Unladylike by Regina Louise – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 4, 2026 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Regina Louise will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love is a lyrical collection of poetry and prose exploring love, survival, embodiment, and the journey of returning to the self. Blending literary poetry with personal reflection, Regina Louise examines relationships, identity, trauma, healing, and the process of reclaiming one’s voice after loss and betrayal.

Through intimate poems and essays, Unladylike maps the emotional terrain between heartbreak and self-discovery, inviting readers into a deeply human exploration of resilience, self-love, and personal transformation. Her work speaks to readers interested in emotional healing, spiritual growth, women’s voices, and the reclamation of dignity through storytelling and creative expression.

Rooted in mythopoetic inquiry and lived experience, this collection moves through memory, desire, grief, and repair, offering language for those navigating change, recovery, and the search for meaning. Unladylike is both an artistic work and an invitation-to witness oneself honestly and to return to what was always there.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Teeth Jewelry

I didn’t take it lying down—
my legs spread eagle, leaking,
like a broke-back Aphrodite,
or Erzulie Freda dispossessed of her longing.

The way you uninvited me
to the wedding—
I’d planned for two months to attend.

Fresh out of a group home,
I was certain I would arrive.
I showed up at your front door.
My hair set in Jada curls—
edges swooped in,
baby hairs laid down—
two hours under a hot-ass dryer
to get them right.

Your brother answered,
fraudulence jutting from his eyes,
said you weren’t home. Yet.
What about the black and champagne
Bentley in your driveway?
Your hubcapped feet, your only wheels.
It belonged to the girl from Baldwin Hills.
Eyes same color as mine.
Her daddy was a doctor.
Yours ran a dojo.

I took my financial aid money,
got myself a crepe de chine
Norma Kamali mini dress—
on sale, sale, sale at I. Magnin.
Fishnet pantyhose.

My first manicure—
to dig desolation from beneath
my dirty fingernails,
just to look respectable.

In pointed-toe flats,

I kicked and scratched my way
through the door,
two stairs at a time.

I followed my knowing into your lair.
My right hook, a javelin.
I threw a punch at your face—
a black belt trophy, barely missed.
You were fifth degree.

My jaw dislocated instantly
from the butt of your palm.

She ran for her life.
I ran into your fury.
And then—
my skin tore
you bit my face,
my arms,
the tops of my hands,
my wrists
my neck,
my bicep,

my shoulders,
the soles of my hands.

Clad in a blusa campesina,
a peasant shirt, off-the-shoulder,
in technicolor—my flesh on parade
fresh with the imprint of your
Central, lateral incisors.
Canines.

I returned to my social work theory seminar.

I wore your teeth jewelry
like a queen.

A gypsy skirt sashayed my hips.

I wore ankle bracelets
with fake gold coins
and fabricated seashells.

Everyone heard me coming.

I returned from Spring Break
baptized in a pain so exquisite,
one might mistake it
or all of who I was.

No matter.

I got my licks in, too.
Not just for me—
but for Tina Turner.
And all the rest of us
who stayed—
wired to do so.

About the Author Regina Louise is a poet, writer, teacher, speaker, executive coach, whose work explores the intersection of memory, belonging, identity, and emotional liberation. The author of three books—two of which have been adapted for film: Somebody’s Someone, Someone Has Led This Child to Believe and Permission Granted: Kick Ass Strategies to Bootstrap your Way to Unconditional Self-Love—she has spent more than three decades helping people transform adversity into authorship through story, self-inquiry, and radical compassion.

A senior teacher with the Hoffman Process, Regina is known for guiding profound conversations about restoring dignity, resilience, attachment, and the art of becoming fully oneself. Whether on stage, in classrooms, behind a microphone, or in intimate workshop settings, she invites audiences to reimagine the stories that have shaped their lives and discover the freedom that awaits beyond them.

Her forthcoming collection, Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love (September 2026), marks her debut poetry collection. Blending poetry, lyrical prose, and aphoristic reflections, it is a fearless meditation on love, loss, self-possession, and the sacred work of returning home to oneself.

Regina Louise lives in California, where she continues to write, teach, and create work that honors the transformative power of language to restore dignity, deepen connection, and reclaim what has always belonged to us.

Website/a> | Instagram | Facebook | Bookshop | Amazon

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A Proof of Love by Merida Johns – Interview and Giveaway

July 21, 2026 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

There are so many types of paranormal abilities—telepathy, precognition, channeling, among others. Because curiosity is one of my top strengths and I like to peek behind the curtains, astral projection or the ability to explore different planes of existence would be enticing.

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I didn’t start my fiction writing career until I retired. I’m proof that it’s never too late to follow a new path and find new, interesting, and perspective-changing experiences.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?

