Dear Friends,

I know these promotional posts tend to get repetitive, and yet, it has been so exciting and humbling to receive such generous support from my fellow friends in this warm blogging community. I appreciate you who have followed along, liked, or even left a comment on the several tour stops. And before I move forward to share Selma’s post, I have a silly confession to make…a week ago, I was making changes on my blog and accidentally closed comments on all posts. I can’t believe I did this, but I mention this because if you tried to leave a comment on the early tour stops and weren’t able to, comments have been reopened. Not that you have the time to go back. We barely have time to go forward! 🙂 So, maybe it’s too late, but I wanted to let you know. Now for today, I am sharing my lovely friend’s promotional post, Selma Martin, which also includes her stunning 5-star review. For those of you who don’t know Selma, please visit her blog by clicking here to read her beautiful and amazing poetry.

Introducing You To My Author Friend, Lauren Scott

Hello, reader friends. How about that heat, huh? It’s coming to the end of the month and I have yet to find a pleasant day, temperature-wise. The only respite I get is in slow reading the many books I’ve purchased. Thank God for good books!

Today, I’m tearing at the seams and cannot wait to tell you and help shift your attention to something gentle that exists in the world today: A new book, Ever So Gently, by Lauren Scott, owner of the following website:

Baydreamer ~ Lauren Scott ~ a thread of words from every stitch of life ~

The first time I mentioned Author Lauren Scott was back in May when I posted an Amazon review of the first book of hers I read, released in 2021. Here’s a refresher.

Because Even Second-hand Happiness Makes Us All Happy

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And now, Author Lauren Scott has a new release: A collection of poems that will linger Ever So Gently in your soul.

There’s just so much I wish to tell you about Lauren, but first, an interview I conducted with her recently.

1. Tell me something about yourself/your life that readers wouldn’t know otherwise.

If you’ve read my memoir, More than Coffee, then you’ll know this fun fact…when I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted to be a professional singer. I wanted to be just like Barbra Streisand.

Her voice lulled me to sleep on many nights in my youth. So, I performed concerts in my living room for my family, singing into my precious hairbrush microphone, and I sang in school choirs as I grew older. I won best vocalist in choir and first place in my senior talent show. I also performed a rock gospel song on a church choir tour, performing in several venues on the east coast. I sang the same song in front of an audience of 2000 people, and what an experience! I reveled in those exhilarating spotlight moments, and then my dream changed. And that’s okay because we can have more than one dream. But I am grateful for these amazing memories, and now writing has slid into that dream slot.  

2. Tell me about ‘Ever So Gently’ and why you wrote it. 

I’m thrilled to give you a little back story…I had organized this 90-poem collection into three parts: Nature, Love, and Life, and yet a book title still remained in hiding. And then one of my poems stood out titled, “Ever So Gently,” and it’s as though a lightbulb turned on. Everything clicked. Then I began to ponder how we live each day. It’s easy to live ‘gently’ when things happen according to our plans. But what if they don’t? What if heartache befalls us? Do we react ‘gently’ or do we press the panic button? I’ve done both, but I’m trying to focus on ‘gentle.’ And while in this mindset, I thought of the love my heart has felt, the tranquility and companionship of nature, and the good and not so good that life has tossed my way. So, I offer you the beginning of my introduction in the book…

“Ever So Gently expresses the gentle demeanor in which I welcome nature’s offerings. The gentle way in which I should react to life’s challenges. The gentle grace in my heart, full of gratitude for the love in my life. For the support of family and friends through every stumble and celebration. When I witness another sunrise, I remember to breathe and live gently. But succeeding in ‘gentle’ may not happen around the clock, so if I slip up, I will try again.”

CHECK OUT A CONVENIENT PREVIEW OF THE BOOK HERE:

3. Share one poem from the book and tell me what inspired it. 

My husband and I have been empty nesters for two years now, and we’re proud of our daughter and son for chasing their dreams, for paving their own paths. But their dreams happened to be across the country. So, between all of us flying back and forth, texting, talking on the phone, and zooming, we stay in touch. But for me, it’s not the same. I miss them so much that sometimes it hurts. We only get one ride around the sun, and I’d prefer that my ride be closer in distance to them. Maybe someday it will. I hope so, but in the meantime, I wrote the poem below:

The Same Sky

I don’t know
if I should feel embarrassed
about having a moment
that lasted for a day,
and there is no point
in fighting the tears.
They are winners.

Would other parents
think differently?
Not that I care
because…

I loathe
the many miles between us
as though they have done me
wrong, becoming my enemy.

But the consolation is knowing
that when my eyes look upward,
when I exhale acceptance,
we share the same vivid blue sky.

The distance, simply geography.

4. If you were to leave a ‘message in a bottle’ for the future, what would you say?

Be you. It’s as simple as that, but it’s not always simple to discard the mask. Try not to free the negative voices in your head. Do what makes you happy because you only get one chance. This is it. Live gently, live kindly toward others, and be true to yourself. I believe happiness will follow.

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Dear people, add this video to your options when deciding if you’re ready for a book that speaks “ever so gently” on your soul.

• Lauren Scott’s Bio

Lauren Scott is a poet, an author of short stories, both fiction and reflections of her life. She enjoys small-town living in Northern California with her husband, Matthew, and their lab, Copper; they have two grown children. She has authored two collections of poetry: New Day, New Dreams (2013) and Finding a Balance (2015). In 2021, she released her memoir, More than Coffee. Her new collection of poetry, Ever So Gently, was published in July 2023. She is a published author at Spillwords Press and was voted Author of the Month for May 2023. She is also a contributing author in the anthology, Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships (2021) and in the anthology, This is How We Grow, released July 2023. Lauren’s writing inspiration comes from her love of family, spending time in the great outdoors, and finding joy in the simple things.

• An exclusive from the Author–COMING SOON:

I have finished my first children’s book, and I’m working with my illustrator, aiming to release it at the end of the year or early 2024. This is an exciting new adventure. 

For more updates, please click on Baydreamer’s Website above to inhabit the ever so gentle world of Lauren Scott.

Amazon Author Page

Social Media Links: – Facebook – Instagram

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow I will post my Amazon review here for you.

And now for Selma’s elegant and stunning review:

Read it slowly, and savor it long

Ever So Gently–A collection of poems by Lauren Scott, a book of 126 pages, is a beautiful collection to savor more than once. In a combination of poetry forms like free verse, haiku and tanka, etheree, shadorma, and others, the Author celebrates family memories and present moments and reflections on where she is in her life today. Read it slowly and feel the words cause your own memories to float to the surface.

The book is divided into three parts: The Wisdom of Nature; The Noise, the Laughter, The Chaos, The Loved Ones; and Lost In Thought. In Part 2, there’s even a poem from the perspective of Copper, her Labrador—a clear indication of the different loves in the Author’s life. Undeniably you will find the words swell your heart with gratitude too.

I recommend Ever So Gently to anyone who knows how to tap into and make much of the happy moments in life. Because life is not always a bed of roses, yet beautiful things happen all the time. Any of the poems will have resonance. What, with language like these excerpts from the book:

“That this routine, though simple to some, would not be the same, would not provide the comforting experience if one of us was not present? I shudder to imagine such a scenario…” ~Toots and Circles\

“the soil exhaled and my lantana sang “Hallelujah!” ~ October’s Miracle\

“When I reminisce to these years, memories make me pause… to a time when I
witnessed their laughter and tears,” ~The Tiny Town\

“a little bit more. I’m sure she knows the amount of residence she claims in my heart.
Then again, it is quite difficult to quantify.” ~A Little Bit More\

“Then with the years your adolescence faded like my blue dye, but I stayed loyal.”
~The Blue Down Jacket\

“Life is like a package wrapped in festive paper.” ~Darker Than The Deepest Sea\

All the poems offered me a tender glimpse into Scott’s life. One calm evening to read through this poetry collection is all I needed to recognize how much I have in common with this Author. That she and her husband are empty nesters puts me right in her shoes. So the poem that will remain tucked safely in my happy place is the following:

“I find comfort in the clothes\ strewn on the floor\ soon to be dumped in the washer,\ wallet lying on the dresser,\ cell charging, bed comforter\ in shambles\because the messiness\ displays his presence.\ Now with air miles accumulated\ back in his time zone,\ the room shines in all its cleanliness,\ the neatness grating on my nerves,\ the silence, a cold shoulder.\ My hand pulls back the comforter,\ tousling, creating wrinkles\ in the navy fabric, then I pull\ some old shirts from the closet,\ tossing them on the floor.\ I can certainly pretend\ he’s just out with friends…”\\ The Mess, p.59

I hope you’re ready for just such a book, serene and enticing, that will speak ever so gently to your soul.
I cannot wait to read more poetry like this from this Author. 5-star from a satisfied customer.

A huge hug to Selma for her exquisite presence in this blog tour!

And I want to thank my wonderful friends for their exceptional support from the beginning:

Robbie kicked off the tour on August 2nd, and she also created the awesome book trailer using my photos.

Sally featured me on August 3rd for her ‘new book on the shelves’ post.

Balroop continued with the tour on August 7th, sharing my book and her stunning review.

Colleen conducted a fabulous interview on August 21st for her ‘Meet the Poet’ series.

Resa grabbed the reins on August 20th (after my wilderness break) creating an elegant interview and stunning review.

Diana read my book early, wrote a beautiful 5-star review, along with a beautiful testimonial for the back cover.

If you missed their posts, I invite you to check them out. And if you haven’t met Selma or any of these wonderful bloggers and writers, I encourage you to get to know them. Your blogging experience will be greatly enriched. 💜

Thanks for dropping by!
~ Lauren ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.