Daryl Devore's Blog

Daryl Devore's Blog

Wednesday, 13 December 2023

Grab a hot chocolate with marshamllows and snuggle down with this sweet Christmas romance - Christmas Notes #MRFWAuthor #sweet #Christmas romance

Excerpt - 

Rock bottom is hard. And I'd smashed up against it. Bruised not only my pride but also my body. Guess that's what happens when you haven't eaten in a few days and pass out on the sidewalk in front of the largest department store witnessed by hundreds of Christmas shoppers. And all of them with cell phones recording another titillating moment in the biggest city in the country. Yeah, it just wasn't my day.

Tears stung my eyes as I shifted to my hands and knees while watching feet scurry past. I didn't look up. Didn't want to see their faces. The judgmental disdain and embarrassment etched into their frosty red cheeks. Their sanctimonious scorn of myself and the condition to which I'd sunk. Their chagrin from not being willing to help and of desperately trying to pretend I was invisible.

Icy droplets fell from the sky, settling on my neck. It wasn't quite snow but was no longer rain. And it was a raw cold right through to my core. I pushed up to standing, brushing away the frigid sleet from my arms and legs. I pressed my scraped palm against my hip to stop the bleeding, then checked my bag. It and its contents seemed all right. Yes, my existence has been reduced to having pretty much everything I own in a bag or two.

My life wasn't always like this. How I got here doesn't matter. Another sad sob story. A cruel twist of fate. A dream shattered. I could go on using a dozen more clichés, but I'm pretty sure you get the idea.

So again, I say, hitting rock bottom is hard. And, I might add, it sucks.

 Blurb and Buy Links

Can a slice of pizza and a flute erase the ravages of life and allow Giselle and Ethan to fall in love by Christmas?

Collapsing in front the biggest department store in the city on one of the busiest days of the holiday season was not how Giselle imagined her day. Cold and hungry, she trudged through her daily existence wondering if she'd ever find happiness again.

Teenagers. Ethan loved working with them and turning their raw musical talent into something beautiful and rewarding, but that didn't fill the black void in his soul.

Like fate, the songwriters' muse nudged Giselle and Ethan together. But can Giselle overcome her fears and can Ethan get past the darkness that surrounds him, so they can find love?

UBL

BookBub

Pinterest page for CHRISTMAS NOTES

GoodReads

 


Monday, 27 November 2023

So - last Monday I did a thing. And it was a lot of fun. #class #cookie


Last Monday evening I did a thing - I took a baking class. Making macarons. Fun word macaron - it means a specific type of cookie. Macaroons is a totally different type of cookie and Macaron - is the President of France. I never liked macarons - I always found them dry and tasteless. But we have this little bakery in town and his desserts are fabulous. One day in a moment of bravery I decided to try his macarons and I fell in love. Then he offered the event and I signed up. There were only 4 of us and we had a blast. I made the strawberry lemon-poppy seed ones. The copper coloured ones are raspberry. The blue ones are blueberry and the others are chocolate. We got to divide up the cookies and bring them home. Yum!

Do you bake? Ever taken a baking class/course???

 


 

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Sunday, 26 November 2023

From a writer - Embrace What You Fear #writer #author #writingcommunity #fear

person, sitting, pen, notebook,
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

 I read the words – Embrace what You Fear – somewhere recently and I do apologize to whomever it was that wrote them; I wish I could give you credit. The idea of this post didn’t pop up right away. My mind tossed the sentence into the back and chewed on it for a while.

Embrace What You Fear – that can mean a lot of different things to different people. My neighbour – after several beers – will tell his story about being at a professional development training day where a person brought out a large boa constrictor and asked, “Who wants to hold it?” My neighbour is terrified of snakes and wanted to bolt out of the room, but for some reason he stayed and yes, he, eventually, held the snake. I’ve seen the photo. You can easily see the terror on his face. But, he did it.

snake, boa constrictor

Image by John Bergman from Pixabay

As this is a writer’s blog – how does this embracing of fear relate to an author? I could say – we live in fear. Not from war or disease, but from words.


