A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Archive for the ‘Indie Authors’ Category

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Ninety-seven (97) 5-Star Reviews for Award-winning Picture Book AMAZING MATILDA!


MATILDA expertly as a cirus acrobat... 2016

About the book

This “Gem of a Tale” about a Monarch Butterfly teaches kids lessons in friendship, patience and persistence as AMAZING MATILDA transforms from egg to caterpillar to butterfly. (Children’s Picture Book/Ages 5-11).

Order your copies today:

AM Celebrate Season MATCHBOOK bas 2016

Related Sites:

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#NationalPoetryMonth: Write a Spring Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too!


Celebrate National Poetry Month with a Haiku Poem

Springtime Melodies

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens from MY MAINE, Haiku through the Seasons

Sunbeams composing
Springtime melodies, humming
Tapping to the tunes

April is a perfect month to get outdoors and get inspired. As a former teacher (grades four through eight), I know that kids of all ages love writing poetry and they enjoy illustrating their poems too. It’s simple and it’s so much fun to tell a story in the three short lines of Haiku. You’ll find a link to some great poetry writing tips at the end of this post. Of course, you’re not limited to writing one haiku poem—you can write as many stanzas as you wish. Give it a try! 

Grab the kids, take out your pens, head into the great outdoors and get inspired!

~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

  • Check out more of Bette’s haiku poems inside MY MAINE, Haiku through the Seasons here. The collection includes the author’s 150 haiku poems, along with 49 of her photographs and illustrations. Travel through Maine’s four seasons and discover state symbols and interesting facts about The Pine Tree State with the author.

(Haiku: m)

haiku

noun hai·ku ˈhī-(ˌ)kü
  1. :  an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually five, seven, and five syllables respectively; also :  a poem in this form usually having a seasonal reference.

Discover more about how to write haiku and other poetry

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

2021 Book Promo – DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens – ONLY 99c / 99p for a Limited Time


True-to-life Americana

DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens—ONLY 99¢/ 99p—August 5 through August 11, 2021 

 

“As with all great literature, it is underscored with life lessons particularly memorable to this [Baby Boomer] generation…”

“DOG BONE SOUP is a fascinating literary study of poverty and family dysfunction in the 1950s  & 1960s. It is written in a fast-flowing, entertaining style that kept me turning pages, one after another.

“Despite the odds stacked against them, two brothers—Shawn Daniels and Willie—manage to survive, escaping the rants of a drunken abusive father and the hardships of rural life, cutting out on daily adventures and misadventures to the likes of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry. DOG BONE SOUP is about making the best of what you have. It’s a story about survival, struggle, and the human spirit—rising above it all. As with all great literature, it is underscored with life lessons particularly memorable to this generation…” –Frank Scozzari, author 

 

Grab a copy today!

 

DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens

Literary/General/Historical Fiction

Sale dates: August 5th through August 11th, 2021

Sale price: $0.99 (Regularly $3.99)

DOG BONE SOUP on YOUR AMAZON at http://bit.ly/1HGpCsZ

Author Bio

Inspired by nature and human nature, award-winning author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of eight. 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 (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture. Stevens’s books include The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!; Amazing Matilda, Children’s Picture Book (Ages 4-11) 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award and Gittle List; Pure Trash (MG/YA/Adult) Short Story; Dog Bone Soup (MG/YA/Adult) Coming of age Novel (2017 KCT International Literary Award Top Finalist 2017); and My Maine, Haiku through the Seasons (Poetry & Photography Collection) 2019.

 

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2020 Book Promo – DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens – ONLY 99c / 99p for a Limited Time


True-to-life Americana

DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens– ONLY 99c / 99p from March 29th through April 4th

 

“…adventures and misadventures to the likes of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry

“As with all great literature, it is underscored with life lessons particularly memorable to this [Baby Boomer] generation…”

“DOG BONE SOUP is a fascinating literary study of poverty and family dysfunction in the 1950s  & 1960s. It is written in a fast-flowing, entertaining style that kept me turning pages, one after another.

