My thanks to Barbara Leonhard for sharing my poem, The Acrobats, on MasticadoresUSA.
https://masticadoresusa.wordpress.com/2025/08/02/the-acrobats-by-robbie-cheadle/
Roberta Writes – Book Review: The Power of Three by Teri Polen #bookreview #readingcommunity
What Amazon says
“Polen weaves an imaginative paranormal tale brimming with engaging characters, thrilling action, and well-crafted suspense. Perfect for fans of Supernatural and Grimm, The Power of Three will keep you on the edge of your seat until you turn the final page.” –Jane McGarry, fantasy author
Yesterday, a curse. Today, an inheritance. Tomorrow…may never come.
Beck Teller’s family bounced from one rental to another his entire life. When his father inherits an ancestral home, he and his siblings are thrilled to finally settle down, especially somewhere his family has roots. And those roots run deep—right to the on-site family cemetery where tombstone dates prove too many members met untimely fates.
When Beck and his two brothers begin experiencing inexplicable things, they grasp for practical explanations. Then their little sister gets a warning from beyond the grave, and the time for rationalizing is over. They pledge to protect their family and set out to identify the source of the danger and a means to defeat it.
They never expected to discover their house is haunted by a vengeful spirit who has vowed to destroy every descendant in the Teller line.
Centuries earlier, three Teller brothers battled the evil entity. Since then, her wrath has caused generations of suffering and untimely deaths. Now, three more Teller brothers will stand against this wicked being. But this time, the curse must be broken. If they win the final fight, they’ll banish the malevolent force forever. But if they lose, their family line ends…and they unleash hell on Earth.
My review
I really enjoyed this fast paced and interesting supernatural mystery story by Teri Polen. I have read other books by this author, all of which were terrific reads, but this one really absorbed and enthralled me.
Life has been a financial struggle for the Teller parents who have always rented a house, lived hand-to-mouth, and battled to pay the bills and keep their three sons in school. Their relationship was going through a rocky patch when Harper, a fourth late child, was born. Harper nearly died at birth and the Teller family all drew together to help her fight for survival. She is now the glue that holds the family together and her three older brothers and parents adore her.
The family’s luck appears to have changed when Mr. Teller learns that, as the last surviving Teller, he has inherited the mansion-styled ancestral Teller home. Thrilled, the family move into their new home, spirits and hope high. You never know whether an event is for the good or bad in life though and each of the three brothers quickly starts experiencing strange and unpleasant sensations and noises. After discovering the family graveyard, packed with the remains of Tellers, many of whom died very young and often within quick succession of other immediate family members, and some revealing equipment and books about the family’s history, the three brothers realise there is something very wrong with the house. They are slowly drawn into the drama of the greater Teller family’s past.
The author’s depictions of the three adolescent boys and their relationships with each other and their parents were realistic and enjoyable. The humour in day-to-day interactions, love interests, and the competitiveness between siblings is a great tool to lighten the darkness of the storyline from time to time. The devotion of the three brothers to their younger sister was heartwarming and an enjoyable addition to the book.
The introduction of the various ghosts and the supernatural elements in the novel are well done and quite believable. I had to read carefully to ensure I picked up all the scattered foreshadowing and hints at what was to come. There are a number of threads that all tie together neatly at the end in a satisfying way.
With its modern approach to romantic relationships and life for young people, this book is perfect for a young adult audience and the story is sufficiently complex and compelling to be enjoyed by a more mature and experienced reading audience too.
Purchase The Power of Three from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DCC5S4N6
Find Teri Polen’s other books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Teri-Polen/author/B01MYOUA6V
Roberta Writes – freestyle poetry and CFFC: Dawn #poetry #photography #wildlife
I’m kicking off this post with a freestyle poem I wrote about the red crested khorhaan. This beautiful bird has a unique mating ritual and is called the suicide bird or the parachute bird. This poem is for Don’t hold your breath blog’s Bird of the Week challenge here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2025/07/29/asian-fairy-bluebird-birds-of-the-week-invitation-cxxvii/
Suicide or parachute (freestyle poem)
the display kicks off
with an ascending call
then, unexpectedly, he runs forward
launching himself directly upwards
with a jump and energetic flutter of wings
a male bird rocket
up, up, he goes, for up to thirty metres
then, he stops – halting completely
flipping over, yellow legs outstretched
wings tucked in
black and white belly feathers standing out
maximizing the dramatic effect
suddenly, as if shot, he drops
falling to the ground while executing
a perfect backward somersault
just before ground impact
he opens his winds and glides
landing on a prominent mound
with great aplomb
So very impressive
red crested korhaan
also called suicide bird
or parachute bird
My two pictures of a red crested korhaan taken at the Madikwe Game Reserve.