In my novels, I usually introduce my protagonist using interiority and/or action. This allows readers to form an immediate bond with the protagonist, immersing them in the protagonist’s perspective through the protagonist’s thoughts and actions. For example, in A Proof of Love, the reader is introduced to Katie Blake in the Prologue through her recollections of her younger self and the motivation that leads her to seize the day and write about the special people in her life, ones her readers will remember.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’d describe myself as a plot-plantser.

Before I begin writing, I have a story in mind—I know the general character arc that shows the protagonist’s internal transformation. I’ve imagined the turning points, the character’s confrontation with her darkest moments, and the change that occurs by the end of the story. Then I get to work fleshing out the important secondary characters, including using inanimate objects and locations as supporting characters.

After I have the story in my mind, I write what I term a mini-story, including a few paragraphs on the story’s theme(s) that sketch the plot, conflict, and resolution. Then, in the next section, I elaborate on the powerful influences/influencers in the story, followed by descriptions of the strong challengers, the major conflict, and the resolution.

The most useful technique I use to develop the characters is writing a character profile for each in the story. In this profile, I identify elements such as physical descriptions, the home or neighborhood they live in, close relationships, family members and background, gender relationships, job, dress style, favorite foods, regrets, best qualities, worst qualities, religious and philosophical beliefs, and so on.

To be sure, though, nothing is set in stone. My characters and events evolve, and each day as I write about them, the characters take me by surprise with their actions and thoughts, and unexpected events surface without warning!
For tracking characters and events, I develop a timeline and a list of characters and their relationship(s) with each other. Both of these will be revised and edited throughout the novel’s development.

I maintain a style sheet while I’m working on my novels. Style sheets are usually used by copyeditors, but I have found this tool essential in keeping track of style and usage for my own purposes. For example, I will list words that I always hyphenate or capitalize, notate how I treat inner thoughts by using italics, not quotations, and so on. The style sheet also lists all references I have used for fact-checking and fact-finding. When I hand the manuscript to the copyeditor, the style sheet serves as a communication tool, making life much easier for both of us.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?

From a craft standpoint, I learned that using multiple points of view (POV) can enhance a story by providing readers with a variety of perspectives on characters’ emotions, motivations, and internal conflicts. I also think that using multiple POV can increase tension and suspense, revealing information to the reader while keeping other characters in the dark.

From a personal growth perspective, A Proof of Love helped me reflect on the relationship between love and grief, and, as Katie says, “Neither grief nor love has respect for time—there are no sunsets, no last acts, no grand finales.”

A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”

Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.

Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.

Enjoy an Excerpt

She gazes at that old maple tree and makes us a promise. “One day . . . I’ll write about the special people in my life so you will know them, and they will never be forgotten.”

But Gram went to heaven before her one day came, and her stories, told in her own words, are lost forever.

Fifteen years later, I’ve learned that one day’s promise is not assured. Before it’s lost . . . So, I’m seizing that one day to write about the special people in my life, so that you will know them, and they will never be forgotten. This is A Proof of Love.

Kathleen Claire Blake, Memorial Day, 2024

About the Author:
At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.

My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives.
My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.

After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)

Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.

Substack | Facebook | Instagram | Website

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The Hearing Voices series by Charles Porter – Spotlight

April 21, 2026 By Leave a Comment

Most people move through the world assuming what they see and feel lines up with everything around them. But for Aubrey Shallcross, that’s never quite been the case. There’s always been something else present, something that doesn’t go away, even as his life continues forward. The Hearing Voices Series by Charles Porter follows how that difference shapes everything that comes next.

Aubrey Shallcross has always relied on instinct to navigate the voices in his head, learning when to listen, when to ignore, and when to act, even without certainty.

That instinct starts to matter more when the world around him begins to shift.

In the South Florida wetlands, tension builds between land, development, and survival. What begins as observation turns into involvement, and Aubrey finds himself pulled into situations that demand action, whether he fully understands them or not.

The voices don’t give him clear answers. They push, suggest, and redirect.

And when he follows them, the consequences don’t stay contained.

As events unfold, the scale of what he’s part of grows, moving beyond personal decisions into something larger, where every choice leaves a mark that can’t be erased.

What if the voice in your head wasn’t something to silence — but something to understand?

The Hearing Voices series by Charles Porter is not fantasy, and it is not about the supernatural.

It is a work of literary fiction rooted in lived experience — a sustained exploration of what it means to hear voices, and to build a life around that reality.

Across five interconnected novels, readers follow Aubrey Shallcross, a man whose inner world does not align neatly with what others would call “normal.” He works, he loves, he forms relationships, and he navigates the landscapes of South Florida and beyond — all while living with voices that shape how he experiences the world.

