, the “double-dare-you” daughter of the county jailer, try to solve the grizzliest murder the town of Roselyn, Mississippi, had ever seen. Then again, Christi had been entangled in her misadventures before. So a whirlwind week of spying, lying, crawling through tunnels and sneaking into the jail should have come as no surprise to Christi.
Lily, a vivacious prankster, loves adventure. It’s not hard to find when you live in a house connected to the jail. Christi, a city girl, is self-conscious and afraid of everything. Still, she’s drawn to the excitement and adventure that Lily always seems to provide. Christi arrives for a visit in time to help her cousin discover what happened the night Lily observed a county deputy drop a pair of women’s bloody shoes from a bag. After a chance meeting with the accused, they learn new information that sheds doubt on his guilt. Seeking justice, Lily sets a plan in motion that takes them on an adventure of risk and surprising twists. They not only discover unexpected truths about the case, but about themselves as well.
My review
I really enjoyed this entertaining and fast paced story about two young cousins, Lily and Christi, who become embroiled in a murder investigation.
Lily is the daughter of the head warden at a large prison. Her home is attached to the prison, and she has interacted with prisoners and the legal system all her short life. Christi is her less confident and more introverted cousin and is visiting because it is the two girls’ grandparents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The night before Christi’s arrival there is an upheaval at the prison and Lily glimpses some compromising and fascinating evidence in the form of a pair of bloody woman’s shoes. Lily is determined to learn more about these shoes and drags Christi with her along the investigatory path.
This book is a great mystery and is also an excellent read for teenagers with its sub-themes which revolve around issues like trust, family relationships, boyfriends, and respect for authority. I liked that these important concepts were woven into this story in an interesting way that helps set a good example and standard to young readers without being remotely preachy. You hardly realise these subthemes are there and that subtlety makes the writing and storyline of this novel perfect for its intended audience.
In addition, Lily is a strong female character who is determined to follow her instincts. Christi acts as the voice of reason, a sort of Jiminy Cricket (talking cricket from The Adventures of Pinocchio), and tempers Lily’s impulsive strong headedness. Christy grows a lot as a character during the course of this story and learns to be brave and take a stronger stance on issues that concern her.
As an adult, I enjoyed this story, and I would certainly give this book as a gift to young readers.
Today, for our Poetics, write a poem sharing with us your train travel experience. It can be the daily metro/tube/subway/local you take to work/study or the inter city train or it can be the cross-country train. Tell us, in any poetic form, why you love or hate commuting by trains. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/06/18/poetics-travelling-by-train/
peek under the pillows; look under the mattresses.
Our first time overnight on a train
Our first time away from home for a week
I suck jelly sweets for motion sickness
***
Lights out! Lights out!
Sister Anne makes the nightly round
Her head looks strange in its wimpleless state
I notice that the back of her long hair is grey
Only the front is dark brown – it’s dyed!
“Hands on top of the bedclothes,” she orders.
Is dyed hair a sin? I wonder
***
Yawn! Yawn!
Droopy eyed from lack of sleep
Thirty girls take seats in the dining car
Thirty steaming plates of porridge are served
With cream and honey. The food is satisfying
Washed down with large cups of sweet tea
“Are we nearly there?” Sally asks
***
Bang! Bang!
Windows slam open; thirty heads pop out
Thirty pairs of hands clap with joy
The distant station draws closer and closer
The platform is buzzing with activity
“We’re there at last,” Sister Agatha sighs.
That must be Table Mountain, I think.
Picture caption: Knysna lagoon at sunsetPicture caption: The beautiful Outeniqua Mountains near Knysna in the Western Cape of South AfricaPicture caption: Cape Town Harbour with Table Mountain in the backgroundPicture caption: Mount of Cape Town Harbour
Thank you to Colleen Chesebro for sharing this lovely post about my new collection of paranormal short stories, And the Grave Awaits. I’ve included the book trailer below.
Our challenge? Using one of the three types of liminal spaces listed above, let’s give poetic voice to what “doors” it may open to us. You can employ the liminal space as the setting and/or the subject. Write about it as an observer or participant, of how it may prepare, ground, provoke, intrigue you, unexpectedly or not, for better or worse. You may want to use an image (like those above) for inspiration. I just want you to have fun exploring the idea of a liminal space and seeing what you can come up with. To find out more about the challenge, go here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/06/11/poetry-in-liminal-spaces/
Picture caption: Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam – window view from my seat on the plane. Lots of vehicles with lots of doors. This was at 10am in the morning. Picture caption: Me on my chaise longue on the planePicture caption: Our room at the Sheraton Hotel at Schiphol Airport. The doors are to the cupboard.Picture caption: The bathroom in the hotel room. I missed my bath at home. Picture caption: Lobby of the Sheraton Hotel. A few doors leading off to staff only places. Picture caption: a strawberry daiquiri – nothing like the daiquiris I have at home which contain strawberries and ice.
Thank you to poet and editor of Masticadores USA, Barbara Leonhard, for sharing my two poems and my Into the Light: Hyena A2 watercolour painting. I am very delighted with this painting which was my first of the Into the Light series and my first A2 painting. I really hope you will enjoy it.
Do have a look around Masticadores USA while you are there. Barbara features artworks, poetry and short prose pieces by a number of talented creatives.
Picture caption: The book cover of The Keeping Place featuring a broken down wooden hut and a large tree.
What Amazon says
In the town of Hornwood, the past is always present . . .
Nicole Seabrooke has been wracked with guilt since the night of her younger sister’s disappearance ten years ago. Her mother, Glory, tasked her with watching over Janie. Instead, Nicole dragged her to a high school party, then failed to keep an eye on her. Police believed she drowned, but her body was never found.
