Miscellaneous News

#BadMoonRising Beyond Castle Frankenstein by Paula Cappa #shortstory #historicalfiction #supernatural

/ Marcia Meara / 1 Comment

There’s still a Bad Moon on the Rise over at Teri Polen’s today, and you should definitely check out this post. I’ve always loved the original Frankenstein and Dracula books, and have been intrigued by the Shelleys, too, though I’ve never done any research on them. Paula Cappa’s story Beyond Castle Frankenstein, sounds great, and is going on my TBR pile for sure. Hope you’ll enjoy the interview as much as I did and will share it far and wide. Thanks, and as always, thanks to Teri for such a fun series of posts. 🙂

Teri Polen's avatarBooks and Such

How many of you have read horror stories based on historical events? It’s a fascinating subgenre in which I’ve read a few books over the past year. Today’s author brings us a short story based on Mary Shelley and her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley. As an added bonus it’s FREE for a limited time (links below)! Take advantage of this treat – it’s no trick (see how I worked that in?). Welcome Paula Cappa!

Would you rather sleep in a coffin for one night or spend the night in a haunted house?

I’d rather spend the night in a haunted house because I am curious and fond of meeting ghosts. Spirits of the dead have been an enduring magnet for me since childhood. I would have a lot of questions, one specifically, What happens in that last moment of life during the final breath when you transition out of earthly…

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Special Guest Lynda McKinney Lambert – Visual Artist – InSights 20

/ Marcia Meara / 71 Comments

 

It is my great pleasure to introduce a very Special Guest today. Please help me welcome visual artist Lynda McKinney Lambert back to The Write Stuff. Lynda is going to tell us in her own words (and poetry) about her amazing and beautiful work as a visual artist, and how she accomplishes this with seriously compromised vision. I think you’ll be inspired by what determination and a positive attitude can accomplish, so without further ado, please tell us your latest news, Lynda!

UPDATE: Lynda’s beautiful beadwork tied for first place in the Crafts Division of the Insights 20 international art website found HERE. Please check out her finished work after you read her post. It’s absolutely marvelous! Congratulations, Lynda!! 

~~~

Hi, Marcia! Thanks for having me here today. The InSights 20 is an international art exhibition held each year in Louisville, KY, by the American Printing House for the Blind. The show opens on October 7 – online this year due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The artwork will be on the separate InSights Art website,  located HERE.  This website will be open at 8:00am, October 7, which is the first day of APH’s Annual Meeting, of which the InSights Art exhibit and Awards are part.

All artists in this annual exhibition have sight loss. I have “profound sight loss,” but I can do my intricate work by using technologies for the blind. In my case, I use an Acrobat Closed Circuit TV.  I will attach a photo of how this looks as I am working. 

Using this CC T V, I am able to see colors and objects, which I cannot see without such magnification.  My husband, Bob, helps me initially by pulling the colors of beads I want to use for the project.  This is my palette that I work from.

I can only work with one tiny bead at a time and use only one colour at a time on my desk.  This keeps me organized so that I don’t get the beads confused since I cannot see them without the equipment.

Marcia, I wrote a poem that describes how I create a talisman and the thought process that takes place as I work.

“A Talisman”
by Lynda McKinney Lambert

Visualize a talisman-
precious stones and crystals
woven in bold patterns
plenty of Japanese glass seed beads
tiny drops of perfect symmetry.

I select flawless beads
stab them onto steel needles
hundreds of stitches
thrust them one at a time
upwards into the heavens
endlessly.

I plunge my thin needle
deep through layers of stiff cloth
make my stitches sure
hold tight.

I’m a warrior woman
thumping my spirit-drum
made of dappled starlight.

I measure timeless days
counting beads in
a mystical circle
held together
with a bronze toggle clasp.

A Talisman brings
protection from evil
healing for weary spirits
nourishment for aching bodies
courage for new directions
on a pilgrimage
over treacherous pathways
guides my dimmed eyes
and nervous steps.

Black onyx ovals
are like a vintage fan
unfurled with a flourish
or a sacred victory flag
prepared to cast an invocation.

my fingers stroke cold stones
glossy-smooth, polished, faceted.
gifts for a King.

______

A Talisman – August 2, 2020
Written by Lynda McKinney Lambert
Copyright August 2, 2020. All rights reserved.

