Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore Author Update Release #Poetry Frank Prem, Reviews #Crime Jane Risdon, #Thriller Gwen Plano

Welcome to the Friday edition of the Cafe and Bookstore with new releases and reviews for the authors on the shelves

Delighted to share the news of Frank Prem’s latest release which is a selection of his poetry from across his current collections – Pebbles to Poems

About the collection

Pebbles to Poems is a sample pack of Frank Prem’s free-verse poetry and storytelling published between 2018 and 2020. Extracts from six collections, ranging through memoir, and wildfire though to contemporary love poetry.

• Small Town Kid – growing up in a rural Australian town during the 1960s and 70s.
• Devil In The Wind – the stories of victims and survivors of the 2009 Black Saturday wildfires in Australia.
• The New Asylum – an experience of public psychiatry in Australia, from childhood roaming the mental hospital grounds, through student psychiatric nursing and on to managing acute wards and patients.
• A Love Poetry Trilogy:
• Walk Away Silver Heart – derived from the Amy Lowell poem ‘Madonna of the Evening Flowers’.
• A Kiss for the Worthy – derived from the Walt Whitman poem ‘Leaves of Grass’.
• Rescue and Redemption – derived from the T. S. Eliot poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’.
• This is poetry that is meant to be read on the page and aloud, as well. Poetry the way you always wished it could be written.

One of the early reviews for the collection

Sep 26, 2020 D.G. Kaye rated it Five Stars it was amazing

This book is a delicious sampling of extracts from some of the works of Frank Prem. The first collections are written in personal memoir style, poetic reflections of growing up in rural Australia in the 1960s and 70s from his book – Small Town Kid. Prem shares in his poetic anthology about his personal experiences with the 2009 wildfires in Australia in his book – Devil in the Wind. And more experience shared from his background in working in a mental asylum, and then as a nurse in the public mental health system, offering a taste of his poetic telling from his book, The New Asylum. These stories are exposés of life through the eyes and experience of Prem and the public psychiatric system, spanning five decades as Prem shares some of the shenanigans that went on, giving us a glimpse of life in the public psychiatric system, written in the style we’ve come to know from Prem, with his free-verse poetry.

In the last part of this book, Prem revisits some of his beautiful poetry from his love trilogy and shares snippets from the three-book collection – Walk Away Silver Heart, Rescue and Redemption, and A Kiss for the Worthy, a personal collection of love poems with lines taken from various reknowned authors, converted into Prem’s own self tellings with his unique form of poetry.

If you enjoy personal poetry and memoir written in poetic style, you are sure to get hooked on Prem’s writing as he breathes new life into both, old styled and new poetry.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Also by Frank Prem

Frank Prem, Buy: Amazon US –And: Amazon UK – Website:Frank Prem – Goodreads:Goodreads – Twitter:@frank_prem

The first author with a recent review is Jane Risdon for her collection Undercover: Crime Shorts.

About the book

Under one cover for the first time a collection of Crime Shorts from Jane Risdon featuring previously unpublished stories which will have you on the edge of your seat. There is an extract from Jane’s forthcoming novel (series) Ms Birdsong Investigates Murder at Ampney Parva: Operation Matryoshka – with the title of Undercover – for those who’ve been awaiting this series about a former MI5 Intelligence Office, Lavinia Birdsong. There’s something for everyone who enjoys a good yarn and more twists and turns than Spaghetti Junction.

One of the recent reviews for the collection

Pamela Allegretto 5.0 out of 5 stars easy 5 stars  Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020

Jane Risdon treats the reader to her rare talent for spinning well-written, unique, and memorable yarns. Her writing is uncluttered, with each carefully chosen word packing a maximum punch. I thoroughly enjoyed this imaginative compilation.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon UK  – And: Amazon US

Also by Jane Risdon

Jane Risdon Buy: Amazon UK – And:  Amazon US–   Blog:Jane Risdon WordPress – Goodreads:Jane Risdon Goodread –  Twitter: @Jane_Risdon

And the final author today is Gwen Plano with a recent review for The Choice: Unexpected Heroes, the sequel to the co-written paranormal thriller with John W. Howell.. Contract

About the book

The Choice: unexpected heroes is the sequel to The Contract: between heaven and earth. In the first book, a catastrophic political event threatens Earth. The heavenly leadership decides to execute extraordinary measures to ensure the survival and long-term viability of the planet. Two volunteer souls return to Earth and take human form as Brad Channing and Sarah O’Brien. They are ultimately successful in preventing the catastrophe, but lose their lives in the process.

The Choice picks up where the first book ends, at an Air Force Base in northern California. The base commander invites Brad’s former Navy SEAL instructor to help him determine who is behind the murder of Brad and Sarah. It is evident that their deaths are part of a bigger plan, and the commander has an urgent need to thwart that plan.

A mystery unfolds which implicates key Washington D.C. officials. A confidential team studies the evidence and pursues leads. Eventually, they uncover a traitorous conspiracy that has as its goal: world domination. The pressing question is who can be trusted and who cannot.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Mae Clair 4.0 out of 5 stars Well plotted political intrigue  Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2020

If you enjoy military fiction and political intrigue, you’ll enjoy this well-polished and plotted novel. The sequel to The Contract: Between Heaven and Earth, the story delves into the murder of Brad and Sarah (from book one) and who ordered their deaths. The author does provide a forward which helps cover what occurred in the first novel if you are new to the series.

In The Choice, new characters are introduced, including two who set up a romantic theme. I liked how the relationship grew and flourished between Jim and Donna. The bulk of the story, however, focuses on the investigation and political twists and turns as our “unexpected heroes” work to stop a power-hungry man known as “the Lion” from creating a one-world government. The pace moves steadily throughout with a few unexpected and well delivered twists at the end. A solid four star read.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US –And: Amazon UK

Other books by Gwen Plano

Gwen Plano, Buy: Amazon UK –and  : Amazon US – follow Gwen : Goodreads –website:Gwen Plano – Twitter: @gmplano

 

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you are leaving with some books.. thanks Sally.