Barbara's Meanderings: Barbara Ehrentreu

Welcome Author and Poet Cynthia Sharp

author Saturday, November 08, 2025

First of all, thank you to all the readers who commented here and on the Facebook post on my October blog post. So glad you were all able to meet Cathy Horn and appreciate her work.

November is here and I am introducing you to another great poet and author, Cynthia Sharp. She is an exceptional poet and author as well as outstanding human being. I have known Cynthia for almost ten years. We met through our love of reading and listening to poetry on World Poetry Open Mic and formed a friendship and bond through only Messenger, Zoom, and phone calls. We have never met but she is a good friend.

Let's learn more about her before the interview:

BIO:
Cynthia Sharp is a well-known and respected poet, author, educator and speaker. She holds an MFA in creative writing and an Honours BA in literature. With twenty years experience teaching and tutoring language arts, creative writing and English as a second language, Cynthia’s positive energy and compassionate approach to learner-centered education make her sensory writing, photo journaling, chapbook and editing workshops a huge hit. She is sought out regularly as a workshop leader, panelist, host and author presenter for organizations and festivals such as Word Vancouver, the Delta Literary Arts Society, Art & Words on the Sunshine Coast, the Canadian Authors Association, the Federation of British Columbia Writers, the Burnaby Writers Association, PEN America, Girl Guide groups and college and high school classes, as well as to guest lecture in North American colleges and universities. She regularly coaches grade 12 writing students from Fraser Academy as part of their work placement component to graduate.

Cynthia loves to organize and host events, helping communities, individuals and partners in the literary world connect. As the Greater Vancouver Regional Rep for the Federation of BC Writers, she organized a highly successful 2018 Books Alive publishing fair in conjunction with the Vancouver Public Library, which Jamie Broadhurst of Raincoast Books, one of the panelists, called “impeccably organized.” As a regional rep, she also facilitated quarterly local Meet ’n’ Greets, book launches, readings and joint events with other art communities such as Artists Helping Artists (AHA) in Burnaby. In 2017 she organized and hosted a satellite version of the Denver Poesic Fest poetry and music gathering, broadcast live from the Tipper Restaurant in Vancouver, featuring performers from around British Columbia.

Cynthia is a full member of the League of Canadian Poets, as well as The Writers’ Union of Canada and was the City of Richmond, British Columbia’s 2019 Writer in Residence where she taught poetry, flash fiction and screenwriting. She is the WIN Vancouver Poet Laureate and regularly judges contests, such as the 2020 Pandora’s Collective Poetry International Contest, the 2024 North Shore Writers’ Contest and the 2025 Bharat Award for Literature. Her poetry, creative nonfiction and reviews have been published and broadcast internationally in journals such as CV2, Prism, The Pitkin Review, Friday’s Poems, Haiku Journal, Lantern Magazine and untethered, nominated for the Pushcart prize and used in classrooms throughout the world. Her resource book How to Write Poetry, with over 60 five-star reviews on Amazon, was named Best Poetry Ebook by Book Authority, a list featured on CNN and is being re-released in October, 2025. Keep an eye out for it!

BOOKS:

INTERVIEW:

Where were you born and where do you live now?

I was born in Ontario, Canada, and now live on the west coast in beautiful British Columbia.

Besides writing do you have any other occupation?

I’m a teacher and tutor and love it! I love the high of people energy and the balance it brings to my life, getting to have introverted creative time writing on my own, then daily interaction with students discussing ideas, learning about their interests and having the privilege of getting to know them. They truly inspire me. It’s an absolute honor to be part of their academic and personal growth. My poem “Inventory” in Rainforest in Russet is about the feeling of awe and wonder each year as the grade twelves graduate and I reflect on the gift of time I got to have with them whether in the classroom or as a private tutor.

Do you have any hobbies?

Walking in nature, especially at the ocean and in old growth forests in BC is my favorite thing to do. I also love reading. I used to play guitar and sometimes wish I hadn’t given it away. It was a soothing hobby either alone from a break from writing or jamming with others, but now I jam poetry while musicians play, so those friends and communities are still part of my life. I also like skating and swimming.

Who or what influenced you to begin writing?

My great grandmother gave me a book of British poetry quotes when I was five with space to write under each one and encouraged me to write. Both my grandmothers were also encouraging. My Scottish relatives loved books, whether it was my grandfather sharing science journals or my grandmother giving me romance stories, so I was always being read to, reading and given books, while my religious grandmother on the other side loved teaching grammar and happily read all my poems, stories and screenplays, loving their gentle themes. The love of words was in me from a young age. I also grew up in a time when reading was a primary form of entertainment, so writing followed.

