About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow

17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest Midnight Garden… if you dare.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology

Giveaway

Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit.

If you miss a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below. (Links won’t work until the stop goes live).

Schedule

Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game” & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes

Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz

Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read

Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration for “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica

Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted

Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces

Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb” – Writing to be Read

The book trailer for Midnight Garden introduces the themes and authors.

Inspiration for “The Fae Game”, by Danaeka Scrimshaw

When I heard about the submission opportunity for Midnight Garden in early January, I set it aside. I was going through a divorce and had stopped writing three months prior to this opportunity, due to both the stresses of the divorce process and my own lingering depression. As January turned into February and I had been going to therapy, I started to wonder what happened to us. How could someone I thought I married be so different now? Or was I just that oblivious? I felt like someone switched them to someone nefarious with their own hidden agenda. 

That idea percolated for a month until my critique group started talking about the impending deadline for the submission. I had started feeling better in March and was dabbling in writing again because it was the only thing that had been keeping me sane for the last five years and I didn’t want to lose it. The ideas about switching led me to the old stories of the fae switching babies at birth or taking over adult lives, but I wasn’t sure how that would play into a unique short story. And then I recalled from my childhood, a time when my best friend and I played a game with his little sister. She had always insisted on playing with us, but we were three and five years older than her and not interested in her games. One day we came up with this game of pretend, where we blindfolded her and described a portal to another world. We walked her through a fantastical underground world by the sea. She ate up every word and believed it wholly, and we were having too much fun to think about playing with a little kid. 

That game was not scary, but I saw the potential to mash together both the idea of a world beyond traveled to via a child’s game of pretend, and nefarious fae switching. The Fae Game was born from those ideas. 

About Danaeka Scrimshaw

Danaeka Scrimshaw has been writing for six years in the speculative fiction genre. They have two short stories published and are a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Literary Contest for a YA portal fantasy, Worlds of Fire and Glass. The story is a funny, riveting tale about a young, hard-of-hearing girl trying to prove to herself that she can save her best friend from evil mages in parallel dimensions. They live with their three Boston Terriers in Castle Rock, CO. Find their author page on Facebook. 

Reading Excerpt of “Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book” by Denise Aparo

About Denise Aparo

Denise Aparo is a New England native, born and raised in the clockmaking city of Bristol, Connecticut. She lives with her husband, Joe, and they have five grandchildren. She is also a freelance writer who spends her time working on her novel and writing short stories. She also spends her time gardening, crafting, and crocheting.

Denise likes to write Paranormal Fiction, genre of Historical Fantasy. She recently completed her first novel, Crossbows. She has a Masters of Arts in English and a Fine Arts/Creative Writing with concentration in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and a member of Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, and The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi, with SNHU.

She is a member of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) and the author of a new WordPress writing blog, The Write Voice, The Write Voice | The write voice at the write time, a blog that boasts, “Like multiple genres, there are many cultures – each with an individual voice.”  

Denise’s story, “The Pines” is featured in the 2023 Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories anthology from WordCrafter Press.

Laura has offered two different challenges for MTB: Counting to three. I chose this one:

1. The Three Way Split:

• select any compound word of 2 derivatives e.g. puffball
• split it and write each derivative as topic for the first two stanzas e.g. puff; ball
• join it up again as topic for the 3rd stanza
• number or subtitle each stanza with the reference word
• include the reference word within the stanza if not subtitled
• line length, rhymes, meter etc are optional

You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/10/03/mtb-counting-to-three/

The word I’ve chosen is gingerbread! I have written three tanka poems (5/7/5/7/7) with headings.

Ginger

Marmelade male cat

Causes much consernation

Loud yowling ensues

My females defend their rights

To Tom-free celibacy

Bread

Hadeda* flies high

Transporting numerous sticks

Nest slowly takes shape

Hard work for future parents

I throw breadcrumbs on the lawn

Gingerbread

Delicious fragrance

Reminiscent of Christmas

Her eyes fill with tears

Memories of times long passed

Sweetened by passage of time

Halloween gingerbread display

This display was built for Michael and my children’s book Haunted Halloween Holiday available here: https://tslbooks.uk/product/haunted-halloween-holiday-robbie-and-michael-cheadle/

W3 Prompt #127

Lesley’s prompt guidelines

• Create a poetic scene, based on this imagery:
  • It is early morning. You get out of bed and go to the window.
• Consider these questions:
  • How do you get out of bed? Do you crawl, climb, jump, etc.?
  • What do you see from the window?
  • How do you feel?
  • How do you begin this day?
  • What lies ahead?
• You may write your poem in 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd person.

