Every September Hailsham, in EastcSussex, has 2 weeks dedicated to the Arts.
There is something for everyone. The Downland Poets hold a poetry reading, with an open mic, a local Townswomen’s Guild puts on a play. There is music in the church and other venues, workshops in painting, glass work and other things. Comedy is also included.
There is street drama, a talk on the history of Punch and Judy, and the magic of pantomime, as well as a performance by the Ukrainian Choir and Dancers.
Children aren’t left out, either. There are puppet shows and workshops for them, too, as well as stories. And a writing competition.
There is also a short story competition for adults, and a ‘Meet the Author’ session. No, I’ve not been invited to take part in that! 😕
Near the beginnjng of this festival, artists were invited to enter artwofk to be disp.ayed in shop windows. I had some of my paintings exhibited in that.
On one of the bridges, more recently, artists has been exhibited on a bridge over a disused railway line, now a footpath.
During the pandemic, the organisers put artwork online in a virtual art gallery. They have continued it this year, and I am pleased to say that some of my art is exhibited.
I saw a post on Reddit where the person asked about how we each came about being a writer. I answered, but then thought it might make a post for my blog.
In the beginning, I always loved books and stories for as long as I can remember. When I was very little, long before I could read, maybe about 3 years old, I loved a story called Pink and Ponk. It’s still available on Amazon! I knew it off by heart. One say, I was holding the book and speaking the words, when a friend of my mother saw me and thought I was actually reading!
When I could read for myself, I read a book by Enid Blyton, called Shadow the Sheepdog. I loved that book and reread it many times. It inspired me to write my own story. That was the first story I remember writing. I also devoured many other of her books, as well as books like Black Beauty and Little Women.
Also, when a child I made a little fairy out of grass and made up tales for my little sister about it.
When I was at school, I loved English lessons where we were told to write a story or an essay. I enjoyed both types of writing. I also enjoyed the literature lessons where we read many classic books. It was here that I discovered the Bronte sisters. And unlike many of my compatriots, I also enjoyed poetry.
In my teens I wrote a very bad romance. I only read it to my friends, They were kind about it, but fortunately, it has now disappeared into the mists of time.
After my A levels, I went to do teacher training in Manchester. Here I studied science as a main subject and maths as one of my subsidiaries. As I liked English literature, I chose that as my other subsidiary subject. It was here, at college, that I took to writing some poetry. My first ever published work was a poem I wrote about the atomic bomb. (It was the time of the Cold War, the Aldermaston Marches and CND.) It was published in the magazine of UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology).
During this time, I discovered Lord of the Rings, I was doing a teaching practice at a primary school. A 9 year-old boy asked me if I’d ever read it, and recommended it to me, telling me I should first read The Hobbit. When I found them in the library, I was immediately turned on to fantasy.
Then my writing adventures stopped as I began work, got married and had a family. No time for writing.
My writing started with a Dungeons and Dragons scenario I wrote. I read the Dragonlance Saga and found out it was based on a D&D scenario, and I thought I’d try my hand at converting my scenario to a novel. A standalone was what it was going to be, but in the way these things happen, it’s now up to the 4th book with more to come. The story hasn’t yet finished. (Although the characters think it has!)
Then came the inspiration to write Elemental Worlds, which turned into a duo. It could have been a standalone, but it would have been rather long. I really enjoyed writing that one (or pair, I should say!)
I began writing poetry again at this time.
My daughter had a book when she was little that had a very short story or poem for every day of the year, so I conceived of writing one poem every day for a full year. I did manage to do this, and it’s now published as 2 volumes, January to June and July to December. It has a variety of poems from limericks and haiku to longer narrative poems. Some serious, some amusing.
Another thing that has been fermenting in my head for decades is a saga of a family through the ages. This started when I was in my teens and I was walking with a friend and her family in Derbyshire. We came across a ruined mansion. This picture has been in my head ever since, so I started to write a historical series, now up to Book 2.
I’ve also written 3 novellas; The Wolves of Vimar prequels.
Currently I’m writing Book 3 of the historical series, and hope to soon get on to Book 5 of my fantasy series (The Wolves of Vimar.) I am also working on some short(ish) stories inspired by fairy tales. 2 are already written and 3 is on the way.