~~~


Visual Artist and  Author Lynda McKinney Lambert

I am a visual artist and hold the BFA and MFA degrees in painting. I also write and have 4 books on Amazon at this time – I have the MA degree in English. I’m a retired university professor of fine arts and humanities (Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA)  and I retired in 2008 after sudden and permanent sight loss.

My MISSION STATEMENT

  • I am the keeper of memories. I distill and share them  through  art and writing.
  • I reveal what is forgotten, lost, or unseen.
  • I write  spare poems and thoughtful personal essays.
  • I create art with  brilliant colors &  precious materials, one stitch at a time.

~~~

“I can see why this (talisman)  captured first place. It captures the exact discipline of  the oriental master. Every stitch exact. Every stitch with a meaning. Every stitch with history behind it.  Bravo.”  ~  Leonard Tuchyner,  A Journey to Elsewhere: Poetry Through the Seasons of Life. 

“Throughout this book (Star Signs: New and Selected Poems, DLD Books, 2019) of poems , these gems of poetic creation shimmer like beads on her fabric art, like bold brush strokes on her prize-winning piece of mixed-media  fiber artwork,  It seems this entire collection is like a multifaceted  mural.”   ~  Wesley D. Sims, Taste of Change

“Lambert notices the colors and sounds that surround us., those odes that barely register through our buds and pads, and windshields , and she names them for us and she remembers them for us.” ~  Russell Streur, Editor, Plum Tree Tavern Literary Magazine

~~~

My thanks to you, Lynda, for sharing your story and your art with us today. I know others have found this as interesting and inspiring as I have. Folks, I encourage you to click on the link to InSights Art and check out Lynda’s work and that of other visually compromised artists. And if you’ve enjoyed learning about Lynda and her process for creating her beautiful beadwork, please let her know at one of the links below. Also be sure to check out her books of poetry, as well. You’ll be glad you did! 🙂

You can reach Lynda online here:
E-mail: riverwoman@zoominternet.net 
My website: http://www.lyndalambert.com
My Authors Page at DLD Books:  http://www.dldbooks.com/lyndalambert/

Lynda’s  Books Are Also Available on Amazon.com

Star Signs: New and Selected Poems by [Lynda Lambert]

Star Signs Available on Amazon HERE

Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems by [Lynda McKinney Lambert]

Walking By Inner Vision Available on Amazon HERE

 

 

#BadMoonRising Guns of Perdition(Armageddon Showdown #1) by Jessica Bakkers #darkfantasy #TuesdayBookBlog #horror

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

Head on over to Teri Polen’s Bad Moon Rising, folks. I’m late getting to this, but you really need to check out her guest today, Jessica Bakkers. And if you haven’t read Guns of Perdition yet, you should consider grabbing a copy of it, too. I can attest to it being dark and scary, but it’s definitely a great read. You’ll enjoy Jess’s answers to the interview questions too. After you’re done reading, please pass it along so more folks can enjoy it, as well. Thanks, and thanks to Teri & Jessica for a fun post!

Teri Polen's avatarBooks and Such

It’s a double debut for today’s author – her first time at Bad Moon Rising with her first novel. I’ve seen some stellar reviews for her dark, gritty western, and it’s waiting on my TBR. She’s also a King fan, and prefers slimy things to furry. Welcome Jessica Bakkers!

Has a movie or book scared you so much you couldn’t sleep?  Which one?

Yes! Stephen King (naturally) did it to me twice. First, The Shining movie. A girlfriend and I watched it when we were about fourteen, then spent the whole night awake and terrified until my parents got home. The worst thing was, we had a huge doggie door (for a fat lab) that a person could easily crawl through. We stood sentinel beside the door for hours convinced someone was going to climb through.

