Known as the UK’s best-selling living poet, Donna Ashworth first rose to prominence during the 2020 lockdown, when her poem “History Will Remember When the World Stopped” went viral and helped raise funds for the NHS. In the years since, her work has continued to resonate, offering reflections on resilience, connection, and hope.
Here’s one of my favorites…perfect for the season:
>On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
I highly recommend The Healing Power of Resilience by Dr. Tara Narula, board-certified cardiologist and chief medical correspondent for ABC News. Here’s an inspiring and thought-provoking excerpt:
Countless times I have witnessed patients beat the odds and live beyond expectations—even if it was a stretch to think they would survive just one more day. For many it is that one more day, and that one more day has so much value for them and the people who love them. Allowing for hope is a key part of how we can help people and patients build resilience. Instead of limiting our expectations of what happens next to fit within the smallest, safest perimeter, we should allow people the room to grow, to live into whatever might be possible.
Hope is difficult to define; we just know it when we feel it. One definition of hope that I like defines it as an “optimistic state of mind based on the expectation of positive outcomes in one’s life or the world.” This means to me that hope is something we can choose to cultivate. Hope is a positive motivational state based on a sense of agency (the belief that you initiate and direct actions) and action (the belief that you can find ways to achieve your goals). It’s not simply wishful thinking; it’s a belief in the possibility of a better future, coupled with the conviction that you can play a role in making that future a reality. If we believe that resilience is, rather than the ability to bounce back, the ability to bounce forward and to find peace with a new normal, hope is believing that we can make that new normal a good place to be.
Source: The Healing Power of Resilience, pp. 192-193.
I’m happy to welcome author Morgan Blake. Today, Morgan shares her new release, The Cherry Trees of Rosings.
Blurb
A Pride & Prejudice variation with a slightly paranormal, mainly comic twist!
When Elizabeth Bennet visits her newly-married friend, Charlotte Collins, at the Hunsford parsonage, she has no idea that Mr. Darcy (he of the arrogant demeanor and perpetual cause of annoyance!) shall turn up to ruin her blissful, idyllic days.
Only, Mr. Darcy is not himself. And then Elizabeth stumbles straight through him one day… like one would an apparition! Goodness gracious!
“Mr. Darcy, I do not know what you mean, but I would appreciate it if you would desist from haunting me!”
“I apologize, Miss Bennet, for scaring you,” Mr. Darcy said, almost regretfully.
To solve her haunting problem, Elizabeth must team up with Mr. Darcy to find out what happened to him, and along the way discover that maybe he is not all that he seemed at first. And that maybe… she doesn’t hate him after all.
“You wish to write the letter now?” he asked as she moved past him with the candle.
“Well, to be honest,” she glanced at him. “I would prefer to sleep. But since you are here, I do not see why not.”
From the antics of Lady Catherine de Bourgh to the hilarity of Mr. Collins’ advice on staying fit, The Cherry Trees of Rosings shall make you laugh and cry in equal measure. And wonder: Will our favourite couple find their happy ever after?
Spoiler: Yes, they will!
This Pride and Prejudice variation features our favourite Regency romance couple from Jane Austen’s original classic in a somewhat spooky setup. ✨ But fear not, dear readers! ✨ This story is not scary in the least. Prepare for a chuckle fest and abundant cups of tea!
Excerpt
It was three days since her encounter with Mr. Darcy’s apparition. Elizabeth was not certain if what she had experienced was a dream or real.
Perhaps she had fallen asleep on that iron bench in that chestnut copse. Perhaps it had been nothing but her overactive imagination.
Yet, she had not gone for her usual walk since that day. Not since the news.
A shiver crept up Elizabeth’s spine at the thought. She shook it off as best as she could and went back to tossing feed to the Collins’ chickens.
“Are you real?”
Elizabeth screamed—nearly jumping out of her skin!—and dropped the bowl of feed. Mr. Darcy was standing a few feet away from her.
“Mr. Darcy…” she said in a hush. Eyes wide in horror.
“Why do I see you, Miss Bennet?” he asked, voice soft and melancholic.
It was almost as if he was speaking to himself, not her. Elizabeth could only stare at the man.
Her heart thumped loudly within her chest. Blood thundered past her ears, and within her veins. He was still dressed in the same clothes as the day she had spoken to him under the cherry trees.
Author Bio and Links
Morgan Blake writes regency romance novels and Austenesque variations of Pride & Prejudice that are sometimes steamy, sometimes not. Satire is the name of the game and happy ever afters the goal!
