Takhayyal Writing Prompt no. 98: Magic Book

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

The August image is all about magic and inspiration. So what will this image inspire you to write?

Image courtesy of Moonlit.Cryatal.Shop's Instagram page

Note: Image is courtesy of Moonlit.Crystal.Shop via Instagram. I took permission prior to using this image.

Your post can be prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!

The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord by Emmanuella Hristova – Book Review

Book: The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord

Author: Emmanuella Hristova

No. of pages: 50

Publication date: April 2018

Synopsis:

The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Disorder is a short collection of poems that explores a tumultuous year of love, heartbreak and unimaginable loss. It documents the birth and death of a relationship, and the death of my sister. Each poem is an emotional time-stamp that plunges the reader into the depths of my feelings as they burgeon and wane. The book reads like a diary and chronicles the boundaries of the things that we all feel: passion, heartache, and pain that gives way to hope. 

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord is a raw and emotional poetry collection by Emmanuella Hristova.

At first I was at a loss with the arrangement and titling of the poems. But I realized that they're done in a historic kind of arrangement with some days having more than one poem written. Many pieces don't have titles just dates.

A note to remind oneself when reading poetry collections, especially those in free verse, not everyone breaks lines the same way. I disliked many of the line breaks in The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord but that could just be me and others might prefer them that way.

The poem titled "September 29th" is one of the beautiful ones I enjoyed in the first half, though I disliked the repetition of 'and' and some of the line breaks.

"Upon Success" is a short piece that every person everywhere in the world can relate to. It's short and I'll quote it; I didn't like the line-breaks here either.

"America is a weird place where/we leave the/people we love to/pursue little green pieces of/paper and ink to/fill empty slots on/our resumes."

I felt that the piece titled "October 5th" was more prose than poetry but I loved the imagery.  "October 9th" is brimming with stunning imagery, dark, and just wow!

"I hesitate when you kiss me because I/ am afraid you will taste the disaster/brewing underneath my skin. Or maybe/my kisses taste hot, like a dangerous/sun storm raging on the broiling/surface of our most familiar star."  - that's just a sample of "October 9th" which is a long and gorgeous poem.

Another important note about The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord is that there are many pieces handling sexual and physical abuse. The poems are powerful. Like these lines from "October 17th":

"Letting my lips touch yours/was a contract I signed/without reading the fine print: participant subject to hasty sexual advances/ without warning."

I couldn't get the poem "November 14th," it was odd with a dry tone and felt more like a series of commandments. "November 16th" reads like a broken down prose piece but is full of strong imagery.

Other 5-star pieces in Hristova's The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord include: "October 18th," "October 19th," "Upon Saying Thank You," "Upon Inspiration," "November 17th," "December 15th," and "Upon Celebrating International Women's Day."

"You came, conquered,/stole my heart and/left me with a Moleskin full of/pensive poems documenting unrequited love/exposed on cream, lined pages." - "Upon Inspiration"

I must admit that the second half of the book was much better than the first half. The poems were longer and deeper after the 50% mark. That said, "Upon Diluting Myself" and "Upon Being a Woman" are the most powerful pieces in the entire collection. 10 stars each of these.

"Upon Diluting Myself" is long but super powerful. It's also explicit, painful, eye-opening, and emancipating, all at the same time. Similarly, "Upon Being a Woman" is the most painful piece in The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord. It does have a lot of Spanish words, which I couldn't understand. The poem is probably the longest in the collection but speaks for a lot of women suffering from sexual abuse.

"Upon inheritance" is a sad and painful piece that nearly made me cry.

Last but certainly not least, The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord ends with "Here's to the Woman," Hristova's perfect conclusion to her emotionally raw poetry collection that I believe is dedicated to all women out there.

This collection was hard for me to judge, but my overall rating is: 4 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Discord from its author Emmanuella Hristova in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Emmanuella Hristova was born in Oakland, California and grew up in the Bay Area. She is the third daughter to Bulgarian parents who immigrated to California shortly before she was born. She began drawing at the ripe age of four, and studied the fine arts for five years in high school. In 2015, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

She began writing poetry at age twenty-four when she was in graduate school. She earned her Master's in Education from the same alma mater in 2017. Emmanuella spent two years as an English teacher in Richmond, California. During that time, she self-published her first poetry collection: The Day My Kisses Tasted Like Disorder. Currently, she is writing her first novel.

Connect with indie author Emmanuella Hristova via her website, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram

Leg Up by Annabelle Hunter - Book Review & Tour

Book: Leg Up

(Book 1 in the Lark Davis Mystery Series)

Author: Annabelle Hunter

No. of pages: 165

ASIN: B07R5GVW3X

Independently Published

Publication Date: 1 June 2019

Synopsis:

A severed leg with no body? Check.
A disturbing lack of coffee? Check.
A murderer bent on revenge and a hot cop using her as bait? Double check.

Larklyn Davis moved to the small picturesque town of Barrow Bay, California, needing a new start on life. She found the perfect cottage house, almost the perfect distance from her ex-husband, and built the perfect stable for her dressage business. But when a severed leg suddenly appears on her front porch, her life takes a turn for the absurd.