Each book deepens that perspective:

The Blindspot Cathedral introduces a life lived alongside voices
Flame Vine returns to the instability of earlier years
Animal Slippers expands outward into action and consequence
The Underwater Panthers widens the lens to community and conflict
Painted Birds moves into memory, history, and unresolved questions

Rather than offering easy answers, the series stays with the complexity of perception itself — how it forms, how it shifts, and how it can still hold together a meaningful life.

This is not a story about illness alone.

It is a series about identity, consciousness, and the uneasy space between what we accept as real and what we don’t yet understand.

Enjoy an Excerpt from The Blindspot Cathedral


In Miami, a woman gripped the dresser with one hand. In her other, she held the cross at the end of a rosary between her legs while a red-haired man named Carlos stood naked behind her staring at the time and date written in lipstick on her back: 7:30 p.m., August 21, 1986.

Carlos saw a line of heat lightning outside to the north and looked down at the clock on the dresser to time his moment to the moment he thought she was ovulating. When the second hand was twenty away from what it said in the lipstick, he tried harder, bringing him as close to 7:30 as he could. The woman pulled slow on the cross, dragging the rosary bead by bead out of his body as he strained to recite a palindrome, “No, son! Onanism’s a gross orgasm sin—a no- no, son.”

One hundred miles up the coast, another man, Aubrey Shallcross, leaned over the sink in his bathroom and pulled on something, too—a sliver of meat between his teeth. When he was young with milk teeth, he was teased at swimming lessons over the dark moles on his body, so his devout Catholic grandmother told him a grandmother story to anneal his child confidence. She said the moles were the tops of angels’ heads, guardian types, and he was especially lucky because most children have only one angel, but he had many, if you read the moles right.

The boy, Aubrey, chose a peppercorn-looking thing in his left armpit as his first-string seraph and secret friend, then in his mind, changed the mole into a three-inch-tall man in a three-piece suit like the one his father wore to Mass. He named the little man Triple Suiter.

Unrelated to this, Aubrey went on to develop what Western society calls schizophrenia.

About the Author: Charles Porter is the author of the award-winning Hearing Voices series, a collection of literary novels rooted in the lived experience of hearing voices.

Rather than approaching the subject clinically, Porter explores it through story — examining how people build full, complex lives while navigating forms of perception often misunderstood or labeled as disorder. His work engages with questions around consciousness, culture, and the boundaries of what we consider typical human experience.

The first novel in the series, Shallcross: The Blindspot Cathedral, was named one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2014, with later titles also receiving critical recognition.

Porter divides his time between Florida and Massachusetts, where he works with horses and continues to write.

For more information, visit his website.

Buy the series at Amazon.

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Ten Things Most People Don’t Know about Me by Intensia – Guest Blog and Giveaway

March 16, 2026 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Intensia will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ten Things Most People Don’t Know about Me

1. I have always been a sensitive, thoughtful person. As a kid, I was convinced that the blue ice cream flavor they called “Smurfs” was actually made from those little creatures. I would cry every time I saw it. I was probably the only unhappy kid in a store usually filled with joy.

2. Even if music is my vocation, silence is something very precious to me. It is not stagnation but regeneration, respect, serenity, effortless understanding and intimacy instead.

3. I am a plant-based person and have been for a long time. Even when I was little, I would refuse to eat animals, and growing up I tried to reduce this kind of things from my diet whenever I could. I do not miss anything. Quite the opposite. It is very satisfying to create new recipes and tasty ways to veganize dishes. If done consciously, it is good for the environment, the belly and other beings too.

4. To me, art is made to inspire, connect, unite, and entertain. I create for the resonance of souls, not primarily for the ego. That is also why I do not appear personally in the visuals related to my music. It allows me to focus on the message, the vibe, and the emotions I would like to evoke. There is no need to put my face forward or place myself into roles for music videos. I trust that my fans will remember me and recognize my style anyway.

5. Besides being a singer, songwriter, award-winning author and music artist, I am also an award-winning vocal coach and an officially recognized vocational teacher for singers and songwriters in Germany. My boutique flagship label and publisher, Intensia Music International, is dedicated to releasing my art and supporting upcoming artists in developing their professional skills and craft online. This might be the one and only music label that nurtures control and strategic personal alignment through education, instead of signing people.

6. Intensia is my legally recognized stage name. In Germany, the European Community country where I live, it can be officially acknowledged and registered in personal documents under certain artistic criteria. My inner voice whispered it to me a long time ago. It means an intense intention, in tension. I like it so much, and it describes me so well that I sometimes forget I was ever called something else. That given name belongs more to the person I had to be in order to become who I truly am. Some artists build stage personas for themselves. For me, it is the other way around. Intensia is who I really am, both as artist and human being.

