Yay for Doll God in its new iteration! It’s a Literary Titan Gold Award winner.
The Literary Titan Book Award recognizes poets who demonstrate exceptional artistry and proficiency and push the boundaries of language and expression. The recipients are poets who excel in their technical skills and evoke deep emotional responses, challenge thoughts, and illuminate new perspectives through their work. The award honors those who contribute to the literary landscape with their unique voices and powerful words.
My first book Doll God was published eleven years ago and won the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award. DG has caught up with the times as of today. NOW AVAILABLE IN EBOOK! And there are additional poems added to the collection.
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If you were reading my blog at that time, you will remember a certain character from the book. MaryGold! Named by blog readers, she is the doll on the book cover (and she’s lurking inside, too).
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Since the book is catching up with the times, maybe I need to make MaryGold an updated outfit and get her a toy cell phone!
MaryGold or not, the book is more about art and nature (and ghost and angels) than it is about dolls although there are certainly doll poems in the collection!
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I have a request for friends who reviewed Doll God at the time it was published. Would you consider copying your same review and posting it over on the ebook on Amazon (hoping that Amazon won’t stop that process!!!). UPDATE: as of this morning, it appears Amazon put the reprint ebook with the original paperback. If it stays that way, it means all the reviews are together, which is good. We we will see.
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However, if you are on Goodreads, I would love if you would post your review on Goodreads. And if you’re on Bookbub, there too. Whew. I know it’s asking a lot. I would appreciate it so much.
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Here’s the why: the book was originally published by Aldrich Press, a division of Kelsay Books. In order to release in ebook I had to wait unti my contract was up and self-publish the reprint so that an ebook would be available. Because of that I can’t combine the original publication on Amazon with the new reprint.
By the way, if you are on BookBub and I have reviewed your book and not put it on BookBub please let me know so I can do so.
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If you haven’t read Doll God, please consider buying the ebook (new paperback with the new poems should also be out soon).
In Doll God, award-winning poet Luanne Castle invites readers into a haunting and beautifully imagined world where dolls become vessels of memory, nature speaks with quiet wisdom, and ordinary objects reveal extraordinary spiritual truths.
Blending mythology, folklore, family history, dreams, wildlife, and art, these poems travel through landscapes both physical and emotional. A Japanese doll, a hummingbird, a palo verde tree, forgotten keepsakes, ghosts, lakes, birds, and the desert become companions in an exploration of identity, love, grief, healing, and transformation.
With luminous imagery and remarkable emotional depth, Castle examines the delicate boundary between the natural world and the worlds we create through memory and imagination. Each poem uncovers traces of what has been lost while offering hope that restoration is always possible.
Winner of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award and expanded with a selection of new poems, Doll God is an unforgettable collection that rewards slow reading and deep reflection. Rich in symbolism and lyrical beauty, it speaks to readers who appreciate literary poetry that explores spirituality, nature, resilience, and the enduring search for meaning.
Doll God is a collection that lingers long after the final page, reminding us that even what seems lost may still be waiting to be found.
Sorry if I split your eardrums ;). Scrap: Salvaging a Family is a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
I think it’s very interesting that another of the memoir finalists is Deborah Sosin’s book Escape Velocity. She wrote it in 70 70-word memoir pieces. So that makes two finalist books that were heavily influenced by flash/micro writing. It would be interesting to look at memoirs from previous years and see if flash or micro popped up in that field. I kind of doubt there was much.
Just ordered Deborah’s book!
Remember that if you want to order an ebook of Scrap, it needs to be through the publisher, not Amazon. You can get a paperback either place.
Brand new and familiar poems published today by Editor Sharon Knutson at Storyteller Poetry Review. This journal specializes in narrative poetry–in other words, poetry that tells stories. In this group are new poems about my father and our lake cottage and about driving home from my Chicago grandma’s apartment when I was young.
I really hope you enjoy these poems because as a whole they create a little memoir.
In other writing news, Our Wolves moved from the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Short List to First Runner-up of Chapbooks. Um yay!!!!
