Smashbomb

Visit my blog to read a great excerpt from the literary fiction/short stories book A WALL OF BRIGHT DEAD FLOWERS by Babette Fraser Hale. Enter the giveaway to win a bookplate signed by Babette Fraser Hale as well as a $20 gift card to Brazos Bookstore - two winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/03/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-wall-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Most are newcomers to the scenic, rolling countryside of central Texas whose charms they romanticize, even as the troubles they hoped to leave behind persist. Twelve stories highlight “the book’s recurring theme of desire—for freedom, for clarity, for autonomy, and for personal fulfillment … When women are alone, unencumbered and unbeholden to anyone, they engage in intense internal reflection and show reverence for nature—and during these scenes, Hale’s language is luminescent” (Kirkus Reviews).

Kudos Comment

Ezra Koenig recommended Liege & Lief by Fairport Convention in Music (curated)

"I played British and Irish folk in an early band I had. We only performed one show and Rostam [Batmanglij, Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist] was also in the group, so this was the roots of Vampire Weekend. We covered 'Matty Groves' from this album. It's a traditional song about adultery, anger and sex, and I thought it was cool that they could take ancient-sounding stories and make them relevant. It's an important lesson – if you want to reinvent the wheel, maybe pop music isn't for you. As much as it's about being progressive, it's also rooted in a certain respect for the form. Which might seem paradoxical, but that's what pop music is – it combines very old ideas with very new sounds. Fairport are an example of that, taking very old songs in the English language and reinventing them."

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Kudos

Morgan Sheppard (1036 KP) created a post

May 10, 2021

Putting this here early. This is for To Catch a Dream - #Contemporary #Romance, #FirstPersonPastTense

A new job and good friends, twenty-six-year-old Caitlin has it all. Strong, independent, and content with her life, Caitlin isn’t looking for love.

Smart, sexy, and sweet, Will Kendrick is everything a girl could want. He also makes Caitlin want things she was certain she could live without.

Life isn't always simple though, and Caitlin has decisions to make. Her ex-boyfriend, Andrew, is still hanging around and causing trouble. Not only that, but Cat refuses to choose between a new man and her two best friends.

With her heart on the line, Caitlin must decide if she's prepared to take a chance or play it safe.

To Catch a Dream is a sweet romance with sensual moments. There is also strong language.