7. I do not drink any coffee or alcohol. Both make no difference to me in terms of happiness or energy, but they do when it comes to nature and wellbeing.

8. Unless the restock of a certain treat is on its way, I will not eat the last one of that kind I still have at home.

9. I love collecting blank planners and notebooks. They are full of potential! I also design and curate my own lines. One is a thoughtful surprise for music lovers, singers, and songwriters. The other is an exclusive merchandise line available until the next song drops. You can find these affordable gift ideas and useful creations online on Amazon.

10. Although I do really care about a good sleep routine, I like to linger a little longer in bed in the morning. Even when I’m awake and ready to start, it just feels so cozy. Three alarms are barely enough to get me out of bed. I even have a “last call” reminder alarm for my final alarm.

Thanks so much for being here. The journey continues on Substack, where you are invited to join me as I share how the poetic excerpts from my award-winning book Words to Think. Or to Sing. come to life, one track at a time.

Have you ever wondered how your favorite songs really began?

Not with the words, not with the melody, but with a feeling.

Becoming a vision, becoming lines, becoming a complete piece of sonorous truth meant to be shared to unite people who resonate with it.

A mystical, fascinating process you can now be part of.

INTENSIA, a new heartfelt, poetic singer songwriter likely to belong with your favorite pop music companions, is turning the traditional release model upside down, inviting you to look into her soul and mind before anyone else.

Be among the first to witness this spark before her distinctive voice echoes through the world. This unique approach offers an unprecedented glimpse into evolving art, so you can feel and enjoy the essence of her songs before they are even complete.

Dive into this curated collection of lyric excerpts and emotional snapshots from pop songs in progress. Each piece stands on its own as a modern, poetic message, paired with brief reflections about the meaning or emotions behind the words.

It is more than something to read. It is a space to pause, reflect, and connect, with room for your thoughts and reflections too. Write what moves you, what you feel, what you dream. This book and its songs to be are meant to accompany you wherever you go.

For even more space to express yourself, the companion notebook PLACE TO THINK. OR TO WRITE. (ISBN 978-3-911445-02-3) is available as a dedicated space.

WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING. out 26 June 2025 on Amazon. Paperback (ISBN 978-3-911445-00-9), eBook (ISBN 978-3-911445-01-6).

Join INTENSIA’s free Intense Inside Club at www.intensia.music and discover this special music developing experience as it unfolds, where connection begins as songs come to life.

Enjoy an Excerpt

S T A I R C A S E

I saw red while you held my hand
on that hill in a castle of sand
being nice, coming out of the blue
you were losing me, undeniably true
I was just another trophy for your shelf
overloaded by the further rusty twelve

Dissociating from this charming place
you are a mess inside, I know it’s the case
this romance had better leave no trace
but at sunset we sat here on the staircase

About the Author From Munich’s vibrant core, Intensia is sparking a poetic, tuneful movement with a unique glimpse into her evolving pop songs-to-be book, “WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING.”. It combines lyric snippets with heartfelt reflections, inviting readers to discover her art in progress in a new and unexpected way.

INTENSIA’s story began in childhood with a simple radio cassette recorder, a portal to a mesmerizing world where her voice became a powerful way to explore emotions and transform them into melodies.

Her lyrics delve into self-reflection, personal growth, relationships, and empowerment. Themes that reflect the vision of her boutique flagship label, Intensia Music International, which is also dedicated to inspiring others to explore their creative side.

With a high art, down-to-earth attitude, INTENSIA stands for emotional pop tunes that feel like after a meaningful conversation with a good friend. Step into her world at www.intensia.music and you will find a new sonorous companion for life.

Website | Music Label | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

Find reflections, impulses, and progress on the lyric excerpts from the book as they turn into cinematic, emotional pop songs to stream and experience: Substack

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Love, Life and Mother Nature by James C. Glassford – Spotlight and Giveaway

February 19, 2026 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. James C. Glassford will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture in the lonely shore,
There is a society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but nature more.
– Lord Byron

These poems reflect the healing powers of nature both without and within. It can amaze you and comfort you, rejuvenate and rehabilitate you— if you let it.

Discover its powers—read on!

