Mom’s Favorite Reads eMagazine November 2021 by Mom’s Favorite Reads

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J.F. Penn / Joanna Penn Interviewed by Wendy H. Jones An Interview with Best Selling Author J.F. Penn / Joanna Penn New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author. Finalist in the 2017 International Thriller Writer Awards for Best Ebook Original for Destroyer of Worlds. British author J.F. (Jo Frances) Penn has travelled the world in her study of religion and psychology. She brings these obsessions as well as a love for thrillers and an interest in the supernatural to her writing. She has a podcast and blog about her travels at www.BooksAndTravel.page

helps me and my readers and also helps sell more books. It does take extra time to manage but I think it’s worth it.

I am always fascinated by how writers came to be writers, so what made you decide that writing should be a career for you?

Joanna, thank you so much for joining me here at Mom’s Favorite Reads. I really am thrilled because I am a huge fan of both your fiction and your nonfiction. I know you are extremely busy but also generous with your time, is it is a pleasure to welcome you.

I was very unhappy in my previous career as an IT consultant implementing Accounts Payable systems. Everything I did seemed pointless in that it was overwritten by the next upgrade or corporate decision. I wanted to do more with my life than just pay the bills. So, I decided to write a self-help book on career change in the hope I might discover what I wanted to do along the way. I discovered the bug for writing — and it also coincided with the rise of the Kindle, podcasting, and online business. It was suddenly possible to create a global business as an author and make a full-time income with writing without asking permission from publishers. I’d been running my own company for years so I knew I could make it work. I started writing in 2006 and left my IT job in 2011 and I’ve now been a full-time author entrepreneur for a decade.

I need to start by asking the question, why do you write under two different names? I started out writing thrillers under Joanna Penn, which is the same name I use for my non-fiction, but I discovered that the readership was quite different. I wanted to cover different things in terms of my blog and podcast for each, as well as my email newsletter, plus, the Amazon algorithms work better with a cleaner audience. I also find it helps me to plan my time as I separate hours between J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn. So, separating my brands -8-

What do you think it is that fascinates us so much about writing?

I know your ARKANE series has biblical quotes in them and yet the books are not biblical books. What is the significance of these quotes?

I think everyone has a default way of creativity, and for figuring life out. I have always written journals and letters, so writing has been a way for me to figure out what I think about situations, and deal with the rollercoaster of life. So, I have always written for myself and writing for others through my books enables me to figure out what I think and help others along the way.

I am not a Christian or a Jew, but I have a Masters in Theology from the University of Oxford and so much of my writing is based on my research around the history of religion and topics covered in scripture. I have also travelled a great deal around sites of religious and historical interest, and I often find that Biblical quotes inspire my stories, so I use them in the front of the books. It is quite a common motif in the thriller sub-genre I write in.

I think your books could be described as thrillers or supernatural thrillers. Why this genre and why not straight thrillers. I have always been interested in the supernatural and particularly the monotheistic religious traditions of Christianity and Judaism, both of which feature heavily in my thrillers. I write to figure out what I think about God and demons and what lies beyond our physical world, so while I write fastpaced action adventure and crime thrillers and dark fantasy, I also like to have a theme that goes beyond just the plot. I have tried to write a ‘straight’ thriller with nothing supernatural in it, but that turned into Desecration, which definitely has a supernatural side. I just can’t help myself! We write what we love to read, after all.

https://jfpenn.com/

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B074CGHPHN -9-

I love your characters, especially Morgan Sierra in the ARKANE series. She’s a feisty woman as we’d say in Scotland. How important are strong women to your books and how do you go about crafting them, so they are well rounded characters and don’t come across as annoying?

characters, Morgan and Jake in the ARKANE series, and I write them with my own curiosity to find out what happened. My characters are always an extension of me in some way as I investigate the mystery.

You made me laugh, Wendy, because you are a strong woman, too! Morgan Sierra is basically my alter ego, and I explore the world through her eyes, although she is ex-Israel Defence Force so she can fight a lot better than I can! I once did a Krav Maga class and ended up covered in bruises and never went back. All my fiction series have strong female main characters. It’s what I like to read and write about, and my readers like it, too. I love the titles of your books. How do you come up with them?

I would say your books are plot driven and character driven in equal measure. How do you balance this? I’m seriously intrigued.

I love strong titles as a reader, and I am always drawn to anything with religious or supernatural resonance. About 75% of the time, I know the title very early on as it’s based on the core idea. The rest of the time, I have a working title and then change it as the story emerges. For example, ARKANE #12 will be published in December 2021 as Tomb of Relics, but it started out as Day of the Martyr. It’s inspired by the medieval martyrdom of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, but it turned into something a lot more sinister!

I get my ideas from my travels, so I often start with place. For example, for Tree of Life, we were in Amsterdam and visited Ets Haim synagogue, where Portuguese Jews ended up after being forced out of their country. Ets Haim means ‘tree of life’ and of course, the tree features in the book of Genesis, so my novel turned into a hunt for the Garden of Eden by tracing the diaspora of Portuguese Jews across the once-great empire. Then I have my series

I know you do a lot of research for your books, including research trips abroad. How do you go about the research and how does this feed into your books? I decide on a place to go based on its potential for story, which for me means a long history with places of meaning. Then I follow the trail to the next place and trust in serendipity. For example, I visited New Orleans in the USA and found a copy of the - 10 -

Toledo Bible at the back of the St Louis Cathedral and a painting of the Spanish Inquisitor Père Antoine in the Cabildo next door. I did a voodoo tour of the city and a story idea started to form. I’ve always loved the valley of dry bones chapter in the book of Ezekiel, and it seemed to fit with the zombies of voodoo – and from there, I started down the rabbit hole of research. I followed the trail to Toledo in Spain and then on to Palma in Majorca and discovered my fictional story had quite the basis of truth — which became Valley of Dry Bones, ARKANE #10.

first! I love thrillers and horror, so I read a lot of that — I have a list of some of my favourites here: https://jfpenn.com/books-i-love/ I also read a lot of travel memoir, as well as business and technology books. I’m a futurist so I read and listen to a lot of books about artificial intelligence right now.

Which author do you think has most influenced your novel writing?

I love Stephen King’s The Stand as it is perhaps the ultimate good vs evil story. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and James Rollins’s Sigma series gave me permission to write religious thrillers, and Jonathan Maberry’s horror novels inspire me most these days.

Where was your favourite place you visited for research? That is an impossible question! I have wanderlust in my soul and so I am always looking ahead to the next place, even as I make the most of where I am. I started my Books and Travel Podcast as a way to virtually travel further afield and I am always adding new places to visit. https://www.booksandtravel.page/listen/

I would like to talk about your non-fiction books which you write under the name of Joanna Penn. I have to say your Books For Writers series is a must buy for me and I pre-order each one. What made you decide to write books on writing? I write non-fiction on topics that I want to learn about and understand. The best way to learn something is to teach it. I also like to share what I learn along the way, especially as so much of the information for writers is on the craft and not on the business or mindset side. I spent 13 years as a business consultant and I now have a decade as a fulltime writer, so I have written the books I needed myself as I went along. I’ve updated the editions over the years as I have learned more, and things have changed. So, I didn’t deliberately set out to write a series for authors, it just emerged as I learned along the way.

If you were to write in another genre, what would it be? I already write in a lot of genres — actionadventure thriller, dark fantasy, crime, and horror, as well as self-help. I have a series of travel memoirs coming based on some of my recent pilgrimage walks, so that will be my next foray into a new genre.

We always ask authors about their own books but never ask them about their reading habits. What do you read to relax and what books would you pack to go on holiday? I read every day, fiction ebooks, and non-fiction as audiobooks and hardbacks. I am definitely a reader - 11 -

If you were to recommend just one of your nonfiction books to my readers, what would it be?

Why do you feel it is important that writers read books such as these?

The Successful Author Mindset resonates with most creatives at all stages of the writing journey, so I hope people might find that useful. But the book that sells the most is How to Make a Living With Your Writing, perhaps for obvious reasons!

No matter what you are feeling on the rollercoaster of the writing life, someone else has experienced it too — and they often have lessons that will help along the way. There are books on every topic and from every perspective, and if there aren’t any, then perhaps you need to write one! Writers are always readers first.

Let’s get personal, I know you love visiting graveyards. What is the fascination and does this feed into your writing.

Is your writing process different when writing nonfiction and fiction? Yes, absolutely. For my non-fiction, at least with my books for authors, I start with a specific topic and then write to that topic. I want to take the reader through a transformation. For example, How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge Into Words, does exactly what it says in the title.

I have always been aware of death and drawn to it in a kind of Gothic sensibility. One of my life mottos is ‘memento mori,’ remember you will die. This helps me live well in the present and make the most of my time in the knowledge that it will inevitably end. I also love the beauty and peace of older graveyards as they are often historic places of meaning with gorgeous architecture. I have plenty of graveyards, catacombs and ossuaries in my books — check out Crypt of Bone if you are a taphophile like me!

With my fiction, I am a discovery writer. I don’t know what I will write until I sit down to the blank page. I might have a broad idea, e.g. the hunt for the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, and I know my characters depending on the series, but then I turn up to my writing time and see what emerges. - 12 -

if I wanted to do an “authors on a train” trip from Chicago to New Orleans and co-write another novel with two more authors. We did the trip and wrote American Demon Hunters: Sacrifice which coincidentally is set on that very train and features four different characters. I stayed in New Orleans afterwards and did some more research which ended up inspiring Valley of Dry Bones, so it was a creatively productive trip!

https://bookgoodies.com/a/ I know you do a lot of walking, and have taken up long distance walking? Is this mainly for pleasure or does it also help you as a writer?

My final question, which one of your novels would you recommend Mom’s Favorite Reads readers, read? Try saying that after a wee swallie as we’d say here in Scotland. .

I agree with St Augustine — Solvitur ambulando. It is solved by walking.

It depends on what you like to read as my series are all quite different.

I walk for physical and mental health, and it has been my sanity in the pandemic, that’s for sure! I am also now using the longer multi-day walks as inspiration for travel memoirs, as well as my fiction. In 2020, I walked the Pilgrims’ Way from London to Canterbury, which is partially the inspiration for Tomb of Relics, and I’ve just finished the St Cuthbert’s Way. I talk about these travels and their impact on my Books and Travel Podcast. https:// www.booksandtravel.page/pilgrimage-canterbury/

If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, or like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft Tomb Raider, then start with Stone of Fire, ARKANE #1. If you like John Connolly’s Charlie Parker detective series or Jessica Jones, then start with Desecration. If you love Laini Taylor’s books or Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone, try Map of Shadows.

I know you once wrote on a train in America. Tell us about this? Back in 2015, I co-wrote a dark fantasy novel, Risen Gods, with J. Thorn, an American author who I had never met in person. One day he emailed and asked

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/

Wendy H. Jones is the award winning, international best-selling author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, Cass Claymore Investigates Mysteries, Fergus and Flora Mysteries, Bertie the Buffalo children’s books and the Writing Matters books for writers. She is also a writing and marketing coach and the President of the Scottish Association of Writers. As copy editor for Mom’s, she works hard to ensure content is appropriate and free of grammatical and spelling errors. You can learn more about Wendy on her website: https://www.wendyhjones.com/ - 13 -

Title Desecration | Map of Shadows by J.F. StanPenn Phillips Reviewed by Wendy H. Jones Desecration by J. F. Penn Desecration is the first in the Brooke and Daniels series written under the name of JF Penn. A police procedural thriller with a soupcon of the supernatural thrown in, it grips the readers from the first page and holds them hostage to the last page. The book is a non-stop ride with pages being turned at rapid speed to find out what happens next. This is not a novel for the squeamish but is definitely one for those who like an extremely well written story which is not afraid to pull any punches, and, in some places, it is highly graphic. An adept wordsmith, Penn uses each word to great effect to paint a picture so real you feel as if you are standing inside it and a part of the action. And action there is. A lot of action, as can be ascertained from the description. As Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke copes with the daily pain of watching her daughter suffer through her last days, she is assigned to a macabre murder case. The mutilated body of a young heiress is found within the London Royal College of Surgeons surrounded by medical specimen jars. ‘An antique Anatomical Venus figurine is discovered beside the body and Jamie enlists the help of British Museum researcher, Blake Daniel, to look into its past. When personal tragedy strikes, Jamie has nothing left to lose and she must race against time to stop the mysterious Lyceum before they claim another victim.

