News from Colleen Chesebro! This years theme will be revealed July 15th!
Submission Period Soon! Sunflower Tanka Anthology
Author: Marje @ Kyrosmagica
Hi.
Welcome to my blog: M J Mallon - Kyrosmagica Publishing. A blog about magic, books, writing, laughter, and much more! I'm a YA fantasy author, poet and reviewer. My first YA fantasy novel The Curse of Time - Book 1 - Bloodstone is set in Cambridge and Book 2 - Golden Healer is now out too. As well as this, I have contributed to several anthologies, created my own with some amazing international writers, bloggers and creatives during the pandemic: This Is Lockdown and written two poetry collections: Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity & Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose. I write book reviews on my blog and on Goodreads, book bub and on my bookstagram. I have a penchant for travel and have relatives in far flung places, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, (my birthplace.) I grew up in in Bonnie Scotland, in Edinburgh, and now live in Cambridge. I love sunny, hot places, particularly Rome, Venice, Portugal, Barcelona, and I forgot to mention the sun drenched beaches of the Caribbean, how could I? I am lucky to have been blessed with two lovely daughters and a husband who I fondly refer to in this blog as my black sheep. Family joke! With my passion for travel, culture, beautiful beaches, good food, books, theatre, writing, and humour, I hope to keep you entertained. I'm loving every minute of this creative journey, please join me.
Book Review: Graeme Cumming – @GraemeCumming63 Borderline #bookreview #thriller
Synopsis:
Winner of the Bronze Noose Award 2026
Gritty, sharp-witted, and packing a serious emotional punch!
Lauren North
‘Thirty years ago the dominant voice in PI fiction was Robert B. Parker. His ‘Spenser’ novels are probably the best thing since sliced Chandler. Ever since I first read a Spenser novel I’ve wondered about an English Spenser to no particular conclusion, but in Graeme Cumming’s ‘Rand’ Scott (yes, that really is his name) I think we have a contender. Rand is the Spenser mix of borderline criminal and white knight, the hard-case with a heart of gold. That said, Cumming doesn’t pretend to copy Parker’s style, his voice is his own, his dialogue crisp, his sense of place superb … and he doesn’t give a flying F about food (sorry, Robert B.)
John Lawton
What an incredible novel. Cumming’s strong and authentic writing explores the murkiest worlds of covert policing in the most gripping and compelling way. Exquisitely plotted and expertly told.
Graham Bartlett
As good a crime thriller as I’ve read in years.
Rudders Writing
I love how he writes about vulnerable people with such care and compassion, and this adds an extra layer of complexity to the characters in this novel as well as giving the reader some interesting things to think about
Portable Magic
A cracker of a thriller that has the perfect ingredients for a great read!! Gritty, dark and twists that are perfectly placed.
Sharon Beyond the Books
Funny, smart, and with plenty of twists and turns.
Rambling Mads
Borderline is a cracking crime thriller, it’s dark, there is violence, there is intrigue and I was hooked!!
A Knight’s Reads
When the system isn’t working, work outside the system.
A search for a missing man thrusts Rand Scott into the dark realms of homelessness, drug dealing and sex clubs.
Kirsty Moore wants to find her brother Johnny, a one-time rock star.
The police also want him – for murder.
And there are others looking who don’t play nicely.
A simple job turns deadly as Rand uncovers a world where money talks louder than the screams of innocent bystanders.
My Review:
I don’t often read thrillers but when I do I often enjoy them so thought I’d give Graeme Cumming’s book, Borderline, a go.
And I’m glad I did, I enjoyed.
My thoughts: A well crafted, and plotted book which is gritty and exciting, (especially the last third of the book, which really sizzles). Expect musical references and realistic social commentary and dialogue including some laugh out loud moments.
Liked: Characterisation, particularly the main character Rand, (Cowboy,) not a policeman, not a pushover either. Rand follows his own moral code. He investigates and tries to find a missing man, Johnny Moore, a former fairly well known rock star who’s fallen upon hard times, (expect references to crime, drug culture, social issues, and homelessness,) and his sister Kirsty’s wish to help her brother, Johnny, at all costs.
