Going West: Mountain Road

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We were fed and watered… very well-fed, in fact after a home-cooked Welsh breakfast at the Mid-Wales Inn… and on the road early. The weather was finally dry, the sun attempting to peep through the clouds… and there was the little matter of the mountain road we had stumbled upon the day before. With a little manoeuvering, we had managed to plan a route that would necessitate driving its full length north-westwards.

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Not as far north as we had originally planned… we had taken longer than expected the day before to get this far and the timings were all wrong for one of the places we had wanted to visit. That was a bit of a disappointment perhaps, but our plans are generally flexible enough to stretch wherever the imagination takes us.

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With red kites wheeling overhead, we set off along the narrow road that runs through the Elan Valley. We would miss the dams, but, impressive though they are, we were going the wrong way for them.  On the other hand… we had the roads largely to ourselves, apart from the suicidal sheep that, as in Yorkshire, wander the roads as freely as they do the hills.

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And the hills were beautiful. The road we took runs for about fifteen miles from Rhyader, through Cwmystwyth to Pontarfynach. So far we were doing well… our destinations had vowels accessible to the English tongue. Fifteen miles on a deserted road does not take much above fifteen minutes… give or take an hour and a half when you get distracted…

Continue reading at France & Vincent

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Middle of Nowhere…

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After much to-ing and fro-ing of furniture…

We had finally embarked upon our pre-tour of Wales and were approaching the border of our eventual destination although it would be some time before our actual arrival there…

Road and more road…

So much road in fact that I may have dropped off…

“Where are we?”

“Monmouth-shire’s ‘Golden Valley’.”

“Shouldn’t that be M.O.N-shire?”

“No, it’s definitely Monmouth-shire, and anyway, you agreed we should check out Arthur’s Stone.”

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“I have no recollection of this.”

“Just before you dozed off.”

“It’s not easy being Narcoleptic, and in any case, if I did agree to it, which I seriously doubt, I did so before I knew where it was.”

“We still don’t know where it is, technically.”

“But of course we do, it’s just a little further into the middle of nowhere, you’ll see.”

Continue reading at France & Vincent

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Serenity ~Trent P. McDonald #writephoto

It was one of those blue days.  The sky hung low, the clouds wafted off of the perfectly smooth ocean, half masking the ghost of a sun.

It fitted Matt’s mood perfectly. Yes, calm, almost serene, yet blue.

Why do people have to die? And young people who have done no wrong?  Why?

His eye cast down; he kicked a stone.

“What’s this?”

Continue reading at  Trent’s World

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Dear Don: Cygnus

Dear Don,

Mea culpa, I couldn’t help myself. You know what I’m like, being a Virgo and all… I had to look up the official etymology of ‘road’. Not, I will grant you, that ‘official’ necessarily

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Winged Wayland, reconstruction of a fragment of the Leeds Cross. Image by: Alarichall CCA 4.0

means ‘correct’… or even that ‘correct’ means ‘true’… Especially when you consider how many times the linguists fall back on the old farm/hill/field belonging to ‘x’ when they don’t really have a clue what a place name means.

But even so… Not a Rod in sight… not even a hint of a Sighting Rod… which they would, undoubtedly, have needed, unless they were, as we suspect, following ancient and predetermined tracks across our land.

I know it is your bardic soul at play, juggling words like Anu’s Ball of Power, but it is odd just how often such verbal diversions yield flashes of understanding. Or, perhaps it isn’t odd at all…

I like the idea of Long Meg as a Swan Maiden… who always seem to be shapeshifters in the old tales too, flitting between human and avian form. Which would make her tattoos stars, as you say…

Continue reading at France & Vincent

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Serenity ~ Keith Hillman #writephoto

She sits and stares

unfocused eyes swimming to the horizon

Gazing into infinity

.

 

No sign of tears

Her expressionless face an empty canvas

A sea of pallor

Continue reading at Keith’s Ramblings

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Guest Author: D. Wallace Peach ~ Liars and Thieves, a new release!

Liars and Thieves

Unravelling the Veil Book One

D. Wallace Peach

Behind the Veil, the hordes gather, eager to savage the world. But Kalann il Drakk, First of Chaos, is untroubled by the shimmering wall that holds his beasts at bay. For if he cannot cleanse the land of life, the races will do it for him. All he needs is a spark to light the fire.

Three unlikely allies stand in his way.

A misfit elf plagued by failure—

When Elanalue Windthorn abandons her soldiers to hunt a goblin, she strays into forbidden territory.

A changeling who betrays his home—

Talin Raska is a talented liar, thief, and spy. He makes a fatal mistake—he falls for his mark.

A halfbreed goblin with deadly secrets—

Naj’ar is a loner with a talent he doesn’t understand and cannot control, one that threatens all he holds dear.

When the spark of Chaos ignites, miners go missing. But they won’t be the last to vanish. As the cycles of blame whirl through the Borderland, old animosities flare, accusations break bonds, and war looms.

Three outcasts, thrust into an alliance by fate, by oaths, and the churning gears of calamity, must learn the truth. For they hold the future of their world in their hands.

Liars and Thieves Global Purchase Link: Click HERE

Q & A

What draws you to the fantasy genre?

