Sally Cronin has written a most compelling and wonderful review of A Ghost and His Gold. I am completely delighted by her complete understanding of this story and my writing goals and intentions. Thank you, Sally.
This week my review for the recent release A Ghost and His Gold by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
About the book
After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summonses a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904. Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle?
After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lie in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the…
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 shared some of my pictures of Dover Castle in Kent. This week I am sharing my pictures of the Roman lighthouse and the Saxon Church that are both built on the site of Dover Castle.
Roman lighthouse
The Roman lighthouse at Dover Castle is one of two such lighthouses in Dover and one of only three surviving Roman-era lighthouses in the world. This lighthouse is the tallest and most complete standing Roman structure in England and is claimed to be Britain’s oldest standing building. The lighthouse survived after being converted into a belltower for the adjacent church in the Saxon era when a new upper layer was added.
Saxon church – St Mary in Castro
St Mary in Castro or St Mary de Castro is a heavily restored originally Saxon structure which is built next to the Roman lighthouse which became its belltower.
There are records which indicate that this church was build by Eadbald of Kent in the 630s, but this is not a proven fact. The existence of a large, late-Saxon cemetery around the restored church does support this theory. The present Saxon church was built around AD1,000.
Jeff Shaara has enthralled readers with his New York Times bestselling novels set during the Civil War and the American Revolution. Now the acclaimed author turns to World War I, bringing to life the sweeping, emotional story of the war that devastated a generation and established America as a world power.
Spring 1916: the horror of a stalemate on Europe’s western front. France and Great Britain are on one side of the barbed wire, a fierce German army is on the other. Shaara opens the window onto the otherworldly tableau of trench warfare as seen through the eyes of a typical British soldier who experiences the bizarre and the horrible–a “Tommy” whose innocent youth is cast into the hell of a terrifying war.
In the skies, meanwhile, technology has provided a devastating new tool, the aeroplane, and with it a different kind of hero emerges–the flying ace. Soaring high above the chaos on the ground, these solitary knights duel in the splendor and terror of the skies, their courage and steel tested with every flight.
My review
I listened to the 30 hour audio book of To the Last Man. It was well narrated and the narrator, Paul Michael, had a pleasant voice which is important for such a long listen.
I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the USA’s involvement in WW1 and it certainly surpassed my expectations in that regard.
The first half of the book is devoted to the role of aviators in this terrible war and focuses on the establishment of the American escadrille, called the Lafayette Escadrille, comprising of American pilots who flew for France prior to America’s late entrance into the war.
Raoul Lufbery is the central character for the telling of this perspective. Lufbery is not a war hero I’d heard of before reading this book, but he was my favourite character. Through Lufbery’s eyes, the reader meets other American aviation heroes from this flying corp including Kiffin Rockwell, Victor Chapman, Norman Prince, William Thaw, and others. I found the descriptions of the in air fights, different aeroplanes and guns, and attitudes and attire of the pilots fascinating. This is exactly the sort of detail I enjoy in a historical novel as it makes the people and events very real.
This section of the book also presents the German aviation perspective through the eyes of the famous Red Baron. I had, of course, heard of Manfred Von Richthofen, but I didn’t know all the details presented in this book. I thought the Red Baron and the attitudes and culture of the German military were well described.
The second half of this book was devoted to the story of America’s entry into the war and the appointment of General John Pershing to head up the USA army. The first part of this section included a lot of detail about the politics of America’s entrance into the war both internally, and among the British and the French. I found it very intriguing.
The last part of the book details the experiences of an American farm boy turned doughboy and his experiences in The trenches and on the ground in France. The details about the tanks, weapons and battles were extraordinarily well researched and the fights and battles vivid and horrifying.
These are two short extracts which illustrate the detailed descriptions of life for soldiers in this war:
“Soaked and thoroughly embarrassed, they were given soft blobs of foul-smelling soup that carried away the last remnants of the creatures who had taken up residence on the skin and hair of each man, and then, more hoses.”
“The darkness was complete, a slow march into a black, wet hell. He was the last man in the short column, one part of a line of twenty men, guided by the low sounds in front of him, soft thumps, boots on the sagging duckboards.”