Why did you decide to write poetry?

It started out in grade three with the fun of rhyme. Like most kids, I enjoyed rhyme. It also gave me something to do quietly when I finished in-class work early.

How has poetry impacted your life?

It has opened and continues to open my life beyond what I ever could have expected. Literature gives us the means to hear the thoughts of people who lived centuries ago, whether it’s Japanese love poems delivered as though the person had just written it moving me to meditation or choosing a time period like the Romantic Era to focus on and losing myself into the journals of Dorothy Wordsworth. In my MFA my advisor Juliana Spahr got me to read Bernadette Mayer for the first time and see that there’s room for extremely long poems like my morning pages just as they are. Especially in today’s world for those of us with access to the Internet, literature from around the globe is literally at our fingertips. Reading poetry is meditative and transformative to me.

Writing is the natural release of the wordsmithing that responds to what I read and then sharing my words with others is a gift of community and friendship like how you and I met on World Poetry Open Mic and are still close friends ten years later.

Yes, meeting you and becoming your friend would never have happened without World Poetry Open Mic and our shared interest in poetry. Plus, I think we are fans of each other! LOL

What propelled you to get interested in organizing poetry festivals?

When World Poetry Open Mic, the podcast we met, on invited people in other cities to host their own Poesic Fest, I loved the idea of sharing the multicultural and diverse landscape of British Columbia with listeners in Denver and beyond. It was so much fun that I started doing an annual Earth Day event in Vancouver inviting writers of all ages and a variety of genres to take part. I was also encouraged as a young writer by League of Canadian Poet outreach events and want to create opportunities for new and emerging writers of all ages.

Please tell our readers about a typical day of writing for you.

I like to remember my dreams when I wake up to see if there’s anything awesome to add into my fantasy stories, so after reflecting on and recording dreams, getting some caffeine and protein, I open the file I’m working on and either dive in if ideas are right there, or read through what’s already there and plot or edit until the caffeine kicks in and takes me on an adventure with the characters. I tend to start with fiction in the morning. Then I walk to school or tutoring taking notes on nature or observations, read literature with students, then walk home again and let the poetry percolate. If it’s an ambitious day I might do some editing after my afternoon tea or call it a day and get some exercise.

You use nature a lot to inspire people to write. How does observing nature and found objects help people to write?

Nature imagery and found objects give us concrete similes and metaphors we don’t even have to think about, in addition to offering memory. I always think of the line of your poem about your husband and watermelon rinds and how powerful that is. Observation is a starting point the reader can see and relate to and then we give it our unique touch, the or message we’re feeling and want to share.

Oh, that poem "Cutting Watermelon" was written after the actual experience and it made me so sad. I am so glad that I was able to express those feelings.

Besides poetry you also have a prose novel for children. What inspired you to write: The Light Bearers in the Sand Dollar Graviton?

When my oldest godson was four, he emulated everything he saw on tv in play and had an expectation that violence be used to problem solve, or that everything required a battle, which made me uncomfortable. So, I wanted a book that leaned toward non-violent solutions on big issues, to transform rather than kill enemies. When he was eight he was reading at a very high level and enjoyed the Harry Potter series during the day, but didn’t want anything that would give him nightmares, so his bedtime stories from me became meditative safe dream material with whatever two or three details he requested, like a team of eight-year-olds who save the world from pollution, or a visit to space with Santa in it, etc., and some of those stories became part of my The Light Bearers Series.

That's so cool. I also used to read to my little brother and made up a story that I wound up telling to my daughters and eventually wrote.

I also work as a teacher and tutor for neurodivergent students, including gifted and for a couple of years I couldn’t find any material for my high reading level ten-year-olds who were emotionally young, but reading complex sentences at a university level, especially the girls who found The Hobbit too sad when they realized the dragon would die. They wanted fairy tales about princesses and dogs but they needed adult level sentence structure, so I created The Light Bearers with that need in mind.

As a tutor I help students with language arts and social studies vocabulary, so I wanted to create a resource that uses and reinforces the vocabulary they need to know for middle and high school academics and that will continue through the series of Light Bearers books as I finish and release them.

Please tell our readers a little about this book.

