This is the official blog of Yvette M. Calleiro, author of young adult, fantasy/paranormal, and contemporary stories.
Sunday, December 31, 2023
2023 Reading Challenge and End of Year Celebration! #2023readingchallenge #booksread #readingcommunity #happynewyear #fortheloveofreading @DWallacePeach @MarciaMeara @VashtiQV @dlfinnauthor @PTLPerrin
Saturday, December 30, 2023
#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #Touji #abhanga #boxingday #NewYearsEve @YvetteMCalleiro
Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you are enjoying the winter holidays. For this week's 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, Colleen Chesebro has asked us to write a series of three Abhanga poems with each stanza using a specific phrase:
#1 - Boxing Day
#2 - New Year's Eve
#3 - hot drinks
An Abhanga poem has four lines with a syllabic pattern of 6-6-6-4. The two inner lines rhyme, and the poem must have a title. It's pretty cold in South Florida right now (high 50s, low 60s), and while most of us don't have fireplaces, I know the warmth of a great campfire, so I captured that essence in my third stanza.
Would you like to join us in writing poetry? Click here.
December Book Reviews #bookreview #books #readingcommunity #poetry #poetrycommunity #dogs #ChristmasStory #vampires #fairies @dlfinnauthor @JacqBiggar @SusanneLeist @maurabeth2014 @JRWard1 @YvetteMCalleiro
Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you are enjoying the holidays no matter what special days you celebrate. I have read great stories this month and am excited to share them with you. I've also written a few chapters of my current WIP. Hopefully, I can keep this reading/writing thing going into the new year because I've missed having the time to do both.
Deep in the Forest Where Poetry Blooms: Just Her Poetry Book Two
by D.L. Finn
Nounous is a fourteen-year-old Maltese dog who loves people but loves his mother most. As he takes his last steps, he reminisces on life and worries about leaving his Mommy alone.
His mother, Susanne Leist, is a paranormal suspense author and former financial analyst. When she isn’t writing her books, Susanne spends precious time with Nounous, her best friend and muse.
Will a Christmas wish bring two lonely hearts together and give a little girl the family she's always wanted?
Single parent, Grace Donovan arrives in the small town of Emerson with the hope a trial program at the local cancer clinic will be the answer to prolonging her young daughter's life. She doesn't expect to fall for her handsome boss.
As principal of Emerson Elementary, Kyle Roberts is aware of the students' medical issues and his heart goes out to little Cassie Donovan and her mother. When he learns Grace needs a job, he fabricates a childcare program and is pleasantly surprised by its success. Now, if only he could help Cassie's recovery and get Grace to give him a chance before she learns of his duplicity.
Cassie Donovan barely remembers the father who died when she was just a toddler, but she does know her mother is sad. Even though Cassie wants a puppy more than anything, she gives up her wish to ask for a daddy from Santa Claus, that way if she gets sick again, Mommy won't be alone.
This Christmas, two families are brought together by a Christmas wish and a child's need for a miracle.
When Trez lost his beloved to a tragic death (The Shadows, Black Dagger Brotherhood #13), his soul was crushed and his destiny seemed relegated to suffering. But when he meets a mysterious female, he becomes convinced his true love has been reincarnated. Is he right? Or has his grief created a disastrous delusion?
Therese has come to Caldwell to escape a rift with her bloodline. The revelation that she was adopted and not born into her family shakes the foundations of her identity, and she is determined to make it on her own. Her attraction to Trez is not what she’s looking for, except the sexy Shadow proves to be undeniable.
Has fate provided a grieving widower with a second chance...or is Trez too blinded by the past to see the present for what it really is? In this sensual, arresting book full of the themes of redemption and self-discovery, two lost souls find themselves at a crossroads where the heart is the only compass that can be trusted...but that may require a courage that neither of them possesses.
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
#RRBC Books & Budz 6th Annual Holiday Pop-Up Bookshop #booksale #Holiday #BooksBudzPopUp #freebooks #bookshopping #readingcommunity
Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday. I wanted to invite you to a fantastic event that is happening right now. It's called the RRBC Holiday Pop-Up Bookshop. It's a place where you can peruse a bunch of amazing books and shop to your heart's content. There are books ranging from FREE to $4.99! I've read most of them and can tell you that they are great reads!
You can shop by price, by author, or by genre. I have several of my books at the bookshop as well. There are games to play and prizes to win! There are grown up Christmas lists to read and wish upon. There's a party lounge where you can chat it up with the authors, too! There's even a reading room where you can listen to author's read an excerpt of their stories (I'm in there, too!).