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/10/02/w3-prompt-127-weave-written-weekly/

Lesley’s winning poem: https://lesleyscoble.com/2024/09/29/on-the-tip-of-my-tongue-a-free-verse-poem/

Just an Ordinary Day

Shrill phone alarm jerks me awake

Jumping up, I try enthusiasm to fake

Paddle next door on cold, bare feet

Waking sloth child an impossible feat

Open the window, let in fresh air

A few twitches from hibernating bear

***

Into the bathroom, turn on the taps

Shout at Sloth to prevent sleep relapse

Race through ablutions as fast as I can

Think about priorities, try day to plan

Switch off house alarm, race down the hall

Mustn’t go to fast or I might trip and fall

***

Switch on the kettle, set out mugs for tea

Prepare medications, this is quite key

Run back to Sloth’s room, shout in his ear

He won’t get up unless I instill some fear

Grabbing his phone, I make a quick deal

Get up and I’ll consider a return appeal

***
Make breakfast then turn on the washing machine

Thank goodness its easy to get dirty clothes clean

Rush round the house and pick up used cups

Spill cold, coffee dregs on the carpet – Aw shucks!

Dishwasher switched on and rumbling away

Glance at emails, the quantum causes dismay

***

Chase Sloth to put scattered books into bag

His look tells me I’m an irritating toe-rag

Leaving keys in the door, I get out the car

Thank goodness we don’t have to drive that far

The traffic is heavy, the drivers all deranged

A taxi shoots the lights after they’ve changed

***

Sloth fills in the late form at the gate

I drive away feeling annoyed and irate

Sure all of the teachers think I’m to blame

They’ve no idea every morning’s the same

Arrive at work feeling like chewed up string

Why on earth did I want this wedding ring?

In case you didn’t recognise the base song, this is it:

Thursday Doors

A few more pictures of the Rijksmuseum, front and back entrances, and some gorgeous paintings. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/10/03/big-e-doors/

Sunflower Tanka Journal

Colleen Chesebro and I are editorial partners for a new Sunflower Tanka Journal. You can find the details here:

Sunflower Tanka

The theme is Into the Light. I offer you the three paintings above as inspiration for this theme.

My Story Empire post today is all about ending your book and my

Book endings – planning your ending and my five worst book endings

Thank you to Barbara from Masticadores USA for sharing my poem, How I See.

“How I see” by Robbie Cheadle

Punam is hosting Tuesday’s Fall (in) love d’Verse poetry prompt. We are tasked with writing an a poem about the fall. In South Africa fall is called autumn and we are now in spring. I am a seasonal writer so this is a poem I wrote in April when it was fall here.

You can join in the prompt here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/09/24/poetics-fall-in-love/

You can read Punam’s gorgeous poem here: https://paeansunpluggedblog.wordpress.com/2024/09/25/in-the-autumn-of-life/

Autumn Stage

Autumn cosmos

Transforms the local park

Into a richly decorated stage

The floor artfully draped

With a Persian carpet

In shades of yellow and green

Interwoven with pink and white

The backdrop, an intricate design

Of season worn trees

Still attired in summertime greenery

They dance gently against the azure sky

The main prop – a slowly decomposing tree

Over which the cosmos tumble

In cascades of delicate colours

Heralding the last days

Of aged summer’s mellow light

This poem was first published in Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch With Nature anthology.

Sunday Stills – Autumn

You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/09/22/sunday-stills-is-it-autumn-yet-or-spring/

I had the splendid good fortune to see a rare brown hyena during our recent trip to Madikwe. Seeing a brown hyena has been on my bucket list for years so I was beyond excited. I got some good shots, although they were at a distance because brown hyenas are very shy and solitary. I am sharing about them today so you can share my joy.

In Touch With Nature: The rare and beautiful brown hyena #brownhyena #Intouchwithnature

I am very excited to be hosting my good blogging friend, Craig Boyack, today with a peep into his new book, Tracks of Infinity. I have read several of Craig’s supernatural fantasy books and love them.

Take it away, Craig!

Guest post: Tracks of Infinity by C.S. Boyack

Thanks for the invitation, Robbie. I don’t get out much these days, but have a new story to tell everyone about.

If you know anything about me (Or even if you don’t), I always require something weird in my stories. I write science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural tales. This one is no different, but is a bit harder to pigeonhole. If I have to call it something, I suppose science fiction is the closest.

Years ago a dear friend named Staci Troilo taught me about mystery boxes. I tucked this into a far corner of my brain and always wanted to try it as a story method. I never wound up with the right plot until this one showed up.

This style requires a question to be asked, and the answer reveals an even bigger question. Readers can follow this trail of mystery boxes to a fairly exciting story. That is what I did with this plot.

In that regard this is also a mystery. We make covers and blurbs for a reason so let’s drop those here.

Blurb

Jenny’s life is in upheaval. Her only child, Cody, is getting on with his young adult life, and has a girlfriend Jenny is unsure of. Her career at the news station is in jeopardy in a push to get more diverse and younger at the same time.

She wants to be an investigative reporter, but it seems they’ve been relegated to the Stone Age. Gossip, celebrities, and local interest is the order of the day.

In desperation, she accepts an off-camera job to retain her paycheck at all. This is when she discovers that mergers and acquisitions over the decades have left the station with a long history of old news tales in the basement. Could a cold case be something she could focus on in her spare time?

