Sally Cronin has some fantastic new series at her Smorgasbord blog for 2025. I was thrilled to partake in her newest series – Poet of the Week where we share a poem we wrote as well as another poem from any other poet.
Smorgasbord Poet of the Week 2025 – #Loss – Grief Hole Masquerade by D.G. Kaye
My guest today is well known to those of you who visit on a regular basis… D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies has been both friend and collaborator on the blog for the last 9 years and she is also an ardent supporter of so many of us in the writing community… It is an honour to share her poem today, a powerful reflection of the grief felt on the loss of a loved one.
Welcome to the series Debby and can you tell us why you write poetry?
I write poetry when I’m feeling injustice or melancholy, more so now with the loss of my husband. I used to jump into Haiku challenges of different varieties, but when I write poetry, my preferred style is free- verse, allowing me to let the words flow without restriction. Often something will also pop up spontaneously that will inspire me to write. Writing in free verse style allows me to write freely and without measured rules.
What connects you to this particular poem?
My poetry is always revealing my own deepest thoughts, feelings and/or perceptions, wrapped in my observations and truths. Old habits die hard when you’re a memoir writer. This poem is one of the many cathartic writings I created when my grief comes to visit.
Grief Hole Masquerade
I work hard to dodge my grief, Like a game of hide and go seek, Or a small child hiding under the covers, Hoping the monster won’t see her. It’s a myth.
The heart and brain can never hide, No matter how far buried. Grief is a pin that pokes a hole There is no mend for. You may not see it, But we are always wearing it.
This hole can be camouflaged by layers of things, Like smiles, temporary happiness, even laughter. But don’t be fooled. The hole is always there, Frayed, raw, and vulnerable to more wear if tugged too harshly. Even a stitch can only merely masquerade the initial hole, Holding permanence of the grief that resides within.
Which poem written by someone else touched you and why?
That’s a toughie for sure as I enjoy poetry that evokes human condition. Frank Prem, Robbie Cheadle, Balroop Singh, Lauren Scott, and Lisa Thomson’s poetry comes to mind, as well as poetry from some of the classics. Today I’ve chosen to share a poem by John O’Donahue from his grief poetry:
by John O’Donahue, Irish teacher and Poet from his book TO BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US: A book of blessings . . . Please continue to read this heartfelt poem at Sally’s Smorgasbord.
Note: Sally invites writers to join in the series. Find the rules to enter below:
Poetry since ancient times has inspired, motivated, celebrated and entertained and this year I would like to showcase this wonderful form of writing and the poets in our writing community. If you are interested in featuring your poetry along with your blog, books, social media etc… then please look through your poems you have written and choose one you feel you most connect to and you believe anyone reading it would. I will of course add a copyright to you along with the poem.
Along with the poem, I would like you to send me the answers to the following questions.
1. Why do you love to write poetry?
2. What connects you to this particular poem?
3. Which poem written by someone else touched you and why?
If you have been promoted here before then no need to send anything else. If you have not been featured here before then please include full URLs of your blog, Amazon, Goodreads and any social media you use. My email is sally.cronin@moyhill.com
I will feature the series at regular intervals during the year so there will be a number of opportunities to share more than one poem in the year. As my regular readers know, I have a young readership and so I don’t feature erotica on the blog if you could bear that in mind.
In nineteenth-century Venice, a young woman’s marriage to an illusionist hides secrets that go deeper than his spectacular acts. The stage is set for transformation in a mesmerizing short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary.
In 1820s Venice, world-renowned magician Oscar Van Hoff confounds sold-out crowds with his astounding manifestations. Even his beautiful wife and assistant, Olivia, is mystified. Her job is to smile and recite her lines—onstage and in society. But the thankless routine is bringing out her rebellious side. Then, on the eve of what promises to be Oscar’s greatest performance yet, Olivia uncovers a secret with the power to shatter all her husband’s illusions. Now the finale belongs to her.
My 5 Star Review:
Oscar Van Hoff is a conjurer and transformist. He performs his magic shows in Venice with his wife Olivia as his assistant. His magic involves transforming living things on stage from thin air into a box.
Olivia has partial amnesia from a year ago and can’t remember anything past their wedding night a year ago, which oddly, there were no guests.
