Thank you to author, Stevie Turner, for nominating me for this award. You can read her post here: https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/the-mystery-blogger-award/

The Rules:

• Display the award logo on your blog.
• Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
• Mention Okoto Enigma, the creator of the award.
• Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
• Answer 5 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate 10 – 20 bloggers.
• Notify your nominees by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice, including 1 weird or funny question.
• Share the link to your best post.

Do you find it difficult to come up with interesting topics to blog about?

I am a bit of fly by the seat of my pants blogger. On this blog, Roberta Writes, I participate fairly regularly in a couple of writing prompts, a photograph challenge, and a blog hop, I share extracts and news about my writing and latest books, I share book promotion posts and book reviews, and anything else that grabs my fancy. I am not a planner and very rarely schedule posts ahead of time.

Where do you find inspiration for your blog posts?

As mentioned above, I am a pantster blogger. If I see a writing prompt and inspiration strikes, I write for it. If it doesn’t inspire me, I don’t write for it. I never try to force my creativity. I read a huge amount and I post one review a week on this blog and another on my children’s writing and baking blog. I also share photographs of my garden and my travels as and when I think of it or feel inspired. I am a very unplanned blogger which is why it is a total relaxation for me. My work and writing life is very structured so I deliberately keep my blogging hobby unstructured and fun.

What’s the best thing about Christmas?

In South Africa, Christmas falls during our hot summer. It is the time when we have our main holiday period for the year. The schools and universities close for approximately five weeks and businesses that are not involved in retail or entertainment, close for between three and four weeks. I love being on holiday at this time of year as my clients are also on holiday so it is peaceful and I can relax.

Christmas is a big family time for me. All three of my sisters and their families live close by and we all visit each other and host each other over this period. I usually host Christmas, Hayley hosts Christmas Eve and Catherine hosts New Year’s day. My sisters and their children drop by frequently over this period and the kids all swim and entertain each other.

I am a summer person so this time of year is my favourite and I love my beautiful and colourful garden.

Would you eat a worm if you knew you would be a millionaire after you’d eaten it?

Sure, mopane worms are a delicacy here in South Africa and a lot of people eat them. I have tried them once and they’re not that bad although I wouldn’t make them a regular feature on my menu.

A TV dinner or caviar and champagne?

Neither of these fits me. I have never eaten a TV dinner in my whole life. In my family, someone cooks every night unless we go out for a meal. We never go out for ‘take away’ meals, but always to a sit down restaurant which offers a wholesome menu. We cook a lot of stews, casseroles and pasta dishes as well as some roast meat meals which include roasted potatoes and vegetables. My dad is the king of roasting potatoes so that is his job. My mother is very good at stews and goulashes, my husband is great at curries, stir fry’s and risotto and I do all the baked dishes like pies, quiches, pizzas and such like. Michael is starting to cook now too, so everyone gets a break from cooking.

As for caviar and champagne, I don’t drink champagne, only the very odd glass of wine or a brandy and coke [plebey I know]. I don’t like fish very much either so caviar will never be on my menu. I don’t like fussy food, but prefer the wholesome home cooked meals I grew up with.

I am going to be lazy and not nominate any bloggers for this award. If you’d like to join in, please do so and link back to this post so that I can visit and comment.

Thursday Doors is 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).

Here are a few pictures of the doors at Hobbiton in New Zealand. I think they are so cute.

You can join in the Thursday Doors Challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2020/12/17/2020-in-review-thursday-doors/

I am guest posting over at author, Jane Risdon’s, lovely blog with a post about the siege of Mafeking that took place during the Second South African war. You can read the post here: https://janerisdon.com/2020/12/15/the-versatile-and-prolific-robbie-cheadle-is-my-guest-author-with-something-for-kids-and-adults/

Thank you, Jane, for hosting me.

About Jane Risdon

Jane Risdon began writing several years ago having had a successful career in the International Music Industry which has taken her all over the world working with everything from Rock, Thrash Metal, and R&B/Pop to Chinese Opera. Her work has taken her to North America, Europe, and Singapore: even to Taiwan.