If you are interested in birds photography, you will find lovely photographs on Michael’s blog here: https://lifeexperiencesandadventures.wordpress.com/2025/07/29/birds-photo-click-79-crowned-cormorant-3/
and on Martin’s blog here: https://martinsbirdblog.com/2025/07/28/28th-july-2025-wwt-slimbridge-gloucestershire/
CFFC: Dawn
Dan’s CFFC challenge this week is dawn and you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/07/28/time-of-day-dawn-cffc/
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, Who has a sweet tooth, Esther Chilton’s writing challenge, and Thursday Doors – Bruxelles chocolate tour #poetry #photography
Lillian’s d’Verse prompt is to create a poem using at least one sweet/chocolate from a provided list. You can read the details of the prompt here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/07/22/who-has-a-sweet-tooth/
Throw out other chocolate
Bruxelles, Belgium
Chocolate capital of the world
A status assigned in 1912 when
Swiss apothecary, Jean Neuhaus Jr,
Together with his son, Jean II
Created the first chocolate filled pralines
An amazing taste explosion
That won the hearts of Belgians
Especially when packaged
In the exclusive ballotin
Designed by Jean’s wife
The innovative Louise Agostini
Soon the greater world
Discovered Belgian pralines
Not an ordinary confectionary
Like Snickers, Kit Kat, or Twix
Nor a praliné filling, comprising
Of ground caramelised nuts
Not the same thing at all
But a specific composition
Consisting of a chocolate casing
Made using 35% pure cocoa
With a delicious soft filling
That includes nuts, marzipan, coffee,
Salted caramel, liquors, cherry,
or a yummy chocolate blend
So put down the Chuckles,
Big Hunk Bars, and Three Musketeers,
Throw out the Bit-O-Honey, Skittles,
Sweetarts, and their confectionary like
And indulge yourself with delicacies
From Côte d’Or, Leonidas
Pierre Marcolini, or Neuhaus
Micro poem
decadently rich
smooth satin consistency
destroyer of waists
Thursday Doors
While in Bruxelles, we went on a chocolate tour and this is where I learned about a few of the chocolatiers and distributors of Belgian chocolate. These are a few of my photographs.
The chocolate tour started at the Les Galeries Royales, a covered mall in Bruxelles. It is a very upmarket mall that was originally for the royals and their friends only.
Esther Chilton’s writing challenge
This haibun is serving double duty for last week’s prompt of inspiration and this week’s prompt of faith. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/07/23/writing-prompts-75/
Private Library
By the time I was eleven years old, I had accumulated a large personal collection of books, ranging from children’s picture books to adult novels. Some of these books were birthday and Christmas gifts accumulated over my short life, others had been purchased at school and church fund raising fetes. I had quickly learned that book stalls at fetes were a fantastic place for me to acquire any book I wanted, regardless of suitability for a young girl. Volunteers barely glanced at my piles of books as they mechanically removed the price tags and totted up the total due. I always had a few bags on hand to stuff them into as quickly as possible. I managed to acquire a few gems like Lace, Princess Daisy, and various Dean R Koontz and Stephen King novels. I remember one book about a ship lost in the Bermuda Triangle that gave me nightmares for weeks.
Friends and my three younger sisters, regularly asked to borrow my books. This seemed like a reasonable request, but I needed to keep track of who borrowed which book. Inspiration hit and I decided to create my own library. I spent several weeks making card sleeves and cards for every book I owned. At that time, it was a few hundred as opposed to the few (three) thousand I now own in a physical form.
The day came when my library was ready, and I invited friends over to borrow books. They filled their names and the date on the beautiful blank cards and took my books away. Sadly, many came back damaged by bending or water stains and some never came back at all. This poor treatment of my most treasured possessions sadly shook my faith in humanity and I closed my library. I have never again loaned out a book that I wanted to keep. If I lend anyone a book it is technically a gift as I don’t want the post reading damaged goods returned to me. This was a life lesson I have never forgotten.
Water stained
Broken and battered
Veterans
Of neglect
And blatant indifference
Life lesson soon learned
Roberta Writes – WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour Day 4 #fiction #readingcommunity
Welcome to Day 4 of the WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour. We want to thank Robbie Cheadle at Roberta Writes for hosting this stop and helping to support the re-release of this wonderful fantasy adventure. First released through WordFire Press, WordCrafter Press is proud to release this second edition with a free original prequel book from the same Denari Lai series, Baiting the Hook, never before published, in the back matter when you buy the book. And on this stop , we have for you an excerpt from Baiting the Hook, read by the talented Jeff Bowels.