As Jamie and Blake delve into a macabre world of grave robbery, body modification, and the genetic engineering of monsters, they must fight to keep their sanity — and their lives.’ Both Brooke and Daniel are well drawn characters with individual personalities which leap from the page and into the reader’s heart and mind. One can almost feel their pain and are rooting for them every step of the way. I truly wanted them to succeed. This is a well plotted novel with a unique storyline which is fast paced and so full of twists and turns it made my head spin. Yet, at no point did I lose track of the story. This is the sign of a master storyteller which Penn very definitely is. I will certainly be reading more in the series.

https://jfpenn.com/book/desecration/ - 14 -

Map of Shadows by J.F. Penn

Map of Shadows is the first book in the Mapwalker Series. I can honestly say, never have I been so intrigued by a book. The premise for this series is truly brilliant. I’s struggling to review it, not because I hated it but because I enjoyed it so much. First off, I need to say this is a fantasy adventure book and I do not read in that genre so what was it about this book that made me want to read it? Before continuing I feel reading the description would be useful.

worlds is seamless. The characters are brilliantly written, so much so that one believes in them, even when they are not of this world. I truly loved Sienna and wanted her to succeed. There are surprises on every page, and this kept me reading and longing to know what happened next. In fact, I read it in one sitting, I was so engrossed. A superbly written book I would encourage you to read it, even if you are stepping out of your comfort zone to do so. You won’t regret it.

‘A map of skin etched in blood. A world under threat from the Borderlands. A young woman who must risk the shadows to save her family. When her grandfather is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Sienna Farren inherits his map shop in the ancient city of Bath, England. Once there, she discovers that her family is bound up with the Ministry of Maps, a mysterious agency who maintain the borders between this world and the Uncharted. With the help of Mila Wendell, a traveller on the canals, Sienna discovers her own magical ability and a terrifying place of blood that awaits in the world beyond. But when she discovers a truth about her past and the Borderlands begin to push through the defences, Sienna must join the team of Mapwalkers on their mission to find the Map of Shadows – whatever the cost. In a place written out of history, a world off the edge of the map, Sienna must risk everything to find her father … and her true path as a Mapwalker.’ This is an unusual premise for a book. It starts in our world then moves to a world beyond what we know. Yet Penn walks us so expertly through it that the change seems natural and the move between

https://jfpenn.com/book/map-of-shadows/ - 15 -

Audio for Authors by Joanna Penn Reviewed by Wendy H. Jones Audio for Authors by Joanna Penn Joanna Penn is the alter ego of JF Penn and is the name which she uses to write her non-fiction. She has written 14 books in her Books for Writers Series under this name. Therefore, it was difficult to choose just one to review. In the end I went for this one as I thought it would be interesting for Mom’s readers to see what goes into producing audiobooks and podcasts. ‘Do you want to create, publish and market your audiobooks? Are you ready to use podcasting to grow your author brand and reach more readers with your books? Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment in publishing with double-digit growth in markets across the world. Podcasting has gone mainstream with listeners consuming audio on mobile phones and in-car devices, as well as through smart speakers. Advancements in voice technology continue to expand possibilities for audio creation and marketing.

With such rapid growth in opportunity, how can you position your books in an increasingly voicefirst world?’ As is pointed out in the description audiobook usage is growing at a phenomenally rapid rate. Readers more and more want to listen to their “reads” as they undertake other tasks in their increasingly busy lives. I know I listen to audiobooks in the car, a place where I seem to spend a lot of time. For any

author considering the use of audio this is a mustread book. However, audio is not just audiobooks but also podcasts and voice technology that helps us as writers. This includes voice recognition software and, increasingly Artificial Intelligence or AI. Penn covers all of these in detail in her signature accessible style. I would encourage all authors to read this book in order to keep up with the rapid move to audio and to ensure they are harnessing everything they can as an author.

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/audio-for-authors/ - 16 -

Nature by Sylva Fae

https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/

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The Soldier Submitted by Hannah Howe Written by Rhys Age 13 All of us signed up for a good old war, To attempt to eliminate the bore, Glory to Wales and long live the Empire! We will come out victorious and leave them in fire.

The corpses pile high! Planes fill the sky! Laughter and love, all is gone! It was all one big con!

We fight, serve and the mind above speaks, “Never give up! From France to the Arab sheiks, Fight, breathe and love your nation! And march for the king with this glorious sensation.”

They all lay face down for a ‘king’! We are crying as the guns sing, Their mothers miss their voices as they lay in a stream, Is this delusion or can I only dream?

Deployment at last! To Gallipoli! My heart beats as I’m out on the sea, Fear and dread have hit me, I now think; what will I see.

All is red, I can’t breathe! Gas! Gas! My eyes sheathe! I laugh and cry, say goodbye to my mother! I will miss her as the gas decides to smother…

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Wonders Will Be Seen by Stan Phillips I would take the fiery rim from the clouds that embrace the setting sun for fear of it vanishing for ever as it sinks beyond the horizon. And I would blend it with the golden light that heralds the dawn and fills the early morning sky with a gloriously striated miracle.

I would take the song of the nightingale whose voice soars effortlessly into a star clad night to echo into forever. And I would mix those matchless notes with the sound of the ocean washing the shore with that gushing hushing whispering kiss that is so much more than love. And I shall take these sights and sounds that reflect the magic of existence and I will fashion a ring for your finger and a crown for your head. That, whenever you hold them in your hands, will tell you of a soul voyage that touches infinity, of a pathway that we always travel side by side. So hold my hand in trust. For the destination beckons us on. And wonders will be seen.

Stan Phillips is a poet, musical podcast maker, part-time wannabe male model, and occasional stand up comedian. “I used to be a psychotherapist/counsellor when I had an honest job. I was born into prewar London, and attended 17 schools (my father believed they couldn’t hit a moving target) and I eventually finished up here in Ireland. Still wondering what I will be when I grow up — but enjoying writing my quirky poetry as I do so.” Discover more about Stan on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips

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Roos Loose in the Top Paddock by Christine Larsen ...and Beyond | Part 1 of 3 They shot ten kangaroos that night. Some in full flight; others as they turned away from the pitiless spotlight. The last victim was a gentle-faced grey doe, soft stricken eyes stretched wide in confusion and terror. A perfect target. After she had fallen, movement continued within her pouch. A joey was pulled from her lifeless body into the horror of blinding light; the gruff and alien sounds of the hunt… and the hunters.

would be given to me. Bizarre! To commit to saving lives they had orphaned in the first place!

Snoopy was simply one more of the hapless and helpless victims to experience the same rude interruption to what should have been his natural life. Safe and warm in his mother's pouch one minute; abruptly swung and jolted as she tried to bound to refuge and freedom; then her sudden hard fall that must have hurt him, despite his ample cushioning. Harsh hands searched for him in what had been his sanctuary. But then he was found, and the smell of fear thickened the swirling dust all around, as his captor triumphantly held him high for the others to see.

******** Earlier the men were discussing the increasing problem of the build-up of kangaroo numbers on their farms—a serious concern in this area, the centre of Western Australia's wheatbelt. "Bastards! Fair dinkum, they're eating us out of 'ere," Jack said, with another gulp of his beer. "What with the lousy bloody prices we're getting for the few bloody sheep that can go to market, we're sure not plannin' to feed goddamn 'roos as well."

"Just put this little bugger out of his misery," he said, taking a firm grasp of the baby's tail as he moved towards a nearby tree. There was no mistaking what he planned. Horror filled my being as overwhelming sickness, then red-hot rage engulfed me. Guest or not, I could no longer control myself. Snatching the confusion of legs and body and long tail from his captor, I clutched this newly orphaned joey close to my heaving chest, bundled in a haphazard tangle in my jumper.

Frowns deepened; voices becoming more aggressive and aggrieved as the farmers' anger grew with stories of damage to crops they'd nurtured and nursed, like precious children. This was 'make or break' country. It didn't need extra hardships. My eyes met Kanute's unhappily as I tried to reconcile my love of these creatures with this unexpected and unsuspected viewpoint of the farmers—a serious challenge. My inner animal lover recoiled; and yet… I understood. Only to a degree, and I hated it, but I understood.

My horror and the hunters' embarrassment finally produced a grudging promise any future joeys - 20 -

Our mate Sam had been silently listening; obviously thinking deeply; nodding his silent agreement— until now. "Time for a 'cull' fellers. No choice, have to go shoot a few. They ARE getting out of hand. Hell, I like them orright, but our land can't carry them, as well as our stock. Jeez, how many are we running to the acre?" And before anyone else could reply, Sam answered himself. "Too bloody many! That's how many. Time's come to stop talking about it, and go do something. Whatcha reckon?"

usual image of Man's BEST friend. But for such as the mighty Kangaroo Dog, Trixie and her kind (the ever-faithful and inexplicable 'natural hunter'), here was a dog who unerringly knew what all this particular equipment spelled… a HUNT! The eager whining and barking and the stupid, great, lop-sided 'grins' of the hunting dogs dominated all, as they all but shouted, 'BRING IT ON!' Their speed and agility, and innate 'gut-knowledge' of the prey, whether it be kangaroos or foxes, was legendary, the subject of many a late-night tale around a campfire.

In answer, they all emptied their tinnies, noisily pushed back their chairs and headed, as one, towards the back door, and their motley pile of boots, unerringly identifying and pulling on their own amongst the motley pile. "What about you townies? Coming with us?" Sounded exciting at first, an adventure, watching these usually slow-moving easy-going farmers as they gathered spotlights and rifles with unexpected care. These were no 'cowboys' out on a shooting spree graced politely with the name 'hunt'. These were men dedicated to their land and stock, off to meet and eradicate this threat to the well-being of all they worked for.

Kanute and I piled into the front of Sam's utility with him, and the other farmers stood on the open back holding tightly to the tall cargo rail behind the cab. It was each dog for himself as to whether he managed a ride out to the hunting grounds or was left to keep up with the towering cloud of dust those utes stirred up, and then stay alongside.

The barking of their dogs was intense — the sheepdogs loud and aggrieved — this was NOT their time to shine. In fact, past experience had proven, time and time again, that they were, in fact, a useless disturbance on 'a hunt', totally destroying their

We drove off into the inky darkness of the farthest paddocks where open land met scrub… and waited.

… to be continued

Christine is an Australian in the middle of her seventh decade - a writer, farmer, wife, mother, grandmother - now on their retirement farm, and returning from an absence to reignite her works. Christine’s three main genres are - Memoirs - of growing up in the 1950's in Australia, of farming, and of treasured collections. Children's Stories - mostly for middle-school age readers, but also excellent read aloud stories by parents, siblings, grandparents, babysitters, teachers. Short stories + Flash-fiction (and non-fiction) Collections - a range of almost every genre, encompassing every emotion from humour to deepest sadness. - 21 -

Genealogy: Meet My Ancestors by Hannah Howe

Sir Maurice Berkeley

I often wonder how my ancestors met and decided to marry. For my noble ancestors marriages were arranged and I hope love developed from their union. At the other end of the scale I suspect that some of my pauper ancestors married out of financial need and for companionship. For the rest, the majority, I believe love was a factor. It was certainly a factor in this story, because my direct ancestor Sir Maurice Berkeley lost an inheritance over his choice of bride. Maurice Berkeley, also known as Maurice the Lawyer, (1435- 1506) de jure the 3rd Baron Berkeley of Thornbury, Gloucestershire, was an English nobleman. He was born at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, the youngest son of James Berkeley, the 1st Baron Berkeley, (1394–1463). Contemporaries also referred to James as James the Just. Maurice’s mother was Lady Isabel, daughter of Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, while his elder brother was William Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley, the 2nd Baron Berkeley. William was known as William the Waste-All. In terms of succession, because William had no children, Maurice was in line to inherit the Berkeley fortune. In 1465 Maurice married Isabel Meade (1444 - 29 May 1514), the daughter of Philip Meade (c14151475) of Wraxall Place in the parish of Wraxall, Somerset. Philip was an Alderman of Bristol, an MP, and thrice Mayor of Bristol, in 1458-9, 1461-2 and 1468-9.

Maurice and Isabel produced four children. Maurice and his brother William were participants in the Battle of Nibley Green, which was fought near North Nibley in Gloucestershire on 20 March 1470 between the troops of Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle, and William Berkeley. This battle was notable for being the last fought in England between private armies of feudal magnates. •

Sir Maurice Berkeley, de jure 4th Baron Berkeley (1467 - 12 September 1523), eldest son and heir, who was made a Knight of the Bath at the coronation of King Henry VIII in 1509.

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Thomas Berkeley de jure 5th Baron Berkeley (1472 - 22 January 1532), second son, who was knighted on 9 September 1513 by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, at the Battle of Flodden.

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James Berkeley (c1474 - 1515).

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Anne Berkeley (d.1560), my direct ancestor who married Sir William Denys (1470–1533) of Dyrham, Gloucestershire, a courtier of King Henry VIII and Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1518 and 1526.

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The Battle of Nibley Green took place because of a dispute over the inheritance of Berkeley Castle and associated lands. Lisle challenged William Berkeley to a battle, a challenge William accepted. Lisle raised a force among his ill-equipped local tenants while William Berkeley drew upon the garrison at Berkeley Castle, his local levies, and miners from the Forest of Dean. Maurice, with his retinue, also rode to his brother’s aid. In terms of numbers, the Berkeley brothers held the advantage, 1,000 men to 300. Philip Meade, Maurice’s father-in-law, also provided men to support the Berkeley brothers’ cause.

