Hello blog friends,​

I've been absent for the week, but I'm back home and looking forward to visiting your blogs.

This week Colleen Chesebro has a new prompt for those interested in writing poems. She asks that we use at least one of the seasonal words or phrases that she has listed on her site. I've included the following in my poem: summer groves, cumulous clouds, sundresses, and bare feet. And looking at the canva photo, I'd love to be walking there bare footed right now, wouldn't you?

My poem is a "Classic Etheree" of ten lines with a syllable count of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. I've entitled it, To Breathe. I hope you enjoy it.

Have a wonderful week, dear friends. Breathe deeply and soak in life. I'll meet you on your site. ❤️

Hello blog friends,

I've missed reading your posts this past week, because I've been away. I'll try to catch up - that's a promise. In the meanwhile here's a peek at where I've been - Carlsbad Beach in Southern California. I've been visiting with family and friends, and also sightseeing a bit.

You might remember a poem I wrote a while back. This beach inspired the tanka. I'm sharing it with you again, because it's a reminder of life's mercy.
​

I hope you've had a wonderful week. Hubby and I returned early from our travels because of Hilary. We went through an intense electrical storm in Arizona, but after an hour of driving in blinding rain, we emerged into sunlight. May you be as fortunate. 🌞

​Gwen

Hello dear friends,

This week Colleen Chesebro invites us to write a syllabic poem using a collective noun for a  gathering of a chosen animal. I've selected the pronghorn, because I see them every day. 

I live in the higher elevations of Arizona, just north of Prescott. It's an area of grassy plains and wild pronghorn. Herds of these magnificent animals grace the countryside. Though much like an antelope, they are not related to them. Rather, their closest relative is the giraffe. And since they run at speeds up to 60 miles an hour, only the cheetah can out pace them. 

My poem is a simple tanka, syllables of 5-7-5-7-7. I hope you enjoy it.  

If you've never seen a pronghorn, you might like to open this link to the National Wildlife Federation's post about these beautiful animals. 

Have a wonderful rest of your week, hopefully with cool breezes.🌞

Hello blog friends, I've some wonderful news to share.

Earlier this year, the eight women writers in Story Empire embarked on a journey together. We were tasked with writing a series in which each book included three common threads: (1) the small fictional town of Harbor Pointe in northern California, (2) its prominent lighthouse, and (3) one or more members of the Hawthorne family. We could choose our genre and the timeframe.

Over the ensuing months, we chatted and exchanged ideas. Then last week the eight of us shared our stories. Below are the books. Beautiful, aren't they? ​

The books are sequenced by year, but they are also stand-alone. Mae Clair's The Price of Atonement is the first one in the series because her story takes place in the 1800s. My book, The Gift, is next in line, and it is focused on the 1950s.  

Please take a moment to watch this brief trailer. Only a few minutes long, it offers an invaluable overview and may answer some of your questions.

All eight books are available now for presale. The Amazon links are listed below, just in case you'd like to take the leap. 

​We're excited, and we hope you'll join us in celebrating this group achievement. 
​

PURCHASE LINKS:
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The Price of Atonement by Mae Clair
Release Date - September 26, 2023
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Gift by Gwen M. Plano
Release Date - October 17, 2023
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Destination by D. L. Finn
Release Date - October 31, 2023
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Seas of Time by D. Wallace Peach
Release Date - November 14, 2023
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Edge of Too Late by Jan Sikes
Release Date - November 28, 2023
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

A Fathomless Affair by Staci Troilo
Release Date - December 5, 2023
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

A Death at The Inn by Joan Hall
Release Date - January 2, 2024
Preorder:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Room at the End by Harmony Kent
Release Date - January 9, 2024
Preorder:
Universal Link
Amazon US
Amazon UK

​Have a wonderful rest of your week. I wish you cool breezes during this prolonged hot spell. For those of you living in areas of drought (like me), I also hope for rain. 🌞 

Hello dear blog friends,
​
Today I awakened with a marvelous gift. Writer Sally Cronin featured my book, Redemption​, on her website. Do you know Sally? If not, take a virtual leap to the United Kingdom to meet one of the most generous, gracious people on this planet - and to top it off, she's an amazing writer. Below are some of her books.  

Here's her post on Redemption. Enjoy! 

Have a wonderful day, dear friends, hopefully one with cool breezes. ❤️

Hello dear blog friends,

I've another poem to share, and I've entitled it The Waltz. Colleen Chesebro invited interested poets to create a poem using the synonyms for these two words: Flow and Wave. We were instructed not to use the prompt words themselves - just the synonyms.

My first thought was the ocean. Watching the movement of the sea is mesmerizing. I could spend hours at the water's edge. But after considering this possibility for a poem, I thought of a second. Have you ever observed lovers waltzing across the dance floor? It is hypnotic, and the gestures are similar to the ocean.  

My poem is a simple haiku with several synonyms incorporated. I hope you enjoy it and hope even more that you'll find time to dance a little - if only across the kitchen floor. 

Have a wonderful week with great weather and plenty of time to dream. ❤️