After one of Hoff’s performances one night, he magically makes a baby red fox appear, and Olivia keeps it for her pet. That night after the show, Olivia is scouring around looking for a box to keep the fox in and heads into her husband’s private closet looking for tools to construct a lid for the box. But Olivia gets sidetracked when she discovers some ominous things in that closet. This discovery provides a huge twist in the story, leaving us with a most satisfying, karmic ending.
A great short story read that so easily could have become an engaging novel, yet, well done storyline, despite the length of pages.
I was supposed to begin my blogging break this week, but decided to wait until the end of January. I thought I’d dedicate January to working on my book, but there’s too many disruptions and many little things, as well as taxes I’d like to get out the way, so I’m still around. Also, I wasn’t sure if or when I was going to put a winter escape together or not, and it all came together last week. Yay, I’ll be going back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico next month and staying with a friend in her rented condo where I used to rent, right on the beach. With that said, on to the post.
As I wasn’t prepared to blog this week, I took a look at the WordPress daily word prompt for some direction for a blog post. I thought it would be a fun post to share.
I know we all dream of winning a lottery one day, but despite the joy of becoming financially free, winning a lottery will also present being hounded by anyone and everyone such as charities and family, media spreading it publicly, and of course, newfound friends and family we never knew we had, lol.
But seriously, what would I do? Well, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for that moment. And I can assure you, I throw my intent and vision of winning a lottery out to the universe every time I buy a ticket. I even have a plan for that fortuitous occurence. So why shouldn’t we have a plan in case we win?
I have a standing joke with all my friends. I told them when I win, I won’t be rushing downtown to the lottery center to claim my win. After all, a winning ticket doesn’t have to be claimed right away. Instead, I’ll be booking a luxury trip for myself, probably renting a villa in some exotic place for an undetermined amount of time where I can relax, write, and enjoy the newfound financial freedom. Only after I’m settled into my lengthy vacation would I let my close friends know about my lucky win also informing them I’m sending them all airline tickets to come visit.
During my R and R time I would be planning exactly which charities I will be donating money to (although I already know which charities), as well as cutting my niece a hefty cheque, and checking out my options for where I’d like to invest the rest of my nest egg. Naturally, a part of my holdings would be invested in real estate. I would travel extensively to decide exactly where I’d like to park myself, along with my money. Once I claim my prize, I’d change my phone number shortly after receiving it. Oh, and I’d buy a limo and hire a chauffeur because I detest driving.
Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”
In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breathtaking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.
But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.
With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.
In the lyrical fantasy tradition of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, D. Wallace Peach spins a spellbinding tale of magic, resilience, and the transformative potency of tales—a tapestry woven with peril and hope set against the frigid backdrop of an eternal winter.
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My 5 Star Review:
In this sweeping and chilly fantasy, Peach introduces us to a land and its dangers, as well as to Erith, the half charmed (magic), half mortal weaver who has taken over the baton of her mother, Dania, a fully charmed seasoned weaver. Erith now has inherited the task to weave the seasonal tapestry for each coming season. Erith is deep in frosty winter and has finished her creation for the spring equinox, but to get the tapestry delivered becomes the problem because of the evil Winter King who has wicked plans to prevent winter’s end.
As Erith begins her journey through the charmed forest to Innishold to deliver the spring tapestry in order to release nature’s beauty and begin the growing season, the evil Winter King snatches her tapestry and locks her in his icy palace, prolonguing winter by making Erith continue to weave winter stories until everything and the land is destroyed from lack of change of seasons. Does she have enough powers to continue to weave while darkness looms heavily around her?
As Erith’s mission is to get out of the King’s grip and weave the next spring season again, secretly, she continues to weave for the seasons. Soon Erith hatches a plan of escape.
Erith lives on the border between two worlds – the enchanted and the mortal. And her attempted journey to deliver the spring tapestry brings in the action of the dangers of the creatures in the forest, from wolves and wraiths, to human hunters and all those who pledge allegiance to the Winter King. The change of seasons is sometimes a bringer of trouble because the royals of season are not always so gracious at allowing the change of seasons.