Morgan loves exploring themes of personal identity, inner strength, social discourse and hope alongside enduring love in her stories. She also believes that strong heroes and heroines are not enough to make a tale worth telling. They need a supporting cast of good and not-so-good characters that add more punch and vibrancy… and some dramatic ridiculousness!
Morgan is a cat friend, tropical girl who prefers winter clothes, perennial fantasy/historical fiction nerd, and a night owl.
Author Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | UBL
What reviewers are saying about The Cherry Trees of Rosings:
“When an author marries two of your all-time favourite stories, this is it! Morgan keeps some Austen language but makes it palatable for modern audiences. It was witty and beautifully descriptive.”
— Nicole Curls Up to Read
“This variation mixes the absurdity of Mr Collins, the entitlement of Lady Catherine, the scepticism of Colonel Fitzwilliam, with the awkwardness and humour of Darcy and Elizabeth’s interactions. A good combination of humour, romance and angst.”
—My JAFF Obsession
“The story was really captivating, especially as Elizabeth tries to figure out why Darcy is an apparition and how to help him back to his normal state. At some points the story was also a bit sad because it seems that there can be no future for Darcy and Elizabeth. Fortunately that is not the case and in the end (*spoiler*) they find their happily ever after.”
—Melanie Reads JAFF
“That was fast reading in one day, but I just couldn’t stop reading!”
—Eileen Smith, Goodreads
Giveaway
Morgan Blake will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.
Follow Morgan on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
First released in 2018 on his album Bridges, Josh Groban’s “Granted” is an uplifting ballad that reminds us to cherish life, pursue our passions, and embrace love. Written during his time on Broadway, the song reflects upon his own journey from arts education to stardom. The following lyric video features students from his alma mater, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
I’m happy to welcome romance author D. Taylor. Today, she shares her new release, By Chance.
Blurb
Charlotte Douglas has spent far too long trying to stitch her life back together after a single betrayal shattered her place in the community that once adored her. With every polite nod and measured smile, she shoulders the same whispered story: she is not the young lady she ought to be — and certainly not the kind any respectable man would escort into a ballroom.
Then a flat tire on a warm afternoon brings Elias Navarro to her gate.
A hardworking mechanic with steady hands and a restless heart, Elias has lived safely, sensibly, and without surprise. Until Charlotte. With her quiet fire, careful poise, and eyes that dare him to look closer, she becomes the first woman in years to make him want more than the life he knows.
What begins as a returned plate and a shared cup of coffee becomes something neither expected: late-afternoon walks, borrowed laughter, the charge of almost-kisses, and the slow, undeniable pull toward something tender.
But Charlotte’s past is a room full of watching eyes—and the Winter Soirée is coming.
When Charlotte hesitates to invite Elias, terrified he will judge the truth she’s never said aloud, he mistakes her quiet fear for rejection. And when cruel words at the ball turn her reputation into spectacle, Elias steps into the fray without hesitation—proving himself steady, fierce, and nothing like the man who once broke her heart.
What follows is a reckoning of truths:
her fear of being unworthy,
his fear of not belonging in her world,
and the choice they must face—
whether love found by chance can become love fought for on purpose.
Excerpt
Charlotte shouldn’t have taken the car—not with the sun already dipping low behind the rooftops, not with rush hour thickening, and certainly not in that dress.
By morning, the dread had rotted into something uglier. Louder. She couldn’t sit with it anymore.
So she took her father’s automobile keys and drove—south past the quiet boulevards and polished shopfronts her mother preferred, into a stretch of narrow blocks where everyone knew your name and no one asked questions. An hour later, she left with her long curls on the floor and tight ringlets pinned close to her scalp, neck bare, shame and freedom crawling the same path down her spine. The gold flapper dress shimmered when she moved—too beaded, too clingy, and entirely deliberate.
If they were going to whisper, let them whisper for something new.
The light shifted—amber, then rose-gold. She should have turned back.
She didn’t.
A delivery truck pulled too wide at the corner. She swerved—too fast, too sharp—and the front tire struck something jagged. The pop split the air, sharp and final. The car shuddered, then sagged, boneless as a broken doll.
Charlotte’s hands clung to the wheel. Her chest cinched. Heat pressed behind her eyes.
“Oh, isn’t this the bee’s knees,” she said thinly. “Just grand.”
She stumbled out, skirt snagging, heel catching, dignity unraveling by degrees. One look at the tire and the world tipped.
