Good morning, Everyone.
I hope this post finds you Happy and Well.
Here, the coffee is hot, thanks to the gift of a new Keurig coffeepot, and that’s the way we love it.
This morning, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, and bringing a bit of my reality to you here in Patty’s Worlds.
I’ve been blogging since 2015. Since that beginning, during which I knew nothing but how to put a blog post onto the blog, I’ve met a lot of great bloggers, made a ton of friends, and gathered knowledge I could not have received from any other source.
Now, I’m running into an issue, I didn’t foresee when I began. I love blogging, and reblogging the posts of my writerly friends.
I also have clients who depend upon Patty’s Worlds for a place to put their work.
Provided I can overcome this snag, they and I can keep bringing great content to you.
The 36-month hosting services plan for Patty’s Worlds is now due. I must raise $431.64 by April 14, 2024.
Your Sponsorship is appreciated.
Become a Sponsoring Member of Patty’s Worlds
In return you’ll receive:
An ad or ads up to 500 words in length on the sponsor page of Patty’s Worlds which will remain until you either request them removed or ask to update in some way.
Your ads will also be used in Facebook events held on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/2022Pattysworlds, and in articles and essays found on my blog.
You’ll also have guesting privilege which means you may submit your work for use during blogging promotion days which are:
WordPress Wednesday
Friday’s Fantastic Finds
Social Media Saturday and:
Sublime Sunday Reading.
The price for becoming a sponsor is: 30.00 dollars every 90 days, or 100.00 dollars per year.
You will not receive the discount without the one-year purchase.
If you’d like to become a sponsoring member please send your name, email, author or business bio and a brief note concerning what you hope to accomplish to: patty.volunteer1@gmail.com
We take payments via PayPal here.
Our sponsor page is a work in progress and is always being updated, so be sure to check back often.
SPONSORING MEMBERS OF PATTY’S WORLDS…
COLONIAL HEIGHTS ANIMAL HOSPITAL
Website
Jo Elizabeth Pinto
New Young Adult Novel!
Braided Love
CASEY MATHEWS OF WEBFRIENDLYHELP
Virtual Tech Advisor and Research Assistant
AUTHORS TASHA AND STEPHEN HALPERT
Shop for Stephen and Tasha’s books, Abacadabra Moonshine & Other Stories by Stephen Halpert, Up to My Neck in Lemons, and other books by Tasha Halpert
AUTHOR AND BLIND PHOTOGRAPHER PRAANAV LAL
MARLENE MESOT
Author of The Purging Fire and Other Titles
ANTHONY CANDELA
Stand Up Or Sit Out: Memories and Musings Of a Blind Wrestler, Runner, and All-around Regular Guy and
Vision Dreams: A Parable
Abbie Johnson Taylor
New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Trish Hubschman
Gayle’s Tales: Tracy Gayle Mysteries
by Trish Hubschman
Copyright December 23, 2022
Kevin Hubschman
Outside the Circle: A Collection of Songs and Poems
by Kevin Hubschman / C 2021 / 107 pages in print
Imperfections
by Ann Chiappetta, 2024
ADVERTS & NEWS NUGGETS
AD: Wild with Life A Collection of Mother Earth Poetry
Wild with Life
A collection of Mother Earth poetry
by Charles Portolano
Editor of The Avocet, a Journal of Nature Poetry
Knowing I am wild with life
but once
on this gift we have been given,
this precious gift that we have
been given guardianship of…
“These poems are written by a seasoned poet who has reached the pinnacle of his art with a recognizable and moving voice. The sections of the book invited me instantly in to share their secrets: WHERE TREES RUN WILD, WILD WAYS OF WATER. THE WILD AMONG US, OUR WILDEST TERRAINS, LOVING THE WILD, and SAVING WHAT’S WILD. The underlying driving force is of course the notion of wildness and all that we have lost by destroying it.
Charles edits the highly-successful nature journal, THE AVOCET, a must for nature loving poets and writers.”- Christine Swanberg, Poet Laureate of Rockford, Il.