Marcie Anderson has never been told where she is from, but she instinctively knows it isn’t Earth. No one can jump out of trees like she can and the bumpy prickles of her crystals protrude like piercings. When she opens the silver locket that answers her questions, she finds herself on a spaceship headed into danger. There is no turning back when she realizes she has been called to Light Bearer duty and must rescue her Light Bearer partner, Zanfry Zabadon Starlight, from the Yellow Sand Galaxy. They must outwit the jealous Princess Amitto and her Invidia robots bent on creating havoc for life-forms and civilizations that don’t suit her, protect wormhole travel and transform enemies into allies through compassion, scientific principles, and quick thinking.

You do a lot of workshops and you also teach. How do you manage to get across the ideas that are necessary for poetry to happen?

Workshops are about giving people back to themselves, giving adults time, space and freedom away from phones and demands on them so they can access that place inside themselves where their truths reside, so they can slow down and take in the simple beauty and details all around.

I start by creating safe space as best as possible, offering people a moment to slow down and breathe. I then hand out poems by established writers and ask for volunteers to read them so that participants speak as much as possible in a focussed on topic way.

I often give out copies of my poem “What Stories are in your Hands?” from Rainforest in Russet and have people respond with a poem or story about something unique to their hands like a scar or memory. It always amazes me the depths people share and their life stories. I’ve had participants who were ER nurses, veterans, caregivers, cooks, parents, share astounding stories every time.

What would you say is the most important thing to know about writing poetry?

The first most important thing is that everyone who wants to write poetry can. Take your shot and don’t let anyone stop you. The second most important thing to be published professionally in this imagistic time period is to add in specific sensory details to make the work accessible, emotional and uniquely your own.

You also do a lot of poetry readings. Why is it important for poets to read their own work to an audience?

I would encourage everyone to give an open mic a try. It’s part of the creative circle to give our words to others, to be heard and appreciated and to connect in the moment with those listening. It allows the poem to travel. I have always been amazed by how supportive and kind every audience has ever been to me, whether it was at The Mercury Cafe in Denver, Whitehorse in the Yukon, Toronto, Ontario, as a student, or the many literary groups I take part in here in Vancouver. People are kind. Fear of reading in public goes away with time, I promise, and it even becomes addictive in a healthy way, like becoming addicted to exercise. It’s a chance to experience the impact of your voice, words and message on others and to connect with community. I also find that I do my best editing hours before I’m expected to present, sometimes at the mic, lol. A live audience gets my editor side to kick into gear and encourages me to cut lines or words I knew in my gut were weak or unnecessary. The open mic portion of a literary event is an opportunity to experience the world being receptive and kind. Most people who go to open mics are also nervous or afraid of being judged and tend to be supportive.

· Your book, How to Write Poetry is probably the best book I have ever read about the elements of writing poetry. How did you come up with all of the techniques you write about in the book?

It started with my Sensory Writing Workshop that I give for many communities, where I bring in objects from nature that people write to, adapting for professional writers where I go at a faster pace or English as a Second Language communities where I slow down. I used to give a lot of the material in the book as handouts but Vancouver is very rainy and people kept asking me where they could buy the material as an ebook or hard copy so I gathered my most used workshop handouts and compiled them into an easy to read book. It’s intentionally short and affordable, although I provide additional material on my blog and Substack site, often answering reader questions with blog posts.

It’s been over ten years since How to Write Poetry was first released, so I took it down to update the links and plan to re-release it this month, so keep your eyes open!

https://zenofpoetry.wordpress.com/

· Are you working on anything new to be published? If so, please tell us about it.

I’m at work on a prose poetry fantasy novel based on my love of The Vampire Diaries.

How can people find your work?

The best way to get a copy of my poetry books Ordinary Light & Rainforest in Russet is to order from the Ingram catalogue at any bookstore in the world, since they will arrive at your store with free shipping. They are also on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Cynthia-Sharp/author/B00QBH25KY?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Or available directly from Silver Bow Publishing:

https://www.silverbowpublishing.com/rainforest-in-russet.html

https://www.silverbowpublishing.com/cynthia-sharp.html

And The Light Bearers in the Sand Dollar Graviton is on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Bearers-Sand-Dollar-Graviton/dp/1986623947/ref=sr_1_6?crid=7SQFAVNYB840&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8BCJWcVEB-19HdDLfexlMF-3imi7CAcVnN5qksbDyWUNat-j0O75QpozA3bqe_VClaPUZ_XlOmwHq20LVDMHMbJEEofnSYR-s1ArD8GNy1xVFTJqwNwNjMoMvuJsumZUGYmO_3-XQVgRzER6H_d-RHhtXWjfxwLOvCasl0cAS4n5Ym_gjrH5o0Of6_tguvBKxysXxM2tQa3xd7yIy_rG6UVsPoF2FasDE9SFdBjxsIM.mNq4xgo4QQILYR88lkbD3rrR9CI_1s_pUyIFTNwAyxQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=cynthia+sharp&qid=1762392331&sprefix=cynthia+sharp,aps,204&sr=8-6

Free poems & articles by Cynthia:

https://substack.com/@cynthiapoet/posts

·You live in Canada, so here in the United States are we likely to be able to see you?