All in all, it's a great place for you to spend some time surrounded by great books and amazing authors! The bookshop is open until December 31st so join us for a bit (and invite your friends)! :-)
Sunday, December 24, 2023
2023 Nonnie Jules RWISA Supreme Book Award Winner - Breathless: A Short Story #awardwinning #greatread #RWISA #twistedfairytale #1920s #readingcommunity #shortstory
Hi, beautiful readers! My short story, Breathless, just won 2nd place in the 2023 Nonnie Jules RWISA Supreme Book Award contest.
If you haven't read my short story yet, you can grab a copy for free on Smashwords here. If you prefer to purchase a copy on Amazon ($0.99), you can get it here.
I hope you enjoy this twisted little fairy tale. If you read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. :-)
Thursday, December 21, 2023
#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #Touji #WinterSolstice #Yule @YvetteMCalleiro
Hello, beautiful readers! Happy Winter Solstice! Colleen Chesebro at TankaTuesday.com wrote a beautiful post about Yule here, and it inspired me to write this week's 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge about today.
This week's challenge is part one of Winter Solstice, or Touji. It focuses on the holidays and spending time with your loved ones. It's the longest night of the year and is a time to focus on endings and beginnings. It also brings about hope since longer days will slowly return after tonight. I, for one, am looking forward to more sunlight in my waking hours.
I decided to write a mirror cinquain. This consists of two 5-line stanzas that have an American cinquain followed by a reverse cinquain (2-4-6-8-2-2-8-6-4-2). I've used an abundance of kigo phrases in this poem because the season just warrants it.
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Smashwords 2023 End of the Year Book Sale #Smashwords #booksale #SmashwordsEoYSale #freebooks #fantasy #paranormal #youngadult #YAbooks
Hi, beautiful readers! I'm excited to share with you that some of my books are on sale from now until December 31st through Smashword's End of the Year Book Sale! If you haven't picked up copies of these great stories, I encourage you to grab them now while they are on sale! Please share the great news with your fellow book lovers!
Thursday, November 30, 2023
#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #dodoitsu #Winter #holidaycheer @ColleenChesebro @YvetteMCalleiro
Would you like to write a poem with us? Join us here.
November Book Review #bookreview #books #readingcommunity #stroke #recovery @Maureen_2me @YvetteMCalleiro #RRBC
Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you all had a wonderful November. I enjoyed my week off of work for Thanksgiving break. I went on a small cruise with my sister and our sons. I created a checklist of things I wanted to get done, and I managed to check everything off the list, so I'm happy!
I even managed to finish reading a book! I also started writing again, and it feels so good. I'm hoping to make a habit of it, so I can hopefully finally publish Drake's story in 2024. Fingers crossed! Here is my review for my November read.
Before, Afdre, and After (My stroke... oh what fun)
by Maureen Twomey
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #tanka #Winter #Thanksgiving #Shosetsu #gratitude @ColleenChesebro @YvetteMCalleiro
Sunday, November 12, 2023
#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #tanka #Winter #farmwedding #Ritto @ColleenChesebro @YvetteMCalleiro
Sunday, November 5, 2023
#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #haiku #Autumn #jackolanterns #Soukou @ColleenChesebro @YvetteMCalleiro
Hello, beautiful readers! I don't know about you, but I really do not enjoy the time change. I prefer having more hours of light during the day, especially living in the Sunshine State. We actually voted several years ago to stop this nonsense, but our national government can't seem to approve the people's request.
Anyhow, this week's #TankaTuesday's 24 Seasons Challenge focuses on the First Frost. To learn more about this season, click here.
I chose to write a haiku, which is a three-line poem with a 3-5-3 syllabic pattern. I've bolded and italicized the words that I believe fit the season.
Saturday, November 4, 2023
2023 Nonnie Jules' RWISA "Supreme Book of the Year" Award
Hello, beautiful readers! In 2021, my short story, The One Chosen, was the grand prize winner of the Nonnie Jules' RWISA "Supreme Book of the Year" Award. This year, Breathless: A Short Story has taken second place!
I am so happy to see this story winning this award. If you haven't read it yet, please pick up a copy of it. I think you will be quite surprised by it. 😉
Silena’s infatuation with William hits a speed bump when he rejects her. After all, she is just a maid, and he is a young, rich aristocrat in the 1920s. Why would he have any desire to waste his time with the help?
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
October Book Review #bookreview #books #readingcommunity #shortstory #horses #rodeos #family #love #romance @KarensStories @joygerken @maurabeth2014 @YvetteMCalleiro #RRBC
Hello, beautiful readers! October has felt like the longest month ever! 😂 How I managed to read one book and two short stories is beyond me, but I did! Enjoy my reviews!