Image by 2211438 from Pixabay

Words are our life and sometimes they don’t flow freely. We can stare at a blank screen for days. In the end, we have very clean houses, but still blank pages.

When the words do come, then there is the terror of – is this crap? How crappy is this? This is beyond crap! Delete! Delete! Delete! Trying to make a simple sentence like – the cat is black – not sound crappy can send a writer into a tail spin.

A lot of authors have a built-in editor who peers over their shoulder and moans at every word/sentence written. As if there is no word good enough to put on paper. I had an author friend like that. She wrote fabulous stories, but agonized over every word. Note – she wrote – past tense. She is a writer – no more.

Then there is the fear of public judgment. The book has been through the trials of pre-publishing and that magical day happens – published. There is a moment of a joy then – what if no one reads it! Likes it! What if they hate it? What if I’m a total failure!!!!!

Yea, there is a lot – A LOT – of fear to embrace being a writer. What if we don’t embrace it?

Then books don’t get written. Stories are kept in the back of our minds and not shared. That is a sad notion.

Writers must embrace their fears and dig deep and write their stories – deep life altering stories to happy fun filled ones.

But there is one step more. We must also accept bad reviews. Not everyone will like our work. Getting a bad review hurts and it is embarrassing. Yes, I have had bad reviews. I share one in a writing class I teach. I love watching the faces of the people as they hear my book get ripped apart.

Bad review for my first book

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money.

 

I had an extremely difficult time finishing this book. At no time did the writing style, plot, characters or anything else really get my attention. In fact it's been less than a week and I can't even remember their names. It won't be staying on my reader to take up space.

 Did that bad review hurt? Hell, yes! It was my first book and my first bad review. Now, I laugh at it. When I get a bad review, I breathe deep mumbling to myself a bunch of snide comments about the reviewer’s intellect then mollified, I move on.

Is the fear of another bad review going to stop me from writing another book? No. My muse may leave me. The words may dry up. But it won’t be fear that keeps me from writing.

 


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Tuesday, 14 November 2023

What is so important about a flower? #writing #writer #romance

 

 For instance, this red rose is the symbol of love given by Prince Hawkyns to Derry on the day of their betrothal. (Spoiler alert to those of you who haven’t read it)

It was the wrong time of the year for roses to be in bloom, but when a faerie queen is on your side – magick can happen.

 

With a serene smile, the abbot turned to Hawkyns. “Clasp hands and face each other.”

Hawkyns held out his hands and grasped Derry’s. “I wish I could give ye a token of my love, but 'tis too early for—”

A single red rose floated downward. Hawkyns grabbed it then handed it to Derry. He looked up. “Thank ye, Fira.”

Returning his gaze to Derry, he said, “I will build ye a garden full of red roses. And each petal will represent my love for ye.”

“And I will cherish each petal with all my heart.”

 

Red roses symbolize romance. They are one of my favourite flowers. I have a scented red rose bush on my deck. The colour and the fragrance bring such joy to my heart. But they are not the only flower I have used in my stories.

 

In another book – The Gift – it’s a tulip that’s center of the story. Why? I don’t remember other than the line that is repeated throughout the story and in 2 languages is basically the opening sentence- "When was the last time you were offered the gift of a red tulip?"

 

The tulip represents whatever the reader wants it to. That’s the mystery of this quirky little story. I never explain the tulip. I never explain a lot of things in the story. I left that for the reader’s imagination.

 

Flowers are important to me. I tend my flower garden in the summer. In the winter, I watch Gardener’s World and read gardening books and dream of amazing flower displays. While on top of a mountain this past summer, I was taking photos of the flowers rather than the “majestic view” before me.