There are a number of Youtube videos of readings I’ve done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ1VLxBoPiM

· Finally, the last question that I always give to my guest authors. Are you a plotter or a pantser? In other words, do you outline or do you just write?

I’m an organic mixture. Pantsing is always more fun, but with epic projects like supernatural trilogies of novels, I find myself sewing the pantsed sections together by looking it all over and planning where to place or move each section to. I love to write off the top of my head when I’m in the zone, but when a manuscript gets to a place like the second draft of a three hundred page story, plotting has a place in structural editing. I find the magic is not to force old plotting ideas if fresh ones are taking the story in a different direction and not to slow down to force plotting or admin work when the words are flowing, but I like some order in the chaos, an idea of what sections to sew together each day, so I outline when I review the organic ideas that flow out in zone time, or as I’m easing in, like what couple of ideas I’m linking together today.

CYNTHIA'S POETRY:

You Were There
by Cynthia Sharp

You were there
in lavender sunset swirls
of paint on canvas
through the grassy terrain
to Sechelt beach
in the cadence of royal blue shells
the waves washed to shore
the gentleness you are
finding its way to me
like the wind breathing cypress
through the grace of long easy days.

You were there
in the tempo of waiting
the lonely pages
of chapters in time
when I poured
my longing into work
loving through brokenness.

You were there
in the allegro
of journeys through life
the toddlers and labradors and sunflowers
I nurtured as mv own
and in the crescendo of mountain trails
leading to Eagle Bluffs.
You are there
out my bedroom window
as auroras disappear into stars
and the moon fills the night
to watch over and guide and protect
Copyright 2025 by Cynthia Sharp

In an Evergreen Altar
Shadows won’t catch you
if you beam toward radiance.
Stay focused and strong
in the saffron night
no longer manipulated
by misguided obligation
to enter any murkiness
not meant for you.
Inhale the auspicious candescence
infused with the scent of cedar
a candle along a pomelo path
to your inner child.
Let the quicksand of depression
dissolve on its own.
Stream along starlit stones in forest soil
through blood vessel rivulets
to dissolution
the return to nothing
reborn in light
arteries pulsating
universe creating
destination in sight.
Flow to the heart
the inner transcendence of trees
a wrapped mummy
in womb time bliss
to eternity. Copyright 2025 by Cynthia Sharp

Thank you so much Cynthia Sharp for being my guest author this month and I hope that everyone will read and appreciate your beautiful work. It has been a pleasure and you are invited back here any time.
Until the next month, which will be close to Charistmas and near Chanukkah, my next guest is going to be the multitalented and beautiful Susan Joyner Stumpf. She is the author of over 100 books and she is a poet, publisher, lover of animals, and beautiful spirit.
I hope to have my second book, Who Is Jennifer Taylor ready by then too. Meanwhile, the ebook for my print poetry book, You'll Probably Forget Me: Living With and Without Hal, lovingly published by Wildfire Publishing, is published by me as an ebook and available everywhere except Amazon. That will be coming soon. Grab a copy of this book for a very low price. It has all the features of the print book.
Enjoy the rest of November and Thanksgiving. If you comment on this blog please understand there is moderation of comments so you won't see your comment right away. I get notified so it will be up there soon. Thank you to all who commented on my last blog.

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Welcome Fibby Bob Kinney (Fibzay)!

Barbara Ehrentreu Tuesday, January 28, 2025

I had planned to write a new blog post once a month but life got in the way. So it is the next year and we are well into it. I won't mention the political situation but we are all trying to make sense of it and live our lives with the best possible experiences we can. The list for guest authors on this blog is very full so I need to keep posting once a month. Thank you to any readers who have come here expecting new posts. This one is going to make up for it.

My guest author today is both a poet and a comedian. He is one of those people with whom you can spend hours talking about almost anything. I hope you enjoy meeting him. Here is the interview and please check out all of his amazing books.