Give Away
If you follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop to let us know you were there or share your thoughts about the book, you can win a free copy of Shadow Blade. We’re giving away three digital copies of the book, and one lucky winner will receive a print copy of the book signed by author Chris Barili. Each stop you comment on earns you an entry into the random drawing, and the winners will be announced on Writing to be Read in the “WordCrafter News” post on July 27.
Tour Schedule
July 20-25, 2025
Monday, July 21: Writing to be Read- Book Trailer
Tuesday, July 22: Robbie’s Inspiration – Guest post
Wednesday July 23: Undawnted – Interview with Chris Barili
Thursday, July 24: Roberta Writes – Reading Excerpt from Baiting the Hook, narrated by Jeff Bowles
Friday, July 25: Writing to be Read – Live appearance by Chris Barili
About Shadow Blade
Ashai Larish is an assassin from the brutal Denari Lai order. Religious zealots, Denari Lai are kept loyal through an addiction to the same magic that makes them unstoppable. They have become the primary weapon for the nation of Nishi’iti, and in a hundred years, they have never failed.
Until now. Ashai must kill Pushtani King Abadas Damar and his daughter/heir, Makari. He infiltrates the king’s inner circle, putting him in the perfect place to strike, with only Captain Bauti of the Royal Guard at all suspicious of Ashai’s intent.
Except Ashai has fallen for Makari and cannot complete the hit. When a second Denari Lai kills the King, Ashai finds himself fighting for Makari’s life instead of taking it. To make matters worse, the order cuts him off from his magic, leaving him weakened and in withdrawal.
Meanwhile, far north in the Pushtani mines that border Nishi’iti, a slave named Pachat learns that his love, a hand slave to Makari, died at the hands of a Denari Lai assassin. His grief ignites a slave rebellion, and Pachat becomes the unwilling leader of the revolt. Urged on by Nishi’iti guerrillas, the rebellion sweeps across the borderlands, threatening to erupt into all-out war. Yet all Pachat wants is to avenge his beloved’s death by killing the assassin, so he walks away from the rebellion to seek when it needs him most.
As Pachat makes off for the capital of Dar Tallus, Ashai is forced to rely on that city’s organized crime gang to hide from the second assassin, and from Bauti’s guards. Despite his best efforts to hide it, Makari discovers Ashai’s true identity, and suddenly, he finds himself without her love, without his faith, and without the Denari Lai. At rock bottom, he doubts he can do anything but cause more damage.
Can Ashai kill the second assassin and win back Makari’s love? Will Pachat gain the revenge he so lustily seeks?
Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Blade-Denari-Lai-Book/dp/B089V6J4JF
Excerpt Reading from Baiting the Hook
As I mentioned, the WordCrafter edition of Shadow Blade comes with a link in the back matter for a free copy of the prolog book, Baiting the Hook. We have a real treat for you today, with the reading of an excerpt from that story, read by Jeff Bowles.
About Author Chris Barili
Currently oppressed by his day job, Chris has set sights on retiring after 42 years in the Intelligence Community and writing full-time. Chris Barili writes all kinds of stories, and has published fantasy, science fiction, horror, western, paranormal romance, and most recently crime, with a noir story in the inaugural print edition of Toe Six Magazine. He is author of the self-published, weird western Hell’s Butcher series, and also writes under the pen names B.T. Clearwater (Supernatural romance) and T.C. Barlow (western). Chris is a retired intelligence officer, having served over 45 years between active duty, contractor, and government employee roles. He lives in Colorado with his wife.
Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Roberta Writes – In Touch with Nature – rhinos and the poaching crisis
This month for my In Touch With Nature post I have considered the poaching of southern white rhinos. This post does not include any graphic details but is more a discussion about the reasons for the rapid decline in the white rhino population and steps being taken to resolve this crisis.
Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.
Roberta Writes – Drawing and Art Special with Resa McConaghy #art #drawing #fashiondrawing
Today I have a real treat for you. An interview with ultra talented fashion designer, artist, and photographer, Resa McConaghy.
Resa has kindly shared some of her drawing and art secrets and a myriad of her amazing drawings and fashion designs.
Thank you, Resa, for this amazing interview.
Resa is also a talented writer and her book, Nine Black Lives, is available for free download on her blog here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/artists/
You can find Resa on her art and murals blog here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/
AND
on her amazing Art Gowns blog here: https://artgowns.com/
You have a great talent for drawing figurines and portraits. What attracts you to this particular subject matter?
This begins with my background in fashion design. The college course I took was in Design and Technology, not illustration. However, a tiny part of the course was dedicated to fashion illustration.
