A Poem a Day 2015 (5): Hush

Hush

In the time that flows

Within this breath

This quiet as before

Welcoming in loneliness

Where he sits in silence

Hugging himself to sleep

I cannot read the signs

Cannot clasp the day

In here is where I live

In this small space of time

Hush

In the wreath I pass to you

Conceal your salty tears

Quieten the raging tide

The sickly swell of loss

I see you, walking tall

Full of feelings so small

I cry where you sit alone

Rain lighting the windowpane

Never knowing this loss

This empty void inside you

Yearning to be gone, to fly

And hush.

copyright Vickie Johnstone

A Poem a Day 2015 (4): Imagine / We are gathered here

Today's poems are on the theme of colour and were written for the Month of Poetry Saturday Challenge. Here's the link so you can read all of the gorgeous poems there - http://monthofpoetry.wordpress.com/mop15-collection/sat-3-jan-colour-poetry - cheers!

Imagine

We are but colours

Dancing in a breath of time

Mind-spinning rainbows

We are gathered here

The sumptuous white floats and curls

Moulding each and every curve

As she breezes in without a word

Beneath falling silken pink petals

Scattering upon freshly cut grass

I can smell the green

It awakens my senses

Bluest sky arches above my head

Inviting me to gaze a while

Squinting in the egg-yellow burst

Of the powerful summer sun

The white flickers and shimmers

In this crazy, hazy heat

I blink, caught by the scent

Of cut oranges being poured

The black-suited waiter turns

Carrying the cut-glass jug

Now emptied of all

Under the bower they meet

Wild roses curving all around

A flash of silver, etched upon

Rings exchanged in passion

Her red lips curve into a smile

Matching his velvet cravat

While the enrapt audience rises

In a rainbow of colour

She sweeps through light-footed

As pink confetti covers all

Falling like silken pink petals

Copyright Vickie Johnstone

A Poem a Day 2015 (3): One night, one girl and one song

I wrote this poem at about 1am this morning. Writer JD Mader runs a Friday writing day on his blog, Unemployed Imagination - you can write whatever you like in the space of 2 minutes. Being on London time, it was pretty late... or early for me! I think it's funny how your brain churns out different things, depending how tired it is, and sometimes it goes all quirky. This poem is rambling, I guess, without structure. JD's initial story contained the line 'It was one night, and one girl, and one song', and I used it as a prompt. Here is his blog if you'd like to have a go next week or have a read of all the stories written - http://www.jdmader.com/2015/01/2-minutes-go.html

So, here's my 2-minute poem...

One night, one girl and one song

the song ended

but she never did

her image etched forever

on my mind

still there

dancing in the chill rain

her windswept hair catching

the thin, white cloth

stretched, drenched

to the skin

I gazed

stuck in the moment

nothing else to do

she never saw

while the music played on

an old rock song

seldom sung

a dog barked

her head turned once

lips turning up

like a bow at the edges

just one smile

only one

yet it was enough

copyright Vickie Johnstone

A Poem a Day 2015 (1-2): As the world spins / Always

Happy New Year to you! Wishing you joy, happiness and good karma. I hope you've begun 2015 in great spirits. My resolutions, as ever, are to keep writing and use this blog more. Yep, don't laugh - I will try harder! Here are 2 poems for you - one for yesterday and one for today. Happy Friday thoughts! Remembrance and how we come full circle were on my mind, but the meaning of the poems are what you see in them :)

As the world spins

In this new year, we begin again

This tumult, this rush of splendour

Without hope of truly understanding

We wander in a steady bewilderment

Our hands outstretched

Feeling in this endless dark.

Yet we are eager to begin again

To strut this endless conveyor-belt

Seeking meaning where there is none

Finding pain while seeking cheer

Burning ourselves in our curiosity

To discover the thing we are missing

The tiny segment to make us whole

While this never-ending maze turns.

Thus we live only to begin again

Reliving this dance in new shoes

Smiling with the morning’s promise

Well meaning in our desire to know

When nothing can really be known

Except for the tip of our own selves

Balancing on board this spinning jest

Curving ourselves into endless patterns

Of colour, spilling over as water falls

Always

Within these handwritten letters, she breathes

Speaking to me of the old days, long lost

Whisperings among rain-drenched leaves

Where we took our walks in the evening time

I hear her voice as I recall each and every line

Her sparkling laughter leaping off the flat page

Remembering the creases around her eyes so fine

And the way her lips curved like an archer’s bow

I live again in these times so precious, spent now

As though a fading movie reel plays before me

Conjuring memories from the depths of the sea

Float on to paper these words that will never be

Lost in time, yet never far from my mind

She sits beside me and is never still.

Copyright Vickie Johnstone

A Poem a Day (59): Footsteps

A five-minute poem for you... 