Welcome Fibby Bob Kinney or as you are now calling yourself Fibzay.

Where were you born and where do you live now?

I was born in a little town in Pennsylvania on a farm and we didn’t have any hot water. We lived just with all the vegetables and animals and chickens. We had dogs and pigs. We didn’t have any plumbing in the house. It was a very rural background where I grew up, Practically in the dark ages and that’s then. Now I live in Florida in a nice house with my wife of 51 years. So it’s been quite a journey from the beginning to where I live right now. So that’s kind of my beginning and where I live now.

I think it's amazing that you were able to change your life so completely.

Do you have an occupation besides writing? Do you have any hobbies?

Yes, I do have a hobby. I am an avid player of video games. I’m one of the oldest players on Destiny video game, which I’ve been playing for ten years, and I’ve got many write ups. If you go to Google and look at the 81 year-old gamer write up on Reddit.

My friends, please go and read this amazing post including the story he wrote about the game here:

Who or what influenced you to stop doing stand-up and writing comedy to writing poetry?

I continued doing comedy actually until 2011.I lasted that long, but it came to a point. I didn’t go on the road anymore. I just didn’t wanna put in the late hours. I was ready to retire and just write poetry and since 2011 I’ve written twenty-five books. So I live happily here in Florida and play with my flowers in the garden. I have written 500 poems to them and I take my walk during the day and just relax play video games, watch television and write poetry and stories books and stuff.

I'll bet you have exceptionally beautiful flowers from all that poetry.

I am fascinated by your history of being in the Village in the 60’s. Did you ever meet any famous comedians like Lenny Bruce or meet Bob Dylan?

Yes, I did know a lot of celebrities. Let’s see when I go back to my early days I knew Milton Berle. I was at the Friars club. I met Henny Youngman, and when I met him I was wearing a checkered jacket. The first thing he said was it’s a great jacket. Did the whole team get one? So that was my first meeting with Henny Youngman. When I was in college back in the old days, I had a rare interview with Thomas Edison’s son Theodore Edison, who lived in Edison Edison, New Jersey. And the first thing I asked him, “So your father invented electricity.” He said, “Yeah?” Who else did I know? JD Salinger very rare I got his autograph and I got nice stories about JD. When I was at The Comedy Store I knew Richard Pryor, and I knew Robin Williams very well. I knew Jerry Seinfeld when he first started and Larry David and Paul Reiser. So I knew like a lot of celebrities before they were celebrities and a lot of them came out of my interviews when I was the emcee at The Comic Strip in New York from 1976 to 1979. Gilbert Godfrey I never thought he would make it but look what happened to him and Larry David of course, became one of the most influential Producers in Hollywood so that’s just a little bit of what I did and who I knew and it does go on like I said I was a comic’s comic, so I knew a lot of of the guys even though I didn’t get to be famous just like Georgie Star, who was Lenny Bruce’s best buddy I knew him good. He was a great comic, but he never got famous because he was hit and miss. Sometimes he would be great other times, when it really counted on the additions he would not do well. Kind of like what I did. I’d be great at times, but when it came to the auditions for the big time with Johnny Carson and those I just kind of I don’t know what happened but it just didn’t work out for me anyway. So that’s just a little bit.

Wow, what a history to have met all of these people before they became famous.

You were a host of two TV shows, one in Los Angeles and one in New York. Did anything unusual ever happen on these shows?

I did my shows in California with school children and they were local TV shows. They went well. I got very good reports on them and then in New York. I did shows with comics, and I brought them on and I was a professor punster in a mythical college, where the comics would come on and they would talk about their jokes and it was good. It was just a lot of fun shows and nothing came out of them. No big people were on there. It was local shows. They were well received.

Please describe a typical day of writing for our readers.

The way that I write is I write from inspiration. I will get an idea and will sit down and the words will flow so I usually can write a poem probably in about somewhere between ten and twenty minutes At night I’ll get up if I get an idea and write it down then. And my short story is the same thing. I’ll take a couple days to do those, but I’ll just come from inner ideas or things that I see and get an idea about it and then I write it down and make a story out of it so it’s pretty much inspirational.

What made you decide to put out a book of poetry and then go on to write so many more including coloring books?

I had a lot of poems that I wrote and I kept publishing them. I published coloring books because I wanted to color my illustrations myself. I like to color so what I did is, I did all the illustrations from statues pictures of statues sketches of sketchers and then I put them in my two books my two coloring books so I’ve got a lot of pictures under the color and I had a real good time doing it and I’m sure the people bought the books. I got a few people who I saw who said, yeah we loved it and we love the coloring so they’re out there and both of those are coffee table they’re like 8 1/2 x 12 they’re really nice both of them.

