Hello blog friends!

I hope your week is going well. In my part of the world, it's time for harvest. I share my crops of zucchini, tomatoes, and pumpkins with the local food bank because there are only so many veggies my hubby and I can eat. It's been a fun process, and now I'm planning for next year. 

As the temperatures fall, I become a bit nostalgic. Do you? My poem reflects that sentiment through a new form. This week Colleen Chesebro asks that we create a poem following the specific syllabic form of the Troiku. Writer Kerfe Roig selected this form and explains it on her site. Basically, it is a haiku from which the rest of the poem is created. Each line of the first poem begins the following poem. It's a little complicated, but I gave it a try. 

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the October change of seasons.  🍂🍁🍂

Hello, dear blog friends.

I've a poem to share in response to author Colleen Chesebro's poetry challenge.

This week she asks that we choose our own syllabic form and feature a specific color in our poem. She also suggests we consider the symbolism of the color. 

I've chosen ruby red, and through my Tanka, I've tried to capture the passion that is often associated with that color. I hope you enjoy it!

​We all need a little passion, right? ❤️

Have a great week! 

Dear blog friends,

I've been traveling for the last week or so, and because of that, I've missed many of your posts. I hope to catch up over these next few days, but if I miss yours, please know I'll be on track soon. 😊

My recent trip took me to Southern California, where I spent time with two of my sisters. I had not seen them for several years because of Covid, so our time together was particularly precious. We enjoyed the beautiful Self Realization meditation garden and the Botanical Garden, both in Encinitas. We also spent time at Balboa Park in San Diego. The days were perfect, and we celebrated the sunshine by walking the beach. 

Coming home brought rest and also a sense of loss. I miss my family, as I suspect all of you do. May you get to visit with them soon! ❤️
                                                                 
                                                                      ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  
I opened my email this morning to find a new poetry challenge from writer Colleen Chesebro. She invites us to respond to the theme: The Nature of Lightning. My Tanka tries to capture the energy of that phenomenon. I hope you enjoy it.​

Have a wonderful week! 

This week poet Colleen Chesebro invites writers to use the Shadorma form. It has a syllabic pattern of 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllables and otherwise, it is freestyle. 

My poem is a playful attempt to capture a mom's longings, and I've entitled it:
​ 

My three sons, two grandsons, and a son-in-law (blue cap).

Have a wonderful rest of the week, and I hope a photo or phone call come your way soon. 😊

​Gwen, thank you so much for hosting me today. I’m delighted to be here with you and your readers to share The Haunting of Chatham Hollow. I co-authored this novel with Staci Troilo, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was amazing to work with a co-author, especially someone as talented as Staci. She and I found we work great together, so who knows—maybe another down the road.
​
For now, we hope others will enjoy our supernatural mystery which includes dual timelines, ghostly happenings, a town curse, murder, and rumors of buried gold.  During our short promo tour, you’ll meet several characters who populate the book. Today, I’d like to introduce sisters Elayne and Shelley Orrman from the 1888 timeline. Spiritualism is a key thread in the book, so Staci and I thought we’d have each character sit down with a medium as a way of introduction.
Let’s listen in.

SPIRTUALIST: Welcome ladies. It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’ve already met your mother, Dorinda, and your aunt, Irene Chatham.

ELAYNE:  Mother suggested we come.

SPIRTUALIST: Why is that?

ELAYNE: Who can say? It’s often her way—to meddle.

SHELLEY: (lightly touching her sister’s arm) You know she means well, Elayne. You’re just upset about the way she handled the problem in New York.

SPIRTUALIST: Mrs. Orrman did mention an embarrassing situation prompting her visit to Chatham Hollow, though she didn’t elaborate.

ELAYNE: Thank heavens. But then she wouldn’t for fear the matter should reflect unfavorably on her. Never mind I was the aggrieved party.

SPIRTUALIST: You have me curious, but I would never pry.

ELAYNE: Thank you for that. It’s best left in the past. Initially, I dreaded coming here, but Chatham Hollow has been an unexpected pleasure.

SHELLEY: (giggling) I think a certain spiritualist has something to do with that. Namely, Victor Rowe.

SPIRTUALIST: Naturally, I’ve heard of him. (allows his gaze to linger on Elayne) Perhaps I speak out of turn, but I’m led to believe Mr. Rowe is a man in his early forties. You appear much younger.

ELAYNE: Perhaps you should stick to your earlier conviction and not pry in matters that don’t concern you.

SPIRTUALIST: Pardon. My observation was inappropriate.

SHELLEY: Well, I certainly have no qualms admitting I find Mr. Rowe’s rival, Benedict Fletcher a charismatic and intriguing man.

ELAYNE: (frowning slightly) He certainly fawns over you at every opportunity. You need to be on your guard, Shelley. I’m not certain Mr. fletcher is all he presents himself to be.

SPIRTUALIST: I sense protective concern in that statement.

ELAYNE: Shelley is the younger sister, and somewhat still impressionable.

SHELLEY: (shifting to face her sister) And you are not, simply because…

ELAYNE:  What happened in New York has left me with a jaded outlook on life.

