To My Muse

Conversations with My Muse is a fascinating and compelling new book of selected poetry by Gary Bateman. As a new author, this work is Mr. Batemans first published book of poetry, and with it he brings to the reading public a refreshing and an eclectic selection of many different types of poetry and themes. The multi-thematic variety of Mr. Batemans poetry should capture the attention of most readers who have a sincere interest in poetry. His writings should also be of definite interest to new readers who are just discovering what poetry is all about and its invaluable contribution to world literature. Mr. Bateman brings a distinctive intellectual depth to his poetry and approaches each topic or theme individually with whatever level of commitment, nuance or understanding is required. He has a devout belief in the power of poetry as a most expressive medium for informing the reading public on issues, themes, problems, and life experiencesas part of the continuing human endeavor. Mr. Bateman sees poetry as a mirror for reflecting the very soul of mankind.

I’m in a fake relationship with my celebrity crush. How did I wind up in a real-life romance trope? When too much tequila and an enabling BFF put my newest and oh-so-spicy romance novel into the hands of its inspiration, sexy British actor Tom Morrison, I’m horrified (because hello complete stranger, I thought of you while writing these smexy scenes, now excuse me while I spontaneously combust from embarrassment). I need to get the book back before Tom takes out a restraining order on me—or worse, reads the book out loud on social media. Except that’s not what happens. Thanks to a strategic lie and an Oscar-winning knight I’m now pretending to be Tom’s girlfriend while we get his dream project made. Somehow, my screwball plan landed me in the middle of my very own Cinderella story, Hollywood style. Even better, I have a shot at a real life HEA with a gorgeous, hilarious man who thinks I’m amazing… …so why do I get the feeling that disaster is about to strike?

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman in 1930s Spain—and the powerful mystery that ties them together. England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery. Drawn into a complex web of secrets and deceptions, Odelle does not know what to believe or who she can trust, including her mesmerizing colleague, Marjorie Quick. Spain, 1936. Olive Schloss, the daughter of a Viennese Jewish art dealer and an English heiress, follows her parents to Arazuelo, a poor, restless village on the southern coast. She grows close to Teresa, a young housekeeper, and Teresa’s half-brother, Isaac Robles, an idealistic and ambitious painter newly returned from the Barcelona salons. A dilettante buoyed by the revolutionary fervor that will soon erupt into civil war, Isaac dreams of being a painter as famous as his countryman Picasso. Raised in poverty, these illegitimate children of the local landowner revel in exploiting the wealthy Anglo-Austrians. Insinuating themselves into the Schloss family’s lives, Teresa and Isaac help Olive conceal her artistic talents with devastating consequences that will echo into the decades to come. Rendered in exquisite detail, The Muse is a passionate and enthralling tale of desire, ambition, and the ways in which the tides of history inevitably shape and define our lives.

A unique look into the minds and creative processes of contemporary Irish women poets, this book focuses on the transformation of their life experiences into poetry that blends personal identity with national identiry. It assembles many voices around common themes that are emerging to change Irish poetry permanently. Patricia Boyle Haberstroh, whose book Women Creating Women: Contemporary Irish Women Poets was a Choice Outstanding Academic book in 1996, shows in this new work how nine of the most prolific Irish women writers generate their poetry, broadening our understanding of the context of the poems. She pairs each author's verse with a companion (and often autobiographical) prose piece to illuminate the ways in which the poetry expresses the poet's personal experience. As women in a politically and religiously charged, male-dominated genre and country, these poets feel compelled to transcend daily life by articulating against the "norm." In this book, they describe the issues they confronted in their growth as poets and the strategies they developed to translate life into art. In linking these poets—drawn from Northern Ireland and England as well as the Republic of Ireland—Haberstroh throws into relief the characteristics that define their unique, individual subjects, themes, and styles.

Spy writer Tip Paine comes to the rescue of a neighbor who is being blackmailed by Seoul gangsters and becomes enmeshed in an Asian money war with global implications

Have you ever had a dream, but let it go because you were too afraid of failure to try? Dancing with Your Muse is a heartfelt, motivational guide to understanding this fear, realising that you are not alone in it, and working past it to achieve your goals without inhibition.Fear of failure is a universal issue that can hold even the most talented of people back from reaching their full potential. Dancing with Your Muse is a series of thirty essays which speak about the common and debilitating anxieties encountered on the path to creative expression. Sections include: 1:''Fear In All Its Glory'' - explains patterns of fear, and shows you how to transform inhibitors into positive outcomes. 2:''Judgement and Criticism'' - provides guidance on how to keep yourself in balance without succumbing to outside perceptions of your worth. 3:''Success in Different Guises'' -expands your notion of success by giving you a more personal, expansive understanding of what accomplishment really means to you.Written in a gentle, contemplative tone, this book will encourage you to determine and strive for success on your own terms. Performers, business people, students, and everyday dreamers alike will learn to courageously choose the most direct pathways to creative success and, more importantly, personal fulfillment, holding only a desire to contribute fully to their own life.

Lorna Goodison's first poetry collection to be published in Canada in over nine years, Mother Muse heralds the return of a major voice. The poems in Goodison's new book move boldly and range widely; here are praise songs alongside laments; autobiography shares pages with the collective past. In her exquisitely lyrical evocations of Jamaican lore and tradition, Goodison has always shown another side of history. While celebrating a wide cross-section of women--from Mahalia Jackson to Sandra Bland--Mother Muse focuses on two under-regarded "mothers" in Jamaican music: Sister Mary Ignatius, who nurtured many of Jamaica's most gifted musicians, and celebrated dancer Anita "Margarita" Mahfood. These important figures lead a collection of formidable scope and intelligence, one that seamlessly blends the personal and the political.

Laced with humour and revelation, Anne Wheeler's creative non-fiction stories tell of her serendipitous journey in the seventies, when she broke with tradition and found her own way to becoming a filmmaker and raconteur. Join this celebrated screenwriter and director as she travels south of Mombasa after calling off her wedding; attempts to gain acceptance in a male-dominated film collective; travels to India to visit friends who are devoted to a radical Master, and ultimately discovers her sense of purpose and passion close to home, sharing stories that would otherwise be lost about ordinary people living extraordinary lives. Taken by the Muse: On the Path to Becoming a Filmmaker is a must-read for anyone open to exploring the possibilities of who they are and what they might do with their lives - and for those who love a good story told with integrity and warmth.