Hello blog friends,

I've another poem to share, a response to writer Colleen Chesebro's prompt. Over these last many months, her theme has been and is the changing seasons. Our area is starting to warm up, and so, my poem focuses on the arrival of spring.

On sunny days, I walk a trail near my home. Small holes and little mountains of dirt cover the path. The burrowing gopher has had a busy winter! I'm not sure how the locals deal with this little critter, but for now, hikers step over or around the hole-ridden path. If one isn't careful, it would be easy to twist an ankle. Gophers are cute little guys, but oh what a mess they create. 

I hope you have a wonderful week with plenty of sunshine. It's time to enjoy the warmth nature provides. ❤️

Hello, blog friends!

I'm excited to share some breaking news: writer Mae Clair has a new release: The Keeping Place. If you are like me, you savor the artistry of Mae's work and eagerly await each new book. I've pre-ordered my copy, as the publication date is March 5th. 

Mae gives us a peek at her new book - through some backstory, an excerpt, and the blurb. Happy reading! 

​Hi, Gwen! Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today. I’m delighted to be here,
sharing my upcoming release The Keeping Place, a dual timeline mystery which is now available for pre-order! Most readers know me as someone who loves weaving urban legends and threads of the supernatural into my stories. The Keeping Place took an entirely different turn.

Well… there is a small thread that does involve an old town legend and a ghost, but nothing
that takes center stage as in my other books. This one is about relationships, and what happens
to an estranged mother/daughter when the remains of the youngest daughter are discovered
ten years after she disappeared. It’s more of a “quiet” mystery than I’ve written in the past.

Today, I’m focusing on someone from my “past” timeline, set in 2013. In the excerpt below,
twelve-year-old Janie Seabrooke encounters a woman who will soon impact her life in ways she
can’t possibly imagine.
​
Janie has just gone to a local market to buy a pack of candy. When she leaves the store, she
spies a woman sitting on a street bench.

​EXCERPT:

She’s pretty.

Not glamorous like her mom, or dark and willowy like Nicole. More like she’d stepped from a
storybook populated by wildflowers and butterflies. Wavy brown hair layered with hints of gold
curled around her shoulders. She couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Nicole.

“…no luck…” The storybook lady spoke into her phone. “…horrible mess…thanks, Rhonda…good friend…figure something out…”

Janie tugged the bike from the rack, bumping the front tire onto Main Street. Traffic was busier
than usual, almost as if the impending arrival of June had hyped everyone for summer. Two
more weeks and school would be done, seventh grade officially behind her. Then what? She
wasn’t even sure what to do now.

Straddling her bike, she eyeballed the sign across the street. Flowing violet script proclaimed
Glory’s Place. No sense going there. Her mom didn’t work on Saturdays. Worse, Nic planned to
hook up with Vin and some of their friends, which left her on her own. No one wanted a
twelve-year-old tagging along.

“Stupid thing!” The woman on the bench had ended her call and was pressing buttons in
agitation. As Janie watched, the phone slipped from her fingers to the sidewalk. “Damn.” She
scrambled to grab it, but an unintentional butt from her shoe sent it skittering into the street.

“I’ve got it.” Janie stooped for the cell. It hadn’t fallen far, but the cover had broken. Cheap
white plastic, it sported the image of a monarch butterfly on the back, a crack zigzagging
through one wing like a bolt of lightning. “Sorry I didn’t catch it sooner.” She passed it to the
woman. “The case is busted.”

“It’s been that way for a while.” Storybook Lady snapped the cover securely into place. “I like
butterflies and haven’t been able to find another to replace it. Thanks for helping me out. I
should have been more patient trying to text. It’s just the kind of day I’m having.”

Janie couldn’t be sure but thought the woman might have been crying. She dug the pack of
candy from her pocket. “Would you like a cinnamon burst?”

“I wish my problem could be solved so easily.” Storybook Lady laughed half-heartedly and
returned to the bench. “Sorry. That was inconsiderate. It’s not your fault I’m in a mess. It’s nice
of you to share.” She took a piece of candy. “I’m Lila.”

“Janie.” Janie settled beside her, resting her backpack at her feet.

“That’s a nice name—for a nice girl. I like your backpack.”

