Welcome back to the final part of my winter vacay in Puerto Vallarta. In the previous two parts I shared some of the fun and food in PV. In this part I will explain what… More
Sunday Book Review – Holding Hands by Stevie Turner #newrelease #womensfiction
Welcome back to my Sunday Book Reviews. I got to read a few books while on vacation, not as many as I’d hoped because I was busy socializing. So I’ll begin today with Stevie Turner’s new release – Holding Hands. This a sweet story about aging and a little romance, with a little too much going on to disrupt Tom’s pursuit of Ellen.
Blurb:
Elderly widower Tom Hopkins is lonely. In-between going to Bingo, taking bus rides for the sake of it to look around shops, and trying line dancing for beginners, he often spends his time doing voluntary work as a hand-holder in the Ophthalmology Department of his local hospital where nervous people arrive to undergo injections for the eye condition ‘wet age-related macular degeneration’
Ellen Wilkinson, also widowed, is a patient in the clinic. She soon makes a friend of Tom after they meet by chance in the hospital’s café. Unbeknown to Tom, Ellen is a wealthy woman and has not yet made a will. Her son Bob is against the friendship, and tries his best to stop the burgeoning relationship between his mother and Tom.
When Bob finds out that a wedding might be on the cards, he is sure Tom is a gold-digger and is determined to stop the marriage once and for all. Ellen and Tom, however, have other ideas, but are unprepared for the lengths Bob will go in order to scupper their plans.
Shortlisted for the 2025 Page Turner Golden Author/Writer/Screenwriter Award and the Phoenix Award.
“The voice of Tom rings loud and clear, bringing his character and those he encounters to life. The minute observations are spot on and are often qualified by the kind of sharp, erudite comments that reflect his advanced years. Excellent writing.” – Judge Stewart Carry
My 5 Star Review:
Holding Hands is a wonderfully touching story taking in the perspective of aging seniors. Tom, a widower living in a senior home is taking in life as much as he can, despite the drawbacks of aging and him missing his departed wife, Jean.
Tom seems a spunky man, despite his nearing 90 years old. Tom keeps himself busy by volunteering at an eye clinic as a hand-holder for incoming patients as they are getting eye injections for their degenerative eye disease. He has his routines and still takes the bus, and shares a lot of himself with us about his love for his Jean, as he visits her grave daily and enjoys chats with her. One day in the clinic cafeteria, he meets elderly Ellen, then holds her hand during her treatment. The two strike up a friendship, and we get to understand his feelings when he talks to his beloved wife. Despite him living alone and finding happiness among other people, Tom can’t help but feel a bit guilty having any interest in any other woman because he doesn’t want to betray the love he felt for his wife. But Tom’s loneliness makes him curious to learn more about Ellen, as company is a rare thing for him.
As their friendship builds, there’s a bully in town, ‘Bastard Bob’, as Tom likes to refer to Ellen’s overbearing son who’d rather she be alone and isolated than to have any social life. As their friendship grows, Tom and Ellen come up with some shenanigans to be able to spend time together, making many efforts to dodge Bob at any opportunity. This is when the book heats up with ‘their plan’. Will they pull it off? You’ll have to read to find out.
©DGKaye2026
Blurb:
Puerto Vallarta, I’m Back, Travel Day
I’m backkk! I actually returned last week, but as always, lots to contend with and to do when one returns from a lengthy vacation.
In the beginning. Cheryl and I departed for the airport around 5:30 am, already breaking my four hour rule to be at airports if my plan to check in at an actual airline booth was to work, not at a kiosk and bag drop off machine where there is no human mercy if you are milimetres or a pound or two over the limit. Nobody’s fault really for the half hour late departure to the airport, and there it was – the lines I’d hoped to avoid by coming as soon as the airline booths opened before a flight. Kiosks to put through our passports and lineups of more lines to put your baggage on the machines, that’s where we were. My anxiety was off the charts and it was only 5:45am.
