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Book Review: Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremony follows the story of Tayo, a Native American who fought against the Japanese during World War II. The horrors he witnessed in the war have left him sick and restless, and he cannot settle into regular life upon his return. His fellow soldiers take to alcohol and violence to …

Flash Fiction: The Body in the Morgue by RC Bonitz

Welcome to the Spot Writers. The prompt for this month is “As the policeman pulled back the sheet she knew immediately that…” Today’s contribution comes from RC Bonitz, author of A BLANKET FOR HER HEART. His latest book, DANGEROUS DECISIONS, has just been accepted for publication by REBEL INK PRESS. …

Book Review: Return of the Mothman by Michael Knost

This book had been on my “wish list” for several years, but I finally decided to buy it for myself. I love the movie The Mothman Prophesies, (I lost the DVD when I moved!) simply because I love the mystery surrounding the legend of the Mothman. I’ll admit I’ve watched …

Flash Fiction: The Grey Fedora

Welcome to the Spot Writers. The prompt for this month is to write a story including the words bird, roof, egg, war, hay. This week’s contribution comes from Cathy MacKenzie. Give Cathy’s new Facebook page, “Granny MacKenzie’s Children’s Books,” a “like” and a comment perhaps? The Grey Fedora by Cathy …

Book Review: Heart of a Hero by Billi Tiner

This middle-grade/children’s book was available free as part of my Amazon Prime lending library, so I thought I’d give it a try. The theme also resonates with me: brave dogs changing humans’ lives for the better. The story follows Lady, an Irish Setter who is eventually “recruited” into the armed …

Fantastic Friday: To Mothers and “Mothers”

In The Kite Runner, protagonist Amir’s mother dies during childbirth in pre-war-torn Afghanistan. With the one-sided perspective of his father (physical strength! business prowess!), Amir’s childhood has the potential to be nightmarish. But Amir finds the role of “mother” filled by a male business associate of his father, a man …

Flash Fiction: The Bird War

Welcome to the Spot Writers. This month’s prompt is to write a story containing the following words: bird, war, hay, roof, egg. The following poem comes to us from Val Muller, author of The Scarred Letter, a reboot of Hawthorne’s original, which was just featured as one of Loudoun County’s …

Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

What a fantastic book! I read all 379 pages in a single day. The Martian was recommended by a writer I respect, and he was right. I bought a copy for my dad for his birthday because I think he’ll love it, too. In short, it’s an archetypal journey involving …