When people read your poetry, what do you want them to find in it?

When people read my poetry, especially my fairytales it’s so nice to know that the kids are getting beautiful pictures and a very positive moral for children. So I have spoken to families they said the kids loved it and the morals are very positive and I wrote this so that they’re looking at old fairy tales with a more modern view. Thank you.

What would you say are the themes of your poems?

I try to do a lot of poems about words about the value of words. I do a lot of poems about nature and flowers and poems about fairytales so the point is to show how important it is that we make our world as positive as we can so that’s why I don’t have any negative poems. All of my poems are positive.

That is a wonderful way to look at the world. I can't say that about my own work. It always goes with the emotion I am feeling. I do try to end with a positive note, though.

Are you working on a new book to be published? Please tell our readers about it.

I in the process of working on one of them is going to be a sci-fi book of all things. My first attempt is going to be called "The Coffee Zombies" where you know people would drink too much coffee and become zombies. It's a good thing. horror but nobody gets killed. Nobody gets you know there’s no zombie they just become addicted to coffee and then everybody drinks all the coffee in the world and you can’t find coffee anymore. It’s kind of liket he second biggest drink in the world. The first drink is water. So I’m saying that people can’t find anymore coffee. That's the basis of that, and then I got a new fairytale book coming out as well. So those books are in the works right now.

How can we find your work?

All of my books are on Amazon.com and then Kindle. All you have to do is put my name in the search box just put in Fibby Bob Kinney, and they will all pop up. They can also go to Google and put my name on Google and my bio and my books will pop up there. So those are the easiest way to find my work

Finally, this is the question I always ask all my guests. Are you a plotter or a pantser? In other words, do you outline or do you just write?

Finally, about plot or do I outline or do I just write. Actually I do both. I mostly just write but once in a while, I will sit down if I have something important that I really know that has to be correct I will be a plotter, and then I will write it. So it depends on the moment depends on the subject about it, but I think both are equal. But I’m primarily it comes from my mind. Thank you so much and I hope that answers your questions. Thank you,

Now, my friends Fibzay has given me some of his work to display on the blog. I hope you enjoy reading his poetry and his stories.

Romancing the Pen

“The greatest romantic poet is the one that is in love with their pen: it is their pen that they place all their love, all their hope, all their dreams...in the unity of a wish - that it will give back to them; fame and fortune”...

The poet, male or female, has a spouse in their pen. It is a marriage made between human being and the extension of their thoughts.

So personal is the individual thought. It lives in the mind of the person who has brought it into being.

The mind as both mother and father gives birth to thought at the speed of light.

As I write these words my mind is delivering them directly from my brain.

The mind is an endless nursery that brings words into imagery.

As the maker of my mind I stand here in living thought and direct all thought on the subject at hand into an endless chain of words.

They travel down my arm as an army in disciplined form and mount the vessel of my pen.

My pen as a sailing ship. The paper or visible screen of my smart device becomes a vast ocean to navigate. The pen has several disguises: a writing instrument, a stylus; even the thumbs of the writer can become the pen when it texts words upon the device held in its hand, or, all the fingers become the pen on the computer keyboard.

The point is, the mind gives birth, the hand is the gangway, the pen is the visible instrument as the ship , the paper or virtual screen is the ocean that the words must sail into reality.

The pen, in what ever form, is the writers lover. He or she must romance their pen. They seduce it so it willfully as it does their bidding.

I write these words upon the visible screen of my smart phone. The stylus I use is long and sleek with a bouncing tip. It taps the words in a paced rhythm upon the blank screen that brings them to life.

As if by magic with each tap, a letter appears in a permanent form. It shines upon the screen. The writer that uses this form to bring words to life develops a cadence. One similar to a marching band. Measured steps as if in an invisible drum beat keeps the rhythm in synchronized pace.

The words form phrases and turn into sentences. The punctuation as a drill instructor keeps the words in a manageable ordered march.

The sentences build into verse or paragraph and the marching band plays its tunes to the grandstand mind of the reader.

If the images do their job and make the reader feel the emotions that the piece intended then the writer as the high stepping band major has done their job.

I am the band leader of this marching article on the use of my pen as my baton.

