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From Amazon: Praise for Old Mountain Cassie: The Three Lessons “Prepare to fall in love with Cassie and be forever changed by her teachings.” “The novel is a treasure and delight.” “The story takes you on a journey and invites you to explore the secret to having your own amazing life. “I felt joy and excitement building inside me as I turned each page.” In the quaint Appalachian village of Divine, brooms sweep shop owners outside to trade tales of the latest Old Mountain Cassie sighting. Local lore claims Cassie holds the secret to a prosperous and joyous life…but only for seekers so destined. Lacey Jordan’s fascination to meet the mountain sage intensifies as she eavesdrops on the latest Cassie chatter swirling around her outside Holsom’s Market. And a mystified Lacey believes if she can spend time with Old Mountain Cassie, the confusion and chaos that have plagued her life will lift. What are these sacred and mystical lessons of Cassie’s that offer the keys to “living life amazing?” How will Lacey ever find the mountain recluse tucked away in the woods? Old Mountain Cassie: The Three Lessons is an inspiring, tell-all-your-friends celebration to read. Cassie and the folks of Divine offer a special recipe for an extraordinary life. A generous portion of humor, an extra helping of insight, and a taste of mystery and romance will leave readers both fulfilled and hungry for the next story served up Mountain Cassie style.

My Review: Astounding plus more! This book has been a truly astounding read for me. Honestly, if you need a good dose of faith in humanity, this book nails it. I believe this is the forth book I’ve read by this author and I must say it’s unique. I could write about the characters and such, but I want to convey more. If you don’t know what being in the “Now” is, you must add this book to your list. If you have doubts in life, read this book. If you need a dose of clarity, read this book. Five stars.

Barb the Bird of Hope by Zowie Norris

From Amazon: A story of friendship, acceptance and hope. In a laburnum tree in the Centre of Bretton Park, lives a unique bird called Barb. Her beauty and originality attract the attention of the other birds and park visitors, who see her as a symbol of hope, bringing them much comfort and happiness. She is loved by many and in return is grateful for her life and her friends. When things take a turn for the worst, Barb’s instinct is to fly away from her troubles … Will things get better? Can hope be restored?

My Review: Fauna, Flora, and Humanity Wrapped into One Book! The perfect book to help both children and adults during this time of coronavirus. Beautifully written and illustrated, Barb is a bird full of hope and she goes to a nearby hospital to investigate why people stopped visiting the park and wildlife. While there, she sees a doctor, who gives her pumpkin seeds and talks to her, and she learns about the virus. Barb witness the hope of staff and patients. Barb returns to the park to let the other wildlife know what’s going on. Storms happen in the park, and in real life. Barb is a brilliant light of hope to all people, animals, birds, and trees, and flora and fauna.

Thank you for viewing my art for today. Gallery is found here.

Please welcome Susan Butler Colwell to my blog. How about a nice cup of coffee before we get started?

First, Thank you, Mary, for this fantastic opportunity to meet your friends, followers, and fellow book lovers, and thank you for my awesome animated covers! They are fantastic! (You are quite welcome!)

Okay, about me: I grew up in Midland, Texas, which my husband says is why I’m so darned nice and polite to the degree that he has “never seen in another human being.”

I think it’s the water in Midland—crude oil mixed with sand and fluoride—creating a magical potion that makes people friendly. Now, I’ve not been to Midland in decades, but the last time I was there, the residents’ sweetness made me seem like Cruella De Ville. (Oh, how hilarious!)

These days, I’m a Virginian, and no, I don’t make fur coats out of puppy pelts due to the change in geography. Still, I am sometimes curt with telemarketers who call during dinner. Most of the time, I ask about their families, though. So I guess that cancels out the rudeness in my voice when I say, “Thank you so much for the phone call, but please put us on your “do not call” list … You have a cough, are you feeling okay?”

I live in Loudoun County, about thirty miles outside of Washington, D.C., with said lovely husband (who comments on my politeness) and an adorable gray cat that has many names but responds best to “Kitty Boy.” We’re always coming up with names for him, by the way. Last night it was Pablo Fanque (yes, from the Beatle’s song).

2. Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. Well, except for a two-month stint in summer camp when I wanted to be a country-western singer. (I was seven. Don’t judge.) But I ended up in marketing instead, which means you write and write and write some more. So wish granted, I guess.

I do think writing marketing copy helps in writing a novel. You must take an idea and keep reducing it until you have a concise nugget of information that gets the point across. The same thing applies to story crafting; you just have to do it in much larger doses.

They say to be an adept author, you need to have written at least a million words. I’ve probably written several million words in my decades-long career of promoting products and services, so I felt that might qualify, and off I went. There was just one teensy problem … I had no idea what to write.

