Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Weekly News – #Reviews – #Fantasy K.M. Allan, #Fantasy C.S. Boyack, #Poetry Colleen M. Chesebro

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the weekly news with recent reviews for authors on the shelves.

The first author today is K.M. Allan with a recent review for Blackbirch: The Dark Half

About the book

Now that the origins of his power have been revealed, Josh Taylor’s search for answers continues with the arrival of Kallie-a girl he thought only existed in his dreams.

Running from her own secrets, she shows Josh how to use his gift in ways he didn’t know were possible. But, as they push the limits of their abilities, they discover there are consequences to messing with magick.

Security guard Kered knows the repercussions. Finding a power-filled crystal, he starts a chain reaction that brings a dangerous foe from Kallie’s past to Blackbirch and forces a devastating choice. Is Josh and Kallie’s bond strong enough to save them? And wi

One of the recent reviews for the book

May 08, 2021 Katya Dibb rated it Four Stars really liked it

After the cliff-hanger of book one, how could you not be hanging out for book two?

Excited to see all the gang again as their adventure deepens and more mystery abounds. A lot of my questions from book one were answered but new ones woven in through an exciting witchy adventure mean I’m now dying for book three – why do you keep doing this do us, K.M?!

Definitely worth picking up if you enjoyed book one and want to know more about the magic that binds Josh and Kallie together

Also by K.M. Allan

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow K.M. Allan: Goodreads – Instagram: K.M. Allan Writer – Facebook: K.M. Allan Writer – Twitter: @KMAllan_writer

The next author with a review is C.S. Boyack for Lunar Boogie (The Hat Book 4)

About the book

Lizzie and the hat are back in action, only this time they’re up against the most tragic monster of all, a werewolf.

This adventure is more like hunting an animal, and the werewolf is unlikely to come to any of their musical performances. This puts Lizzie out in the dark corners and wooded areas of the city. It may be more beneficial to get the monster to hunt Lizzie than to stalk him on his own turf. All she has to do is be quicker on the trigger than the wolf is on his feet.

At the same time, the police think they’re after a serial killer. Lizzie tries to keep them alive while also keeping them out of her way. As the body count rises, so do the pressures. It doesn’t help that people are blaming Lizzie and the hat for the killings. This involves an urban myth about them that the locals call Hellpox.

Pull on your boogie shoes and join the hunt. Designed as an afternoon read, this one is tons of supernatural fun.

An recent review for the book

writester Things Just Got Real!

In the latest installment of this must-read series, Boyack upped the stakes. The creature on the loose is a werewolf, which means Lizzie is hunting a mindless killing machine—who is human the rest of the month. That weighs on her conscience. Especially when she fears the monster might be a dear friend.

Boyack also adds a new character to the mix, a detective who talks to the spirit of his dead wife. This is a supernatural franchise, so I can see this becoming a storytelling device, and I’d love to see it develop further as the tales continue.

We get all the elements we’ve come to expect from hat stories: a great musical playlist, witty banter between the hat and Lizzie, Internet jokes, the return of some favorite recurring characters, and even the radio show continues to speculate about their alter ego. These callbacks make each installment of the hat series extra special and more fun to read.

But Lizzie is getting further steeped in the supernatural world, that that comes with dangers and horrors, which means the story gets a little darker. And while I don’t mind dark, readers should know the light-hearted tone they’ve come to expect won’t always be there this time.

Lunar Boogie didn’t end on a cliffhanger, but it definitely told me there was more to come. This world is growing and changing, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

A selection of other books by C.S. Boyack

C. S. Boyack, Buy: Amazon US – and :Amazon UK – Follow Craig: Goodreads – blog:Cold Hand Boyack – Twitter: @Virgilante

The final author today is Colleen M. Chesebro with a recent review for Word Craft Prose & Poetry.

About the guide and collection

Are you ready to learn how to craft Japanese and American poetry? Consider this book the first step on your journey to learning the basics of how to craft syllabic poetry. Inside, you will discover many new forms, syllable combinations, and interpretations of the different Japanese and American forms and structures of haiku, senryu, haiga, tanka, renga/solo renga, gogyohka, haibun, tanka prose, the cinquain, and its variations, Etheree, nonet, and shadorma poetry.

So… what are you waiting for? Let’s craft syllabic poetry together!

A recent review for the guide and poetry collection

Andrea L. Stoeckel An amazing resource

“Syllabic verse is all about the brevity of words. For this reason, we’re forced to choose words pregnant with meaning to get our experiences across to our reader.”

Poetry is a very personal form of art (Yes, word craft is art) that blossoms from emotional stuff both positive and negative. From the 17th century haiku master Basho to today’s ad jingle we are in contact with it more than we may notice. Syllabic poetry is both easy and hard as Chesbro challenges the reader to look beyond haiku to other forms such as tanka, haibun, renga, cinquain shardoma, nonet and others.

This is a very well written, easily accessible book that if I had the resources would sit on my shelf in paper form. Colleen Chesbro is a writer I have followed and communicated with through Tanka Tuesdays and other forums. I’ve even been prompted to restart my own poetry journey [ note I am an award winning poet on my own merits published in 2 anthogies in the 1980s and 90s]. I love the fact that this book being a non fiction contemporary look at a very old form of art as communication also reminds the reader to keep trying. one of the best non fiction books I have read this year and highly recommended. 5/5

Also by Colleen M. Chesebro