And that’s how I became a writer!
If you are interested in any of my books, you can click on the image in the side bar. It will take you to where you can choose your favourite retailer.
Some of these books are also available as audiobooks.
I don’t usually post two reviews immediately one after the other, but I was asked to review this collection of poems, so here is another.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book of poems comprises thoughtful images. Kevin Morris writes beautifully about his life experiences. He contemplates mortality in his poems, but not in a morbid way.
His thoughts from hospital, where he underwent an operation for a brain abscess, give us an insight into his thoughts on this close brush with the Grim Reaper.
The poems in memory of his friend are touching. Here is one of my favourites.
Your Shadow
On a day in early spring I heard the birds sing As we walked together And, as we walked, I wished to talk With you my dear old friend. But it was my shadow That walked in sunshine For you have crossed the line Where all things end.
I cannot cry Or go where you have gone, Yet our friendship lives on And one day I will become A shadow in sun And shade For life is made Of fleeting shadows. And I know That I must one day go Where you have gone. But other men May see my shadow Walking beside them And know me And their own mortality.
I also enjoyed the one he wrote to his guide dog, Apollo.
Dog and Human (Dedicated to Apollo)
You know not what I write As day turns to night But lie near me Unaware of our shared mortality. We love our walks. You just do What dogs do— While I have my thoughts Of endings And how I envy you!
I enjoy Morris’s unusual rhyme schemes. They make the poems interesting and unusual. And I love the cover.
This is a wonderful collection of poems, and I fully recommend them to you. Even if you’re not a poetry person, you will be sure to find some you enjoy. They will give you food for thought.
I give it 5*
The explanation of my ranking of books doesn’t fit with poetry as it’s for novels.
Have you read ;any of Kevin Morris’s poetry? What did you think of it? Please leave your comments in the comments box.
OVERVIEW This is a ‘nice’ Regency story. There is little to object to about it. However, I found it very similar to her first book in this series.
STORY Isabel is a young woman whose family has fallen on hard times. Her father has recently died and left debts. When Francis, Earl of Bengrave asks for her hand in marriage, she sees it as a way to help her family, and agrees to marry him, although she barely knows him. What she does know, is that he has a reputation as a rake, and has a long-term mistress, Mrs Morrell. Francis needs to marry to secure an heir for his title and fortune, and has picked Isabel as a likely candidate. The couple agree not to interfere with each other’s lives too much. The story is told from the POVs of both Isabel and Francis.
CHARACTERS Isabel. At the beginning, Isabel is naturally nervous of the unknown man she has married, but gradually, as she learns her husband is basically a kind and generous man. As she grows in confidence, so she asserts herself more. Francis. He is naturally worried his lifestyle will be impacted, but tries hard with his new wife, giving her gifts, although he is reluctant to join in with the Regency society. I did feel that he was very similar to the protagonist in her first book,
WRITING Although well-written from the point of view of grammar and spelling, I felt the story was a little too simplistic. There was little tension. The protagonists didn’t have to struggle much to discover they had fallen in love with each other. Nor did Francis have too much difficulty in getting rid of his mistress. That could have been made much more of, and becomes built around ‘will he, won’t he’ get rid of her. The other thing I felt was that the protagonist in this book was almost interchangeable with the one in her first. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant and easy read.
I give it 3*
My ranking of books. In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only. 5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors. 4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos. 3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors. 2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors. 1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
I decided to repost some of my earlier blog posts as there are new people who won’t have seen them. Here is the first one.
I apologise for being a day late with the interview with Archmage Yssalithisandra, but she was extremely busy with some new magic texts that have recently come to light and put the interview off for a day.
Me: Good morning, Archmage Yssalithisandra. I am glad you decided to meet me and answer afew questions that our readers would like toknow about.
Yssa: Please call me Yssa. Everyone does, you know. It is a pleasure to be interviewed by you.
Me: How is it that an elf is working in Hambara and not in Rindisillaron, the elven homeland?
Yssa: I came here because of the Mage Tower. There is no longer one in Rindissillaron, you know.
Me: I believe there was one once though. Why has it not been found or rebuilt?
