I ask myself this question a thousand times a day, it seems. I want to post. I even come up with ideas that I want to write about, but I haven’t been able to put them together. I sit down with pen and paper, and then proceed to talk myself out of it internally for days on end. Ugh. Why? Why do I do this? Then the guilt starts, and the feeling foolish, and well, just forget it, I’m done. But that’s not how I want to be, and not how I had planned for this blogging effort to go. Anyone else have this problem?

“As far as I can tell, there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning, year after year.” He hesitated, then continued. “One is fear. The other is desire.”

Matthew de Clermont, from A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

So, if this is the truth I believe (and it is), then it is my fear that is driving the bus right now (and wow, is it ever a short bus…). My fear of sounding silly, of having a spelling or grammar error, of not being witty, of rambling, of not having anything to say worth reading, of not writing compelling book reviews, and so on. So many reasons why I shouldn’t say what is inside. However, if desire is leading the way, than the task isn’t monumental at all. It just flows, like now. Huh, imagine that…

I suppose I just answered my own question: No, it ISN’T this hard. I am allowing the wrong driver to take the wheel, and as soon as I fire them, then I can get back on the right road. Sounds like a plan, I think I’ll get off at this exit and do just that. Thank you for riding along with me, I hope you will return again soon. Excuse me, oh Fear, can I have a word, please?.. ~

Kataldi by Zachery Whitsel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Kataldi is the first book in a fantasy series which begins in the current day and travels to a land right out of the protagonist’s imagination. The story unfolds about Charlie and his brother Aaron as Creators, how the kingdoms have evolved on their own, and the trouble they are now in. This installment is told from Charlie’s point of view, so we get to know him pretty well. We understand his emotions and sense of urgency about his quest, and his nervousness at what has occurred while he was away. Kataldi the land is easy to get into, the authors bring it to life, though personally, I wanted to know more–hopefully in the next volume!
Kataldi was an intriguing read that kept me turning pages to the end, the quest isn’t over and I am looking forward to the next installment. A solid offering from new authors who have more to come.



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I have a piece of rustic wall art in my office that says “if you never try you’ll never know.” It is painted in disused cursive script on rough barn board, and not even punctuated correctly (shame on them!). I found it a year or so ago when I was remodeling my office to accommodate my new living room, and since it matched the decor, I added it to a wall I see many times a day. I wanted it to serve as a reminder to drop the fear and live life–to go ahead and try.

         In essence, the last eight years have been a great sequence of “tries” for me. But at the time, I rarely realized that, because I was going to DO not just try. Consequently, when things got more complicated or involved than I wanted to handle, I saw it as a failure that I had to end it. The fact that I did try and learned from the experience never entered my mind–I was just a failure. It took a stern conversation, a recovery from surgery and a lot of digging inside to realize that trying is what makes life, well life. The other piece of this is that I am a knowledge-hound and the thought of not knowing tears me up mentally. I always want to know.

           When I look at things today, I find that I am doing nothing but trying. I joined an adult soccer league after 24 years of not playing. I am breeding turkeys, which consequently, are a lot of fun (who knew?). We have decided to sell our property in Vermont because we tried, but it is truly more than we need. I am learning to code for website development and studying SEO as well. The novel inside my head is being put on paper because an old college friend urged me to “JUST WRITE IT!” I am starting not one blog, but two! Finally, I am putting aside my fear of failure and beginning my efforts to establish a new career in a new field. I’m all in for trying!

         In the end, whenever that may be, I will have gained knowledge on this path of trying. And I hope some success as well after the inevitable price of failure, in some respect, is paid. When I chose that artwork for the wall I knew I liked it, and I hoped it would become the mantra for my future. Perhaps seeing it many times each day has drilled it into my thought pattern and made it somewhat easier to lose the fear of the unknown and to try. What is there to lose besides the opportunity to reap knowledge and experience? At this point, I’m not willing to let that go.

Thanks for joining me! This is my first post, and my first blog– yikes! I am embarking on the path of book reviews, both of established authors that I read and can’t get enough of, and of upcoming authors whose works I am reading. And hopefully someday in the nearer future, I can post my own tale for others to review.  Right now, though, the sun is out in spring in New England, and I’m taking the book and the dog outside. Enjoy your day!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton