A writer inspired by nature and human nature

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“Time to get the apples in” (POEM) by Bette A Stevens


Inspired by nature and human nature…

In 2002 we planted five apple trees (Granny Smith, Greening, Red Rome, Cortland and Macoun) forming an apple tree crescent between the house and barn here at The Farmstead in central Maine. This year we’ve harvested six bushels from the trees, and our ‘neighborhood’ deer have cleaned up all the drops. No need to bend, rake and set out the fallen fruit for the wildlife, they’ve already harvested their seasonal snacks. No need to travel to the local orchard or market to pick and purchase apples.
Wishing you a bountiful and beautiful fall!
~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

Time to Get the Apples In

Poem by Bette A. Stevens

Pies, cobblers, jellies, cider, applesauce and more…
To make and bake
To eat and partake
From our garden
Not the store

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Written

on 10/02/2018

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“Autumnal Archway” (HAIKU) by Bette A. Stevens


Autumnal Archway

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

Summer gate closes
As autumn’s brilliant archway
Beckons—nature’s call

© Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

About the author

Maine author Bette A. Stevens pictured with a male Monarch butterfly drying its wings after emerging from its chrysalis.

Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies—an endangered species (and for milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).

Stevens is the author of AMAZING MATILDA, an award-winning picture book about a monarch butterfly; The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, a home/school resource  incorporating hands-on math and writing; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to her début novel, DOG BONE SOUP—a coming-of-age story and family drama set in 1950s and 60s New England.

Stevens is currently working on her first poetry book—MY MAINE, a seasonal haiku collection—which she plans to publish fall (2018).

 

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on 09/27/2018

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Welcome to the 2018 TREAT READS BLOG HOP (Day 10)


“Greetings!  Welcome to the 2nd RRBC “TREAT” Reads Blog Hop!  These members of RRBC have penned and published some really great reads and we’d like to honor and showcase their talent. Oddly, all of the listed Winners are RWISA members!  Way to go RWISA!

We ask that you pick up a copy of the title listed, and after reading it, leave a review. There will be other books on tour for the next few days, so please visit the “HOP’S” main page to follow along.

Also, for every comment that you leave along this tour, including on the “HOP’S” main page, your name will be entered into a drawing for a gift card to be awarded at the end of the tour!”

Looking for an enthralling archaeological mystery, mixing the supernatural with humor and suspense?

You’re sure to find it in HIEROGLYPH by W. J. Scott!

HIEROGLYPH– https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016IZYDE4/

Book Blurb

13-year-old TC has a secret. No one knows she possesses a supernatural power.

Can TC help her Uncle Max, an archaeologist; to unearth enough evidence to prove Ancient Egyptians visited Australia, before he’s discredited in the media by those that want the past to stay buried?

“Some would say that I have a gift, but to me it’s always been a curse. Before I changed my mind, I tugged off my gloves and whipped my head left and right, checking to see that no one was watching. I sucked in breath and steadied my nerves then thrust my hands against the stones and touched one of the cartouches. Time and place ripped away.”

An enthralling archaeological mystery, mixing the supernatural with humor and suspense.

Find and follow author W.J. Scott on Twitter

Twitter: @WendyJayneScott

Written

on 09/27/2018

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“TREAT” Reads Blog Hop!- Day 9 #RRBC #RRBCTreatReads


Thank so much for featuring us on your blog, Kester James Finley. ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author http://www.4writersandreaders.com

Kester James Finley's avatarThe Bearded Scribbler

Greetings!  Welcome to the 2nd RRBC “TREAT” Reads Blog Hop!  These members of RRBC have penned and published some really great reads and we’d like to honor and showcase their talent.  Oddly, all of the listed Winners are RWISA members!  Way to go RWISA!

We ask that you pick up a copy of the title listed, and after reading it, leave a review.  There will be other books on tour for the next few days, so please visit the “HOP’S” main page to follow along.

Also, for every comment that you leave along this tour, including on the “HOP’S” main page, your name will be entered into a drawing for a gift card to be awarded at the end of the tour!

