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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Pre-order the 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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Pre-order the 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. 

Nano Nano: 50K Words and the Elusive Polite Society

Well, writers, how did you do during November? 

Nanowrimo is marathon-running for the creative mind. The imagination is exercised by creating new characters, charting a destination, building a fantasy world, and writing everything in-between. It can feel like running an actual marathon. 

This year, I committed to writing Sacred Homicide. Unfortunately, I only wrote halfway to the goal of 25,000 words, due to constant interruptions in my environment. With an industrial air cleaner, laundry machines, and noise-cancelling headphones, you would think I could find the quiet time necessary to write. In normal circumstances, I would agree, but the peanut gallery who live around me believes that their ruckus is far superior to any neighbor's need for privacy. This entitlement to other people's time, energy, and property is a symptom of the me, me, me culture. 

Not sorry, but living out loud ends at my property line. I don't owe you anything. The time that is wasted by acting like out of control juveniles for my attention is time I can never get back. Theft comes in all forms, and stealing someone's time, energy, and the use of their private space is one of them. 

But you are living on stolen land! That is incorrect, where I live the land was purchased from the country south of our border. Not stolen: bought. Not once, but twice, did the landholder sell to the United States in the American southwest: The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildago and The Treaty of the Gadsden Purchase. 

But, but, but...!!! I wish people would stop acting like their heads are in their butts. That would be most helpful. 

Stolen land, reparations are excuses to behave like situational victims, when in fact, other people haven't inflicted any course of action against you. Stolen land was hundreds of years ago. Reparations were over a hundred years ago. So, it appears the only person victimizing you is, well: YOU. Then you take that angst, attack your neighbor for their skin color and the lies of "social justice." Social justice in my day meant: vigilantism, and that domain was left for comicbook movie characters. There is no justice without a fair trial, and I preface that statement with being unbiased, uncensored, and politically neutral. 

If you truly wanted justice, then if your family was denied their reparations: it's called a lawsuit. It's not for politicians to hand you taxpayer money. You have to make a real evidentiary case out of why you deserve what was denied your ancestor. Until someone can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this occurred and is a descendant, then why is this being used as emotional blackmail on other Americans? The court system is for Americans to redress their grievances, especially against their government. Go redress them, if you believe that you have a case.

Instead of doing the right thing, we have manufactured a culture of "karens." Karen is defined as someone who has to insert themselves voluntarily into other people's lives and then cries victim. I have an entire neighborhood full of karens. From playing loud music; drunk/disorderly parties; neglecting their children; loud, heavy bass vehicles; revving noisy engines at midnight; or anything else that creates undue attention to themselves, as long as the spectacle places them in the spotlight. Then these karens complain when you tell them to shove off and start acting like mature adults and responsible parents. 

But... but... but, here we go again. It's my culture. It's for my community. As an American? Nope, I don't think so, and it's embarrassing. Cultural appropriation of another nation's holidays and rites of passage is reprehensible. But, my grandmother came from the old country. You didn't, so what is your excuse? Don't say: stolen land, because you never owned this entire parcel of land. You only own your property. Just like me.

So which is it? Live your life in your front yard and middle of the street, which then your dirty laundry is open to public criticism. Or, live your life like respectable adults, and keep the shitshow away from public view? 

I rather keep my private life my own, so I can write, create digital art, and do community service... if it's all the same to you. 

Therefore, I uploaded another writing project to Nanowrimo that I have been working on: The Town Santa Forgot. It's complete, except for placing the correct word count on that site. Editing is done, but I am still polishing here and there for publication later on this month. 

The book cover is finished. There is a Cover Reveal Party this weekend online. I hope to see everyone who loves books participate.

And remember that being a good person who lives with others in peaceful harmony is more than a choice: it's how a society prospers. Without an auspicious society, we have no culture. No culture, and there is no need for creative writing, art, or community service. In a collectivist society, those expressions are hijacked for spreading propaganda. Be an individual and let your imagination become unleashed!

It's something to think about.

Have a great rest of your day.

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. 

