Poetry. Fiction. Painting. Drawing. Photography.
Since it’s unseasonably cold out right now, it seems appropriate to share the news that my short story “Greetings from Krampus” is now available to read at The Chamber Magazine! If you choose to give it a read, I hope you enjoy it!
Stay tuned for more updates! Later this month, my short story “I Drown Each Time” will debut on Fiction on the Web, and then later this year my short story “A World Without Magic” will be up on CafeLit.
Thanks for reading!
-Tiffany
I have some exciting news! Two more of my stories have been accepted by publishers and will be available in April!
On April 1st, my short story, “Greetings from Krampus” will be published in the The Chamber Magazine. Yes, it’s technically Christmas-themed horror which I think makes it perfect for an April Fool’s Day launch! Then on April 18th, my magical realism short story, “I Drown Each Time” will debut on Fiction on the Web.
I’ll post links to the stories once they’re available online, but I was excited and wanted to share!
Thanks for reading,
Tiffany
A new poem of mine is officially available! “The Necklace” was just published by The Curator Magazine, so I wanted to share it!
Thanks for reading!
-Tiffany
P.S. I have additional exciting news – more of my poetry has been accepted into the SOS Art Cincinnati For a Better World 2022 Anthology. I’ll release more details in the spring closer to the anthology’s publication date.
January was a great month for Ephemeral Elegies! We published 5 poems by some amazing poets:
January 2022
Thanks to these poets for their submissions and thank you, readers, for your support of our emerging poetry community!
-Tiffany
I have been reading a lot of stand-alone thrillers and suspense books lately, and I am excited to share some of the best ones with you! While these certainly have mystery elements to them, the main focus of these books is the tension created by the plots, and these are sure to grip you from start to finish!
First up is The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth. I really loved this one! It’s an intricately plotted domestic thriller about two sisters named Rose and Fern. Both sisters are narrators of this book, and it was fun to figure out which, if either, was the more reliable narrator. As the present plot unfolded, the book also sheds light on the past. And as present-drama and past-secrets collide, I was on the edge of my seat. I am a big fan of Hepworth and can’t wait to read more of her books.
Next is The Last Flight by Julie Clark. If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be “stressful” (but in a good way!) This was an incredibly gripping book! Again, there are two viewpoints we follow in this book – Claire and Eva. Both women, who only meet briefly, are desperate to escape their circumstances. But when they attempt to swap lives, both of their dark secrets continue to cause problems. There were lots of fun twists and turns in this one!
Finally, there’s For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing. This book features a true anti-hero: Teddy Crutcher, a teacher at a prestigious school who enacts his own form of justice as he tries to teach those around him a lesson by very dubious means. The characters in this book were absolutely fascinating, and while the plot was more straightforward than mysterious, I really enjoyed the tension and slow build. I would definitely recommend this one to people who like character-driven suspense.
Have you read any of these or do you have a thriller you want to share? Be sure to let me know in the comment section!
Thanks for reading!
-Tiffany
Winter always makes me want lots of cozy mysteries on my Kindle! There’s something so wonderful about the fun small towns and amateur sleuths. Recently, I’ve been binge reading the Country Store Mysteries by Maddie Day and I highly recommend them!
The first book in the series is Flipped for Murder. It stars Robbie Jordan who recently moved back to a small town in Indiana to open her own restaurant/country store Pans ‘N Pancakes. Robbie is a great protagonist with an interesting backstory and a lot of great personality. Day does a wonderful job at creating this character as well as many memorable side characters. With each book, I look forward to diving back in to this little town and spending more time with these characters. The mystery plots are pretty standard for the cozy genre, and I appreciate that they move quickly and remain engaging throughout the series. Overall, I highly recommend this one – just prepare yourself to be hungry after reading Day’s descriptions of all the food that Robbie cooks in her restaurant!
Have you read this series or are you loving a different cozy series this weekend? Be sure to let me know in the comment section!
Thanks for reading,
Tiffany
I’m excited to announce that my poem “Believing” is appearing in the Fall 2021 edition of Poetry Quarterly!
This is the third time my work has appeared in Poetry Quarterly, which is a true honor! Thanks to the editors there, especially Glenn Lyvers!
-Tiffany
I hope everyone had a good holiday season! January has felt like both the shortest and longest month ever due to a bad bout of covid. But I’m on the mend now and wanted to share the December roundup from Ephemeral Elegies:
I hope you enjoyed these poems! Thanks for supporting this project and our amazing poets!
-Tiffany
Do you ever stumble across a dress or shoe that you can’t stop thinking about? It happens to me pretty frequently, and while it used to make me worry I was deeply shallow at heart, now I know it’s just an extension of my imagination. When I see something beautiful, I’m drawn to it – I’m drawn to its story or the story that could be formed around it. And recently, I came across this dress and a new obsession began. I absolute long for a reason to buy and wear this dress (so, side note: if you’re going to a gala soon, feel free to invite me!)
The amazing thing is that this Nina tulle dress is actually pretty affordable and available on Amazon for only $69. It really does seem like something that someone would wear to a gala or red carpet event. It might even work for a formal event like prom or even as a bridesmaid dress. Unfortunately, in my case, I know that my short height and larger bust size would make it difficult to pull off this dress even should the occasion arise, but a girl can dream, right?
Anyway, even though I probably won’t be able to wear this dress to a masquerade ball on Valentine’s day where I fall in love with a mysterious stranger (oh no, I fear I’m veering dangerously close to Hallmark movie territory now), that doesn’t mean you can’t!
If you have a great story about a life-changing dress or have an opinion on this one, be sure to let me know in the comments section!
XO – Tiffany
It’s been a while since I reviewed a book or series, but there’s one series in particular that I definitely wanted to share! I have been loving the Maggie Hope Mysteries by Susan Elia MacNeal. These are historical mysteries set during World War II that feature a young woman, Maggie Hope, a British-born American who becomes a codebreaker and spy. The first book in the series is Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.
This is a pretty long-running series. It has 10 books that have already been published and surely more are on the way. I am halfway through the series, and I think they just keep getting better and better. Maggie is a fantastic heroine who really grows and evolves throughout the series (which means, you definitely should read them in order to get the full impact of her character development!) She is smart and engaging and I adore following her on her many WWII adventures.
Also, while this is definitely not a cozy series, I appreciate that there are some lighthearted moments in each of the books, which balances out the serious war subject matter. I don’t know about you but WWII books can really get me depressed but these balance out the facts with some fun fictional scenarios that are probably a touch beyond what is realistic. Still, I love that each book features at least one very important real historical figure.
If you are a fan of mysteries and history, I absolutely recommend this series. They’re truly some of the best I’ve read. They’re fun and adventurous but are firmly grounded in actual historical events. The characters are refreshing and lively, and they also grow in believable and meaningful ways throughout the series.
Have you read this series or do you love a different historical mystery series? Be sure to let me know in the comment section!
Thanks for reading,
Tiffany
Tiffany Renee Harmon 