She’s been involved in Music Production, Television, Radio, and Movies around the world.

Jane has published a collection of her short crime stories: Undercover: Crime Shorts available on Amazon and most digital platforms and from Waterstones and Blackwell’s stores in paperback.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Crime-Shorts-Jane-Risdon/dp/0359397832

In 2014 Jane signed a publishing contract with Headline Accent part of the Hachette group.

Her recent co-written novel with award-winning author Christina Jones is entitled ‘Only One Woman’ published by Headline Accent. Christina and Jane have a shared history of the 1960s and the music scene back then and have written a fictional story about two girls and a lead guitarist whose band is touring and recording in England when they meet. It is garnering rave 5* reviews from men and women.

Paperback: ISBN 9781783757312
Audio: ISBN 150037635
e-pub: ISBN 9781783757329

Jane has contributed to well over a dozen anthologies – some award-winning and others nominated for awards – as well as contributions to print and online magazines including The writing Magazine, and she has a regular series in The Writers and Readers’ Magazine. She is a regular blogger and guest author on blogs. She also appears regularly on internet radio online, such as The Authors Show, Brian Hammer Johnson Show, Chat and Spin Radio, and the virtual literary festival and library (video interview) on MYVLF.com

Jane’s Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00I3GJ2Y8

Her main focus remains on crime writing, however, she is a multi-genre author. She is working on a series of novels called ‘Ms. Birdsong Investigates’ centered around a glamorous ex MI5 Officer forced into early retirement, who is trying to keep a low profile in a rural village in Oxfordshire. Her past experiences come to the fore when she finds herself investigating a murder. Soon she finds herself back on old territory with Russian Mafia, Ukrainian People Traffickers and an old flame to deal with.

Jane hopes that this series of novels will be published in 2021.

Drop by Jane’s website and blog where she writes about her writing, entertains guest authors, and blogs about her ‘jollies,’ when she visits lots of interesting places, and she shares her photos and thoughts about her visits – she is an avid photographer and her blog is filled with lots of her photos. Visit her Amazon Author Page to find out more about her and her Facebook Author Page.

Jane’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JaneRisdon2/
Jane’s Author Blog: https://janerisdon.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading this. Let me know you have and do please, leave a review. We authors need all the help we can get. Have a fab day. Jane xx

You can read my Amazon review of Jane Risdon’s collection of short stories, Undercover, Crime Shorts, here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D5K3YJUUDG6K

What Amazon says

Winner of Readers’ Favorite Five Star Award

Cortés’ fleet wallows at the bottom of the ocean, and his army marches for Tenochtitlan. Aided by aggrieved vassals and rapacious soldiers, Cortés has assembled an army unlike any in all the One World. Even the Mexica, the undisputed overlords of the region, may not be able to best them on the field.

A shocking act of violence makes it clear, however, that conflict cannot be avoided. But is there an alternative to direct confrontation?

Motecuhzoma, leader of the Mexica Confederacy, thinks so. Ever one for creative solutions, he settles on a plan as devious as it is risky. If his approach succeeds, peace will prevail in the One World. If his approach fails, the Mexica will pay with blood. Filled with complex characters and soaring action, The Bend of the River returns readers to pre-Hispanic Mexico and offers gripping insight into one of the most famous military campaigns in all of history.

My review

The Bend of the River is the second book in this series about the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th-century. It is not imperative to have read the first book in this series in order to enjoy this book, however, I would recommend it as the first book sets the scene for the events that take place in this second book. The Bend of the River starts with the ruthless and cunning, Hernan Cortés, leader of the Spanish invaders, setting out on the long march to the valley of Mexico and its capital city, Tenochtitlan.

The route is arduous and the Spaniards have to scale mountains, face frigid temperatures, and navigate rough terrain to reach the valley. They also need to overcome other vicious tribes intent on defending their territory. Cortés knows he needs to form alliances with these tribes in order to have any chance of overthrowing the Aztecs and their leader, Motecuhzoma II. His methods are shameful and make you cringe as a reader.