Enjoy an Excerpt

A Journey Through Time

In my youth, I saw the forest as a playground just for me Where I could leap upon a log and perhaps a Tarzan be

The songs within my heart were there as I shouted at the hills Bursting with the joy of living with all its fervour and thrills

Time seemed endless, then it had no meaning to this lad One could wander these woodlands forever, never feeling sad

Days were filled with laughter with my soul and spirit free Just me and my rainforest friends it was endless ecstasy

But youth is ever fleeting, and too soon, solemn duties called The tasks were overwhelming me. I was anxious and appalled There were deadlines and responsibilities, mortgages and debt Sadness and sorrow and things one tries to forget

So I ventured to the trackless forest where I once played as a kid And began seeing the woodlands now more clearly than I once did The breezes blew gently on my frustrated and furrowed brow

The thrushes haunting songs, I remember even now

In the forest floor on a bed of moss, I leisurely lay

The verdant growth around me, where shadows softly play, It carpets the ground here in a luscious display so fine

As Nature’s quiet artist in the forest’s emerald green design

Like a shaft of sun shining through a mournful morning mist My clouds of despair lifted as if the earth itself was kissed The siren song of Nature was an elixir to this troubled mind

As I unconsciously relived my youth and that long-lost happy time

So unburden your muddled mind, my friend, and set your spirit free Let Nature help you look within, and soon you too will see

The strength to conquer all concerns and cast aside your cares And all the many millstones that your saddled soul bares

About the Author: I am a retired physician who has been blessed with the opportunity to live in one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places on earth: Vancouver Island. Throughout my life I have remained intimately connected to nature. I consider it an alternate classroom and a timeless and thought-provoking teacher. It has taught me many enduring life lessons.

Goodreads

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Perilous Shores by Thomas M. Wing – Spotlight

January 14, 2026 By Leave a Comment

 

 

Book 2 of The Sea Hawkes Chronicles

 

Historical
Fiction/Nautical Fiction

 

Date Published: April 1, 2026.

 

Publisher:
 Acorn Publishing

 

 

Fueled by the murder of his wife at the hands of British soldiers, American
privateer Captain Jonas Hawke is determined to make Britain pay.

Grief-stricken
and filled with fury, Jonas delves deeper into war, accompanied by a personal
vendetta and his loyal crew. During a brutal raid on a port city, one of his
men crosses an unthinkable line, forcing Jonas to reckon with his distorted
definition of vengeance.
Concerned that his wrath will bring
irreparable harm to the cause for America’s freedom, Jonas grapples with
his role as a soldier and as a man. When he learns the Royal Navy is tracking
his ship, he fears his deadly decisions may have cost him everything.
It’s too late to turn back now. Instead, he must continue to face the
inevitable perils of war.

Action-packed and rich with authentic historical
detail, Perilous Shores is a gripping tale of revenge, survival, and the
relentless pursuit of justice.

 

 

About the Author
Thomas M. Wing, a Naval Academy and Naval War College graduate, retired after
thirty-two years as a Navy Surface Warfare officer. A dedicated sailor for
half a century, he created the Continental Navy Foundation, served as its
executive director, and commanded its brigantine, Megan D.
Tom’s
first novel, Against All Enemies, earned gold medals from the Military Writers
Society of America and Literary Titan. In Harm’s Way, the first in the
Sea Hawkes Chronicles series has also garnered several awards.
He
resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter and a cat and a dog.
Whatever free time he has is still spent on the water.
For more about the
author and to follow his blog about nautical and naval trivia, visit his
website ThomasMWing.com.
Contact Links

 

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A Return to French Foreign Legion Adventure Fiction by Edward Parr – Guest Post and Giveaway

January 6, 2026 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A Return to French Foreign Legion Adventure Fiction

A few years ago I began looking at novels written in the early 1900’s thinking to compliment the First World War trilogy I had previously written and I found and read many of the terrific action-adventure stories written about the French Foreign Legion set in the tumultuous northern Africa of that time period. While I was drawn to the format, I did not want to write anything pro-colonialist or anti-Muslim – biases which are deeply embedded in some (but not all) of the stories written in that time period. But I also did not want to dismiss the honor and fortitude of the men who served in the French Foreign Legion, what they brought to that brotherhood, and what they sacrificed in the sands of the Sahara.

I ended up writing a broader novel with four main protagonists, one of whom is a French Foreign Legionnaire. The novel is entitled Tamanrasset: Crossroads of the Nomad, a work of historical fiction, set in the Maghreb in the early 1900s, which traces multiple intersecting storylines: French Foreign Legionnaires engaged in desert campaigns, Moroccan tribal resistance, a Swedish widow living in Fez, and an American archaeologist searching for lost treasure. While many French Foreign Legion memoirs depict the lives of new recruits to La Legion, one of my four main characters is an older, long-time Foreign Legion NCO, Sergent Jacques Demoreau, who has made a home for himself in the fortresses of the Sahara. Fact-based episodes in the story include the Doui-Menia attack near Igli in 1900, the battle at Taghit in 1903, and the French bombardment of Casablanca in 1907. Through these narratives, the book depicts military actions, cross-cultural encounters, and the challenges of survival in the Sahara, at a time when the old Maghreb was rapidly being changed by French colonialism. But I also want to convey something of the camaraderie of the Legionnaires and their sense of honor and tradition.

