Requested Poem Archive

#14 April 17, 2024

“Too Quiet My Words”

Written or spoken, words sometimes fall upon deaf ears or go unread, obscure in the literary world. The number of books entrenched in the oblivion of Amazon’s rankings and effectively archived are egregious. This could be said as well for works that lacked representation in the past, agents being necessary in earlier times, as they were the only marketing option for most writers and not at all easy to engage as representation. Even today, with thousands of agents and agencies available in the literary world these seem reluctant to touch works created by the novice, or even the healed writer who has not found abundant success beforehand.

A question to be asked here is, What have been the issues confronted or neglected by you as an author which keep you out of the limelight?

• Getting your foot through the door for the first time.
• Available funding.
• Education in Marketing.
• Overwhelm of freelance marketers who do not deliver, or too expensive.
• Scammers occupying your attention.
• False Agents, agencies stealing your capital.

And I am sure there should be other impediments, blocks, or seeming blocks to success.

Many authors have chosen the Vanity Press route, and expensive choice and one which requires both capital and endurance to bring their work to the general literary market. There are less expensive options, but then quality of product becomes an issue of importance where these are used.

For those who have developed fame in other areas of life this is not so much an issue. We see many from past years whose writings found immediate purchase with Agents and public alike because they had become known previously, famous or notorious, themselves newsworthy. These require little or no marketing, or general promotion as they are already opinion leaders and therefore have an audience of followers, lucky for them or a planned result.

Surely there are many obscure works that are poorly written, amateurish, AI Generated, socially unacceptable, or too technical to find an audience and these no doubt will increase with the advent of AI substituting for creativity from a life being. Among these many archived volumes there are to be found gems of creative genius, I am sure, ones where the author did not or could not proceed to market their work effectively. These, although well written, enlightening, life enriching and often intriguing works in their own right, remain (sadly) a literary failure.

What is to be done to assist these authors, those works which contribute to society, are interesting and enriching entertainment and honestly engaging, to the public eye and awareness, what?

An answer is surely present! True?

My response is to use this platform, Harvey’s Poetry Buy-line and Blog, as a means to engage with new or existing audiences whose interests extend into discovering hidden or obscure talents and their creative works new and old. Again, I am building toward an audio podcasting and later videos interview platform to be available as broadcast or put on the YouTube website. Should all proceed well, then the future would hold growth from this Blogging effort, to a podcast, then a Video platform, as stated, where authors & their works can be showcased, branching out into other artistic fields going forward.

I would be seeking suggestions for interview subjects starting with transcripts of these on this site, then, just as you would expect, audio feed, and later a talk show where all can see the art and artists themselves and better form their own opinions.

Would people find such an action desirable?

Becoming known for this blog is my first target and your assistance is requested to expand this out to your contacts as something you have found worthy, should you feel so inclined. Smile!

Harvey

#13 April 15, 2025

“A Cast of Writers & Artists”

Here I sit considering what to write this morning. What I came up with the line above, “A Cast of Writers & Artists” thinking it a topic to explore in my unique way. Let us see what comes to my page, does it enrich or maybe enrage. We will see!

What are the anchors that hold in play these creative minds?

• Curiosity – a measure of interest
• Expressive urge – drive to have a message heard
• Defiance – a strength of opinion which brings countering response, a need to be right at any cost
• Admiration – converting the pleasures obtained from reading others works into responsive personal creative action
• Imagination – This is creativity, where ingenuity and excitement meet to bring out images, occurrences for other to see

Each plays a part, but yet does not tell the whole story. Me, I am one who has the expressive urge which then combines some of each of these other reasons to engage on my literary course. Early there was nothing but the urge to do, to create something, that is until a single thought regarding another person which just “had to come out into the world for other to enjoy” and my storytelling efforts began.

I could go on telling you about my motives, desires, what keeps the fire, the urge to tell stories, create poetry, to express the happenings of some worthy moment, but no, I think not.

Would you rather have words come from other artists to tell of their creative motivations and joys, their failures and successes? Here is an honest question, one seeking a real and true answer from those reading this blog.

Should your answer be a simple or resounding yes, then please indicate which of the following media would be most pleasing to those with interest in Art, Artists and their motivations, their lives in the arts, and their art itself.

• The written work, like this blog?
• Podcast, audio only discussions with these creative individuals?
• Video, as in a talk-show format where the art can also be on display?