Yssa: Mage towers are always built on special places where the mana is at its strongest. Places where it wells up rather like springs out of the ground. The whereabouts of the Mage Tower in Rindisillaron has long been forgotten, as is the case of the towers in most places in Khalram.
Me:Why has this occurred?
Yssa: It was after the Forbidding when they were deserted for several hundred years.
Me:The Forbidding?
Yssa: Yes. Two hundred or so years after the death of Sauvern, there was an uprising by a group of mages who thought that because they could weave the mana, they were superior to others and that they should be the rulers of all the lands in Khalram. There was another group who opposed them, of course and the result was a terrible war. The results were so devastating that when the rightful rulers were restored, the practice of magic was forbidden throughout the lands that make up Khalram. All books of magic were burned and the mage towers were, for the most part destroyed. All people who could do any magic were put to death too.
Me:So that is why you are researching the past. To find the lost spells. How long ago did the Forbidding occur?
Yssa: How long? Well it began about 600 years ago and lasted for about 3oo years. That means that it ended about 300 years ago.
Me:And in 300 years you still haven’t found all that was lost?
Yssa: Remember; there were no mages in the continent when it ended, nor any books. We had to start again from scratch.
Me:How is your work coming on?
Yssa: Oh, we’re beginning to make more progress and we keep finding books that had been hidden away by mages when they thought they would be executed. One such is the one Mabryl found and Carthinal brought to Hambara.
Me:Do you think that the mage towers will ever be re-built?
Yssa: That depends on whether or not we can find where the nodes were that they were built on. In the past there were said to have been mages who were able to detect these places, but we know of none at the moment. There are a few mages who can weave the mana without recourse to arcane language and hand gestures, but use just the power of thought, and it is possible that some of these could do so as they are much more sensitive to magic. We have yet to find any though, so at the moment it’s just a hypothesis.
Me:You met Carthinal when he came to take his tests. What did you think of him?
Yssa: (blushing slightly) He is a very charismatic young man. He is also a very talented mage. I oversaw his practical test, as you probably know, and was most impressed.
Me: Is it true that you had a relationship with him while he was in Hasmbara?
Yssa: (looking down at her hands.) Yes. It was brief, and then he left to do the job that the Duke set him. I don’t know when he’ll be back, but I don’t expect him to want to continue with me.
Me:Do you think you will ever go back to Rindissillaron?
Yssa: Probably not. I do go to visit my parents as often as I can. Mother says it’s not often enough of course. She misses me, I think. I have no brothers and sisters, so I’m her little lost lamb. She means well, but she does fuss.
Me:Thank you for giving up your precious time, Archmage.
Yssa: Yssa!
Me:Sorry, Yssa. I am sure our readers will be interested in the history that you have told us about, and good luck with the research.
Yssa: Thank you. It was a pleasure talking to you. Grillon’s blessings on your readers.
Carthinal met Yssawhen he went to the Mage Tower in Hambara to complete his apprenticeship as a mage.They had a brief affair before Carthinal went on the quest to find Sauvern’s Sword.
Later Yssa became more important in Carthinal’s life and appears in several of the books in the series.
If you would like to know more about Yssa and Carthinal, you can read about them in The Wolf Pack, Book 1 of The Wolves of Vimar series.
The ebook version ofThe Wolf Pack is free.
Click on the book title to buy, or on the book’s image in the side bar to go to your favourite online store.
There are also some prequels where you can find out a bit more about the characters in the books.
Welcome to Day 2 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons Book Blog Tour, where we’re sending off the sixth volume of the Poetry Treasures anthology series, Seasons.
Each volume of this poetry anthology series features the work of the talented poets, spotlighted as guests on Robbie Cheadle’s blog series, “Treasuring Poetry”, from the previous year. Seasons’ poets were guests in 2025.
For this tour, you’ll meet two poets at each stop, with fun facts about them and reviews of their work. Some of the contributors also share guest posts or poetry readings. Today, we’re introducing Jean-Jacques Fournier and Colleen Chesebro.
And we’re giving away three digital copies of the anthology in our Giveaway. Each comment earns a chance to win, so be sure to give a shout out and let us know you were there.
Giveaway
We’re giving away three digital copies of Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons.
Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for additional entries. Winners are selected in a random drawing following the tour.