 Keep up with her activities by subscribing to her monthly/quarterly A Novelist Idea Newsletter.

Being Mangled is Just the Beginning of the Artificial Intelligence, Cybernetic Discourse

Thank you to Joseph Carrabis for publishing my article: Being Mangled is Just the Beginning on his blog for the Midnight Roost horror anthology.

Mangled is a sci-fi, horror short story about life, death, and technology, but more importantly, it is a story about Sarah Mitchell, a Specialist in the armed forces:

The only survivor of a roadside bomb, Specialist Sarah Mitchell lives most people's nightmare. Her entire squad is killed. In the bustle of a busy emergency triage center, she is forgotten.

When she survives until morning, others come to claim her. One by the use of technology and the other by energetic consciousness, but both manipulate the quantum singularity. In an experiment to merge human consciousness with machine, which will consume Sarah, what will she do? 

Will she continue to serve her country in another capacity? Or, will she choose the unknown and walk into eternity with a complete stranger?

No matter what Sarah decides: living forever has its consequences. 

This short story is an important dialogue starter about the potential harnessing of human consciousness into cybernetic technologies. 

If you would like to read the article, visit Joseph Carrabis' site: Being Mangled is Just the Beginning. 

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From the author of the cutting-edge science fiction classic, The Reality Hackers, DL Mullan has brought readers a new type of horror: eternal slavery through technology. 

Don't miss another heart-stopping moment! 

Join her Creative Tribe of Fearless Philes through Undawnted's Undawntable newsletter. 

Because What-If... life imitates fiction?

 

 

Undawnted Presents: WordCrafter Blog Tour for Midnight Roost: Christa Planko and MJ Mallon are Spooky Fun Authors

Video Reading from The Cull by MJ Mallon

 

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MJ's writing credits include YA, paranormal, best-selling horror, supernatural short stories, flash fiction, poetry, pandemic inspired poetry and best-selling anthologies. 

Poetry/flash fiction collections include Lockdown Innit, Mr. Sagittarius Poetry & Prose, The Hedge Witch And The Musical Poet and Do What You Love. 

Her eclectic blog shares her love of reading, reviewing, writing, poetry, photography, and travel: https://mjmallon.com.

Visit MJ's Social Media Sites: 

https://linktr.ee/mjmallonauthor/

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Giveaway

A chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop. Just leave a comment at Writing to Be Read to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.

To buy the Midnight Roost anthology 

with both author's stories,

 visit: Books2Read.

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Interview with Christa Planko about her short story: The Easterville Glass Ghost


What inspired you to write “The Easterville Glass Ghost?”

My inspiration for “The Easterville Glass Ghost” began with a trip to the Estellville Glassworks, a historic site near me. I first visited the site when I moved to the area in 2008. It has haunted me ever since!

Today, the glassworks is more of a graveyard for the 19th -century factory that bustled with activity from 1825 to 1877. Most of its structures have nothing left beyond their foundations. But the most prominent structure, the melting furnace, has three stone walls remaining. The front of the building features four large arches. Beyond these walls lies brick and stone rubble and the deep pits where glassblowers would form molten glass into cylinders.

Imagine how eerie it is to walk through the woods and happen upon Estellville’s imposing arched structure! As many times as I’ve returned to hike in the surrounding woods, I always get chills when the ruins first come into sight. It has prompted many imaginative musings about the people that lived and worked there. What was it like to work among fiery furnaces, handling molten glass? Was it competitive work? Was it dangerous? So dangerous that anyone ever died?

These musings led to the creation of “The Easterville Glass Ghost.” The story came together based on my own research about the factory and 19th -century glassblowing, coupled with imagination and fictional characters.

Have you ever had a ghostly encounter?

I did have an unexplained experience once. It involved the sensation of a hand sliding down my shoulder to my back. And it so happened that it was at the site of the Estellville Glassworks. This experience is what I fictionalized in my story.