Despite Maurice Berkeley and Philip Meade’s support, William Berkeley disinherited his brother. The reason? William reckoned that Maurice had married beneath himself; he’d married a ‘commoner’ a person of ‘mean blood’.

Lisle encouraged his men to charge against Berkeley's troops. In response, Berkeley's archers loosed their arrows and broke up the charge. One of the Dean Foresters, an archer named ‘Black Will’, shot Lisle in the left temple through his open visor and unhorsed him. In the melee, dagger thrusts put an end to Lisle's life. Leaderless, Lisle’s army scattered and fled.

In reality, Isabel’s father, Philip, was a wealthy merchant, but William reckoned that the marriage brought the noble family of Berkeley into disrepute. However, Maurice stood by Isabel and forsook his inheritance, which included Berkeley Castle. Maurice died in September 1506 aged 70 and was buried in the Austin Friary in the City of London. Isabel was also buried there, in 1514.

Hannah Howe is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann's War Mystery Series and the #1 international bestseller Saving Grace. Hannah's books are published by Goylake Publishing and distributed through Gardners Books to over 300 outlets worldwide. Her books are available in print, as eBooks and audiobooks, and are being translated into ten languages. Discover more on Mom's Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/hannah-howe

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Leo Brown Studios 2021 Interviewed by Sylva Fae Hi Leo, I love your illustrative work, especially seeing the transitions from sketch to finished piece. Firstly, please tell us a little about your background. Hello and welcome, let me start by introducing myself, my name is Leo; of Leo Brown Studios. I have been a Creative Illustrator/storyteller for more than 30 years, working primarily in the children’s books plus conceptual art and Toy designs industries providing high quality original artworks done both traditionally and digitally.

design, plus photography – at that time this was a new adventure for colleges. I was never happy with the course at the time, saying that I’m glad looking back that I completed the course as it did help me understand design layout perspective. There were no courses for concept or character design artists or Illustration in the UK at that time apart from Natural History or Technical illustration, which I learnt about once I was a year or so into my course.

My clients include Disney to Roald Dahl and every magical company in between. You can check out my client list on my website www.leobrownstudios.com. Armed with a library of knowledge housing the old masters through to today’s creative geniuses. I love an illustration that tells a story, and one of my favorite eras the Golden Age of Illustration embellishes this for me.

The only thing I ever wanted to do was draw and create new characters or put my own spin on an old one. Most of my education on how to draw and paint is self-taught trial and error making happy mistakes plus the hunger and need to improve my skills. I read and studied other artists/illustrators such as the old masters Leonardo Da Vinci being one of my favorites. My dreams were and still are to be an artist/illustrator and create magical art for children and adults alike

Have you done any formal training in art and design? Leaving school with qualifications in Art, Woodwork, Metalwork, English, History and Biology, my careers officer advised me to take Graphic Design, being young and naïve and not understanding the course I went along with it. The course included Typography, exhibition design, cooperate Design with 2D and 3D - 24 -

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Where do you draw your inspiration from?

There are many illustrators whom have inspired me over the years from the likes of Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac to Norman Rockwell and Ronald Embleton not forgetting Scott Gustafson, Peter de Seve and Carter Goodrich. There are so many which have given me such inspiration the list would be endless. Born and bred in the beautiful countryside of Lancashire in the North West of England, I adore this part of the country which influenced the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and which also, never ceases to give me inspiration. From the very first moment I picked up my first crayon and scribbled on the bedroom wall I’ve been hooked! The magical world as a creative illustrator is both exhilarating and wondrous. It's an adventure that takes me to the far off lands of my imagination - as a Hero saving a Princess; or to Blackbeard the Pirate sailing the seven seas; and to George slaying the Dragon. With more than thirty years of deadlines, my passion for creating new characters and the world in which they live is still as fresh as the day I entered this realm.

I love Disney for me he made magic for all ages. I love the classic stories from Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm’s, Tolkien, CS Lewis and Arthur Conan Doyle. I also find my inspiration in nature and folklore, faerie stories from Europe the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, Poland etc.

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What media do you use to produce your artwork and how do you work? Sometimes all it takes is a name or a word, my imagination goes into overdrive and the images start to appear on paper or the computer. I keep a plain, little moleskine notepad and I can either write a description or sketch the character. Most of my work is drawn on my drawing board with watercolours to bring them to life. I produce artworks both traditionally and digitally but this depends on the client.

Sliding down a rainbow or blasting off in a cardboard rocket to visit the man in the moon. Why not join me on our own adventure and let us see how far your imagination will take us?

What are you working on at the moment? At present I’m working on several of my own books which I have written and illustrated! Both will be available to buy from www.leobrownstudios.com soon! What if What If, is a book about imagination, seen through the eyes of a child; the child in all of us. I believe imagination is one of the greatest gifts anyone can have. It can take one to faraway lands; climbing the stairways to a magical castle. Bursting through the clouds whilst riding on the back of a fire-breathing dragon.

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And Thank you, Leo. Where can our readers see more of your work?

The Art of a Forgotten Realm… This is a book about my artwork and my fantasy theme Faeries and Magic, plus it also includes an illustrated story.

You can catch me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and on my website: www.leobrownstudios.com

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Thank you for your interest and your support. All illustrations and texts © Leo Brown/Leo Brown Studios protected by copyright laws.

Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She has spent twenty years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and now works from home as a children’s writer and illustrator. Sylva has published several children’s books and also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings. Her debut book, Rainbow Monsters won the Chanticleer Best in Category award. Discover more about Sylva on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/ - 29 -

Bonfire Night and Fireworks Submitted by Poppy Flynn Written by Sian Age 14 I love how colours light up the dark

The air is scented with a mixture of hotdogs and toffee apples

As families gather around this time of year

The sulphur smells of fireworks, dirt, and bonfire smoke which fills the air with celebration.

Family, friends, and memories shared As fires spark reaching high into the sky

There are booms and bangs to keep your feet jumping,

The big orange sky. Pockets of sparks which fly in it

dazzling us all with rockets shooting up.

and all the pretty colours are set to fire

The tense silence of awe is interrupted

with ribbons of green, red, blue, yellow, and pink.

by whizzing rockets bursting silver and gold against the dark sky.

Lights flashing, crackling, everywhere The noise of the colourful concert up there in the sky

There's nothing like fireworks on bonfire night. Best of all is

Children swaying, pausing for a minute then running

The thrill of watching them. Everyone loves that feeling

to find just the right spot to watch the thunder booms

And how pretty they are for hours And the way they bring about the family glow.

The colours are bright. Big pops and bright showers

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Chess Supplied by Chess.Com In three moves how can white capture the black queen? Hint: the key square is f5.

Supplied by https://chess.com the #1 chess website. Used with permission. For more chess puzzles please visit https://chess.com

You can find answers for this activity on Page 83 - 31 -

Holiday Favorites Submitted by Mom’s Authors As the weather gets colder, there’s nothing like a stew / pie / casserole to warm you up. All over the world, Mom’s Favorite Reads authors prepare their favourite recipes. They’re simple to prepare, make use of whatever ingredients are available and provide a filling, hearty meal.

Ingredients:

Turkish Vegetable Stew (Güveç) by Ceri Bladen

This delicious Turkish vegetable stew is one of my favourites to cook when it’s cold outside. The lovely thing with the recipe is that you do not have to be too precise with the measurements, either! It is delicious served with Turkish rice and chunky bread. Of course, if you prefer, you can add chicken or beef (adjust cooking times accordingly.)

•

1 aubergine/eggplant/patlıcan, cut into chunks

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1 courgette/zucchini/kabak, cut into chunks

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5 medium potatoes, cubed

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2 onions, cubed

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1 red pepper, cubed

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1 green pepper, cubed

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2 garlic cloves, chopped

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2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

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1 small can diced tomatoes (or ½ jar of passata)

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1 tbsp of tomato puree (salça)

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2 cups vegetable stock

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1 tsp paprika, smoked

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1 tsp chili powder

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1/2 tsp ground cumin

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1/2 tsp sea salt

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1/4 tsp black pepper

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1 splash olive oil

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Good handful of mild cheese (optional)

Method: •

Preheat your oven to 180C/350f/GM4

•

Prepare the vegetables

•

Put oil into a frying pan

•

Fry aubergine on a high heat until golden

•

Put into your oven-proof dish

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•

Fry onion on a high heat until golden

•

Put in your oven-proof dish

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Fry peppers on a high heat until golden

•

Put into your oven-proof dish

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Fry potatoes until golden (these will not be cooked yet)

•

Put into your oven-proof dish

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Put courgette, parsley and passata into the dish

•

Mix the puree, paprika, chili powder, and cumin with the vegetable stock

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Pour over vegetables

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Add salt and black pepper

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Stir

•

Put into oven for 30 minutes

•

Take out, and if you wish, sprinkle with cheese

•

Reduce heat to 170c/330f/GM3

•

Return to oven for a further 10 minutes

Lancashire Hotpot by Sylva Fae

Before industrialisation, families would work from home spinning threads, and the hotpot was a dish that could be prepared in the morning and left cooking all day. It was stewed slowly over the fire to ensure that the tough scrags of mutton were tender enough to eat by the end of the working day. During industrialisation, both men and women worked long hours in the cotton mills which prevented families from cooking meals that required extensive preparation, and so again, the hotpot was an ideal solution.

Enjoy!

* If you want to cook this in an Instant Pot, just sauté the vegetables before adding all the other ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 10 mins. When it is cooked, sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Ingredients included whatever was cheap and readily available, but the base would always be meat, onions and potatoes. While some refer to the dish the meal is cooked in as the hot pot, we’ve always taken it to mean a hotchpotch, or a random collection of ingredients. Each region, and even each town in Lancashire, has its own version of a Lancashire Hotpot. This recipe is from my home town of Bolton, as made by my mum, and is one that follows the tradition of adapting to whatever ingredients are available. Traditionally, the main meat was mutton, but as times have changed, it is more usually made with

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lamb or beef. Each town claims to have the best hotpot recipe, but one thing we all agree on is it must have a ‘lid’. Again, the lid changes depending on ingredients available – it may be sliced potatoes that crisp up on top or a suet pastry crust. Either way, it is a hearty filling meal, and the taste of my childhood.

My Mum’s Recipe: Ingredients:

what’ve yer got in yer cupboard?

Quantities:

how big’s yer pot?

Method: salt.

chuck it all in’th pot, add a pinch o’

Method •

Preheat the oven to 180C (fan oven, lower accordingly for non-fan oven)

•

Melt some of the butter in a frying pan, and brown the meat. Transfer the browned meat to an oven-proof casserole dish.

•

Fry the onions in some more butter. Add to the meat in the casserole dish.

•

Sprinkle a bit of flour over the top. Cook on the hob for a few minutes, gently stirring to coat the meat with the flour.

•

Add the carrots, chunky potatoes, Worcestershire Sauce, seasoning and stock. Stir it and bring it to the boil.

•

Take it off the heat, and layer the sliced pieces of potatoes on the top of the meaty stew. Brush the top of the potatoes with the rest of the melted butter.

•

Cover, then pop it in the oven for around 1 ½ hours, or until the potato ‘lid’ is browned.

Cooking time: cook it ‘til yer crust’s nice ‘n’ brown on top.

A More Useful Recipe

Ingredients: •

100g butter

•

1kg stewing steak / lamb cut into one-inch square chunks

•

1kg potatoes – half cubed, half sliced. I scrub them well and leave the skins on but some prefer to peel them.

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2 large onions – chopped

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4 carrots – chopped

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A sprinkling of plain flour

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500ml chicken or vegetable stock

•

Seasoning of choice – 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper – I don’t bother but some like to add bay leaves.

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Serve with pickled red cabbage or pickled beetroot. These quantities easily serve my family of five, with some left over. I have to admit, I rarely measure quantities nowadays, and opt for my mum’s method of ‘chuck it in the pot and cook it till it’s done’ – a true hotchpotch hotpot.

Chicken Paprikas with Dumplings by Val Tobin

My mother has a heavy duty one, but my little grater does the job. I bought it at a Hungarian deli, but you can also find them on Amazon using the search term “spaetzle maker.” The dumplings make a great accompaniment for other dishes, too, if you’re tired of rice or potatoes.

Ingredients

Chicken and Sauce:

My mother and grandmother, both born in Hungary, made chicken paprikas with dumplings (paprikás csirke nokedlivel) often as I was growing up. It was a family favourite, and when I moved out and had my own family, I got the recipe from my mother. If you’ve ever snagged a recipe from an old-school cook, you’ll know the measurements are never exact, but I’ve tried to make them so. It’s also helpful to have what’s in Hungarian called a nokedli szaggató (see accompanying image) for making little dumplings.

