Some Changes for a New Year

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The holidays are over and a new year has begun, and most people are getting back into a normal routine. Every new year I take a look at this website and try to make improvements, therefore I have been working on cleaning up this website and I’m not quite finished. I’m getting rid of some old posts that were definitely not my best writing, but were probably the best I could do at the time. However, as I have learned more and worked harder and become an editor, I can now do a much better job at writing than I could at the beginning of last year. The more you do something and the more you learn, the better you get.

In addition, I have renewed my interest in Flash Fiction as it has become more popular, and I will be moving Tea and Poetry from Fridays to Tuesdays and reviving Flash Fiction Friday. Yes, that’s right, I will be doing my best to now have four posts a week. I know I slacked off and wasn’t even posting three posts a week for most of December, but that’s because the holiday season is quite busy, and I hadn’t gotten them scheduled ahead of time.

So the weekly lineup will be: Mondays will remain book reviews, writing related posts, and the occasional personal post or post from my soapbox; Tuesdays will be Tea and Poetry Tuesdays; Wednesdays will remain Wordless Wednesday; and Friday will be Flash Fiction Friday.

Flash Fiction is commonly known to be a story of any genre that is 1,500 words or less by most definitions, and many prefer 500 words or less. In my Flash Fiction I will do my best to keep it between 500 and 800 words to start, and as I get more comfortable and ideas start to flow, I may attempt to write no more than 500 words (eventually).

I really appreciate all of you who follow this blog and hope you will enjoy the changes for 2019. I welcome your comments about what you like as well as anything you might not like as much (as long as these comments are respectful).

Happy 2019!

Tea and Poetry

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“I like cups of tea and reading books and poetry and old people things.”

–Bindi Irwin

 

My Love of Creation
by Kelly F. Barr

I love the outdoors, no matter the season.
I’ll step outside for any reason;
To smell the rain or a flower;
The antics of a squirrel, over me, have power.

To look at the stars in the dark of night,
To view the colors of the sky at day’s first light;
To take a walk beneath the trees
Or in fascination, watch bumble or honey bees.

To sit on my deck and write while birds sing,
I do not know of a more delightful thing.
In the beauty of creation, I find peace
And my favorite form of stress release.

A Talent for Trouble by Jen Turano

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A Talent for Trouble (Ladies of Distinction Book #3) by [Turano, Jen]

A Talent for Trouble is the third book in a trilogy known as “Ladies of Distinction” by Jen Turano. However, I have not read the first book. I previously read and did a review of book two A Most Peculiar Circumstance here. Therefore, I can attest to the fact that, though they are part of a trilogy, you can certainly read any of them as stand alones and not feel lost.

A Talent for Trouble is a light-hearted, fun historical romance about Felicia Murdock who is concerned about being single and in her mid twenties. She sets her sights on becoming a minister’s wife and pretends to be something she’s not in hopes of impressing the minister.

When things do not go according to her plan, she decides she’s wasted too much time pretending and is determined to be her true self and embrace a more lively way of life, and in so doing, finds herself in one troubling circumstance after another.

Grayson Sumner, otherwise known as Lord Sefton, soon finds himself attracted to Felicia, but becomes frustrated with her knack for stumbling into trouble. Then his past comes back to complicate his life and places Felicia in danger as well. Grayson is determined to keep Felicia safe as they struggle to extricate themselves from the latest trouble.

Felicia is a fun character and as her relationship with Grayson developed, they made me laugh out loud. Their troubling situations go from mild to quite scary and I found myself cheering for them while sitting on the edge of my seat. This was a very enjoyable read.

Light of the Last by Chuck Black

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My son and I finished the “Wars of the Realm”  trilogy just before our Christmas break. Light of the Last is the final book of this trilogy by Chuck Black, and I found it to be just as good as the first two.

Drew has come to his limit. He just wants his normal life back, but there is a higher plan. Those who have been assigned to keep Drew safe have their hands full as Drew is the target of two different powerful forces.

When it becomes apparent that the United States is also a target, Drew and his friends may be the only ones who can save the day.

The things that Drew goes through in this trilogy really kept me turning pages. Chuck Black did an excellent job of weaving parts of history and believable political issues throughout this series, as well as some spiritual truths.

I was so involved in the story and cared so much about the characters that I spoke out in frustration at some of Drew’s choices, and I cried at some of the sad scenes. I loved the characters in this series and I cheered for them through all three books. There was suspense, intrigue, adventure, danger, and a touch of romance in these books, and I highly recommend them. They are on my list of favorites.

Christmas Carols or Christmas Songs?

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Last Thursday we went Christmas caroling, and before we started someone asked, “Are we going to sing “Mary, Did You Know?” The response was “That’s not a Christmas Carol.” I was doubtful about the response, and it got me thinking, “What’s the difference between a Christmas Carol and a Christmas Song?

Here’s what I learned:

The first carols were sung in Europe and were actually pagan songs sung during Winter Solstice while people danced in a circle. The word “carol” actually came from the French word “carole” which means “circle dance”.

As time passed, Christmas Carols became popular. They are songs of a religious nature and center around the Nativity.

Christmas songs are secular and include pieces like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. They focus on things associated with Christmas that have nothing to do with the Nativity and the religious reasons we celebrate Christmas.

Then there are songs that are deemed “Christmas Songs” because radio stations only play them around Christmas time, but are really NOT Christmas Songs, but “Winter Songs” because they focus on things related to winter, not Christmas–songs like “Winter Wonderland” and “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that “Mary, Did You Know?” is definitely a Christmas Carol, and it happens to be my very favorite Christmas Carol.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

In the Shadow of Your Wings by J.P. Robinson

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Another great historical story from J.P. Robinson! In the Shadow of Your Wings moves between characters in Germany and Great Britain during war time. Leila Durand is  a German spy with a troubled past who falls in love with Malcom, the son of Thomas Steele, a British icon, whose home she is to infiltrate. She struggles between her love for Germany and her love for an enemy of Germany, and trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes.

Eleanor Thompson is a woman of faith, but her faith is pushed to its very limits when her infant daughter is killed in a German air raid after her husband has gone off to fight in the war. However, Eleanor doesn’t give up on life as she remains hopeful to reunite with her husband when the war is over, but he doesn’t answer any of her letters. As she sees the horrors of war, she begins to lose hope, yet stubbornly clings to her faith.

J.P. Robinson weaves a tale of intrigue and history as these characters’ lives intertwine in unexpected ways. There is also a German family that takes center stage in some chapters. This book shows the heartbreak of war and the struggle for faith. It is my favorite of  Mr. Robinson’s book so far.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction that includes intrigue and suspense.