 


 From my garden





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Join my Author Group - Daryl Devore's Musings

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Tuesday, 31 October 2023

A short spooky read for your Halloween enjoyment #HappyHalloween #shortstory

 

Image by Gerhard Janson from Pixabay

The Slice of a Blade

 

Trembling with giddiness and feverish with anticipation, I wrap my fingers around the drawer handle. The metal is cool to my touch. The drawer glides open. An army of razor edged stainless steel lies before me. Smallest paring knives on the left up to the sleek chef’s knife and the king of the drawer – the butcher knife  - on the right. My fingers hover over the butcher knife’s handle. No, tonight is not the night for you. Must restrain myself.

I grasp the 30 cm French-style chef’s knife’s handle and lift it. Honed and sharpened to exquisite exactness, it is not heavy, but well-balanced and rests in my palm with my fingers curled around the ebony black grip. Experimentation has taught me a longer blade will allow a longer single stroke. A longer single slice.

Longer.

Single.

Slice.

No more beautiful words exist.

Longer.

Single.

Slice.

I close my eyes and picture it sliding – s-l-o-w-l-y  t-h-r-o-u-g-h. Perfection.

Casting a critical gaze over the blade, I check for the slightest of imperfections which would dull the edge therefore marring sharpness and the moment. A ray of light reflects off the sleek steel. Memories flit through my mind of this knife’s edge effortlessly slipping through it’s prey. It is the perfect choice. The event will be sublime.

I rip the knife through the air, imagining the smooth gashes through It. My heart pulses in my chest. I spin and slash, spin and slash, spin and slash. A high giggle bursts from my lips. Such joy.

Stop.

Restraint.

Respect the moment.

Respect the act.

Lowering my head, I close my eyes. A small bow to the performance that is about to begin. I lift the knife, gripping with both hands. Holding it before me, I press a small kiss on the bolster. A homage to the beauty of this piece.

I glance back at It. Lying on the table, waiting. Waiting for it’s moment to become the star of my performance. A concerto of cutting, slashing and gouging. Screams would enhance the decadence of the moment. But the walls are thin. Nosey ears listen.

I must remain calm. Savour the moment. That first slice. A shiver slithers down my spine. I inhale, close my eyes and revel in the thrill of anticipation. I pause. Forcing myself to wait. To enjoy. Don’t rush. Ease into each action. Savour the sensations. Writhe in the bliss this act will give.

The moment has come. I step closer to It then lift the blade to my left and in one swift move slash across. The sensation of the knife ripping through It filters up through my handle to my arm and to my brain. A jolt of dopamine is released. Strength – confidence – joy – lust - power - surge through me. I release the knife from where it lays buried in It - lift and slash again.

And again.

And again.

Again.

Again.

It lays gutted. Open and exposed. I reach inside and grab at the entrails. With wild abandon, I rip out handfuls. Grab. Rip. Toss. Grab. Rip. Toss. Grabrip. Toss. Grabriptoss. Grabriptoss. Grabriptoss. Grabriptoss.

Sweat drips down my cheek. Loud gasps fill the void between the heavings of my chest.

The entrails drip from my fingers, the chair, the table and the edges of It.

It is beautiful. A masterpiece. My masterpiece.

It is so perfect.

It is perfection.

Trembles ripple through me. They build. The room sways. Hysterical laughing erupts.

With reverence, I place the blade on a towel, knowing it will be lovingly cleaned after It has been properly looked after.

I turn, once more to look at my masterpiece. Tears of joy stream down my cheeks at the beauty. I am struck numb by it. I know not how long I will stay here gazing at It. I want this moment never to end.

But it must.

 

The freezer lid drops with a solid thud. Orgasmic relief floods through me. Another carving. A smile hints at the corner of my mouth as I walk back upstairs. No one knows. No one suspects.

 

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Join my Author Group - Daryl Devore's Musings

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Friday, 27 October 2023

On Daryl Devore's My Books My Blog My Post - What is so important about a flower? #Rose #Tulip #romance #author #books

What is so important about a flower?
 