•

1 Tbsp. of oil for cooking

•

1 onion, chopped

•

1 clove of garlic, minced

•

Chicken pieces (thighs or breasts)

•

Salt, pepper, and paprika (to taste)

•

1 to 2 Tbsp. hot water

•

1 green pepper cut into strips

•

1 or 2 chopped tomatoes, depending on size

•

1 Tbsp. flour

•

¾ cup of sour cream (or to taste)

Dumplings (nokedli): •

Water with 1 tsp. of salt for boiling noodles in (enough for the noodles to float freely, so at least ½ to ¾ of a large pot)

•

2 cups of flour

•

1 tsp. salt

•

1 egg, beaten

•

Cold water

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Preparation

This recipe should easily feed four people.

Chicken and Sauce •

In a frying pan, sauté onion and garlic in oil on medium heat

•

Add chicken pieces

•

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika

•

Stir well

•

Add hot water

•

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

•

Add strips of green pepper and chopped tomato pieces

•

Cook 10 to 15 minutes more

•

Stir flour into sour cream

•

Pour over cooked chicken and stir well

•

Serve over dumplings

Images courtesy of Val Tobin. The chicken paprikas dish in the photo was taken at The Goulash House restaurant in Newmarket, Ontario. Their chicken paprikas reminds me of my mom’s and grandma’s cooking. The nokedli szaggató is one I bought from the Hungarian deli that was once run by the owners of The Goulash House.

Pumpkin Pie by Melanie P. Smith

Dumplings •

In a large pot, bring water to a boil

•

Mix together flour, salt, and beaten egg

•

Slowly add enough cold water so that the dough is a little thicker than pancake batter (so, not runny, but not too firm). It shouldn’t be as firm as bread dough.

•

Without letting the gadget touch the water, put some dough in the cup and evenly stroke the cup back and forth so that the dough gets grated into the boiling water.

•

When all the dough is in the water, give it all a stir.

•

The noodles are done when they float to the top.

•

Drain the noodles, put them into a serving dish, and pour the chicken and sauce over them.

In my world, November means Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving means it’s time for one of my all time favorite desserts — pumpkin pie. My maternal grandmother always made a variety of pies for the holiday — Pumpkin, Pecan, Chocolate Cream and sometimes Coconut Cream. We were all too stuffed to eat another bite, but somehow we found a way to enjoy at least one piece of this homemade favorite. As a kid, I never gave those pies a second thought. They were just yummy treats that we looked forward to all year long. - 36 -

Once the task became too difficult for my grandmother to handle, my mom stepped in and kept up the tradition. Having such a huge variety was too complicated, so she stuck to the family favorite — Pumpkin pie.

Pie Crust:

Measure and Freeze shortening at least 24 hours prior to making pies

Ingredients:

A few years ago, I offered to take over and carry on the tradition. Silly me — what was I thinking? I have a much greater appreciation for the work that goes into making pies for a large family. It amazes me that my grandmother was willing to create such a variety of choices every year. Her parents owned and operated the Paswaters’ cafe, and maybe that’s where her love of pies came from. It has to be where she acquired her willingness to bake for the masses.

•

2 Cups Flour

•

3/4 Cups Shortening (frozen and cut into small cubes)

•

6-7 Tbsps ice water

•

1 tsp Salt

Preparation: Using a food processor, lock bowl in place. If you do not have a processor, you can use a blender but you may have to kneed the dough once it begins to set up ( TIP place in ziplock bag and mash to kneed) Add flour, shortening and salt. Process for about 810 seconds (until mixture resembles corn meal). Process on medium, adding water through chute. Continue processing until mixture forms a ball.

My Grandmother (Grace Paswaters) in front of the family café with her cousin, Eva

I don’t know if they served pumpkin pie in my Great-grandparents café, but this family recipe has been passed down from one generation to the next. I hope you enjoy it — I know we do. - 37 -

Roll out to desired thickness on flour coated pad. Place uncooked shell into pie plate and set aside. Makes (1) 9-inch pie crust. (If using for pie that requires pre-baked shell, bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown)

Pie Filling:

Will make filling for two pies.

Ingredients: •

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

•

1 tsp Salt

•

2 tsp ground cinnamon

•

1 tsp ground ginger

•

1/2 tsp ground cloves

•

4 eggs

•

1 Can (28 oz) pure pumpkin (or 3.5 Cups fresh)

•

2 Cans (12 oz) evaporated milk

•

2 9-inch pie crusts (unbaked)

Preparation:

Bake in preheated 425° Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes. Pies are done when knife inserted into center comes away clean.

In a large bowl mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Stir until well mixed. Set aside. In a second bowl (large enough to mix all ingredients) beat eggs. Add pumpkin and mix well. Gradually add small amounts of dry ingredients, mixing as you go until well mixed. Slowly stir in evaporated milk.

Cool for 2 hours Top with freshly whipped cream Refrigerate if not served immediately.

Pour into pie shells. *** Do not freeze—this will cause the filling to separate from the crust ***

Brush outer edge of pie crust lightly with egg whites. - 38 -

Paul’s Puzzles By Paul Godding

The Main Challenge

The Mathematically Possible Challenge

If you wrote down all single-digit numbers and numbers that are factors of 80, how many different numbers would be on your list?

Using 2, 7 and 10 once each, with + – × ÷ available, which are the only THREE numbers it is possible to make from the list below? 9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90

The 7puzzle Challenge

#9TimesTable

The playing board of the 7puzzle game is a 7-by-7 grid of 49 different numbers, ranging from 2 up to 84.

The Target Challenge

The 1st & 6th rows contain the following fourteen numbers:

Can you arrive at 281 by inserting 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 into the gaps below?

2 5 9 12 14 15 18 20 22 33 40 49 56 72

(◯³+◯²)×(◯–◯)+◯² = 281

As well as 2+12 (=14), can you find the other SEVEN pairs of numbers whose sum is also listed?

The Factors Challenge Which of the following numbers are factors of 281? 3

None of them *** Solutions: http://7puzzleblog.com/answers/

Hello, my name is Paul Godding. I am a full-time professional private maths tutor based in the south-east of Wales who delivers face-to-face tuition locally as well as online tuition to students globally. It would be lovely to hear from you, so feel free to click paul@7puzzle.com if you wish to secure maths tuition for you or your child. Alternatively, you can ring/message/WhatsApp me from anywhere in the world:

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Symbols of Havana by John Greeves The Malecón is the place to go to get under Cuba’s skin. The people of Havana in Cuba refer to the Malecón as “el sofá más largo del mundo” the longest sofa in the world, or Havana’s biggest living room. This fivemile esplanade, street and seawall stretches along the coast in Havana and connects the mouth of the Havana Harbour in the old town to the more affluent Vedado part of the city. It skirts a number of important monuments including those to General Máximo Gómez, Antonio Maceo, General Calixto Garcia, and the Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine an incident that sparked the Spanish American War of 1898 in which Theodore Roosevelt led his Rough Riders to victory. It’s even rumoured that some of Butch Cassidy’s Hole in the Wall Gang rode up Santiago’s San Juan Hill.

colour and vibrancy which pulses to the rhythm of the city. Most of the seawall functions as a place to sit down or lie down on. Along the esplanade, families and friends bring food and drink, while others talk, and rummies drink, tippling their bottle to the setting sun. Others dream their dreams and think their thoughts in the clear sea breeze. The old bend forward, now with a slower hesitancy to their lives while lovers sit face to face cocooned in a mutual web.

For me the Malecón represents the living and not the past. On hot, humid evenings it’s awash with humanity and alive with the redolent

Photos provided by Melicon Mary-Jo Adams Finca Vigia Foundation - 40 -

so many things in Cuba their dilapidating grandeur speaks of better times. They remain incongruous like the vintage 1950’s Cadillacs, Buicks, Studebakers and coupes which ply their way in Havana. Not only have these classic cars survived the Revolution, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missiles crisis but they have also endured the ongoing imposition of the American embargo that still persists. Ironically, the cars have defied the notion of ‘built in obsolescence.’ In the fifties when these automobiles were first produced, Americans were expected to trade up after a year, for something bigger, fancier and above all newer. No one imagined these ghosts would still be running after 60+ years. The fifties was the age of the ‘Space Race’ When the Russians launched Sputnik in 1957,

Everywhere, humanity flows and counter-flows like the rippling pewter swell caressing the seawall. Music is never far away with boom boxes and improvised singers and dancers strutting their stuff, amid the jostling cat calls of jinetaras ringing out. Hustlers try to engage you with “Hey man, where you from;” words deflected quickly with a no gracias and a shake of the head as you saunter by. Even I can spot the tourist, sporting their Che Guevara T-shirts with that iconic image Alberto Korda captured on film so many years ago at a funeral when the photographer worked for the newspaper Revolución. Now this image has become a global brand emblazoned on posters, banknotes, minted on coins and the roadside billboards of the Cuban highways. Along the Malecón, the crumbling facades of colonial buildings with colonnades, arches and porticoes look seaward over the heads of the gathered to an uncertain horizon beyond. Like - 41 -

Pontiac with a Russian engine nestled comfortably below its ‘hood.’ Cuba was the American playground of the 1950s. Towards one end of the Malecón is the Hotel Nacional de Cuba where I’m heading. This Spanish eclectic style hotel opened in 1930 and hosted important guests like: Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Jimmy Carter, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, Marlon Brando and even Yuri Gagarin the first man in space stayed here. It was here that Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, two of the biggest mobsters of the day, set up the meeting at the hotel with Mafia families across the United States to discuss business plans and future policies far away from the prying eyes of the FBI. All this took place with the apparent blessing of the Cuban dictator at the time, Fugencio Batista who turned a blind eye to the vice and unlawful dealings undertaken in Cuba at that time. Churchill too was infatuated with Cuba. In 1898 he wrote: When first in the dim light of early morning I saw the shores of Cuba rise and define themselves from dark-blue horizons, I felt as if I sailed with Captain Silver and first gazed on Treasure Island. Here was a place where real things were going on. Here was a scene of vital action. Here was a place where anything might happen. Here was a place where something would certainly

and initiated the ‘Space Race’ between themselves and the Americans. Space fervour gripped the US military who saw the Russian space exploits as yet another threat of the Cold War. The US automobile designers weren’t far behind and rapidly translated the vision of the Space Race into their cars, adding spoilers and cones, over-the-top chrome bumpers, white walled tyres, protruding rocket lights and shark like tail fins, all heavenly bound, it seems for the stars. After many decades these cars survive solely through the ingenuity of the Cubans to replicate parts and the ability to keep these cars on the road. The vintage American cars you see today in Havana, can range from mint condition to rundown sorrowful wrecks. Many are hybrids and it’s not uncommon to find a beautiful 1950s - 42 -

happen. Here I might leave my bones.

Interestingly enough, Hemingway and Castro only met once. It was during the 10th Annual Ernest Hemingway Billfish Tournament in 1960 a photograph of this encounter can be seen in one of his favourite watering holes in Havana La Bodeguita del Medio a real bar that still serves traditional Cuban food as well as the famous mojito and lies just west of the cathedral in Old Havana. The bar’s interior is covered in graffiti much of it saluting Hemingway. In the 1930s, Hemingway leased Room 511 at the Hotel Ambos Mundos just around the corner from the Bodeguita for easy convenience to one of his favourite bars and only a ten minute stagger to the Floridita.

Churchill stayed in Cuba for a few months and took a liking to Cuban cigars especially two brands Romeo y Julieta and La Aroma de Cuba. To earn the title of Havana cigar, it must be made by hand using only leaves grown in four designated tobacco regions on the island. Till his death Havana dealers sent Churchill shipments of his favourite cigars even during war time and periods of crisis. Ernest Hemingway, the great American writer visited Cuba several time before he took up residence in Cuba. Ten miles east of Havana is Hemingway’s house, Finca Vigia, which he purchased in 1940 after his divorce from Pauline Pfeiffer and his marriage shortly afterwards to his third wife Martha Gelhorn. The house (now a museum) is located in the small, working-class town of San Francisco de Paula. Here Hemingway wrote: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Across the River and Into the Trees, The Old Man and the Sea, A Moveable Feast and Islands in the Stream. The Old Man and the Sea secured him the Nobel Prize in 1954. Hemingway lived here for nearly two decades before he left in 1960 never to return.