This is what the Hoffer judges said about the book:
“Our Wolves, Luanne Castle, Alien Buddha Press – In this bold recasting of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, a traumatic adventure unfolds, and the expectations one has for reality are shattered. An air of mystery pervades each poem, but beneath that mystery, worlds of forced silences exist. Some poems shock. Some poems awe. Some remind readers that the wolves one should fear most are not those roaming the forests.These poems also explore the myths and legends, symbolisms and mysticisms, which comprise the folk tales with which so many are familiar, and breathe new life into these well-worn tales. This retelling forms a narrative for a modern age.”
Additionally, two of my flash stories have been long listed in two different contests. One of them didn’t move beyond and the other hasn’t been announced yet.
And in still further news. I sent a couple stories to a journal yesterday and they came bouncing back, a big fat rejection with the admonition not to send again for another five months. HAHAHAHAHAH.
I have not been able to get over to our blogging community much lately because . . . baby. However, I am working on my songwriting talents as well as new poetry. Here are some samples. The first is a song:
A big tummy is happiness.
A big tummy is happiness.
A big tummy is happiness.
And a little tummy is a big tragedy.
And here is a poem:
Those that are really cute
are the ones that toot.
Haha. It won’t be long before he can join me in singing. 3 1/2 months and he’s turning on his tummy and turning on his back already.
Yes, I’m pretty stoked, I’ll admit that. My wee chapbook Our Wolves is on the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize (grand as in a $5,000 check to the big winner) SHORT LIST alongside the big books.
Yesterday, Kathleen Cassen Mickelson coincidentally interviewed me about Our Wolves. She provides a great idea of what the collection is all about.
You really have to be paying attention to see the beginning of winter in Phoenix. It is a little cooler, but it is still as warm as a Michigan summer. The sky is still bright blue. Our flowers are brilliant, and the sun shining through the leaves of the bushes and trees is a painting.
Still, according to #TankaTuesday, this is the first week of The Beginning of Winter (November 7 – 21) Ritto 立冬. I thought I would try a new-to-me form, the gogyohka. This form is not truly syllabic, but Colleen Chesebro’s research has shown it to be more about breaths. It is a five-line poem, like a tanka. A gogyohka does not need a kigo word, but I am playing along with the seasonal prompts, so I am including “long night” as a kigo.
Some super cool news this week. Both my full-length collection Rooted and Winged and my chapbook Our Wolves are finalists for the American Book Fest 2023 awards! https://americanbookfest.com/2023bbapressrelease.html
I’m so pleased with how my books have done with the awards, but they could both use more reviews on Amazon (and Goodreads, too, but especially Amazon). It only takes one or two sentences to help the algorithm, so if you have read the books and liked them, please consider taking the time to drop Amazon a line or two.
It’s been over a week that I have been walking every day. I am so happy that I have been able to sustain this routine, and that my health has permitted. It’s a beautiful walk near me, and so far it’s been almost eventless. I am a little dismayed, though, how few birds I am finding this year. Has anyone else noticed this where you live or is it just here?
What lovely news I had yesterday! Longridge Review nominated “The Secret Kotex Club” for a Pushcart Prize! Thank you so much to the magazine and editor Elizabeth Gaucher for their support of my work. I am gobsmacked and verklempt and shocked.
The gardener and I had a lovely Thanksgiving day with daughter and her boyfriend. The cats were happy to see us all happy together. We started the day with a hearty breakfast and mimosas spiced up with Grand Marnier.
The gardener made rotisserie turkey on the grill outside (Arizona weather, you know), plus I bought a small spiral-cut ham. Then there were the sides. Both kids made dishes, and I made more. By the way, I don’t need to be afraid of gluten free stuffing (dressing for you southerners) because it turned out great. You would never have known it was free of gluten.
Now this coming weekend we are having a holiday party with all four kids and my DIL’s parents (as well as some other festivities).
To give you a smile for this week, here are my boys decked out in gift bowties a lady made them.
Felix has a halo because he is always a good boy.
Perry is not as good, but he sure is cute.
The scratches on his nose are caused by one of the girls. He annoys them, and they tell him to get lost (with their claws).