“In Wild with Life, Charles Portolano has deepened his engagement with the natural world he began so movingly in his earlier works. It is a noble, ambitious, and moving work.”- Joel Savishinsky – Charles A. Dana Professor Emeritus in the Social Sciences, Ithaca College
Just $15.00, which includes postage, for 90 pages of pure love for our Mother Earth.
Please make out your check to The Avocet and send to:
The Avocet
P. O. Box 19186
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
To contact us: cportolano@hotmail.com
AD: Outside the Circle: A Collection of Songs and Poems
By Kevin Hubschman
C 2021 / 107 pages in print.
In e-book and print from Amazon, Smashwords, and other online sellers.
For cover image, free text sample, direct buying links, and author contact information, please visit the author’s website.
About the Book
Outside the Circle is a collection of songs and poems I’ve written and composed through the decades. It’s mostly dark, but for those willing to look beyond my personal demons, there can hopefully be found both flashes of resilience and rays of hope.
The book is dedicated first and foremost to my wife, Trish, who is a fantastic author in her own “write.” Secondly, it is dedicated to everyone who feels bullied, feels different, feels alone, feels friendless, feels hopeless, and feels “outside the circle.” The words “don’t judge a book by its cover” spring to mind as apropos.
“Outside the Circle”
Outside the circle I can’t see the sun
Outside the circle I don’t know anyone
Outside the circle time is on the run
Outside the circle is not much fun
Inside the circle is a white–noise crowd
Inside the circle is fashionably loud
Inside the circle there are people with guns
Inside the circle is a lot of fun
About Kevin Hubschman:
Kevin Hubschman lives in Eastern Pennsylvania with his wife, Trish, and their dog, Henry.
He is retired and currently working on a novel loosely based on his life. He would love to connect with people who could help transform some of the pieces found in this publication into polished songs.
Website and contact information.
AD: In My Feelings: A Book of Poetry
By Butterfly Thomas
C 2020 / 117 pages in print.
In e-book and print from Amazon, Smashwords, and other online sellers.
Visit the author’s website for full details (cover, buying links, author bio, and more).
About the book:
Love and passion. Conflict and regret. Pride and defiance. Rage at equality denied. Deep compassion for friends and boundless love for one’s children. These are just a few of the subjects touched upon by these 49 brief, powerful poems.
Some will fill you with shared sorrow. Many of them express anger at racial injustice and the exploitation of the disabled. Still others delight the reader with their images of strength and beauty or their clever arrangement of words.
Never pretentious or deliberately opaque, all of them are sure to make you think.
About Butterfly Thomas:
Butterfly Thomas was born in Germany but was raised in Virginia, where she still lives.
She is the author of the novel Head Held High (2018), an urban thriller.
AD: Gayle’s Tales
By Trish Hubschman
Copyright December 23, 2022
The book is for sale from Smashwords (e-book only) and from Amazon in e-book ($3.99),
paperback ($8.50), and hardcover ($16.50).
175 pages in print.
Find full book details and more on Trish’s Website here.
Synopsis:
Gayle’s Tales is a collection of Tracy Gayle mystery short stories.
Everyone’s favorite couple, Tracy and Danny, are still going strong, romantically and professionally, rocking and rolling and solving crimes.
Tracy has to locate missing persons who vanished decades earlier. She gets tangled in murder investigations she hadn’t anticipated. She digs into a coal mining town that’s been uninhabited for 40 years and discovers secrets and skeletons. In the end, she brings long–lost family members and friends back into each other’s arms and lives.
Through all this, she and Danny are planning their wedding extravaganza at the Plaza Hotel in
New York City. Tracy narrates her own adventures in these tales, as she does in the books.
About Trish Hubschman:
Trish Hubschman lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Kevin, author of the poetry and song collection Outside the Circle, and their dog, Henry. She holds a B.A. degree in English with a writing emphasis. For a longer bio and details about her previous Tracy Gayle books, please visit the website linked to above.
AD: Join Freedom to Be Me
Freedom to Be Me is a group where wonderfully happy and loving people talk about Books, Books, and More.
What’s the More?
All things books.
Blogs
Reviews
Writing
Reading
Newsletters and Online Magazines
All things Tech
Spiritual (No preaching or pushing All Faiths Welcome)
And general BS.