We waited and waited and never moved up an inch when I smelled a rat and told Cheryl, something is up with these robotic machines that are replacing humans, and we aren’t moving. Soon enough, the nice attendant who helped us at the crowded kiosks to get our baggage tags, told us we all must go to the other side of the machines (where the actual humans were at the airline booths), and we must check in – the old fashioned way. I was both pissed, at having to move again, but never trusting my scale to be exact enough – because I need every ounce of every allowed pound, and was happy to see a human.
Being we were pretty far at the end of the baggage drop-off line, we booted it over in fast gear to the human booths, and we became nearly first in line. And then it happened again…like a distant memory of past, a travel hurdle I’d thought I’d conquered – the overweight luggage situation.
Something just niggled at me on my final weighing of my suitcase with my Heys trusty luggage scale, and maybe, a flicker of the battery as I was doing so. Last reading said 49. something, and that was good enough for me. But, apparently, it wasn’t.
The young Asian girl smiled politely as I lugged my suitcase onto the weigh belt. “Your bag is 55 pounds,” she alerted me. That old familiar pang went through me like I had committed a crime. A crime that was going to cost me dollars – as in $100 of them as I know well the penalty over five over the limit versus a pound or two over, which some friendly chat usually gets me away with.
In her next breath, the agent offers me the opportunity to move some things out of my bag into my (already overstuffed) carryon, or perhaps into my friend’s bag. And I felt like I had just hit the lottery. Cheryl and I both had two bags each allowance with our seat package, but we each only took one. Cheryl wasn’t even going to bring a suitcase, but I asked her to because I knew she’d have extra room for things like – a small coffeemaker I bought for us to have in our room, all my bottles of suntan lotion I knew I’d use that took up weight, knowing I wouldn’t be bringing back. And more. But, apparently, my trusty scale was off by at least five pounds. I was shocked. I’m telling the young girl I weighed that bag in at under fifty pounds, she was telling me to look at the scale in front of me, lol. I couldn’t argue.
There I was, like an old rerun movie, opening my suitcase for the audience to view as I pulled out a few packing cubes of clothing and transferred to Cheryl’s suitcase. Just like the good old days with my husband.
The flight seemed quick, and alas, we’d left the artic ice age for sunny and very hot, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. To stay in theme with the start of the day, we lined up at immigration, at machines that scanned our face and life. And then some printout is supposed to come out for us to keep. I did this about six times before I apparently did it correctly. Lol. The next line, after picking up our luggage is to join the exit line. This is where we now place all our luggage and belongings on a security belt. Again. Just to exit. Not a job for those who can’t lift fifty pounds, because you’re basically on your own. But we appreciated the man behind us who said he admired our Canada flags on our clothes and luggage and by helping us, he said he was trying to apologize in some small way for how his country is treating Canada. I thought that was special. And we surely appreciated the help.
Finally! Bags off the belt and the exit door is mere feet away, when a lonely immigration officer, off in a corner, standing at a lone empty metal table, waves us over his way and asks me to open my carryon. Of course there was nothing of concern on my end other than sighing at the timesuck, lack of sleep, and my wanting to just get the hell out of the airport.
New rules. We can’t take the luggage carts out to taxis, so we either roll them all, or get an always, able and willing porter – for a nice tip. After all, the service is free, they take you to the new taxi booth where you pay in advance for your fare listed on a board, according to zone’s destination. After warning Cheryl about making no eye contact with the numerous bombardment of sellers of rides and ‘special’ offers, upon exiting the security check, all these hungry business people will try and lure people to choose them for rides, offering perks. Many are time-share operators, offering rides if you sign up for a ‘presentation’ at their property, ‘for a few hours’ and a free meal, and sometimes even $100 – there are all kinds of offers. Just keep walking, I tell Cheryl, as the porter takes us to purchase a taxi ticket – and I have my first taste of sticker shock. The airport cab price nearly doubled from last year. I had an idea what was coming in the way of prices rising. And they weren’t far off from some of the prices right here at home.
We got to the hotel, a less than ten-minute drive from the airport, checked in, and waited over an hour for our room along with my friend Zahra and her hubby who arrived at the hotel a few hours before us, on an earlier flight. When we finally got our rooms and shed our winter attire, we headed across the street to the supermarket to pick up some water and snacks for our fridge, and we picked up a delicious rotisserie bbq chicken from my favorite chicken place right outside the supermarket. We went back to our respective rooms, enjoyed our chicken dinners, unpacked and got comfy watching Netflix. After two hours of sleep and a long travel day, we were happy to stay in and start the next day fresh and alert.