Certainly in researching the novel, I read many adventure stories from the old pulp fiction magazines, but these mostly helped me with writing an adventurous narrative. For hard facts, I mostly used memoirs of actual Legionnaires of that time period (and memoir-based fiction) like these: A Soldier of the Legion by George Mannington (1907); In the Foreign Legion by Erwin Rosen (1911); Life in the Legion: From a Soldier’s Point of View by Frederic Martyn (1911); The Wages of Virtue by P.C. Wren (1914); A Soldier of the Legion by C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson (1914); and The French Foreign Legion by Douglas Porch (2010).

I hope it’s a novel that anyone interested in the French Foreign Legion would enjoy and appreciate.

TAMANRASSET is historical fiction set on the edge of the Sahara as the ancient world begins to fade and great empires collide. Four strangers—a mature Foreign Legionnaire, a Sharif’s wrathful son, an ambitious American archaeologist, and an abandoned Swedish widow—become adrift and isolated, but when their paths intersect, the fragile connections between them tell a story of survival and fate on the edge of the abyss. Blending the sweep of classic adventure with the horror of a great historical calamities, Edward Parr’s TAMANRASSET is a saga about the crossroads where nomads meet.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The Sun had not yet risen above the ruins of the Mechouar Palace, but at the mosque nearby many Muslim people of the city of Tlemcen were already at their morning prayer. It was a great privilege to be admitted to one of the oldest mosques in Algeria, over eight hundred years old, and an even greater privilege to be allowed to pray before the mihrab there among the great white columns that lined the enormous hall. As the prayers ended, there was a gentle rustling of movement as the faithful rose and exited to the open and airy marble-tiled courtyard of the mosque, still quiet in the twilight of dawn. Isabel retrieved her leather boots and exited a side door beneath the shadow of the towering brick minaret. Covered by her tightly drawn dark brown burnouse, khaki pants, white shirt, and a black hijab, Isabel walked along the great stone wall to the main gate of the palace. The few buildings in the complex that were still usable had been made into offices for the French army, but the pool and gardens of the central courtyard were peaceful and shadowy. She passed an alcove that featured Islamic calligraphy carved into the stucco, and Isabel stopped to read it: “Allah is God, there is no god but He: the King.”

A quiet voice behind her asked: “Madame Pedersen?”

She turned to find a short, elegantly dressed French officer approaching her. His flat-topped white hair was soldierly, but his crisp, tailored uniform, polished boots, and wide waxed mustache displayed a carefully composed appearance.

“Peace be with you,” she said, casting her eyes downward and crossing her arm over her chest as she nodded.

“Peace be with you, Madame. I apologize if I disturbed you; will you come inside?”

“As you wish.”

She followed the French colonel to a charming wood-paneled room overlooking an orchard of citrus trees bearing large green fruit. The colonel sat on a bare wood chair beside a wide wooden table, crossed his legs, and twirled the end of his wide mustache. Isabel stood silently before him in a respectful posture.

“I have the greatest respect for your beliefs, my dear, but it would be helpful to me if you would sit and speak to me informally. Would you be so kind?”

“Of course,” she said and she sat on the chair beside his. Her demeanor now expressed more of her experience and self-assurance, her hijab more a symbol of her confidence than of her humility. The colonel raised an eyebrow in appreciation of her serene face and brilliant blue eyes.

© 2025 by Edward Parr and Edwardian Press (New Orleans, Louisiana)

About the Author: Edward (“Ted”) Parr studied playwriting at New York University in the 1980’s, worked with artists Robert Wilson, Anne Bogart, and the Bread and Puppet Theater, and staged his own plays Off-Off-Broadway, including Trask, Mythographia, Jason and Medea, Rising and an original translation of Oedipus Rex before pursuing a lengthy career in the law and public service. He published his Kingdoms Fall trilogy of World War One espionage adventure novels which were collectively awarded Best First Novel and Best Historical Fiction Novel by Literary Classics in 2016. He has always had a strong interest in expanding narrative forms, and in his novel writing, he explores older genres of fiction (like the pulp fiction French Foreign Legion adventures or early espionage fiction) as inspiration to examine historical periods of transformation. His main writing inspirations are Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Bernard Cornwell, Georges Surdez, and Patrick O’Brien.

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Look Over Your Shoulder by Sharon Overend – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 27, 2025 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sharon Overend will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A haunting, lyrical exploration of family, silence and the secrets we inherit.

Years of avoidance and blame have left the McLaughlin clan fractured and ill-equipped to face the critical illness of one of their own. When long buried memories of a neighborhood child’s death while in their care resurface the family truly begin to unravel.

Told in alternating voices, Look Over Your Shoulder, reveals how secrets ripple through generations, and how healing begins when someone finally dares to speak the truth.