Janie glanced at the purple bag with its single line of pink butterflies arcing corner to corner as
if seeing them for the first time. “I guess I like butterflies, too.” She smiled. “And purple. It’s my
favorite color. What’s yours?”

“Blue. Kind of the way I’m feeling today.” Something sad touched Lila’s eyes. “I came here
looking for someone, but I can’t find him. He told me he worked at Kocher’s Market.”

Janie knew everyone employed by the family-owned store. “Who?”

“Tad. Any chance you know him?”

She shook her head. Hornwood was small, but many families, like hers, lived on the outskirts.
Past the ballpark and cemetery, where rolling fields and ancient rail ties replaced the orderly
buildings of downtown. “Did you ask Mr. Kocher? He owns the store.”

“I asked someone who said he was the owner, so I guess it was him. He said he’d never had
anyone named Tad working for him.”

“So, Tad lied?”
​
Lila heaved a sigh. “It looks that way. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll figure things out.”

​BLURB:
​
In the town of Hornwood, the past is always present . . .

Nicole Seabrooke has been wracked with guilt since the night of her younger sister’s
disappearance ten years ago. Her mother, Glory, tasked her with watching over Janie. Instead,
Nicole dragged her to a high school party, then failed to keep an eye on her. Police believed she
drowned, but her body was never found.

A decade later, her remains are discovered.

Nicole returns to Hornwood when new evidence indicates Janie’s death may have been a
homicide. With the help of Detective Vin McCain, her high school boyfriend, Nicole begins to
piece together what took place the night her sister disappeared—a task that further
complicates her relationship with Glory and places Nicole in the crosshairs of a killer. One who
will do whatever it takes to keep the truth about Janie’s death from being revealed.

Even if it means killing again.
​

Connect with Mae Clair at the following haunts:
​
Amazon   |   BookBub   |   Newsletter Sign-Up
​
Website   |   Blog   |  Twitter/X   |   Goodreads

Hello, blog friends!

Our area is starting to warm up, and the trails are busy again. It is a beautiful time of the year. Colleen Chesebro invites us to write about how the seasons are affecting us, and I've added my poem below. My seasonal kigo phrase is warm summer breeze. If you'd like to participate with a syllabic poem, click on her name. She explains all.

This past Saturday, the skies were clear and the promise of spring alluring. My husband and I decided to take the short drive to Sedona. It is always an uplifting experience. You might recall that we visited a month ago, when snow covered the mountains. Such was not the case on this day.  

One of our stops was the ​Chapel of the Holy Cross. Though a popular tourist site, it is also a place of prayer and meditation. It was commissioned by sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude who had a dream inspired by the Empire State Building. The chapel was completed in 1956. An unparalleled masterpiece, it is a favorite of people of all beliefs. 

The larger photo below is from Canva. My images are not as dramatic, because I couldn't stand in the street to take the photo. That's my excuse for not sharing them! 😊

My tanka poem:​

Thank you for visiting. I hope you have a wonderful week, replete with blessed peace. 

Hello dear blog friends,

Today writer Colleen Chesebro invites us to reflect on early Spring through a syllabic poem. I've created a Tanka for my entry and used common wildlife to illustrate the verses.

There are signs of Spring in our area of high desert. But at 5,000 feet elevation, Spring is elusive. That said, the snow is beginning to melt, the muddied paths are a bit drier, and the winds are calmer - for now. Tomorrow may return us to Winter, but today I'll enjoy sunshine.

I hope you're staying warm through the erratic seasonal changes. I also hope you enjoy my simple poem: 

Have a wonderful day! 🌞

Hello, dear blog friends.

This morning I awoke to the sound of a truck thundering down our cul-de-sac. I looked out the window but saw no truck. The sound was and is the high winds. Across the street, I watched as a raven sat alone and swayed back and forth on the tip of a tree. That image inspired my poem.

Colleen Chesebro invites interested poets to reflect on their experience of the current season. Our area is quite unstable. One day it is calm, but the next day can be unnerving. My poem is a reflection on today -- what I see and experience right now. My seasonal words include: scowling clouds, winds careen, and leafless branch. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

I wish you sunshine and hope the same for me. 🌞