Ingrid Wilson, who taught me how to write a sonnet, has been one of my favorite poets for quite a long time. She is also a great photographer. Visit her blog at
https://experimentsinfiction.com.
Ingrid is Editor-in-Chief of her own publishing company, EIF, Experiments in Fiction.
Thank You for the Reviews!
Before I published Earthly Days, several of my fellow bloggers agreed to do advance reviews. Excerpts from those reviews appear on the back cover of Earthly Days.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reviewed any of my books. I appreciate you! Every WordPress interview and review, and every Amazon review I received have been sent to the people who are preparing promotional materials for the Taipei Book Expo. My books will be displayed there in February. Then, I was asked for “representative reviews” from family and personal friends.
This is the third of these “representative reviews” generously provided by my family that I have posted on WordPress. I will post more of these over time.
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
Katey Gets a Kiss from Skipper, the Dolphin, at Theater of the Sea, Islamorada, Florida.
Cheryl, Katey, (about Age 5), and a Baby Alligator. Florida Everglades
Hanging Out with Wild Animals
II & III,
Two Books to be Republished
These two books are no longer available except for the ebooks. They will be republished under my copyright as soon as possible. Unfortunately, dishonest publishers have kept most royalties from my books for the last five years.
You can check out self-publishers on the “Writer Beware” website to rule out many of the dishonest ones.
I am working on eventually getting every book under my name and copyright so that publishers can never keep my royalties again. This has happened to many self-published authors. Don’t let it happen to you!
I hope you will be hearing good things about my books in the coming year or two. Cross your fingers for me; I will cross mine for you. As my late husband’s grandma used to say, “May all your dreams and wishes come true.” ❤️
Life on the Blue Planet is Coming Soon!
Serious issues with the ebook, which was unfortunately published without my approval and at the wrong price, are delaying the release of the book. I have tried to get this unauthorized ebook removed, but it is taking a long time. Please do not purchase this unreadable ebook .
I will announce the official release of the book when it is ready. For a limited time, the ebook will be available at a low promotional price. I hope this will make it easy for anyone who would like to purchase the ebook and perhaps post a verified review of Life on the Blue Planet.
Thank you for your understanding. ❤️
Gratitude for life,
for the wonders of nature,
bounties of the Earth.
Gratitude for love
of family and friends,
teachers and mentors.
Gratitude for joys
and challenges of our days;
both teach life lessons.
Gratitude for this moment
filled with opportunities.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Thank you to my Fellow Bloggers for all the encouragement and inspiration you share every day. Happy Thanksgiving from Robert and Cheryl! 🧡
Coming December 5, 2025
The title caught my attention immediately. It brought back memories of swaths of vivid green and the sweet, pungent smell of bracken ferns. Ingrid Wilson is nature’s child, and her love of nature is evident in her poetry.
I’m thinking about painting
the ocean with its fervor
and its froth.
But for an artist’s eye and hand
I’d render both the sky and land:
The glory and the splendor of the earth.
A Bracken Fern evokes the rugged landscapes of Ingrid’s beloved Lake country in Northern England. It is a place of history: impressive ruins from Roman times and, going even further back in time, mystical stone henges and sacred circles. Ingrid has an intimate connection to this land and its storied past that is reflected in her beautiful poetry.
…Child of the changing seasons
collecting poetry and rhyming reasons
just to be still a while,
only to smile.
Accompanied by her two young sons, Ingrid recently walked the length of Hadrian’s Wall. What a history lesson…not only for her sons, but also for her fellow bloggers with whom she shared fascinating narration and gorgeous photos of the journey!
https://experimentsinfiction.com
A Bracken Fern’s exquisite poems share intensely personal observations and emotions. In poignant poems, Ingrid candidly describes her difficult childhood, her grief over the loss of her mother at an early age, struggles with addiction, a troubled marriage, and her longing to return home to the English countryside she loved.
…Praying we can find
a homelike place
we build our houses
…but we can never build without
the homelike place
which we must seek, and find and build
within ourselves, which nowhere else endures.
…And at sundown
out came all the thousand stars,
And I can name the constellations
in this hemisphere
at any time of year:
There is always The Plough above, or “The Big Dipper”
and at its tip, Polaris
The Pole Star points North.
Ingrid found her way to health, found her voice in writing poetry, and found her way back to England. There she fell in love with a talented, creative soulmate. Together, they established a new life for themselves and their blended family. Ingrid founded her own publishing house, EIF, Experiments in Fiction.
Poems written about this period of Ingrid’s life are filled with joy. The pages of A Bracken Fern overflow with love poems and vivid descriptions of the family’s adventures. Ingrid has found her well-deserved happiness and has generously chosen to share it with her readers.