While I’m not sure I had an actual “ghostly” encounter, if a spirit was present that day, it was a protective one. Nobody else was around at the time. I was technically trespassing at the site, climbing on top of a brick pile for a better view. The hand I felt on my shoulder coincided with me losing my footing—kind of like a steadying hand, ensuring my safety.

So, do I believe in spirits? I’m not sure about ghosts, but I do believe in spirit. By that, I mean the spirit that comprises character and lives on after a person expires. Elements of the human spirit—such as love, joy, kindness, gentleness—transcend time and space. These are things that we remember about loved ones and others who have passed. They are the traits written about heroes in history books. They imprint on us, encourage us, and inspire us to be the same—to make a difference in others’ lives. This is also a theme I aim to capture in my story.

Thank you for your questions and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for Midnight Roost!

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Christa Planko, MA, is a professional writer with a passion for creative expression. She has had her poetry and short stories featured in several publications, including Tanka and Haiku Journal, Poetry Quarterly, New Jersey Bards, and Every Day Fiction. Her story, “The Olde-Tyme Village,” won the 2021 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest. Christa resides in South Jersey with her feline muses. 

Christa graduated from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) with a BA in English Literature and from Drew University (Madison, NJ) with an MA in English Literature.  

Website: https://christascorner.godaddysites.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristasCorner2023

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Purchase

To buy the Midnight Roost anthology 

with both author's stories,

 visit: Books2Read. 

 

 

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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. 

 

Autumn Cider on Undawnted's YouTube Channel Expands the Imagination

How would you like to see Edgar Allan Poe recite his own poetry? Or, how about Emily Dickinson? 

Without a time machine, no one living now can go back to see our literary icons do so... until Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan found a way.  

Ms. Mullan has bridged the gap between the past and present with futuristic technology. With artificial intelligence (AI), the imagination has brought to life these Literary Masters (see the section of the same name) along with current poems by DL Mullan in Poetry Slam.

Throughout the Autumn Cider Seasonal Reads program, more guest appearances from the past, as well as their beloved poems, will grace the Undawnted YouTube channel.

For information about premieres, schedules, and book events be sure to Like, Comment, and especially, Subscribe to Undawnted's Channel, as well as Substack newsletter: A Novelist Idea.

With Undawnted, imagination is truly fearless. 

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Ms. Mullan showcases her literary talents by publishing her creative writing. She has short stories and poems published in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. In addition, she writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan produces her own book cover designs for herself and others. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet.

Currently, she has embarked on writing her multi-book Legacy Universe, Supernatural Superhero Series.

With her education and experience in writing, DL Mullan shares her knowledge via her newsletters. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to one of her newsletters on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

 

The Jonah Collector is Set for June 2023 Release

As an homage to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Jonah Collector is a lyrical prose, seafaring narrative set in the 1700s. 

Captain Christopher Houston is a seafaring man. He lives on the sea. He is the best ship captain in the world. He is also deceased. 

In this epic tale, we discover that in his youth, Captain Houston committed a heinous crime. He lied about his age to get onboard a ship because his father had died. The young man wanted to support his mother by earning a wage. Unfortunately, he was too inexperienced. He found himself labeled a Jonah, the weakest link, and forced to walk the plank. 

As his ship sailed away, the ocean took him down to the Locker. In the Depths, a beautiful mermaid made him a deal. Captain Houston did not understand the contract that saved his life, and was later able to nullify the mermaid's evil intent because he was not of age to consent to such an agreement. 

Years had passed since his encounter. Something inside of him stirred. He knew that his youthful mistake was about to catch up with his present. 

Unbeknownst to him, the mermaid, Aetheshella, devised a scheme to lure Christopher back to her through fate. She went after his son. Now, Captain Houston has a choice: save his son or himself. 

Will he be the next victim of The Jonah Collector? 

This short story will be released on June 23, 2023.

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A Novelist Idea Newsletter will be having a release party with prizes and trivia, plus Subscribers receive Early Access to purchase the e-Book. Be sure you are a Subscriber, because this is a Member's Only event.

This year's program is the: Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling.

Bring depth to your writing.

Join our Creative Tribe. 

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.