The Floridita, described as the cradle of the daiquiri is more up market than the Bodeguita and is situated on Calle Obispo, one of the busiest streets in Old Havana. According to tourist literature, Hemingway is supposed to have summed up his drinking habits as: “MyMojito in La Bodeguita, my Daiquiri in El Floridita.” However the line was invented by Fernado Campoamor (a drinking buddy of Ernest) and with the then owner of La Bodeguita, possibly as a joke. With the encouragement of tourist

Pilar Hemingsways boat credit Mary-Jo Adams Finca Vigia Foundation - 43 -

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Finca Vigia Hemingway’s house exterior, front entrance and living room - credit Mary-Jo Adams Finca Vigia Foundation

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Living room of Finca Vigia credit Mary-Jo Adams Finca Vigia Foundation

In entering El Floridita, you’re greeted by the plush grandeur of red velvet and dark mahogany. Waiters in natty red jackets, white shirts and ties, tray- laden daiquiris in hand, move to the whine of blenders, crushed ice, idle chatter and the clink of pesos. Girls in wrap and T-shirt dresses, hair tied back, sunglasses perched on

officials, the two men hired a calligrapher to write it out and forge the writer’s signature and so the little prank today grew into something else.

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sheened individuals, secretly crave in their advancing years the ordinariness once again of a British Summer.

Links: https://fincafoundation.org/about-us/mission/ https://en.hemingwayhavana.com/

heads sit accompanied by young full-blooded partners who laugh and joke from their adjacent stools. Hemingway now, a bronze cast statue at the bar and cordoned off from the throng (with an elegant rope) looks on in amusement, studying those in pursuit of a personal quest who seek Havana’s totems, while other red-faced, brow

John Greeves originally hails from Lincolnshire. He believes in the power of poetry and writing to change people’s lives and the need for language to move and connect people to the modern world. Since retiring from Cardiff University, Greeves works as a freelance journalist who's interested in an eclectic range of topics.

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Coloring Page By Adrian Czarnecki Though I love dreaming up and putting together my Siberian Husky themed children’s illustrated picture story books, Adventures of Hot Rod Todd, I don’t think of myself as an ‘author’ or as a ‘writer’. ‘Story teller’ sounds better. My books are so dependent upon the illustrations. That’s where illustrator Cameo Anderson http:// www.cameoanderson.com/ comes in. Cameo really can see into my mind’s eye interpreting my often rambling page descriptions into works of art; there’s a saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and with a children’s book that is so important and Cameo nails it every time and then some. So, for your enjoyment, here is a page from the Coloring Book featuring some of the characters and scenes from the books.

Coloring Book FREE PDF download available via website www.adventuresofhotrodtodd.com

Adrian S. Czarnecki is a semi-retired writer of Siberian Husky oriented children’s books based on an actual litter of 6 puppies born to his Dam Empress Maya and Sire Damien Czar on March 14th 2019. Born in Huddersfield, England, Adrian has travelled the world extensively pursuing careers in journalism, photography, PR / Marketing as well as print and sales. Adrian now lives in Idaho, USA with his wife Meta and their Siberian Huskies who keep them on their toes. - 48 -

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Mom’s Favorite Reads Author Allison Symes

I am Allison Symes, writer of short stories (including flash fiction), novels and some poetry. I love writing what I call fairytales with bite. I also blog for Chandler’s Ford Today. I am a member of the Association of Christian Writers (and am currently its Membership Secretary). I blog on their More Than Writers once monthly. I am also a blogger for Authors Electric.

You can find my Amazon Author Central page at http://author.to/AllisonSymesAuthorCent

Website / Newsletter https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/

As well as being a published writer, I am a freelance editor working independently. I also carry out editing work for Bridge House Publishing.

I have two flash fiction collections published by Chapeltown Books. From Light to Dark and Back Again was my debut in 2017 and new for 2020 is Tripping The Flash Fantastic. My books are available at Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble and all good bookshops.

I am a member of the Society of Authors and the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. Find out more… https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/authorservices-allison-symes/

http://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/author/allison-symes/ - 50 -

Tripping the Flash Fantastic by Allison Symes

From Light to Dark and Back Again by Allison Symes

Allison Symes loves reading and writing quirky fiction. She discovered flash fiction thanks to a Cafélit challenge and has been hooked on the form ever since. In this follow-up to her "From Light to Dark and Back Again", Allison will take you back in time, into some truly criminal minds, into fantasy worlds, and show you how motherhood looks from the viewpoint of a dragon. Enjoy the journey!

This is a collection of my flash fiction pieces. The tones vary from humorous to dark and back again but all reflect my style of fiction. Some have appeared on Cafélit (http://cafelit.co.uk) and others on Shortbread Short Stories. The latter are some of the very first pieces I wrote years ago, Cafélit is more recent and other stories are brand new for this collection. https://bookgoodies.com/a/B06VT92429

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B08H8WT5PS

Some of the anthologies that include Allison’s work

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Calling Out Corruption by Father Ian Maher

Luke 9.7-9 In this gospel reading the Herod referred to is Herod Antipas. He was the son of Herod the Great and the heir of part of his father’s kingdom. Like his father, the one who sought to eliminate all male children under the age of two around the time of the birth of Jesus, this Herod was not a moral man. Earlier on in chapter 3 of Luke’s gospel we are told how John the Baptist had condemned the conduct of Herod for taking Herodias, his own brother’s wife, for himself, along with other ‘evil things’ that he had done. This proved fatal for John, with Herod having him first imprisoned, and then executed gruesomely for daring to speak out against him. The chilling words, ‘John I beheaded’, uttered so matter-of-factly, provide us with a glimpse into the cold heart of Herod, with Mark’s gospel (chapter 6) providing a more graphic account of the execution of John. We are, however, told by Luke that when news reached Herod about the words and deeds of Jesus taking place in the region over which his rule extended, he was perplexed. Who was this enigmatic preacher and healer? Jesus was causing quite a stir and someone like Herod would not have taken this lightly. Such a person could be a threat to his authority, so Herod tried to see Jesus – though it would not be until after Jesus’ arrest that the two men eventually came face to face. Luke records this in chapter 23 of his gospel. True to form, and with a track record of killing off his opponents, Herod conspires with Pilate and seals the fate of Jesus.

Herod is an example writ large of how power corrupts and how it can, unchecked, result in unspeakable acts of cruelty and violence. John the Baptist was killed on a whim simply to prevent Herod from losing face at a party; and Herod was more than happy to collude in sending Jesus to the cross. No doubt the beauty of the life of Jesus held up a mirror to the ugliness of Herod. Better for Herod to remove the threat than face the challenge of needing his life to change. Of course, not every ruler, every king, every president, every prime minister, is a Herod. We live in a different time and culture. And yet the siren voices of power – political or otherwise – still make their distracting call in the lives of those wielding such power. We can see this as we look overseas to such places as North Korea, Syria, and now Afghanistan under the Taliban. We are not, however, immune to such dangers even in a country such as our own.

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Despite all the checks and balances of our political system, the wielding of power can be seductive, perhaps especially when any political party holds a huge majority. The responsibility on any Prime Minister’s shoulders then becomes particularly significant, and the temptation to push a personal agenda rather than doing what is best for the country can pose a real threat. This is true, whatever shade of government is in power. The moral stature, or its lack, of any leader will determine their legacy.

Just as the life and witness of Jesus laid bare the moral bankruptcy of Herod, so should all who follow Jesus seek to challenge and call out those set in authority over us, wherever and whenever their behaviour falls short of that required for the office they hold. It’s not always an easy thing to do, and sometimes there will be a personal cost involved. But in calling out corruption and abuses of power, we follow in the footsteps of both John the Baptist, and the Lord whom we are called to serve.

I am a priest and minor canon at Sheffield Cathedral. My last post prior to retirement from stipendiary ministry was as the Multifaith Chaplaincy Coordinator and Anglican Chaplain at Sheffield Hallam University, where I worked for 12 years. https://imaherblog.wordpress.com/ Twitter @IanMaher7 - 53 -

FALLing in love with Autumn by Melanie P. Smith © MPSmith Publishing

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https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/melanie-p-smith/

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Memories by Allison Symes Which memories are your favourites? Which make you cringe? You can ask these questions of your characters too. Whenever I write flash fiction or a short story, I must know what makes my character tick. By working that out, I can gauge whether this character has a story worth telling. What characters would choose to remember (and/or deliberately avoid recalling) can show readers a great deal about them. Where you have more than one character, recollections of events could differ between Character A and Character B. That could be the trigger for conflict between them.

those who dared mention it in public without cause. That was fine. Now all she had to do was make Fibria pay for her mistake. What would be the best spell to use? Fibria should have known some memories are best forgotten. And Geronda was going to ensure Fibria knew it now.

As well as our precious memories, we are also part of a collective memory. For example, we rightly commemorate Remembrance Sunday/Veterans Day. We need to remember to try to not repeat our mistakes. Our characters need to do likewise. What would their communities remember? What mistakes would their world try to avoid repeating?

Allison Symes - 2021 I’ve used both characters’ names as an indication that this story is probably not set in this world (and could be set back in time too). Later, the word spell confirms this is a magical setting.

Memories can also be triggers. Someone recalls something. Another character reacts badly. Could have a crime story here.

Legends are, of course, a natural part of fantasy stories (think The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia etc). I don’t need to spell out what the myth is (or the punishment though it is a logical assumption to guess it won’t be life enhancing!).

Fantasy often has its own myths as part of its world. Now in flash you haven’t got room for all of that, but you can use inference and context to show a reader something they need to see. See below for an example.

All the reader needs to know is there is a myth, its memory should be forgotten but someone has discovered someone else has broken that rule. And this story could make a longer piece. I could spell out what happens to Fibria but for this flash piece, the

Mistaken Memory Geronda looked up from the scroll. So the legend was right. She hadn’t just imagined it. Her recall of the myth was perfect, as was the punishment for - 56 -

knowledge of English history to realise my character recalling things about her life has to be Anne. So I have chosen one point of reference - the date - and woven my story around that. (It is also a date to look up on the “what happened on this day” kind of sites and Anne Boleyn’s execution would come up). Memories can also be turned into monologues which work best when kept short and so can work for flash writing. I did this for my They Don’t Understand where an old man looks back at life with his recently deceased wife. His memories add up to a logical and poignant conclusion.

story is Geronda discovering her recall was spot on and she must take action. The fact she needed to check things out indicates Geronda wants to ensure she does things by the book whereas Fibria clearly hasn’t. That’s a lot of information in eighty words! And the important theme here is memory and the importance of correct recall. Any historical writing has to be based on records which are based on individual and collective memories. My historical flash pieces are based around people such as Anne Boleyn meaning, as her story is that well known, I don’t need to spell out everything.

For flash, what matters is showing readers the telling detail about a character we need to see for their story to make sense. That telling detail could be what that character remembers. So what would they remember? Why is it important to them? How is it going to affect those around them? Have fun writing your stories. A character remembering helps bring that character to life for a reader. We have memories. Why shouldn’t they?

In one of my tales I name the date of her execution. That will be enough for anyone with a reasonable Allison Symes, who loves reading and writing quirky fiction, is published by Chapeltown Books, CafeLit, and Bridge House Publishing. Her flash fiction collections, Tripping The Flash Fantastic and From Light to Dark and Back Again are out in Kindle and paperback. She has been a winner of the Waterloo Arts Festival writing competition three years in a row where the brief was to write to a set theme to a 1000 words maximum. Website: https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/

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Memories

An Act of Kindness By Maggie Cobbett

Two old and battered wooden frames were returned a few years ago from California to my family in Yorkshire. Inside the first one, very long, is a photograph taken in 1916 of an entire battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. It includes a handsome young soldier with a neat moustache, seated on the ground by a Lewis gun. The smaller frame contains a certificate expressing gratitude for the life of Private David Robert Davidson, killed during WW1, together with a medal attached to a faded ribbon. These companion pieces belonged first to my Great -Aunt Sarah Elizabeth Horsfall (Cissie) and then to her daughters, Lena, Louise and Cora, all now deceased. My mother sometimes spoke of her poor Auntie Cissie’, widowed twice during the Great War, and David Davidson, the workhouse boy who became

her second husband, but details were few and far between. What I did know was that David perished in the trenches and Cissie emigrated to the USA with her children in 1919. By the 1950s, they were all living on Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles with Louise and Cora, married to Americans. Much later on, when I was a student and touring the USA by Greyhound bus, I visited them and discovered just how much the memories and few mementoes they had of their young stepfather were still cherished. Although ten years younger than their widowed mother, he had promised to provide for them all while he lived. Should the worst happen, which it did, they would have his Army pension. So, how did Cissie and David meet? This is the part of the story that I find most fascinating. Cissie was - 58 -

already in uniform and their time together was very brief, but his kindness was never forgotten by those he left behind.

born in Hartshead, a small West Yorkshire pit village, and first married a miner called James Burrows. David, an orphan barely in his teens, was sent up there from London by the Board of Guardians of his workhouse to live among complete strangers and work long shifts underground. In such a small community, it was inevitable that he should come across James, who probably took pity on him. At any rate, they became friends and spending time with the young family must have provided some comfort in David’s otherwise lonely existence. That would explain his willingness to step into James’s shoes when tragedy struck, becoming both husband and stepfather at the age of twenty. David was

If I had been able to find out more about David’s short life, I would have attempted to write a biography. As it is, I have researched the history of conditions in workhouses and coal mines of the period and written ‘Workhouse Orphan’ in his memory. Dedicated to David, its short chapters and simple language make it accessible to readers of all ages.

