Undawnted Interviews Dawn Pisturino, Day Seven of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour

 WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures

 

About Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures

Open the cover, and you will discover Poetry Treasures from the guests on Robbie Cheadle's 2024: Treasuring Poetry blog series on Writing to be Read.

 

Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures

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Introduction

Welcome, Undawntables to the Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures blog tour. This year, I and several other poets created a wonderful poetry anthology delving into the theme: Small Pleasures. 

Dawn Pisturino is one of my compatriot poets in this publication. She is a beautiful writer with a bright future in the creative writing field. I interviewed Ms. Pisturino about her poetry.

Please welcome her to Undawnted with our warm and gracious hospitality.

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Interview with Dawn Pisturino

Every poet has a favorite poet, but do you have a favorite song? Songs are poetry set to music. Tell me yours and why it is your favorite.

I love all kinds of music, from opera to heavy metal, so I don’t really have a favorite song. Every song touches me in some unique way. Some of my favorite rock songs are “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues and “A Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. Abbey Road by the Beatles and The Wall by Pink Floyd are among my favorite rock albums. Opera-wise, I’ve liked the Gershwin classic, Porgy and Bess, since I was a child. I enjoy singers like Enya, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Michael Jackson, Sting, and Roberta Flack. My favorite classical composers are Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Debussy, Satie, Tchaikovsky, and Grieg.
 

Poetry can be found in anything, and since a picture is worth a thousand words, what school of art (impressionism, expressionism, cubism, et al) inspires you to write poetry and why?

I rarely write poetry based on a photo or a piece of art. My favorite artists are the Italian Renaissance masters, like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. My poetry derives from my own emotions and imagination. Since I have a wide range of interests, I can always find something to write about.

If you have a favorite flower (it can be a tree), which one would you write a poem about? 

I love daffodils and tulips, but purple irises are my favorite because they are delicate and fragile.

Tell me your poetic journey. Where did it start? Does it still influence you today?

I’ve been writing poetry since I was in third grade. My first poem was about spiders. I mainly grew up in the country, so I’ve always lived close to nature. As a teenager, I discovered the great English poets like Keats, Shelley, Tennyson, the Brownings, and Blake. Then, it was American poets like Whitman, Eliot, Cummings, and Millay. Although these poets still influence me, I spend more time reading contemporary poets.

Whatever else you would like to impart upon my readers.

I’ve published five poetry collections, all Amazon bestsellers and/or #1 Amazon New Releases. Ancient Voices: Poems About Ancient Egypt can now be pre-ordered on Amazon. The Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and hardcover editions will be available on May 1, 2025. On pre-order, the collection has already achieved #1 Amazon New Release status in African Poetry and History of Egypt. Amazon Blurb “The Ancient Egyptians loved life and celebrated it with joy. Their deepest desire was to live an honorable life and achieve immortality in the afterlife, where they could exist in perfect harmony with the cosmic order and never experience pain, suffering, and hardship again. These original poems by Dawn Pisturino reflect the hopes and dreams of people who were not much different from us. They worked, loved, raised families, worshiped their gods, honored the dead, enjoyed festivals and celebrations, imbibed beer and wine, danced, sang, and played, aspired to better themselves, and appreciated the beauty and wonder of nature. Take a journey back in time to explore the
minds and hearts of the Ancient Egyptians.”

Amazon Purchase Link: https://a.co/d/bmcFOIf
Thank you for your support!

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About Dawn Pisturino

Author photograph of Dawn Pisturino

Dawn Pisturino is a retired registered nurse in Arizona whose international publishing credits include poems, short stories, and articles. Her first poetry collection, Ariel's Song: Published Poems, 1987– 2023, debuted with five-star reviews and reached #60 on the Amazon Bestseller List for Haiku; Japanese Poetry. Her short chapbook, Lunar Gazing Haiku, became a #1 Amazon New Release in six categories. 

Her Halloween collection, Haiku for the Midnight Hour, achieved #1 Amazon New Release status in three categories. Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine, released in December 2024, quickly climbed to #1 Amazon New Release status in Japanese Poetry: Haiku. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the Arizona Authors Association.

