National Poetry Day

Water

Image from etftrends.com

   Despite the fact that I'm American, I'm all about celebrating the written word. So, though October 3rd is National Poetry Day for the United Kingdom, I choose to help celebrate it. After all, some of my ancestors were from that relative area of the world - I have a bit of Scottish blood in me. I also have a decent amount of Native American blood in me, but that is beside the point. I'm part English. So I can participate in the UK's National Poetry Day, right? 

   Any way, I'm posting one of my own poems today. It'll be included in my short works collection I am due to release before the year's out. 

   This year's theme for National Poetry Day is Water and I have the perfect poem to share. I wrote it in July of last year and hereby share it with my readers.

Eternal Life

a coffin for a shower, who would’ve ever thought

that eternal life could be found in simple water

it runs to catch itself with gravity’s help, like a bus picking up passengers

it has to go a little out of its way for love

it just wants to be closer to atoms just like itself

so simple yet so complex, this love of self

Image from smscs.com

they’ll say, oh how she loved her baths

but oh they’ll never know what I found in this coffin

their highfalutin ways blind them, they’ll never see

highfalutin, someone angry made up that word: highfalutin

the water is so warm surrounding my frame

I listen to its blurred message

so silent one can only hear when submersed

blood is the answer for Christians, blood and water

blood and water for eternal life in Christ

water is the answer to Heaven, the accumulation is Paradise – so simple and so common a thing

and He put it right in front of our face

water runs through my veins, mixes with my blood

it races to catch itself

to join close with its friends and wait for the end

surface tension

broken by more coming to join in to wait for the end

a crowd of an uncountable number of lives in this coffin

just waiting

just swirling down the drain, waiting for the end

Faye Hollidaye, July 2012

   I hope you enjoyed! Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think, or leave me one of your poems - I'd love to read them. I'd also like to know what your favorite poem of all time is, so feel free to share!

The Second in a Series

Daughter's Justice
by Thaddeus Nowak

My rating on a 100-point scale: 91

My review:
   If you've read the first in this series and liked it, you'll definitely want to read this one. Stephenie's fight with her circumstances continues in this adventurous tale. I highly recommend to fans of supernatural/fantasy who like books with female heroines.

   Though there are a couple things I could complain about ("However" and a single technical error every 20 or so pages), this book was well worth the time. I cut back on my screen-time reading during this book, but it had nothing to do with the novel, only the format I had it in. I enjoyed this read immensely and think many other readers will too.

This sequel's predecessor: 
Mother's Curse

My recommender:  
   I recently participated in a blog tour hosted by Novel Publicity for this series. Though I didn't finish this sequel during the tour, I still feel the need to share my thoughts on it. 

Suggested restrictions:
There is some foul language throughout and a little gore, so be forewarned. I personally don't think anyone under the age of 14 should read this without parental guidance.

Mother's Curse Contest

Your picture may be worth $50 or a Kindle Fire

   Get your creative brain pumping, take some awesome themed photos, and you could find a brand new Kindle Fire waiting for you at the post office! Come celebrate with Novel Publicity and author Thaddeus Nowak as we close down the Mother's Curse whirlwind tour with a giant book appreciation party! Get ready to grab your e-reader, nun chucks, and perhaps even your wizard robes, but first read on for the full contest info. These contests have been extended until Friday, May 31 at 12 noon EST. Be sure to get your entries in before then.

The Mother's Curse Photo Contest

The Set-up: Put your thinking cap on and come up with a fun pictorial way to represent Mother's Curse. The most creative photo wins a Kindle Fire. We’ve also got two $50 Amazon gift cards to the folks who take the most epic fantasy photo and the most kick-butt combat photo. Just remember the book cover has to be visible in order for your entries to be eligible.  

What to do: Submit your photo entry at the official contest page or email it to emlyn@novelpublicity.com. *The cover of Mother's Curse must be visible in the picture on an eReading device.* You may submit multiple entries for more chances at the prizes, but you can only win once! So be original, show us your creativity, battle prowess, or love for epic fantasy.  

The Prizes:

• Most Creative: Kindle Fire
• Most Kick-Butt Battle Scene or Warrior Pose: $50 Amazon Gift Card
• Most Epic Fantasy: $50 Amazon Gift Card

A Witch, a Ghost, and Tour - Oh My!

Mother's Curse by Thaddeus Nowak

My rating on a 100-point scale: 92

My short and sweet review:

   This is a great novel! Adventurous, romantic, and entertaining. It's well-written and holds the attention of the reader. I highly recommend for anyone who likes fantastic supernatural stories, as I'm sure this one will not disappoint. 

   The only reasons I can't allow myself to give this a higher rating is: "however" is repeated too often, I think, and there is one single typo or technical error every 20-50 pages. I'm easily distracted by these types of things, and I know I'm a nitpicker, but I just have to mention them for my own piece of mind.

There is some foul language throughout and a little gore, so be forewarned. I personally don't think anyone under the age of 14 should read this without parental guidance.  

My recommender:

   This week, I'm participating in a blog tour for the above book and its sequel. Be sure to check out the tour page by clicking on the image to the right. There are also tons of reviews by others, so don't just take my word for it - learn more! 

An Excerpt:
   Feeling slightly better for having a bit of light to keep with her, she continued down the street, occasionally looking through a window to see the remains of a room.  After the third storefront she passed, she wondered at the reason all of the furniture and even drapes, carpets, and accessories had been left behind.  Even in the desperate flight from Antar, people were still taking their belongings.  They removed their drapes, even ones far less decorative then what Stephenie suspected were here.  Why would everyone desert a city and yet leave almost everything behind as if they were simply going across town to visit a friend?  She was hesitant to consider an answer.  This city had been deserted and abandoned for a long time.  Antar castle and city above had been there for as long as memory could recall and the original castle even before then.  Had any of those above known about a city deep in the rocks under their feet, there would have been stories.