In other words, if you keep it polite and decently clean, all are welcome. Freedom to Be Me Is a discussion group, and though it’s not terribly active, participation is wanted.
If you’d like to join us, you may Subscribe at: FreedomToBeMe+subscribe@groups.io
AD: BOOKS BY PRAANAV R LAL
AUTHOR AND BLIND PHOTOGRAPHER PRANAV LAL (PRAANAV R. LAL)
NONFICTION (SELF-HELP)
Outsmart Blog Hijackers
Keep away those pesky hackers!
Dear author, blogger, and website owner, did you know that 4 out of 5 sites today are set up such that they are ripe for theft?
Think about it, your carefully crafted copy is replaced by ads selling everything from sunglasses to Viagra.
Your users could be infected by malware when they visit your site and your hard-earned trust dissolved within hours.
The Care and Feeding of Digital Certificates build customer trust before they reach your homepage.
How to build trust with your customer even before your homepage loads!
How do you ensure your customer stays on your website and not run screaming from the homepage?
How do you establish instant legitimacy?
What happens if you lose the trust of your buyers?
FICTION…
The Telekinesis Trilogy
Two street children with special powers find a home and solve crimes
Telekinesis – book 1
Can two street children work together and find a home while saving a village?
Led Weight- book 2
Bright toys with a dose of Led
The Cult- book 3
George and Jane go up against a cult
Bakasura an audio comic
Has the demon of legend, Bakasura come to life? George and Jane must find out and rescue the villagers from him.
In case of Emergency
A stranger in her apartment leads Preeti to love, though not with him
Julia
A robot of the future goes up against a common Indian soldier.
Venture Capital
A failed entrepreneur moves towards redemption
Scrambled eggs
Ordinary Joe wins back his super cook wife by “trying once” and some fancy food presentation.
About Pranav Lal in his own words:
My name is Pranav Lal, better known in my writing world as Praanav R Lal
I write non-fiction and short stories which are hard to classify but tend towards fantasy and science fiction.
I do not give my characters any breathers and enjoy keeping the action sharp and continuous.
I use a visual prosthesis, thanks to which I am a photographer.
I enjoy technology, particularly cybersecurity which is what pays the bills.
I love interacting, so feel free to comment or say hello.
AD: NEW RELEASE
One Goes to the Sea
By Joan Myles
Website
What is it about poetry that so readily connects readers with their Spiritual selves? And is it possible to focus these expanded faculties of perception beyond the page–intentionally, inward?
One Goes to the Sea is a collection of the poet’s waking and sleeping flights of fancy, her dream journal sketched poetically and visually illustrated by her daughter.
You can order your copy on Amazon and Smashwords today!
Independently published with assistance from Two Pentacles Publishing Services, LLC.
About Joan Myles:
Joan Myles has always been a child of Wonder as well as a spiritual seeker. When she lost her sight at the age of 12, these qualities and writing poetry saved her from despair.
Joan earned a B.A. in Education, a Master’s in Jewish Studies. She married, raised four lively children, worked as a Rehabilitation Teacher, and taught Hebrew and Judaics for over 15 years.
Her first book of poetry, One With Willows, vividly expresses Joan’s child-like joy. She considers her poems to be a kind of footpath for readers, an opening into that place of delight, an invitation to awaken childlike wonder for themselves.
Joan’s words also reveal the invisible link between one human being and another, between humans and Nature, between the physical realm and the Spiritual. The idea of the Oneness of Creation flows through her work, the understanding of living in the world as a journey of discovery, of stepping into and between the various layers and levels of existence. Joan’s second collection, One Glittering Wing, represents this kind of journey, specifically through her year-long passage from the deep pain of her mother’s death toward reconciliation with Life.
Joan currently lives in Oregon with her best friend, who also happens to be her husband.
AD: NEW RELEASE
Poems and Prayers
By Tasha Halpert
Website
Poems and Prayers by Tasha Halpert is a poignant tribute to her late son Robin Greenough Lorenz and his brief, yet meaningful, life. Written over the years since his passing, the book is evocative of his spirit and of the love they shared. Readers may feel echoes of their own experiences with the loss of life of a loved one, and may feel comforted by the shared feelings. Tasha Halpert’s poetry has been published in The Unicorn and other publications.