The reason I am allocating 4 stars to this book is because the short clipped style of writing was a bit irritating in some parts. There was also a relentless usage of the word – said. I found it quite distracting and started listening for it.
For me, the disclosures about ‘the doughboy’ Roscoe Temples feelings of complete displacement and worry he’ll never fit in at home again we’re realistic and vivid. I was glad, however, that the book ended on a bit of a high note after all the misery and loss.
This book is a must read for people interested in learning more about America’s participation in the war.
If you are interested, you can listen to my review and a short extract from this book here:
I’ve tried to picture in my mind what 480,000 bodies would look like, but all I can visualize are hundreds of fat, black corpse flies feasting on them and, even worse, laying their eggs on them. I see the clusters of flies in the corners of their eyes and in their mouths, noses and ears, and the speckles of fly dust that mark their clothes. The buzzing of the flies fills my mind and I think of those poor dead men turning into a mass of maggots. My gorge rises and it’s all I can do not to vomit.
Today, I am delighted to welcome Annette Rochelle Aben, a wonderful poet and blogger, and a contributor to the Poetry Treasures anthology to Roberta Writes with a post about poetry.
Over to Annette
I’m Annette Rochelle Aben and writing has been my go-to for creative expression, emotional release, and a way to boost my GPA since I was a child. I am thrilled to be a part ofPoetry Treasures.
When I first started writing poetry, I never knew much about it, except to know that (to me) a good poem HAD to rhyme. Gee whiz, have I ever been schooled through connecting with other writers and poets here in the blogsphere. One of my favorite poetry styles is called SYLLABIC POETRY. And one of my favorite forms of said style is the ABHANGA. An ABHANGA is a 4-line poem in which the first 3 lines contain 6 syllables each and the last line has 4 syllables. Also, the 2nd and 3rd lines must rhyme with each other.
Here is a poem I wrote titled: SUPER SISTER and it is inspired by a very timely event occurring in my sister’s life. As the older sister, I want to vanquish the bad guys and make her problem disappear, but ah… please read on.
I want to step in
To prove I have her back
It’s not courage I lack
It’s not my fight
Right now, she needs support
Reminders of her strength
Me to stay back some length
For she’s got this
For this poem, I wrote a DOUBLE ABHANGA, as I felt that the thought needed to be expanded. Sometimes we can love someone so much that we forget that love doesn’t mean smothering another’s flame. Unless she asks me to help her, to do so would be disrespectful.
Thank you for sharing this SYLLABIC POETRY moment with me and I look forward to learning that you have obtained a copy (or two) of Poetry Treasures.
A collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read in 2020. Open the book and discover the poetry treasures of Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria (Tori) Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kitya Itakali, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
I was born writing! At least this is how it seems. I had the good fortune to be published while a sophomore in high school, so continuing the journey by publishing books has been a natural course of events.
It is my pleasure to announce that the book I have just released is # 1 Best Seller! And that is: A Haiku Perspective 2018, which is available in both Kindle and paperback formats! Enjoy celebrating a year of my life as told using the framework of Haiku style poetry.
Angel Messages Two – songs of the heart, is a book filled with beautiful photos and remarkable tanka poetry. People LOVE this book because of the comfort it provides. Many have gifted it to others and been thanked over and over again.
A Tanka Picture Book is exactly as the name suggests. I took photos of a variety of everyday objects, works of art and nature, then wrote a tanka poem for each. I suggest this book for all the right reasons. It will entertain, provoke thought, stimulate conversation and be a great addition to your library!
I have chosen to release my annual haiku collection in time to celebrate National Poetry Month, in April. A Haiku Perspective 2017 is filled with smiles, laughter, wisdom and creativity, all cleverly disguised as haiku poetry. Enjoy!
My book, GO YOU offers some encouragement when you need it. It is a pep-talk in a book! Each page gives you a quick way to start your day, help you through a moment or even provide someone else words that can inspire them to a better life. We can all use a cheerleader, when one isn’t available, this book fits the bill!
Most of the books I have published here are centered in poetry, Haiku poetry to be exact. Much of the feedback I receive about the haiku poetry is that people can really understand the messages and they appreciate that the poems are short and sweet!