Author, Bette Stevens

BETTE STEVENS PIC

Book: DOG BONE SOUP – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S5RMUDK/

BETTE STEVENS BOOKBook Blurb:

Whether or not You Grew Up in the 1950s and 60s, you’ll find DOG BONE…

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Written

on 09/26/2018

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Celebrate International Peace Day every day: “Peace Comes Walking” (Poem by Bette A. Stevens)


The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Peace (World Peace Day) is celebrated on September 21 each year to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. I believe that the power to promote world peace lies within each of us. Together, we can transform the world! ~Bette A. Stevens

 

“It is time all nations and all people live up to the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human race. This year marks the 70th anniversary of that landmark document.” — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

Find out more about International Peace Day http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/resources.shtml

Peace Comes Walking

Extended hands
Encouraging words
Step by step
Peace comes walking

Welcoming smiles
Listening ears
Step by step
Peace comes walking

Compassionate eyes
Forgiving hearts
Step by step
Peace comes walking

© Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

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Written

on 09/20/2018

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Welcome to the 2018 TREAT READS BLOG HOP (Day 2)! #RRBC #RRBCTreatReads


“Greetings!  Welcome to the 2nd RRBC “TREAT” Reads Blog Hop!  These members of RRBC have penned and published some really great reads and we’d like to honor and showcase their talent. Oddly, all of the listed Winners are RWISA members!  Way to go RWISA!

We ask that you pick up a copy of the title listed, and after reading it, leave a review. There will be other books on tour for the next few days, so please visit the “HOP’S” main page to follow along.

Also, for every comment that you leave along this tour, including on the “HOP’S” main page, your name will be entered into a drawing for a gift card to be awarded at the end of the tour!”

Looking for an awesome Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Novel? 

You’re sure to find just that in IN THE SHADOW OF LIES by M. A. Adler at- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K7WYTSU/

Book Blurb

Richmond, California. World War II.  Marine Lieutenant Oliver Wright comes home from the war in the Pacific injured and afraid his career as a homicide detective is over.  But when an Italian Prisoner of War is murdered the night the Port Chicago Mutiny verdicts are announced, and black soldiers are suspected of the crime, the Army asks Oliver to find out the truth.

He and his canine partner Harley join forces with an Italian POW captain and with a black MP embittered by a segregated military. During their investigation, these unlikely allies expose layers of deceit and violence that stretch back to World War I and uncover a common thread that connects the murder to earlier crimes.

In the Shadow of Lies reveals the darkness and turmoil of the Bay Area during World War II, while celebrating the spirit of the everyday people who made up the home front. Its intriguing characters will resonate with the reader long after its deftly intertwined mysteries are solved.

Find and follow author M. A. Adler on Twitter

Twitter: @MAAdlerWrites

Written

on 09/19/2018

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Ten Day Book Challenge: Day Ten


Thoughtful reflections from a reader/author…
Thanks so much, Tricia Drammeh for including PURE TRASH in your ‘top ten’ walk down memory lane. ~Bette A. Stevens, https://www.4writersandreaders.com

Tricia Drammeh's avatarAll I Have to Say

It’s finally Day Ten of the Ten Day Book Challenge! I can’t believe I made it. It’s been a lot of fun walking down memory lane and visiting some of my favorite books from the past. A huge thank you goes out to my friend and fellow author Rami Ungar for inviting me to participate in this challenge.

Here is how the challenge works:

  • Thank whoever nominated you with big, bold print. If they have a blog, link to the post where you got tagged there.
  • Explain the rules.
  • Post the cover of a book that was influential on you or that you love dearly.
  • Explain why.
  • Tag someone else to do the challenge, and let them know they’ve been tagged.

unnamedPure Trash is a story I read and reviewed back in 2013. I first ran across the author Bette A. Stevens through blogging here on WordPress. I’ve read…

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Written

on 09/18/2018

Cover Reveal for END OF DAY (Mystery/Suspense/Supernatural Thriller) by Mae Clair


Book cover for End of Day, mystery/suspense novel by Mae Clair shows old dilapidated church with bell tower and a cemetery in the background overgrown with weeds

Release Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Supernatural Thriller
Publisher: Kensington Publishing • Lyrical Underground Imprint

BLURB:
The past is never truly buried…

Generations of Jillian Cley’s family have been tasked with a strange duty—tending the burial plot of Gabriel Vane, whose body was the first to be interred in the Hode’s Hill cemetery. Jillian faithfully continues the long-standing tradition—until one October night, Vane’s body is stolen from its resting place. Is it a Halloween prank? Or something more sinister?