Tour Schedule Mon. – Cindy Georgakas (Reading) & Kevin Morris – Poetry by Mich, Hotel by Masticadores, Masticadores Phillipines Tues. – Jean-Jacques Fournier (Reading) & Colleen Chesebro (Reading) – Dragons Rule OK Wed. – Freya Pickard & V.M. Sang (Reading) – JoyNealKidney.com Thurs. – Joy Neal Kidney & Yvette Prior – Roberta Writes Fri. – Michelle Ayon Navajas (Guest Post & Reading) & Marsha Ingrao (Guest Post & Reading) – Prior House Sat. – Nolcha Fox & Robbie Cheadle – Writing to be Read
Introducing Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons
Picture caption: Cover of Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons
Blurb Open the cover and you will discover Poetry Treasures from the guests on Robbie Cheadle’s 2025 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read.
Join poets Robbie Cheadle, Cindy Georgakas, Freya Pickard, V.M. Sang, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Marsha Ingrao, Nolcha Fox, Joy Neal Kidney, Kevin Morris, Jean-Jacques Fournier, Melissa Lemay, Yvette Prior, and special guest, Colleen Chesbro share their personal seasons of poetry.
Jean-Jacques Fournier is a native of Montréal, in the province of Québec, Canada. He continued his studies while in the Canadian Navy and travelling substantially over the world. He started writing in earnest while living in California in the early eighties. In the process of reinventing himself numerous times, his penchant for the language of poetry seemed best suited, for him to express his emotions and life experiences. He then spent several years pursuing his writing in the south of France, during which time he published his first three books. He has long since moved back to Canada and is presently living in the Eastern Townships of Québec. He has published twenty-one books of poetry to date.
Picture caption: Author photograph of Jean-Jacques Fournier
Fun Facts about Jean-Jacques Fournier
He’s always loved France, had moved to France, married a French woman, who in the end pulls him back to Canada.
Because he was constantly on the move, he was never truly interested in animals but now, he is surrounded by two indoor cats, as well as birds, racoons, deer, chipmunks, coyotes, foxes who all inhabit the garden.
He loves dancing since he was young and now, basically still young considering years passed, he continues dancing but mostly with the words.
A review of Poetry in Brief – a blissful silence – (review by author Paulette Mahurin)
Picture caption: Cover of Poetry in Brief – a blissful silence – by Jean-Jacques Fournier
From the lovely cover of “Poetry in Brief – a blissful silence” designed by Marianne Dessis and the book’s various represented artists like Paul Klee included on the pages of this special book of poetry to all the words depicting the human experience, I am stunned by masterful poetry. This is a special book of poetry and author Jean-Jacques Fournier has a great gift in his usage of words. A minimalist, he writes vast emotions that run deep and strong of all that it is to be alive. Each and every poem, unique in its message, draws the reader into thoughts and emotions. Way too many to enumerate on. This was an enticingly enjoyable book right down to the last poem: “Ye May Not Hear-past silent fear” with its beautiful artwork by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis – Silene, which was my favorite. Kudos to the author for this lovely achievement.
Colleen M. Chesebro hails from the heartland of the Midwestern United States. After graduating, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, launching a lifelong journey of self-exploration. Following a successful career in accounting, Colleen returned to her creative roots, reigniting her love for poetry. Today, she enjoys crafting poetry, flash fiction, and both creative and nonfiction work. In addition to her poetry books, Colleen has contributed to numerous anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She actively supports her writing community on tankatuesday.com, by hosting a community syllabic poetry challenge called Tanka Tuesday, and by co-editing the Sunflower Tanka Anthology with Robbie Cheadle. This annual syllabic poetry anthology celebrates tanka, tanka prose, and other experimental tanka forms. Residing in her dream home in mid-Michigan, Colleen enjoys the beauty of the Great Lakes with her husband and their two (unicorn) cats, Chloe and Sophie. You can find her at Tanka Tuesday on http://www.tankatuesday.com.
Picture caption: Author photograph of Colleen Chesebro
Fun Facts about Colleen Chesebro
When I served in the USAF, I lived in England for several years.
I crochet old-fashioned doilies with thread.
I’m taking a class in Jungian psychology and dream tending.
