Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Becket Brings A New Genre, Steampunk Sorcery, What A Tale!


Wow! Check out the Whole Cast of Goblins!
in
Good The Goblin Queen

By Becket
Illustrations by Raven Quinn

The pots, the pots,
it's the Pots and Pans Parade
We prance, we dance
like ants in pants
in the Pots and Pans Parade!
~~~
This is a silly book! It has lots of silly words! And pretty soon, you will begin to feel silly too, wouldn't you? Because there are lots of silly thoughts! And lots of silly rhymes... How could you help but begin to act silly too?! Say, for instance, little Good's parents... welllll, adoptive parents that is...


OK, you might not think of a little girl having orangutans for parents, but, when I did, in fact I thought it was...silly...


Good was never allowed
to cook anything if it did
not have banana in it.
She had to make banana
soup, banana stew,
banana bread, banana
butter, banana applesauce
banana salad, banana
sandwiches, banana
meatloaf, banana mashed
potatoes, banana ice cream
...(get the idea!)
Now, you see, Good was not a little baby orangutan because that would have been fine...Instead, Good was a little girl, just like you and I once were! In fact, when Good was reading this story, she started laughing and said "that's silly!" Good decided one day, that her life was not good at all!

The first reason for this decision was because her mom and dad had named her Good. She did not want to be called "bad." but she never liked being called Good either. It was not a normal name. She would have rather been called another lovely name, like Ginny,...People were always misunderstanding her. "What's your name?" they would ask and she would reply, "I'm Good." And they would think that she was not very smart because good is usually how someone feels, never what you're named...

What a silly life!




...there were always large piles of
bananas all over the place...There
were bananas in the kitchen,
bananas in the living room,
bananas in the bothroom and in
Good's bedroom. She had to sleep
on a pile of bananas and her pillow
was a bag of banana peels. The
more her mom taste-tested bananas
the more banana peels carpeted the
floor. Good was always slipping on
them and dropping her books.
And she was never allowed to
clean the house either. Her mom
and dad liked everything being in
a specific order, which meant that
there was no order whatsoever!
I told you this was a silly book. Good also had two other reasons for not liking her life. You'll find out about those when you read this fun book!

Can you imagine that where they lived everybody thought they were a regular family?! And her father had even become President of the country! Her mom had a job as a banana tester and was able to keep the family completely in bananas to the delight of everybody, but...Good...

And then one night Good sneaked out of the tree house and dug up her box of books--she couldn't leave them in her room because her mom or dad would eat them! She read that night a story about a Goblin Queen and then, looking up, she saw bright shooting stars and wished upon each one!


No one ever thought of Good as a good girl. They never thoughts of her as bad either. In fact, she was so ignored by so many people that no one really ever thought of her. She went to school and had no friends. She came home and had no friends. She walked around the neighborhood or the park or the beach and she still had no friends. But one day she started to change. And then she was noticed, not by people, but by a troop of goblins marching by in the Pots and Pans Parade!
~~~
First she met an elderly ghost named Mr. Fuddlebee...
who appears below in glasses and a derby...
And before Good knew it, she had turned green!
And, of course, the Goblin Band sang loud and free--
They knew right away that Good was their Queen!
Then the goblins lined up before Good and bowed so low to the ground that they all lost their balance and fell over. They got back to their feet after they fought with one another about who had lost their balance first. Finally, they stood once more in a line before her like soldiers at attention.
They saluted her by punching themselves in the face.
A short one spoke up. "All hail, Our Pie-ness."
"No," the tallest one hissed at him. "Not pie-ness. High-ness. Your highness is how you address the Queen."
"Maybe she has some pies," the first replied.
"I like mud pies," said a third.
"She doesn't look that high to me," said a fourth.
"Maybe it's cry-ness," a fifth goblin said. "She looks like a weeper."
"Did you say she's a keeper?" said a sixth. "I think we could throw her back and get another."
"We could keep her toes and throw away the rest," said not the seventh who was silent, but one of the others.
Then the tallest goblin, who had a long sword and was wearing the heaviest armor, stepped forward and silenced the other six.
He took out an old photograph, crept closer to Good, and held the photograph beside her face. The other six goblins looked at it and then they all nodded together, saying among themselves, "Yes, yes, they do look a lot alike."
Good studied the photograph too. She was surprised to see a girl who looked exactly like her, not the way she had been before she made the wish, but the way she was now, looking a little too much like these goblins. The girl in the photograph had a tall black crown, a long black dress, red eyes and lips, and she clearly very green skin.
"My fellow goblins," said the tall goblin beside her. "I believe we have finally found our long lost queen..."
!!!
Well, I must tell you that once Good realized what had happened, and the Goblins had declared her their Queen, why the story turns around totally! It's no longer silly--okay, maybe a little! Because, of course, Goblins are not silly, are they? But it was very hard to get used to all her new friends and followers... And, now, they had a very long way to go to get to their home and introduce the Queen to her kingdom!