Crossing through the enchanted forest is never safe. And neither is being held the resident loomer of Winter King, as a hostage. But besides Erith’s despair, she has friends – or those who will try and help her with plans. Friends like the Acorn who turns into a Gripe, whose size is so small, making him easy to slip out of her pocket and send him on errands, perhaps a friend in North, the guard the Winter King kept at her chilly door who has a soft spot for Erith. And then there’s Bryn, the Autumn Prince who is also being held by the Winter King to hold back his season. It seems the other royals in charge of each season won’t speak against the Winter King, keeping us wondering why, despite all of them knowing if winter doesn’t let up, nature and many will die. Without any spoilers, I promise you, the end is delicious when all is said and done, and we will learn exactly what the Winter King’s real intentions were for.
With the help of some magical friends and friends of the forest, Erith’s daring escape and journey back to her homeland, all the while, holding the magical tapestry she wove, brings her to the next dilemma, saving it while trying to deliver it to the Spring Princess. Erith will face a lot trying to save the seasons, fighting off vicious attacks from charmed beasts and those who don’t wish her to succeed. The Winter King is relentless, and in the midst of this magical madness, about halfway through the book, there’s a huge twist we will learn about Erith.
Will Erith find her magic and help save the seasons, land, and people? Will she escape peril? You will want to read to find out how this tale unravels as the author weaves in subtle undertones to humanity, despite this being a sweeping fantasy. We’ll be swept into Erith’s world and her determination to save humanity, despite its errors, and demonstrating the hardships of climate change. As a masterful and lyrical storyteller, this author always includes hope in her stories. A wonderful book that will keep you turning the pages.
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Note: Diana has a fabulous blog tour going on for her new book. Each person blogging her tour, Diana shares a post about the author, as well as shares her list of bloggers in the tour if you’re interested in learning more about the amazing characters. Please check out the link to Diana’s wonderful introduction to me and my books and her extended fun blog tour :
Welcome to a new year of curated Writer’s Tips I find most helpful for writers and authors. In this edition, Deborah Jay warns authors to check our blurbs on Amazon, Kathy Steinemann shares Social Media Scams to beware of, and Liz Gauffreau is at the Story Empire giving updates on the current Author Scams.
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Deborah Jay reminds authors to check your Blurbs on Amazon
Nina, a popular fantasy author, maintains a reclusive existence. Aside from Nina’s work, her primary focus is her daughter, Sophie.
Incessant bullying at school and a public, mortifying falling out with another girl sparks a downward spiral in Sophie’s emotional state.
Nina watches helplessly as her daughter appears to be unable to move past this unfortunate event. Nina grows so consumed with Sophie’s suffering that she loses her desire to write. How does one help a teenage daughter in torment?
But then Nina has an idea—an unorthodox method to help her daughter. She is going to write a story—bringing in a special character into Sophie’s life. As the author, Nina can control the outcome of the story. Or can she?
As fiction and reality blur, Nina realizes that things have gotten out of hand. Is her story the blessing she hoped for or a curse she never expected?
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My 5 Star Review:
The story begins with a prologue and Nina, a fantasy author, writing in her diary speaking to her daughter Sophie after reading Sophie’s diary, and her regrets about all that has transpired with her daughter. We’ll then learn all that comes to be when the diary stories begin. Nina writes about how her and her daughter’s journey began after being duped into an unhappy marriage with Tim, who eventually left her pregnant and alone, and that it was her agent, Beth, offering her a three-book deal at Nina’s low point, leaving her grateful to be able to take care of her daughter.
The book is written from each, mother and daughter perspectives of their lives, filling the pages with their thoughts, hopes and emotional wounds. Nina learns through her daughter’s diary entries that Sophie was bullied in school from middle school through high school. Sophie’s childhood friend (and heart crush), Nick, has been with her through thick and thin, and as we read on, we continue to wonder why Sophie won’t be Nick’s girlfriend when it seems he’s always been in love with her and she with him. But Sophie’s insecurities didn’t allow her to believe.
Through reading Sophie’s diary entries we’ll learn of her emotional torment as she is very affected by the bullying situation with ringleader, Tammy. From Nina’s perspective, we’ll learn from her introspect how her heart aches for her rather aloof daughter carrying a terrible burden reminding, there is a very fine line between protecting her daughter and giving her the space to stand up for herself.
It isn’t until the last chapter where the story ties together, we learn the state of Sophie and the pyschological damage done to her, and that her mother, plagued with writer’s block, was writing a story with a character – Tristan, who she felt would be enlightening and hopeful for her daughter to read. But it appears Tristan becomes very real to Sophie, demonstrating Sophie’s emotional state as our heartstrings are tugged from the tormenting situation while Sophie continues to live in her sadness and silence.