Know that being the character that I am, I am prepared to do any one of these actions to bring about the enrichment of the arts, whatever genre, whether it be penned works as I create, lyrics & music, dance & theater, sculpture or sketch & painting of all kinds. I admire all who practice in the arts and enjoy discussions on every artistic subject.

Please take a moment to email me regarding these questions. I am curious to see your responses.

I will read each response sent to, Office@harveyspoetrybuyline.com

Harvey

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#12 April 11, 2025

“There’s a friend”

There’s a friend, a story teller par excellence, with whom I exchange beta-reading. He’s a Science Fiction writer by choice and one whose stories are well worth reading. The story that began our exchange from his side is called “The Future Rhymes” and his name is Clifford T. A. Heseltine. My first exchanged beta was my first published title, now repeatedly republished with this final publication being under my pen name with IngramSpark.

We each bring another set of eyes to the work the other produces, bringing clarity to those points which are ambiguous or downright confusing. I have worked with him on two of his books that are published and we are currently working on the third. His writing, though yet only marginally recognized through Amazon Kindle and softcover offerings, are some of the very best prose that I have read in many years, the equivalent of many New York Times Best Sellers.

A big part of our story is that we act as sounding boards for the other where slow-moments come during each of our writing journeys. Here is an example: I was in the process of bringing greater depth to the Epic I had written 8 years ago, believing the story only half told, or not enough time had been spent bringing light onto the impact of these two souls upon the rest of us. I had determined to use each stanza of the epic as an outline for the expanded view of happenings affecting so many. This turned out to produce thirty-one additional enlargements, each a small book unto themselves, and the production of a prequel, an Epic within itself and describing those occurrences bringing that HERO OF THE TIME to better understanding for readers. His was the considerable task of reading through the one-hundred-sixty-five-thousand words that constituted the expanded Epic.

“How could I ever repay him for this effort?” I asked myself, thinking how very glad I was that our exchange was not based in fees. And then Clifford gives me credit for assisting his writings to flower just as mine have. His works are now approaching nine-hundred-thousand words, through which I have enjoyed his clever and deep story telling, his witty turn of phrase and amazing characterizations, which he tells me write their own stories with hima the medium, at least after they develop past a certain point. I smile to think how he seems to deny himself full credit for their momentary beingness, and give him all credit due his writing prowess.

Thank you ever so much Clifford, you are the very best!

As promised, I give you the links to his works.

additional works

Harvey

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#11 April 8, 2025

“They Were Waiting”

In past time, often were the folk to wait long for fresh stories of their time and day. Waiting at the post where goods of commerce and correspondence came and went. The driver of wagon or cart would come to play his part not just as he who transported items of value or none from place to place season on season, but to do his bit as herald of news from farther afield then folk were likely to travel on their own. But then he was not the only character to pass along the rules and orders from the various royalty, whichever person wore the crown. There were the Official Heralds, Town Criers, and thespians, each to pass what came to guide the social order, who, when news was slow, would carry tales from times past, some from oral tradition others from writings. These were more lettered men who often had been trained into the literary arts and did their part to entertain.

They carried tails of wonder, love, trials, troubles, of travails, of the strange, the marvelous and what seemed just weird. They passed along old wives tales, some even to pass along verse and song for those who came to listen and to taste for a moment the stresses, strains and news concerning the human condition elsewhere in the world and beyond their reach.

And before these Heralds, before the town criers, preachers and thespians who themselves served to carry news of all manner through the portrayal of that which was seen or carried forth value in writing from older times.

Speaking of writings, from the very first days of writing, the written language, some attention went to he recording of the events of the day. Of first importance came the tallying of valuables, commodities of trade, then it seems that poetry in the form of epic stories to tell of nearly anything from daily local events to the Crowning of Kings was to follow plus the recorded lyrics for singers, writing of comedy and tragedy as in the thespian art.

To spur these writers, to encourage these Heralds, the Town Criers and thespians, there have always been the curious, those excited by distant events, those interested in the histories of other lands and peoples.

There remains today one simple fact regarding writing of any form, epic, poetry, lyric, news, or fact, there is one fact ever-present, ubiquitous amongst mankind, a longing to know.

They (our audience) were and are waiting!