I considered my topic day and night. I could write about the grandmother who raised me. That’s a good story. Daught (short for Daughter Baby) was a funny lady, and some of her quips ended up in The Summerlands. Someday, I might have to write the story of Daughter Baby. But I wasn’t inspired to dig in just yet, so the idea sat.

When I was close to giving up, my husband, Cerphe (a big deal radio celeb), interviewed Robert Plant for his radio show. Bobby (as I like to call him, because, you know, six thousand degrees of separation) told Cerphe about his inspiration for a few songs by a band you may have run across if you live on planet earth…Led Zeppelin.

He mentioned J.R.R. Tolkien, light and dark, hobbits, and even Fatty Arbuckle (for goodness sake) in that interview. My ears pricked at “light and dark.” Thus began several weeks of musing on “light and dark” and “right and wrong” and the ever-important “gray areas.”

I’ll bet you think I had the story then and there. Nope.

It was a year or so later (once I’d finally decided I just didn’t have a tale worth telling) that I sat bolt upright in bed with my novel, The Summerlands, playing on a movie screen in my head…the whole thing!

Being four am, I crept out of bed, put on a pot of coffee, and got down to the business of novel writing. Thankfully, it was a Saturday, so I had the weekend to do nothing but type that movie out of my head and onto the page. Twenty days later, I had the first draft.

I’ve heard of songwriters “downloading” entire songs from the collective, the ethereal stream of information that rides the in-between spaces, the dark matter of the universe. I remember thinking how cool that was and wondering what that would be like.

Singer-songwriter Tom Waits says that when an idea for a song comes out of the blue like that, his job is to do what it takes to get it down. If he’s driving, he pulls over. If he’s sleeping, he jumps up and scribbles it down. If he doesn’t react right away, the song goes on to someone else…like Tom Petty, maybe. (Goodness, I miss Tom Petty. He’s mentioned in the book, and yes, I cried when I wrote that scene.)

Chris Martin of Coldplay (who Cerphe has also interviewed because my hubby is insanely cool) has a similar theory. I’ve heard him say, “You know, wherever songs come from,” and “I don’t write songs, I receive them.” Those are just two of the soundbites he uses to sanely describe content received in a mystical way. But I notice he usually looks up or waves a hand at the ceiling when he says it. Uh, huh, Chris Martin, I see you…

Taking part in this phenomenon is one of the most remarkable experiences of my life, and I will be forever grateful.

3. How difficult was it writing your first book?

I had the story of The Summerlands given to me by “the great creative,” so that part was easy. Teaching myself to write a novel was tough. It took three years to find my voice and slip into my writing style. After the fiftieth rewrite, I hired an editor who helped bring my first baby home.

4. Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

Yes, at rewrite fifty-one, after my shiny new editor came back with notes. . . a lot of notes. But I chugged through and finished my first novel twenty pounds heavier and with a lot less hair. But I got it out there, darn it all!

5. Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My husband Cerphe and my close friends have been amazingly supportive. They read every draft, offer excellent advice, and listen with non-judgy faces when I talk about my characters like they are real people . . . uh, because they are.  My friends Helen and Christina spitball ideas, with Helen offering creative ways to make my villains squirm. (She really seems to enjoy that, and I don’t ask.) Cerphe never rolls his eyes when I burst into a room (where he’s working) to announce, “Oh! Oh! listen to this!”

6. Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Yes, and I know you hear this from people far more intelligent than I, but never give up! There were times when I thought I would never be done with The Summerlands. There were times when I sobbed into my ice cream. There were times when I felt like hucking the computer across the room and telling novel-writing to take a hike. But I sucked it up and persevered and whamo! I was staring at a book with a beautiful cover and actual words that I wrote inside! It was the most surreal experience of my life.

7. What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

See the “never give up” comment above. I’m sure many people have told me that, but my husband repeats it often, so he gets the credit.

8. What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

I write metaphysical fiction, so not everyone’s cup of tea. But I have been delighted to find an audience with readers from every walk of life, religion, and belief system. There’s a message of love in my books that resonates with everyone, I think, no matter if you believe in Goddess, God, or nothing at all.

I’ve been told my books are appropriate for “New Adults.” One reviewer deducted a star because she felt my book was “YA.” And yes, that hurt. Besides, my protagonist is a twenty-two-year-old goddess who has lived a million lives.  So the fact she was over eighteen, plus a few billion cosmic years, kicked her out of the “YA” category before she could stamp her multi-life goddess foot in protest.

But in my mind, I write for people my age; we fifty-somethings trying to get a handle on life, spirituality, and mortality, and everyone trying to make sense of the crazy world around them, no matter their age.

