Poetry Perfection

My Review of Jim Bennett's 

Cold Comes Through, 

Poetry Book 1

Writing—and reading—true poetry is often associated with admitting vulnerability. Reading it, you have to let it in. Writing it is a lot more arduous: You have to let it out. And letting it out, Jim Bennett does with Cold Comes Through, Book 1 of his five-volume poetry series.

Having read Bennett’s poetry series in reverse order, his first volume—I find—is the most melancholy as it deals with loss, grieving and remembrance. Death hovers nearby, cloaked in autumn leaves, or the heartbreaking throes of Alzheimer’s. But Bennett’s insight into human nature always treats the most dire of his themes with dignity and grace.

After finally reading Cold Comes Through, I know I shall do so again, as I will surely re-read the entire series from time to time. Poetry creates a cultured haven from the blustery world that trammels us daily. Jim Bennett’s poems are some of the best I have had the pleasure ever reading.

* * * * *

Jim Bennett's 5-Volume Poetry is available here:

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Bennett

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jim-Bennett

Website: http://jim-bennett.ca/

Jim Bennett's Poetry Series is also available in Paperback on Lulu:

http://www.lulu.com/JimBennett

My Review of Christoph Fischer's Ludwika

It took me a while to digest Christoph Fischer's Ludwika - and to give an "impersonal" review. But isn't why we read certain books to feel, to identify, to learn? And if it's a difficult subject handled well, to remember. 

For me, such is Ludwika, A Polish Woman's Struggle To Survive In Nazi Germany. 

  

WWII and its Civilian Casualties 

Christoph Fischer's LUDWIKA brings back the plight of civilians swept up by WWII, centering on Ludwika's will and tenacity to survive, no matter what she must sacrifice. This book becomes even more personal for those who still remember – or at least, who recall survival stories of their European parents. Those who have never faced an invading army might not easily understand Ludwika’s “pliability,” her willingness to leave her young daughter back in Poland while submitting to a German officer’s romantic promises.

This is a heart-wrenching subject tackled by a talented writer.

I highly recommend Fischer’s novel.

AMAZON-US Ludwika
AMAZON-UK Ludwika
Check out Christoph's informative website:

https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

Out of Egypt – Something Horrifying

Lexa Cain (writing as L X Cain) first came to my attention through the beautiful masthead of her Egypt-inspired blog (do go and visit it here). We blogged back and forth, and subsequently it was an honor to receive her endorsement of my descriptions of the modern Egyptian (in Sirocco). She should know: Although born in the US, Lexa has been living in Egypt for many years now.

Today, it is my great pleasure to feature her latest novel released on October 4th:

BLOODWALKER

The story actually has nothing to do with Ancient or present-day Egypt. This book falls truly into the Thriller/Mystery/Horror genres. Already, it ranks high on Amazon with numerous four- and five-star reviews with comments like, “Exceptional from beginning to end.” “I cringed, I gasped, I pondered, I theorized, I begged and pleaded, then finally the ride was over, and I wanted more.”

Lightning flashes. Another child disappears…

When Zorka Circus performs, its big top roars with laughter and cheers, but when it moves on, there are fewer children in the European towns it leaves behind.

Circus Security Chief Rurik suspects a killer hides among the international performers, but they close ranks—they’ve always viewed lightning-scarred Rurik as the monster. Nevertheless, he's determined to find the culprit and stop them before anyone else dies and the only place he can call home is ripped apart by the murders.

Into Zorka Circus comes the Skomori clan, despised as gravediggers and ghoulish bloodwalkers. A one-day truce allows bloodwalker Sylvie to marry. Instead, she finds a body. Alerting others will defy her clan’s strict rules, break the truce, and leave her an outcast.

When more bodies turn up, the killer's trail becomes impossible to ignore. Rurik and Sylvie must follow the clues—even if they lead to something unimaginable...

A perfect story for Halloween.

But be sure to lock your doors before you settle down to read.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: (Paperback) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1939844258/ 

Amazon (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/Bloodwalker-L-X-Cain-ebook/dp/B01IAGHS5K

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodwalker-L-X-Cain/dp/1939844258

Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bloodwalker-lx-cain/

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/bloodwalker

iTunes: https://fnd.io/#/us/book/1116824924-bloodwalker-by-lx-cain

BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Bloodwalker/L-X-Cain

Powell’s Books: http://www.powells.com/book/bloodwalker

Dancing Lemur Press: http://www.dancinglemurpressllc.com/mysteryparanormalhorror

  

L.X. Cain was born in the U.S. but now lives in Egypt on the Red Sea and busily taps away at a laptop, coming up with stories to thrill and entertain readers

Contact L.X. Cain at:

Blog: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lx.cain

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LXCain

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LX_Cain

This Bad Boy Shows Up Everywhere

Edward, our charming conman,

plays an ever more intricate and dangerous role
in Books 2 through 5 of the
Legends of the Winged Scarab

In this quick read, however, he is still the charming con artist, albeit just as ruthless when it comes to squeezing money out of his besotted victims.