A decade later, her remains are discovered.
Nicole returns to Hornwood when new evidence indicates Janie’s death may have been a homicide. With the help of Detective Vin McCain, her high school boyfriend, Nicole begins to piece together what took place the night her sister disappeared—a task that further complicates her relationship with Glory and places Nicole in the crosshairs of a killer. One who will do whatever it takes to keep the truth about Janie’s death from being revealed.
Even if it means killing again.
My review
The Keeping Place is a murder mystery told on a dual timeline. It is also a family drama which details the impact that egos, deception, and selfishness can have on relationships, both inside and outside a family.
Nicole Seabrooke fled her home town of Hornwood ten years earlier when her younger sister, Janie, drowned on her watch. Janie’s body was never found. In the process of running from her home and town, Nicole turned her back on her mother, boyfriend, and best friend. Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape her own guilt by fleeing the scene, and the events of the terrible night have haunted her ever since. Now Janie’s body has been discovered in a most unexpected place and a lot of new questions have been raised about the night Janie died.
I have read other novels by this author, and I enjoy her dual timelines very much. In this case, the happenings in the past were revealed from the point of view of Janie. The present timelines was presented from the point of view of Nicole. It worked very well for me. Another strength of this author are her excellent characterisations.
Nicole has spent ten years carrying around a burden of guilt about her sister’s death. She destroyed her love relationship and gave up on her academic dreams when she fled her home. Perceived rejection by her mother is also a destructive mental belief. Nicole is a mess. Despite all her anguish and inner turmoil, Nicole decides to return home an attend Janie’s funeral. This was a brave thing for her to do and from that decision onwards, Nicole’s character continues to grow as she faces relationships and events from her youth.
Janie was the most interesting character for me. I found her quite relatable with her unusual interests and different way of viewing life. These things made her a bit of an outsider with the other kids her age and she is a lonely girl. Her anxieties about her place in the world and curiosity, empathy, and fear over her unexpected acquaintanceship with a woman who purportedly commits suicide, are beautifully described. Janie’s death at the time of its occurrence is a real tragedy to the reader even though it is a known fact at the beginning of the book.
Glory, the mother of Nicole and Janie, is a self absorbed and rather spoiled woman. Very beautiful in her youth and having nearly made it to star status in Hollywood, her disappointments appear to have dominated her whole life. However, as the story unfolds, more of Glory’s motivations and emotions are revealed and she is somewhat redeemed by the end of the book. A lingering irritation at her irresponsibility and selfishness did remain for me, but her depiction is typical, for me, of the type of woman she was.
While I have focused on characterisations in this review, the storyline is interesting and fast paced. I did guess who the killer was as soon as the character was introduced, but I wasn’t completely sure until the end. I have read so many murder mysteries, the subtle hints are fairly obvious to me. Notwithstanding this, I thought this book was an excellent read.
Picture caption: The book cover of The Room at the End featuring a lighthouse against a turbulent blue background
What Amazon says
The Harbor Pointe Inn has loomed on California’s cliffs for generations of Hawthornes. For some, it’s been a blessing. For others, a curse. Travel through two centuries of stories to discover the old inn’s secrets.
When guilt-ridden Mia checks in to a suicide hotel, but can’t go through with the final act, vengeful ghosts gather to torment her.
Set in the near future, the post-war world is in turmoil.
Mia Hawthorne suffers an emotional breakdown, following the death of her wife, and loses everything to a corrupt government.
In an ironic twist of fate, the government suicide department, The Last Sanctuary, allocates a desperate and destitute Mia to the very hotel and family heirloom which she has so recently lost.
On her first day at the Lighthouse Inn, beset with painful memories, doubts, and questions, Mia finds herself coming face to face with angry ghosts, who gather to goad and torment her.
Lost and alone, can Mia find enough strength and purpose to avoid her final, frightful fate?
Possible Trigger Warnings:
This novella contains many references to suicide and suicidal thoughts. It also references off-page bereavement and off-page female to female marriage.
Some references to violence are mentioned, but remain vague and mostly off-page.
No profanity is used.
If any of these are likely to trigger you, please use your discretion when purchasing/reading this book.
My review
The Room at the End is the final novella in the Harbor Pointe Series. It is a dystopian story set in a future world dominated by AI and a ‘Big Brother’ type of government. I thought this futurist setting for the final story was a great choice, and as a big fan of dystopian books, the storyline and setting worked very well for me. The plot also involves a strong paranormal element which is another big plus for me. The ghosts also tied this novella firmly in with the storylines and concepts of its predecessor novellas in the series.
Mai Hawthorne has suffered the loss of her wife to suicide. With no other obvious explanation, Mia blames herself for this death and her life spirals down into depression and an inability to cope or take appropriate action in her business. Mia is the owner of the Harbor Pointe Inn at the time of her partner’s suicide. The novella starts with Mia having lost her business to the greedy, post apocalyptic government of the time which controls surviving humans through AI and robotics. Having elected to end her life, Mia has been sent to Harbor Pointe Inn by the government’s suicide department. There, she is expected to do the deed within a short period and all of her expenses are paid for by the government.
As soon as she arrives, Mia becomes aware of various ghosts, malevolent and benevolent, who haunt the lighthouse keeper’s cottage which has been allocated to her. With the help of an abandoned puppy, Mia must face the various ghosts and uncover the truth about her wife’s death. Will her discoveries change her mind about committing suicide? Is it to late? You’ll have to read this intense and fascinating novella to find out.
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