And it wasn't going to be exactly an easy trip to get there!

They went through a Hollow Tree...Down a long Hallway...into the Hall of Countless Doors...Entered The Dream Kingdom...Chocolate Heaven!...and on to Nightmare Hollow...and they still weren't there! But each of these are the chapter titles of what you'll be reading... In all there are 35 chapters for those middle-grade children--and adults if you're like me--to enjoy! 

And Good the Goblin Queen proved to be both a wise and kind queen, even when faced with a giant coming into her Kingdom, she knew exactly what to do. All of the members of her kingdom knew what a wonderful Queen they had and all readers will see how they, too, can become wise yet kind when dealing with difficult situations!

One final thought--this is a new genre for me and may be for other adults. It's called Steampunk Sorcery... What it seemed to me to be was a way to be wildly imaginative and cross-genre...which it indeed was... But the majority of the novel was, to me, an old-fashioned fairy tale... In fact, I had a few thoughts about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as it related to the motley Pots and Pan crew.  Sure, the silly part up front will get your children interested, but, the basic story of Good the Goblin Queen is traditional, with the usual moral to the story, or, in this case, a number of individual, smaller stories... So, if you worry when you see this title, let me assure you that the material is entirely suitable for middle grade and above. After all, we all need to be a little silly, right?!

Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews





Becket is the personal assistant to international best-selling author ANNE RICE. He has a BA in music composition, an MA in systematic theology, and an MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He has been working for Ms. Rice since 2005, and he has spent that time learning from her the craft of writing.
You can find out more about him at www.becket.me



Sunday, March 29, 2015

What the Fly Saw by Frankie Y. Bailey Presents Unsolvable Mystery Even If The Fly Was There...

Who killed Cock Robin?
I, said the Sparrow
With my bow and arrow
I killed Cock Robin.

Who saw him die?
I, said the Fly
With my little eye
I saw him die.
--"The Death and Burial of Cock robin"
~~~
"Just got some news," Dole said. "Lisa Nichols was found dead in her room at the psychiatric facility."
"Lisa Nichols?" McCabe said, "How could she be dead?"
"Suicide. Apparently she was stockpiling her medication or gained access to medication."
"How could she gain access to medication?" Baxter said. "Don't they keep their pills locked up?"
"However she did it," Dole said, "she's dead."
McCabe's gaze met Baxter's. They had worked their butts off on the serial killer case...
~~~
"The skeleton's name is 'Ernie,'
Malone said. "According to the
embalmer, Ernie usually stands
right here by the table..."
"So the vic pulled our friend Ernie
down with him as he was falling...
~~~
The funeral director's name was Kevin Novak. His body was in the basement.
McCabe paused in mid-strike. "Hi Rachel,"...He was like this when he was found?"
"According to the embalmer who found him," Rachel Malone said...
McCabe squatted down for a better look at the entangled limbs of the funeral director, who had an arrow protruding from his chest, and the human skeleton he was clutching. The skeleton grinned up at them...
"Jeff, can you walk us through this?"
"Sure." He pointed toward the other end of the room where a target was set up. "The vic was down there by the target when he was apparently--lab results pending--shot with this bow." He indicated the green-and-brown camouflaged bow on the floor not far from the victim's body..."So, he's shot with an arrow and dying and instead of trying to get to his ORB to get help," McCabe said, "he goes to the sink and pours something out?"
"We haven't found his ORB...
~~~



What the Fly Saw
By Frankie Y. Bailey

I don't care what you say about what that Fly saw! He was not telling anybody else! I know, because even though he's been buzzing around, I didn't have a clue about whodunit!