Poems and Prayers is available to purchase on Amazon today.
About Tasha Halpert:
Practical mystic, poet and writer Tasha Halpert lives in a small central Massachusetts town where she writes a weekly column for the local newspaper and a weekly inspirational Internet column. She is staff poet and storyteller for The Unicorn. Mother, grandmother and great grandmother, she and her husband Stephen, a writer and collage artist do what they can to make the world a happier, healthier place.
AD: Victoria Zigler
A blind Welsh vegan, Victoria Zigler writes poetry and stories for children and the young at heart, many of them containing animal characters based on her own pets, as well as a series of books based on her own adjustments after sight loss, which are specifically designed to give people a glimpse into what life is like for a visually impaired person. She makes her books available in a wide variety of formats, including eBook, paperback, and audio, from several different online retailers worldwide. Grab your copies of her books from your favorite retailer today, and remember to check out her website.
AD: Books by Anthony R. Candela
By Anthony R. Candela
Christian Faith Publishing, 2019
Facebook
Vision Dreams: A Parable
This is a sci-fi novella about how a dysfunctional society forces people to go to extremes, including four blind people who seek out artificial vision.
This novella increases our understanding of what it means to live in a society that is supportive of its citizens’ daily happiness and humanity. Perhaps after reading it you will be more on guard against what can happen when nations decide to be hyper-vigilant. As the plot unwinds, you will see the lengths to which people will go to achieve their humanity. In the midst of the subtle kinds of strife that leads many to live lives of quiet desperation, there are heroes willing to take risks.
Stand Up Or Sit Out: Memories and Musings Of a Blind Wrestler, Runner, and All-around Regular Guy
A memoir about life lessons learned, especially through sports.
The story related in these pages will occasionally give you cause to chuckle or even shed tears of sadness or joy. Above all else, it will enlighten you about why things happen the way they do. Ultimately, this memoir increases our understanding of what it means to be truly human. Perhaps after reading it we will be kinder and gentler to each other. Most importantly, perhaps we will be kinder and gentler to ourselves.
About the Author
Tony Candela has worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor, supervisor, manager consultant and administrator for more than 40 years in the field of blindness and visual impairment. His work has included promoting literacy and employment of blind persons and a special interest in enhancing the career preparation of blind persons who wish to work in the computer science field. He is a “retired” athlete, loves movies, sports, reading, writing, and music, including dabbling in guitar.
AD: Imperfections by Ann Chiappetta
© 2024 By Ann Chiappetta
Novel, Imperfections © 2024
For Lainie, feeling unwelcome is only the beginning of her struggles. Her mom is addicted to
painkillers, her stepfather is a felon, and her dad traded her in for a new family.
So what if she’s kicked out of high school? Determined and attractive, Lainie sets out to make
her own path.
Shane, the young man she begins dating and believes is trustworthy, transforms into a
possessive and cruel boyfriend. When Efren, Shane’s older cousin, enters her life, Lainie grasps
onto a sliver of hope, falling in love.
Shane’s obsessive and abusive treatment of her, however, casts a deep shadow over Lainie and
Efren’s chance to find safety and a future free of the fear of Shane’s sadistic retribution.
Will their love persevere, or will Shane’s pervasive and negative influence push Lainie and Efren
apart, forcing them to love secretly?
About the Author
Ann Chiappetta, M.S. Poet and author
Ann’s award-winning poems, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared internationally in
literary journals, popular online blogs, and print anthologies. Her poems have been featured in
The Avocet, the Pangolin Review, Plum Tree Tavern, Magnets and Ladders, Oprelle, Western PA
Poetry Review 2024and Breath and Shadow. Ann’s short story, The Misty Torrent appeared in
the Artificial Divide anthology published by Renaissance Press (2021).
Ann is the recipient of the 2019 GDUI Excellence in Writing award and the WDOMI 2016 Spirit
of Independence award.
Independently published since 2016, the author’s six volume collection includes poetry,
creative nonfiction essays, short stories and contemporary fiction.