A review of Sunflower Tanka: A 2025 Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tanka compiled by Colleen Chesebro and Robbie Cheadle (Amazon review)
Picture caption: Cover of Sunflower Tanka: A 2025 Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tanka compiled by Colleen Chesebro and Robbie Cheadle
Sunflower Tanka 2025 anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose and Experimental Tanka begins with an introduction and a short explanation of the different forms of poetry included in this collection: Tanka, Tanka Prose, Bussokuseki, (a new form for me to try,) Rensaku, Experimental Tanka, Garland Tanka, Tanka Puente, and Taiga!
The topic is dreams. And what dreams they are for poets to indulge their creative juices in! Resulting in such a range of marvellous interpretations.
You’ll find poems from a wide variety of international poets to connect with. There are 54 poets in the 2025 anthology!
It is lovingly compiled by the contributing editors, Robbie Cheadle and Colleen Chesebro with a short analysis of their favourite poems at the end.
It’s a delightful collection and a great introduction to new poets to enjoy as well as old favourites to return to again.
That wraps up Day 2 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons. Join us again tomorrow over at JoyNealKidney.com, where we’ll be meeting Freya Pickard and V.M. Sang.
I am delighted to say that at the end of this month, an anthology of poetry will be released. It’s called Poetry Treasures 6. Seasons, and, I’m excited to say, some of my poetry is featured.
This is the poem for today from my poetry book, From January to June, One Poem a Day. In it there is one poem for every day of the year, including an extra for leap years.
This one is considering how quickly the years go by, especially later in life.
Tick tock. Time slips by, One tick at a time. The older we get, The faster it goes I’m wondering why.
Tock tick. Time flows on. It feels just last year I could run quickly, Pick up a hay bale Throw it to the sheep.
Tick tock. Time goes forth. It plods without care Of how bodies grow old But minds remain young Think still they can do.
If you enjoyed this poem, or even if you didn’t, I welcome your opinion. Please leave any comments in the comments box.
If you would like to read more of my poetry, click on the image of the poetry book in the sidebar. This will take you to where you can choose to buy from your favourite online platform.
I thought I’d tell you a little about how I set about writing my books and stories today, but first, for those non-writers amongst you I’d better make a few things clear. Writers ignore this as you already know it.
There are two–no, three–kinds of writers.
First are the plotters. They are the ones who write like you were taught at school, setting out to write an outline of their work before beginning. These people might write just a simple outline, but others go much farther and write a chapter by chapter outline. They search for the Inciting incident, decide where the first plot point is going to come, and all the other things we are told a good story needs. Then they refer to this as they write. It helps them to stay focused on the plot and not wander off.
Second are what are known as pantsers. These writers write ‘by the seat of their pants’. They don’t write a plan but simply start writing and see where the story goes. Sometimes they are called ‘discovery writers’.
The third type is a combination of the two, sometimes known as plantsers. These writers don’t have a massively detailed plan, but will often have a very general outline which they sort of follow.
I describe myself as a pantser. I haven’t the patience to write a detailed plan, although I often have something in my head. I often know the ending of a story before I start.
I do like to know my characters, though, so I will look at their background and what brought them to this point, even if it isn’t going to be in the story. People’s backgrounds affect how they behave, so this is important.
But in my Wolves of Vimar series, I have produced 4 prequels giving the background of some of the characters. There may be more to come in the future.
Once I have the characters and know them a bit, I begin to write. I allow things to happen as they occur to me. Sometimes it seems as if the characters are taking over. The first time this happened (in writing The Wolf Pack) I thought I must be going mad, because a character did something I wasn’t expecting. (No spoilers, so I won’t say what it was.) Then I discovered that other writers also have characters take over. They don’t always do as we want them to. One of my characters who first appeared in The Wolf Pack, a small dragon-like creature about the size of a cat, made no appearance in the second book, The Never-Dying Man, nor the third, Wolf Moon, but he demanded my attention, saying he must have a bigger role to play and he could be useful. So Muldee became a spy in Immortal’s Death and had quite a big and important role.
Stories often take a turn from what I originally envisaged. This is exciting. Sometimes it means I might have to change the ending. (Getting the right ending is difficult, so as to leave the reader feeling satisfied.)