Of course, you know what that means! I loved the book! Bailey started this series with The Red Queen Dies (click on the title to read my review before you leave.) This one opens some issues that will allow readers to look forward to more in future books...

I gather because the author sets the novel into a parallel universe, it becomes part sci-fi. Seriously, this is one of the best mysteries I've read and having a little fun with technological scifi just doesn't make it less... I enjoyed the imaginative additions but found little to actually consider the setting as other than earth...some time when a fly can be easily buzzing and annoying all of us... even if the author finds them fascinating... Of course, it's the big black flies that fly in my area, but I don't think having red eyes would change my opinion...LOL

Soooo, anyway, McCabe is not quite ready to close out her case against Lisa Nichols, even though she has apparently committed suicide and the case has been officially closed...

Especially when the very next case assigned to her is the assumed murder of Kevin Novak, a funeral director. The funeral director, in fact, who had received a call from the office of Lisa's former lover, about arranging her funeral...

Kevin Novak, as a funeral director, was well respected in the community and was dedicated to his family and church. Naturally they were the first people to be interviewed.  The last event he had attended was for Olive's celebration of life. She was 85 but, fully intending to enjoy her last large appearance, had thrown her own party.

Olive's sharp gaze fastened on Kevin. "And since
you already know you're going to get to bury me
when I'm dead, you can relax and enjoy the party."
"I always enjoy your parties, Olive," Kevin said.
"Come with me," she said. "There's someone
I want you to meet."
"How have you been?" she asked him.
"Fine," Kevin said. "Never better."
"Don't give me that. Anyone who knows you
can tell you're still taking Bob's death hard."
Having your best friend collapse with a heart
attack while you're beating him at tennis, and
then die on the operating table, can have that
effect. It's been over four months since it
happened. You should be coping with it by now."
"I am coping with it."
"You're still off-kilter. Not your usual self.
That's why I want you to meet Luanne
Woodward."
"Luanne? That medium or spiritualist of
whatever she calls herself that you found
somewhere?...I don't believe in that hocus-pocus."
"I don't believe in most of it, either...But, as I
said, Luanne's interesting. I invited her today
so you could meet her."
"And so what?" he said in belated response to
Olive. "Sign up for her next seance?"
"That might not be a bad idea. Spiritual
therapy, so to speak."
"I get my spiritual therapy at church on
Sunday from our inister. You might
consider doing the same."
"At my age, I take what I need from
wherever I happen to find it. And the fact
you're going all righteous on me instead of
laughing about my eccentricities, as you
like to call them, proves you're off-kilter.
We need to get you put to right."
~~~
Besides the one fly who had hidden on the
ceiling, ...Olive's guest list for this celebration
of her life reflected her eccentricities. An
odd assortment of guests: old friends,
relatives, church members and business
associates, and other people who tickled
Olive's fancy or touched her big heart. But
they had all cleaned up and put on their
best in Olive's honor...
~~~















When they finally found Luanne...the fly watched closely...
"Luanne," Olive said to the plump, blond woman sipping
from a champagne glass as she observed the people around
her. "I'd like you to meet Kevin Novak, the friend of mine
I was telling you about."
"I'm so happy to meet you, Mr. Novak," she said in a
southern drawl that suited her pleasant, round face. Her
blue gaze met and held his.
If he believed in such things, Kevin would have sworn
she'd looked past his tailored suit and crisp white shirt
straight into his tarnished soul. He took a step back, and
reached out to steady Olive, who hand rested on his arm.
"Sorry, Olive," he said. "I just remembered something
I need to do."
Luanne Woodward said, "It's all right, Kevin, honey.
You don't have to run away from me."
But he did, Kevin thought. He had to run as fast as he
could.
!!!














And before long, the weather had snowed everybody in and placed many places into a state of emergency. Kevin left that night, however. Even with his wife begging him to stay inside, he had felt somebody should always stay when they had bodies in the morgue...besides the fly who watched what happened...

His assistant, the embalmer, found him the next morning, killed by bow and arrow... Have to say this was a first murder investigation by bow for me--and it turned out that many individuals within the church, which hosted two different archery clubs--had to be interviewed.

Once in a while, the book throws in a flashback into what was happening with Lisa Nichols, who was now in a psychiatric facility awaiting trial. She was upset with herself--a slip of the tongue because she was angry. The rest were gone, if she had gotten rid of Detective Hannah McCabe, everything would have been fine. Her fiancee, Ted Thornton, was bewitched with her and had hired lawyers who might even get her off... That was before a disruption at the facility allowed a nurse to slip her a note... The fly watched what happened soon after...