Then a voice—low, steady.
“You alright, miss?”
She startled, spine lifting as if she could will herself composed. A man stood nearby—tall, broad-shouldered, sleeves rolled, eyes warm and unguarded. He looked at her like the street had gone quiet.
And she didn’t look away.
“I wish I could say I was,” she said softly. “But I’m afraid I’ve made rather a mess of things.”
Amazon Buy Links
By Chance | Reckless | Allied Hearts | Rescued
Author Bio and Links
D. Taylor is a passionate storyteller with a love for multicultural romance, adventure, and historical fiction. She independently wrote and toured with her novel Allied Hearts, a compelling romance that explores love, identity, and the strength of human connection.
Beyond writing, D. Taylor is a devoted wife of 18 years and a loving mother who cherishes time with her children. She finds joy in cooking, creating delicious meals that bring her family together. When she’s not writing or in the kitchen, she enjoys researching history, discovering new cultures, and embracing the ever-changing world of storytelling.
D. Taylor believes that every story has the power to transport, transform, and inspire. Her work celebrates strong heroines, captivating heroes, and the resilience of love in all its forms.
Find out more and get bonus book material or join my mailing list @dtaylorwrites
Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page
Giveaway
D. Taylor will award a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly selected winner. Find out more here.
Follow the author on her Goddess Fish tour here.
I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Victoria Weisfeld. Today, Victoria shares her creative journey and new release, She Knew Too Much.
Here’s Victoria!
What was your inspiration for this book?
A beautiful city I love—Rome—had great appeal as the setting for She Knew Too Much, which features my character, travel writer Eugenia Clarke. Genie is so curious about the world and so observant that she sometimes sees and hears things she shouldn’t. A not-quite-overheard conversation among four mafia gangsters starts the story, but their violent reaction to realizing she’s heard them proves how important the conversation was.
The major subplot of the story involves the frustrations of a medical scientist, tempted to a risky decision because his work isn’t going well. A character like that is one I knew I could write about, having known a great many biomedical researchers and the difficulties they face.
What is the best part of being an author? The worst?
The best part is the sense of discovery I feel, as the story unfolds on the page. I also enjoy the editing process, where I make sure the characters and scenes are fully developed. There are times when an idea for a scene or an event will come to me, and I put it into the story, not knowing whether it will be useful in the long run. If it’s superfluous, I can always delete it, but more often than not, these ideas turn out to be quite important, even if their significance was unexpected at first. In She Knew Too Much that certainly happened.
It takes time to get everything right—making the characters clear and consistent, giving them distinctive personalities, making the dialog natural, describing places and objects accurately. Most of all, being sure the actions characters take are believable while I everything moves forward. I’m in awe of people who can write a book—or several!—every year. I could never do that.
Once the book is finished, there’s the whole getting it into print phase. This involves searching for an agent, trying to find a publisher, debating whether to self-publish, and handling all those details when another book is forming in my mind. Many authors have horror stories about this part of the process, and for me, too, that’s the worst part. I’m very thankful that Audecyn Books took on She Knew Too Much. They have been very easy to work with.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
A few years ago, I decided to look into my mother’s father’s family. The Edwardses had always been spoken of in the family with great admiration as these nearly mythic characters. Well, this project hooked me on genealogy and, even better, has helped me understand history in a way I never did before. When I finished with the Edwardses, I thought, “Oh, OK, now I’ll work on my mother’s mother’s family.” I didn’t know much about them, but it turned out they were far more interesting! I recently finished a chapter on our family in the Revolutionary War. Several members of a Huguenot branch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, were noted rifle manufacturers. Lancaster rifles and the men who knew how to use them let George Washington fight the war in innovative ways.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
There’s a lot of wisdom in the advice to “write the book that you want to read.” As a new writer, you will likely find that a good book takes a long time to write, edit, and bring to market. If you want to latch onto what’s trendy, bear in mind that trends change. What seems new and sexy now may be old hat by the time the book appears. Writing a book that speaks most powerfully to you, one that you really care about, will give you the impetus to keep at it. Who knows? Maybe you can start the next trend.
What are you working on next?
Genie Clarke is going to Egypt!
I hope your readers take the opportunity to read She Knew Too Much. I think they will find it a fast-moving story with touches of romance, humor, and a big dose of humanity. I welcome their responses. Thank you for inviting me to share these few words about the inspiration for this story.