Footnote: David is commemorated on a plaque in St Peter’s Church, Hartshead, where he and Cissie married, as well as on the war memorial at Arras. James’s name is amongst those of 72 000 British soldiers carved into the massive monument at Thiepval. Cissie never remarried and mourned them both for the rest of her life. - 59 -

Elsie grabbed her favourite china cup and went to get the milk. She spotted the calendar.

A Piece of Cake By Sylva Fae

Wonder why I left that there...what day is it today? “Oh hello, Love. Nice of you to ring but can’t stay chatting, Loads to do today.” Elsie explained, thinking of the large piece of cake she was going to eat while watching Bargain Hunt.

She put the cup and milk down and wandered back into the living room.

Date? I can find out from my phone. Now where are my glasses?

“No problem, Mum. I was just checking you’d remembered I was coming round for lunch later.”

Elsie wandered back into the kitchen, adding the phone to the pile on the counter while she checked the cupboards for her glasses.

Lunch? Dammit, I’d totally forgotten. What can I make for lunch? “Of course I remembered, Darling. Must go. See you later.”

Ooh cake. I’d forgotten about that. I’ll have that in a minute. Now what was I looking for? Ah yes, the date. TV...It’ll be on the TV...ooh Bargain Hunt will be on in a minute. I was just about to watch it when Marie rang...

How did I forget Marie coming? I wrote it on the calendar... Elsie wandered into the kitchen to check the calendar, just as the kettle boiled. She put the calendar down on the counter and silenced the noisy kettle. Marie had bought her a whistling kettle to remind her she’d put it on to make a cup of tea.

The knock at the front door startled her out of her musing.

“Hi Mum. You didn’t forget, did you?” “Me forget? Of course not, Marie darling. The kettle’s just boiled and there’s a lovely piece of cake for us on the counter.”

Ooh yes, a nice cup of tea...

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Life By Melanie P. Smith

She sat on the front porch, the old rocking chair creaking rhythmically as she absently swayed back and forth. The soft breeze flitted across her face providing a short reprieve from the stifling heat. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the brief moment of pleasure, knowing it wouldn’t last. A single bead of perspiration slid over her temple, but she didn’t notice. Her mind had drifted, far away, to another hot day years ago — a casual trip to the desert back when they’d both been so young and carefree. The details had dimmed, but the wonder of it all remained. It was surprising, really, that she could remember anything about that day. Such a brief

moment in time, so long ago it felt like another lifetime. The valley was vast, the wilderness rugged and deadly, the rocks and foliage rose from the valley floor to miraculous heights. She remembered staring at the harsh landscape, marveling at the display of majestic beauty that was unparalleled, and knowing she’d never see anything like it again. It was no surprise the canyon was considered Grand. But not even the wonder of this national treasure could compete with the miracle of love she felt on that dry summer day, with the sun beating down - 62 -

he triggered that emanated from her fingertips and flowed all the way to her heart, taking her breath and making her love him even more.

from a clear blue sky, and the air so hot she felt like she was standing in front of an oven. Was that part of the miracle? The unexplained euphoria one found when they discovered their soulmate. She forced her mind to return to that trip, the hot desert air forgotten, the crowded pathways unimportant. The only thing that truly remained were the deep emotions she felt when the man she loved took her hand in his and led her down the pathway, stopping only when they reached the steep edge that overlooked the canyon.

Sorrow immediately replaced nostalgia and her eyes flew open. Emotions swamped her like a violent wave, the stifling heat forgotten as reality set in, and suddenly she felt cold. She wrapped her arms around her slim body, her arthritic fingers fumbled, the knotted joints caught on the black silk dress, but she didn’t notice. Tears flowed down her face, as she plunged into an agonizing pit of despair. Her soulmate was gone, the celebration of his life instantly over — she was alone. He’d loved and laughed and died. It took nearly a century, but a life well lived had come to a sudden close. The only thing left were memories.

Oh, how she longed to feel the warmth of that love again. She yearned for one last touch, one instant to savor that profound spark of awareness. That was his superpower. The tangible bolt of electricity he generated from a simple touch, the awareness

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Writing Prompt By Angela Abraham

Descriptionari Quotes and Descriptions to Inspire Creative Writing Discover, Share, Connect

Creativity is the weaving of random into a new and wonderful dish. Descriptionari helps you to fill up your idea cupboard with new ingredients, unleashing your inner Masterchef! And so, in keeping with our fantastic flash fiction theme ‘Memories’, tongue firmly in our extended-puncheek, here are a few nibbles!

Each raindrop is the drop that kissed your skin in those days that we were together, me and you, my baby boy. Each one is the same because they sing of these such treasured memories, of the comforting love that remains and the hopes I hold for your future. And so, I love the rain better than photographs, for each one is a perfect moment. By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, Septem-

*****

ber 4, 2019.

Memories of us together bring both new fuel and fire, igniting an everlasting flame that speaks of magic and legend.

The happy memory unfolds as the pages of a beloved childhood storybook.

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, January 8,

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, May 6,

2021.

2020.

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On Descriptionari there are over 19k ideas all free to check out (taking the pun bow now, tee hee). https://www.descriptionari.com/

Happy writing! Angela Abraham

'Please attribute any quotes used to Angela Abraham, Descriptionari'.

My childhood memories are a photo album I can edit. So I keep the best ones, the ones that bring me joy, and let the others fade. By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, February

Angela spent the past 10 years building Descriptionari one flash of inspiration at a time. She is now focusing on the creation of fiction novels. Her dog Oliver says it is all a complete waste of time and can he go for a walk now?

23, 2021.

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Europe by Book by Hannah Howe

The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids by Jessica Joelle Alexander, Iben Dissing Sandahl What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world — and how do Danish parents raise happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical guide reveals the six essential principles that have been working for parents in Denmark for decades: – Play: essential for development and well-being Authenticity: fosters trust and an ‘inner compass’ Reframing: helps kids cope with setbacks and look on the bright side - Empathy: allows us to act with kindness towards others - No ultimatums: no power struggles or resentment - Togetherness: a way to celebrate family time, on special occasions and every day. A revealing and fresh take on parenting advice, The Danish Way of Parenting will help parents from all walks of life raise the happiest, most well-adjusted kids in the world.

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most turbulent moments of Spain’s history, and leads her to question everything she has ever known about her country, her faith and herself.

A Divided Inheritance : Epic historical fiction by Deborah Swift

Epic historical fiction set in 17th Century London and Golden Age Spain.

London 1609 Elspet Leviston has always managed her father’s lace business and expects to continue in his footsteps. So when her hot-headed cousin Zachary Deane appears from nowhere, his arrival in her life is like an earthquake.

Zachary is not who he seems, and has no love at all for Leviston’s Lace. When her father dies unexpectedly, Elspet is horrified to find her inheritance is tied to her cousin’s. But by now, her father has sent Zachary on a Grand Tour, and he is in Spain. Determined to regain her rightful inheritance, she goes to Seville in search of him. Zachary is in training at the sword school of the charismatic Senor Alvarez, and here, in the searing heat and dust of Spain, Elspet’s real journey begins. A journey that throws her into one of the Hannah Howe is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann's War Mystery Series and the #1 international bestseller Saving Grace. Hannah's books are published by Goylake Publishing and distributed through Gardners Books to over 300 outlets worldwide. Her books are available in print, as eBooks and audiobooks, and are being translated into ten languages. Discover more on Mom's Favorite Reads website:

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November Books by Mom’s Favorite Authors Marie Sinadjan is an indie author and singersongwriter from Cebu, Philippines. She’s always loved theatre and music, as well as trading stories, worldbuilding, and collaborative writing. Hotel Fen is her debut novel, written with her US-based friend Meri Benson, and aside from the sequel, she’s also working on the series’ soundtrack and the accompanying short stories. info@mariesinadjan.com www.mariesinadjan.com

The Origins of Hotel Fen By Marie Sinadjan I started writing and dreaming of publishing a novel in high school, but I could never finish my stories. While I was fond of my many many ideas, and the characters and worlds I've already created, the writing process would somehow bore me at some point in time and I'd end up abandoning the project. Thanks to the Internet, I discovered that writing groups were a thing, and, while uncommon, writing collaborations. I realized that I really enjoy collaborating, that I find joy in working with someone — brainstorming, worldbuilding, or just even tossing lines and scenes back and forth.

author I was ignored, and the next one, well, I was ghosted in the middle of our project. I don't know what pushed me to just take the plunge, but I did and just...asked. It was October 2020, and nearly every author I knew was gearing up for NaNoWriMo. Even Meri was. But one day I just asked her, what if? I could never NaNo because of my day job's demands, but, maybe, she would be okay to do a mini NaNo with me… She said yes. Like, in a heartbeat. So we dove into plotting. I don't entirely remember how we ended up choosing Norse mythology, only that it's something I'm interested in (the Norse pantheon is ridiculous and insane and I love it) and that Meri has Swedish and German roots. Anyway, we created our leads and built a rough outline. In lieu of the NaNo grind, we did 10K weekend sprints. I applied my day job skills and made us spreadsheets and trackers to keep tabs on our progress. I also put together a

I met Meri Benson, my co-author, in a writing community around two and a half years ago. We would play around with prompts and "voicetest" our characters off one another, and it worked really well since our styles and strengths (and weaknesses) complemented each other's. I started contemplating the idea of collaborating on a story with her, but the first time I brought it up with another - 68 -

currently collaborating with other artist friends for more songs to go with the book and its related stories. Writing is an art and I have never found this to be more true. Are you ready for the vacation of a lifetime? Victor has always had a passion for Norse history and mythology, but after hitting a dead end with his book on valkyries, not even that passion is enough to move him forward. Just when he's ready to abandon the project, he receives an email: he's won a free trip to Hotel Fen, a remote vintage resort in the Scandinavian Mountains. playlist for us, because I like writing with music. By the beginning of March, we had a full draft in our hands, and I couldn't believe it. We released the book on her birthday. Aside from collaborating with Meri on the writing, I also collaborated with Philippine artists on the other stuff. My brother, Michael, conceptualized our cover, while the art was done by another local artist, Laurie Grace Tul-id. I also pitched the idea of an original tie-in song to Meri, and she enthusiastically agreed, so I contacted some other artist friends to collaborate! Thus Elevator was born. I penned the lyrics and did the female vocals, Peter Clark Guisadio of 0300 Hours crafted the melody, Dave Feril sang the male parts, and my brother took care of the vocal recording (via a makeshift studio in my bedroom!) as well as the mixing and mastering. So Hotel Fen has been one great collaborative experience, and I'm looking forward to more. We're targeting to release book 2 by July next year, and I'm

Silje has always felt that her life was fairly unremarkable. She cares deeply about people and that has led her to find her purpose at a nursing home in Oslo. When a resident dies and leaves her an all-expense paid vacation package to Hotel Fen, however, she takes the opportunity to experience something different. It all starts innocently enough, with a little meetcute in the hotel elevator that takes forever to arrive on their floor. But the longer Victor and Silje remain together, the more dangerous the hotel becomes, and the more they question where reality ends and the impossible begins. Discover more here: https://books2read.com/u/baGDzv Marie Sinadjan Author & Singer-Songwriter is from Cebu, Philippines. Learn more about Marie here www.mariesinadjan.com

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The Magician: Infinity’s End By Val Tobin The Magician: Infinity’s End hits the virtual bookshelves on November 1, 2021. It is book two of a new urban fantasy series, Tales from the Unmasqued World, by author Val Tobin. The Magician focuses on student mage Chase Spenser and the complicated turn his life takes when his potions exam goes awry and a demon appears. Readers of book one, The Fool: New Beginnings, will be delighted to find familiar faces in book two even as they get to know and love new characters.

A Unique Twist

In a unique twist, each book in the series bases the story on a different card in the tarot’s major arcana. Each book’s title reveals the relevant reference, which plays up the symbolism and meaning of the card. Readers can have fun puzzling out who or what represents the card in the story. Often, more than one character or object signifies the card or its meaning.

one or two of the cards. For example, Dugan’s deck has “The Shadow Side” instead of “The Devil” since the Devil isn’t part of the witch’s belief system.

Excerpt from The Magician: Infinity’s End

The Magician revolves around “The Magician” major arcana card, and the main character in this book, as in most of the stories, is representative of the card. Chase Spenser, as a student mage, embodies the magician on the card in an obvious way. He practices magick, works with elementals, and uses the tools and trappings of a mage. The characters and the plot, together, express the meaning of the card.

To whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt from The Magician: Infinity’s End. Chase and his girlfriend, Jaycie, use magick to try to learn who summoned the demon Chase was accused of calling forth during his exam, and as before, it doesn’t go quite as planned: Give me your name. He fixed his gaze on the demon and poured power into the request. It howled, gnashing its teeth so spittle sprayed out. Droplets struck Chase’s face and trickled down his cheeks. He swiped at it with his sleeve. Well, that’s a little too real. Unnerved, he eased up on the connection, but when the image of the demon faded a little, he pushed his energy into a power surge that pulled the demon back into focus. Give me your name.

In an additional twist, a non-traditional tarot deck influences the crafting of the stories. Rather than using the popular Rider-Waite Tarot deck, the stories draw on Ellen Dugan’s Witches Tarot card deck. While all of the cards in Dugan’s major arcana correspond in meaning with the Rider-Waite deck (Dugan based her cards on the classic RiderWaite-Smith deck), the archetypes used differ on - 70 -

What’s Next?

Abassi had failed to get the demon’s name when they’d tried to control it in the exam room, but Chase felt himself getting close. He pushed more power into the connection and used his mind to hold the demon. He reached into the energy that wasn’t his own to draw it out like a loose strand on a knit sweater. Energy sizzled and crawled up his arm, and he allowed it to travel up and through him. He visualized it as a silver thread, and it bore identifying traces of the owner in it like strands of DNA.

Book three, The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return, revolves around Jaycie Nevil, Chase’s girlfriend. The fallout from Chase’s exam continues to haunt the pair, and Jaycie finds herself trapped in an impossible situation with seemingly no way out. Is she really the inept mage she believes herself to be? Does she have what it takes to save herself, or is she doomed to depend on Chase for the rest of her life? How long—or short—will the rest of her life even be?

He got an idea and shouted for Jaycie to empty the water bowl into the libation bowl. “Do it. Quick! And hold it out.”

Where to Buy

Books one and two are on Amazon, and you can purchase the eBooks and paperbacks or download the eBooks to read for free with your Kindle Unlimited account.

Water splashed, and she said, “Here. It’s right here.” Chase peered out through squinted eyes and pointed the index finger of his non-dominant hand into the bowl. He streamed the energy through that arm and dumped it out into the container, where it settled into a glowing silver ball.

The Fool: New Beginnings starts a fool’s journey for human Kelsey Davis and vampire Philip Belanger when Philip’s daughter goes missing and Kelsey’s son drags her into the search for the half-vampire teen.

“Set it on the altar,” he ordered, and she did as he bid. But in isolating the saboteur’s energy, he lost his hold on the demon. They heard the front door shatter, and the floors below shook as something massive stormed into the house….

In The Magician: Infinity’s End, magick influences the characters’ lives, not always for the best. While Chase deals with his major issues, Kelsey struggles with the repercussions of a new beginning she was forced to choose. - 71 -

The Lady in the Woods By Penny Luker Lady in the Woods is Penny Luker’s fourth book of short stories. It includes a wide variety of stories, including two Inspector Winsford stories and some flash fiction. Some stories are a gentle observations of human nature, while others tell of hope against the odds. This is a book to relax with and enjoy with a cup of coffee. If you like a book to dip into when you have a spare ten minutes, then you’ll enjoy this book. Lady in the Woods is available from Amazon £6.00/ $8.17 for the paperback and £1.99/$2.99 on Kindle. All Penny Luker’s books are free on Kindle Unlimited.

You can pick up your copy here http://mybook.to/LadyintheWoods Other books of short stories by this author are: Missing http://mybook.to/Missingshortstories

In the living room, Ethel Evans was slumped in her armchair, head lolling backwards as if she was having a nap. There were no obvious signs of violence, he noted. It looked like a natural death; after all the old girl was ninety four. His head was still thudding as if someone had taken a hammer to his skull. He shouldn’t have opened that bottle of whisky last night, but it deadened the pain of his wife leaving him. His mind was drifting. He must concentrate.

Pebble on the Beach http://mybook.to/Pebble The Mermaid mybook.to/TheMermaidShort Here's a taster for you. Care

Inspector Winsford swallowed two paracetamol as he entered the retirement flats. The heat hit him and then the quietness. He hated these places always preferring to be outside. The door of number twenty- six was already open.

The only thing that surprised him about this death was how upset the carer was. Didn’t seem to think that Mrs. Evans’ death was on the cards at all. He decided to go and have a chat to her in the kitchen, where she was being given a cup of tea.

He nodded to Constable Staples, who said, ‘The carer, Sally Carter, found the body. She’s in the kitchen. Very shocked and upset, Boss.’

The forensic team made their arrival heard, so he

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left them to it. The flat was frowsty in the way many old people’s places are, but in spite of that, everything was neat and tidy.

me did you use your own phone or Mrs. Evans’ landline.’ Sally put down her mug onto the clean but scratched Formica topped table and picked up the pen.

‘Good morning, Miss Carter. I’m Inspector Winsford. When was your last visit to Ethel Evans?’ Sally looked up, cradling her mug. ‘I’ve been off work, sick. The agency sent someone to cover.’

‘I used my phone.’

Inspector Winsford repeated the question.

‘It was about ten thirty.’

‘It was yesterday morning. I gave her breakfast and then got the cramps so I had to go. Caught the blasted thing off my daughter, who got it from school - Rose Hill Primary. They’re always passing round colds and bugs. Anyway, I rang my boss and told her I was going home. She said she’d send someone else.’

Inspector Winsford stayed quiet and Sally filled the silence. ‘I arrived at ten fifteen and made her breakfast; just tea and toast. I have half an hour on a Monday morning to make her breakfast and put the washing on. Normally I’d be back at lunchtime to microwave a ready meal for her and hang the washing out, but as I said I went home ill. I should’ve been back this morning but I was running late and thought it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t get in ‘til lunchtime. At a push Ethel can get herself a cup of tea.’

‘And what time did you make the call?’

‘Thank you Sally. I’d like you to stay here for a moment. It shouldn’t be too long.’ Going back into the living room, he watched Doctor Morgan leaning over the body. If he didn’t feel faintly nauseous, he might have tried flirting with her, but one he’d forgotten how and two, at the moment he needed fresh air and some food.

Sally handed the paper she’d written on to the Inspector. ‘How was Mrs Evans when you left her yesterday? Was she well?’

‘Well Doc, natural causes, was it?’ Without turning she replied, ‘Almost certainly not! I’d guess she’s been dead about twenty-four hours. I’ll confirm that when I get her to the lab. I found this in her left nostril,’ she said waving an evidence bag containing a tiny white feather. ‘I’ll be doing a post- mortem this afternoon, Winsford, but it looks like we’ve got ourselves a murder.’

‘She was fine. It was me who was feeling ill. She was chirpy and chatty. Nice lady. I certainly wasn’t expecting her to pass away yet. Normally you can tell.’ ‘Unfortunately, it looks like Mrs Evans didn’t die naturally, Sally. If you have anything you want to tell me, now would be a good time.’ Sally’s face drained of colour. ‘I didn’t hurt her,’ she whispered, obviously struggling to speak.

Inspector Winsford sighed and went back to the kitchen. More questions needed to be asked.

Inspector Winsford yawned as he left the building and drove the five minutes down the road to the Warren Care Agency. At least he felt better being out of that dreadful flat. His head was now muzzy rather than painful.

‘Well Sally, it seems I need more information,’ he said taking a piece of paper and pen and handing them to her. ‘Please write down the agency you work for, who you phoned and the number and tell

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Entering the functional but unglamorous offices of the agency he found Bethany Prout painting her nails with strange designs. He couldn’t help but contrast the slightly plump Miss Prout with Sally Carter. The latter was short, thin and pretty in an elfin way, wearing flat plain shoes and an unflattering blue overall. Bethany, on the other hand, wore a too short leather skirt, black tights and lethal heels. When she stood up, he estimated her to be nearly six feet.

Silently she stood up and went and pulled out a copy of the staff list from a metal cabinet, trying not to mess her nails up in the process. Give me strength thought Winsford. It was time to return to the office. He needed coffee and a sandwich. Once his needs were met, he reviewed the facts with his Sergeant, Chris Willis. ‘One of them is lying. Either Sally made the call or she didn’t. I want you to phone them up and tell each of them that we’re sending for their phone records and offer them the opportunity to change their stories. One of them might crack before we actually have to check the records, which will save us time and money. While you’re doing that, I’ll be visiting Ms Carter’s kid’s school. See if her mum was sick yesterday.’

He flashed his ID and explained why he was there. ‘Sally Carter says she called you around ten thirty yesterday and you arranged cover because she was sick.’ ‘Oh, she did, did she? Well, she’s lying. We’ve had a lot of trouble with her not turning up on jobs. I should’ve put her on a warning really but I’m too soft,’ she smiled.

‘Shouldn’t you have her permission to talk to her child, Sir?’

‘Surely that means that vulnerable adults are being put at risk?’

‘The school are in loco parentis. I’ll make sure a member of staff is present. Not like I’m going to interrogate her, is it?’

‘No. All our carers know that they have to make sure the clients are looked after. If they take a few short cuts, I don’t make too much of a thing about it as long as the old folk are fed. Very difficult to get good staff you know.’

Chris shrugged, walked over to his desk and picked up the phone. Tracy Carter was small for seven. Her eyes were wide and searching as she was brought into the Head Teacher’s office.

‘So, let’s be very clear; you’re saying that you didn’t receive a call yesterday from Sally Carter.’

‘Now Tracy sit down next to me,’ said the Head in a gentle voice. ‘This gentleman is going to ask you a few questions and that’s all right because I’m with you.’

‘No, I didn’t. Absolutely not.’

‘And you didn’t know that Mrs Evans needed care arranged?’ ‘How could I know?’

The little girl looked anything but reassured. Best get this over quickly before the Head changes her mind.

‘Well thank you for your time. I’m just letting you know that I may need to talk to you again. Oh, and can I have the contact details of your other staff.’

‘I’m just a bit concerned about your mum,’ said Winsford. ‘Someone told me she was ill yesterday. Is that right?’

‘I don’t know. That’s confidential.’ ‘Miss Prout this is a murder investigation. Why wouldn’t you want to cooperate?’ - 74 -

Tracy smiled, looking relieved. ‘No, Mum was good yesterday. Uncle Michael was round our place. He’s not really my uncle. He’s Mum’s friend but he’s nice. I think Mum had the day off work. She was all dressed up pretty, not ill. He brought me to school this morning.’ ‘Thank you, Tracy. I’m so relieved your mum’s well. Thank you.’ On the way back to the office he called in to get someone to go and pick up Sally Carter. She’d definitely lied about being ill. Who’d have thought she’d commit murder, but you never could tell. She certainly had the means and opportunity but what on earth was her motive? It had been a long day so far and he hoped he could get away early. At least, since he’d eaten, the headache had finally gone. As he arrived in the office he found Willis waiting for him.

‘Sally Carter did phone in,’ he said. ‘Bethany Prout changed her story immediately I told her we were checking her phone records and P.C Staples has found three carers who say she contacted them, asking that they cover Sally’s shifts. I took the liberty of calling her in and she’ll be here shortly.’

‘It’s Sally’s fault really,’ she whined. ‘I’m in charge. I’m not meant to do the care. I tried to get cover for Sally but none of the girls could do it, so I went round. I didn’t mean to hurt her.’ ‘Tell us what happened, Miss Prout.’ ‘She said her meal was still frozen and then she said I was useless. She said something like Sally always serves my dinner on a plate and not in the plastic container. Well, how was I supposed to know that? I don’t use a plate at home. Saves the washing up.’

Both officers looked at each other but kept silent and she continued. ‘Anyway, I took her meal off her and threw it in the bin and she said she was going to complain about me. I told her to go ahead as I was the boss it didn’t bother me. And then she said she would be complaining to the council. I’d have lost my agency license. So, I picked up a cushion and held it over her face until she stopped moaning. When I realized what I’d done I took the meal out of the bin and left. She won really, didn’t she? My agency will be closed.’

Winsford scowled. He would not be going home early tonight.

Inspector Winsford stood up and stretched his arms. ‘Charge her Sergeant and when you’ve done that give Ms Carter a stern warning about lying to the police. As if we’d care about her throwing a sicky in the circumstances. I’m off home.’

‘Well done, Willis. Good work,’ he said and proceeded to update him on his discovery.

The thought of a good malt was tempting but he knew at some point he must give it up.

They interviewed Bethany first. Her eyes were like a panda’s, as her mascara had smudged. She was picking at one of her multi coloured nails as they entered the room. Sergeant Willis cautioned her and offered her a solicitor, which she declined.

http://mybook.to/LadyintheWoods

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Remember by Stan Phillips

May you find time to sift through my words.

Go child,

Sing my old songs.

But as you venture into times and lands I shall never see,

Remember some of my stories.

As you discover wonders beyond my comprehension,

Tell them to your own grandchildren.

As you learn things I can never know,

Perhaps some of them might retain a value worth the keeping of them.

