It is always a great pleasure for us to announce an upcoming new release. This time, it’s all about the fourth volume in our PoArtMo Series.
Like every year, The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 4 will offer a selection of inspirational and uplifting works from Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis, and Azelle Elric. This edition is complemented by the words of Nichola Napora and Marjolein Rotsteeg, two writers who also grace the pages of our beautiful Haiku Anthology.
On the menu, drawings, short fiction, poetry, and photography!
We are almost ready to hit the publish button. If everything goes well, The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 4 should be available on October 31, 2023. So watch this space!
Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in our inaugural volume.
Today, Caitlin McColl is telling us what inspired her story “Trinity Falls.”
What inspired my story? A few things:
I wrote some mystery stories in the past but they were more straight up detective stories. I’d never written a cozy mystery and thought it would be interesting to try to write a story using the ‘rules’ of the cozy – especially the idea of it taking place in a small town.
Lately I’ve been on a crime/thriller binge after discovering a few new mystery/crime writers, so that helped with some inspiration. There’s also a few cozy mystery TV series that I love: Agatha Raisin, Murdoch Mysteries, Queens of Mystery…. and maybe even Nancy Drew (yes, I admit, I watched a few seasons of the teen mystery drama!).
But I love the main character in my story because…well, she’s actually a main character in some of my Steampunk fiction! But of course, my anthology story isn’t steampunk, so she’s not exactly the same character – but what she does as a job in my Steampunk stories was a perfect fit for a cozy mystery!
So, it was mostly my main character that inspired my story. That, and for some reason, despite having been there only once many years ago, I pictured the town my story takes place in being something like a small town on the East Coast of North America – which is strange, seeing how I live on the West Coast! But the west coast didn’t seem to have the same vibe as the east coast for a mystery.
Caitlin McColl has written many short stories since childhood, mainly fantasy—with dragons, wizards, and other fantastical monsters. Her areas of interest are fantasy and steampunk fiction, but once in a while she also delves into genres like crime. Which makes sense because she watches a lot of crime dramas and reads lots of crime thrillers. She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and dog. She currently writes stories and articles on Medium.com.
Welcome to our mini-series on The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology, which celebrates the poets featured in volumes 1-3.
Today, Flo Au and Siddhi Pawar are telling us what inspired the haiku & senryu they sent us.
Flo Au
Flo Au’s poetry has received many accolades, including commendation in Norman Nicholson Lockdown Poetry Competition 2020 and a top 10 finalist spot in Voice of Peace: 1st International Poetry And Short Story 2021 Asia Edition. Her monologue was also selected to be one of the top 30 in Lancaster One Minute Monologue 2021.
Flo has three haiku featured in Volume 3:
Haiku give me the opportunity to explore the relationship between Nature and us in the form of three lines. I love to write and read haiku poems. I also enjoy how we can pay more attention to our surroundings through words. With only a few words, we connect to Nature and relate our stories to it. We can ponder over the images, release our emotions and distract ourselves from the anxiety of life.
The aesthetic quality of haiku lies in their conciseness and precision. I am always inspired and enthralled by how a few words can tell a long tale and how silence can convey messages. These are the reasons why I wrote those poems.
Siddhi Pawar
Siddhi Pawar is an eighteen year old who finds her heart in literature and poetry. She believes that there is positivity everywhere in the nature around us.
#1 – I was on a visit to the town of Manali when I came across pastures, a shade of green that I had never seen before. It made me want to stop and observe them. Little did I know that a colourful treasure awaited me in the next few moments.
#2 – Summer vacations mean beaches, a mixture of sea, sky and warm breeze. Gazing upon the waters of an ocean is inspiration in itself!
Flo and Siddhi, thank you for sharing what inspired your haiku. We are honored that you sent us your work.
Today’s instalment concludes our mini-series. We hope that you enjoyed learning more about our contributors and what inspired them.
Don’t forget to pick up your copies of The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology: Volumes 1-3!
The wait is over! The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology: Volume 3 is here!
Welcome to an incredible series of haiku and senryu compiled by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis from Auroras & Blossoms.
Feast your senses on a unique collection that is moving, thought-provoking, inspirational, hauntingly beautiful and deeply insightful.
This anthology is a delightful showcase of superbly crafted poetry that is extremely easy to get into but handsomely rewards the reader with each subtle nuance and twist. It is like spending time with loved ones and old friends, comforting in the extreme, endlessly endearing and so compelling, you will never want the experience to end!
Contributors to Volume 3 include Sarah Ambata, Ruby Appleby, Flo Au, Papp Győző Benedek, Joshua Blaine, Sierra Conn, Lauren Cuppy, Danny Daw, Mary Beth Defer, Timothy Dillehay, Connor Flinn, Darby Goulden, Farah Aqeelah Marwilis binti Helmi, Edward Cody Huddleston, Govind Joshi, Chris Langer, Ella Leith, Leo Liu, Fionntán Macdonald, Jemma Marie, Beth McCoy, Alex McMahon, Templeton Moss, Yvette O’Kay, Siddhi Pawar, Vishnu Rai, Archer Roehrig, Ayodele Sasegbon, Thomas Shaw, Ruben Whitter, and Ting Ze Zhi, Isaac.
Price: $3.99 $1.99. (This limited offer ends on October 12, 2023.)
NB: We do not accept direct payment for the anthology. You have to purchase directly from one of the online stores on the page. That is how our contributors can be paid.
If you don’t see your favorite online store in the list, please wait a couple of days, and it should appear.
Promo Banner for Our Contributors!
For those interested in sharing the news with their audiences, here is a promo banner. Display it proudly on your website, blog, and/or social media!
Volume 3 is the last volume in this year’s series. But we have great news for you. We have decided to make the anthology a yearly event! You can expect our submission call to open during the first quarter of 2024.
In the meantime, we wanted to remind you that there are only a few days left to submit to the first issue of our magazine! Don’t delay, click the banner below to view our guidelines and send us something.
That’s it for today! We hope you will enjoy Volume 3 as much as we do!
Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in our inaugural volume.
Today, Natalie Klein is telling us what inspired her story “Murder on Main Street, A Derry Downs Mystery”
The thrill of the chase, suspenseful plot twists, and the satisfaction of solving the crime – nothing gets my heart racing quite like a good old-fashioned whodunit.
So, when the opportunity arose to immerse myself in a cozy murder mystery, I couldn’t resist throwing my hat in the ring. The prospect of sleuthing alongside captivating characters and unravelling an intricate web of clues had me hooked from the get-go.
Amidst Sydney’s hustle and bustle, I often yearn for the quaint charm of a small country town. Where strong friendships are formed over cups of steaming tea and life’s simple pleasures are savoured. This is where the seeds of my cozy murder mystery were born.
‘Welcome to Derry Downs, a little slice of country paradise where sewing needles are the weapons of choice and juicy gossip flows like the finest wine. Alice and Bobbie are the town’s dynamic duo, running the beloved Sewing Bee and keeping the community afloat with their boundless energy and friendly smiles. But when tragedy strikes and brings chaos to this once-peaceful town, it’s Alice’s determination to solve the crime that will have you cheering her on with every stitch. Will she track down the culprit, or will her pursuit put her in harm’s way?’
So, grab your magnifying glass, hone your detective skills, and get ready to embark on a thrilling journey with Alice to uncover the shooter in my cozy murder mystery.
Natalie Klein from Sydney Australia, crafts captivating stories for readers of all ages. She also works as a website copywriter, crafting clear, concise, and persuasive copy for small businesses.
When she’s not busy writing, she can usually be found listening to true crime podcasts, sewing, and exploring all things related to the history of England.