I hope this little parade of words has given you enjoyment...if so, I salute you, and thank you for being part of this event that happened on the visual tablet that you are viewing it on...Fibzay

(Fibby Bob Kinney (c) 1/23/2

Ode to my Inner Child

Although I have never seen him,

Nor talked or Joked with him,

Or, even grabbed a glimpse of him;

I am still his partner in bond.

At night, when I am washed clean,

And lay myself down to rest,

Upon my feathered bed;

Perchance to sleep, in wondering trance.

I long for the wishing moment,

When my lids begin to cloak.

My brain set adrift,

My thoughts to heaven's door.

Oh, the wonder of divine sleep.

Its crown, the coming dream,

Of things past and done,

With might and strength of ease.

All values soar into a heavenly realm,

When the brain is at its rest.

It is then the Angel scribe is at its best;

My guardian appears in thoughts to be.

My Angel, the counterpart of me!

He covers my soul in a blanket of care.

I breathe upon my pillow, in rest.

My stretched body heaped upon the soft sheets.

My Angel, upon me in his protection;

Like a field of butterflies, and I,

The man , whose thoughts are true,

My dreams fill the darkness with life.

What wonder is this dream...

That every night continues its tale?

What is in my vast imagination, that

Unfolds upon the painting to be?

What great mysteries does he possess?

My Angel of thoughts, to have the power,

Over me, to make me weep in joy;

To throw my thoughts to a fever pitch.

There is nothing in this world,

With all its gold and jewels combined,

that could comfort me in time of need,

As my Angel that responds to me.

He is there at night in my bedchamber.

To guide me, without condition or effort,

But to blend with my soul and make me whole;

Without need or reprise for reward.

In a daydream, when I am lost in thought

He is always there with me.

In the good and in the grief,

His love is real and unrestricted,

Whatever comes to pass, I know: that I am true to myself

I will do my poetic gift to the best of my ability…Fibzay

“I shared this poem with You”...

(Fibby Bob Kinney (c) 1/23/25

Fibby Bob Kinney Bio:

Although I did attend college with a Liberal Arts degree most of my knowledge is self acquired; as in my life I have followed my dreams to my destiny. I started my career as a poet in Greenwich Village, U.S.A.

I became a stand-up comedian and went on to be the first Emcee at the World famous "Comic Strip" night club in New York City. I had a successful career as an entertainer: I was the host of my own children's show,"The Word Painter" in L.A. California.

In NYC I was host of a local cable show called, “ Professor Punster” it was a fun show where I interviewed comedic guests and we told stories with puns and funny innuendos.

I continued in my career as a comedy writer and entertainer. Now I am a poet and author of 25 books in print.

My first book, "Love's Little Liberties" and 24 others are available at Amazon, on Kindle, and other outlets.

My strength is in the Genre of poetry and story telling. I make many of my original fables and fairy-tales available on the poetry forums of today. As poetry is the backbone of literature and its high standards are paramount to my goals…Fibzay ( Fibby Bob Kinney; author-storyteller) 1/23/25

I love the picture with the lion!

You can find all of Fibby Bob Kinney's books on Amazon and Kindle.
He has co-authored with Susan Joyner Stumpf as well as many other poets. This is no ordinary poet.When you speak with him, he only wants to keep telling you stories. I am honored to have had you, Fibby Bob Kinney as a guest on this blog.

My next guest author will be here on February 28, 2025. I think it is going to take some time to learn everything about our present guest. This blog will be up for the entire time until I change it for the next guest. Do not hesitate to let your friends know about this fabulous poet, author, and comedian. Thank you for being my guest on the blog Fibzay, as you like to be called. It was a pleasure.

Until the next time, I hope all of you are staying warm, trying not to be too angry, and having some fun. Please leave a comment and don't worry if you don't see it right away. I have had to monitor the comments.

Happy Valentine's Day and President's Day.

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Sue Perkins New Release: The Sixth Key

Barbara Ehrentreu Saturday, July 21, 2012

Today I am very pleased to have Sue Perkins as my guest author. She comes from New Zealand and she is a return visitor to this blog. Sue is back to tell us about her new book, The Sixth Key and I am very excited to have her back here again!!! She is going to let us in on her secrets of how she builds her worlds in her stories.

Thank you Barbara for kindly hosting me today. My fantasy romance The Sixth Key is set on the alternate world of Sacral, a world ruled by telepaths. Although it's classed as an adult book, it's suitable for sixteen years and upwards.

