This morning I read a post by Sally Cronin from Smorgasbord Blog Magazine about the War Poets. Sally shared this lovely post in anticipation of Remembrance Day which is on Thursday, 11 November. You can read it here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2021/11/08/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-podcast-in-remembrance-the-war-poets-in-sawnlees-once-and-can-you-remember-edmund-blunden/

Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.—on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

I am currently writing about the entrance of the USA into WW1 in April 1917. I thought today would be a good day to share a small extract of what I’ve been working on.

Enlisting in haste, repenting at leisure

The diary of Jake Tanner

16 October 1917

It’s raining. It’s always raining in this godforsaken place miles away from home.

I’m sitting propped up against my bulging backpack with my inadequate covering tucked around my shoulders. The rough grey wool of the army-issue blanket reeks of mold and feels clammy to the touch, but these small discomforts ceased to bother me days ago.  

The light of my small piece of candle flickers and dances in tribute to the icy wind sidling through the gaps caused by the ill-fitting tent flap. Fat droplets drum steadily on the waterlogged canvas exterior of the tent, and I shudder at the thought of the icy rivulets I know are streaming down its sides. The trenches Mike and I dug to stop the water from flooding our sleeping quarters were already full to overflowing last night.

The five other inhabitants of the tent are still asleep. Their noses, closed eyes, and greasy hair are poking out of the tops of their rolled-up blankets. Heavy breathing, punctuated by occasional snorts, blends with the rain into a dull and monotonous duet.

Pigs in blankets. That’s what they are.

Hands clenched so tightly my ragged nails dig into the soft flesh of my palm, I choke back the laughter.

They’ll be really pissed if I laugh and wake them.

I would prefer to be asleep. When I’m asleep I don’t feel cold or hungry, but this morning the rumbling of my empty belly dragged me reluctantly from its comforting embrace.

We have been here for six days already and most of the fellows are anxiously waiting for the order to entrain for Southhampton Docks.

“We want to get to France. We’re missing all the action sitting around here waiting for transport,” they cried.

I don’t mind being here.  There are a lot of British ‘Tommies’, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand troops convalescing at the base hospital. They are happy to share about their experiences at the front and how they were wounded.

There was also a young man from South Africa. He was in the Somme offensive last year.

“I was part of the infantry brigade which captured Delville Wood on the 15^th of July. I lost some good friends in that battle.” His dark eyes stared unseeing into the distance as if he were watching out for the return of his fellow combatants.

“I survived unscathed but took a bullet in the leg in West Flanders. My leg is healing well, and I’ll be going back when my convalescent leave ends in three weeks.”

“Where will you be going?”

The disconnected look returned, and his strangely dead eyes sent shivers down my spine. “Back to the Western Front I expect.”

The South African would say no more about his experiences in either Delville Wood or West Flanders, but he did confirm that France is also muddy and cold.

“Very different from South Africa. The sun shines most days in my home city of Pretoria, even during the winter.”

The Australians are friendly, but they do exaggerate. Their stories about life in the trenches are dramatic and we don’t believe it can be that bad.

The downside is that we are billeted in tents and this place is a sea of mud.

“This is typical English October weather,” one of the Tommies said. “It’ll be the same in France so prepare yourselves.”

We are wet and dirty all the time and I’ve become used to going to bed in my wet, muddy clothes and sleeping between damp blankets.

There is also a shortage of rations. We’ve explored several of the nearby towns looking for more food. We don’t have a lot of money, but the people are willing to trade our small trinkets for food, so it all works out well. 

Yesterday, I gave my food away to a kid on the side of the road. His tired, hungry looking face tugged at my heart and I gave him what I’d managed to barter.

My buddies laughed: “You’ll be sorry”.

I’m hungry this morning, but I’m not sorry.

This beautiful cover reveal picture was created for me by Teagan Riordain Geneviene who designed the cover.

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

Last week, I wrote about my visit to the South African Military Museum and shared pictures of the aeroplanes I saw there. This week, I am sharing pictures of the tanks. They are amazing and so huge! Best of all, they all have doors.

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“Tanks, which used to be objects of ridicule, have become a major weapon. They come rolling forward in a long line, heavily armoured, and they embody the horror of war for us more than anything else.