SHELLEY: But not Victor Rowe?

ELAYNE: (standing) I think perhaps we should go.

SPIRTUALIST: I’m sorry if you’ve soured on the discussion, Miss Orrman. You are welcome to remain for a reading.

ELAYNE: No thank you. I prefer to discover the future for myself—but if I was to consult a medium, I know just the man for the task.
​
SHELLEY: (grins broadly) Mr. Fletcher?
Elayne rolls her eyes and heads for the door.
​

BLURB:

One founding father.
One deathbed curse.
A town haunted for generations.
 
Ward Chatham, founder of Chatham Hollow, is infamous for two things—hidden treasure and a curse upon anyone bold enough to seek it. Since his passing in 1793, no one has discovered his riches, though his legend has only grown stronger.

In 1888, charlatan Benedict Fletcher holds a séance to determine the location of Chatham’s fortune. It’s all a hoax so he can search for the gold, but he doesn’t count on two things—Victor Rowe, a true spiritualist who sees through his ruse, and Chatham’s ghost wreaking havoc on the town.

More than a century later, the citizens of the Hollow gather for the annual Founder’s Day celebration. A paranormal research team intends to film a special at Chatham Manor, where the original séance will be re-enacted Reporter and skeptic Aiden Hale resents being assigned the story, but even he can’t deny the sudden outbreak of strange happenings. When he sets out to discover who or what is threatening the Hollow—supernatural or not— his investigation uncovers decades-old conflicts, bitter rivalries, and ruthless murders.

This time, solving the mystery isn’t about meeting his deadline. It’s about not ending up dead.

Thanks again for hosting me today, Gwen. It was a pleasure to drop by—along with my unnamed spiritualist and Elayne and Dorinda. (The sisters usually agree on topics, but not when it comes to Chatham Hollow’s two mediums). I invite your readers to pick up a copy of The Haunting of Chatham Hollow at the link below. Staci and I both appreciate the support and wish everyone happy reading!
​
PURCHASE LINK

Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:
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Dear blog friends, 

Yesterday I learned that a writer friend is not doing well. I've never met Billy Ray Chitwood in person, but I think of him as a close friend because of his books and blog. Isn't that how most of us know each other?

Through our writing, we give of ourselves. We share tidbits of our life, our dreams, and our sorrows through our characters. One way or another, these fictional people come to life because of our personal journey. Sometimes we even sell a book. 

Today I honor my friend and all writers, who in silence pound away at a keyboard and create different worlds. I'm grateful for each of you. At times you have brought me to tears, other times to a dreamy world, and always to a place in time that I've not visited before.  

I invite you to enjoy some glimpses into one writer's life -- Billy Ray Chitwood.
​​

​~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Have a wonderful week, dear blog friends... 
​❤️

Hello blog friends!

It's time for another poem. Colleen Chesebro posted the rainbow picture at the right and asked each participant to choose a color and feature it in a syllabic poem.

In my area of the United States, the season is beginning to shift. I've chosen to write a Tanka poem focused on that movement -- at the river's edge.

How about your area? Are you beginning to see the approach of Autumn?

Have a wonderful week, hopefully with abundant sightings of rainbows. ❤️

Hello Blog friends, 

Since this is the fifth Tuesday of the month, author Colleen Chesebro asks interested poets to share a bit of their day via a syllabic poem. I've chosen the early morning and titled my tanka 6 AM. 

Every day, unless it is hailing or pouring outside, I take a long walk when the sun is just beginning to rise. I love the silence and the wildlife -- minus the javelinas. 

When I was a kid, my mom used to say, "Morning is the best time of the day." And with that comment, she'd tell my six siblings and me to go outside. I suspect she's smiling now, because all of us are early morning risers. 

​My simple tanka: 

I hope you have a wonderful week! ❤️

Hello blog friends. This week poet Colleen Chesebro invites us to write a syllabic poem based upon the theme of lessons from nature. Intrigued? I was, and I thought immediately of my garden. Because I live in the high desert of Prescott, AZ, my yard is covered with rocks. I wanted a garden, so I created several little dirt oases. This was a first for me. But now, I'm enjoying the results. My poem is a simple Haiku (5-7-5).
​

Have a wonderful week, blog friends. And, if you feel inspired, please share one of your lessons from nature. 😊

Jerry Pait enlisted on September 15, 1964, was assigned to Fleet Sonar School, volunteered for subs, and ended up on USS Entemedor (SS-340). After Advanced Sonar School, he was transferred as an STS-2 to USS Von Steuben (SSBN 632B) in the Philly yards right after her collision off Cadiz, Spain. Jerry went on to become COB on Von Steuben, served in a senior position in Sonar/Torpedoman School, and then was commissioned as an LDO Ensign. He returned briefly to Von Steuben and then served as a division officer on several sub tenders. After that, he was assigned to NOTU, supervising underwater ballistic missile launchings for several years, working closely with NASA. He rose to Lt. Cmdr., and was selected for Cmdr. 