My books are filled with love and hope for a brighter tomorrow. So there is a message in there for everyone.

9. Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

Oh, boy. I designed my first cover, and it was sort of a disaster. Okay, strike “sort of.” So I hired a professional cover designer, loved what she did, and hired her for books two and three. A great cover is essential, so cover design definitely falls into the “don’t try this at home” category. Lesson learned.

10. What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

Ooooh, I thought you’d never ask! I’m working on book three, Angel Fire. I’m about two-thirds done with the first draft and am gearing up for the adventure piece of the story to finish it up. Hmm. Let’s see what kind of an excerpt I can lay on you that won’t be a spoiler if you haven’t read the first two books . . .? 

Mind you, it hasn’t been through my editor’s meat grinder yet. I’m sure she’ll be horrified I let this wild thing out into the world, but here goes: 😊

Excerpt form Angel Fire by Susan Butler Colwell

A short while ago, and at the fevered request of the pilot who threw up a quick prayer to his Maker, mind you, I’d been mentally steering this craft through this heavy asteroid field. Somewhat comfortably, I might add, while enjoying a late-night snack in my home on the Earth plane.

Of course, I’m not his Maker. Goddess is. But human prayers go through a lightning-speed chain-mail system, touching each arc and elemental’s soul. Sort of like tapping us on the cosmic shoulder to alert us of the request and the type of danger the human faces.

Each of us has our specialty.

My eternal mate—and soon-to-be-human-style husband, Archangel Michael—takes care of warfare calamity, protecting soldiers who find themselves on the wrong end of something sharp or explosive.

Raphael deals with medical fiascos, car crashes, and the like. Kricket, Raphe’s mate and the goddess of air, takes care of anything brain-related, though. She also saves living beings from tornados and hurricanes, of course.

Helena deals with water emergencies, being the goddess of that element and all. And Andrea, goddess of earth, oversees anything ground-related; earthquakes, mine collapses, quicksand, that sort of thing.

None of us are allowed to intervene in environmental issues and global warming. Goddess wants humans to learn to avoid them without divine assistance. But I try not to think about that.

Anyway, fires, explosions, volcano eruptions, and galactic rescues are my jam. So the other arcs and elementals let those requests glide on by to land with me. Besides, Helena steers clear of anything “spaceship,” water-related or not, since she let a whole armada through her West Gate, and the Earth plane ended up with a dinosaur infestation.

11. Any last words before we wrap things up?

Just to thank you again for the opportunity and to wish you love and light, joy, peace, and abundance by the truckloads!

https://susanbutlercolwell.com/

Angels & Elementals Seires: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093J2GQXY

The Summerlands  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093TWBRK4

The Summerlands Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/kRZ8x8Dwd18

Demon Dagger   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093G432XF

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Z90nixPTFWtF_CzpEaU0Q

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21043858.Susan_Butler_Colwell

Please make welcome Patricia M Osborne, to my blog. Hello Tricia, shall we have a cup of tea and get started? Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

Hi everyone, I’m Patricia M Osborne, Tricia to my friends and family. I’m a novelist, short story writer and a poet. Although born in Liverpool, I now live in West Sussex (UK) with my family.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

Writing has always been my love but I was drawn to poetry more than prose. It was only after studying my creative writing modules as part of my BA degree that I turned to fiction and after writing a screenplay as part of my BA, realised House of Grace had the potential to become a novel.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

Difficult of course, but because I already knew the outline of my story from writing the screenplay, I was able to follow the movie reel in my mind’s eye.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

My mum died just before I’d finished the first draft of House of Grace and at this time, I did feel like giving up. It was good friends believing in me that kept me going.

Sorry for your loss. Writing can help with pain.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

I am lucky to have some very supportive friends and can’t single out just one person.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Be persistent and don’t be phased by rejection. It’s the persistent writer who’ll make it. I’m afraid I can’t remember where the advice came from.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

Mainly female, sixteen upwards, although I’ve had numerous men enjoy the House of Grace trilogy too. The younger female likes discovering what things were like in past times whereas women born in the fifties and sixties are able to relate to the retro.   

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

The first attempt at the cover was a flop. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted and hired a local artist. Her interpretation wasn’t what I was looking for at all but it was only after seeing her sketch that I knew what I did want. I wanted vibrant – something to stand out –Grace needed a red dress. I managed to find a cover designer who after a couple of attempts produced exactly the cover I desired.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

I’m also a poet and have had three poetry pamphlets published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press with another to follow later this year and one to be published in 2022.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

I’m working on an historical fiction novel set late Victorian/early Edwardian. It is about a young French mademoiselle who discovers on her seventeenth birthday she must come to England and marry an English baronet to fulfill a one-hundred-year-old oath. Not quite the birthday gift she was expecting.