We cannot see the gun batteries that are bombarding us, and the oncoming waves of enemy attackers are human beings just like we are – but tanks are machines, and their caterpillar tracks run on as endlessly as the war itself. They spell out annihilation when they roll without feeling into the shell holes and then climb out again, inexorably, a fleet of roaring, fire-spitting ironclads, invulnerable steel beasts that crush the dead and wounded.”

From All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/11/04/st-scholastica-doors/

Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card & 1 e-book or paperback copy of one book in the Haunted Shores series (Winner’s choice).  Simply leave a comment below for your chance to win!

Inspiration

In 2019, the Wild Rose Press launched the Haunted Shores Mysteries with my story about Darrell, the teacher and coach who sees ghosts and the ghost of a huge black student haunting a high school. BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE was so well received by readers and reviewers that it became a #1 Amazon best seller!

Then, last year, the publisher released CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY in the middle of the pandemic, a story featuring the specter of a bride murdered on her wedding night, who stalks Darrell, still bleeding in her white wedding dress. This second entry has won three national awards and, by now, the series has amassed more than a dozen 5-Star reviews from national and international reviewers. Then, this fall CRIMSON joined BLOOD in the best seller category, hitting #2 on Amazon.

 As I pondered the third installment, I realized I wanted to keep all the critical elements of the series—cold case murder, ghost, romance and resort—but I also wanted to give my readers something different. On a break from my brainstorming, I was thumbing through family pictures and came upon a photo of my grandkids playing on a playground.

Staring at the images of the smiling faces, it hit me. What if the mystery was about the death of two kids? Two kids whose ghosts haunt Darrell to find justice for them?

The rest, as they say, is history. Our last trip—pre-pandemic—was to the Florida Gulf coast to find a suitable location for my narrative and I found a great one.

Thus, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER was born. Well, that and hundreds of hours of writing, revising, re-writing, editing, re-writing…well, you get the picture. I’m pretty happy with the end product and I hope readers are too.

“A ghost story with a twist, Scarlet at Crystal River is a bestseller in the making. Brilliant descriptive narration sucks the reader in and doesn’t let go until the end of the story. Paranormal and mystery readers will love Scarlet at Crystal River. If you’re looking for a spine-tingling mystery, pick up Scarlet at Crystal River. Highly recommend!” 5+ Stars—N N Light Bookheaven

Scarlet at Crystal River – A Haunted Shores Mystery

Blurb

When he and Erin track down the artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never even knew.

All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.

Reviews

“Scarlet at Crystal River is an eerie paranormal mystery I couldn’t stop reading. Randy Overbeck is a masterful writer of the paranormal, drawing the reader in before instilling shivers down the spine. 5+ stars.” –N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

“A rollercoaster of a mystery, hurtling up and down hills and sharp corners until the very end, when the reader is left slightly breathless, waiting for their hearts to beat back to a normal rhythm. ★★★★★—ReadersView

“Scarlet at Crystal River is a suspenseful paranormal novel with compelling characters and an enigmatic mystery that drives the story to a riveting conclusion. Overbeck is a master at building tension–-this is easily a one-sitting read.” ★★★★★—Literary Titan

“This is another masterpiece from Randy Overbeck. His excellent writing style has left me speechless for one more time. He writes in a way that makes you feel what the characters feel and you have no choice but to partake in the journey with them.” ★★★★★—Ioanna’s Reviews, Greece

Book trailer

Purchase links

Amazon US

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

Bookbub

Author biography

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for four decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake, Crimson at Cape May and Scarlet at Crystal River have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year–ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.

Social media

https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy

https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck

https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg/featured

Tik Tok @authorrandyo

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors’ tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and his work!
 

In Canto 10, Dante and Virgil begin their journey down a secret part in the VIth circle of Hell. They walk past the tombs of the Heretics, shades who during their lifetimes, pursued pleasure relentlessly as they did not believe the body contained a soul. Many of these shares were Epicureans, followers of Epicurus, the Greek philosopher whose philosophy was the attainment of happiness, defined as the absence of pain.

According to Dante’s idea of retribution, the Heretics’ punishment is to spend eternity in flaming tombs, until Judgment Day, when the tombs will close and the souls inside will be sealed forever within their earthly bodies.