During my time in film, I utilized drawing to explain to directors what I was up to. The drawings were only okay, but they got the design across.
It was blog pal, Holly (House of Heart), who got me drawing fictitious characters for fun, via gagging around in comments.
It started with Boogapony Holly, a character who did a Go-Go dance in front of street art and graffiti, then became a new age Love Child.
Above: Boogapony as a Love Child by the Golden Gate Bridge.
From there, Holly and I created a Super Hero – Princess Blue Holly. Drawing had become a lot of fun at this point.
Above – First Princess Blue Holly drawing – 2019 and More recently PBH dominates an evil puppet. PBH changes outfits for each “Gowntoon” mission. Then I began drawing Art Gowns on some blog pals, to become part of the stories.
Above: Models Holly (as RR) Shey and Dale
Above Models – Holly, Gigi and Marina
Do you have a particular method you use for drawing figures? Do you start with any particular body part? Do you complete the outline of the entire figure and then add the details?
Yes!
I start with an oval for the head. Then, it’s the gesture. I do a few swooping lines to capture how the body feels as it poses.
If the feeling is cool, then I do a few lines for shoulders, bust, waist, hips and feet.
If I haven’t ruined the feeling of the gesture a this point, I continue with details. If I lose the feel, I usually stop.
You clothe many of your figures in intricate and detailed dresses, some of which are period designs. How do you go about researching clothing from particular period? I have tried to research clothing for both men and women from varying time periods and have found it quite difficult to get good details and pictures.
So, the study of Fashion Design & Technology included “Fashion History”. So, how did they get the clothes to look like that, in any era? Well, that’s where the technology comes in.
Example: The Renaissance – pattern cutting was not a thing, clothes were draped. So, we learn about “how” they made clothes fit. Lacing up a square over a flowy under piece makes something fit. A corset is laced to make you fit it. The idea of a cup to fit a breast did not come about until the early 20th century.
Many types of pleats, gathers, tucks, etc. were use to make clothes drape over/fit body shapes. With the advent of patterns in the 1800’s, came darts to make clothing fit.
Once the newly formed middle class Victorians got their hands on patterns, they used the patterns over and over. That, along with the invention of the sewing machine, gave them time to go wild with embellishments: embroidery, trapunto, ruffles, flounces, beading, dying, appliqué, etc. Sure, all that was around before, but it was for the rich, only.
Above: Rebeca Budd (Art Gowns’ Gowntoons Art Director & Holly as RR, in Victorian outfits.
Also, Victorian times saw the advent of synthetic dyes, creating eras of popular colours going forth. Until then dyes were naturally derived from mollusk shells, beets, onion skins and various other plants and lifeforms.
Point is when you understand all of this, you can look at a painting from any era and know how they constructed that garment, therefore you can draw it. You can also design and draw whatever you want, from any era.
Portraits
Above: Jim Morrison
I start with a photo of the person, and crop off the head to what I want. I print that out on 8 x10 paper. I draw crosshairs through the photo of the face. I do the same on a page of 11 x 14 drawing paper.
I begin where the crosshairs meet. That is usually where an eye, between the eyes or top of the bridge of the nose is, and rough that in. From there I rough in the rest of the eyes, brows, nose, top of head, lips and chin. I tried using a grid, but that never works for me. I lose the feel of the face, the expression. Without feel the portrait does not become the person.
Then it’s a series of refinements.
Above: Gloria Steinem pencil drawing, photographed with & without & a warm filter.
Most of my portraits are all lead pencil. I use a full range of leads, smudging sticks, facial tissue and various erasers. I did Janis Joplin with water colour pencils, as her days in pop music were a colourful period.
Below is my first full figure portrait. Tina Turner – Pencil sketch photographed & then edited on basic Mac Photos that comes with the laptop.
Does a particular subject matter call to you when you get an idea or see something you want to draw? I find that certain pictures really attract me as an artist and I really want to draw and paint them. Not all ideas attract me as strongly and I only proceed with the projects that call the loudest.
Definitely, I am inspired by various things. The Art Gowns Models or Boogapony drawings are inspired by ideas Holly and I toss around. IE: What would they wear in Miami? Or if they were movie stars in the 1940’s.
When I saw the Tissot exhibit at the AGO, I was wildly inspired to do faux Tissot style Victorian gowns.
Pop culture figures inspire me. Imagining characters from books inspires me.
Above from left to right: Sam from John W. Howell’s Eternal Road series — Lady Kara from Shehanne Moore’s book His Judas Bride — Estelle from Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s book A Ghost and his Gold — Catling (as a teen & with her tattoos) from D. Wallace Peach’s book Catling’s Bane (the Rose Shield series).