I love writing fantasy books for both adults, young adults and middle grade ages. There's something fascinating about making your own world and filling it with people, landscapes and animals of your own creation. The characters often take over the book and tell me where the story must go and what they think of the way they are portrayed. Sometimes this is a help, at other times I dig my heels in and insist on getting my own way. Between the characters and myself we have a 50-50 success rate.

How do I build my own world? Every author has their own way of building a world, be it real or fantasy. My way is to develop my characters capabilities. This usually dictates the world they relate to. Riley, the heroine of The Sixth Key, was slightly different as she came from Earth and landed in Sacral as a result of an accident. She then had to fit in, but the telepaths of Sacral were another matter. They were able to do small magic, telepathy and other psychic powers. Then the question was how did they become magical? The planet had to have something to do with their abilities and everything regarding the world building developed from this point.

This is also how I create the storyline. It falls into place as I write. Often something is written in and I wonder why as it has no bearing on the story. By the end of the manuscript the anomaly has been explained and I have an "of course" moment when it slots neatly into the rest of the book.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt below and don't forget, leave a comment and be in to win an ebook version of The Sixth Key at the end of the blog tour.

Riley is having a terrible day and it gets worse when she's knocked down by a truck and whisked into an alternate world where telepaths rule and mutes fight for the right to exist. The telepaths want to find out how Riley shields her mind, something she believes is automatic to the humans of Earth. She is caught between the man who brought her to Sacral and the leader of the Mutes. Riley unearths secrets from Sacral’s past and sets out to solve the Riddle of the Keys and the true identity of the King of Sacral.

Buy Link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-324/The-Sixth-Key-Sue/Detail.bok

Website: http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com

Excerpt:

Riley stared in disbelief. Two flying horses headed in their direction. She gulped nervously. Zlora had asked about riding -- not flying. Her novice experience might have been able to cope on the ground, but flying through the sky with so much space below her? What about the gravity itching to drag her down to earth? A shudder of apprehension passed through her.

The flying horses landed and pawed the ground. Up close they looked completely different than the horses of Earth. They were twice the height of a normal stallion, but much finer boned. Once they had landed, the wings folded neatly along their sides. A glorious black stallion and a delicate golden-brown mare stood before her. Both sets of wings were pure white.

The black lifted his head and looked at her. Riley's eyes opened wide as he gazed intently at her.

I hope he's not my mount. He looks mean.

"I'll take the black and you can have the brown." Zlora headed for the stallion. The tension in Riley's shoulders relaxed as she moved toward the mare. Unfortunately her relief didn't last long.

The mare stood quietly while Riley used a large boulder to clamber on her back.

I wish I could spring up on her back, but I'd probably end on the ground on the other side.

Zlora took off immediately, and before Riley had time to think, the mare followed.

One moment she'd been settling herself on the mare's back, the next they were airborne. Riley tilted backward; she grabbed the mane and dragged herself down onto the neck of the mare, where she hung on for dear life. Luckily her mount didn't need guiding as Zlora's stallion led the way.

Riley eventually settled. Carefully -- and swallowing quickly to keep the contents of her stomach -- she looked down at the ground flying past. They'd left the forest far behind. They nowI flew over cultivated fields. The flight became enjoyable, she watched the changing scenery with interest until her flying horse abruptly headed down to earth. Ahead she saw the reason for their descent.

Sue certainly brings us into this new world and after reading this excerpt this is another book going on my TBR list.:) To win a free ebook you need to leave a comment on this post or any of her blog posts during the tour.

Until the next time, Sue will be back on August 1st to talk about her other new book Dragon's Clan, so don't forget to come back for that visit. In the meantime I wanted everyone to know that two of my poems will be up on Jellyfish Whispers on July 25th. I will have the link when they are posted.

Hard to believe my birthday, July 31st is almost here!!! I'm thinking about what to do for it this year. Last year I had people support one of my charitable causes. This year I have no idea what I'll do for it. I know at my age I should be taking birthdays in stride, but they still mean a lot to me.

August 21st I will be having a special edition of my radio show, RRWL Tales from the Pages. I have taken a long hiatus due to personal reasons, but I am having Amy McCorkle on the show and it should be a lot of fun. I will probably keep reminding everyone.

Finally, thank you to all my new followers and to the people who continue to visit even during the summer. I really appreciate everyone who has contacted me both on Facebook and on Twitter and I hope to be able to contact you in some way. If you are interested in reading some excerpts from my YA novel, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, they are posted on the Muse blog.

Don't forget to leave a comment for Sue so you can win a free ebook.

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