My dislike for Cortés and a few of his other leaders was far greater in this book than in the previous one as they used the most underhanded and devious of methods in their strategies, including rape, kidnapping, mass murder of innocents, and treachery. This book certainly put the Spanish invaders in a very bad light. The Aztec’s had some awful religious practices such as the mass sacrifice of humans to their gods and the enslaving of girls from conquered tribes into a life of prostitution, but they also had a well functioning and sophisticated society. They are portrayed as having certain morals and ethics in war which the Spaniards did not.

The author has clearly done extensive research into this period of time and the Aztec Empire and culture as well as that of the Spanish invaders and this leads to a fantastic book from a historical story point of view.

My criticism of this book is that there was no relief from the endless battling, blood, and gore. I found it a bit tedious towards the end and had tired of endless bloody scenes of death and destruction. It would have been nice if there had been a little relief from all the gore with some other descriptive distractions or a sub-plot. The author did tie up all the lose ends nicely and the book was well finished in a stand alone capacity.

If you enjoy a good historical novel and don’t mind a lot of battle scenes, then this book is an excellent choice.

Purchase The Bend of the River by Edward Rickford

Amazon US

Drawn towards the flames

Mesmerized by the bright lights

Flits the social butterfly

Naïve and unsuspecting

Dancing towards fiery death

By Roberta Eaton Cheadle

This poem is written for Mindlovemisery Menagerie Photochallenge #344. You can join in here: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/photo-challenge-344/

What Amazon says

Murder comes in 7 different genres. By 7 different authors. Are you a fan of courtroom drama? In the anthology’s first story, Abraham Lincoln defends a friend’s son against a charge of murder. For lovers of speculative fiction, Jason Fogg dissolves into mist to sneak through open windows and snoop for clues. How about a cozy? Jazzi, Jerod, and Ansel discover a dead body while renovating a kitchen, dining room, and half bath. Have a craving for a Regency? Lord Peregrine and his wife, Elizabeth, use their sharp minds and quick wit to solve a murder at a garden party. Need a bit of literary fiction? A young, lonely widow must deal with the theft of a valuable butterfly collection. And what about a little psychological horror? Twin sisters discover that their attic is haunted by not one, but two ghosts. Last, but never least, the anthology concludes with a historical mystery. A young, newly married knight is accused of murdering his obnoxious host at a holiday gathering in his castle.

My review

This anthology is a superb collection of seven short stories, all linked with a common murder mystery them, by seven excellent authors.

This collection was fun to read as all the stories approached the theme of murder mystery from a different angle including super hero fantasy, a variety of different historical eras, and some modern settings with an interesting and fresh twist.

Lincoln Uncovers the Real Story of How Preston Metzer Got Himself Kilt – a fascinating and well researched historical story involving a murder trial at which Lincoln defended the accused prior to his become president of the USA. The guilt or not of the accused is unknown throughout this intriguing story;

From the Files of Jason Fogg is an unusual take on a murder mystery story featuring a super hero of sorts as the main character. Jason Fogg has the ability to manifest himself as real fog and uses this ability to help him investigate difficult cases. I have read a few other books by C.S. Boyack and really enjoyed this character. I will be reading more books featuring Jason Fogg;

The Body in the Kitchen is an entertaining story about a trio of home renovators who are hired to renovate select rooms in a dilapidated mansion as part of a charity project. There are a number of other renovators and decorators involved in the project, all of whom have secrets, so when one of their number is discovered dead in a closet, there are plenty of suspects;

Murder at a Garden Party is a fun romp involving an Agatha Christie styled murder in the study of a mansion on the day of a garden party. All the well heeled and sophisticated guests have hidden agenda’s and any of them could be the murderer, which makes for an interesting investigation;

Swallowtail involves a woman from a disadvantaged background who has married well. Everything is fine in her life until her husband dies and some issues with his company come to light. How far would a person go to ensure the continuity of her lifestyle and position?