Diagnosed in 1993 with a rare form of progressive retinal disease, Ann accepts vision loss as
part of her life but doesn’t let it define her as a whole person.
Contact Ann by visiting her website:
www.annchiappetta.com
subscribe to Ann’s blog www.thought-wheel.com
NEWS NUGGETS
News Nuggets: RELEASED IN 2022
The Spirit of One Audiobook
By Marlene Mesot
Performed by Timothy G. Little
This is a gathering of four short stories which were separately published in print only in different collections of various Christian authors published by Christian Book Marketing.
One Door…Knocking – Sheltering in a dark, creepy run-down house, seeking light…
One Man’s Destiny – Spiritual warfare…
One Man’s Quest: Seeking the Unpardonable Sin – A quest for answers with a mysterious Book…
One Weekend…in the Woods – A struggle to survive…
The Author’s Edge
By Marlene Mesot
Forward by Lynda McKinney Lambert
Performed by Timothy G. Little
This collection of 80 poems is meant to bring encouragement and inspiration to anyone who has ever thought, or dreamed, of writing, whether personally or professionally. Writing takes many forms, whether it’s a letter, diary, blog, article, story, play, poem or novel. I will confess my writing leans in favor of fiction.
These poems are also meant for readers because we cannot have one without the other. The goal of any author is to have universal appeal. Thank you for considering the work of this author.
“Poetry is music in words.”
Marlene Mesot
Forward by award-winning artist/author Lynda McKinney Lambert.
Jacket Review
Readers will connect with her newest collection of forty poems from the opening Quatrain of her first poem. Craftsmanship in the arts is a recurring theme. It feels like she is conscientiously continuing to weave her way along the path she established from the inception of this book.
~ Lynda McKinney Lambert
Author of Songs for the Pilgrimage, Star Signs, First Snow, Walking by inner Vision.
OTHER BOOKS
4 Elements of Mystery Series
The Purging Fire (2018)
The Snowball Effect (2021)
The Cat Stalker’s Sonnets – Romantic Suspense Novel (2020)
Edgy Poetry (2021)
News Nuggets: New from Abbie Johnson Taylor
Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
By Abbie Johnson Taylor
Copyright 2021
Independently published with the help of DLD Books
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
Excerpt from Chapter 1
I hated walking with my mom and sister down that long, bright hallway in the nursing home where my grandma lived. The white tile floor and the ceiling covered with fluorescent lights reminded me of school. The only difference was that there were handrails on either side that old people could hold onto while they walked, so they wouldn’t fall.
The blare of television sets from just about every room we passed, laughter and chatter from the nurses’ station, and announcements over the PA system made me wonder why Dad called this place a rest home. The sharp aroma of disinfectant reminded me of the monthly trips I’d made to the dentist years before to have my braces adjusted. I nearly gagged as I remembered the goop they put in my mouth so they could take impressions of my teeth before the braces were put on.
***
To learn where you can get your copy, visit: https://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com Please feel free to email me at: abbietaylor945@gmail.com
Photo Description provided by Two Pentacles Publishing: http://www.twopentacles.com
News Nuggets: Dancing with the Seasons: A Year in Simple Verse
by Jo Elizabeth Pinto
New! From author Jo Elizabeth Pinto, with publishing assistance by Two Pentacles Publishing Services, LLC.
The fifty-two short poems in “Dancing with the Seasons: A Year in Simple Verse” are easy to understand, yet rich with emotional and sensory details. Celebrate the vivid, ever-changing beauty of nature in rhythm and rhyme.
About Jo Elizabeth Pinto:
Jo Elizabeth Pinto was among the first blind students to integrate the public schools in the 1970’s. In 1992, she received a degree in Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado. While teaching students how to use adaptive technology, she earned a second degree in 2004 from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in Nonprofit Management. These days, she freelances as an editor and a braille proofreader.
As an author, Pinto entertains her readers while giving them food for thought. In her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, she draws on personal experience to illustrate that hope is always an action away.
Pinto lives in Colorado with her husband, her teenage daughter, her guide dog Spreckles, and an aging family cat named Sam-I-Am.