Author: Auroras & Blossoms Page 6 of 36

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The Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Focus on Andre DeCuir

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On July 23, 2024

In Latest book releases, The Warm Mug of Cozy Corner

Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in Volume 2 of our yearly anthology.

Today, Andre DeCuir is sharing what inspired his story “The Body in the Bog.”

My story  is set in the middle ages, 12th century, I would say, as I have always been interested in the literature and art of the period.  When murder mysteries happen to be set in the middle ages, then I am extremely interested.  I have read the works of Ellis Peters and Margaret Frazer, and their works have inspired me to try my hand at a medieval murder mystery.   I thought about a royal valet as a possible protagonist because in helping a royal person look his best in public,  he would have to have a keen eye for detail, a skill that would be most helpful in solving crimes as well.

I recently became interested in the poetry of Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who has written poems based upon the discovery of “bog bodies,” bodies of medieval people almost perfectly preserved because of the makeup of the bogs.  These two interests were combined in the story “The Body in the Bog,” a story that I would call a medieval “cold case”!

Andre DeCuir’s work has appeared in publications such as Adelaide Literary Journal, Blink-Ink, Heron Tree, Mystery Tribune, Shotgun Honey, Origami Poems Project, Gay Flash Fiction, Dialogual, and The Rose and Thorn Journal.

Thank you for sending us your story, Andre! We know people will love reading it as much as we have.

In the meantime, don’t forget to order your copy of A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 2.

CLICK TO GRAB YOUR COPY

Cendrine & David

The PoArtMo Anthology Series: Focus on Cendrine Marrouat

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On July 18, 2024

In Inspirational Artist Series, The PoArtMo Corner

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our PoArtMo Anthology Series, which celebrates the artists whose work appears in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 5.

Today’s guest is Cendrine Marrouat, co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms, who has contributed a very unique set of poems. She explains what inspired her pieces.

Those who know me are aware that I love challenging myself as an artist. I believe that it is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of writer’s block.

Over the years, I have created several poetry forms, which are all inspired by the Haiku: the Hemingku, Kindku, Pareiku, Sixku, Sepigram, and Vardhaku. (Three of them have also involved David Ellis.) I invented my own type of flash fiction, called the Flashku, too. So, I wanted to share a few examples of those in this year’s volume, as well as a short story that reinvents the myth behind sunsets and sunrises.

I have been passionate about the Haiku for two decades. Its minimalistic approach makes it a very challenging form to master. I also consider it one of the greatest poetry forms ever created. To be impactful, the Haiku requires a deep dive into the exploration of one’s emotions. It is not something I have experienced with other forms—at least not as strongly.

That is exactly what the forms I (co-)created are all about.

Whenever I start working on a piece, I want to do more than just entertain readers. My biggest goal is to inspire them to sit and think about the world around them, and (re-)learn to enjoy the little things.

Of course, not everyone will relate to my message. But writing from a place of self-worth and self-understanding has helped me remain grounded. I would not be the artist and person I am today without it.

Bio:

Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, writer, poet, painter, digital artist, podcaster, and the multi-genre author of 50 books. In 2019, she co-founded Auroras & Blossoms and PoArtMo with David Ellis. She is also the (co-)creator of several poetry forms and a type of digital image.

Cendrine writes both in French and English and has worked in many different fields in her 21-year career, including translation, language instruction, journalism, art reviews, and social media.

Website: https://creativeramblings.com

Cendrine, thank you for supporting Auroras & Blossoms! We know that people will love your work as much as we all do!

That’s it for this year’s series! See you in 2025 for the next volume of our PoArtMo Anthology. In the meantime, don’t forget to purchase your copy of Volume 5! See below for more information.

The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 5 is available! Click here to purchase your copy.

The Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Focus on Denise Johnson

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On July 16, 2024

In Latest book releases, The Warm Mug of Cozy Corner

Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in Volume 2 of our yearly anthology.

Today, Denise Johnson is sharing what inspired her story “New Job.”

I wrote “New Job” while my father was still alive. He relocated to assisted living and I thought it would be interesting to place a mystery in that environment. Even a place that appears to be what it seems—a simple home to older adults—can have darker secrets lurking about.

The plot naturally unfolds with a young woman’s first day coincidentally occurring at the same time a police investigation is being undertaken there.

The woman, who is the main character, most certainly expected a normal first day on the job. The typical employee handbook is provided and perhaps a few videos of dos and don’ts are shared. A day, by all accounts, one would consider boring. But this was no ordinary day, the young woman discovers. Rather, she finds that it is anything but.

Mysteries surround us and I think the best part of the story is knowing that any ordinary day can turn into an extraordinary one.

