Life & Soul: A Poetic Journey With Harmony Kent!

I am truly honored to host my dear friend Harmony Kent today on The Indie Spot. I am excited to help her with the launch of a new collection of poetry. Take it away, Harms!

Hi, Beem. Thanks so much for hosting me today. It’s always wonderful to visit with you. Here’s a little bit I’d love to share about my latest book of poetry …

From Lonely Soul:

Hello?

 

Sitting at a crowded table

Good food, good friends, good wine

And still a silent tear escapes

The corner of my eye

Surreptitious wipe

Hoping nobody sees

Their sympathy will only

Bring me to my knees

And who could truly understand

This empty chair in which I sit

Or the ache masked by my laughter

Is there anyone there?

When I wrote this poem, I had recently moved down to Cornwall after leaving the Zen Buddhist Monastery, where I’d spent about 13 years in a thriving community. The juxtaposition from being surround by people, even if we spent much time in contemplative silence, to the utter emptiness of a house with only me in it, was massive. While I soon made friends, every night—and most days—saw me alone with my own company. Disabled and aged forty, I held little hope of meeting a soul with whom I could spend my life. Also, because I had suddenly entered such a different life than that of the monastery, I felt the odd one out. How many of us have felt alone in a crowd at some point in our existence?

Hello is all about that search for belonging. I hope you enjoyed this poem and would love to know what you think.

The Book!

Life & Soul is the second book in the Soul Poetry Series by acclaimed author Harmony Kent.

This beautiful collection of over fifty poems will take the reader through the highs and lows of everyday life via contemporary poetry in a range of styles and themes. Within these pages, you will find reflections on the Lonely Soul, the Seeking Soul, Brief Soul, Friendly Soul, and the Loving Soul—states of mind and living and longing we each experience over the course of a life.

Life & Soul offers something for lovers of poetry from all walks of life.

Praise for Slices of Soul, Book 1 in the Soul Poetry Series:

 

“I found my answer in this wonderful treasure-trove and have already read it three times.” Robert Fear

“I found in Slices of Soul something approaching aesthetic bliss, a sense of being connected in some way to other states – like tenderness, kindness, ecstasy – where art is the norm.” Colm Herron

“A stunning collection of poems that I read in one sitting! Unable to simply put this down until I had read the last. I love the clarity of the short poems, such clear images created in so few words or phrases. Many of them touched my heart and I will be giving them a 2nd and 3rd read!” Audrina Lane

Universal Link: mybook.to/LifeAndSoul

AUTHOR BIO:

 

Harmony Kent spent 13 years in a Zen Buddhist monastery, where she faced her demons and overcame devastating low self-esteem and found freedom. After a life-changing injury, Harmony returned to the world at the tender age of 40, and her life as a writer began.

Harmony is an award winning multi-genre author, and her publications include:

The Battle for Brisingamen (Fantasy Fiction) AIA approved

The Glade (Mystery/Thriller) AIA Approved/BRAG Medallion Honouree/New Apple Literary Awards Official Selection Honours 2015

Polish Your Prose: Essential Editing Tips for Authors (Writing/Editing) New Apple Literary Awards Top Medallist Honours 2015

 

Finding Katie (Women’s Fiction)

Slices of Soul (Soul Poetry Series: Book 1)

Life and Soul (Soul Poetry Series: Book 2)

Interludes (Erotic Short Stories)

Interludes 2 (Erotic Short Stories)

Moments (Short Stories and Poetry)

Jewel in the Mud (Zen Musings)

Polish Your Prose (How to Self-Edit)

Creative Solutions (Creative Writing Inspiration)

Backstage (Erotic Romance and Thriller)

FALLOUT (Post-Apocalyptic Dystopia) BRAG Medallion Honouree

 

The Vanished Boy (Psychological Thriller)

As well as being an avid reader and writer, Harmony also offers reviews and supports her fellow authors. Harmony is always on the lookout for talent and excellence, and will freely promote any authors or books who she feels have these attributes.

Harmony’s Website

twitter: @harmony_kent

Goodreads: Harmony Kent

BookBub: Harmony Kent

Story Empire (co-authored blog): Harmony Kent

Bringing Authors and Readers Together #shepherdforauthors #readinglists @storyempire @maeclair @bwb

An exciting resource for readers and authors!

Story Empire

Hi, SEers! Welcome to a Mae Day in May! Today, I’d like to share a resource I recently discovered that is beneficial for both authors and readers.

I have a contact form on my website (no, that’s not the resource, LOL). I get hit with bots now and then, but I’ve connected with some cool people through that form. The latest is Ben Fox, an entrepreneur and founder of Shepherd.com, a new platform for book sharing. Ben contacted me to see if I would be interested in contributing a list of book recommendations to his site. As an avid reader, Ben has built Shepherd to connect readers with authors, and authors with readers.

So, how does it work?

As an author, I write mostly supernatural suspense, and I’m fond of using dual timelines. I chose a single book I wanted to showcase on Shepherd (have I mentioned this…

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Fictional Characters and Their Political Interests

A deep and thought-provoking post from Story Empire’s Gwen Plano.

Story Empire

Hello Story Empire readers, Gwen with you today and together we’re going to consider the political interests of our characters. This is Part 2 of last month’s post on Religion and Politics. Let’s dive into it.

Canva photo

About a month ago, I watched the movie, A Private War. It is a biopic based on the life of war correspondent Marie Colvin. It haunts me still. She lost an eye and later her life in the embattled areas of the Middle East. It is her beliefs that are relevant to our topic today.

Marie’s friends and colleagues tried to dissuade her from returning to the war-torn areas. She would not listen to them. She believed it essential to be the voice of the people.

