Happy December! First of all, on the weekend, I tried to activate the snow effect on my blog, but it wasn’t working. Then this morning, it was snowing! A miracle? I don’t know, but I’ll take it as a good sign. ❄️ Now for those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope yours was beyond wonderful! We had a lovely time seeing our son and daughter, feeling grateful for everything, but not just on that special Thursday – every day is a day of gratitude. Then we decorated the house for Christmas and it looks beautiful and festive. We played Scrabble, watched movies, went for walks, talked about life, and guess what? Yesterday, I wrote book reviews! Yes, I was behind, so I carved out some time yesterday! I’ll share them this month. Anyway, I missed you all, but I hope you’ve had a great week! And I normally don’t like to add too much to a post simply to keep things simple, but on the day I ‘left’ for a break, I received incredible and unexpected news:
I have been nominated by Literary Revelations for the esteemed Pushcart Prize! It is a huge privilege to be nominated, so Thanks again to Gabriela Marie Milton! I still feel speechless and so honored to be nominated, but also to stand beside the other incredible authors! Congratulations again to the other amazing nominees! 🎉
The Pushcart nomination is a process in which literary magazines and small presses select outstanding works—poetry, essays, or fiction—from their publications for inclusion in the annual Pushcart Prize anthology. Editors submit their chosen pieces to the Pushcart Prize editors, who review all nominations and select the winners for publication.Your letters of nomination will go out before December 1, 2025! Congratulations and good luck!
And this morning, my notifications told me that Gobblers by Masticadores published my haiku “The Reveal!” Thanks again to Manuela Timofte, Editor, for sharing my work each month. Again, I’m honored and so appreciative!
The Reveal – haiku
in a night abyss shimmering with white diamonds hope winks with promise
If you have time (smile), please pay a visit to Gabriela and Manuela. They’ll appreciate your presence, and I’ll appreciate your support. I look forward to reading your posts again, and wish you all a dazzling December! ❄️🩵
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Thank you for coming by! I’m grateful for you all! ❤️
All available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Click on sidebar imagefor more info, and to purchase for your holiday shopping! Thank you! 🙏
I’ve received so many amazing reviews for my book, that it’s time to pay it forward. So, this is the first batch of reviews with five more coming later this month. And another shout out to everyone who has offered support in some manner during my King Copper journey. I love you all! 💖
Back to these fabulous books…once you begin reading, you won’t want to put any of these down, even if life tries to intercept, and you know it will! 🙂 Simply click on the author names if you’d like to visit their websites!
Honeysuckle Heat by Michele Lee Sefton is a beautifully crafted love story full of passion. We meet crime writer, Matthew Oliver, and Jacqueline Fortin, a successful Los Angeles Anchorwoman. They have a long history together but parted ways. Suddenly, she’s back in his life, and their chemistry is what anyone would long for. Let me share an example of Sefton’s tantalizing prose:
‘He understood why a fallen leaf would want to lodge itself in her wavy strands. He kissed her on the spot where the leaf had been then let the errant flora fall on the kitchen tile – a concern for another time. His lips confirmed what his eyes suspected. Parched from months of emptiness, they were quenched by a softness that brushed against his soul, like a golden sunrise whispering its way above a lone hill. A soft beginning that turned his doting love for her into a warm and fiery glow.’
Will their intense physical attraction and love for each other be enough this time? Are their goals for the future aligned? I will let you find out for yourself. As the season changes and temperatures begin to cool, cuddle up with this captivating novella when an evening is winding down and your thoughts have taken a back seat. Let Sefton’s poetic prose transport you to another world built with many enticing layers. Highly recommended.
I am familiar with D.L. Finn’s beautiful poetry. So, when I heard she had released a third book in the “Just Her Poetry” series, I bought a copy right away. The dog-eared paperback lies on my desk as I type this review. Finn’s collection spans from earlier published poems to newly released. I followed her journey from the beginning, which is a tribute to nature through a selection of syllabic poetry and lovely photos paired with them. We share the same love of nature and family, along with gratitude playing a significant role in life. Through Finn’s emotional journey, I smiled and also became teary-eyed. Every emotion you can imagine is highlighted throughout this evocative collection. She creates such vivid scenes that I felt as though I had stepped into a specific moment, feeling the sentiments with every bit of energy. There are too many favorites to mention, so here are a few:
“The Forest”
the forest’s sweet song/caresses my weary soul/with healing beauty
“Summer” (first two verses)
When I think of childhood summers, It’s swimming, playing, fishing, and vacations Long nights, as I imagined my next adventure Finally, the crickets’ song lulled me into happy dreams.