If you think Perry is cute, I will tell you that my friend is fostering another gray and white boy cat in Phoenix that is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE and a cuddle bunny and of a perfect disposition! She can’t keep him much longer with her other cats (she has as many as I do). His name is Asher (I helped name him), and we desperately want him to go to the best possible home.
Here is his bio:
Asher was found abandoned on the streets. He is a real sweetheart, a darling cat who does not have a single mean cell in his body, he is truly a gentle giant. He will follow his person around the house like a puppy, wanting attention and company. He’s good with other nice cats, dogs, and people. He is 13 lbs of love, loud purrs, and he is a big kneader and talker too. His estimated age is between 2 and 3 years old. He is desperately looking for someone who will give him a warm, loving forever home and family and will never abandon him as his previous humans did. Even though he tested FIV +, his lifespan is no different than those cats who are FIV-, as long as he is fed good quality diet and kept healthy. Asher appears to be in excellent health now. His adoption fee is $50 and it includes neuter, microchip, FeLV (-)/FIV(+) test. It also includes a free wellness exam in a cat-friendly hospital with a veterinarian who is up-to-date on FIV and can offer professional advice and guidance regarding proper care for Asher. For most up-to-date information and to learn more about FIV visit this website: https://www.fivcatrescue.org With all inquiries about Asher please contact his foster at 6happypurrs@gmail.com or text at (480) 652-4852.
Make it a good week. My solution to minimize holiday stress is to plan like crazy with itineraries and lists and then relax and be flexible, using the written notes as guidelines to be used when necessary and ignored when possible.
I give up. OK, I don’t really give up. But I’m cutting myself a little slack. I had all these great plans for May, but we’re already over 2/3 done with May, and I haven’t accomplished the writing I had planned. It just wasn’t possible. I let slip so much other stuff in April to work on #NaPoWriMo, that I had to catch up–or at least try. I’m so excited that Kin Types is a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award. I didn’t dream it would do so well in a prestigious national award like that. But it did take up more time as I had to take it to social media. That’s the way of today.
And then I watched the price of the book slide back up on Amazon to its original price. Funny how that happens.
BUT I haven’t been doing nutten. Today Longridge Review published a short memoir piece, “The Secret Kotex Club.” Their focus is on memoir about the childhood experience–with adult reflection to give it some heft. I hope you enjoy it!
May. I have used it in many blog titles, but I’ve also used it in several poem titles. It’s such a beautiful month to write about. Spring is here. I don’t want to miss it entirely. The gardener noticed that the hummingbird eggs have hatched because he saw the mother feeding them. She has tucked the nest into the leaves of the oleander so well that we can’t really see the nest, but he saw her hovering above and dipping her beak down as if she were feeding. I just watched her defending her nest against three wren-type birds. She chased them away. Pretty amazing to see that tiny fierce mama take on a whole gang to protect her babies.
Every saguaro in the valley is still in bloom. I caught this one in front of someone’s house. I thought they might call the cops on me . . . .
We have flowers blooming on the ground, the outdoor tables, the bushes, and the trees. Perry watched a roadrunner behind our house, content to be inside, safe and well fed.
This one is not at my house, but I liked it!
And it’s not too hot out yet. Hot, but not too hot.
Pretty darn beautiful.
To go with the new season, the gardener has allowed me to throw away his old gardening shoes, and he will wear the new Rainbows that the kids gave him.
After Monday’s post was published, I learned that Kin Types was a finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award. It’s in stellar company. This recognition validates the work I did on the book and on my family history blog, too. Best of all, the book gets a gold foil sticker for the cover ;).
It will kind of look like this when the sticker is put on the book (only not such a large sticker).
If you click through the link to the Amazon page, the book can be ordered for a real deal right now; check it out. To order through Barnes & Noble, try this link.
If you want a sticker for your copy, send me a selfie of yourself with Kin Types that I can use on this blog or social media (in case I decide to do that) with your address, and I’ll mail you a sticker when they arrive.
My father passed away three years ago this past Monday. My first book, Doll God, had just been published so he was able to read it (and be very proud) before he died. He never got to see Kin Types, although his mother and grandmother are featured in the book.
I’m closing comments because I don’t want you to feel you need to send me congratulations; I just wanted to let you know about the exciting news!