As more clues pile up, and the killer not content to leave Lark alone, she’s forced to take things into her own hands. One problem: the hottest detective she has ever seen is convinced she is involved. Detective Brecken Wilson looks like he should be in a movie, not glued to Lark’s side, waiting for the other leg to drop.

There’s not enough coffee in the world for Lark to deal with this crime, the detective who stirs things she hasn’t felt in years, and a matchmaking town, intent help her find the happiness she doesn’t want.

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

"There was a severed leg on my porch."

That's how Leg Up by Annabelle Hunter opens. From the first lines, we notice that Larklyn "Lark" Davis is one of the most sarcastic characters ever. And a hilarious one too.

There are tons of quotable parts in the book. Even when dealing with problems, Lark's sarcasm makes way for humor and comic relief.

Lark has recently moved from a big city to the small town of Barrow Bay, along with her daughter and horse-training business. Minding her business, Lark wakes up to find a body part on her porch. But one body part isn't enough, soon she gets a second…

Leg Up, the first book in the Lark Davis Mystery Series, is narrated from Lark's first person perspective, giving the reader a ton of humor and sarcasm, along with her inner thoughts. 

"Ma'am, we ask that you give us the facts and not any assumptions."

"Okay. I opened my door and there was a severed leg on my porch."

"Are you sure it is human?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"May I ask how?"

"Well, the shoe was a good indication, but the tattoo really clinched it for me."

One of the many things I enjoyed about Annabelle Hunter's Leg Up were the characters and the pace, which was quite fast and exciting. We meet Brecken Wilson, who everyone sees and calls Captain America, making way for lots of laughs especially for Lark.

I like how Hunter introduces the characters, each with their quirks. I loved how the characters – yes plural – sat together to talk about the murders and point fingers and jump to conclusions in the presence of the handsome detective.

The language and narration are easy to navigate. The incidents, including the final showdown, are all full of humor. As soon as I finished reading Leg Up, I felt like I was going to miss the characters.

I also liked how Lark often discovers that her thoughts are voiced aloud - unintentionally of course. *big grin*

 
Leg Up is literally a ton of fun to read! I loved every bit of it! 5 stars!

Note: I received a free copy of Leg Up by Annabelle Hunter as part of a blog tour with Lori's Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. This did not affect my review in anyway.

About the author:

Annabelle Hunter is a stay-at-home mom and an avid fan of classic mystery shows and dressage. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and too many animals.

Connect with Annabelle Hunter via Facebook, Twitter, and her Website.

Purchase Leg Up by Annabelle Hunter via Amazon

Update: Check out Nadaness In Motion's exclusive interview with Annabelle Hunter where she talks more about her books and writing.

Update 2: Leg Up by Annabelle Hunter has made it to Nadaness In Motion's Top Books of 2019!

Keep up with the rest of the blog tour including more book reviews, author interviews, guest posts, and spotlights

July 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Author Interview & A Wytch's Book Review Blog – Book Review

July 16 – Babs Book Bistro & T's Stuff – Spotlights & ❧Defining Ways❧ - Spotlight

July 17 – Brooke Blogs – Guest post & Island Confidential – Spotlight

July 18 – The Cozy Pages - Spotlight

July 19 – Celticlady's Reviews & Literary Gold – Spotlights

July 20 – Laura's Interests – Book Review

July 21 – Nadaness In Motion – Book Review & ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ - Spotlight

July 22 – Baroness' Book Trove – Book Review & Readeropolis – Author Interview

July 23 – I'm All About Books & Socrates Book Reviews – Spotlights

July 24 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author & 4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ - Spotlights

Cleopatra's Spring by Nada Adel Sobhi - Poem

I see you

Travelling from the shores

Of the mighty Mediterranean

To a lonely oasis

In the heart

Of a thousand palm trees

I see you

Shrugging off your sandals,

The weight of the world

For a warm water dive

Your little spring

Where you let go,

Breathe

And heal

Where the water washes it all away

And you let it

Over

And over

With every dive

And every plunge

Cleopatra's Spring. Image via Let's Explore Siwa Group on Facebook

You paint your skin

And traverse the land

Like a queen

And you are a Queen

Close your eyes, Cleopatra

And let the water drench you

Let the world and its wars

Drop to the bottom

Inhale

And open your eyes

See with a new vision

A clear sight

Close your eyes, Cleopatra

Then open them

And decide…

By: Nada Adel Sobhi

This poem was written while on a trip to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt. Amazing place. A desert but full of beauty and natural scenery and simplicity.

Image taken from Facebook group Let's Explore Siwa, which is moderated by Siwa resident Yahya Moussa, who was also part of my tour.

Cleopatra's Spring via Trip Advisor

7 Reasons Why You Should Sign-Up for The Freelance Writers' Den before Time Runs Out!

June is the season to be jolly especially if you're a freelance writer. Why? Because Carol Tice is opening the Freelance Writers Den to new members! And it's a great community.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links, so if you make any purchases, I get a tiny percentage, and we're both happy. And NO I wasn't asked or paid to do this post)

What is the Freelance Writers Den?