She and her son glean through ancient manila envelopes to find something of interest. Cody needs to make a drive in the country to pass college geology, and decides they might as well go to the location in one of the old stories. Mother and son make a day of it.

What they discover isn’t something either of them expected. Who can she turn to for help and guidance in the dying art of investigative journalism? Will Jenny be able to market a story like this at all? Who are the strange thugs that seem to be tracking their every move, and what are they up to?

The answers to these questions and more are revealed in Tracks of Infinity.

Tracks of Infinity is at all your favorite booksellers.

***

The weirdness in this one comes from the question of whether there are aliens out there, and whether they have been on our planet. What is actually out there when we look up at the stars at night?

Aside from that, Jenny has to figure out how to market a story like this one. The deck is stacked against her.

I hope your fans will give this one a chance. I also hope we get some fun comments today. I’ll be checking them sporadically for the next few days.

About C.S. Boyack

Find C.S. Boyack

Blog: https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.-S.-Boyack/author/B00ILXBXUY

X: https://x.com/Virgilante

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9841203.C_S_Boyack

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColdhandBoyack

Pinterest: https://za.pinterest.com/entertainin0737/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/c-s-boyack

My thanks to talented author, Stephen Geez, for host me with this post about The Abbot’s Kitchen, Glastonbury Abbey. One of the short stories in my short story collection, And the Grave Awaits, starts in this kitchen.

And the Grave Awaits by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Thank you to talented poet, Dawn Pisturino, for this wonderful review of And the Grave Awaits.

Book Review: “And the Grave Awaits”

This poem is for Dan’s Thursday Doors Challenge and for Esther Chilton’s Surprise challenge.

Opening new doors, and a surprise

There is change. There is change. Change there is.

You don’t like change. You don’t like change. Change you dislike.

***

Do you see change as opening new doors?

***

No, you do not like change.

You do not see change as an opportunity.

***

Could you see change as being good?

***

You do not see change as being good.

You do not see any good in change.

You do not like change in any way.

Change you dislike, although change there is.

***

Could change you ever grow to love?

If it didn’t hit you over the head like a club?

***

Change you will never grow to love.

Even if it comes lightly and not as a club.

You do not like change in any way.

Change you dislike, although change there is.

You do not see change as an opportunity.

No, you do not like change.

***

Could you ever change embrace?

Is it possible you could do an about face?

***

Never will you change embrace.

Never will you do an about face.

Never could you change love.

Never see it as ought but a club.

You will not like change in any way.

You do not see change as an opportunity.

Change you dislike, although there is change.

***

Would you? Could you learn to understand?

Could change ever your mind expand?

***

You would not, could not understand.

***

I say give it a chance, it may be good.

Give it a try, you know you should.

***

You would not, could not try something new.

Not even a simple change, like a new hairdo.

Or a bigger room with a better view.

***

Could you, would you give change a go?

***

You could not, would not give change a go.

***

Would you? Could you learn to understand?

***

You could not, would not learn to understand.

You will not, will not, give change a go.

You will not try to make new friends

You won’t give it a try, ‘though you know you should.

You won’t understand, won’t give it a chance.

You don’t want change to embrace.

You don’t want to do an about face.

Never could you change love.

Never see it as ought but a club.

You will not like change in any way.

You do not see change as an opportunity.

Change you dislike, although there is change.

You do not like change. So you declare.

With your old ways, change does not compare.

***

Try the change, you may get a pleasant surprise.

What! You’ll give it a chance. Say it may be good.

You’ll give it a chance as you know you should.

(… And she tries change…)

You do like change. I can see your smile.

You do like change, as I knew you would.

You’re going to try out a new hairdo.

You’ll have a go at the room with the view.

You’ll try to make a new set of friends.

You’ll give away your unnecessary odds and ends.

You’ll see change as an opportunity.

Change is good. Change is good. Now you see.

Change you have learned to embrace.

Now you’ve done an abrupt about face.

Change you’ve learned to understand.

Your finally letting change your mind expand.

You’ve learned to give change a go.

Although your path to acceptance was slow.

The change has done you so much good.

The change has given you a pleasant surprise.

Hooray! Hooray! Change is very good.

You can join in Esther Chilton’s writing challenge here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2024/09/18/writing-prompts-32/

You can join in Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/09/19/old-economy-village/

Amsterdam canal boat trip

These are some photographs and videos from our Amsterdam canal boat trip. There are lots of doors.

Picture caption: my acrylic painting of the Amsterdam canals. Lots of doors. Painting buildings is a lot of effort as I am pedantic about the sizing and had to measure everything with a ruler. That is why I’m painfully aware of just how many doors and windows are in the picture.

If you are interested in seeing some close up detail of this painting, you can view this YT short:

Picture caption: shots of the Amsterdam canals

Picture caption: The seven bridges of Amsterdam. Picture by Robbie Cheadle

Picture caption: a variety of houseboats on the Amsterdam canal.

A few videos of the Amsterdam canal: