Tag Archives: poetry

Book Blitz: Lockdown Innit by Marjorie Mallon

Posted in Book Blitz, BookWorld by

Book Blurb:

 

Lockdown Innit is a poetry collection of eighteen poems about life’s absurdities and frustrations during lockdown. Wherever you live in this world, this is for you. Expect humour, a dollop of banter and ridiculous rants here and there. Amongst other delights, witness the strange antics of a swan posing by a bin and two statuesque horses appearing like arc deco pieces in a field. Check out the violin player on a tightrope, or the cheeky unmentionables wafting in the lockdown breeze!

 

 

 

About the Author:

My alter ego is MJ – Mary Jane from Spiderman. I love superheroes!

On the 17th of November I was born, in Lion City: Singapore, (a passionate Scorpio, with the Chinese Zodiac sign a lucky rabbit.) My early childhood was spent in Hong Kong. During my teen years, my parents returned to my father’s birthplace, Edinburgh, where I spent many happy years. As a teenager, I travelled to many far-flung destinations. It’s rumoured that I now live in the Venice of Cambridge, with my six-foot hunk of a Rock God husband. My two enchanted daughters have almost flown the nest, but often return with a cheery smile to greet me.

During the day, I work in an international sixth form with students from around the world. I’m the meet and greet lady who welcomes them to their new college and issues them with late slips when they don’t get to their lessons on time!

I write YA fantasy, paranormal, horror/supernatural short stories, flash fiction and short form poetry. More recently, I have produced and compiled an anthology/compilation set during the early stages of COVID-19 entitled This Is Lockdown. Following on from this, in February 2021 I will be releasing Lockdown Innit, poems about absurdity.

I’ve been blogging for many moons at my blog home Kyrosmagica, which means Crystal Magic. From time to time I write articles celebrating the spiritual realm, inspiration and my love of nature, crystals and all things magical, mystical, and mysterious.

My eclectic blog shares my three loves: reading, writing, and creativity. I adore reading and have written over 150 reviews on my blog: https://mjmallon.com/2015/09/28/a-z-of-my-book-reviews/

 

Connect with the Author:

Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Authors Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-J-Mallon/e/B074CGNK4L
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon

#ABRSC – Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829166787333493/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-j-mallon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/

 

Book Links:

Kindle Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08VW81Q53/

Kindle Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VW81Q53/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56949934-lockdown-innit

Universal link for kindle: https://mybook.to/Lockdowninnit

 

 

First Lines Friday: 01/01/2021

Posted in BookWorld by

 

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

 

—————————————————————————————————————–

So, here goes! First lines:

Friday, August 24

Stoop-Sitting

The summer is made for stoop-sitting

and since it’s the last week before school starts,

Harlem is opening it’s eyes to September.

 

I scope out this block I’ve always called home.

  —————————————————————————————————————–

Do you have some idea about this book?

Hint: It was released in 2018 and gained quite a lot of praise for the way it is written….

 

Alrighty then! Here goes….

This is my current read and has been on my TBR forever! I have a paperback copy and for some reason have not gotten around to reading it!

The Poet X

 

Title: The Poet X

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

About the Book:

A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

In Conversation with Dane Cobain

Posted in Author Interviews, BookWorld by

Here at redpillows, I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with author and poet, Dane Cobain.

Dane Cobain

His work is quite diverse and spans fiction, non-fiction and poetry. His first work No Rest for the Wicked was released in the summer of 2015.

Read on to know what Dane would like to share!

  1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, I’m Dane! I’m a British writer who works across all sorts of genres, from horror and literary fiction to non-fiction and poetry. You can check out my work over here: www.danecobain.com/amazon

  1. How did you get into writing?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I suppose it all started when I was six or seven years old, singing parodies of popular songs with my own lyrics. When I was a teenager, I started to take it a lot more seriously, and the rest if history (and sweat, a lot of that too).

  1. You write such diverse things, novels and poetry, how do you manage that?

Honestly, I just don’t stop. I constantly work on finding ways to optimise my time and to cram as much productivity in as possible. I write a poem a day during the week, and I work on them while on cigarette breaks. Because my poems aren’t too long, I usually also get to spend a little time outlining stories, novels, marketing plans and other things that are stuck in my head. I write longer form things at the computer, while switching between other activities in a ridiculously specific routine I call ‘The Schedule’.

  1. Where do you find inspiration for your poetry?

Life, mainly. But my poetry is unique in that I only include maybe 5% of the poems that I write in the published collections. Sometimes, there isn’t much inspiration, but I still write poems – I just don’t share them.

  1. What are your favourite genres and your favourite books?

I like to read modern classics and ‘alternative’ books, as well as plenty of indie books and new releases thanks to my book blog (SocialBookshelves.com). Some of my favourite writers include Graham Greene, Charles Bukowski, Phillip Pullman, Terry Pratchett and, lately, Stephen King.

  1. Which kind of writing (genre) do you prefer?

They all have their pros and cons and, to be honest, when I’m writing, I don’t usually have a genre in mind. That comes when I get to the marketing stage. I don’t think I can answer this – sorry!

  1. Tell us a little about your research process while working on a novel.

It totally depends upon the novel, but I’m trying to carry out quite a lot for a current project. Unfortunately, the project itself is a bit of a secret, but it involves interviewing subject matter specialists from charities, reading books and documentaries and spending a hell of a lot of time looking at photos and videos that I’d much rather not look at.

  1. Who is your favourite character among those you have created and why?

Hmmm. It’s a tough one to call, but it’s probably Maile O’Hara from my upcoming series of detective novels. She’s basically me, if I was a woman and had specialised in computer stuff instead of writing.

  1. Describe a perfect writing day for you.

I wake up whenever I wake up and stay at home, working until I go to sleep while watching Netflix and chillin’ with my girlfriend. She’s only able to put up with me because she’ll quite happily play Skyrim while I’m working and we both have good taste in documentaries.

  1. What do you find most difficult while writing a novel?

Getting started during the planning stage. The more you plan, the more it all starts to come together, but the early days can be overwhelming. Once you’ve got a plan in place, it just becomes a case of endurance. You just need to stick with it.

  1. What do you find most difficult about writing poetry?

There are no rules. It’s just you and a blank piece of paper. It’s liberating, but it’s also terrifying – especially if you’re like me and you hate rhyming poetry

  1. Do you have any advice to share about writing a novel/poetry?

You just need to be prepared for heartbreak, do your best and stick at it. And you’d better make sure that you work with a decent editor if you want your book to be at its best.

Connect with the author:

Goodreads, Twitter

Author Website

Welcoming the New Year!

Posted in Poetry by

This is a poem I wrote way back at the end of 2011 while ushering in the new year! I think it is apt for this New Year’s Eve and each that follows!

I hope you all have a great New Year with lots of happiness and a tonne of books!

Image result for new year 2017

Welcoming the New Year!

As the year comes to a close,
There is a slight confusion,
Whether to be happy about it,
Or to be sad,
Look back at the year that’s past,
Take a decision,
Make a resolution,
To move forward,
Welcome the new year gracefully,
Open your heart,
And your mind,
Ready yourselves to begin,
A brand new chapter in your life,
Put aside the past,
Embrace the future,
Here’s to wishing all,
A Happy New Year!!!!

 

Memories – A Poem

Posted in Poetry by

Thinking back to your school or college days, I assume most of you can relate to this. Dedicated to all those people we hung around with and made some wonderful memories!

x————————————————————–x

Looking back at times long gone,
I reminisce,
Thinking about the fun we had,
All the times that we sat,
Lounging in class,
Or in the ground,
Chattering away with anyone,
And everyone who lent an ear,
All for one and one for all,
We stood together mighty strong,
The bonds of friendship that we formed,
Are interwoven into our lives,
Never to break forever more,
All the memories come gushing back
Of the fun that we had,
The times we spent together,
Will remain special forever!!

Darkness – A Poem

Posted in Poetry by

Another one of my poems, written some years ago but never shared. Hope you all like it.

x—————————————————–x

The darkness outside,
It beckons,
A midnight stroll.
Oh the peace,
The freedom of the night,
Not everyone sees it that way,
As a means of escape,
When no one can see you,
You are all by yourself,
In the dark,
And no one can know the truth,
Out peeps the moon,
Shining brightly far away,
Casting a pale glow down on earth,
Enough to just light up the path,
For a moonlit stroll,
Left to be alone,
With your thoughts,
A means of escape,
Oh the darkness,
It beckons,
The night we must fear not.

A Miracle! – A Poem

Posted in Poetry by

Once again this is something I had written a long time ago and I thought that it was time to share it on the blog. Hope you all like it! 🙂

x———————————————————x

Pain coursed through his body,
Like the aftershocks of an earthquake,
He lost all hope,
And the will to fight.
Death, he welcomed with open arms,
An air of calm acceptance,
Death was inevitable he thought,
The alternatives not considered.
Her frustration grew,
As she searched for flaws,
In life’s plan for him.
She knew there was hope,
She believed and trusted,
But the wait killed something inside her,
Letting lose her tears,
Which soothed his pain like a balm,
And brought him back from limbo.
She’d saved him!
With her love came trust
And his will to live….
A miracle!

My Saviour – A poem

Posted in Poetry by

Hey all, this is very different when compared to what is usually put up on my blog. Do not hesitate to leave your thoughts below.

images

My Saviour

Every day that we are apart,

It just makes me wonder,

Why do I rely on you so much?

What is it about you that makes it so?

We are but friends,

Two very different people,

And still it feels as though,

You’re the only one who understands.

 

There are some things about you,

That make you who you are,

A unique soul in this world of souls,

It sets you apart.

 

The slight smirk that is always there,

Hidden behind a serious face,

You attempt to be intimidating,

But come off as anything but.

 

Or perhaps I know you well enough,

To see through the façade,

The face that you show everyone,

Is not always the same.

 

A ton of advice you have to give,

You seem to care a lot,

You have particular ideals,

Break some of them, you cannot.

 

At heart you are soft,

A huge romantic,

You are not just my best friend,

You know how to make me feel special.

 

The fact that you never judge,

Makes it easier to open up,

You always know what to say,

To make it all better.

 

You hold my hand and guide me along,

You speak only when you feel it necessary,

You are indeed my guardian and saviour,

My best friend for life.