I’m planning to write a poem each week during National Poetry month. Here’s my latest, a haiku inspired by a photo from last year’s spring garden since snow is still in mid-melt stage here in Central Maine. Ah, spring!
What are you writing this month?
~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
I’ll be interviewing author Micki Peluso on my blog soon. AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG is an outstanding read that I know readers around the globe will enjoy. ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com
Micki Peluso, a writer and dear friend, out of the State of New York, wrote her first book after her daughter met her untimely death, which was caused by a drunken driver. However, And The Whippoorwill Sang is more than a book detailing the loss surrounding the suffering of her family and herself as a mother. It is a short chronicle of the golden age when women’s rights were still practically unacknowledged, and Gloria Steinem was slowly becoming a household word. The book is witty and filled with wisdom; it is sad, and yet filled with joy.
I have read the book, and I have re-read certain chapters several times because Micki has a way of putting words on paper that make you laugh even though you may want to cry.
And The Whippoorwill Sang is being offered at a reduced price this week. If you haven’t read it, it…
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READERS: Read a great book, but don’t know how to thank the author? This post makes it easy by making writing a book review easy. Helpful hints for readers on how to write a book review! ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com
Before I became an author, I never wrote book reviews on Amazon. It never occurred to me that I should. I would read them, but I didn’t think it was my duty (or right) to write them. Since then, I’ve written numerous reviews. My husband has, too. What I’ve come to realize is that authors and readers need book reviews from all kinds of readers, not just from professional reviewers.
Authors look for reviews because they are putting their books out there to be read, and they long for feedback. They want to know that people aren’t only buying the books, but are actually reading them. Reviews also help the author (usually) because they help potential readers make a decision to give the book a chance.
I’ll give you an example: I recently got a Kindle Fire and started browsing for books on Amazon. That’s an eye-opening experience. The first…
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May your blessings abound, friends. Happy Easter! ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com
Angels, roll the rock away;
Death, yield up thy mighty prey:
See, He rises from the tomb,
Glowing with immortal bloom.
~Rev. Thomas Scott
It is by the blood of Christ’s “immortal bloom” that we are washed clean and saved. Should we invite him into our hearts, His body and blood, the “bread of life,” will feed our souls while the Father’s Creation continues to provide the “bread” or “manna” that nourishes our physical bodies. We are invited guests at the Lord’s lavish table, and whilst we partake of His feasts, we are lovingly watched over by the Holiest of Holies. A supreme sacrifice has been made for our presence at this table on which our sustenance and salvation have been laid; our very presence at the banquet is a holy blessing, a gift from God in whose image we are made. So it is fitting and right that we…
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What are you writing?
Here’s a Spring Haiku from me. Snow is still covering the ground here in Central Maine, but I’m looking forward to watching those new blooms appear. I’ll be listening for their song. ~ Bette A. Stevens
Why MUST we tell our stories? ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com
Someone to tell it to
is one of the fundamental
needs of human beings.
~Miles Franklin
Have you ever pondered why we, any of us, blog? Or write books? Or pen poetry? Or compose music? Or draw? Or paint? I have and I think the quote above by Miles Franklin hits the proverbial nail squarely on the head. We, who pour out our lives or thoughts or passions or joys or hurts or whatever in some way, do in fact appear to have some compelling and fundamental need to do so. Emily Dickinson added another aspect to this idea when she described it, “as a shelter to speak” to some trusted other in her life. Like her, many of us, I believe, find not only great comfort but also a kind of self-soothing safety when we, individually or collectively, find ways to express ourselves to those we come to trust and…
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Beauty abounds! ~ Bette A. Stevens
Morning is the best
of all times in the garden.
The sun is not yet hot.
Sweet vapors rise from the earth.
Night dew clings to the soil
and makes plants glisten.
Birds call to one another.
Bees are already at work.
~William Longgood
Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it’s a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
~Pueblo Blessing
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ~Isaiah 55:12…
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May the abundance and beauty of spring fill your hearts! ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com
If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy,
if a blade of grass springing up in the fields
has power to move you, if the simple things
of nature have a message that you understand,
rejoice, for your soul is alive.
~Eleonora Duse
Spring is teeming. Even in areas where snow still covers the ground, much is happening in the hidden realms at this time of year; tight buds get looser, nutrients begin to nourish roots in the sunny corners of the earth, and the hibernating creatures among us start to awaken. ~Excerpted and edited lines from Gratefulness.org
Out of His (Jesus Christ’s) fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. ~John 1:16 ✝
**Image of Pink Ranunculus via Pinterest
For me it’s my laptop + assorted gel pens and highlighters. HOW ABOUT YOU? ~ Bette A. Stevens
My secret weapon is using a two screen layout for my PC. This allows me to work on the story on one monitor, while researching on the other. If you’re curious as to what writing tools great authors prefer, you may refer to the excellent infographic below, which was prepared by Robert Morris and the lovely people over at NinjaEssays.com. So, what is your favorite tool?
Come join us!
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author 
Written
on 04/08/2015