“War is not so terrible for governments,” she said in the movie, “for they are not wounded or killed like ordinary people. I feel…

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Story Development and Execution Part 6: Constructing Chapters

Great writing advice from author Staci Troilo!

Story Empire

Ciao, SEers. Today is part six: chapter construction. I was surprised to find none of us has spent a great deal of time discussing the chapter as a discrete unit of a story. We gloss of things in a few posts, but never delve into chapter construction. (There is a post on scenes that might interest you if you’re looking for more information.) Probably because it’s kind of evident what to do—write a scene or series of scenes that link together. The chapter should reveal character and/or advance the plot. That said, I’m going to talk about what the proper development of a chapter can do for your story.

We talked before about your first chapter being your standard. How you should revisit it often to make sure it draws in a reader from the first word and keeps them turning the pages. It’s hard to argue with that…

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Advantages of Writing Short Stories

Author Joan Hall shares her take on the magic of short stories.

Story Empire

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. This post is short and sweet. (Pun intended.) Let’s talk about short stories.

A collection of shorts. (Wait, those are dachshunds.)

There are advantages to writing shorter pieces of fiction. Not only does the writing process take less time, but many readers these days have shorter attention spans. There are some who won’t spend the time it takes to read a full-length novel, but they will spend 45 minutes or an hour for a short story. Even avid readers sometimes prefer to read something that takes less time.

The cost of these books is less than longer works, so that’s a big plus for some. And, if you’re in Kindle Unlimited, readers can “borrow” them. (As they can with full-length books who are enrolled in that program.)

Short stories help build your backlist of publications. It’s also beneficial when an author has to…

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A Dark and Intense Tale!

The Blurb:

Tragedy . . . heartache . . . how much more can Tyler Montgomery and John Webster take? This missions trip, the “healing” one, has only added fresh layers of pain. Construction of an orphanage in Haiti’s northwest . . . yes. But a doomed rescue operation, human traffickers, human anomalies, extreme personal danger . . . risk of death? They hadn’t signed up for those.
Turning their backs on the crisis, however, is unthinkable, it’s just not who they are.

My Review:

Rating: ★★★★★

John and Tyler arrive in Haiti on a missionary trip. Their goal is to help with the construction of a much-needed orphanage on the island. But the men soon learn of the terrible dark underbelly of life in the Caribbean nation. The scourge of human trafficking soon invades their insulated world when a young girl they’ve come to know is taken. The two men decide the only thing to do is find the child and reunite her with her mother. Obstacles and hazards attempt to thwart the pair with life and death situations. The action is rapid and harrowing throughout.

Human trafficking is a dark subject—no matter the area of our world in which you live. Author Mark Bierman tackles this story with an eye on reality. He digs deep into the human psyche and sheds a light on monsters that are always close by. Vanished is one of those reads that will open your eyes and give you reason to re-think your comfortable lives. This one is worth a read.

About the Author:

Born and raised on a farm near Brockville, Ontario, Mark Bierman’s childhood consisted of chores, riding horses, snowmobile races across open fields, fishing trips to a local lake, and many other outdoor adventures. He was also an avid reader of both fiction and non.

Transitioning towards adulthood also meant moving from the farm and into large urban areas that introduced this “country boy” to life in the big cities.

After a short stint as a private investigator, he moved into the role of Correctional Officer, working at both Millhaven Institution and Kingston Penitentiary, until it closed.

Where to Buy:

STORY SETTINGS AND POETRY

Author D. L. Finn shares a wonderful post on Story Settings and Poetry.

Story Empire

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about story settings and poetry.

Have you ever read a book and come to a passage where the description is so beautiful you had to stop and reflect on it? I have many times. These are words so skillfully written that I can see the sun setting or the grime on the dirty city streets through the character’s eyes. It has brought me into that moment.

A poem can also create a beautiful setting through creative images and carefully chosen words.

In fact, when I see a wonderful setting in a story, I think how poetic.

I’ve found that writing poetry, and the settings in my stories have a lot in common. Both are trying to see a place in someone else’s eyes. They use vivid imagery, emotions, and creative words to capture the reader’s imagination.

A setting in a book is trying to…

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Know your audience

Author C. S. Boyack on writers knowing their audience!

Story Empire

Hi Gang! Craig with you once more with something to consider. There’s an old bit of advice about making presentations, or producing an article, that still applies, “Know your audience.” This means don’t speak over their heads with a lot of technical jargon, acronyms, and industry-speak. Make it relative to the attendees and readers. It also applies to fiction, but not in the way you might think.

I believe the lines are blurring with the advent of Amazon and self publishing. Let’s face it, the old genres are more like guidelines than rules these days. Mashups are all the rage, so you get sweet romances during the apocalypse, or weird westerns where cowboys hunt zombies. These kind of things are popular, too.

I’ve got to confess that my first audience is me. I write to please myself and hope there are other weirdos like me that could be entertained by…

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MKTG #14 – Book Blog Tours

Jan Sikes shares her insight into book blog tours: Are they worth it?

Story Empire

Hello, SE’ers! It’s Jan again here to talk about another marketing tool. And it’s one I think most all of you are very familiar with.

Image courtesy Pixabay

First the question.

Are blog tours worth the effort?

I think the answer to that question will be as varied as the people answering, so I will throw out my answer.

With several successful blog tours under my belt, I say a resounding YES!

I’ve learned some things along the way that help make the tour more interesting for the readers, and more manageable for the author. Those tips are what I will share with you today.

• Content – We’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it, Content is King. If every stop on your book blog tour is the same, it’s boring with a capital B! So each post needs to be unique, entertaining, and engaging.
• Variety of Hosts – This…

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