Oh. I’m a believer in magic – basically that the world is far more complex and interconnected than my pea-brain can possibly imagine. Just because we can’t prove something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Just because we can’t see or measure something doesn’t mean it isn’t real. I know a teeny weeny tiny fraction of all there is to know, which to me, means anything is possible. I like asking what-if questions about the nature of reality and ushering them down the path of my imagination to see where they go.


About the Author

D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life after the kids were grown and a move left her with hours to fill. Years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books, and when she started writing, she was instantly hooked. Diana lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two dogs, bats, owls, and the occasional family of coyotes.

Find and Follow Diana

Myths of the Mirror Website/Blog

Facebook   Amazon Author Page    Goodreads

Twitter @dwallacepeach


Find all Diana’s books on Amazon

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Serenity ~ Lady Lee #writephoto

A blue lit landscape

Water mirrors the sky

Like a sculpted shadow

And so gracefully framed

Cinders and afterglow

A blue lit landscape

Continue reading at Lady Lee Manila

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Fading #midnighthaiku

Winds of change bring rain

Beauty’s presence loses face

Rose petals falling

*

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Guest Author: Mason Bushell ~ A Compendium of Characters

Welcome to my menagerie and world of wonderful characters just waiting for you to discover them in A Compendium of Characters.

I bring you whimsical short stories spanning many Genres all in one wonderful book.

Paranormal and SCI-FI

Action and Adventure

Magic and Fantasy

True-Love and Romance

Mystery and Suspense

This book truly has the lot.

A Compendium of Characters by [Mason Bushell]

Buy here: Available via Amazon

Reviews

Mason Bushell has a distinct style of writing which is light and easy to read. He knows how to build a story to create suspense and cliff hangers, and can create dark scary tension too. He creates engaging characters with depth and skilfully includes humour in dialogue. His descriptive abilities are often detailed in such a way that you wonder if he has professional knowledge of the subject, whether writing science fiction, architecture or tales-at-sea, and he does it without info dumping or showing off; it simply adds to the story and characters.

This collection is an eclectic mix of light-hearted, sometimes thought provoking and heart wrenching tales. There really is something for everyone.

………………………

Mason is a highly imaginative, creative and often thought provoking writer. There are thirty-one stories in this marvelous collection and my favorite, and one that I believe encapsulates his skill and imagination, is Buttercup Lily. It’s the story of a tiny garden fairy who befriends a lonely widow and helps her cope with the loss of her beloved husband. It’s delightfully charming and written with heart and compassion, as are all of the stories in this wonderful collection. Like it’s title implies, A Compendium of Characters is filled with a variety of diverse characters that will delight and intrigue and is confidently written by an author who always delivers and never fails to entertain. Highly recommended.

Why I write

For me writing began as a young boy lost in fantasy and adventure book’s I grew to enjoy writing stories in English Class. Then my career as a chef got in the way. At some point during that time, I was gifted a chance that changed my life. My head chef comes in from lunch with her newspaper and on the page she puts down is a mystery writing competition. I decide to do that and that’s when I meet my sleuth Holly. She’s not in my competition piece but comes to say ‘hi’ and I’ve written most days since. Writing became an escape from horrible realities at times and even now, I most happy when creating a story.

My Advice to Writers

The best advice I can give is to practise in every genre, point of view, style and tense you possibly can. In doing so, you will never be short of ideas and you’ll learn so much on writing. That knowledge will then allow you to hone your stories into beautiful pieces you can be proud of and your readers will love. The more you write the better.

About the author:
Mason Bushell, is chef, author and wildlife photographer. He loves spending time exploring the woods and countryside with his dog and camera in tow. Lucy dog has been known to steal his laptop to force him to go walkies too!


Find and follow Mason
WordPress Blog     Facebook     Twitter    Amazon Author Page


Other books by Mason Bushell available via Amazon

Holly: The story of how a Workhouse waitress became a sleuth (The Workhouse (Restaurant) Mysteries) Kindle Edition

Holly Ward is a natural-born mystery solver. She spends her days as a waitress in her mother’s restaurant, and her spare time scuppering criminals. Trained from a young age by her Detective Grandfather, she sees all puzzles as a challenge and loves to try and work them out, leading to all sorts of mysteries and adventures.

This collection of stories is an introduction to the Workhouse (Restaurant) Mysteries series, and of course our cozy-mystery solver Holly: her background, her upbringing and how she came to be the crime solving sleuth she is today.


A Merry Mishap Kindle Edition

Logan is a lonely writer who can’t wait for Christmas to be over. An injured lady falling into his care may be about to change that. Even with loving feelings growing between them Logan knows a relationship can’t happen. Will Christmas create magic between them? Join them for a cosy story and find out.


Be my guest…

If you are a writer, artist or photographer…If you have a poem, story or memoirs to share… If you have a book to promote, a character to introduce, an exhibition or event to publicise… If you have advice for writers, artists or bloggers… or simply a story or an opinion to share…

If you would like to be my guest, please read the guidelines and get in touch!

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Reflect ~ Aishwarya #writephoto

Waters of sea,

Reflect colours of sky,

Naturally, unquestioningly,

Likewise expressions of visage,

Continue reading at Kitty’s Verses

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