 For instance, this red rose is the symbol of love given by Prince Hawkyns to Derry on the day of their betrothal  (The Last Dragon). (Spoiler alert to those of you who haven’t read it)

It was the wrong time of the year for roses to be in bloom, but when a faerie queen is on your side – magick can happen.

 

With a serene smile, the abbot turned to Hawkyns. “Clasp hands and face each other.”

Hawkyns held out his hands and grasped Derry’s. “I wish I could give ye a token of my love, but 'tis too early for—”

A single red rose floated downward. Hawkyns grabbed it then handed it to Derry. He looked up. “Thank ye, Fira.”

Returning his gaze to Derry, he said, “I will build ye a garden full of red roses. And each petal will represent my love for ye.”

“And I will cherish each petal with all my heart.”

 

Red roses symbolize romance. They are one of my favourite flowers. I have a scented red rose bush on my deck. The colour and the fragrance bring such joy to my heart. But they are not the only flower I have used in my stories.

 

In another book – The Gift – it’s a tulip that’s center of the story. Why? I don’t remember other than the line that is repeated throughout the story and in 2 languages is basically the opening sentence- "When was the last time you were offered the gift of a red tulip?"

 

The tulip represents whatever the reader wants it to. That’s the mystery of this quirky little story. I never explain the tulip. I never explain a lot of things in the story. I left that for the reader’s imagination.

 

Flowers are important to me. I tend my flower garden in the summer. In the winter, I watch Gardener’s World and read gardening books and dream of amazing flower displays. While on top of a mountain this past summer, I was taking photos of the flowers rather than the “majestic view” before me.


 


 

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Join my Author Group - Daryl Devore's Musings

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Free ebook for those who join.

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Monday, 9 October 2023

Daryl Devore answers - Has a book or movie ever been based somewhere you've lived? on the #OpenBook Blog Hop #writers #DarylDevore


 Welcome to the Open Book Blog Hop! This week’s theme -

Has a book or movie ever been based somewhere you've lived? How did it compare?

The Eddie Murphy movie - Beverly Hills Cop. At the beginning of the movie Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is a Detroit undercover police office and the situation goes south and there is a wild car chase scene. That scene was shot in Detroit, Michigan. I grew up across the river in Windsor, Ontario Canada, not exactly in Detroit but close enough. 

The area where the scene was shot was where the '68 riots occurred and to this day a lot of it still looks as bad as when the movie was filmed in the 80s. Gentrification is happening so some areas are being cleaned up - but it is still a depressed area.

Now, please visit the other #OpenBook Blog Hop writers. You can find their posts at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

 

 

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Join my Author Group - Daryl Devore's Musings

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Friday, 6 October 2023

The week on Daryl Devore's My Books. My Blog. My Post. Slowly - very slowly - sliding back into social media and promotion. #DarylDevore #romance #author



 Sometime in June I stepped away from my blog, my groups, social media and promotion. I had been blogging about 360 days a year for years. Then Musk bought Twitter and then killed Triberr which was a fabulous and simple way for lots of blog views. Hundreds and hundreds of blog view crashed to a dribble.

I saw it as another knife in independent artists backs. Being seen is impossible in social media. I am a little fish in a very big pond. I have done everything that everyone said to do and none of it helped. I - obviously - did it wrong. 

So instead of repeatedly banging my head on a wall hoping for a different outcome - I am changing what I do.

I will still write. I will still independently publish. But I am no longer going to jump on every bandwagon that comes along. I spent hours setting up the thing that was called the latest and greatest thing for sales - with people crowing - I had so many sales. Me - de nada. 

Then the next thing came along and I jumped on that ship.

I am done jumping. See the photos above. I had way better things to do this past summer than sit inside and uselessly pound on my keyboard.

Welcome to the new me. 

 

The one thing I am keeping is my Author Group - Daryl Devore's Musings. If you wish to join - click on the link. There is a free ebook to all who join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/738845900663510