As the descendants of those buried in the church yard begin to experience bizarre “accidents,” Jillian tries to uncover the cause. Deeply empathic, she does not make friends easily, or lightly. But to fend off the terror taking over her town, she must join forces with artist Dante DeLuca, whose sensitivity to the spirit world has been both a blessing and a curse. The two soon realize Jillian’s murky family history is entwined in a tragic legacy tracing back to the founding of Hode’s Hill. In order to set matters right, an ancient wrong must be avenged…or Jillian, Dante, and everyone in town will forever be at the mercy of a vengeful spirit.

End of Day can be read as a stand alone novel or as a follow-up to book one of the Hode’s Hill series, Cusp of Night.

End of Day is available for pre-order through this link
and available to add to your Goodreads to-be-read list here.

Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:

Amazon | BookBub | Newsletter Sign-Up
Website & Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | All Social Media

 

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Book Picks, Book series, Books, Fiction

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Monarch Butterfly Haiku by Bette A. Stevens (+FREE “Help Protect Monarch Butterflies” Poster)


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Monarch butterflies are a threatened/near-endangered species. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Food Safety filed a legal petition requesting Endangered Species Act protection for the monarch and its habitat.

Plant Milkweed Today

Monarch Butterfly HAIKU by Bette A. Stevens

Regal messenger
Standing at the podium
“Plant milkweed today!”

Did you know that monarch butterflies and the monarch caterpillars’ host plant milkweed is one that monarchs rely upon for their survival?  This summer I was able catch a glimpse of 43 of these regal creatures dancing around my gardens where I encourage milkweed to flourish among the flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables that we grow and harvest here at the farmstead in central Maine. I even managed to capture five of them with my Canon PowerShot. ~ Bette A. Stevens

Four more of the 43 Monarch butterflies sighted at the farmstead as of August 25, 2018.

 

  • To find out how you can help protect monarch butterflies—one of our amazing pollinators— download your free poster here:

PROTECT MONARCH BUTTERFLIES free-poster

More about monarchs

  • Find out how to tell a male monarch from a female monarch and discover other amazing monarch butterfly facts
  • Enjoy monarch crafts, games, gardening and discover so much more…

Download Bette’s free pdf here:

FUN & LEARNING with MONARCHS (free pdf)

Maine author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens
“Inspired by nature and human nature.”

Find AMAZING MATILDA and all of Bette’s books at YOUR AMAZON.

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Written

on 08/27/2018

MY MAINE “Summer Songs” (HAIKU) by Bette A. Stevens + End of Summer Poetry Contest


Introducing MY MAINE, Songs of the Seasons—Stevens’s current work-in-progress. Summer Songs includes selections from her upcoming collection.

I am currently working on a haiku collection (My Maine Through the Seasons/current WIP title) reflecting the Maine I know and love. Here are several stanzas from the upcoming haiku collection MY MAINE
entitled Summer Songs. Hope you enjoy them…

Meanwhile, I’m planning my own Maine vacation for August and September. Company arrives in a few days and I’m ready to enjoy a great “Staycation” right here with family and friends from away…  Wishing everyone a blessed and beautiful end of summer.

I’m entering these stanzas  from Summer Songs into Kayla Ann’s End of Summer Poetry Contest. I invite you to visit Kayla Ann’s blog to find,  out all about it. ~Bette A. Stevens  

Summer Songs

From MY MAINE Haiku Collection by Bette A. Stevens

Celestial orb
Climbs the azure skyline
Ascending each day

Season of high notes
Fledglings abandoning nests
Wings and voices soar

Waves play taps on shore
Tall pines salute by moonlight
Waking stars stand guard

Loons at lakeshore wail
Campers bewitched by the sound
Sacred summer songs

Bees and Butterflies
Dipping from Rose to Lupine
Dance to summer tunes

Highlands and ocean
Bound by granite cliffs sing of
Ageless adventures

Lighthouses stand tall
Regaling stories of ghosts
From a bygone age

Steps along seashore
Toes can’t resist surfs calling
Cold reality

Golden noontide
Both natives and newcomers
Triumphant spirits

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Category:

#IndieBooksBeSeen, Inspirational, Literature, Maine Author, Music, My Poetry, Nature, Photography, Poetry, Rave Reviews Book Club, RWISA Author, Writing Challenges

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