It's an exclusive community of freelance writers and gurus sharing tips they've learnt over the years when it comes to freelance writing. Whether you're writing blog posts, web copy, white papers, e-books, or anything in between, you'll find a ton of resources. 

And if you don't find the topic or resource you're looking for, you have a forum to ask questions, where over a 1,000 freelance writers with experience ranging from a few months to decades can answer your questions.

What do I think of the Freelance Writers Den?

I've been a member for a year and a half, and while I could have used my membership more – yes there's a membership but it's not what you're thinking and more on that later – here is what I like and dislike about the Den.

First the cons:

-         Because I live in Egypt, the pricing mechanisms are completely different from my local market. For example, people can charge $0.50 per word and sometimes $1 per word, if you're in the Middle East and Egypt, your eyes – like mine – are probably glazing over these rates. Still, these rates can guide you when dealing with international clients.

-         Sometimes I feel that the content provided is a bit repetitive

Now onto the pros

-         I like the community. Everyone wants to help you. And being surrounded by people from all walks of life, who don't know you but want to help you is priceless.
-         The fee is affordable – just $25 a month (That's less than EGP 420 at current rates, which less than any course you'll find and there little to no writing courses in Egypt to begin with!)

-         Then Den is great for newbie and seasoned writers alike. There's a lot of food for thought and lots of topics to be discussed. Plus you can get your work critiqued in the forums. (Like if you have a blog post idea you want to get feedback on or if you think your email marketing needs a boost...etc)

-         I enjoy the bootcamps and have learnt a ton from them.
The Den offers quarterly bootcamps, which are 4-week online workshops with a specialized freelance writer from a certain field (ex: ebooks, selling, social media…etc) alongside the Den's founder (aka the Den Mother) Carol Tice or Moderator Angie Mansfield – both with over a decade of experience in freelance writing. During these 4 weeks, you get to either pay a discounted $97 for the course, study the content, do homework and get expert feedback OR you don't pay at all and work the course material on your own.

-         You can study old and new bootcamps any number of times you like. You download the PDFs, listen to the audio and presentation, and you can do the homework and get feedback through the forum. This feedback won't be from the "expert" giving the bootcamp but you'll definitely find others who've had some form experience with what you're working on.

-        There is also a section called the Resource Library where you'll find audios with freelancers who talk about particular topics for an hour. Now, I'll mention that some of the experts they bring in the resource library are amazing and some not so much. There were a couple of audios that I didn't complete because I felt the content wasn't strong – but that could be that the content didn't relate to me.

-      There's also a job board, where you can find some freelance writing assignments. I'll confess I've not been able to use it much because many ask for freelance writers within the US but it's there and it can give you an idea sometimes about fees and available freelance writing gigs.

For me, two of the bootcamps, I absolutely loved and have learnt greatly from were Writing Persuasive Sales Copy with Belinda Weaver and Writing E-books with Steve Slaunwhite. Since then, I've been following Weaver's blog and taking on any other bootcamps by Slaunwhite.

So, would I recommend The Freelance Writers' Den?

The answer is: Yes.

Is there a fee?

Yes, but don't fret. I pay $25 a month.

Not a hefty sum, and while I haven't been making maximum use of my $25 monthly payment, I will be doing exactly that in the coming period.

How do you pay?

There are PayPal and a Credit Card options.

How can I get the maximum value for my money?

Log in as much as you can. There is no limit to how much of The Freelance Writers' Den trainings you can study in a day, week or month. So, make time and gobble up as much information and training as you can.

How many people are currently in The Freelance Writers' Den?

Over a 1000!

Can I get a taste of The Freelance Writers' Den?

Yes! Here's a free PDF on 8 Ways to Get Editors' Emails

SIGN UP NOW

As I said The Freelance Writers' Den is an exclusive community, which means it's not open all-year-round for anyone to join. It opens twice a year.

At the moment, the opportunity to Sign Up for the Freelance Writers' Den. And as a Den member, I recommend you give it a shot. If you don't like it, you can get a FULL REFUND within 14 days of signing up or you can opt out any time afterwards.

I've been on the Den for a year, and there's lots I still need to go through.

Last but not least, while my intention was to grow my freelance writing skills and establish myself in the field, I picked up a LOT about marketing and writing in general that have helped me in my current and previous full-time jobs.

If you're still unsure if this place is for you, check out some writers' success stories – how people have grown their freelance writing businesses or scored retainer clients after joining the Den.

So, Grow your writing income…join Freelance Writers Den

Hurry up! Just a little time left!

If you feel you're not yet ready to commit $25 per month to self-help, well that's you BUT Tice has written several books on earning better as a freelance writer and generating income from your blog.

Please use the above links to check out The Freelance Writers Den. If you consider subscribing, use the link above, which is an affiliate link that helps me and my blog.

Also, Grab a Free E-book: The Recession-Proof Freelancer

Here's the Sign Up link again for the Freelance Writers' Den