Blurb
Travel writer Genie Clarke arrives in Rome seeking inspiration, but her trip turns deadly when she overhears two mafia operatives discussing a secret “Project.” Before she can escape, she’s attacked and left for dead. Awakening in a hospital-alive but hunted-Genie finds the police unwilling to believe her. Only Detective Leo Angelini takes her seriously, uncovering ties between her assault, a murdered woman, and a powerful criminal network.
With the threat escalating, Leo moves Genie into hiding, where she becomes both key witness and prime target. Cut off from safety and unsure who to trust, Genie must outthink the conspirators determined to silence her.
From Rome’s bright piazzas to its shadowed alleys, she faces a terrifying fight for survival-and an unexpected connection with the detective risking everything to protect her. She Knew Too Much is a lean, suspenseful psychological thriller about fear, courage, and the price of knowing too much.
Excerpt
I crossed the one-way traffic to reach the Piazza del Popolo’s spacious central rectangle. People ambled toward one or another of the half-dozen streets that converged on the Piazza or to the steps leading up to the Villa Borghese Gardens, where I’d spent the afternoon. I was aiming for the Via del Babuino, street of the Baboon, which got its name from a particularly hideous sculpture. In a few blocks, that street ended at the Piazza di Spagna and the always-crowded Spanish Steps, a half block from my hotel.
On the far side, I again negotiated the circling rush of traffic and chanced a look behind. What the hell? The spiky-haired blond had crossed the first stream of traffic. Now he jostled through the crowd, coming straight my way. He was tracking me, and he didn’t care if I knew it.
I was in trouble. And, if I didn’t want to believe my eyes, the hair on the back of my neck confirmed it. I picked up my pace, walking as fast as I could in my flimsy sandals.
Dozens of times I’d traveled the few blocks connecting the two piazzas. Now this familiar street radiated hostility, and the stones of the Sunday-shuttered buildings reflected no warmth. Surely something, some business, would be open. I sped past my favorite stationery store, the gallery whose owner I’d interviewed. Shut tight as oysters.
Why hadn’t I asked someone near the piazza for help? Could I have made myself understood? Would they have agreed to get involved? I shook my head in frustration.
Author Bio and Links
Vicki Weisfeld is a Midwesterner (Go Blue!) transplanted to New Jersey. Her short stories have appeared in leading mystery magazines, including Ellery Queen, Sherlock Holmes, and Black Cat. Find her work also in a variety of anthologies: Busted: Arresting Stories from the Beat, Seascapes: Best New England Crime Stories, Murder Among Friends, Passport to Murder, The Best Laid Plans, Quoth the Raven, and Sherlock Holmes in the Realms of Edgar Allan Poe. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, which awarded “Breadcrumbs” a best short story Derringer in 2017, and the Public Safety Writers Association, which gave a similar award to “Who They Are Now” in 2020. She’s a reviewer of New Jersey theater for TheFrontRowCenter.com and crime/mystery/thriller fiction for the UK website, crimefictionlover.com.
Website | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Amazon Buy Link
Giveaway
Victoria Weisfeld will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.
Follow Victoria on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
Here’s a thought-provoking reflection from international speaker and bestselling author Joyce Meyer:
Life can become complicated when people do not know how to make decisions and stick with them.
We often labor over the choices and options before us when, actually, we just need to make a decision and let it stand. For example, when you stand in front of your closet in the morning looking at all your clothes, just choose something and put it on. Don’t go back and forth until you make yourself late for work!
When you get ready to go out to eat, pick a restaurant and go. Don’t become so confused that you feel there is no one place that will satisfy you. Sometimes, I would like the coffee from restaurant A, the salad from restaurant B, my favorite chicken dish from restaurant C, and dessert from restaurant D. Obviously, I cannot have everything I want at the same time, so I need to pick one of those places and eat there. I can go to the others later.
Let me encourage you to start making decisions without second-guessing yourself or worrying about the choices you make. Don’t be double-minded. Doubting your decisions after you make them will steal the enjoyment from everything you do. Make the best decision you can, and trust God with the results. Don’t be anxious or afraid of being wrong. If your heart is right and you make a decision not in accordance with God’s will, He will forgive you and help you move on.
Source: Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer
I’m happy to welcome back author Jana Richards. Today, Jana shares her creative journey and new release, I’ll Be Seeing You.
Here’s Jana!
What was your inspiration for this book?