Angel Messages – a wing and a prayer is my first book about angels. Filled with photos, prayers, poems and prose of and about Angels, this book will delight any Angel lover in your life. Check out the reviews, people are drawn to the inherent inspirational nature of this book and as result is fast becoming their favorite. You can have it right away using the Kindle option or order a paperback copy (or two) and carry it with you wherever you go.
I mentioned that many of my books are filled with my poetry and several of them combine that with my love of taking pictures. Books that feature poetry and photos include Perspective, it’s all about replacing one thought with another, PhoKu, visual perspective haiku and BooKu, Halloween haiku. Perspective has a wide variety of pages that feature prose, poetry and nature photographs, while PhoKu is filled with the photographs I have taken in nature with Haiku poetry added to them, hence the title: PhoKu. BooKu is a “behind the scenes look at how Halloween decorations feel about their jobs. All three of these books are available in print and Kindle formats.
A Haiku Perspective 2015, and A Haiku Perspective 2016 are haiku poetry books. When I first experimented with the haiku writing format, I had no idea I would enjoy it as much as I do. These days, I am writing haiku daily and finding myself thinking in 17 syllables. You can find these books in both print and Kindle formats.
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).
Dover Castle is a medieval Castle in Dover, Kent, England. This is my favourite English castle to date and I have visited it three times during three separate visits to the UK. There is a lot to see at Dover Castle including the underground hospital that was established and used during WW2, the Roman lighthouse and a Saxon Church.
Today, I am going to show you a few of my pictures of the castle and its doors.
Dover Castle from the road
Door in the courtyard / door on the roof / door as viewed from the roof
Hearth in the kitchen
Dining room
Head table
Drapes in the dining room
Toilet
Doorway into the toilet
The medieval toilet was merely a hole that went down to a cesspit on the ground below. The cesspit was cleaned out by a gong farmer.
If you are keen, you can learn more about gong farmers here:
I am over at Writing to be Read with a new post in my Dark Origins series about The Sleeper by Edgar Allan Poe. I’ve also included my reading of this intriguing poem. Thanks for hosting me, Kaye Lynne Booth.
The Sleeper, a poem by Edgar Allan Poe takes as it subject a beautiful woman in death.
At midnight in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapour, dewy, dim,
Exhales from out her golden rim,
And, softly dripping, drop by drop,
Upon the quiet mountain top.
Steals drowsily and musically
Into the universal valley.
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast,
The ruin moulders into rest;
Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take,
And would not, for the world, awake.
All Beauty sleeps!—and lo! where lies
(Her easement open to the skies)
Irene, with her Destinies!
The speaker in the poem begins by describing the cemetery at midnight in the month of June. He observes the moon and notes…
Today, I am thrilled to have C.S. Boyack over for a visit to showcase the fourth book in his The Hat series, Lunar Boogie.
I have read the first two books in this terrific series and loved both of them. Craig Boyack has an extraordinary imagination and is exceptionally good at writing fantasy books.
Thanks for letting me borrow your space, Robbie. I’m touring my newest book, “Lunar Boogie” around the blogosphere. This one is book number four in The Hat Series.
Today’s topic is a bit unusual, but so is this series. Heroes go through a lot, and that has to take a toll eventually. Lunar Boogie is about the hunt for a werewolf. These creatures are tragic, because the human part of them is unaware of what goes on when the moon is full. Stopping a werewolf means killing a virtually innocent person.
This might be difficult for Lizzie St. Laurent. She’s been a trooper, fighting evil in humans and actual monsters, but the downside of this case is all too much for her. Toward the end of the story she loses it.
I’ll be honest, originally I ended it on a major bummer note. I wanted to explore the cost of being a hero, but it just didn’t wash. The Hat Series is dark comedy. The comedy part of that label doesn’t work with a harsh ending. Now I wonder if I could work ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ into their playlist in a future story.
I solved my problem by keeping the bummer part, but adding an extra chapter. Readers are going to meet Lizzie’s parents. I’m kind of proud of how they turned out. If you read between the lines, you might notice that Lizzie is a combination of both parents. Her dad is a dedicated, hard working fellow. Her mother is more of a free spirit. Star St. Laurent came out as a genuine Craig Boyack character. I hope readers will enjoy her.