Next time, I’ll share some of the fun things we did, and some of the fabulous food we ate. Oh, and of course, I will share more about the big ‘Cartel’ event that was to take place five days after landing in Puerto Vallarta. Despite the massive sensationalism across news channels, it was all handled swiftly and efficiently.
©DGKaye2026
Blogging Break Happening Now
Alas! The time has come for my longgggggggg awaited winter break. And I can say with certainty how badly I need a break from winter!
Here in very cold Canada, it feels as though we’ve been living in the frozen tundra for over two months now. Sure, people joke about Canada and the cold, but this kind of cold is NOT even the kind we grew up used to here – the usual 20 degrees F to zero. But these minus 20 and 30 temps for weeks on end are something I never signed up for as a Canadian. 🤣😂 I can’t recall going anywhere in winters past that required myself dressing for the Arctic every time I have to run out for an errand – just in and out of the car turns my legs into frozen blocks after mere seconds.
But this frostmare will be ending real soon! This will be my last post until April. I’m preparing for the summer temps I’ll be feeling in a few day’s time. My Canadian winter friends are already in Puerto Vallarta sending me messages and pics of some of our gang who are fortunate enough to already be there. I can’t wait!
As you can well imagine, there will be stories galore as always upon my return to blogland. This vacay is going to be so action-packed, I may need a vacation after my vacation. Lol. This year, my friend, children’s author, Cheryl Spears, will be joining me for the first leg of my trip, along with my very close friend Za and her husband will be flying down as well and staying in our hotel, because they need a break from the deep freeze. So many friends guarantees another amazing time. After the hotel holiday, I’ll be moving into my old homestead next door, the Grand Venetian, staying again with my good friends, Liz and Grant.
Don’t forget the Tshirt! Yes, it was last year that our friend Kevin who works in corporate for Vista Print, announced that it’s time we all had a club Tshirt, and one we are all going to wear at the Canadian karaoke dive bar we discovered last year. And he was kind enough to have them all delivered to us – so he didn’t have to use half his suitcase to bring them all.
I love the image. The Grand Venetian is the condo complex where we all stay and became friends at. Featuring the most important artifacts of both Canada and Mexico – hockey and margaritas! Lolol.
©DGKaye2026
Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2026 – Share an Excerpt – Boost one of your books – #Grief #Relationships #Strength – About the Real Stages of Grief: A Journey Through Loss by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
I was thrilled to be featured at Sally Cronin’s new book promotion series at her Smorgasbord Blog Magazine. In this series we share an excerpt of one of our books. Sally invites authors who’ve previously been featured at her blog to be featured in this series.
In this regular series for 2026, you are invited to share an excerpt of 400 to 500 words from any book you have written you would like to give a boost to.
This feature is for any author who has been promoted on Smorgasbord previously.
Please read full details of how to participate at the end of the post and I will respond to your emails as soon as possible.
The aim of the series
- To showcase any of your books you would like to give a boost to.
- To gain more reviews for the book.
- Promote a selection of your other books that are available
Today an excerpt from my friend and collaborator D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies… About the Real Stages of Grief: A Journey Through Loss
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About the book
The truth about grief: it has filled countless pages in clinical studies and personal stories, but no words can prepare us for its reality. When I lost my beloved husband, I searched for solace in grief groups and forums, longing to make sense of my experience. There I discovered something rarely spoken aloud—that many of us carry the same hidden aches and side effects of loss, the ones that seldom find their way into books.
Love does not die, and so grief never truly leaves us. It lingers, reshaping itself, teaching us to live with its many faces. This book is the story of my own passage through loss—an endurance of sorrow, and a testament to the strength of those left behind.
Grief is a heart-wrenching journey each of us will one day face. I write not only for those who are grieving, but also for the ones who walk beside them—for the friends, family, and witnesses to heartbreak—so they might understand, even a little, what it means to live with loss.