The book brings to light the pain of bullying for a child and a parent, and the terrible repercussions of the psychological damage of mental anguish done to poor Sophie. This book should be in libraries for both teens and parents as a learning tool.
Welcome 2025. As I mentioned in my last post of 2024, I will be posting for the first part of January, and then I will be on a blog break for at least a month. That could change as plans are scattered right now. But in the meantime, I am thrilled to be part of Diana Peach’s blog tour for her new release available now at Amazon for her long anticipated new book – Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver. The book is available in print and Ebook.
Diana’s blog tour theme is Magical Beings, Creatures, and Monsters and their folklore origins from around the world. In this post, Diana is introducing Nobbin and his origins.
“Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”
In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breathtaking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.
But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.
With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.
Check out the beautiful Trailer
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Take it away Diana!
Thanks so much for kindly hosting me on Day 2 of my tour, Debby. It’s a delight to visit with you in chilly Canada today and share a bit about one of the magical creatures in Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver.
For this story, I drew from Celtic, Germanic, and Slavic folklore, as well as the rich lore of the Arctic, Japan, Greece, and Native American cultures to create my own similar, but different, characters. Today I’m going to share the original lore behind the character Nobbin.
A quick search of “benevolent house spirits in folklore” will turn up at least a dozen variations from around the world. Nobbin, Erith’s Hospet, most closely matches a Brownie of Scottish and northern English folklore.
3 Similarities between Brownies and Hospets
Brownies and Hospets are hardworking and shy spirits.
They have an aversion to laziness and disorganization. A tidy home and a hardworking household are essential for maintaining their favor.
Despite their helpful nature, they are both sensitive to how they are treated. When treated poorly or with disrespect, they might transform into malevolent spirits that bring chaos and mischief. A Brownie might turn into a Boggart (or a Hospet into a Potgoblin).
3 Differences
Though Brownies are associated with agrarian life, including the care of livestock, Hospets are homebodies and never venture outside.
Brownies usually appear in brown and tattered clothing. Offering clothes to a Brownie, though seemingly kind, is considered an insult. The opposite is true for Hospets. Nobbin is quite clothes conscious and Erith’s attention to his apparel is appreciated.
Brownies are nocturnal beings, emerging only after the household has gone to sleep. Hospets, Nobbin in particular, are companions at all hours of the day.
Erith and Nobbin
Diana shares an Excerpt with us titled – Erith and Nobbin
A wicker basket of colorful spools rested at my feet. I picked through the bewitched thread my mother had hand-spun long before my birth. No matter how many seasons passed, the spools unwound and unwound, and I no longer fretted about reaching their ends. There was no end to magic, no end to the seasons, no end to my place on the cusp of two worlds.
A delicate pink caught my eye, a color crafted from the cherry blossoms bordering my garden. I held it against the tapestry, testing its suitability for flowering plum trees and coral bells I’d stitch into the meadows and along the forest’s edge.
“Should you desire my opinion, Erith,” a small voice piped up, “it requires a touch of carnation and a shimmer of sunshine. On the dogwood blossoms as well.”
“I wondered about those.” My gaze rose to my knee-high hospet. He sat cross-legged on the hearthstone in front of our shrinking fire, cracking walnuts with his sharp teeth. The creature blinked at me with eyes as clear as spring water, his waistcoat buttoned, cheeks rosy, and cinnamon hair parted in the middle like a magistrate. Nobbin kept my wood and moss cottage tidy, expecting little beyond customary respect and an occasional outfit when his garments aged past mending.
He also took it upon himself to offer artistic advice since my mother had chosen to join my father in the underworld.
“I might leave them as they are,” I said. “Dogwoods are white.”
Nobbin’s eyebrows tilted up in an expression of devilish skepticism. “Spring’s princess will agree with me. Give it a brush of magic. I know you dabble when I’m otherwise occupied.”
“You spy on me?”
“I’m observant. And I’m charmed.” He flicked his handcloth at the window. “Snow doesn’t glitter like that without your touch, my girl. You added that sparkle to your mother’s tapestry, and it impressed the Winter King.”
“Do you think so?” A blush heated my cheeks. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s not one to dole out compliments.”
