Writer and Visual Artist
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
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
It’s Christmas Eve! Right now, it seems like Cincinnati will be having a mild, kind of warmish Christmas which is just fine with me. I can’t believe this is the second Christmas we’re celebrating during a global pandemic, but hopefully that helps us all feel just even more grateful for our family and friends.
I was looking through my recent paintings and this one felt a bit Christmas-y to me with the red and green like light coming through a stain glass church window. Anyway, I thought I’d share it since it’s a tad festive.
May you have a wonderful Christmas filled with all the people you love and the warmest of memories!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
-Tiffany
I am super proud and honored to be the Editor-in-Chief of Ephemeral Elegies, a poetry-focused literary journal. It’s been an amazing experience to connect with so many poets from around the globe, so I wanted to make sure I’m sharing more of their work on this site too. So, after each month, I’m going to start posting a roundup of the poems published in case anyone wants to experience some great poetry. Here are the poems that we published in November 2021:
Thanks for reading!
-Tiffany
Well, winter feels well underway here in Ohio. The leaves are fading from their brilliant hues and falling faster and faster. And as the seasons change and the sunlight seems more fleeting, I’m forced to spend more time indoors. This time of reflection seems the perfect chance to focus once again on poetry, so I wanted to share an update regarding my big passion project, the poetry-themed literary journal Ephemeral Elegies.
We are nearing the end of our second year of publication! I want to give a big shout out to our 663 subscribers and nearly 13,000 visitors. I love seeing poets and readers from around the world comment and encourage one another on the posts! Truly, the online poetry community is one the warmest, most inclusive, best places to be and I’m honored for the opportunity to play a small role.
Submissions for 2022 are open! I’m thrilled to finally be caught up on my email, and now I’m ready for some more. So, if you’re a seasoned, emerging, or brand new poet, please hop on over to our Submissions Page and consider sending us something. I especially love supporting new voices.
Ephemeral Elegies is subtitled “The Poetry of Emotion” because we often focus on the raw exploration of trauma and the grittier parts of life. I know the ongoing global pandemic has impacted everyone, and we’d especially love to see new poems about this experience.
Thanks for reading and considering being part of this thriving poetry community!
-Tiffany
I have been loving the cooler weather here in Cincinnati. The leaves are changing in some areas but I’ve also noticed a lot of trees that lost their leaves early this year. Every spare moment, I’ve been trying to soak up as much sunshine as possible before the winter inevitably comes. It’s inspired a lot of my writing and painting, and I wanted to share my latest abstract landscape.
Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany
Tiffany Renee Harmon 