There are times when I’m simply not inspired. A story is going nowhere and I spend hours trying to decide what to write. If I force myself to start, I frequently find that things happen and ideas flow that didn’t when I was just thinking about it. I suppose the characters are there and telling me what they want! :)) I have a couple of stories like that at the moment, but I have another project on the go, so they will have to wait.
But this method can take you down rabbit holes. This, of course, means more work in the editing process. It has to be sorted before anything else happens. Parts removed that are unnecessary and don’t add anything to the plot. Maybe characters need removing if they don’t do anything. But these can always be kept for another story.
I often run it through Grammarly or Hemmingway, a couple of grammar checkers. After I’ve done all I think I can do, I post it on a couple of on-line critique groups. These are invaluable and help me polish the manuscript as well as pointing out places where they got confused. Yes, I write confusing stuff sometimes.
Only then is it fit for human consumption, as it were. I don’t have beta readers, unfortunately. I’ve been unable to find any reliable ones, so it has to stand after this.
I hope to soon be back to my third historical novel set in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings.
Thank you for reading.
If you have any comments, please add them to the comments box, and if you want to buy any of my books, you can click on the cover on the sidebar to take you to the online store of your choice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s the first of a series, and I’m looking forward to reading the others. A wonderful story, well told.
Blurb
Catling – She’s a weapon desired by those who reign and those who rebel.
In the tiered cities of Ellegeance, the elite Influencers’ Guild holds the power to manipulate emotions. Love and fear, pleasure and pain mark the extremes of their sway. But it’s the subtle blends that hook their victims’ hearts. They hide behind oaths of loyalty and rule the world.
Until Catling discovers the gift that will be her bane. She is the shield that disrupts the influencer’s sway.
Born in the grim warrens beneath the city, Catling rues the rose birthmark encircling her eye. Yet, it grants her a unique ability, the means to remake a civilization. To the Guild, she an aberration, a threat, and they order her death. No longer a helpless child, Catling has other plans.
As chaos shakes the foundations of order and rule, will she become the realm’s savior? Or its executioner?
Welcome to a world of three moons, a sentient landscape, rivers of light, and tier cities that rise from the swamps like otherworld flowers. A planet of waterdragons, where humans are the aliens living among three-fingered natives with spotted skin. Where a half-blood converses with the fog and the goddess plans her final reckoning.
In the spirit of the fantasy tradition set by Patrick Rothfuss, Karen Miller, and Glenda Larke, follow Catling’s journey as she grows into the deadly force that shapes the future. She is the realm’s shield, an influencer, assassin, healer, mother, and avenger. And all she desires is to go home.
Story
Catling is first met as a child of around two years. She has a birthmark over her right eye, and her mother tries to scrub it off.
She has been born into the poor, who scrape a living under a large tiered city. The richer a person is, the higher in the tiers they live, culminating in the High Ward’s place of residence.
High Ward Algar holds onto his position by means of regular hangings and the use of ‘influencers’ who can manipulate the emotions of the people. These influencers make people enjoy the hangings, and even influence those being hanged to be happy about it.
Catling discovers she can block the influencers. It has something to do with her birthmarked eye. She has the sense to keep it a secret, though.
Her mother thinks she can improve her lot without a child, and when Catling is six, she sells her.
The man who buys the child has a large family, and is kind, so Catling enjoys her life there.
Then things begin to change. Her idyllic life is shattered.
I won’t say any more because of spoilers.
Characters
Ms Wallace Peach has given us a wealth of interesting characters. Each one is an individual, with their own quirks.
I liked the way Ms Wallace Peach dealt with Catling growing up. She was confused, afraid, loving, all the things a young girl would feel. But her special talent made her want to remain hidden. It would be extremely dangerous for it to be discovered that she could block the influencers.
There are a lot of individuals in this book, and I’m not going to pick any out.
Writing.
I find Diana Wallace Peach’s writing beautiful. She spins a wonderful tale, and draws the reader into the story.
The atmospheres she creates in the different parts of the book seem real. The abject poverty of the people at the beginning of the book; the richness of the higher tiers; the love Catling found on the farm; the river and its dangerous denizens; the swamp people; all are shown so we feel we are part of those communities.
The grammar is good–no, excellent, and there are few typos.
I give it 5*.
My ranking of books.
In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.
5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.
4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.
3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.
2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.
1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 