Setting: Seedy sex club culture, homeless refuge, unscrupulous criminal elements, vulnerable women. Storyline and setting/s worked well.
A recommended read for thriller and other readers.
Well done to Graeme on his Bronze Noose award!
M.J. Mallon’s review of Borderline | Goodreads
Buy link:
Borderline eBook : Cumming, Graeme: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Book Review Haiku Dan Costinas #poetry #haiku #climatechange AND Preorder – Almost Posthumous: One Hundred Pages of Solitude #literary #darksatire #preorder #psychologicalthriller #fiction
My Review – It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth
Dan Costinas’s Haiku It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth is as its title suggests – a poetry collection about climate change and our human responses to it, our lack of care and action taken.
It’s a short book of haiku poetry about climate change with a big heart.
It has three sections D, beginning with the devastating effects. This part is hard hitting, it doesn’t hide behind a flimsy wall.
One such example from the collection:
seas mourn their new pain
plastic chokes the waves to death
countless megatons
H, offers glimmers of hope,
An example:
whispers wash red skies
smooth pearls twirl upon dry leaves
Earth drinks, reborn new
The author Dan Costinas illustrates the D & H series with Kanji (Japanese characters.)
And in the final section E, he challenges the typical 5, 7, 5 syllabic structure by using a single word on each line to convey a deeper overall meaning.
As in:
undeniable
totalitarianism
intolerable
I’d recommend to poetry enthusiasts who appreciate how a few words really can drive the message home.
Poetry truly is powerful!
A worthy collection with dire warnings but optimistic overtones to make life on this much loved Earth better through change.
My review on Goodreads:
M.J. Mallon’s review of Haiku: It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth | Goodreads
To buy:
Haiku: It Is Not Too Late To Restore Planet Earth eBook : Costinas, Dan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Also, keep a look out as Dan has a new book coming out on 1st July, you can preorder with this link: Almost Posthumous: One Hundred Pages of Solitude eBook : Costinas, Dan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Synopsis – Almost Posthumous: One hundred Pages of Solitude
Fame. Fraud. Second Chances. Welcome to the ultimate literary deception.
Jordan J. Justice spent his entire career playing by the rules. He poured his soul into brilliant, fiercely honest prose, only for his books to gather dust in forgotten discount bins. In a world of short memories and toxic literary gatekeeping, the public met his talent with deafening silence until he decided to rewrite the rules entirely.
He realised the world only devours the work of an author whose voice has been forever stilled. So, he gave them exactly what they desired: a ghost.
By staging his own disappearance, Jordan orchestrates a grand illusion. Overnight, his name roars onto global bestseller lists, and his ignored manuscripts are suddenly fought over like holy relics. He is forced to watch his lifelong ambition succeed from the shadows of a monumental irony, living a double life where his talent is finally honoured, but only at the cost of his identity.
Yet, when a cynical literary world threatens to pull down the curtain on his masterpiece, Jordan refuses to remain buried. If the traditional publishing establishment demands a corpse to find value, the entertainment industry demands a survivor. Escaping to the glitz and grit of the silver screen, Jordan takes his genius for deception into Hollywood, transforming the ultimate literary fraud into a highly lucrative commodity.
Almost Posthumous is a genre-bending, multi-layered narrative that offers a unique, multi-part perspective:
The Wilderness Files:
The brilliant, surreal short stories written by Jordan during his dark years of obscurity: tales of quiet desperation, existential dread, and sharp irony.
The Hollywood Aftermath:
The voyeuristic thrill of the scripts, treatments, and character bibles that document Jordan’s chaotic evolution from a failed novelist into a ruthless television showrunner.
Part psychological thriller, part dark satire, and part metafictional anthology, Almost Posthumous is an artefact of our collective obsession with celebrity culture. It is a sharp, biting commentary on how society values its prophets only when they are gone—and how a clever man can use that cynicism to mould himself a brand-new life.
