Hello dear blog friends!
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I've been quiet for a while, just busy with life. I hope to get back into the swing of things in another week.

If all goes as planned, I’ll be boarding a plane at sunrise on Saturday to visit my four adult children in Connecticut and New York City. What used to be a simple process, is now far more complicated. Who knew we’d one day worry about if we’d have a pilot to send us on our way?

Because of the pandemic, I’ve not seen my kids for several years. Email and handwritten letters are no replacement for actual hugs, and I’m so looking forward to feeling their heartbeat.

For any parent, years disappear far too quickly. We remember when our sons or daughters were tiny. It was then that they became part of us. Their laughter and tears filled our hearts and reside there still. We can hear them through our dreams and old photo albums.

Time is elusive, isn’t it? Don't we all use the expression, "It seems like only yesterday"?

There are 15 years between my eldest and my youngest. Lifetimes are crowded into those years. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined my life as it has unfolded. But, what would I have changed?

At my stage in life, I'm simply grateful. 

Over this next week, do something wildly wonderful. Find ways to laugh and perhaps remember the days long past. Till then, I leave you with a poem I wrote for my youngest son's birthday. 💗
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Hello blog friends, I've a treat for you. Much respected blogger Dan Antion has just published his first novel: Knuckleheads. Today he will share an excerpt from the book and tell us a bit about the story.

​For those of you who do not know Dan, he lives in Connecticut and often blogs about the area in and around Hartford (background photo below). He's a natural historian, as well as an incredible photographer. I've come to love the seasons and wildlife of the Northeast through his posts which you can find here. 

Please join me in welcoming Dan ...

​I was thrilled when Gwen offered to help promote Knuckleheads, the first book in the Dreamer’s Alliance series. It’s so cool to be appearing on her blog. I have enjoyed several of her books. In discussing the subject of this post, I reached back to a question Gwen asked in one of her segments in Story Empire: “Religion and Politics – Part 1.” Toward the end of her post, Gwen said, “I’d love to hear if or how you write about your characters’ spiritual life.” I’m glad she didn’t ask about politics because I avoid that at all costs.

I left the following comment, “My characters grew up with a strong religious influence as children. In the books in the series once they are adults, they reflect on that upbringing, sometimes humorously.”

We agreed that I would more fully answer this question today.
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Knuckleheads is a conversation between Zach Amstead, who has recently retired, and his adult daughter, Abbie. The story being told by Zach chronicles his childhood and that of his best friend, William Terrence – Billy. The book describes the way these boys grew up. It describes the values they carried into adulthood, and the experiences in which those values were formed. These are ordinary stories, from which I think most of us form the core values that guide us as adults.

Zach’s father works throughout the book to help the two boys as they struggle to control their emerging paranormal abilities. Zach found himself increasingly able to participate in the lucid dreams he had always had. Billy was plagued with shadowy glimpses of the future.

Zach’s mother and Billy’s grandmother, unaware of their abilities, but aware of the problems they caused, took the boys to church. Through school, church and work at Zach’s father’s bowling alley, Zach and Billy became best friends, and learned to manage themselves in a world in which they didn’t fit well.

​The little excerpt below hints at the role their church experience plays into the book. I chose this clip because I don’t think it spoils anything. In this scene, Zach’s mother has picked up Zach and Billy after a Friday night youth service.

​Beyond the subtle moral and spiritual input, and a little mother-father conflict, there are two other reasons their religious experience is mentioned.

One reason is that church was an important part of my childhood experience, and the childhood experience of most of my friends in the 1950s and 60s. The book isn’t autobiographical, but readers of my blog will recognize some of the situations in which these two boys find themselves. I found it almost impossible to not draw on my experience and the experience of others I knew well.

The other reason is that church attendance solved a logistical problem. The demands of the future books in the series required this first story to develop to a point where Zach and Billy were no longer living in the same town. I won’t explain that because it would introduce way too many spoilers.

​However, I can say that attendance at the same church gave them a place to meet when they no longer attended the same school. That’s the cool thing about fiction, you can make it work.

Gwen, thanks again for inviting me to spend some time with you and your readers. Also, thank you for the lovely review you left for Knuckleheads. I am glad you enjoyed the story.​
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BLURB: 
Zach and Billy didn't ask for the paranormal powers that were beyond their capacity to understand or control. Zach, with his lucid dreams, and Billy, with his shadowy glimpses of the future, struggle to make sense of the world around them. Adults in authority have no time for what they consider mental outliers of the baby-boom. The boys are institutionalized, marginalized, and ignored. Zach's father realizes the dangers they will face as adults. With no way to comprehend how these boys perceive and move within their world, he must find a way to guide them. 

SERIES BLURB:
The Dreamer's Alliance Series chronicles the challenges and dangers faced by two men who have been gifted with paranormal abilities. From their struggles to understand and control these powers through their battle with the attempts of corrupt authorities to exploit them. 

AUTHOR BIO:
Dan Antion was born outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up and attended college in that area. Dan has written and published the popular No Facilities blog since 2011. A lifelong interest in writing became a reality after he retired from a successful 42-year-long career in Information Management. Dan lives in Connecticut with his wife, a few pets and all the wildlife they can feed.

Hello blog friends, I've a treat for you!

​Writer D.L Finn joins us to tell us about her latest book: A Voice in the Silence. 

I've read all of Denise's books and each one holds a special place in my heart. This latest jewel is a must-read. You'll discover magic amidst loss, you'll travel with the protagonist and discover your own life afresh. A Voice in the Silence is a book of hope, determination, and possibilities.

Denise is quiet about her loves and her accomplishments. But one I simply must share is her profound love for the outdoors, which at times means, a ride on a Harley. 

Please join me in welcoming Denise ...

Thank you for having me here today, Gwen, to celebrate the release of A Voice in the Silence 😊 I love to write, and read, about a character getting a second chance in life. A Voice in the Silence offers this theme of loss and possibilities.

​After losing her husband and pets, Drea finds herself in a dark place. She believes that her purpose in life is missing—until life finds her again. She has a strong curiosity and is open-minded enough to accept what she finds. Plus, there is that powerful side of her that will do whatever it takes to survive, including an inner mama bear who protects those she loves.

The story not only is her journey to finding her new place in the world, but a message that you are never too old to find it. Of course, it isn’t easy for her dealing with the evil that surrounds her, but Drea is someone who jumps in and does what she needs to. I like that in a protagonist.

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Hello blog friends! Today poet Colleen Chesebro invites us to write a tanka prose. She offers a detailed explanation of this poetic form on her website (linked above). 

My poems are a verse envelope - a tanka/prose/tanka. It reflects upon a recent heartbreaking tragedy that occurred in the small town of Uvalde, Texas.  My poems --

In the small town of Uvalde, Texas, a disturbed shooter and multiple mistakes by professionals left all of us bereft. Violence is senseless and has no favorites, even the tiniest can be its victim. And I wonder, have we forgotten how to love? ​​

I hope you have a fabulous week, my friends. May blessings abound! 💗

 Hello blog friends, it's Tanka Tuesday and author Colleen Chesebro invites us to create a syllabic poem using color. My poem is a butterfly cinquain of 9 lines with the pattern 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2. 

As many of you know, I walk in the early morning. By 6 AM, I'm on a desert path accompanied only by wildlife. The local birds and the occasional bunny are my companions. And always, with the sunrise, my spirit soars.  

Whatever calms your heart and allows your spirit to rise, I wish that for you today. 💗

​My poem...
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Have a wonderful week, dear friends, and may blessings abound.