“Despite the odds stacked against them, two brothers—Shawn Daniels and Willie—manage to survive, escaping the rants of a drunken abusive father and the hardships of rural life, cutting out on daily adventures and misadventures to the likes of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry. DOG BONE SOUP is about making the best of what you have. It’s a story about survival, struggle, and the human spirit—rising above it all. As with all great literature, it is underscored with life lessons particularly memorable to this generation…” –Frank Scozzari, author 

 

Grab a copy today!

 

DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens

Literary/General/Historical Fiction

Sale dates: March 29th through April 4th, 2020

Sale price: $0.99 (Regularly $3.99)

DOG BONE SOUP on YOUR AMAZON at http://bit.ly/1HGpCsZ

Author Bio

Inspired by nature and human nature, award-winning author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of eight. 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 (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture. Stevens’s books include The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!; Amazing Matilda, Children’s Picture Book (Ages 4-11) 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award and Gittle List; Pure Trash (MG/YA/Adult) Short Story; Dog Bone Soup (MG/YA/Adult) Coming of age Novel (2017 KCT International Literary Award Top Finalist 2017); and My Maine, Haiku through the Seasons (Poetry & Photography Collection) 2019.

 

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Book Reviews: My Maine: Haiku through the Seasons by Bette Stevens and A Soldier’s Children by Jan Sikes


Thanks so much for a lovely review of “My Maine.” Honored and delighted to be featured along with with my talented author friend, Jan Sikes. Readers, I invite you to check out the full reviews on Miriam Hurdle’s blog. Miriam is a talented poet in her own right! ~ Bette A. Stevens htttps://www.4writersandreaders.com

The Showers of Blessings

My Two book reviews –  My Maine: Haiku through the Seasons by Stevens and A Soldier’s Children by Jan Sikes.

reading-logoMy MaineA Soldier's Children

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My Maine: Haiku through the Seasons by [Stevens, Bette]My Review

In her poetry book My Maine: Haiku through the Seasons, Stevens showed the nature she experienced in the Pine State of Maine. The presentation of the book reminded me of attending a concert to watch the performance of the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi’s violin concerti “The Four Seasons.” In each season, Stevens opened the curtain and presented the sights and sounds in the nature. For the taste, a lobster dinner was in order. The performance of each season retreated toward the end and invited the next season to come in; and the audience gave a standing ovation.

“Spring Awakening” began with the ice slowly melted, rivers and streams sang, to the birds, animals blossoms awakened, and ended with:

Standing ovation
Awaiting next performance

View original post 866 more words

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Welcome to Day 3 of the #RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! #RRBC @Rijanjks #RWISARevolutionTour


Welcome to Day 3 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!

We’d like to introduce you to an amazing supporter and RWISA member, Author, Jan Sikes.

We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of her profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.

Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.

RWISA Profile

 

What Jan has to say about RWISA…

 

Jan has a book she’d like to introduce you to:

‘TIL DEATH DO US PART

Til Death Do Us Part by Jan Sikes

 

Now, we’d like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

At RWISA, we invite and accept into membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE: If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave us a comment and a “LIKE” below!

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

 

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Come Join Us at the All-New Rave Reviews Book Club—#RRBC Best Book Club on the Planet


Happy New Year, followers!  

You’re invited to visit the ALL-NEW RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB at our new location > RaveReviewsBookClub.wordpress.com.
 

  • If you are an author looking for amazing support, #RRBC is the place for you!
  • If you are looking to grow as a writer, #RRBC is the place for you!
  • If you are looking for a community where your peers push for your success just as hard as they push for their own, #RRBC is the place for you! 

When visiting the #RRBC Website, we ask that you #follow our site so that you’re kept up-to-date with all the awesome news that we’ll be sharing in 2020.  
 
If you like what you see after looking around the site, then please, JOIN US!  We’d love to have you!

I’ve been an active member of Rave Reviews Book Club since January 2014 and highly recommend membership to all of my author friends. I’ll be sporting my 6 Year Membership Badge soon… If you’re looking for awesome support as an author, you’ll find it at #RRBC. I call it “The Best Book Club on the Planet.” Come join us—you’ll be glad you did!    ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author 

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

Moments We Love #NewRelease (Poetry) by Balroop Singh


Introducing Balroop Singh’s new poetry collection—Moments We Love

 

Book Blurb

Moments of fragrant love that stand frozen in time, of dreams that dare not unfold, of passion that fleets by, of erratic joy that we meet at the crossroads of life, butterflies of time that add color to our dark moments to scare the demons away – I have gathered all of them in this book. Some of them whisper softly to create a magical aura while spring of life sings with them, trying to wipe silent tears. Mother Nature steps in with all her grandeur to breath quiet messages of tranquility.

