Elemental by Tosha Michellle
The rip current consumes me.
Dragging me under in a rage,
I struggle against the tide.
Battling the demons of a water drenched mind.
Caught in a vortex of time,
Sun and dry land mock me.
I refuse to be destroyed by the elements.
My arms reach out to the trees.
Their branches sway toward me
But it’s not enough.
In desperation I turn to the earth.
The substance of life,
Hatred and failure taunt me.
With bloody hands and bruise knuckles.
I dig through a wasteland of hopelessness.
Wondering why God has forsaken me.
As the ground beneath continues to break,
I’m free falling into the labyrinth of chaos,
And underworld of isolation,
Night falls.
I lift my head to cry out.
Suddenly overcome by the beauty and magnitude of the stars.
I’m consumed by the will to live and be…
The struggle only amplifies my resolve.
Solace and hope are elemental.
An alive in me.
The Escape of Malcolm Poe by Allison Burnett (Book review)
It had been ages since a novel kept me up all night, glued to the pages, marveling at a witty turn of phrase. Reading The Escape of Malcolm Poe s akin to devouring a spicy gourmet feast of a meal, enticingly good but surprisingly acerbic Allison Burnett paints a colorful yet dark picture of what it means to turn 50. Satirical to his core, Burnett is the God of smartasses and, paradoxically, the king of tender and lyrical prose. He brandishes a sword in one hand at each introduction to a new character while carrying roses in the other. At first you find the protagonist to be an arrogant, self-absorbed little twit, but by the end you discover a tender heart beating wildly under a guise of burlesque. Malcolm Poe is as endearing as he is infuriating. This novel is a visceral lesson in the drudgery, angst and the harrowing emotional transition that often comes with mid-life, a comedy and a tragedy, a book in which Burnett crafted a portrait so real that I sometime forgot I was reading a work of fiction. The Escape of Malcolm Poe is an experiment in literary innovation, flawless prose and delicious angst.
Lyre
Words in a book,
Call to me like the daughters of the river god
Getting lost between the pages.
I hide between the lines.
Finding comfort
Cover to cover.
Submerging myself in prose
Drowning in poetic metaphors.
An Odyssey of an open mind.
Nothing
-
by Tosha Michelle.Narcissism is the new black.
Self absorption the latest trend.
Shallow and superficial
Walk down a runway of banality.
While it’s “All About Me” plays in the background.
Accessorized by a callous disregard.
Dressed up in a pretty package.
With nothing underneath.
Hollow and empty
A model of vapidness.
The latest in fashion is only skin deep.Maybe..one day…unselfishness and humanity will be in vogue again.
Until then, did you see the latest picture of me?
Wrecked Head.
Wrecked Head.
by Tosha Michelle.
Some days I am lucid and full of wisdom
But then there are those days when my mind
Is invaded by hoarders, the clutter
Littering my brain
In these times, I am at lost as to where to begin
There’s no filtering my thoughts.
My mind is in overdrive.
Like a hyper active teen strung out on meth.
My eyes glazed over, lost in a surreal dream.
A million thoughts float around me.
I try to grasp just one.
But they’re are elusive,
Just beyond my reach.
All I can do is wait.
For gravity and clarity to kick back in.
Lost
Lost in an endless wasteland of insipidness.
Not knowing who to trust.
Groping around in the darkness.
Seeking light and renewal.
Lost with no direction.
With no compass to guide me.
Lost in my thoughts,
A labyrinth of confusion
Lost in the past, with an uncertain future
What will be my path?
Lost in worry, endless drifting.
With so many decisions still left to be made.
Lost yet not forgotten
Hope‘s flame still burns.
Knowing somehow, someday, the tables will turn.
Feel the Chemicals Kicking In.
Sadness creeps up my spine,
Sneaking up covering my eyes.
Taking my breath.
Stealing my serenity.
Melancholy rains down
I try to shake it off
The drops linger.
Peace just beyond my reach.
Floating out in space without me.
-Tosha Michelle
Blog Tour: Exposure by Jennifer and Morgan Locklear
SUMMARY
Publicist Shaunna Noble is no stranger to the ego-filled dysfunction of Hollywood’s elite, but is she ready for her two biggest clients to turn into her worst nightmare?
Kyle Petersen and Michelle Cooper are Hollywood royalty, everyone’s favorite celebrity couple, but while on location filming their new summer blockbuster, Kyle ambushes his wife with divorce papers and orders Shaunna to destroy Michelle in the media. Unwilling to comply, Shaunna spectacularly and publicly quits her job, humiliating Kyle in the process.
David Quinn, a struggling actor cast alongside the A-listers, is caught in the crossfire. When pictures surface of David and Michelle out on the town, media and fans rush to crown them Hollywood’s new hot couple. Kyle explodes, tensions boil over, and everyone’s lives and careers are thrown into jeopardy.
So what’s a publicist to do? Especially when Shaunna finds herself falling in love with the sexy and talented David. Can she put out fires on the set while keeping the flames burning in the bedroom?
Love, lies and passion. What happens when the naked truth is exposed?
Bio
Morgan and Jennifer Locklear met in 1989 as teenagers and became high school sweethearts. They have been married since 1995 and live in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States with their two children, a son and daughter.
Although both enjoyed creative writing in their youth, they have only been working as a writing team since 2010. Since then they have created a dozen full-length and short stories together.
Jennifer has been employed in fundraising and development for a non-profit organization since 2000. She also enjoys participating in charitable activities, both locally and online. In her (limited) free time she is an avid reader.
Morgan has been employed in the hospitality industry since 1998. He has been active in the local performing arts community since childhood with many acting and directing credits to his name. He is also a musician and songwriter and has recorded 6 albums.
Cover Reveal: The Raven by Sylvain Reynard
From the author of the Gabriel’s Inferno saga, Sylvain Reyanard comes a new trilogy “The Raven” a paranormal romance that will make you fall in love with Reynard’s writing all over again. We at La Literati are proud to be part of the cover reveal for this amazing new series.
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
-Edgar Allen Poe
Cover Reveal
The Raven by Sylvain Reynard
May 27, 2014
The Raven
by Sylvain Reynard
Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel Series comes a dark, sensual tale of romance in a city shrouded in mystery…
Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery restoring fine works of Renaissance art. But an innocent walk home after an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley. Raven is only semi-conscious when their assault is interrupted by a cacophony of growls followed by her attacker’s screams. Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her…
Cassita vulneratus.
When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed. She returns to the Uffizi, but no one recognizes her and more disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an entire week. With no recollection of the events leading up to her disappearance, Raven also learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest robberies in Uffizi history – the theft of a set of priceless Botticelli illustrations. When the baffled police force identifies her as its prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name. She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and elusive men in an attempt to uncover the truth about her disappearance. Their encounter leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to keep their secrets…
Release Date:
Early 2015
About the Author
I’m interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition – particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself.
I’m also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.
I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House. For more information, see my Twitter account.
You can find Sylvain at
Everything I Never Told You 