Within the Plum Attic is a captivating murder mystery story with paranormal and horror elements. Twin sisters move into an old and neglected mansion that their mother has had the good fortune to inherit. One sister is out-going and enjoys friends and socialising while the other is reserved and finds making friends difficult. The quiet one is dependent on the social sister. Unknow to them, a similar family scenario unfolded in the attic of the mansion with unfortunate consequences and the ghosts of these sisters from the past are stirring;

A Winter Reckoning is a well researched historical piece set in medieval times when Lords and Ladies lived in stone castles, women danced to the tune of the men, marriages were arranged for purposes of allegiances, and everyone complied with bidding of the king. Widowed Lady Lorraine is invited to a party by a powerful man who has designs on her. She is obligated to accept the invitation but, not wanting her hosts advances, she asks the son of one of her friends to accompany her as her protector. All of the guests have their own devious reasons for attending the party so when a murder takes place, all of them are suspects.

Murder They Wrote is an interesting and varied anthology including high quality and well written and researched stories.

Purchase Murder They Wrote

Amazon US

Thursday Doors is 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).

Dan has featured gingerbread houses for Thursday’s doors this week so I thought I would follow in his footsteps and share pictures of some of my gingerbread, cake and chocolate houses.

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You can see Dan’s gingerbread house display here: https://nofacilities.com/2020/12/10/christmas-doors-thursday-doors/

WordCrafter is having a party today starting at 2pm MST.

Meet some of the contributing authors of three WordCrafter anthologies, who will be doing author takeovers, and will be available to engage and answer questions, including: Kaye Lynne Booth, Cynthia Vespia, Janet Garber, Margareth Stewart, Jeff Bowles, Jordan Elizabeth, Art Rosch and myself.

Come and join in the fun and learn more about the great new books offered by WordCrafter Press at the 2020 WordCrafter Holiday Book Party.  

This is the line-up in MST:

2 p.m. – WordCrafter Press: Welcome

2:30 p.m. – Author Cynthia Vespia

3 p.m. – Author Jeff Bowles

3:30 p.m. – WordCrafter Press – Whispers of the Past

4 p.m. – Author Kaye Lynne Booth

4:30 p.m. – Author Jordan Elizabeth

5 p.m. – WordCrafter Press: Spirits of the West

6 p.m. – Author Margareth Stewart

6:30 p.m. – Author Arthur Rosch

7 p.m. – WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services

7:30 p.m. – Author Janet Garber

8 p.m. – Author Roberta Eaton Cheadle (5 a.m. Pretoria Central Time on 8 December)

8:30 p.m. – WordCrafter: Holiday Send Off

I have short stories in two of the WordCrafter anthologies, namely, Whispers of the Past and Spirits of the West. I am delighted to tell you that both of these books are now available as paperbacks:

Whispers of the Past

Spirits of the West

Click the link to listen to a short reading from my short story, The Ghost in the Mound, included in the Spirits of the West, a Western anthology.

My Box

Is the box I inhabit

of my own making?

Did I erect its glass walls?

smooth and impenetrable

Did I construct it’s solid top?

painstakingly taking steps

and making decisions

to seal it tightly shut.

Did I desire its glass ceiling?

one I could not penetrate

to progress a fast paced career

at the potential expense

of my relationships

with the two little souls

I chose to bring into this world

Did I chose to wall myself

inside a see through box?

effectively protecting myself

from rampant hormones

that could lead me astray

and shatter my personal dreams

Did the surrounding walls

ensure that balance was maintained?

no third child for me

to upset the pre-determined boundries

of a well-planned and efficient life.

Is my box to keep me in?

a place to shelter

wrapped in my gossamer world

of imagination and fairytales

carefully balanced with a well paid job

and carefully controlled success

Is it my place of dominance?

all ways being my way

the view, the temperature; and

most importantly

who gains entry

Is such a well thought out box

of my own construction

good – or is it bad?

by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

The rules

Use above image as inspiration for a poem or short story.

Alternatively,

If you are an artist or photographer, use this as an opportunity to showcase your own work.

You have 1 week to complete this challenge.

Please credit the artist!

When you’re done, TAG the post Photo Challenge and MindLoveMisery’s Menagerie, and add your link to the Link Button. Also don’t forget to link to this post or copy your post’s URL into the comments. We can read your post sooner that way.