You can catch Robbie Cheadle’s interview with Dawn Pisturino here: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/10/16/treasuring-poetry-meet-talented-poet-dawn-pisturino-and-a-review-poetrycommunity-poetry-treasuringpoetry.

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*Giveaway*

This tour, we’re giving away digital copies of Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures to three lucky winners. Follow the tour and comment at each stop, so we’ll know you were there. You’ll be entered for another chance in the giveaway at each stop. Winners are chosen through a random drawing by WordCrafter Press. We’ll be watching for your name.

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Support Great Artists 

Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures will be released on April 22, 2025. I hope everyone will have a chance to read the exceptional creative works therein. Every poet featured is a stellar rhythm-rhyme writer.

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Join poets DL Mullan, Barbara Harris Leonhard, Jude Itakali, Ivor Steven, Robbie Cheadle, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Gwen M. Plano, Elizabeth Gauffreau, David Bogomolny, Dawn Pasturino, Maggie Watson, and Colleen Chesebro share their own small pleasures in poetic verse.

Tour Schedule

April 21-28 - Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures, by Kaye Lynne Booth, et.al.
Mon. 4/21 - Opening Day- Writing to be Read - (Intro. post & Book Trailer)
Tues 4/22 - Colleen Writes & Publishes - (Dawn Pisturino. Guest Post)
Wed. 4/23 - Patty's Worlds - (Michelle Navajas Guest Post)
Thurs. 4/24 - Carla Loves to Read- (Ivor Stevens Reading))
Fri. 4/25 – Poetry By Mich - (Barbabra Harris Leonhard Reading)
Sat. 4/26 - Book Places - (DL Mullan Reading)
Sun. 4/27 - Writing to be Read – (Wrap up) - Undawnted (Interview with Dawn
Pisturino)

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Undawnted's DL Mullan can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms. Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings, present- ations, events, and tours.

Book a quality author and presenter with Undawnted: Bookings online form.

 

 

Undawnted Presents: A WordCrafter Blog Tour, My Backyard Friends, Meet Charlie Chickadee & Review of "Charlie Chickadee"

Introduction

Charlie is a young chickadee who finds himself homeless and alone when he gets separated from his parents during an invasion by violet-green swallows. On his own he finds a new friend in Nicholas Nuthatch, who teaches him about the other birds in his neighborhood and he learns how to survive on his own, and uses his own ingenuity to build a new nest for himself.

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Mini-Interview with Charlie Chickadee
[Interview with Charlie Chickadee]

How did it feel to fly around for the first time?

I felt really proud of myself, especially when my mother fussed over me about it. I usually hate it when she fusses, preening my feathers and making a big deal, but that day, I didn’t mind so much. Of course, now I fly all the time, as a matter of getting from one place to another, but that first time was pretty special.

What was it like having invaders chase you out of your home?

I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. But I did what my mother said, and pecked out a new hole to escape through, but then, when the hole gave way, I was lost in the detritus under the tree.

How did it feel when your parents left you alone?

That was kind of scary, too. I knew they had to flee to get away from the swallows, and I never doubted that they would return for me. The question was what to do until they returned. I was out in the forest alone and it was cold and getting dark, and the swallows were still swarming , you can above me. The first night, I was scared to come out of hiding. But, the next morning, hunger drew me out and I learned to fend for myself a little.

What did it feel like to make your first friend?

You’re talking about Nick? I mean Nicholas Nuthatch, right? Yeah, Nick turned out to be a really good friend. In fact, he’s my best friend, even though he’s older than me. But at first, my mother and father had warned me about talking with strange birds who I didn’t know, so I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. But he was really nice, and he showed me around my neighborhood and kind of looked out for me. And besides, since I’d never been out of the nest before, that strange bird thing covered just about everybody. Nick turned out to be a cool guy and now days, we hang out together a lot.

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My Review

My Backyard Friends, Charlie Chickadee edition, is a cute read for adults and children alike. Charlie goes on his own adventure when his home is attacked by other birds. He is separated from his parents, but along the way he meets interesting animals. 

Beautiful and insightful, this book guides readers on a path toward wisdom only found with a wildness full of backyard friends. 