Trailer created for Debby by author Diana Wallace Peach.
Thanks so much for featuring my book here today, Sally. I’m always stoked to be featured at your house of Smorgasbord Blog Magazine.
I chose this excerpt – Condolences, to share here today because I wrote this chapter with people in mind who find it difficult to find the appropriate words when approaching someone who is grieving.
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Excerpt
Condolences
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing…not healing, not curing…that is a friend who cares.” — Henri Nouwen
Condolences. There are no right or soothing words for a griever. Just be present.
Why is it often so difficult for people to offer their condolences? I know this difficulty myself; when it’s my turn to send condolences, I too feel stumped. In my case, I know it’s because my empathy makes me feel too much and believe that the words I have to offer could never be adequate, because I can’t make it better for them. So I do have an inkling about why so many people have a difficult time expressing condolences.
Friends have asked me, what is the right thing to say? I admit, it’s a tricky topic because trying to muster up those words can sometimes become difficult. This is because, in essence, there really are no appropriate words to make us grievers feel any better in our darkest moments of loss. One thing I can say for sure; plenty of things are better left unsaid.
Sometimes, people who are lucky enough not to be familiar with this painful thing called grief may say the wrong things unintentionally. Even with good intentions, their words may not bring any comfort to us. Let’s begin with what not to say.
When we hear things like “He’s in a better place,” “He’s at peace,” “At least he’s not suffering” ad nauseum, these words only make me think, No! He was better off here with me on earth, not under it. So please refrain from these cliches. Like I said earlier, a hug and an ear are what is most beneficial for us. Sometimes, there are just no appropriate words.
We don’t need people offering us cures for our broken hearts and souls. These aren’t comforting to us while we are in the depths of our sadness—because there is no cure, merely the time, however long of it, that it takes for us to learn how to live with our grief and move forward with it. Some people feel compelled to blurt out things they think we may want to hear, just as some will say things we’d prefer be left unsaid. Yes, in our hearts, we know our loved ones are in a better place than that of suffering. But our grief is raw. And despite our knowing this is true, our hearts are aching to have them here with us. After burying the loves of our lives, we know we didn’t want them to suffer, but we are not yet ready to acknowledge the loss in our hearts.
Saying something more heartfelt is a much better option in those awkward moments. So—what is more heartfelt? For me, more heartfelt words are those that convey an understanding of the person who is grieving. For example, if a friend or family member has just lost someone, say something to the effect of “I can’t pretend to imagine your great loss, but I am here for you.” This does a lot more for me than someone saying things that have no value or leave the wrong taste.
Having said this, and having been in the same position when it’s me offering condolences, I know how easy it is to be caught off guard when comforting someone I care about who has just suffered a giant loss. We always mean well in these situations, even though our words don’t always come off as warm and fuzzy. Many people are death averse. When faced with grievers, they appear like deer in headlights—stuck for words. It happens.
Please visit Sally’s blog for a great review for this book, and for Sally’s instructions for how to be featured at Smorgasbord Blog Magazine.
©D.G. Kaye
Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2026 – Share an Excerpt – Boost one of your books – #Grief #Relationships #Strength – About the Real Stages of Grief: A Journey Through Loss by D.G. Kaye
Sunday Book Review – More Manchester than Mongolia: An unexpected roadtrip through back road Britain by Jacqueline Lambert
Welcome to my last Sunday Book Review before my blogging break. Today I’m reviewing Jackie Lambert’s second book to her ‘Beast’ series, book 2. In this second book of Jackie’s adventures, traveling narrow roads in the UK with the tank-like beast provides lots of humor and good information on the trials and tribulations of building this beast, getting it road worthy, and all the bits and bobs that go on to make this journey fun and doable.
Blurb:
The Comic Memoir of a Grand Plan Gone Wrong
“I haven’t laughed so much at the written word since Pam Ayres released Some of Me Poetry in 1976!” Drew Johnson, author of the Andalucian Adventures series
When Jackie and Mark bought The Beast, a vintage, six-wheel army lorry sight unseen off the internet, they planned the ultimate overland adventure to Mongolia with their four dogs. But when COVID-19 slammed shut international borders – it abruptly rerouted their dream.