Read it now, before he changes his name, and his story, once again.
Almost Posthumous: One Hundred Pages of Solitude eBook : Costinas, Dan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
I’ve featured Dan on my blog before (he is a generous chap and a great supporter of fellow writers, a fantastic poet and an author who is well worth discovering):
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Smorgasbord Summer Book Fair #life #shortstories #poetry Beem Weeks @sgc58
Thank you so much to Sally Cronin for featuring my poetry collection, The Hedge Witch & The Musical Poet in her blog post with Beem Weeks, (Slivers of Life, short story collection,) and Sally’s verse, micro fiction & short story collection: Life’s Rich Tapestry, (which I recommend.)
Pop over to Sally’s Smorgasbord to read the reviews about the books:
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Congratulations to Ritu Bhathal #coverreveal #rishtay #series
Congratulations to Ritu Bhathal!
Her wonderful Rishtay series is now relaunched with sparkingly beautiful new covers.
Wishing her much luck & success with her series.
Click below to be redirected to her blog.
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Book Review: Poetic Justice Dan Antion & Willow Willers
Synopsis
Trevor Barcroft enlists the help of crime and mystery writer Brody Thompson to help solve his father’s murder — a murder the police and the FBI have been ignoring for five years. Trevor is convinced he knows who killed his father. Brody doesn’t agree, but he becomes convinced that there is much more to the story than anyone is sharing. He takes a strong interest in the murder and a series of related crimes.Rascal Todd wants to help, but her editor keeps her away from the story. Why? What was Wilson Barcroft doing at Gateway Park the night he was killed? Who is the mysterious Poet? What do the odd bits of poetry he has spread around tell us? Is the Poet still alive? Will he survive? Will Brody and Trevor find the answers—will they survive?Join Rascal and her friends and coworkers as they try to help from the sidelines without becoming targets in an ever-growing list of deadly crimes. Real life turns out to be far more dangerous than any fiction Brody could create as the history of a war long over comes back to haunt the city of Pittsburgh.Consistent with previous books by this author, this is a character-driven story with an ensemble cast. Some characters will be familiar to readers of Antion’s other novels. Some are new faces that you might just come to love. The addition of poetry by Willow Willers provides an interesting mechanism driving this story forward, and driving Brody Thomson into dangerous territory.
Book Review
This was a different read from Dan Antion and Willow Willers which caught my attention due to the connections and references to Vietnam, and its veterans and drugs and homelessness.
My favourite characters are Brody, an author turned sleuth and The Poet who has been hiding in fear for years, ( the poetry penned by Willow Willers in this book is an added bonus, and works well.)
The plot idea is intriging: Brody sets out to find out out why was Trevor’s father (who served in Vietnam) killed? Was he silenced? And why did a murderer try to kill his son Trevor too?
And what is Trevor’s mum doing in a care home?
What’s going on? Is it a hush up? What’s really happening?
There are revelations, and threats too.
Brody’s quest to find the truth brings gritty real life drama with him in potential danger!
Things to note:
The violence and threats tend to be non-graphic in nature with the story being told as if through the eyes of a storyteller. So if you like blood and gore this is not for you. It’s what I’d call a thoughtful rather than a tense read.
A lot of the storytelling scenes occur in meetings in cafes with tempting food, newspaper offices, or in the care home, all of which give clues to the investigation, as the plot progresses to its conclusion where all is revealed!
Recommended for readers who enjoy tales with a human interest/Vietnam mystery/sleuthing aspect.
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Poetry Open Mics And Creative Writing Opportunities in Edinburgh #poetry #writing #open #mic #opportunities #Edinburgh
Edinburgh really is a fantastic city for poets. I’m sure this is also the case in neighbouring Glasgow… and further afield in Scotland.
This blog post focuses on Edinburgh specifically. I hope if you’re new to the poetry open mic scene and to creative writing you may find it helpful.
I’ve tried all of these apart from the ones I’ve marked as still to try!