Be sure to Pre-Order your copy below.

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Fun Facts About Chickadees

• Chickadees are known to hide food, and they have good memories to remember where they hid it even days later.
• Chickadees have the unique ability to lower their body temperature during colder nighttime temperatures, in a torpor state, similar to that of hummingbirds.
• They are curious, and often friendly. It is said they can be trained to eat out of a person’s hand. (I put birdseed in the brim of a sombrero one day and sat very still and they lit on the hat and ate the seed from it, but I don’t know if I’d call it training. I do consider them to be very brave, though.
• In addition to their distinctive chick-a-dee-dee-dee, from which they get their name, this small birds have a variety of whistles and trills, and they are considered to be songbirds.
• Chickadees are partial to sunflower seeds. They are one of their favorite foods. They also eat a variety of other seeds, nuts and insects.
• Chickadees mate for life.
• Chickadees build cozy, well insulated nests from leaves, grasses, moss, bark, lichen and/or feathers.

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Support Great Artists 

Order My Backyard Friends books here:

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/471vzj

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/3LL5K7

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/u/md2YLO

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About Kaye Lynne Booth

Kaye Lynne Booth is a freelance writer, editor, multi-genre author and independent publisher. She holds dual MFA in Creative Writing – Genre Fiction and Screenwriting, and an M.A. in Publishing. To earn her publishing degree, she worked under the mentoring of International Bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson on the Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths & Shattered Fairy Tales editorial team from Western State Colorado University and WordFire Press and she compiled and edited Weird Tales: The Best of the Early Years 1926-27, under Jonathan Maberry.

 

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Find out more about Robbie Cheadle on her blog here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

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Undawnted's DL Mullan can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms. Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings, presentations, events, and tours.

Book a quality author and presenter with Undawnted: Bookings online form.

Undawnted Presents: A WordCrafter Blog Tour, My Backyard Friends, Meet Timothy Turtle & Review of "Timothy Turtle"

Introduction

Timothy Turtle is like every other young turtle, except for one thing. Timothy has a sweet tooth. One day, on his way to the raspberry patch, his discovers some small colored eggs which Katy Cat says are jellybeans. He tastes them and finds them sweet and delicious, so he eats them all up. But Timothy quickly learns that you can get too much of a good thing and when you do, it may not be such a good thing.

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Mini-Interview with Timothy Turtle
[Interview with Timothy Turtle]

What is it like talking to a cat?

I’m not sure what you mean. Katy has lived in the house near the pond for all as long as I can remember. I knew her when she was a kitten and I was a hatchling. Why wouldn’t I talk to her?

What is it like talking to a beaver?

Becky is kind of hard to talk to sometimes, because she is so busy and she’s always in a hurry. I mean, you can talk to her if you can get her to stop long enough to have a conversation. But she’ll always take time to help out a friend if she can, and she took the time to help me. I was really in a pickle.


What was your favorite tasting jellybean? Was it different from your favorite color?

They were all really sweet and juicy. I couldn’t decide on a favorite. And the colors were all pretty, too, but honestly, I hope I never see another jellybean. My mom says it’s because I had too much of a good thing.


Will you ever eat another weird thing again?

I think I’ll stick to snails and bugs. And I’ll eat raspberries if I want something sweet. But really, no jellybeans.

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My Review

My Backyard Friends, Timothy Turtle learns a good lesson about moderation. Having too much of a good thing, like jellybeans!, can have unpleasant consequences. With the help of other animals, he understands that candy can make you sick!

Beautiful and insightful, this book guides readers on a path toward wisdom only found with a wildness full of backyard friends. 

Be sure to Pre-Order your copy below.

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Fun Facts About Turtles  

• A turtle’s shell is actually part of its skeleton. (This fact actually makes a part of Timothy’s story an impossibility, but I think it helps make the story more fun to include a little fantasy.)Turtles are one of the oldest reptile groups, dating back millions of years, even before dinosaurs. Timothy is a freshwater turtle.
• Some freshwater turtle species can live for over 50 years.
• Freshwater turtles play a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem by controlling insect populations.
• Freshwater turtles have a unique ability to absorb oxygen through their skin while underwater.
• Freshwater turtles are known for their diverse shell patterns and colors.
• Freshwater turtles submerge themselves under water to eat with a diet of duckweed, young crayfish, algae, dragonfly larvae, water cress, water lilies, cattails, insects, frogs, and tadpoles. They also eat berries or other fruit when an opportunity presents itself.