Here is an excerpt from the opening chapter – subject to edit.

The Oath

Patricia M Osborne

Part 1

Chapter 1

Françoise

23^rd March 1895

I looked out of the shuttered window. Four o’clock and the sun was still shining. It had been a lovely spring day. Geneviève and Céleste stepped into their Phaeton pulled by two beautiful iron-grey ponies. My friends waved. I waved back. Geneviève flicked the reins and the horses trotted down the drive. Geneviève and I had known each other since kindergarten and were more like sisters. More so than her actual sister, Céleste. Céleste was two years younger but liked to tag along whenever she got the chance.

            ‘Joyeaux anniversaire, mon ange.’ Papa hobbled across the room and sank down in the armchair by the inglenook fireplace. He coughed into his handkerchief. ‘I trust tea with your friends was enjoyable?’

            ‘Oui, Papa. I have had a wonderful afternoon, merci.’

            Maman followed Papa into the parlour, her once dark hair now the colour of Geneviève’s ponies. She pressed the middle of her back as she eased down on the tan Chesterfield. ‘Have you spoken to Françoise?’ she asked.

            ‘Not yet. I was waiting for you and Michel. Where is he?’ Papa spluttered.

            ‘I am here.’ Michel’s bright blue eyes twinkled. ‘First I shall stoke the fire as it is starting to turn cold.’ He poked the embers and added a few pieces of coal before sinking into the sofa next to Maman. Michel was twenty-four last month but he still had a youthful look and trim physique.      

            ‘What is going on?’ I joined Maman and Michel on the sofa, unable to remove my grin, expecting another birthday surprise.

            ‘Françoise, we must discuss your future.’ Papa struck a match and lit up his pipe, coughing and spluttering. ‘Remember how when you were little, I would tell you the story of a prince who lived far away who would one day send for his princess?’

            ‘Yes, Papa, but that was just a game. Mais oui?’

            ‘Non, ange, not a game.’ He coughed. ‘One hundred years ago there were two brothers, Henri and Willeme Dubois, our ancestors. Henri emigrated to England but before leaving he drew up a contract with his twin brother, Willeme. Henri vowed to support Willeme and his descendants forever more. We are Willeme’s descendants.’

            I frowned. ‘Contract?’

            ‘Oui. The contract was written in our family bible.’ Papa held up a tattered leather embossed book held together with a clasp. ‘In here.’ He patted the hardcover. ‘Willeme also swore an oath to his brother that if ever a male descendant of Henri’s, during any time era, required a bride to provide an heir, they could call on Willeme’s line for the pledge to be fulfilled.’

            My heart beat faster. ‘What has that got to do with me?’

            ‘Because my dear, you are the princess and your prince has sent for his bride.’ Father puffed on his pipe, blowing out smoke. 

…continued (ah… sounds interesting!)

Any last words before we wrap things up?

I run a successful blog over on Patricia’s Pen where I feature other authors and poets. Thank you, Mary, for inviting me over to your website and asking such fabulous questions. (You’re welcome, Tricia.)

Links and Bio

About Patricia M Osborne

Patricia M Osborne is married with grown-up children and grandchildren. In 2019 she graduated with an MA in Creative Writing (University of Brighton).

Patricia is a novelist, poet and short fiction writer. She has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. The final book in House of Grace family saga trilogy was published March 2021. Her poetry pamphlets are published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press.

She has a successful blog at Whitewingsbooks.com featuring other writers. When Patricia isn’t working on her own writing, she enjoys sharing her knowledge, acting as a mentor to fellow writers.

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From Amazon: Having escaped through the magical doorway in an old, gnarly tree, Twigs and Thistle enter the ravaged realm of the thunderbird. Trees have been burned, mountains scarred and not a single living creature can be seen in this desolate land. But then the friends discover some hideaways who are living in fear. A foolish choice has been made, and now the protected have become the hunted. The angered thunderbird wants revenge, and Twigs and Thistle must face the mythical beast in order to improve their chances of finding a doorway home. In this, the second book of the enchanting series, Broken Twigs, the feisty fae and her elf friend must find their courage if they ever hope to see Faerie Forest again.

My Review: I found this book to be an awesome fantasy filled with fairies, and more, in a truly make-believe setting. The characters come to life with the illustrations that support them. Children learn many lessons and honesty is one lesson. Children learn what can happen if one steals what isn’t theirs, and the consequences of such acts. Highly recommended.

Many people are saying that blogging is dead. But blogging is important today. Here are 3 reasons why it is — and why you should start one today.

Why Blogging is Important Today — Crispy Confessions

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