She had gotten out of the hospital...dead... The case for her victims was closed. Nobody would pay for the three she had murdered...

And then the two cases merged in a single way... They discovered that Ted Thornton's assistant had placed a phone call to Kevin Novak. It was obvious to everybody that Thornton was handling her funeral... and had Novak contacted for this reason...

Sarah Novak and her two children were first to be
involved in the investigation, of course. Novak was shocked and not quite coherent that first time. Her pastor and a church counselor were both there with her.  Wyatt was leader of a very large church and had refused to share about any discussions he'd had with Novak. So, too, was Jonathan Burdett, who, as a psychiatrist, was also treating Novak. Admittedly, McCabe was having trouble understanding why a psychiatrist was on staff within the church, who was, of course, quoting privilege of confidentiality regarding his time with Novak...

Mostly normal people who just happened to be attending one large church, right? NOT! Lots of secrets and unwillingness to share with the police... And McCabe wasn't even sure of her own partner who seemed to be secretive at times...

Just as I loved Taraji Henson, in one of my favorite TV programs, Person of Interest, I easily slid her into the role of McCabe in Frankie Bailey's series! She's wonderful! McCabe is just as wonderful as a series main character! If you haven't started this series yet, I highly recommend you do so! It's strong on police procedure, high in mystery and, especially, suspense! Bailey presents us with a solid page-turner that even, this time, forced me to wait until she revealed the fascinating final climax to know exactly who did what to whom...and why! Which is just as important as the who. This time you'll have so many possibilities, with motive, it's almost pick-and-choose. Enjoy! I know you will!
And don't even think to expect a hint from that damn Fly!

A Mystery Fan Must-Read in my opinion...


GABixlerReviews



Frankie Y. Bailey is a criminal justice professor at UAlbany (SUNY). She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of a number of non-fiction books. She is the 2010 recipient of the George N. Dove Award for her research on mystery and crime fiction. She has been nominated for several other awards, including the Edgar, Agatha, and Anthony, and is the winner of a Macavity Award for African American Mystery Writers (2008). She has five books and two published short stories in a mystery series featuring crime historian Lizzie Stuart. One of the short stories (“In Her Fashion”) was published in the July 2014 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. The Red Queen Dies (Minotaur Books, September 2013) was the first book in a near-future police procedural series featuring Detective Hannah McCabe. The second book in the series, What the Fly Saw is due out in March 2015. Frankie is a former Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime.

For additional information about Frankie’s scholarly research and writing, please see her curriculum vitae on the University at Albany, School of Criminal Justice website.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Spending the Weekend with Frankie Bailey - Review of What The Fly Saw - Tomorrow!






Hitchcock, 

Harry, and Me


By Frankie Y. Bailey

            In my mind, I associate cats with Alfred Hitchcock. Maybe that’s because until last year, in late October, I had never owned a cat as an adult and I barely remember the cat my family had briefly when I was a child. We lived outside the city (not really country but enough room for front and back yards). The dogs – my father’s hound or two for hunting and the dogs I had as pets – passed through our lives, leaving their stories to be told in fond memory. But cats . . . even though I wanted to be a vet, I was drawn to dogs.
When I was a grad student, I volunteered as a feeder/cleaner at a no-kill shelter. I thought when I volunteered that the shelter had dogs (a failure to do my research). Having signed on as a volunteer, I stayed for a while. This experience gave me a chance to observe cats up close. Watching them coming toward me as I opened the door did make me feel as if I were in the middle of a Hitchcock movie. But I learned to appreciate their beauty and grace and varied personalities. Still – given my decades-long lack of interest in becoming a cat owner, I am astonished that I now have a large Maine Coon mix named Harry (formerly Tyson) in my life.
            Harry has green eyes. He sometimes sits hunched under a bright yellow coffee table watching my every move with an unblinking stare. At first, I found that unsettling – until I realized he was watching me to see if I was heading toward the kitchen counter where his dry food is kept or about to sit down in my chair at the dining room table and provide him with the opportunity to settle into my lap for a nap. Harry is an affectionate cat -- a “love bug” (quoting his sitter) of a cat.  But he still occasionally makes me think of a Hitchcock movie – like those moments when I’m talking to him and turn to see he has disappeared or when I turn and he is right behind me. Or those moments when we are playing with his stuffed bird on a pole and he suddenly hisses and I remember that he is a predator and that he is not just admiring those real birds when he sits watching them through the window with his ears forward and his tail twitching.