Stranded in the U.K., they tackle life on the road in a home-built truck camper laughably over-engineered for the quaint English countryside. What follows is a laugh-out-loud British road trip, filled with mishaps, mechanical mayhem – and the hidden marvels of their homeland.
Blending travel tales with dogs, wit, and heart, More Manchester than Mongolia is a celebration of embracing life when it doesn’t go to plan. Perfect for fans of Bill Bryson, Tony Hawks, and Mark Wallington, this is a funny, feel-good memoir of resilience, rediscovery, and finding that sometimes, the best adventures are the ones we never intended to take.
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My 5 Star Review:
After reading the first book in this series, it was a given I had to read this one. Lambert has an interesting way of sharing her storied journeys, including lots of nuggets of wisdom shared along the journey, written as though she’s speaking directly to us in her stories and descriptions.
In this book, the author shares the story about their journey through the UK in their converted, newly re-fitted (Swedish army tank) – perhaps, not yet finished, as the author, her hubby Mark, and their dog family attempt to drive to Scotland as a test drive with their new monster vehicle/home. Narrow ancient roads and all, this beast is moving! Maybe just not to Mongolia. And maybe they don’t even make it to Scotland!
Time constraints with the length it took to convert this vehicle – and Covid and Brexit, got them to a late finish, and ultimately, leaving them no choice but to move into the vehicle before, let’s say, all was perfected. Brexit added to making travel that much harder for Brits going to the EU. Praying for luck, the Beast sets out, first facing some very narrow country roads, which the author describes perfectly with added hilarity. And not to mention the many passerbyers who are marveled at such a creation. Trials and tribulations abound from sticky crossings, to broken windshield(s), to new tires required, let’s not forget about visa issues, add some electrical issues and getting stuck in soggy grounds, and just about any obstacle to put a pause on things, will happen. But then there are always – the people we meet along the way that just helps to make life better – especially at times you really need them.
On the maiden jaunt north to Scotland, the Lamberts encounter some interesting twists and turns, and some interesting people along the way, as well as the author sharing of some interesting literary sights in her detailed journey and guided tours of people, places, and events of some of the UK’s rich history. And some very helpful information for fellow RVers along the way.
A few poignant quotes from the author and what inspired the journey sums up the adventure perfectly:
“The path Mark and I have chosen is not just a way of living. It’s a means to reclaim freedom in a society that tells you to anchor yourself with a house, mortgage, and possessions. Preferably ones you need to get in debt to afford.”
“Our lifestyle offers something different. It offers time. Time to explore, to think, to breathe. And time to be present in an existence that rushes by too quickly.”
“From our obsession with travel, we had already learned that happiness doesn’t come from things; it comes from experience. And we’d observed that variety, and breaking out of everyday patterns, had the side effect of making time appear to slow down.”
” An obsession with longevity urges us to hoard time, clinging to it as though we could own it. But the lesson of a free life is that it’s not the years or the possessions you accumulate that count. It’s the richness of your days…”
“Our lifestyle is not about rejecting responsibility or ambition. It’s about prioritising joy and meaning. It’s realising that the best way to honour time is not to stretch it out endlessly, but to savour it deeply.”
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to turn an army tank into your abode and means of travel transportation, with roadblocks, restrictions, and plans, you’ll want to read this fun jaunt with the Lambert’s through some interesting parts of England for entertainment, and for some wonderful lessons in history. Like we say – it’s not only about the destination – but the journey to there.
©DGKaye 2026
What Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ Feature Means for Authors | Kindlepreneur
I recently published my January Writer’s Tips before coming across this important article for authors, from the Kindlepreneur, I felt it was an important share. I don’t know about you peeps, but I don’t relish the idea of Amazon A.I. speaking for me.
Amazon’s A.I. is now describing our books – WITHIN our books! I couldn’t believe this when I came across the article from the Kindlepreneur. Since I recently published my January Writer’s Tips, this article didn’t make the cut, but so important for authors to know. It actually would have been nice had Amazon even bothered to email us and inform us, even though we have ZERO ability to stop it.