The second time was IT (the 1980 something movie). I watched that WAY too…

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#GuestDayTuesday – #NewRelease – The Ballad of Mrs. Molony by C. S. Boyack

/ Marcia Meara / 51 Comments

 

I have a treat in store for you folks this morning. Craig Boyack is here to talk about his latest book, The Ballad of Mrs. Molony.  I have read Book 1 of this series, The Hat, and can attest to the (again) wonderful imagination and originality of this story. I thoroughly enjoyed The Hat, and already have Viral Blues (Book #2) lined up, good to go. I guess I’d better crack the virtual cover on that one soon, so I can head straight for Mrs. Molony and her Ballad  when I finish. In the meantime, please give Craig a warm welcome today, so he can tell you all about it. Take it away, Craig!

~~~

Thanks for having me over, Marcia. October is always a big month for me, and I have a new title to tour around once more. This one is called The Ballad of Mrs. Molony, and is the third title in The Hat Series.

These are short novels about a pair of paranormal superheroes. Lizzie St. Laurent is a hard working 21 year old. Her partner is a hat. You read that right. He takes the form of a hat, but he’s actually a being from another dimension. Neither one of them is particularly extraordinary, but together they are a force to be reckoned with.

As an example, the hat doesn’t have hands and fingers, so there isn’t a lot he can do, but when Lizzie wears him, he can play the upright bass. They formed a small cover band and that helps her pay the rent.

It’s also a neat trick for the longevity of the series. A band gets them out at night when the monsters prowl. They get to travel a bit.

The hat has some special powers, like being able to transport Lizzie to a remote cabin her ancestors owned. He can share his vision with her, allowing her to watch forward and backward at the same time. He can also drive while she sleeps by manipulating her arms and legs.

There is a bit of a generation gap, like the fact the hat missed the entire electronic revolution. They sometimes fight like cats and dogs.

I worked pretty hard to make sure you don’t have to read the books in order. There could be some tidbits that you might miss, but you really can read them out of order.

This is intended to be a paranormal, comedy, adventure series. It’s filled with snark, dark humor, and this time vampires.

I also priced it at 99¢ temporarily to help it get a good launch. I hope some of you will check it out.


Buy The Ballad of Mrs. Molony HERE

BLURB:

Lizzie and the hat are back, and this time they’re chasing vampires across a subculture of America. A pair of rodeo cowboys are holding a woman captive to use like a milk cow since they joined the undead.

The person who put them onto the trail is also a vampire, but he has to be the worst vampire in history. Is he really that pitiful, or is he setting a trap for our heroes? Does the woman even exists? Can Lizzie and the hat find her before she also takes up blood sucking?

Follow Lizzie and the hat as they use their cover band to stalk vamps across the country music scene.

Purchase your copy here: The Ballad of Mrs. Molony
Other stories in the series are:


The Hat


Viral Blues

You can contact Craig at the following locations:

Blog | My Novels |  Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Pinterest | BookBub

 

#BadMoonRising Vinnie the Vegetarian Zombie by Victoria Zigler #childrensbooks #indieauthor

/ Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

If you’re looking for some fun Halloween books for the kids or grandkids, be sure to stop by Teri Polen’s blog today. Her Bad Moon Rising guest is Victoria Zigler who has written what sounds like a super book for young Halloween enthusiasts, and I’m pretty sure it’s going on my list for my grandson. A fun post in a fun series! Hope you’ll share, thanks, and thanks to Victoria for her clever idea and toTeri for this whole month of shivery shares! 🙂

Teri Polen's avatarBooks and Such

The horror/supernatural/paranormal genre isn’t just for adults; kids also like to play in that sandbox. For that reason, I like to include both children’s and YA authors for the younger crowd (and readers who prefer a more kinder, gentler type of horror) in Bad Moon. As a zombie fan (anyone catch The Walking Dead last night?), I burst out in laughter when I first read the premise of this author’s book. What if you were a zombie – but vegetarian? Victoria Zigler and Vinnie are here today to brighten up your Monday!

Would you rather sleep in a coffin for one night or spend the night in a haunted house?

