#WordCrafters #Book #BlogTour For "Refracted Reflections" - Includes A #Giveaway + My #Review

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "Refracted Reflections" and I have a guest post for you from one of the authors, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, along with a giveaway and my review of the book.  So, over to you, Robbie.

 Inspiration for The Nutcracker

My short story contribution to Refracted Reflections is called the Nutcracker. The title, Nutcracker, was intended to be a play on words relating to the psychiatrist in this story who fails to crack the nut (the reference to nut being aligned with the outdated description of an insane person as being as nutty as a fruitcake, which saying was first recorded in 1821) because he is too short-sighted and arrogant to understand the internal conflict that is taking place within his patient.

Irene is chronically depressed due to her guilt over the sixth mass extinction of the animal life on earth and is overwhelmingly anxious due to the increasing symptoms of global warming. Irene, like some other Generation Z youngsters, sees no hope for the future. This feeling of hopelessness among young people appears to be increasing and is most concerning to me.

Dr. Jamison’s inability to reach Irene and understand her inner turmoil is in keeping with her view that Generation X has done nothing to stop global warming or the destruction of the animal kingdom and does not care about improving the world for her generation. His epic failure has tragic consequences for Irene.

The theme of global warming and the sixth mass extinction and its contribution to the mental health problems being experienced by modern youngsters is combined in this piece, with the additional problem of modern medications being used to treat symptoms and not causes, as well as the potential damaging side effects of medications.

My personal experience of medications for anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems are that incorrect dosages or medications can exacerbate depression and cause suicidal thoughts. Parents and patients need to investigate the potential side effects of any medications they are given, and doctors need to be sensitive to the development of negative side effects due to adverse reactions by patients to anxiety and other medications.

This story is set in the Sterkfontein Cave in Magaliesburg, South Africa, and was originally inspired by the deaths of a small group of divers who were investigating the exceptionally deep lake within the cave. The divers went into one of the small, water-filled tunnels branching off from the lake and were not able to find their way back. They are believed to have drowned, but their bodies were never found. When I started writing a short story about the deaths of these divers, my mind took me on a different journey and that was the story I ended up writing.

There is also a paranormal thread to this story which is intended to make the reader think about what is real and what is not. Readers should wonder what greater powers than humanity might be out there which we may be offending with our careless actions and lack of regard for our role as custodians of planet, Earth.

 

 

Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader

in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria

Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has short stories and poems in several anthologies and has two published novels:

* Through the Nethergate, a historical supernatural fantasy; and

* A Ghost and His Gold, a historical paranormal novel set in South Africa.

Roberta has ten children’s books published under the name Robbie Cheadle.

Roberta was educated at the University of South Africa where she achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting

Science in 1997. She was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.

Roberta has worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and has written seven publications relating to investing in Africa. She has won

several awards over her 20-year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.

 

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: 

https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

 

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

 

 

 

 

Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception

 

Refractions and Reflections…

A reflection can be revealing or deceptive. What stares back at you when you glance into the mirror?

A prison, designed to trap you and take away all that is dear to you?

A portal to another dimension? Another time?

An evil twin, luring you to the other side?

Your loved ones with a fond farewell?

A distorted version of yourself? A person you no longer even recognize?

A protective savior?

Do you dare to gaze into the looking glass?

Will what you see save you…, or haunt you forever?

If you liked Gilded Glass and Once Upon an Ever After, you’ll like Refracted Reflections: Tales of Duality & Deception.

 

Books2Read UBL purchase link: 

https://books2read.com/u/3kPyxn

 

 

Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception by Kaye Lynne Booth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent collection of weird and wonderful tales. As is usually the case with anthologies like this, I found I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but it was a matter of personal taste rather than a reflection on the work of the authors, and there was something to like about each of the stories.

*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book by one of the authors. This fact has in no way influenced my opinion of the book or the contents of this review, and all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

 

 

             

Digital Giveaway

For a chance to win a free digital copy of Refracted Reflections, just leave a comment to show you were here. Follow the tour and comment at each stop for more chances to win. Three copies will be given away in a random drawing

 

Tour schedule:

Monday – September 19 – Intro post – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – September 20 – Guest Post & Review – Ligia de Wit – Carla Loves to Read
Wednesday – September 21 – Guest Post – Elisabeth Caldwell – Writing to be Read
Thursday – September 22 – Guest Post – Valerie B. Williams – Roberta Writes
Friday – September 23 – Review & Guest Post – Roberta Eaton Cheadle – Zigler News