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Support Great Artists 

Order My Backyard Friends books here:

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/471vzj

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/3LL5K7

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/u/md2YLO

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About Kaye Lynne Booth

Kaye Lynne Booth is a freelance writer, editor, multi-genre author and independent publisher. She holds dual MFA in Creative Writing – Genre Fiction and Screenwriting, and an M.A. in Publishing. To earn her publishing degree, she worked under the mentoring of International Bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson on the Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths & Shattered Fairy Tales editorial team from Western State Colorado University and WordFire Press and she compiled and edited Weird Tales: The Best of the Early Years 1926-27, under Jonathan Maberry.

 

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Find out more about Robbie Cheadle on her blog here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

 

 

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Undawnted's DL Mullan can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms. Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings, presentations, events, and tours.

Book a quality author and presenter with Undawnted: Bookings online form. 

Undawnted Presents: A WordCrafter Blog Tour, My Backyard Friends, Meet Heather Hummingbird & Review of "Heather Hummingbird"

Introduction

Heather Hummingbird is a busy little hummingbird bird who earns the nickname Hyperactive Heather which her forest friends have given her. She’s constantly on the move, gathering insects and nectar, chasing bees, or migrating from her winter to her summer home and back. But she always finds time to help out her friends, even when her help is only grudgingly accepted.

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Mini-Interview with Heather Hummingbird
[Interview with Heather Hummingbird]

Forgive me if I don’t perch for very long. You see hummingbirds have lots of energy, so if I zip away suddenly, don’t worry. I’ll be right back. I’ll just be working up energy that is building up, like this .Zwippp.

Ziiing.

Were you afraid to speak to an eagle?

Well, no. I’d seen Ethan around the forest. He’s a big bird, but he’s a fledgling. I might even be older than him, so I wasn’t scared of him. Zwiiiipp.

Ziiiiiing. I couldn’t help but notice his curious behavior and when I realized I could help him, I did.
 

How did it feel to make a friend?

Well, I was glad to have him as a friend that autumn, when I couldn’t fly south on my own. That’s for sure.
 

How did it feel when you had to part with your new friend?

The trip south was a long one, and I felt really close to Ethan by the time we arrived. I knew he had to go back to the forest he knew, but it was sad watching him go. But I didn’t let it keep me down because I knew I’d see him again the next spring, and I did. Zwiiip.

Ziiiing

Thanks for having me here today, but I need to go find some flowers to recharge. You’d be amazed by how much nectar is required to keep up this pace. Bye. Zwiiiiip Zwing.

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My Review

My Backyard Friends, Heather Hummingbird edition, is a cute read for adults and children alike. Heather goes on her own adventure as she zips around the landscape. She meets other animals to be her friends.

Beautiful and insightful, this book guides readers on a path toward wisdom only found with a wildness full of backyard friends. 

Be sure to Pre-Order your copy below.

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Fun Facts About Hummingbirds

• Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly forward, backward, sideways and upside-down. They are also the only birds that can hover in mid-air.
• They have the highest metabolism of any bird species. They consume twice their weight each day.
• Hummingbirds can beat their wings 70 times per second, and 200 times per second when diving. The males do elaborate aerial acrobats during the mating seasons to attract the females, traveling high up into the air and looping around to dive back down toward the ground, making a high-pitched whistling.
• Some species of hummingbirds migrate up to 2,000 miles twice a year.
• Their hearts can beat up to 1,260 times per minute.
• Hummingbirds migrate great distances from their summer to winter homes and back, up to 3000 miles each trip, 6000 miles per year.
• Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, averaging 8.5 cm long and weigh between 2.5–20 grams.
• Hummingbirds have forked tongues and have tiny hairs on the tips of their tongues to help lap up nectar.
• “On most hummingbirds, the coloring of the feathers does not come from pigmentation, but instead from prism-like cells within the top layer of feathers.
• The colors you see depend on the angle of the light when it hits the feathers.
• When hummingbird feathers reflect light, which make the gorget (throat patch) look like it’s glittering from certain angles, but at other angles will make the feathers look dull.” (Southwest Audobon. “Fun Facts About Hummingbirds”. 
• https://southwest.audubon.org/conservation/fun-facts-about-hummingbirds)
• When they are low on energy and no food source is available, hummingbirds go into a torpor state to conserve their reserves.