The philosophy of Epicurus (341–270 B.C.E.) was a complete and interdependent system, involving a view of the goal of human life (happiness, resulting from absence of physical pain and mental disturbance), an empiricist theory of knowledge (sensations, together with the perception of pleasure and pain, are infallible criteria), a description of nature based on atomistic materialism, and a naturalistic account of evolution, from the formation of the world to the emergence of human societies.

You can read more about Epicurus here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epicurus/

Dante tells Virgil he wants to speak to some of the shades. Virgil notes that Dante’s has a secret wish but Dante denies it. In fact, Dante wants to see if he recognises any of the shades as being from Florence as he knew certain people who were Epicureans and who he expects to see in this circle. Just then, a shade calls out to Dante recognising him as being from Tuscany. The spirit turns out to be Farinata, whose family is an enemy of Dante’s family, and a fellow Florentine.

According to LitCharts.com Summary & Analysis of Inferno Canto 10:

The local feuds between families in Florence are still a matter of concern for Farinata, even as he spends eternity suffering in hell. This particular feud refers to the fact that Farinata stood on the side of the Ghibellines (supporting the Holy Roman Emperor over the Pope) while Dante was a Guelph (supporting the Pope over the Holy Roman Emperor). This political conflict motivated much of the political strife in Florence and across all of Italy when Dante wrote.

A second shade, Cavalcante dei Cavalcanti, the father of Dante’s friend Guido, rises from the tomb during this conversation. He asks Dante why his son is not with him. Dante suggests that Guido has distained God and uses the past tense with reference to his friend. Cavalcante swoons back into his tomb to grieve as he believes his son is dead.

Dante asks Farinata why the souls in Hell are able to see the future but cannot see the present. Farinata responds that the shades can only see distant things in the past and in the future. Dante feels pity for Cavalcante and asks Farinata to tell him that his son still lives.

Virgil then tells Dante they need to move along and they take a path towards the centre of Dis.

An extract from Canto 10:

“And now my Teacher was recalling me;

with greater haste I therefore begged the spirit

that he would tell me who was with him there.

He said: “With o’er a thousand here I lie;

the second Frederick and the Cardinal

are here within; I speak not of the rest.”

He thereupon concealed himself; and I,

those words recalling which seemed hostile to me,

back toward the ancient Poet turned my steps.

The latter moved; and then, as on we went,

he said to me: “Why art thou so perplexed?”

And him in what he asked I satisfied.”

Ring the bell for James J. Cudney who is revealing the cover of his new book…

Isn’t it a great cover AND, having read other books in this series, I know it’s also a great story!

The Blurb

When Bell Towers decides to build their newest boutique hotel in Wharton County, Braxton establishes a hospitality program as part of their university expansion. Despite the Ingram and Lynch family ties to prominent citizens, a dispute over the proposed landsite pits citizens against each other.

One takes matters into their own hands and slays the hotel magnate during the campus holiday party. As the list of suspects increases, long-lost family members are anxious to keep their secrets from being revealed, complicating Sheriff Montague’s ability to determine the murderer’s true motive. Even Kellan is forced to cast doubt on his friends and colleagues when it becomes obvious someone he knows committed the ultimate crime.

April and Kellan are also celebrating their first Christmas and Hanukkah together, exchanging gifts based on the classic Twelve Days of Christmas song. While they trim the tree, light the menorah, and experience all the traditional holiday festivities with the kids, Nana D delivers her sarcastic brand of humor and endlessly tortures the town. Among Eleanor’s surprise news, Augie’s new girlfriend, and Myriam’s hilarious demands, Kellan’s dealing with unexpected holiday drama.

The poor guy simply wants to spend the merry season with his family before he’s forced to trek to Scotland to fulfill his promise to the late Constance Garibaldi. What kind of quest has the psychic sent him on now?

Pre-order link

Amazon US

Add Sleigh Bell Tower: Murder at the Campus Holiday Gala to your To Be Read on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56803291-sleigh-bell-tower

My review of Frozen Stiff Drink (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 6)

Frozen Stiff Drink is another incredibly fast-paced and fascinating murder mystery in this great series by author, James J. Cudney. This one is even more complex as it involves three murders and a couple of close attempts so you have to pay attention and stay on your toes while reading. This book also includes a ramp up in Kellan’s relationship with law enforcer, April, despite some trials presented in the unexpected appearance of her husband, Fox Terrell, who turns out to have some unexpected relationships with the people of Wharton County, and his continued interference in her murder cases.