Having thought so much about cats and Hitchcock, I felt compelled 

the other day to go back and see if there really are cats in Hitchcock

films. I imagined them moving through the shadows and being 

stroked by Hitchcock characters.

Norman Bates should have had a cat. But he didn’t. Bates preferred stuffing small birds for display. And there is that wonderful final scene at the end of Psycho (1960) when Norman (sitting wrapped in a blanket a police officer has brought him) is thinking in his “Mother’s voice” about an insect: “I’m not even gonna swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They’ll see. They’ll see and they’ll know. And they’ll say, ‘Why she wouldn’t even harm a fly.’”
            Of course, as you might guess from my title, What the Fly Saw, I am also fascinated by flies and their little eyes. But getting back to Hitchcock and cats. . .as I said, I went in search of cats in Hitchcock films. I was sure they must be there. And it’s possible that if I should spend more time on this, they will turn up. After all, Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock’s horror movie, The Birds (1963),


has a sanctuary for abused and mistreated exotic cats. But in that movie, when Hitchcock makes his onscreen cameo, he is walking two of his own Sealyham Terriers. 


There is a well-known episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “Miss Paisley’s Cat,” about a lonely spinster who kills the local bookie who killed, Stanley, the tough alley cat that she had taken in. And, of course, in To Catch a Thief (1955), Hitchcock’s romantic thriller set on the Rivera, Cary Grant’s
debonair retired jewel thief, is known as “The Cat.” But the television episode and the movie were based on a short story and novel, respectively.

            In fact, dogs outnumber cats in Hitchcock movies. Among the Hitchcock films in which a dog or dogs appear:  The 39 StepsThe Man Who Knew Too MuchStrangers on the TrainRebeccaSaboteurRear Window, and The Birds. Of course, this had something to do with the works on which Hitchcock based these films. As writers and readers know, dogs in crime fiction work well as “characters” because they can disrupt any scene by bounding into it. Dogs can bark and attract attention. Or, not bark, and indicate the culprit might have been known to them. Dog can be taken for walks. Dogs dig things up. If you’re making a film, it’s must be easier to get a dog (than an independent-minded cat) to take direction. And, let’s face it, a cat in a Hitchcock film would be overkill. Or, at least, this is what Harry is 
suggesting as he stares up at me as I try to type while he stretches in my lap.
Certainly, the absence of cats in Hitchcock films should not be taken as an indication that he preferred dogs -- any more than the fact that my protagonist Hannah McCabe adopts a dog rather than a cat should be perceived as a preference on my part for canines. After all, I do have cats in scenes in both McCabe books. Obviously, Harry is suggesting with his stare, I have always had a latent admiration and deep respect for cats. When he is sure that I understand this, we can discuss adding a dog – the dog of his choice – to our household.


A couple of Vids to allow you to meet the Author:






Frankie, I'm having such fun having you visit this weekend! I hope you don't 
mind that your article topic kinda "set me off" to match your research... I wasn't sure what Hitchcock thought about it... What about you?! LOL

Thursday, March 26, 2015

What's Happening at Book Readers Heaven--Also Featuring Adolfo's Latest Photography! Prelude to National Poetry Month...April!


I had never even heard of the Banyan Tree until I read The Reach of the Banyan Street by Mark Sasse (Of course, click over to read about that book before you leave!); so I was quite surprised and thrilled to receive this latest photo by Adolph Caso, a regular contributor to Book Readers Heaven...with his note...

Attached please find the Banyan tree, which was named by two friends of mine, the Adolfo Tree. It is truly magnificent; for me, it continues to be thought-provoking and the generator of many poems on aspects on the nature of humans and other forms of life, much as revealed in the poem, Hosta... (This poem has already received nearly 400 hits...check it out before you leave.)


Now what I did upon openingthis picture was immediately made it background to fill my computer screen... Each time I come to my computer, I see a larger version of the above and marvel at its magnificence...its strange wonderful beauty... Then I thought of why Adolfo's friends might have named the tree after him... and came up with...