_____

Support Great Artists 

Order My Backyard Friends books here:

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/471vzj

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/3LL5K7

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/u/md2YLO

_____

 

About Kaye Lynne Booth

Kaye Lynne Booth is a freelance writer, editor, multi-genre author and independent publisher. She holds dual MFA in Creative Writing – Genre Fiction and Screenwriting, and an M.A. in Publishing. To earn her publishing degree, she worked under the mentoring of International Bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson on the Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths & Shattered Fairy Tales editorial team from Western State Colorado University and WordFire Press and she compiled and edited Weird Tales: The Best of the Early Years 1926-27, under Jonathan Maberry.

 

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Find out more about Robbie Cheadle on her blog here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

_____

Undawnted's DL Mullan can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms. Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings, presentations, events, and tours.

Book a quality author and presenter with Undawnted: Bookings online form. 

Summer Time of a Writer's Life

After a health scare that landed me in the emergency room, I have been convalescing by catching up on some creative endeavors: digital art and short story writing. That nasty stomach flu that put Oprah Winfrey in the hospital did me in as well. IV fluids, two rounds of antibiotics, and almost eight weeks later... I feel like my old disabled-by-illness self again. 

There is nothing like being ill, then catching a virus that sets off dehydration and a painful infection to make a sickie feel right at home with their disability! All joking aside, the last month and a half has been unfun to say the least, but I am back now... 60% of me anyway. Until my mold illness is cured, I will always be 60% or less of an able-bodied person. 

Thems the breaks. 

As I gathered my strength, I have focused on my creative to-do list. I have written and submitted two short stories that I hope you will enjoy. First is: Kurst. The second is: 12 Angry Dead. Each are under 6550 words. If accepted, then these two will be given the extended version treatment and will become Novelettes or Novelas.

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Kurst: Karen Kurst inherits her grandmother's cabin in Salt Pines, Arizona. She learns that all is not what it seems in the quaint mountain village. A creature lurks in the woods. This cross between a cryptid, Sasquatch, and a Skinwalker can only be caged by a magical spell written by her ancestor, Ralph Wallen. With the help of the local indigenous sheriff, Karen sets her sights on ending the family curse. 

But will she have to give up her own life in order to save her newfound community? 

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12 Angry Dead is a story that I have wanted to write for years. With the original story combined with the guidelines of The Hanging Tree anthology, this narrative blossomed into a true tale of vengeance versus justice. It is also a paranormal, supernatural re-imaging of the film: 12 Angry Men.

I hope you enjoy these short fiction selections available this year through WordCrafter Press's anthologies: Dark Fiction and The Hanging Tree. 

Have a great rest of your day. 

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You're invited to Undawnted's newsletter, Undawntable, for our Release Party for The Story of Excalibur. Join our substack. It's free. We have parties, contests, and prizes. This month DL Mullan presented to her creative community an exclusive Undawntable Members Only version of Legendary: Summer Time, the public version will drop in August 2024. This Special Edition gave her readers free access to prose and poetry. 

Parties and freebies? Merch! What isn't there to love about Undawntable? 

Become a member today! 

Undawntable the Official Newsletter of Undawnted

Undawntech: Weaponized Technology for the Growing Mind is Available on Writing to be Read

Another delicious segment of Undawnted that fuses real world knowledge with the courage to tell truth to power is available.

Do you believe? Or, do you know? 

Undawnted's DL Mullan explores how technology can free and enslave depending on how it is used, as well as how creative thinkers, like writers, can weaponize their quantum, organic brain to outwit the dystopian power grabbers and make your imagination yours again.

Find out the epic citations and conclusion in June's installment of Undawntech: Weaponized Technology for the Growing Mind!