Right now I’m working on some drawings inspired by a series of poems Holly writes called – The Sad Café. This will be the second collection. In this collection I expand into full scene drawing.
Above: from the first Sad Café series
Roberta Writes – d’Verse: Ode to a Shark and Thursday Doors
Melissa’s d’Verse prompt is to write a poem about sharks. I just happen to have come across sharks twice on my recent travels. Once in the Dubai Mall where Michael and I visited the wonderful aquarium and one the plane when I re-watched Jaws. The movie that put me off swimming alone for ever and ever. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/07/15/ode-to-a-shark/
Jaws, the movie
Out of the corner
of my eye
I saw it
The great shark
stealthily approaching
a spray of blood
dismembered leg floating
down, down, towards the ocean bed
I swung my head
toward Mike’s small screen
He was watching Jaws
Jaws! The movie that scared
a whole generation
the reason I won’t swim at night
not alone, not in a crowd
The movie that traumatised me
and changed my view of the ocean
So, of course, I had to watch it
and now, I am retraumatised
for the rest of my life
Thursday Doors
These are a few pictures of doors from my visit to Dubai. It was only for one day, so we only visited Dubai Mall and the aquarium, which was very nice. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/07/17/shop-doors-part-1
The following three photographs are of the sharks in the tank. Sometimes they attack and eat the other fish. That’s sharks for you.
Roberta Writes – d’Verse Quadrille Monday, Esther Chilton’s writing challenge and CFFC #poetry #photography #brussels
d’Verse has reopened after a two-week summer break and the first challenge, hosted by Lisa, is to write a 44-word quadrille using the word turn. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/07/14/dverse-q227-welcome-as-we-return-after-the-break-happy-14th-poet-pub-anniversary/
No place like home
Bustling crowds
self absorbed
intent on achieving
their own objectives
I stand to the side
a mirage
an illustion created
by the heatwaves
bouncing off
the ornate buildings
The loneliness
is intense
My thoughts turn to home
people disbursed like seeds
yet so welcoming
Esther Chilton’s writing challenge
Esther’s prompt word is bird. This poem and oil pastel artwork appear in my book, Square Peg in a Round Hole. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/07/09/writing-prompts-73/
Picture caption: Lone bird at dawn – original oil pastel artwork by Robbie Cheadle.
Lone Bird at Dawn (shadorma)
Fisherman
Forages alone
Spindly legs
Planted deep
Resisting strong morning tide’s
Attempts to sweep clean
CFFC
Dan’s photography prompt is ‘up close’. Here are few pictures from my recent trip to Brussels. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/07/14/up-close-cffc/
The next three pictures are all smurfs made of chocolate that featured in the window of Neuhaus Chocolatier in Brussels.
Roberta Writes – Book review: Tidalscribe Tales by Janet Gogerty #fiction #shortstories
Hi everyone
I am back from my trip to London and Brussels. It was very busy, and I didn’t do much reading of any kind. I do have lots of pictures to share with you over the next few weeks.
First, my review of Tidalscribe Tales by Janet Gogerty.
What Amazon says
Tales light and dark, bending reality, unexpected endings…
Dip into an ABC of stories including four chapters of flash fiction.
My review
A delightful and unusual collection of short stories. The stories are widely varied in their topics, but each has a common thread of the human experience that is nicely captured by the characters who are well developed, despite the length of the stories.
I enjoyed the Englishness of these stories which is reflected in the reactions and dialogue of the characters. The author has captured the essence of the English very well and it was entertaining and relatable for me.
My three favourite of the stories:
A New Family Member – this is the opening story in the collection and is about a man who wants to get a dog for himself and a family. He has specific requirements as to the size and look of the dog as it will be a bit of an ego extension for him. The moral is that you must be careful what you ask for as you just might get it.
Dream Machine – an intriguing tale about a unsatisfied school teacher who dreams of being a famous writer. He believes he has his best ideas while sleeping but can’t remember the details when he wakes up. If only he could write down his dreams as the sleeps. Nothing in life is ever as you expect it to be as is revealed by this fascinating short story.
Trinity Tree – a story about nature’s revenge on a spoiled and selfish man. I was delighted that nature, for once, got the upper hand in this intriguing short story.
A well writing and highly entertaining collection of short stories that will make you think.
You can purchase Tidalscribe Tales from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Tidalscribe-Tales-Janet-Gogerty-ebook/dp/B0DWV9J83V
and from Amazon UK here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tidalscribe-Tales-Janet-Gogerty-ebook/dp/B0DWV9J83V
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