Try not to abandon all I have taught you in your frantic search for the new.

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Homemade Bread Day by Melanie P. Smith

November 17th

In honor of Homemade Bread Day, I thought I’d share one of my recipes.

Cover design created to honor Homemade Bread Day

Easy Banana Nut Bread Homemade Bread Day was created to encourage families to slow down and enjoy making homemade bread for a day.

Ingredients:

Why? Well, homemade bread enhances the flavors of our meals, forces us to slow down to prepare it, and with the hectic schedules we keep these days — it’s a unique way to trigger conversation. If that’s not enough, you can’t beat the mouthwatering aroma that fills the entire house when there’s bread baking in the oven.

Mix Together

Cream Separately

1 3/4 Cups Flour 1/4 tsp. Soda 2 tsps Baking Powder 1/2 tso, Salt

1/3 Cup Shortening 2/3 Cup Sugar 2 Eggs

1 Cup (2-3) Bananas (Mashed) 1/3 Cup Walnuts Combine:

There’s also something comforting about the smell of homemade bread. It reminds me of grandma’s house, love, and family. With so many different types of bread, there must be one you can try. This November, break out that favorite recipe, roll up your sleeves, and get baking. Then, share it with family and friends. Better yet, have a party, swap recipes, and enjoy!

Alternating — Add mashed bananas and dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Beat until smooth. Turn into a well-greased bread pan (9 x 5) & bake 1 hour at 350° or until done. (Yield 1 Loaf) What are you waiting for? It’s time to start baking.

We are excited to announce that Goylake Publishing has teamed-up with the Fussy Librarian and in partnership we are offering you 20% off your first book promotion with the Fussy Librarian. To qualify for this promotion, your book must be either permafree or listed free during a special offer. In our experience, the Fussy Librarian is the best book promoter in the business. When we promote with him, our free books always reach the top five of Amazon’s genre charts, most often they reach the top three. We promote with the Fussy Librarian every month and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. Prices start from as low as $15, minus our special discount of 20%. Click here: https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake for full details. And, at the checkout, be sure to enter this code: goylake20 to claim your 20% discount. Thank you for your interest. And good luck with your promotion! - 78 -

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COMING SOON—the 4th and final edition of 2021. November’s Connection eMagazine is dedicated to winter, the holidays, new releases and some amazing blog posts.

Marketing seems to be one of those areas that every author struggles with. It’s the same struggle companies world-wide have been dealing with for decades. How do I get my product in front of my target audience? Connections eMagazine can help. The publication is free to readers, bloggers and to authors looking for a little extra exposure. Visit our website for details. https://melaniepsmith.com/

https://melaniepsmith.com/emagazine/

Connections eMagazine is a FREE quarterly publication founded by authors Melanie P. Smith and Rhoda D’Ettore. It is currently produced entirely by Editor, Melanie P. Smith. Over the years, the magazine has evolved and it now features promos, freebies, blog articles, and short stories in every issue.

Discover more about Connections eMagazine on their website here: https://melaniepsmith.com/emagazine-landing/ - 79 -

Title A Closer Look At: Doomwatch by T. Stan E. Hodden Phillips First broadcast in February of 1970, Doomwatch was a somewhat experimental drama, and has always been difficult to classify. It is science fiction, in its purest form, rooted in a (then) contemporary real world, and finding its inspiration in real science, speculating where the research may lead in a matter of years, it was a little uneven in pace and feel. Viewers were never sure if they were going to be facing a tense adventure piece, or a reflective character study. Sometimes the episode would be about an aircraft, falling apart in flight, as a plastic eating bacteria turned it into a death trap… and sometimes it would be about the effects of jet lag, or the dangers of lead paint. What was Doomwatch then?

spaceships, to genetic engineering, super-smart rats, and how to contain a viral weapon once it leaks.

The show follows a team of scientists working for the Home Office, effectively Ombudsmen for scientific research, and new technologies, investigating incidents to advise the Government how to act.

One of the most shocking episodes, ‘Survival Code’ is currently missing.

Quist, the lead scientist (John Paul) worked on the Manhattan Project, and is haunted by the long reaching consequences of his work. He is a stalwart leading man, somewhere between an understanding uncle, and short tempered science teacher. His team included an ex spy (Simon Oates), a gruff lab technician, and Wren, an eager young researcher, played by the rising star Robert Powell.

In the episode Wren is dispatched to a seaside pier, to investigate the mysterious ‘weather balloon’ washed up at the foot of the pier, but instead finds himself elbow deep in a ticking nuclear bomb, lost when a military transport crashed at sea. Powell, who had only signed on the series for one season, found himself, in the final moments, written out of the series in no uncertain terms, in a few seconds that took loyal viewers completely by surprise.

The pilot episode set the bar high, with a pacy and exciting investigation into a crashed aircraft, and the aforementioned plastic eating bacteria, and some of the episodes that followed were just as ambitious with their ‘big ideas’, and over the next few years, the show touched on everything from chemical weapons, and nuclear powered

It is worth noting that some of the low-key episodes are no less entertaining or worthy of a watch, covering such topics as how to protect people evacuated from an isolated community, with no immunity - 80 -

Pedlar is a fascinating figure. In later life he would go on to write about the Gaia theory and Parapsychology, sadly passing away during the production of ‘Mind Over Matter’ a show investigating various psychic phenomena.

to common diseases that we no longer respect as dangerous, or the dangers of subliminal messages, and questioning the belief that ‘XXY men’ are genetically predisposed to evil.

It was Pedlar and Davis who created Doomwatch, writing the episodes to explore stories suggested by the science that interested them.

Behind the Scenes To talk about what makes Doomwatch special, we will first have to take a little detour into the worlds of another BBC Science Fiction classic, and one you are more likely to have heard of.

As well as Pedlar and Davis, episodes were written by a stable of writers, with an almost anthology sensibility. Doomwatch could find itself involved in a wide array of mysteries and subjects, sometimes as investigators, or overseers, sometimes at the heart of the action. The series producer for its three year run, Terrence Dudley, also contributed his own scripts.

When the production team of Doctor Who thought that it was straying from its remit to sneak real history and science into the thrilling adventures, Doctor Kid Pedlar was approached as a scientific adviser.

The best bits:

Pedlar quickly formed a strong professional partnership with the Doctor’s script editor, Gerry Davis, and together, inspired by the questions of how cybernetics might extend the human lifetime, and how the adaption of a brain to interface with technology might change the person, they created one of the Doctor’s most enduring, and most popular foes, the Cybermen.

The stand out episode is ‘Invasion’. When the potholers helping the team map underground waterways go missing, Doomwatch become concerned they may have strayed into a military ‘No Go’ area, around a manor house, quarantined for years after a viral experiment leaked. The atmosphere, in near silent scenes, as men in hazard suits search an abandoned stately home is - 81 -

knife-edge tense, and oozing with discomfort. As the threat extends to a local village, the mood changes to the dystopian. Also worthy of note is ‘In The Dark’. Quist’s attempts to track down a former colleague from Oxford (played by Patrick Troughton) he discovers the recluse is being kept alive by machinery, reduced to an immobile life, trapped in a single sterile room, unable to move his head, and his senses gradually failing. The less good bits Doomwatch was an ambitious show, limited perhaps by studio filming, budget, and occasionally by visual effects. Robert Powell fighting with fake rats has long been a source of comedy in clip shows of the ‘do you believe people watched this’ format, but… by and large the episodes still hold up as watchable, even if we allow that some are more watchable than others. What has sometimes aged less well, are the things you might expect from a seventies show: the episodes whose predictions tacked down the wrong tracks, or that portray attitudes and language that would be presented differently these days. Connections There was a spin off film in 1972, by British Tigon, about a remote island suffering the effects of a chemical weapon dumped at sea, entering the food chain. The familiar cast are relegated to supporting roles, in favour of Ian Bannen, as an entirely new character.

In 1999 Channel 5 tried to revive Doomwatch for a new run, starring Trevor Eve as the head of a new team, investigating a new threat, in this case the dangers of an artificial blackhole, no doubt inspired by the ‘ripped from the headlines’ speculation that CERN would accidentally create a black hole on Earth. Trivia There was an episode filmed but not shown. ‘Sex and Violence’ was inspired by morality campaigns against TV, Movies, and Plays, riffing on the growing influence of campaigners such as Mary Whitehouse, and on the ‘respectable’ face of more sinister political beliefs, through the narrative of a panel investigating the effects of certain media. One of the film clips viewed by the fictional panel was a military execution, shocking enough to have the episode withdrawn before broadcast, although it has subsequently been made available on DVD. Summary: Is it worth revisiting Doomwatch? I would suggest that it is worth revisiting some episodes, a ‘best of’ if you will. The show as a whole was boldly experimental, and often engaging, but interest often depended on how intriguing you found the subject at hand. The uneven tempo and momentum of episodes, lurching between drama and meditation, high concept, and low key, can be jarring. The best episodes, however are haunting and memorable for all the right reasons.

T.E. Hodden trained in engineering and works in a specialized role in the transport industry. He is a life long fan of comic books, science fiction, myths, legends, and history. In the past he has contributed to podcasts, blogs, and anthologies. Discover more on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/t-e-hodden/

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Editor In Chief—Hannah Howe The Editor-in-Chief is the key figure in every publication. Hannah Howe works closely with the editorial staff to ensure the success of each publication. She is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann’s War Mystery Series and Saving Grace. Get to know more about Hannah, her projects and her work on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/hannah-howe/

Executive Editor | Graphic Designer—Melanie P. Smith The Executive Editor / Graphic Designer is responsible for developing the layout and design of MFR eMagazine. She also works hard to create new covers each month that captures the essence of each publication. In addition to the editorial staff of Mom’s Favorite Reads, Melanie P. Smith also produces Connections eMagazine. She is a multi-genre author of Criminal Suspense, Police Procedural, Paranormal and Romance novels. Get to know more about Melanie, her projects, and her work on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/melanie-p-smith/

Managing Editor, Art Director & Proofreader —Sylva Fae Our Managing Editor oversees the physical content of the magazine and coordinates the production schedule. She administers the day-to-day operations of the publication, manages submissions, sets realistic schedules and organizes each edition of the magazine. Sylva is is responsible for the amazing graphics that appear throughout the publication each month. She works hard to ensure the images capture the spirit and message our author's convey in their articles and stories. In addition, As Copy Editor, Sylva works hard behind the scenes to correct any grammatical, typos and spelling errors throughout the magazine. Sylva Fae—Mum of three, fairy woodland owner, and author of children’s books. https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/

Copy Editors / Proofreaders — Wendy H. Jones and Sheena MacLead Our Copy Editors for Mom’s work hard to ensure content is appropriate and free of grammatical and spelling errors. Wendy H. Jones is also our Feature Editor and works hard to provide content that is interesting, informative and profession. She’s the award winning, international best-selling author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, Cass Claymore Investigates Mysteries, Fergus and Flora Mysteries, Bertie the Buffalo children’s books and the Writing Matters books for writers. She is also a writing and marketing coach and the President of the Scottish Association of Writers. You can learn more about Wendy on her website: https://www.wendyhjones.com/

Sheena Macleod lectured at the University of Dundee, where she gained her PhD. She now lives in a seaside town in Scotland. Reign of the Marionettes is her first novel. She is currently working on two additional books: Tears of Strathnaver and Women of Courage—A Forgotten Figure—Frances Connolly. You can learn more about Sheena on her website: https://www.sheenas-books.co.uk/

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Story Editor—Allison Symes Allison Symes works diligently each month to generate flash fiction writing prompts that will stimulate creativity in our authors and entertain our readers. As Story Editor, she also ensures each entry is professional and polished. Allison Symes is an award winning, published flash fiction and short story writer. She also writes a weekly column on topics of interest for writers for online magazine, Chandler's Ford Today. Allison's fiction has appeared in anthologies (CafeLit and Bridge House Publishing) over many years. Allison judges competitions, runs workshops, and is always happy to talk/write about flash fiction writing. https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

Marketing Director—Grant Leishman Our Marketing Director, Grant Leishman, oversees marketing campaigns and social media engagement for our magazine. After an exciting career in accounting and journalism, he now focuses on his true calling—writing. Get to know more about Grant on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/grant-leishman/

Young Writer Content Editor—Poppy Flynn Poppy Flynn works hard each month to generate ideas, proofread submitted content, and provide stories, articles, poems and other pieces that are creative and relevant from young writers around the world. Get to know more about our Young Writer Content Editor on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/poppy-flynn/

General Content Writers Our Content Writers are freelance authors who contribute articles, short stories, etc. to the eMagazine on a regular basis. They work hard to make our magazine interesting and professional. Get to know our Content Writers here: T.E. Hodden — https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/t-e-hodden/ Val Tobin — https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/val-tobin/ Stan Phillips — https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips/ Father Ian Maher — https://imaherblog.wordpress.com/