Spend the night in a haunted house for sure. I hate the thought of being trapped in something like a coffin even for a short time. I’ve even made it known among my family that I want to be cremated…

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The Nutshell Crisis and Triumph

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

Staci Troilo is featured today on Story Empire with another of her very interesting and informative posts on the “Nutshell” Method of writing. If you’re like me, this is something you may not know about at all, or know only in the broadest of terms, so I urge you to drop by and take a look at writing Crisis and Triumph the Aristotelean way. I think you’ll be glad you did, and I hope you’ll share so others can learn, too. Thanks, and thanks to Staci for such an interesting series. 🙂

Staci Troilo's avatarStory Empire

Comedy Tragedy

Ciao, SEers. I’ve been walking you through Jill Chamberlain’s Nutshell method. If you’ve missed earlier posts, you can find them here:

Last time, we saw how the set-up want related to the crisis or triumph (depending on whether you were writing an Aristotelean comedy or tragedy, respectively). Today, we’re going to look at those elements more closely.

The Aristotelean Comedy and the Crisis

In an Aristotelean comedy, the protagonist’s trajectory through the story looks like a V. Each problem takes them deeper into the hole. For every victory earned, there’s a bigger setback. Then he or she reaches the crisis. This occurs at the 75% mark of the story and is his or her lowest point. It is the exact opposite of where he or she started at the set-up want.

As the protagonist moved…

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#BadMoonRising: One If (Virago Fantasy #1) by Carol B. Allen #darkfantasy #indieauthor

/ Marcia Meara / 10 Comments

And the Bad Moon continues to Rise over at Teri Polen’s blog. Today’s guest is Carol B. Allen, and what a delightful post she has given us. Her answers to the first questions are simply terrific! Be sure to check this one out, then pass it along so others can enjoy it, too. Thanks, and thanks to Carol for her clever writing and to Teri for this fun fall feature! 🙂

Teri Polen's avatarBooks and Such

Today’s author is also making her first appearance at Bad Moon Rising.  I had the pleasure of reading her dark fantasy a couple months ago, and her science nerd main character stole my heart.  If you’re claustrophobic, you might want to skip the first question below – I struggled to breathe.  Welcome Carol B. Allen!

Would you rather sleep in a coffin for one night or spend the night in a haunted house?

Here’s what happens to me when buried in a shallow grave. Barely breathing, I attempt to move my legs and arms a mere few inches. My fingers tap the top of the make-shift coffin in a Morse code sequence. Will anyone hear? A flimsy breathing tube emits a trickle of light and air. But how long can I count on the dim glow of day before ink fills the sky? I’ve been left alive and promised release in the…

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Thanks!

/ Marcia Meara / 11 Comments

Just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful response to my call for #GuestDayTuesday bloggers. All the spots are filled pretty much through the end of the year, so no rush to contact me right now. But I do intend to keep this series running for a long time, so if you have things you want to share come January, just get in touch with me a little bit later on.

Remember, this is not going to be as limited as #ShareAReviewDay was. You may still share reviews, of course, but also things such as new releases, promos, cover reveals, and posts on various subjects pertaining to writing and blogging. You can be creative in what you want to talk about, in other words. And each post will still carry your bio, book info, and links at the bottom.

Now I’m off to finish scheduling everyone who contacted me over the last week or so. I’m looking forward to having each of you visit. (Hopefully often! 🙂 )

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – September 27th – October 3rd – Don Shirley, Salsa, The Pack, Books, Reviews, Health and Laughter.

/ Marcia Meara / 3 Comments

As always, this week’s Smorgasbord RoundUp is filled with lots of goodies you really should check out. If you’re short on time, the weekly roundup lets you scroll to the topics that most interest you, so I hope you’ll stop by. And whatever you do, don’t miss the Hand Clap Skit video! What fun! Thanks for taking and look and passing it along, and thanks to Sally for compiling it all for our convenience. I’ve said it before and I’ll likely say it again: You Rock, Sally! 🙂 ❤