                                                 

Edward plays an ever more intricate and dangerous role in Books 2 through 5 of the Legends of the Winged Scarab, while here he is still just a charming con artist.

Amazon-US

Amazon-UK

SIROCCO, Storm over Land and Sea

An archaeological thriller 

SIROCCO, Storm over Land and Sea

Book 2 - Legends of the Winged Scarab

Haven't read Book 1 yet?
No problem (although you are missing a terrific saga about Ancient Egypt), Sirocco starts with the Arab Spring in 2012, building on the Golden Tablets hammered out in 3080 BC (in Khamsin).

So, for all practical purposes, Sirocco is the first of Khamsin's four sequels playing out its adventures in modern times.

In Book 3 (After the Cataclysm) the world turns post-apocalyptic following the long-foretold Yellowstone Supervolcano eruption.

Book 4 (The Crystal Curse) takes you deep into the Lost Labyrinth of Egypt (the existence of which is denied by the Egyptian Government).

Book 5 (The Nile Conspiracy) has our main protagonists involved in the very real threat to Egypt's water supply anticipated from the construction of an Ethiopian monster-dam along the Blue Nile.

(You can read Excerpts from all five books on my "Excerpts" page).

* * *

Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
or:
Buy from an Amazon near you:  http://authl.it/B008Y6GXZ8
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/217175
B&N: SIROCCO-Barnes&Noble
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sirocco-storm-over-land-and-sea
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sirocco-storm-over-land-sea/
Inktera: http://www.inktera.com/store/SIROCCO

Is it a Dream or Madness?

Inter-Galactica, 

The brief deliciously delirious dream of a spinster - or is it?

She waits, hopes he will come for her -
as he does for all of us - eventually.

Amazon-US

Amazon-UK

Christoph Fischer Releases New Murder Mystery

Award winning historical and crime fiction novelist

Christoph Fischer 

has written a light-hearted, cozy murder mystery.

Order your Copy of 

The Body in the Snow here:

https://www.amazon.com/The Body in the Snow

  

Fading celebrity Bebe Bollinger is on the wrong side of fifty and dreaming of a return to the limelight. When a TV show offers the chance of a comeback, Bebe grabs it with both hands – not even a lazy agent, her embarrassing daughter, irritating neighbors or a catastrophic snowfall will derail her moment of glory. But when a body is found in her sleepy Welsh hamlet, scandal threatens. 

Detective Sergeant Beth Cooper has a string of unsolved cases to her name. Her girlfriend left her and she’s a fish out of water in rural West Wales. Things couldn’t get much worse – until the case of the Body in The Snow lands in her lap. 
Can Beth solve the case and save her career and can Bebe make her comeback?

Read the fascinating back story of

The Body In The Snow, 

a new Bebe Bollinger Murder Mystery, 

which is set in Wales, on Christoph Fischer’s Website:

https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

Found: King Nectanebo Shrine

Shrine Dedicated to King Nectanebo I 
Unearthed in Egypt 

An Egyptian and German archaeological team sifting through the ruins of a temple dedicated to the ancient King Nectanebo I has found building blocks and parts of the ceiling, which was decorated with stars. Authorities hope to rebuild and restore the shrine.

(Egyptian Ministry of Antquities photo)

The 30^th Dynasty king, whose name is also spelled Nakhtanebu, lived in the fourth century BC. His house was the last native Egyptian royal line before Persians reconquered Egypt in 343 BC and overthrew Nectanebo’s grandson.

Shared by Mark Miller in Ancient-Origins 

Read the entire article here: http://www.ancient-origins.net/shrine

Herodotus on Burial in Egypt

Herodotus Wrote:
 * II:85. Their fashions of mourning and of burial are these: Whenever any household has lost a man who is of any regard amongst them, the whole number of women of that house forthwith plaster over their heads or even their faces with mud.

Then leaving the corpse within the house they go themselves to and fro about the city and beat themselves, with their garments bound up by a girdle and their breasts exposed, and with them go all the women who are related to the dead man, and on the other side the men beat themselves, they too having their garments bound up by a girdle; and when they have done this, they then convey the body to the embalming.

Book of the Dead

Read the entire article at Ancient Origins - and perhaps be glad you live in our times. Although women are known to still plaster their faces with mud; but for very different reasons - and usually at considerable cost.

http://www.ancient.eu/article/89/

*Herodotus, The Landmark Herodotus (Quercus Publishing Plc, 2008)

Published under Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Mummification

Woven within the story of KHAMSIN, my readers seem to appreciate learning something new or refreshing their knowledge of fascinating ancient rites, such as mummification.

                       

The questions is not just what drove the Ancient Egyptians to such lengths of wanting to preserve their dead? Rather, how did such a complex culture rise from the harsh sands of the desert? Most of what we know is still spotty, conjecture and theory.

I surely would love to know a lot more. Wouldn’t you?