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From the Kindlepreneur:
“Amazon just rolled out a new Kindle feature called Ask This Book. It lets readers ask questions about whatever they’re reading and get AI-generated answers on the spot.
Right now, it’s available in the Kindle iOS app for U.S. customers, with plans to expand to Kindle devices and Android later in 2026.
Forget who a character is? Want a reminder of what happened earlier? Confused about a scene? You can now ask, and the system will tell you.
What makes this different from most reading tools is that it doesn’t send you back to the page. It offers its own explanations.
And it does it without the author’s involvement, permission, or ability to intervene.
That’s the problem…”
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My thoughts: Just no! I don’t appreciate Amazon OR A.I. describing what I MEANT in a passage of my book. I don’t appreciate A.I. translating what I intend for my readers.
Read the full article below:
Source: What Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ Feature Means for Authors | Kindlepreneur
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Then don’t forget to read the page where Amazon tells you all about it:
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-and-authors/kindle-recaps-feature-ebook-series-refreshers
I’m fuming! What about you guys?
©DGKaye2026
Sunday Book Review – Cat Thief: A Collection of Short Stories by Lynette Creswell
Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m reviewing an entertaining book by Lynette Creswell – Cat Thief. This book is a delightful read having seven mixed genre of stories – some that touch, others dark-humored .
Blurb:
The new collection is diverse, dark-humoured, and deliciously bite-sized. A compelling collection of 7 thought-provoking and humorous short stories to keep the reader reading long into the night. You’ll find some of the stories have been previously published in magazines and anthologies. The collection is engaging, the characters linger in your mind and are the perfect companion for any fiction lover. 1. Cat Thief: When a witch’s love potion goes wrong, she doesn’t want to put it right. But why? 2. Forty Years Too Late: We all keep secrets from loved ones but sometimes skeletons don’t lay hidden forever. 3. Seventeen Pound and Thirty-Four Pence: An act of kindness from the last person you expected. 4. Lonely-Hearts: Love hits when you least expect it. 5. Glimpse into the Future: A young Romany gypsy has foresight. After dreaming the murder of a young woman, can Rosa decipher the clues in time to save her life? 6. Close Call: A duty firefighter is called to a house to coax a jumper off a roof. 7. Orange Truffle Surprise: Revenge is a dish best served cold. Especially when your husband is caught having an affair.
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My 5 Star Review:
This short story book of seven enjoyable stories fill the bill for a sneaky escape read. The first story, The Cat Thief, grabbed my attention right away. Evie is hired to make a love potion – gone wrong. But all is not lost because it serendipituously worked well on someone else. Accidentally!
Forty Years Too Late will remind us that big lies and secrets over the years – eventually become too big to keep.
Seventeen Pound and Thirty-Four Pence is a heartfelt story about a cat hit by a car, the owner who couldn’t afford the vet bill, and the most unexpected act of kindness from one who has less.
Lonely Hearts reminds that despite our determination to meet a significant other in life, sometimes, life has other plans for us.
Glimpse into the Future, Rosa is a Romany and seems to have visions of events before happening. Her recurring dreams of a girl being murdered, in clear details, turns out to be more than just a dream. Rosa tries to save the girl before the murder happens.
In Close Call, a firefighter gets on the ledge in hopes of saving one very unusual jumper.
Orange Truffle is a cleverly told story about one vengeful, betrayed wife.
All these stories were fun and quick reads, offering a variety of emotions from humorous to heartfelt.
©DGKaye2026
Writer’s Tips January 2026 – #Blogging Tips, Author #Scams, and #Writing Tools
Welcome back to my new 2026 Writer’s Tips. In this edition, Hugh Roberts offers great tips on how to avoid Blog Overload, Anne R. Allen has the latest Author Scams going on, and the Kindlepreneur shares the six best Writing Tools for 2026.
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Hugh Roberts has some helpful Blogging Tips
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Anne R. Allen’s Author Scam Updates
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The Kindlepreneur offers this year’s best Book Writing Tools
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©DGKaye2026
DGKayewriter.com 