Ode to Adolfo

Friends have named a special Banyan Tree
After Adolfo Caso, also my friend...
Immediately thoughts started flying into my mind...
How do I compare thee to a Banyan Tree?

Then I saw Roger Williams play his brilliant Autumn Leaves 
His hair now white, but his body still reflecting his strength...
And again Adolfo's tree came to mind...
Years only add more stability and support to its gift...

Adolfo, in age, has both become strong in mind and body
But the work he's done reflects the heart of love and kindness
All like the central, host tree that supports epiphyte that has found life
There against the magnificent body and spread of its limbs
to be umbrella-ed
Just as Adolfo's has done with family, friends, and writers...



Somehow he finds the interest, energy, support and love
to share both his own words, as well as hundreds of others in publishing
His love for both the United States and his homeland, Italy
magnifies the breadth and depth of his continuously extended reach...

And if you study the Bantam tree, immense and tall,
you will also see the light of the sun coming through in this place or another
Just like Adolfo always and eternally has shared 
God's light and love through his life...

May you, our Adolfo Tree, stand firm, powerful, passionate
continually to extend your trunk and limbs to allow each new epiphyte
each new member as your family expands...
each new reader as your words spread afar...
each new writer who has gained your support
each new friend who has received your brilliant flow of love into each life...

You are indeed the Banyan Tree to whom I'm endlessly connected...

--GABixler
~~~




Okay, in no way do I consider myself a poet, so don't critique my words! When I write poetic words, nearly always it is an emotional response I have...such as in my responsive poetry I've previously shared...

And, of course, the reason why I'm timing this article now is to remind you, that Book Readers Heaven will be focusing on poetry and photos (notice that photos has been added) during April, National Poetry Month...

The month will start with my review and spotlight of Idealism is an Attractive Flower: photopoems by Oneida Morningstar  Cramer. Also Bradford G. Wheler,'s Latest Love Sayings, will be covered sometime that month. Poems are already coming in from Adolfo, of course; Thomas Kemp, and others have notified me of participating...(Don't forget to send those in ASAP...) 

Note that I've added photos as part of the month-long emphasis...Many writers are now merging words and photos and I wanted to capture that option as well... Also, if you have placed yours words on video, then do consider submitting those as well.

Please note that I wish I could provide some type of compensation, but I do not wish to use my blog to make money so I have no funds to reimburse others... BUT I have a growing base which works out to average well over 20,000 readers a month, coming from both the U.S. and across the world...so your work will receive exposure... Also I will be using both of my blogs simultaneously this month, so feel free to submit your erotic poems and/or pictures--please not pornographic...

Just My Personal Opinion -  I wanted to talk about my second blog... Although it does include some erotic articles, this blog is used primarily for anything that is beyond a straight G-rated book review. The primary reason is that Book Readers Heaven has many children's book reviews and I want to ensure that this blog stays at a level where I can welcome children to read my articles.

That does NOT mean that books that I don't consider suitable reading for children, are not worthy of your attention. I notice that the hits for books on there are generally lower... That's a shame, because adults are missing many great books, that just happened to be only for older teens, young and older adults... I will be making sure on my announcement page that I place tags at the bottom. I use erotic to refer to books emphasizing sex, which are few in number... Give that blog a chance, please! 

JMPO is also for my own personal blog writing, so the variety of content is wide. I've also included product reviews there and will probably be increasing those in the future...

In the meantime, watch for Frankie Y. Bailey's latest, What the Fly Saw, on Sunday as part of her blog tour...

By the Way, you may wonder why I'm spotlighting poetry next month, when I'm not at this moment accepting many new booka for review... Well, I hate to admit it, but I'm getting old... just had another birthday and have had a bad month physically--fell twice and burnt my hands twice--so I'm having to adjust to those bodily issues that won't go away...LOL... Besides the enjoyment of reading poetry, the emphasis will give me a chance to read and post reviews as finished, while at the time, also sharing poetry from those who may not have yet been published.

As I've been mentioning, most of the books coming in are all long, and take longer to read. I'm selecting based upon length of book and filling in with children's books, etc., as I need to. The poetry will help me with keeping my blog articles moving ahead. Hope this answers any questions about my response time on requests...

Reminder: send poetry, photopoems, speaking word videos to GABixlerReviews@aol.com!