Footsteps

it’s the footsteps that remind me

walking 

in the snow

ever falling in dancing clusters

it makes me think

remember, recount

the numerous events

ending in this day

where the ocean roars

carrying me ever forward

I can begin again

just here

in this endless drift

of petals swimming

towards a darkening

only I can see

and so I exist

where these footsteps tell me

I am walking backwards 

into my past

copyright Vickie Johnstone

MKSP party with prizes - I'm hosting Monday - #99c sale

There's a big book party going on right now with fun, games and prizes - it's all part of the MKSP Black Friday/ Cyber Monday event with games, books, bargains, things to win and authors chatting. I'd like to thank the amazing Kim for organising it and letting me join in. 

I'm hosting on Monday with the awesome Leland Hermit, who writes fantastic books starring dogs, on Monday at 1pm PST/ 2pm MST/ 3pm CST/ 4pm EST/ 9pm GMT. Yep, I'll be the one in my pyjamas! I've reviewed one of his books on my review page.

Here's the link - there are authors hosting hour-long sessions, offering prizes and playing games until Monday fades - https://www.facebook.com/events/735998423151432/

During the event, I have these ebooks on sale for ‪#‎99c‬ / 75p

I Dream of Zombies

3 Heads & a Tail

Kiwi in Cat City

The Sea Inside 

Click for US Amazon page 

Click for UK Amazon page 

See you there!

Have a gorgeous weekend,

Vickie

#WinterZombie2014 blog tour: meet John O'Brien

The stench of frozen rotted meat is in the air! Welcome to the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour 2014, with 10 of the best zombie authors spreading the disease in the month of November! I love zombie stuff (shivers) and I'm proud to be hosting today!

Stop by the event page on Facebook, so you don’t miss an interview, guest post or teaser…  and pick up some great swag as well! Giveaways galore from most of the authors, as well as interaction with them! #WinterZombie2014

Click for Facebook tour page

SPOTLIGHT ON: John O’Brien

Why zombies, John?

While the creatures in the series aren’t technically zombies, they add a new dimension to survival in a post-apocalyptic world. If not for the added danger, most PA stories would be about agriculture and occasional encounters with marauders or other groups. There is just something about their relentless nature that prevents any feeling of ever being truly safe.

What is your latest zombie release?

A New World: Storm.

Can you give a quick description of it?

A vengeful darkness…

Gathers in the night…

One threat has been destroyed - another grows stronger. Even though Jack and the teams have won a major confrontation, their lives still hang by a thread. There are decisions to be made, and ones that have never been more critical.

Leonard continues to try to keep his crew together after being hit by another soul-shattering blow. They’ve only recently become aware of this new world, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon as they silently plunge through the Pacific, looking for answers Leonard knows they may never find.

Michael knows he can no longer stand idle and wait as he feels thousands of his kind disappear from his mind night after night. The weight of the survival of his kind weighs heavily on his shoulders and he pushes forward to end the threats to their existence.

The new world must find its balance…

And the scales are about to tip…

Click the links below to find out more!

To buy the book on Amazon

John's web Site

John's Facebook profile

John on Twitter

John's Amazon author page

More about John O'Brien

John O'Brien is a former Air Force fighter instructor pilot who transitioned to Special Operations for the latter part of his career, gathering his campaign ribbon for Desert Storm. Immediately following his military service, John became a firefighter/EMT with a local department. He also fell into the Information Technology industry in corporate management. Currently, John is writing full-time on the series A New World.

A former marathon runner, John lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and can now be found kayaking out in the waters of Puget Sound, mountain biking in the Capital Forest, hiking in the Olympic Peninsula, or pedalling his road bike along the many scenic roads.

*   *   *   *   *

Good luck John with your book!

Readers - cheers and I hope you enjoy the rest of the zombie tour!!

AND so you don’t miss any of the posts in November, 

here’s the complete list, updated daily:

Winter of Zombie listing

Kiwi in Cat City: on sale for #99c / 75p

Happy Saturday!! The weekend didn't come soon enough :)

One of my ebooks, Kiwi in Cat City, is on sale at the moment for #99c or 75p... purrs...

Kiwi in Cat City is the tale of a magical cat and her friends. This 6-book series is full of furry fun for ages 9-99. It has 38 4/5-star reviews and book 4 was a finalist in the Indie Excellence Book Awards 2013. 

"I love this book. I bought it this morning and just finished it. I couldn't put it down! I recommend this book to all readers who love a good crime/mystery, and if they love cats." (Katharine Robey/Amazon)

Amazon US: http://ow.ly/kSQYy
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/15Nxfsv
Book trailer: http://youtu.be/CLjmVgNJcLM
Zazzle gift shop: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/kiwiincatcity

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop - Oct 15-31 - win books!

