historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
I’ve been reading John Pavlovitz’s If God is Love, Don’t be a Jerk. Like some other non-fiction books I’ve read lately, I’ve found it interesting and thought-provoking. I was intrigued to find that the evolution of Mr. Pavlovitz’s beliefs are similar to my own journey in faith. When I was a child, my family attended … Continue reading My Evolving Higher Power
When we last saw Halya Bilyk in Erin Litteken's debut novel, The Memory Keeper of Kiev, she was only two years old. It was 1934 and she and her family were still recovering from the effects of the Holodomor, Stalin's attempt to eradicate the Ukranians via starvation. The sequel, The Lost Daughters of Ukraine, finds … Continue reading Book Review: “The Lost Daughters of Ukraine” by Erin Litteken
If you haven't already heard (what, you couldn't hear me shouting from the rooftop?) the e-book version of War Sonnets is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. Paperback and hardcover copies will also be avaible soon. In the meantime, here's a little teaser: the opening chapter of War Sonnets: … Continue reading War Sonnets Teaser
Yes, you read that right. The fifth of July. Do you know its significance? On July 5, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur declared the Philippines liberated. And on July 5, 2023? War Sonnets will be released! After five years and a ton of hard work, War Sonnets is going public. Copies will be available for sale … Continue reading The Fifth of July
HIROSHIMA --August 6, 1945 The awesome power of death, this day uncaged, Will, like the weak Pandora’s box of woes, Be with the world wherever war is waged, And dog man’s footsteps everywhere he goes. That it, this day, has claimed ten thousand lives, And saved, perhaps, a hundred thousand more Who poise in waiting … Continue reading The Poetry of War Sonnets: The Bomb That Changed the World
Last weekend, most of us performed the semi-annual task of changing the time on our clocks. "Spring ahead...fall back" is the chant. Duly noted and accomplished. But is spring really right around the corner? According to the calendar, yes. The spring equinox officially occurs Monday, March 20, at 5:24 p.m. But is it really spring? … Continue reading Spring Ahead?
I rarely read non fiction. It's hard for me to pay close attention, I find myself having to re-read paragraphs, sometimes whole pages. But, in the case of The 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah-Jones, I made an exception. It all started when... A few weeks ago, my granddaughter and I were discussing how little we … Continue reading Book Review: “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones
May/June 1945 枝広げ 追手惑わす マンゴの木 Eda hiroge Oite madowasu Mango no kiThe great mango tree Hides me from my searching foes Under wide branches. NIGHT PATROL Luzon, 1945 Outside the closed perimeter, we wait Until full dark; then , at a word, we go Like green-clad ghosts to stalk the distant foe. Still harbingers of … Continue reading The Poetry of War Sonnets: Hunter and Hunted
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At Stane Hame, a first-century tribal village near Cullykhan Bay in Scotland, Mooragh, spiritual leader of the Caledonia tribe known as the Taezali, worships at the standing stone--the place where she hears the Goddess.* They communicate with visions: Mooragh is mute. She is also young--perhaps in her teens. Far too young to be a spiritual … Continue reading Book Review: Sisters at the Edge of the World, by Ailish Sinclair
Susannah Willey Writes 