My old house was heavy with heat Making me wish I could lift the roof to cool Square metal fans hummed in every room, Everyone, except my grandparents, wore shorts and tank tops.
“Suicide Song” caught me off guard. I learned a little bit more about D.L. Finn. My heart ached, but the poem also speaks about second chances. A poignant and powerful piece of writing. I highly recommend this poetic compilation for everyone who appreciates poetry that touches on real life.
A Noble Bargain is the second book I have read by Jan Sikes. She has a natural skill of pulling readers into her stories, making them feel like part of the character line up. I enjoyed A Beggar’s Bargain so much that I could not pass up the second book. In no time, I fell in love with Oliver Quinn and Rose Blaine. The year is 1948 in a rural Arkansas town. Times are simpler, but hard work is part of the landscape.
Oliver comes from a loving family who does not think twice about helping others in need. He is the kind of son every parent dreams of. His father passed away and he misses him dearly, but he adores his mother who has a heart of gold. Oliver also holds in his heart an American dream, and he will persevere to make it come true. His family is one I would love to meet. Rose and her two brothers live in a completely opposite world riddled with domestic abuse. After the tragic loss of their mother, the siblings have suffered under the violent fist of their alcoholic father. I had no trouble disliking their father, to put it mildly. Sadly, an escape had never presented itself, but Rose is determined to find a way.
One night, Oliver and Rose meet by chance, which is the beginning of their story. I enjoyed rooting for this kind young man to change Rose’s life for the better. I wanted Rose and her brothers to find a way out of the terror they had been living in. But to avoid spoiler alerts, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a compelling story that spotlights the good in people and the benefit of resilience.
Cade’s Quest begins the first in a series about The McIntyre’s and truly conveys the special connection of family. Readers are transported to the old west in the late 1800s. Four years prior, Cade and his siblings underwent a horrific event when their parents were murdered. And yet, even this amount of time could not erase the horror Cade experienced of “staring into their mother’s face frozen in death and seeing a fly on her cheek.” I felt his agony through the riveting words on the page. Reading about the tragedy was heartbreaking, but what tore at my heart even more were the town “do-gooders” deciding where each child would go. Imagine what it would feel like being young and ripped away from your sisters and brothers after losing your parents in a horrifying crime. Making sense of the heinous act alone for a young child would seem impossible. Imagine how alone and frightened you would feel. Now as an adult, Cade’s mind is set. He needs to find his siblings, but he doesn’t know the first place to look.
I love Cade’s demeanor: courageous, kind, and dedicated to those he loves. As he initiates his quest, several obstacles get in his way – one is being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, which forces him to run. Rumors about his brother, Jess, have him wondering what is true or simply gossip. Along his journey, he meets a young Comanche woman, Rain, who cares for her orphaned nephew. She is also on the run from evil. They become each other’s ally, but will their friendship develop into something more beautiful? You will need to dive into Broday’s exciting storytelling to find out! I highly recommend Cade’s Quest for those who enjoy a gripping western drama.
I’m also adding a lovely book that would be perfect for your coffee table. My copy should arrive tomorrow!
Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 🧡
Thanks for stopping by, andI hope you‘re leaving with a book or two or four! 😁 Wishing you a beautiful week! 🩷
Lauren Scott
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book) Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology Co-Author – This Is How We Grow Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023 Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024 Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025
I am honored and grateful to be included in Gabriela Marie Milton’s upcoming anthology of haiku! This is the second anthology I’ve been part of following the beautiful Petals of Haiku released in May 2024. Thank you again, Gabriela and Literary Revelations for believing in my work. 🙏
From Gabriela’s blog post:
@LR_Publisher, just sent out letters of acceptance (or rejection) for our upcoming book Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku. Congratulations to everyone who was accepted. Please help me spread the news. Soon, we will send you the whole design of the cover – as you know, the art on the cover belongs to Japanese artist Hikari and the fine art photography included in the book to Japanese artist Naoki Kimura. Over 240 authors were included.