Hi, I'm excited to be involved in the SPOOKTACULAR Giveaway Hop, hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer (www.iamareader.com). The hop is running from October 15-21, and there are so many blogs involved that you could gather an awesome armful of books!

I'm giving away paperback copies of my fantasy novel The Sea Inside to 2 winners, and an ebook copy of Kiwi and the Living Nightmare to 10 runners-up :) Good luck!

The Sea Inside

Book 1 in the Cerulean Songs series

"A young woman is struggling to adjust to life after a spinal cord injury when she is given a gift by a mysterious older woman. Rather than merely help Jayne adjust to her new reality, this gifts offers the potential of a completely alternate existence. Jayne finds her true love only to be dealt another cruel blow by fate. In her journey to get back her new life she must face the biggest hurdles any of us can – our own fears and doubts. The Sea Inside is a young adult fantasy adventure that, like the Kiwi series, takes the reader on a visit to a fantastic realm." (Review, Amazon)

Kiwi and the Living Nightmare

Book 3 in the Kiwi Series

Amy, James and Kiwi embark on their spookiest adventure yet – on Halloween. What begins with an eerie dream about a three-legged cat will take the budding detectives on a quest to find an old house in the middle of the woods, meeting some perky squirrels along the way. Little do they know that there awaits an angry, restless ghost that will do anything to stop them leaving. Meanwhile, Inspector Furrball and Siam discover the human world, and that Ames and Jimster are not what they seem. 

"Living Nightmare has just the right amount of scary bits along with humour to make it a very enjoyable read for kids of all ages." (Review, Amazon)

For a chance to win, just do the Rafflecopter. Good luck! 

Click on the links at the end to hop to the other blogs offering fantastic prizes :)

 

Cover reveal: The Snake Pit: Jr High Can be Torture

Hi, today I'm introducing the new cover and relaunch of a friend's book. Donna Dillon has recently 
been signed up by Master Koda Select Publishing and this is the new cover of her novel, 
The Snake Pit: Jr High Can be Torture.

Donna believes it's an important book because of its content and subject matter. It's something students and teachers may find particularly interesting. Donna feels passionately about preventing bullying in school and this is a theme of the book.  

Donna published her first book in October 2010. When Master Koda Select Publishing approached her with a publishing contract, she seized the opportunity.

About Donna

I am the author of five and 1/4 books thus far. I have been writing in the young adult genre with The Snake Pit and Return to the Snake Pit, which both deal with bullying in the public schools, and in the children's genre with Why Did It Have to Rain Today? and My Special Christmas Child. My new book is a leap into the thriller/suspense genre, so I'm anxious to finish and see how that goes. 

Quick Q&A

Q: What led you to publish your work with MKSP? 

Donna: I can write, but I suck at marketing. Kim and her team had some definite ideas about how we could get The Snake Pit books moving. It was a no-brainer for me.

Q: Why did you write this book?

Donna: Cinda, the character in the book, was born with a cleft palate and so was I. The things that happen in the book are fiction, but how she felt was exactly how I felt growing up. Being bullied for something you can't possibly help or change is horrible. I chose to turn it into something positive, but many bullied children do not. I'm 47 years old now. I can still hear the bullies' voices in my head. But, the thing I remember the most - the thing that bothers me the most - is the silence from those who just stood by and let it happen, and did nothing to stop it. That is why I wrote this book.

3 fun facts about Donna

1. I can ride a unicycle.

2. I can't breathe through my nose and I've never had a sense of smell. I can taste though, but don't ask me why - it's a mystery.

3. When I was 22, I was flown out to Hollywood and made a make-up commercial for Victoria Jackson cosmetics, which you can still catch on TV late at night. I also met Johnny Depp and had my picture taken with Heavy D on that same trip.

Whoa, Donna!!! You met Johnny.... I am green!!! 

About The Snake Pit: Jr. High can be Torture 

Cinda doesn't look like other twelve-year-old girls. A facial defect and corrective surgery has left her looking scarred and disfigured. When she walks into Hargrove Junior High for the first time, Cinda knows the other kids won't see how smart she is or what a good friend she could be; the other kids will see her as a monster and her life will be torture.

The school cafeteria, or The Snake Pit, as the kids call it, is the prime location for bullying. One pretty girl in particular takes an instant dislike to Cinda. Day after day, she is pushed, tripped and laughed at. Not all the other kids bully her, but only one tries to help.

Charlene Carsten is Cinda's only friend. She tries to stop the bullying, but the other kids will not listen. She tries to tell the Principal, but he only sees what he wants to. She tries to tell the teachers, but they all say the same thing - “Kids will be kids.”

When Cinda falls victim to a vicious prank at a school dance, it sets off a series of events that will change the lives of everyone involved.

Links

Amazon US 

Amazon UK