Enjoy an Excerpt

ANNE

I slipped away. In slow motion, I raised one foot after the other, one step at a time, upstairs. My limbs now disconnected from my body, my head bobbing in a black fog, I drifted across the hall and toward my bedroom. I lay on top of the covers but dragged a throw over my hip.

The buzz of distant conversations crawled into the room, and my window shook each time the front door opened or closed. Knuckles rapped, an empty hanger slapped against the door panel, the buzz amplified, feet shuffled forward, a presence lingered, a hand touched my arm, a voice whispered.

“Mom.”

I said nothing until her feet shuffled back toward the door.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed into the pillow seconds before the hanger again rattled, and the hum of voices roared back into the room. I wasn’t sure whether I’d wanted her to hear me or not.

“For what?” She had heard.

“For resenting you.”

The weighty creak of floorboards, a car engine idling, a woman’s laughter, a child’s shriek, a toilet flush.

“You’re tired,” Marilyn said, now close enough to touch me. “Sleep.”

“You scare me,” I said, still telling the pillow, not her. “Your strength and your capacity for forgiveness are things I’ve never experienced before. But I have to know. Have you ever forgotten?” Shame had stalked me my whole life, a shadow dancing across my peripheral vision, now fully in view.

“We’ll talk in the morning.” She lifted the fringed edge of the blanket, pulled it over my shoulder, and tucked it beneath my chin. A blue spark of static electricity sprang between her fingers and my face.

About the Author:

SHARON OVEREND, is an award-winning author whose fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry has appeared in the Canadian, American and British literary journals and anthologies including Antigonish Review, Avalon, Descant, Grain, Matter of Time, Spirit of the Hills, Surfacing, Wild Words, Word Weaver, UK’s Dream Catcher, CafeLit, The Best of CafeLit and A Coup of Owls.

Sharon and her husband live on a 156- rural acre property in Ontario, Canada where she has found inspiration for many of her projects.

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Why I Like to Write by Eric Grandy – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 30, 2025 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Eric Grandy will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why I Like to Write
I have decided to post on why I like to write. It’s because, since childhood, I’ve always been a reader. My parents subscribed to Life magazine, the Baltimore Sunpapers and we had a full set of World Book Encyclepedia’s. I have always appreciated the written word and even though the joy of putting words on a page didn’t come to me until later in life, it felt like the natural path forward.

I enjoy story telling. Because I came to writing late, I have a lifetime of knowledge and experience to draw from. I use those memories to create intriguing characters, generate absorbing plots and weave unique situations. I assign peculiar traits and tendencies to my characters that make them memorable. For instance, a main character, Wilson Davenport, always rises onto the balls of his feet to emphasize a point when he stands to talk.

Fiction, in my opinion, allows for reality based creativity. I like to incorporate real life occurrences and I introduce my audience to my character’s thoughts and actions, strengths and weaknesses, thereby making them more relatable.

I enjoy the challenge of problem solving; writing myself into a corner and figuring my way out in an interesting and absorbing way. On page 85 of “Accidental Paradise”, my character, rookie talent agent named Darien Cheek, bares his soul in his attempts at signing LaVern as a client. Initially, I had no idea how this scene would unravel. How would he convince the leery LaVern Whitaker to sign with his agency? I think I resolved the dilemma in a reader-pleasing way.

Writing also keeps me in close association with other creative people. There is a vibrant artist community here in Baltimore of writers, poets, painters and others. Their creativity stimulates me. Darien Cheek explains it perfectly, “Artists start with a blank slate. A sculptor begins with a slab of marble, a painter begins with a blank canvas, a writer starts with an idea. After they apply their artistry and ingenuity they have, seemingly out of thin air, created this amazing work of art.” That’s how I feel about writing.

Being published makes me a member of an exclusive club. Most people start, but don’t finish their novel. Finishing “Accidental Paradise” only whet my appetite to write more. It feels good to know that my work will be here long after I’m gone.

Natural talent, hard work, and a childhood friend help LaVern Whitaker find her calling as an actress. When her life becomes overwhelming, they discover a small town where her true identity can remain unknown and she can stay out of the spotlight. The more she visits her secret getaway, the more deeply she feels connected to the history, the lifestyle, and the people. Could this place be her home away from home, or become the home she has dreamed of? Or will sinister forces rip it all away?

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Make me a promise, Shaundra. Promise me we will always be best friends.”

“I promise, Peaches.”

LaVern stood up and said she had better head back. “Are you coming over tomorrow?”

“Hell yeah.”

Both girls had a hardy laugh at that one.

As Freeman and Jackie watched their daughter recross the street, they noticed a more delighted and relieved child than the one who left a few minutes earlier.