…Our hopes, though fragile, rising high
as dandelion-seeds dance the sky.
…And if the post can’t make it through
then I will drive to you
and if I can’t get petrol
I will ride my bike.
…all the way to midnight, I
watch full moons rise if only in your eyes
It’s more than moonlight, babe, it’s starlight too
and earth expands
in your cupped hands
Our wedding bands
in secret pledge
I do.
If I could paint the colours of your eyes
I fantasise, I’d swim that depth of blue
and what I wouldn’t do
to bring the sparkle back when it has fled
to lift your heart when it’s dispirited.
Ingrid’s poetry is technically perfect, as well as beautifully expressed. A person who spoke no English, hearing Ingrid’s poems read aloud, would surmise that they were listening to music. Ingrid’s background in English literature and her knowledge of history and mythology provide polish and an added dimension to her work. In this book, you will find well-chosen quotes from William Blake, William Wordsworth, Robert Burns, Lao Tse, and Bob Dylan.
…You’re just an empty cage girl
void of poetry, unheard.
You’re just an empty cage girl
if you kill
you kill the bird.
…In a graveyard graced with bluebells whose heads bowed
drop pollen tears upon the fertile ground
as bracken ferns unfurl their bannered green
to clothe the hillside and these bones of mine.
Spend a pleasant hour or two reading the beautiful poems of Ingrid Wilson’s magnificent new poetry collection, A Bracken Fern. Pick it up again from time to time, and find your spirits lifted by Ingrid’s inspiring words.
Review by Cheryl Batavia
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
“One Earth”
The poem,”One Earth” perfectly expresses my perspective on Planet Earth. It will appear in the “Mother Nature” Chapter of Life on the Blue Planet.
Book Fairs & Trade Shows
For the last few weeks, I have been working hard preparing materials for the Children’s Book Expo in Shanghai in November, and the Frankfurt Book Fair, in October. I am also working to prepare for the Taipei Trade Show in February. My books will be exhibited and represented at these events, but I will not be present. If you go, please send me a photo or two! 😊
Dr. Jane Goodall
The world lost a groundbreaking researcher this week. Dr. Jane Goodall, who lived for many years among chimpanzees, died this week at the age of 91. Her reasearch revealed new information about the habits and social life of chimpanzees that revolutionized the way we think about animal behavior. 😄
There are many well-researched tributes to Jane Goodall online. Two that I enjoyed are:
“Instagram: Jane Goodall UK” by Selma Martin, 10/5/25 Selma
“Honoring the Life of Jane Goodall” by Michele Lee, 10/1/25 myinspiredlife.com
Personal Note
Lately, I have to enlarge small print in order to read it. After I have clicked “Reply,” I sometimes discover typos in my comments that I couldn’t see before. I think it may soon be time to schedule my cataract surgery. Please don’t judge me too harshly for the typos.😂
Have a great week!💕
Photo by Jason Buckeye from Unsplash.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
It’s been a long road for this book. It languished in a notebook during more than a year of illness for both Robert and me. Today, I signed the galley approval document! Within a week or so, I expect to announce that Life on the Blue Planet is live.
I would like to thank my fellow bloggers for all of their support and encouragement over the last few years. It means a lot to me!
❤️
Wild things face deportation from woodlands.
‘Dozers fell trees animals call home.
Animals, seeking asylum,
head for the next wooded lot.
Finding sanctuary,
displaced refugees…
squirrels and birds
crowd feeders…
Oh, how
sad!
On
morning
excursions,
I see “progress”…
human immigrants
expertly constructing
beautiful new human homes.
Fascinated from early childhood
with watching men and women at work…
noise, dust, wildlife displacement…still I watch!
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
For the last couple of months, I have been experiencing heart symptoms again. Last week, I ended up in the hospital for an emergency angioplasty for a blocked stent in my heart. I was in the hospital for a couple of days and am recovering at home. After all of our recent surgeries, both Robert and I are OK, but quite tired.
All photos were taken by Ellen Maher and Katey Batavia at Robert is Here: farmer’s market, antique farm equipment, animals to feed, and so much more!
Ellen and Katey brought me a delicious papaya and a perfect avocado from Robert is Here.
Cute springtime babies
exploring Robert is Here,
staying close to Mom.
Babies, winsome and sweet,
captivating visitors.
The baby goat hanging out in the background doesn’t seem interested in lettuce yet.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Happy Memorial Day!
Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend.
Take a moment to appreciate those who died in defense of your country. Think about the values they were defending. Support democracy, and fight to preserve the rights and freedoms promised to you in the Constitution.
Gulf Coast Poet 