All photos courtesy of Literary RevelationsPublishing House.
For more information and gorgeous photography by Naoki Kimura, and to read beautiful and evocative poetry by Gabriela and other poets she features, please visit her site by clicking the link below.
Photo: credit to Literary Revelations Publishing House
Dear Family and Friends!
I have more exciting news to share! I am grateful to Gabriela Marie Milton for the opportunity of being featured on her literary journal today – Literary Revelations! She has published two of my poems: “I Know This” and “Wild Emotions.” I am always in awe of her beautiful, evocative poetry and of the poetry she features of other talented writers. So, thank you, once again, Gabriela! I am on Cloud 9!! ❤️
Literary Revelations has published a myriad of beautiful books. The most recent are Full Moon Confessions by Tracey Anne and Petals of Haiku: An Anthology, in which the art on the cover is by award-winning painter Hikari. I am honored to be a part of this amazing anthology with over 160 poets.
For some reason, WordPress won’t allow me to add book images in the body of the post, so please visit Gabriela’s site here to peruse her wonderful books.
And now I offer you snippets of my poems:
I Know This
We do not live forever, I know this, just as sunlight and moonbeams cannot shine simultaneously. But sometimes I feel he and I will transcend the inevitable. Imagining the opposite is unimaginable…
Wild Emotions
No one listens, no one understands the version of me… My spirit sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. My sky holds gray clouds with no sign of cerulean. My body suffers heaviness as the hand of death. My mind resides in a muddle of negativity Like a dirge repeating loop after loop… A shadowy corner in my room invites me for an extended stay. Sun rays no longer peek through my curtains Because even my sunken spirit has the sun feeling uncertain…
I hope you’ll visit Gabriela’s post to read the poems in their entirety. My heart would be full of gratitude! You can also click on the link below.
Thank you SO much for stopping by and for your continued support. Words can’t express how thankful I am for you! And I wish you a fabulous day, and a fun Halloween!🙏❤️
I am honored to be a part of this beautiful anthology created, compiled, and edited by Gabriela Marie Milton at Literary Revelations! Over 150 poets with four haiku each are included in Petals of Haiku which is a Top New Release on Amazon, and my copy has arrived! I’ve already immersed myself into the lovely and delicate poetry – truly a beautiful collection!
I sprinkled some pink blooms throughout the post for this joyful occasion, and I recorded two of my haiku for your listening pleasure.
A few words from Gabriela about the Anthology:
Petals of Haiku is not just an anthology that Literary Revelations is proud to publish. It’s a masterpiece that encapsulates the essence of haiku poetry like never before. The spectacular haiku writers featured in this collection bring to life the delicacy of seasons and the profound range of human emotions, from joy to grief, in a way that is both delightful and deeply moving.
The art on the cover by award-winning painter Hikari sets the tone for what awaits inside – a world where words dance off the page and into your heart. The background photo by award-winning Japanese photographer Naoki Kimura adds another layer of beauty to this already exquisite collection.”
To order your copy!
If you’re not familiar with Gabriela’s blog, I’m including some facts to entice you because each time you visit Literary Revelations, it is easy to lose yourself in the beauty through the written word…
We publish most poetry genres: epic, lyric, narrative, or prose poetry. We expect work that dazzles the intellect, and delights the soul; work that makes feelings blossom into symphonies of love, beauty, and sorrow. Interpret the silence. Find the place where love was born, and tears are entombed. Be the voice of prophets. Be the soft whisper of Sakura.Dream, create, suggest. Avoid cliches. Avoid the banal and the explicit, even if both have become trendy. Remember “To define is to kill. To suggest is to create.” (Stéphane Mallarmé).We also publish fiction such as mystery, romance, fantasy, and other types.
Congratulations to Gabriela and to all authors in Petals of Haiku, and thank you, Gabriela, for this amazing opportunity! ❤️
Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author 