The girls resumed their old routine of talking and gossiping in LaVern’s bedroom. Shaundra asked more questions about her new school; how did she like going to school with White kids? Did she hang out with the other Black students? How was she treated? LaVern did her best to answer; No, she wasn’t completely accepted by everyone, she wasn’t friends with all the Black kids, she still felt very self-conscious being one of a few Black students in an all-White school, sometimes she felt very alone but she had made a few friends.

“My daddy said it would take a little while, that I would get used to it. He said I would get a better education.”

“Well, you’re already smart Peaches. You’ll be smart no matter what school you go to.”

“Well, it is harder than 139, but I’m doing OK.

“I know you, Peaches. If you say you doing OK, I know you killin’ it.”

LaVern looked down at her feet. “Well, I’m doing alright.”

But the Big Dog was right. She was killing it.

About the Author: Eric Grandy was born and raised in Baltimore City and graduated from City College. After he graduated from Essex Community College, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and played six years for that team. He went on to a variety of jobs: photographer, lab manager, driver for DHL and warehouse manager. After retirement, he decided to devote himself to writing, producing several short stories and Accidental Paradise, his debut novel.

Grandy still lives in Baltimore with his wife Rhonda and his daughter Marti.

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Why Poetry? by Lori Alden Holuta – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 5, 2025 By 2 Comments

Parlor Poetry: A Victorian Versification Abecedary by Lori Alden Holuta Spotlight and Giveaway

To celebrate my guest spot here at Long and Short Reviews, I’m giving away a free Kindle copy of my book, Parlor Poetry: A Victorian Versification Abecedary.

Due to Amazon restrictions, this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and winners must have an Amazon.com account to receive their Kindle copy.

Giveaway Entry Instructions
To enter, simply subscribe to my once-a-month newsletter, Postcards From Industralia. It’s packed with Victorian trivia, steampunk surprises, and (if the rumors are true) the occasional hidden key to unlock a secret room in The Brassbright Chronicle.  Subscribe here!

About the Author
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields in mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables, teas, and herbs when she’s not playing games with her cat, Chives. She loves activities from the past, including canning and preserving, crocheting, and reading her Kindle in the dark.

Her lifelong fascination with the Victorian era dovetails nicely with articles she’s written for The Primgraph, an online magazine focused on historical reconstructions in virtual worlds, as well as music and book reviews for Steampunk Magazine.

Her first novel, a young adult steampunk comedy adventure called The Flight To Brassbright, has endeared itself to teenage girls and a surprising number of grown-ups. Its sequel, Down The Tubes, seems to be in an eternal state of “nearly done,” but she plans to surprise readers when it publishes, possibly sooner than you think. Book Three: The Hidden Doors is in a delightful state of disarray, and Book Four: Off The Rails is currently in development.

Full Steam Ahead is a collection of short chapter stories for kids. Steamed and Steamy: Recipes from the Steampunk World of Industralia is a cookbook inspired by Industralia’s characters and their eating habits. Shredding It is a collection of family and friends’ recipes, which contains an alarming amount of cabbage (and there’s even a dessert section). And now, she has taken a poetic view of the Victorian era in Parlor Poetry: A Victorian Versification Abecedary.

Why Poetry?
I’ve written poetry since third grade, but only for my own amusement or to make my friends laugh. A few years back, I had the idea to write a poem for every letter of the alphabet as a personal challenge. I needed a theme, and choosing the Victorian era was no surprise to anyone who knew me — I just can’t get enough of that time in history!

While mentioning my project to an artistic friend, she volunteered to provide illustrations to help turn my challenge into a book. I gave her a list of topics, and she happily took to the task. There was no turning back — I was officially writing a book! Some topics were easy to tackle, others near-impossible, but isn’t that the point of a challenge?

After completing the last poem, I began arranging the artwork and poems into a manuscript. It felt like it needed something more, so I decided to include a short overview of each alphabetical topic for readers who might not know much about, for example, daguerreotype cameras, velocipedes, or the London underground tube rail system. This added bonus knowledge meant each topic spanned three pages. Books display two pages at a time, so I added a fourth page for each topic to create better flow and balance. That’s how Notable Quotables happened — bringing the words of famous people and news sources to the poetry party. Suddenly, I had a book!

Another artistic friend helped me create the cover. I wanted it to look like an old, embossed leather volume that could have existed in the Victorian era — and I think we did it!

I hope readers who pick up my book feel transported back in time and come away both educated and amused by the challenge I gave myself long ago.

In Closing…
Don’t forget — one lucky subscriber to Postcards From Industralia will win a Kindle copy of Parlor Poetry: A Victorian Versification Abecedary. Subscribe by September 19 for your chance to win — the giveaway closes promptly at midnight!

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