I’ve been interested in World War Two stories since I was a kid because my father was a WW2 veteran. I loved the research for I’LL BE SEEING YOU. I’ve read a lot about the D-Day invasion because my father was one of the Canadian soldiers who stormed Juno beach on June 6, 1944, but it was so interesting to learn details about life for the soldiers, in the case of my book, American soldiers, in Plymouth, England in the weeks before the invasion.
What is your favorite quote?
One of my favorite quotes comes from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I believe these are great words to live by for writers. Our job is to make readers feel, whether it’s anger, sadness, or happiness. It’s all about the emotion for readers.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
For the last few summers, I’ve been volunteering at my city’s zoo. I really enjoy it. You can’t have a bad day at the zoo. Everyone is happy. I enjoy helping to make visitors’ trip to the zoo more enjoyable and I love getting to learn more about the animals, especially the polar bears.
I have to admit I’m a fair-weather volunteer. Even though the zoo is open all winter, I limit my volunteering to spring, summer and fall. It gets mighty cold in winter on the Canadian prairies!
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Hang in there. Keep writing, even when you think every word is crap. The more you write, the better you’ll get. But if you want it to be more than a hobby, only write if you feel an overwhelming desire to do so because this is a tough business.
What are you working on next?
I am excited to launch the next two books in the Twice in a Lifetime series!
Here’s a short blurb for the series:
In the first book of the series, I’LL BE SEEING YOU, Gabriel goes back to World War Two in the 1940s to give veteran Frank a second chance at love. In the second book, NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE, Gabriel and his client Joanna go back to the 1970s. And in the third book, WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN, Gabriel takes his client Sam back ten years from the present day to give him his second chance. If he’s successful all three times, he’ll earn his place in Heaven. Will Gabriel achieve his goal or his Heaven beyond his reach?
At the same time, I’m beginning work on a prequel for this series. I want to tell the story of Thomas, senior angel and Gabriel’s mentor. He’s the one who helps Gabriel travel through time. He knows every detail of Gabriel’s life, but Gabriel, and we readers, know almost nothing about Thomas’ past. He’s such a mysterious character that I feel compelled to figure out his story. Stay tuned!
Blurb
When apprentice angel Gabriel takes Frank back in time for a second chance at love, they both learn lessons about trust.
Apprentice angel Gabriel Daniel’s first assignment in his quest to become a full-fledged angel is to give WW2 veteran, Frank Brennan, a second chance at love. With help from his mentor, senior angel Thomas, Gabriel takes Frank back to 1944 to Plymouth, England. There, Frank made his biggest mistake with love. His first time in 1944, Frank fell in love with Claire Cartwright, but when he found her kissing another man, he ended their relationship, despite Claire’s insistence things weren’t as they appeared. This time around, Gabriel’s task is to convince Frank to trust in Claire’s love and fidelity, despite the evidence against her.
At the same time, Thomas takes Gabriel on a journey through his relationship with Sloane, the love of his mortal life. For the first time, Gabriel sees how his jealousy and distrust tainted their love.
Unless Gabriel persuades Frank to trust Claire, his goal of becoming a citizen of Heaven is doomed, along with his desire to watch over his mother and brother back on Earth. Frank has a complicated history that Gabriel must help him to confront before either of them gets what they need.
Excerpt
The man sat in the chair Gabriel had just vacated. “My name is Thomas, and this place is Heaven.” He pointed to the meadow outside the open door. “More specifically, the castle on the other side of the meadow is Heaven. This is a waiting room.”
Gabriel stared at him. This had to be a joke. Someone was really trying to put one over on him. Must be the guys in the AI department. Who else could pull off something as elaborate as this?
“Okay, where are we really? When is everybody going to pop out of the woodwork and yell ‘Surprise!’?”
Thomas folded his hands in his lap. “We’re in Heaven. Really.”
Impossible. He had to be in a hospital. Panic struck with his next thought. What if he was in a mental institution? Nothing scared him more than going down the same road his mother and brother had travelled.
“You don’t have to worry, Gabriel. You’re not in a hospital and you’re not in a mental institution. Your mental faculties are working fine. Better than fine, now that you’re here.”
Gabriel stepped back. “How did you know my name? How did you know what I was thinking?”
Thomas lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. He stood, and feathered wings, blazingly white and large enough for the tips to touch the ceiling, unfurled from his back and spread wide.
“Because I’m an angel. When you become an angel, you’ll be able to read thoughts, too. And much more.”
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Goodreads | BookBub
Author Bio
When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal.
When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).
Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren and a senior calico cat named Layla. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com
Social Media Links
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Joanne Guidoccio 