Kristjaan came up with a new Special haiku episode, where Kyoshi Takahama, the haiku-master of May and his haiku are used as inspiration.
Kyoshi isn't a well known haiku poet, but he has written wonderful
haiku.
Today's haiku by Kyoshi is written at the end of Spring,which he calls 'the night of Spring'. As Kristjaan said,
that's a wonderful imagery for the departure of Spring.
I really liked this prompt and felt very happy to write on this theme.
On Friday, May 31st, you can take your chance to tell the blogosphere about your most recent [W]ork [I]n [P]rogress. You’ll be guided by the provided prompts to answer in your own post,
and even give you the opportunity to solicit CP’s (partners who
exchange material for detail critique – usually chapter by chapter) or
Beta Readers (test readers who read entire manuscripts and offer broad
opinions) if you’re looking for that.
Here are the prompts you'll have to follow:
WIP Title: Word Count (projected/actual so far):
Genre:
How long have you been working on it?:
Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book):
Brief Synopsis (250 words or less):
Are you looking for a Critique Partner?:
Are you looking for a Beta Reader?:
I really love this blogfest idea because it helps and guides you to tell others about what you're working at and it helps you get help in finishing/editing/revising/ your work. :) Go visit DL Hammons at Criusing Altitude and Elise Fallson to sign up for this fun and very, very useful blogfest.
Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year
separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has
other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a
new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named
Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin
Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels
compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to
the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
My Review:
The book is exactly what the blurb promises to be: a beautiful and touching paranormal love story that plays on the idea that love transcends time and soul mates will always search for each other.
First, I loved the premise of the book: the restless soul of a young nun from the XVth century leads Anne, its present day reincarnation, towards the place where the nun's body has been abandoned centuries ago without being aloud to find peace.
Secondly, I loved the shift between present and past, between Anne's and Genevive's stories and the way their stories are woven together. Carmen plays the visions/apparitions/dreams card and the fact that in spite of telling the story of two different female protags, she manages to create background for both Genevive and Anne.
Thirdly, I liked the descriptions the author used to put everything in place - I'm not usually a big fan of thorough descriptions, but this book is one of the few exceptions.
I'd say Carmen managed to write a beautiful, touching love story that transcends time, about overcoming adversity and one's learning, personal growth and transformation and a second love story about choices.
The end of the book is a happy one if just a little gloomy, which is understandable for such a tragic story (promising more, maybe? - I hope so).
I felt for Genevive's lack of luck, I loved Anne for her strenght and I loved the book.
Author bio:
Carmen
Stefanescu was born in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire
Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just
speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led
someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison. Teacher of English and German
in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived
the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the
books.
She
has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote
during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s
regime in 1989 and the opening of the country to the world meant a new
beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in
English.
On my way to my grandma's house I have to pass by the ruins of "St. Haralambie" church (yes, near a forest, too) which had been built in 1818 and whose mysteries are yet to be revealed. This is one of the things tourmenting my curiousity as a child and was a central place to many stories I was creating in my childhood and teens.
dandelion fields
stirring imagination -
dubious riuns
mysteries hidden -
the pass of time will deepen
curiousity
stories writing place -
playing with ghosts from the past,
rewriting the truth
After more than 2 decades fantasizing about the ruins and inventing stories, about 2 years ago I've researched it and I haven't found more than the name of the church and the year of the construction. So, my mind still creates scenaries and scenarios around it. I could imagine a ghotic novel around this mystery (1st draft almost ready - boxed in autumn - why haven't God offered me the gift of finishing up everything?)
________________________________
Kristjaan came up with a new episode for his already beautiful and alluring challenge. This is called "treasure" and it requires to use someone else's haiku, a haiku that brought back to you some memories.
So, for today's Carpe Diem Treasure I've stopped at one of Basho's haiku:
where’s the moon?
the temple bell sunk
to the bottom of the sea
tsuki izuku / kane wa shizumeru / umi no soko
These beautiful lines brought back to my memory the visit to a salina from a few months ago. I've been fascinated by that beautiful dark place and by the salt lake equipped with boats in order to make the time there more enjoyable. Inspired by Basho (I just love his writing), remembering my trip to that salina, here's my haiku and a memory of that place:
I hope you'll enjoy this haiku, because I really enjoyed that short but beautiful trip.