Each poem would soothe your emotions with élan and add a dash of color to your life. Life – that doesn’t halt for your sad moments; that just floats by. You just need to dive in to soak in myriads of moments to discover how it could ignite positive tones. All the poems in this collection are imaginary but inspired from people around me, some of whom chose to share their frustrations and tremors with me. Sometimes I could read between the lines to pen my thoughts down.

Memories and moments merge here

Today when I return to share

The glow of rainbows

Embers of emotional entreaties

And smoldering debris.

 

Book Information

Title: Moments We Love

Author: Balroop Singh

Genre: Poetry

Available at: Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W57M462

US UK DE FR ES IT NL JP BR CA MX AU IN

 

The Editor’s Review

A brilliant poet may not color the tangible but rather unearth the hues of the intangible to coat specific dimensions to life. Balroop Singh masterfully spots the hues, decluttering them to seek particularity, taking us to the core of her dynamic worldview. ‘Words just swirled around us, Eager to be spoken, Sitting on the tip of tongues, We were guessing, The stories that lay within’ is one of her call-outs to help unhide the potent of what we don’t express.

Moments We Love is an enthralling and affecting spread of poems on a table where Balroop’s polished menu commands that the cuisines of life be consumed gently, each breath be taken consciously, and the fleeting feels between the lines be mined timely.

While ‘Breezy silence of your eyes, When they stirred skies’ points to the unimaginable possibilities of a heart with warmth, and ‘Morning mist obscured my view, Chilly winds enveloped me, Yet the lure of unknown love’ romances us into the sweetness of longing, ‘I pass by this desolate path, Receding foliage reminds me, Blossoms don’t smile here’ singes our passivity to avoid a future of disquiet.

What oxygenates in the book for the reader is the author’s uncompromising clarity that flows inward, and while it brims inside with rhythm and melody, we begin to make sense of what rushes outward, altering perspectives. And though the world that her words weave reflects our realities, she doesn’t abandon us for her webs of hard truths—if maneuvered lovingly, have solutions within. ‘A precursor of serenity, Glimmer glows within me, I abandoned your crutches.’

When I was reading the book, I was constantly reminded of the likelihood that some of the poems might be autobiographical, impressing me since only a brave and intelligent writer could dish out the emotions like she did; only a compassionate writer could stand in the line of fire and yet smile, and yet be thoroughly objective for the benefit of the others.

Book after book that Balroop has penned, she has been unwaveringly consistent with her universal themes. And with Moments We Love, she eloquently inspires us to believe in self and stand tall without fear; that our fear is indeed our solution. The impact of her verse is such that when I look at a peach and think that if peach were fear and its seed a solution, I can chew through the fruit—gently and consciously and through the heartbeats of resistance—to find my solution. Well, Balroop can unearth the hues of the seed without a single bite, which defines her writing.

Like she writes, ‘Still holding the fragments? Still haunted by ghosts? Loosen that grip, Let the demons fly.’ Yes, I say. Eat your fear. After all, the solution is at the core and we can plant the seed to sprout more solutions.

–  Mahesh Nair (Editor/Reviewer)

 

Excerpt

 

Eternal Love

 

Like soft flowers under our feet

Like lovely drops of first rain

Like moonlight soothing our eyes

Love tiptoes into our life

 

It carries us far into wilderness,

Its magic unfolds with trust

Its gentle caresses mesmerize

Its fragrance ferries amorous delight

 

Love is that exquisite emotion

Which remains deeply dormant

Till that irresistible urge beckons

And it becomes a force to reckon

 

Love ignites a fire within us

A fire of passion, of quest, of possession

It leads us into new adventures

It makes life so exhilarating

 

Love drowns dreary thoughts

It gives wings to our heart,

It transports us into another world

A world of blissful choice

 

True love keeps smiling in our eyes

Like a fountain that never dries

It instills hope, respect, patience

The journey of love is so elating.