I left Lizzie in California with her parents, but you know that can’t last. The series will go on, and that means she has to be reunited with the hat, and move back home to play with her band. We all wish her well in sorting out her problems, and hope she comes through the fire stronger than ever.
***
Lizzie and the hat are back in action, only this time they’re up against the most tragic monster of all, a werewolf.
This adventure is more like hunting an animal, and the werewolf is unlikely to come to any of their musical performances. This puts Lizzie out in the dark corners and wooded areas of the city. It may be more beneficial to get the monster to hunt Lizzie than to stalk him on his own turf. All she has to do is be quicker on the trigger than the wolf is on his feet.
At the same time, the police think they’re after a serial killer. Lizzie tries to keep them alive while also keeping them out of her way. As the body count rises, so do the pressures. It doesn’t help that people are blaming Lizzie and the hat for the killings. This involves an urban myth about them that the locals call Hellpox.
Pull on your boogie shoes and join the hunt. Designed as an afternoon read, this one is tons of supernatural fun.
Welcome to this week’s blog hop. Today’s topic is:
What historical/public figure would you most like to learn more about? Would you ever write about them?
The short answer to this question is that I am fascinated by many historical figures and I do write about them.
Amelia Dyer was an English serial killer who murdered infants in her care over a thirty year period.
Amelia was trained as a nurse and after being widowed in 1869, she turned to ‘baby farming’ to support herself. Baby farming was the practice of fostering unwanted (illegitimate) babies for a sum of money.
A few children died in her care, possibly accidentally, and Amelia was arrested for neglect and sentenced to six months of hard labour. After serving her time, she started murdering children she ‘adopted’ through strangulation. The bodies were disposed of in the River Thames.
Amelia was arrested on the 4th of April 1896 after the corpse of a murdered infant, together with evidence leading to her, was discovered in the river. She was found guilty of the murder of Doris Marmon and hanged on the 10th of June 1896. Although she was only convicted of one murder, Amelia Dyer was believed to be responsible for the deaths of approximately 400 infants.
I would like to try to understand the psychology of a female who was able to put aside all maternal feelings and brutally murder so many babies in her care. How did she feel about the murders? Did she have any remorse or did she convince herself they were unworthy of life due to their illegitimate status?
Amelia Dyer is also the subject of my short story, Justice is Never Served, which is included in Death Among Us, a murder mystery anthology.
Amelia also makes an appearance in Through the Nethergate as the housekeeper who sees to Margaret’s needs during her time in Hell. Amelia is described as a most horrible woman. This is a short extract:
Margaret knew someone was watching her before she heard the words.
“Wake up, you lazy brat.” The harsh voice penetrated Margaret’s light morning sleep, snapping her awake.
She sat up in bed and looked at the latest entrant into her life with startled eyes. As understanding penetrated her waking mind, deadly fear shot through her heart and she drew back with an exclamation of horror.
The face peering at her from just inside the door was ugly. Cold, hard eyes, like chips of flint, glared at her from a countenance deeply etched with lines of discontent and hatred towards others. Her face and hands were covered with welts, inflamed and oozing pus.
She was surrounded by a cloud of miniature forms, like tiny babies with wings. Their bodies were naked and horribly emaciated. It was their faces that shocked Margaret. Huge mouths dominated the tiny heads, full of sharp teeth like ivory needles. They hovered like a cloud of flies around the unsightly woman. Every now and then one would dart forward and latch itself to an exposed piece of her skin. Sucking onto her flesh like tiny vampires.
What could she possibly have done to deserve such a fate? I can’t believe those creatures. They are disgusting.
Margaret shuddered and she felt her knees trembling under the bedclothes.
“Get dressed and come and eat your breakfast.” The woman turned and made her way carefully down the stairs.
Margaret quickly dressed and made the bed. She stumbled down the creaking stairs and into the dining room.”
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Didi Oviatt shared a lovely and detailed review of A Ghost and His Gold as part of my recent Great Escapes virtual blog tour. Didi has a wide selection of lovely books so take a look around while you are there.
About the book
roberta-writes.com 