I'm also adding two links to my recently published poems: 4and20poetry where my poems opens this month's edition (happy!) and to my "Sharpening the green pencil" entry. I'll render the ones from Sharpening the green pencil, since these are harder to find:
a moment ago the sun ceded place to clouds - world from bright to dark
COVER REVEAL - RACHEL MORGAN
Title: The Faerie Prince Author: Rachel Morgan Publication Date: May 30th 2013 Description: Guardian
trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most
important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time
by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and
forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her
year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn,
her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying
to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a
week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the
possibly-insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to
‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is
still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms,
complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild
itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.
Aren't these great?
Go visit Rachel to learn more about her writing!
Teaser Tuedays: Carmen Stefanescu - Shadows of the Past Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser:
Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him - loosing his family, his friends and his position among his peers.
Shadows of the Past
Publish date: 4th December 2012
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Genre: paranormal/light romance/light
horror.
Blurb
Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year
separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has
other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a
new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named
Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin
Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels
compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to
the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
And... surprise, surprise... here is a short interview with the author of the book, Carmen Stefanescu, if you'd like to know more about her writing.
Share 3 teasers from your book, each consisting of 2 sentences.
1.
Genevieve
wrapped the dark mantle covering her shoulders more tightly around her and
swallowed her fears as they began the cautious ride through the silent forest. They
rode on through the silent night, enveloped by their own silent guilt.
2. "Oh, God.
Please forgive me," Andrew muttered under his breath when he bowed his
head to kiss her and their lips met in a passionate first kiss.
Genevieve's spirits fell and her heart skipped a beat when, a couple of
seconds later, she opened her eyes and her gaze fell on a knot strangers.
3. Anne shivered; why
the deep feeling of having seen this place, this forest before and the eerie
sensation of being present here only in the body, while her mind was far away?
Away from Neil, the man who'd betrayed her trust and her love.
Share 3 pieces of
advice for beginning writers like myself.
1. Follow your dream! Read, write.
Read and write. 2. Be civil, good-mannered even towards
editors who reject your manuscript. If they take the time to write you an
explanation, be courteous and thank them. 3. Swallow the bitter tears of
rejection and go on querying. Never give up! In the end your dream will come
true. It's what happened to me!
Why historical fantasy? I
have a fascination for Medieval Times.As the events in Shadows of the Past take place
during Medieval England, I read as much historical info as I could. Especially details regarding life in monasteries. I had
to do a thorough research. I found out quite interesting things. The same I did for Wicca. What Wicca means
and what do Wiccans do and what their view on existence is. My next novel Dracula's Mistress, you know the
fascination this name creates, is again a historical novel. Historical
paranormal. Medieval Romania/Walachia.
You started with poetry, like myself. Share a short poem.
Well, a difficult
decision. I will give you the poem whose first lines are a motto for Shadows
of the Past. By the way, I even have a poem with the same title.
ETERNITY
In the quiet solitude of a
small, remote convent,
Only prayers seem alive on
the lips of holy sisters.
Candles flicker in their
hands like lost souls in search of light,
And the yellowish, faint
glimmer makes a halo' round their whispers.
Era is eternity. Garments,
litany unchanged.
Just a film of smoke on walls
clings mute witness to new faces,
To the passing-by of time, to
deathlessness of love and hope,
To this monolith of faith
heaving over age and spaces!
TORPOR
I learned to love my empty
days
While waiting for the sleep
to come.
Old-fashioned, silly, paper
flowers
float above my head,
flooding the stifling silence;
without questioning myself
I fall asleep in the
moonlight.
Plans, about tomorrow, are
supremely
unimportant !
Author bio:
Carmen
Stefanescu was born in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire
Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just
speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led
someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison. Teacher of English and German
in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived
the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the
books.
She
has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote
during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s
regime in 1989 and the opening of the country to the world meant a new
beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in
English.
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