I Am Loud Poets at the Storytelling Centre, Instagram @iamloudpro,
https://linktr.ee/iamloudpro
https://www.iamloud.co/
https://www.instagram.com/iamloudpro
To sign up for open mic:
Drafted at the Canongate pub organised by Dean, Beth and Lloyd. Instagram @draftededinburgh https://www.instagram.com/draftededinburgh
Drafted Open Mic – Facebook Page Link
Typewronger is a small independent book shop that hosts regular events including open mic opportunities. instagram @typewronger https://www.instagram.com/typewronger
Shore Poets @shore_poets https://www.instagram.com/shore_poets
Readings by mainly Scottish poets on the last Sunday of every month. Please check the website (http://www.shorepoets.org.uk) for further information. Email at shorepoetsedinburgh@gmail.com
Alcove Edinburgh ( I haven’t been to yet,) is held at Strathmore pub in Leith on a Friday.
Instagram @thealcoveedin https://www.instagram.com/thealcoveedin
Sad Songs, at Sketchy Beats Cafe, (I haven’t been to yet,) Instagram @thesadsongclub. Tickets via Eventbrite.
https://www.instagram.com/thesadsongclub
Sad Song Club at Sketchy Beats Cafe – Facebook
Writing Groups
Living Writing at Leith Depot, organised by Anna. Tickets available via Eventbrite link. https://eventbrite.com/cc/living-writing-2026-4807033
A welcoming poetry writing group in Leith, prompts are provided by the host Anna. There are also occasional opportunities to read poems aloud.
Poetry group via Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/edinburgh-poets
There are many more!
If you would like to add any other ones to this blog post please comment below.
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Book Review: Poetry Treasures 6 Seasons Robbie Cheadle & Kaye Lynn Booth #poetry #anthology #review
Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons
My Book Review:
There’s much to say about seasons and life in this collection of poetry, compiled by Kaye Lynn Booth and Robbie Cheadle.
Anthologies are a wonderful way to discover new poets and to enjoy old favourites too.
All are lovely contributions in various poetic styles/voices, including limericks, freestyle, free verse, micropoems, tanka, tanka sentence, haiku sentence, spring sonnet, (Shakespearean style) bussokusekiki, haibun, haibun haiku sequence, mondo, double ennead.
My favourite poems in the collection were those by: Colleen Chesebro, Spooky Witch’s Brew, The Fight For Spring
Robbie Cheadle, Micropoems
Jean-Jacques Fournier, I The Bumblebee, (ode to the ever diminishing bumblebees)
Kevin Morris, I Saw Carefree Spring Kiss Winter Goodbye.
Joy Neal Kidney, What is it about Winter, Swallowtail Nursery
Nolcha Fox, Prisons View
Marsha Ingrao, God’s Clouds, My Memory
Michelle Ayan Navajas, Winter Grief
V. M. Sang, Joy of Spring, Autumn in Sussex
Cindy Georgakas, Douse Me In Cooking Bliss
Freya Pickard, Dance
Melissa Lemay, Summer
Yvette Prior, Dear Spring Love Rising One, Dear Warm Blooming One
Highly recommended for poetry enthusiasts.
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Introverted Indies Interview
A recent interview shared on the Introverted Indies blog and on Instagram via fellow authors Lucy Mclaren & Lydia Baker.
Many thanks Lucy & Lydia, links below:
https://linktr.ee/introvertedindies
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Shh Purely Poetry Award Nominee #longlist #indievisibleawards
My poetry collection Shh Purely Poetry is in the longlist in The Indie Visible Awards! Pop over to vote for your favourite Indie books @indie_visible_services link in their bio.
You’ll find Shh Purely Poetry in the Romance Poetry Category.
Voting will be open from the 1st of April to the 1st of May!
To vote go to Hayley’s linktree:
https://linktr.ee/indievisibleevents
Best of luck to all the nominees in the various categories. #indievisibleawards #romance #longlist #indiepoets #indiepoetry
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 