“None of them are.” Nobbin held up a nut as if inspecting a precious gem. “Such is the nature of immortals. Add a layer of royalty on top, and we are lucky they don’t dismember anyone or anything tarnishing their crowns.”
“Dismember?” I cringed at the grisly thought and drew my black shawl around my shoulders. “My mother told me the courtiers are kind and cruel in equal measure. Without good reason for either.”
Not one to speak with his mouth full, Nobbin raised a finger and swallowed a morsel of walnut. “Indeed, they’re notoriously whimsical. But you are their weaver, and every artist must begin somewhere. You will earn your place, Erith, though it is no simple task to prove your power and demand respect. Spring is the first tapestry you may claim as your own creation, and it is a glorious start. I have untold faith in you.”
I smiled gratefully and stifled a shudder at the challenge ahead. Despite Nobbin’s trust in me, my confidence wavered like a weathervane on a gusty day. I’d done my best, and it would have to serve. The seasons’ rulers wouldn’t dismember me on a whim. I hoped.
Thanks to Diana for visiting here today and sharing the news with us on her latest release. I am currently reading this book and so enjoying it. ❤
Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.
In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.
Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.
Welcome to my new year of Sunday Book Reviews. Today I’m going to start by sharing my review for a snarky short read by – John Dolan. In this book Dolan shares his experience about moving to Canada and his frosty commentations from what he observed and endured.
We were so grateful when we finally made it to Canada as official Permanent Residents that we wouldn’t even cross the street until the “walk” sign came on, even if crowds of natives were shoving past us. We used to wait at the corner of Cook Street in Victoria, repeating our mantra: “We must respect the laws of the B.A.L.” “B.A.L.” was our code for “Beloved Adoptive Land.”
Nine months later, we walked down the same street in a blizzard, looking for Victoria’s Salvation Army Shelter, hoping to find a warm place to spend the night. And when we finally found it, we were turned away for being a “mixed couple.” It was a men-only shelter.
In Victoria, the most twee, cutesy-greeny city in Canada, we fell through floor after floor of poverty, right down to actual Dickensian privation, where you’re cold all the time and don’t have anything to eat. We thought we’d be good immigrants because we had experience. We’d lived in Moscow for two years, between 2002 and 2004. After Russia, how could we help but think that British Columbia, where people were nice and spoke English, would be anything but a cakewalk? As it turned out it was a cakewalk, in the Baghdad sense.
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My 5 Star Review:
The blurb begins the opening chapter. Dolan shares his disgruntled opinion of Canada when he emigrated there in the early 2000s. And honestly, even as a Canadian, I couldn’t blame him for ranting. It appears that ‘Canada the Great’ has left Dolan with a bad taste.
Dolan had lived in other places before coming to Victoria, B.C. Canada. All he wanted was a home in the forest, a teaching job, and some peace.
It began with the duping of his buying a dog, told it was a Great Dane, turned out to be a Dalmation cross, from some creepy lying breeder. He also forgot to check out the rules about having pets and living in apartments, unaware of the sticklers who love to enforce rules. It is clear that the author didn’t like all the rules of Canada – or their teaching methods, resulting in his losing his teaching job because of ‘mysterious’ unfilled applications. Then stick in a $700 bill he received after seeing a naturopath, being told he had no nut allergies, then discovering, after buying a bunch of hazelnuts, chomping down on them, and the rash he got, as well as his throat closing up on him, realized he was. Oh, and Dolan warns, if you’re going to buy a boat to live on to save on rent, don’t buy it from a guy named Odin – without papers.
Dolan got lost somewhere between thinking Canada was a land of opportunity and finding there are rules for everything, often comparing his life in Canada to when he lived in Moscow to ‘a place where you think everybody’s nice’. He also felt there were two sets of rules – one for locals, one for immigrants. He continues with his rant of his inability to get a teaching job anywhere in Canada, and I mean anywhere, as five months living on his boat went by and so did his savings, and the only soul he befriended was an ex-con living on a sailboat on the same bay.
Oh yes, the author definitely had a rough go of things in a new land as we learn in this rant of a tale, but in reality, you can’t blame a country for being who it is, perhaps it was some of the poor choices he made along the way? You’ll have to read to see what you think.
NOTE: This book is not from the author John Dolan whose books I’m familiar with, yet another John Carroll Dolan. Thanks to Olga Miret for setting the record straight.
DGKayewriter.com 