You can join in here: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/photo-challenge-343/

What Amazon says

FROM USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DAN ALATORRE

THE PAST DOESN’T DIE. IT WAITS TO BE FORGOTTEN.

After completing the biggest case of his career, private detective Hank DeShear returns home to start treatment for a disabling genetic condition that could end his life, but he learns his partner on the prior case has just been murdered. Was he wrong to conclude the secretive killer known as The Greyhound had declared a truce? Or have disciples of The Greyhound surfaced to carry on with the murders?
DeShear is able to attach himself to an overseas goodwill mission headed by the U. S. Vice President, enabling him to pursue leads in foreign hospitals he thinks could be offshoots of Angelus Genetics’ illegal organ harvesting programs and human trafficking operations. Determined to pursue the truth wherever it leads, DeShear must also keep a low profile so he doesn’t become the next murder victim—but the onset of his debilitating condition may kill DeShear before the murderer gets a chance.
FANS OF ROBIN COOK, MICHAEL CRICHTON, AND AG RIDDLE WILL LOVE THE LATEST ADDITION TO THIS WELL-WRITTEN AND SUSPENSEFUL SERIES.

PRAISE FOR ROGUE ELEMENTS:

“WOW”

“Grabbed me right away and soon after got an actual “WOL” (WOW’D-Out-Loud)… seriously, I only stopped reading to feed the dogs and heat up a bowl of soup for myself. You’ve outdone yourself .”- Claire Nevins Reviews

“A MASTERFUL THRILLER”

“A riveting thriller by Dan Alatorre, the fast-paced plot is loaded with suspense, intrigue and chilling implications for the future of genetic research. I cannot wait for the next book in this spine-tingling series!” – J Barr Reviews

“ANOTHER WINNER”

“Another winner! 5 stars. What a surprise ending. Didn’t see that coming. Can’t wait for book 3. ” – Shirley Boerstler Review

My review

Rogue Elements is the second book in this series and I have read book 1. I am of the view that while it is nice to read the books in order as it gives you back story to the characters, it is not necessary to have read The Gamma Sequence to enjoy this book.

Rogue Elements gets off to an exciting start with private investigator, Hank DeShear, and his partner returning to the USA after the conclusion of their investigation in Indonesia. Hank is just about to start his life saving treatments to prevent the Gamma Sequence from triggering and killing him, when he gets a phone call saying that his partner has been brutally murdered on her way home from the airport. Hank believes that a killer called The Greyhound may not have died in Indonesia and may be the perpetrator of the murder. He prepares to leave for the murder scene having persuaded Maya, the lady who must administer his treatments, to accompany him and provide the treatments remotely. This is the start of another investigation which will take the pair to the United Kingdom and Hank on to Europe.

This is an exciting and fast paced book with plenty of intrigue and red herrings. There is lots of political intrigue with the Vice President of the USA once again offering to aid DeShear in the pursuit of his objectives and behind the political scenes corruption and profiteering. The genetic engineering premise in this book is well research and fresh, providing an exciting and horrifying new angle on this theme.

Who is the woman called Jaden Trinn and how does she fit in with possible further illegal activity by Angelus Genetics? I was pleased to see the introduction of a new strong willed and agile minded female character into this series and I also enjoyed the tiny flame of romance that seems to have ignited between Trinn and DeShear by the end of this book. Trinn is tough and clever with her own objectives and plans. She is loyal and determined and DeShear couldn’t have a better companion for this adventure.

DeShear lives up to his previous reputation of being a hero who allows nothing and no-one to stand in his way of saving innocent victims. It was an interesting twist to have him fighting a life threatening illness in this book and having moments of vulnerability and weakness.

If you enjoy exciting thrillers with a medical theme and strong and interesting characters, then this is the book for you.

Purchase Rogue Elements: The Gamma Sequence #2

Amazon US

You can learn more about Dan Alatorre and his books on his Amazon author page here: https://www.amazon.com/Dan-Alatorre/e/B00EUX7HEU