Kellan’s brother, Hampton, plays a bigger role in this tale and becomes involved in a lot of intrigue. He is accused of embezzlement by his father-in-law, Orin, Read, the founder of the firm where he works, and when Orin is discovered dead, Hampton is the natural suspect in the case.

Nana D, now mayor of Wharton County, but still high spirited and indefatigable in her dealings with family, friends and her constituents. Nana D goes missing during a bad snow storm and Kellan is worried about her. During his search for her he finds her car with another body inside it, but no sign of Nana D.

The story line is exciting with lots of twists and turns and the ending was clever and unexpected.

All the wonderful family elements that make this series so special are present with Kellan’s daughter, Emma, going to Disney Land with his parents and his surrogate son, Ulan. Francesca, Kellan’s on-so-dead mobster related wife who he is trying to divorce, also pops up in a threatening manner as she wants to get her hands on Emma.

James J. Cudney has a very natural style of writing and includes lots of great description in a simple and unencumbering way which does not detract from the pace of the story. I look forward to see what this author produces next.

Purchase link: Amazon US

Bravo, James J. Cudney!

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

Terence and I visited the South African Military Museum earlier this year. It was an interesting museum to visit and I learned some new information about South Africa’s involvement in WW1 and WW2.

The South African National War Museum in Johannesburg was officially opened by Prime Minister Jan Smuts on 29 August 1947 to preserve the history of South Africa’s involvement in the Second World War. In 1975, the museum was renamed the South African National Museum of Military History and its function changed to include all conflicts that South Africa has been involved in. In 1999 it was amalgamated with the Pretoria-based Transvaal Museum and National Cultural History Museum to form the NFI. In April 2010 Ditsong was officially renamed Ditsong Museums of South Africa and the SANMMH was renamed the Ditsong National Museum of Military History. From Wikipedia

A selection of the airplanes on display in the museum:

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All of these planes had cockpit doors although the door in the first picture is missing. That Messerschmitt Bf 109E3 was part of the fighter escort from Luftwaffe Fighter Squadron JG26 commanded by one of Germany’s most famous fighter aces – Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland. This squadron was escorting a bomber raid on Britian on the afternoon of 28 November 1940 and was intercepted over Kent by the Hurricanes of 249 Fighter Squadron RAF. In the ensuing dog-fight, this plane ran out of fuel and made a forced landing on a farm at Udimore in Sussex.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/10/28/more-train-doors/

Dante and Virgil are stuck outside the gates of Dis, having been barred from entry by the fallen angels. While they are waiting to see if Virgil’s appeal to them will change the status quo, the fallen angels come back and slam the gates shut in defiance.

Virgil tells Dante not to worry as an angel from Heaven will descend to open the gates. The wait seems to be long and Dante becomes anxious, asking Virgil if anyone from the upper circles has ever made this descent into Hell. Virgil confirms that he was once required to summons a shade from the circle of Judas, deeper into Hell, so he does know the way.

During this wait, three furies appear. They threaten to summon Medusa to turn Dante to stone. Virgil places his own hands over Dante’s eyes to protect his eyes from the beast.

An enormous noise, like a hurricane, causes the two poets to look towards Styx. They see a figure crossing without touching the marsh. Shades rush away from him and he moves his left hand in front of him to dispel the fog of the marsh.

Dante recognizes the Heavenly messenger and Virgil asks him to bow down and remain quiet.

The angel opens the gate of Dis with his rod, and chides the fallen angels for their resistance. He then returns the way he came.

The pair enter the sixth circle and see a large graveyard with uneven open tombs. Flames burn outside the wall of every tomb making them red hot. Terrible moans and howls come from the open tombs which are inhabited by the spirits of arch-heretics of all cults and their followers.

The two poets walk past the burning tombs.

Extract from Canto 9

Even as at Arles, where marshy turns the Rhone,

or as at Pola near Quarnaro’s gulf,

which bounds Italia, and her border bathes,

the sepulchres make all the ground uneven;

so likewise did they here on every side,

save that their nature was more bitter here;

for flames were spread about within the tombs,

whereby they glowed with such intensity,

that no art needeth greater heat for iron.

The lids of all of them were raised, and wails

so woeful issued thence, that of a truth

they seemed the wails of wretched, tortured men.