Jerry took a senior field position with the major defense contractor Brown & Root, but during his first year, he fell from 20 feet in a way that fractured his back and cracked his skull. He survived and has struggled ever since to regain as much function as possible.
​
Jerry’s book, Sŭbmarine-Ër: 30 Years of Hijinks & Keeping the Fleet Afloat, will be released on September 15, exactly 58 years after he enlisted. 

BLURB:
Lieutenant Commander Jerry Pait’s semi-autobiographical collection of sixty stories recounts his thirty years in and around the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet. Ranging from light-hearted to wrenching, all are poignant inside looks at naval operations rarely seen by outsiders. Topics include the real story behind the shuttle Challenger tragedy, risking his own life underwater, discovering a Soviet spy living across the street, surviving when a DELTA Rocket engine ignites, critical missions, and the everyday lives of men and women of the fleet. Dive into Sŭbmarine-Ër for hijinks and breathtaking adventure with this poignant memoir by a true American hero.

If you have a free moment, I think you'll enjoy this upcoming podcast. You can click on the image for the direct link. Otherwise, you can call in during the program or use Twitter. Jerry looks forward to your questions. 

​Contact Links

​Amazon               Fresh Ink Group Twitter               Voice of Indie Podcast

Hello dear blog friends,

I'm a little behind schedule this week, so I'm especially excited to share author Colleen Chesebro's new challenge with you today. She has invited interested writers to explore Ekphrastic poetry by using the image below. Poet Reena provided this lovely artwork for the challenge. 

My first thoughts in studying the painting were those of interconnectedness - a little bit of you and a little bit of me sharing space. 

​My poem is a simple Tanka (5-7-5-7-7). Reena's artwork resurrected the faces of friends and strangers who have become part of my life through simple, caring acts. You and I may never meet in person but today I thank you for being one of those who walk with me. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Hello dear blog friends, it's #TankaTuesday, and I've another poem to share.

Author Colleen Chesebro invited writer Yvette Calleiro to select a syllabic form for participants in this poetry challenge. To my surprise, Yvette chose a form that I created and called 4-11. This form is simply eleven lines with four syllables each and with the beginning and ending lines repeating each other.  

I hope you enjoy this latest adventure, and I also hope you'll join in fun. I'd love to read your poem. 

Stay well, my friends, and through the craziness of these times, let's all search for ways to stand together. ❤️

Hello blog friends,

It's time for a #TankaTuesday poetry challenge. This week, author Colleen Chesebro invites us to Taste the Rainbow and select a color to feature in a poem.

I've chosen to do something a little different. I've created a garden poem using a butterfly cinquain of 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2 syllables. It's lighthearted, and it was fun taking photos in the garden. I hope you enjoy it.  

Have a wonderful week, hopefully with not too many of these little creatures. 😊

Hello blog friends!

Today author  Colleen Chesebro  has a theme-based poetry challenge. She invited Harmony Kent to suggest the topic and it's a provocative one: The Longest Day. Maybe you'll consider joining in the fun?

My syllabic poem follows:

A footnote. . .

If you haven't seen me around this last week, it's because of computer problems. Serious ones. I'm working on my husband's old laptop right now, but I'm hoping for relief this evening. Fingers crossed! I've missed visiting many of your sites.

I hope you've had some relief from the heat. We were surprised by much needed rain last night. What a summer, right!

Sending hellos from the high desert of Arizona....

Hello blog friends! I've another poem to share. Author Colleen Chesebro invites interested poets to write an Erphrastic poem -- a poem in response to a piece of art. Willow provided the prompt -- a statue of lovers. 

My response is a Tanka (syllables of 5-7-5-7-7). Won't you join me with a poem of your own? I'd love to read it.  

I hope you have a great week, and I also hope you have a dependable air conditioner. In my part of the world, it's mighty hot. Take good care of yourselves! 💛

Hello blog friends! Today I share a poem that is a response to Colleen Chesebro's poetry challenge. She invites interested writers to compose a lanturne or lanterne poem. This poetic form has a five-line structure of 1-2-3-4-1 syllables, and it is a first for me.

My submission . . . 

I hope you have a wonderful week. I hope to see you soon on your blog site. I'm still unpacking from my travels, but slowly and surely I'm visiting. 💜

Hello blog friends!

Since I last posted, I've traveled to New York and Connecticut to visit my adult children and my beautiful grandchildren. What an extraordinary trip it was! It had been several years since I had seen them, and my heart literally ached to be with them. Don't we all know that feeling? 

What most impressed me about the journey was the wisdom and awareness of my four children. COVID had left us bereft of everyday contact, but it also drove us deep within to resources we may not have known we had. Perhaps this is true of most of us -- through it all, we have discovered or rediscovered inner strength and purpose. 

The journey was not without its challenges and topping the list was a scheduled flight that had no pilot. After a few anxious hours, American Airlines located one in another city, so eventually we were on our way. There were other flight hurdles, but the end result was all that mattered. I got to spend precious time with my kids.

I'll be meeting you at your blog sites over the next few days. While traveling, I had no access to the blog sphere, so I've much catching up to do.

I leave you with a poem and a photo. My best wishes for your day. . .   💚

​

Hello dear blog friends!
​
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. 💗
​

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.
​
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.​
​

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.