Denise Johnson has written several mystery, horror, and science fiction short stories that have appeared in Kings River Life and Blood Moon Rising magazines as well as several anthologies, including Determined Hearts: A Frankenstein Anthology; Black Buttons Vol. 3: A Family Affair; Buried; Murder of Crows; WhoDunit!; A Warm Mug of Cozy: Volume 1; Portal: The Inner Circle Writer’s Group Children’s Anthology 2019; Cold and Crisp; and in It’s All in My Mind.

Website: http://www.denisehjohnson.com

Thank you for sending us your story, Denise! We know people will love reading it as much as we have.

In the meantime, don’t forget to order your copy of A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 2.

CLICK TO GRAB YOUR COPY

Cendrine & David

The PoArtMo Anthology Series: Focus on David Ellis

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On July 11, 2024

In Inspirational Artist Series, The PoArtMo Corner

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our PoArtMo Anthology Series, which celebrates the artists whose work appears in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 5.

Today’s guest is David Ellis, co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms, who has contributed a very unique set of poems. He explains what has inspired his creative journey for the pieces he has included in the anthology.

For this anthology, I wanted to provide a variety of found poetry creations that showcase all of the different places that you can find deep insight when looking for ways to motivate your muse. In this case, I have been influenced by catchy songs, other incredible poems, non-fiction literature and sumptuous photography/paintings.

Found poetry is a very rich passion of mine, I seem to be able to unearth endless permutations when playing around with the format. It is truly fascinating how it helps me to craft poetry in such a way that I would not have originally thought of, if I had written freeform poetry. There is something about being restricted with word choice and word placement that stimulates my brain, it generates a puzzle that must be solved! Having to think of innovative ways to phrase something that uses the resources available, along with it sounding nothing like the source material and having it make sense too is truly thrilling to me when I manage to finish the piece.

When it comes to subject matter, this is uncovered to me a bit like I am an archeologist. I start off trying to find the corners, along with the beginning, middle and end. Sometimes the pieces can be back to front or in the wrong place/order, so I gently fiddle with them until they fit better as a whole. Then the rest reveals itself piece by piece until I am completely satisfied that I have uncovered all of its secrets buried within.

My two longest poetry pieces in the anthology originally started out as attempts at “Cadralore” poetry (for more information on this wonderful and intricate form, check out GLEAM: Journal of the Cadralor). I mention this because although I was not successful this time in writing Cadralore poems (the plural of Cadralor), it still resulted in poems that to me feel extremely unique in the way they were crafted and I think the sentiment in them still shines through to the reader.

I would encourage fellow writers to be fearless when trying new ways to write/create because you never know what you will end up with, even if it does not come out exactly as you originally planned, you too could end up with something special for your audience!

Bio:

David Ellis lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent in the UK. He is an award-winning poet, author of poetry, marketing workbooks/journals, humorous fiction and music lyrics. He is also the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms, and the co-creator of PoArtMo (Positive Actions Rally Thoughts & Momentum) and the Kindku.

David’s debut poetry collection (Life, Sex & Death) won an International Award in the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2016 for Inspirational Poetry Books.

David is extremely fond of tea, classic and contemporary poetry, cats, and dogs but not snakes. Indiana Jones is his spirit animal.

Website: https://toofulltowrite.com

David, thank you for supporting Auroras & Blossoms! We know that people will love your work as much as we all do!

The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 5 is available! Click here to purchase your copy.

“A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 2” is Out Today!

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On July 9, 2024

In Announcements, Latest book releases, The Warm Mug of Cozy Corner

Hello everyone!

A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 2 is finally out!

This year’s volume is full of gripping stories crafted by eight phenomenal writers:

  • Whispers in Bars – Ian Tucker
  • The Norman Conquest – Anne Elliot
  • The Takedown – Julie A. Sellers
  • A Hard Pill to Swallow – RG Clark
  • A Terrible Murder – Sam Morris
  • No Good Deed – Lisa M. Lane 
  • The Body in the Bog – Andre DeCuir
  • New Job – Denise Johnson
  • The Old Book – Ian Tucker
CLICK TO GRAB YOUR COPY

If you don’t see your favorite online store in the list, wait for a few days, and it should appear there. Please note that the anthology will not be available through Amazon.

When you purchase your copy, you do not just support this website, you also make it possible for the authors who have opted to receive royalties to be duly compensated for their hard work!

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If you are a contributor to our anthology, we invite you to proudly display the banner below everywhere! Don’t forget to link to our store: https://warmmugofcozy.com/store.

We cannot wait to read your reviews of our anthology.

Have a wonderful week!

Cendrine & David

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