 

About the Author

Balroop Singh, a former teacher and an educationalist always had a passion for writing.  She is a poet, a creative non-fiction writer, a relaxed blogger and a doting grandma. She writes about people, emotions and relationships. Her poetry highlights the fact that happiness is not a destination but a chasm to bury agony, anguish, grief, distress and move on! No sea of solitude is so deep that it can drown us. Sometimes aspirations are trampled upon, the boulders of exploitation and discrimination may block your path but those who tread on undeterred are always successful.

When turbulences hit, when shadows of life darken, when they come like unseen robbers, with muffled exterior, when they threaten to shatter your dreams, it is better to break free rather than get sucked by the vortex of emotions.

A self-published author, she is the poet of Sublime Shadows of Life and  Emerging From Shadows, both widely acclaimed poetry books. She has also written When Success Eludes, Emotional Truths Of Relationships Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited and Allow Yourself to be a Better Person.

 

Balroop Singh has always lived through her heart. She is a great nature lover; she loves to watch birds flying home. The sunsets allure her with their varied hues that they lend to the sky. She can spend endless hours listening to the rustling leaves and the sound of waterfalls. The moonlight streaming through her garden, the flowers, the meadows, the butterflies cast a spell on her. She lives in San Ramon, California.

You can visit her blog at:

Find & Follow Balroop Singh

 

Thanks so much for stopping by to meet my talented author friend and check out her newest poetry book. I know you’ll enjoy this beautiful collection of poems! ~Bette A. Stevens

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Release Day for MY MAINE by Bette A. Stevens (A Poetry & Photography Collection)


Maine Poetry & Photography Collection 

Get ready to vacation 365 days a year!

 

My Maine, Haiku through the Seasons by Bette A. Stevens

Available in paperback ($16.00) today!

Pre-order eBook ($4.99)—delivered on July 1, 2019.

Early Review

“Bette Stevens has used the bounty and beauty of the seasons in her home state of Maine as inspiration for lyrical and charming haikus that touch the soul and enliven the senses. From the windowsill seedlings and crowned crocus choirs of spring to the lady slippers and salamander spots of summer… from crispy, crunchy leaves and pumpkin confections of autumn to the white weighted branches and icicles weeping of winter… Bette Stevens’s imagery draws the reader into her world of wonder and delight. This is a collection to be slowly savored, made even more delicious with her original drawings and photographs. I can’t remember enjoying a book of poetry more.”—N.A. Granger, Professor Emerita, University of North Carolina

Blurb

Inspired by The Pine Tree State­—Maine’s diverse landscape, natural beauty, rural communities, and independent people—the author’s 150 haiku poems, along with her photographs take readers on a memorable journey. The collection travels through Maine’s four seasons and includes state symbols and interesting facts about The Pine Tree State.

CLICK links below to order your copy today!

MY MAINE

Haiku through the Seasons by Bette A. Stevens

“The Way Life Should Be”

 

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Write a Spring Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too!


Celebrate National Poetry Month!

Countdown Commences (Spring Haiku) by Bette A. Stevens

Happy April and Happy National Poetry Month. Snow pack is still in meltdown stage here at the farmstead in Central Maine, but spring blooms will soon be appearing. Johnny-jump-ups (like the ones I photographed on the poster) are sure to be among the first blooms of the season. They’re one of those hardy native plants that bloom in abundance and pop up everywhere from early spring until the first hard freeze the next fall—hence the title and last line of the poem. This photo of last year’s blooms inspired me to write countdown Commences,  a spring haiku (Japanese-inspired, non-rhyming three-line: 5-7-5 syllable poem).

Countdown Commences

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

Enchanting blossoms
Springtide emerging from earth
Countdown commences

I love designing  posters to go with my poems and often use photos I have taken. As a former teacher (now retired) in grades four through eight, I know that kids of all ages love writing poetry and they enjoy illustrating their poems too. It’s simple and it’s so much fun to tell a story in the three short lines of Haiku. Of course, you can write as many stanzas as you wish. Give it a try! 

Grab the kids, take out your pens, head into the great outdoors and get inspired!

~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

(Haiku: m)

haiku

noun hai·ku \ˈhī-(ˌ)kü\

  1. :  an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually five, seven, and five syllables respectively; also :  a poem in this form usually having a seasonal reference — compare tanka

 

Discover more about how to write haiku and other poetry

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

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