Harvey

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#10 April 4, 2025

“Dreams, Imaginings”

Here I write in many themes, but most around poetry or general creativity. These are my existence and pleasures outside the ordinary and beyond those times of workman’s experience. Here is something I do which is never toil, never is it hard or harsh. With my writing or any other art-form I’ve chosen to engage in, it has always been this way. Further, it is that place where all my energies seem to congeal to bring into the world of others those things I see within my personal world, universe I would say. My universe being that place where only I have say and can form from imagined clay all those things I see.

It is true that within my universe, and conveyed through my art, are expressed dreams, all come true easily within imagination, artistically they come together well into the world of myself and others, it is more challenging to spread these into this joint world where it seems only the high impact efforts find purchase within the observation of others, where their heart and mind can absorb the character of these creations and enjoy or not at their choosing, these manifestations of my imagining.

Here, in this blog and in my books of poetry, prose and essays are my finest artistic efforts during this life and maybe many others. Accept this thought or believe as you choose. These creations exemplify what I see in this present day or those time closely behind. They further express much of my growth into myself as I clear away past trials, travails and injuries done to me and from me to others in my time within the common frame, the universe of all.

One of my dreams, an imagining of a longer term and higher value is to encourage other to bring their personal world out into the light of our common world/universe to share with me and those others whose creative bent still finds pleasure in sharing their creative imaginings. Each to write, draw, sculpt or build as they see fit and in doing so contribute again to the beauty of the common frame of our co-existence.

This blog writing seems to me a bit high flung and erudite. For this, although I believe what I say here true, I feel I must apologize to those not so who’s world does not yet hold this artistic urge. Know that we all can grow into our own creative joy.

Harvey

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#9 April 2, 2025

“As a reader”

There I was but ten or eleven years old, and poked my nose into a book with a plan to read it decades ago. I was in the fifth grade. I found an escape into the wilds of some intriguing other-worldly fiction, and was away for a time from the ordinary life I lived. I was infatuated with the various scenes I found popping into my mind. These scenes were so very different from the restricted life I was leading, and took me to places I had either never been or had forgotten along with the troubles from other lives once lived in misted times. And for a time each day for years after, I was free to roam this Earth and Galaxies far distant.

As an observer in these times and places, fictionalized or historical, I was free from the pain of gun-fire, the plunge of a sword and scalding oil pour from ramparts above. I could love, along with the characters within pages to find that very love I had always been seeking, or purge some land of evil lingering from bygone ages. J. R. R. Tolkien’s Hobbit exemplified many of the stories with evils to be cast down, loves to find and adventure beyond the life I was living at the time of reading.

And my heart was set upon a track, one leading to this very written page though it take six decades to bring me to write this blog.

The course of my own life did not remain mundane although my early times were considerably restricted thanks to a combination of visual limits and overly protective parents. You should know that no matter what I was doing, heavy work, getting married twice, divorced once, or learning to, or actually riding motorcycle adventurously, reading has always been a prime element in my life, a joy when joyous things are read, troubled when terrible things are present within pages disclosed in books, magazines or on the web. The lives of others and sharing those times they have seen fit to bring forth in literature and image through their writings, emotion by emotion, their actions and activities has been satisfying especially when I was closed within the walls of home, unable to seek out my own adventures.

Now, along with reading daily, I write nearly as often as read, exercising the creative urge. It is as if I were breathing in words to exhale them as either novel bits of blog, or essays, and volumes of poetry, whichever comes to mind to write at any given time.

Written just this morning.

Harvey

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#8 March 28, 2025

“What I write”

My hope is that you are reading to see what comes of this fellow’s writings whether poetry or prosody, just as you are reading here.

It seems a common concern of writers as they begin their journey into the realm of visual or aural verbalization, writing being a visual component or in person performance that they will not be heard, their words go unnoticed in the moment or go unmarked through time.

There are many fears that come with working in any art, but we practice our art and damn the fears, concerns and anxieties related. Yes, anxieties too, like, “Where is the next meal coming from?”, “How will the rent be paid?”, while I write, draw or perform, “How?” And yet we bend our thoughts, our developing or healed skills, to an artistic venture. Please know that this becomes our personal adventure, to step beyond the frame of the ordinary and make something not there before our effort to bring it about. An epic poem, a precious painting, a grand novel, a play, a building design, a touching song, its lyrics, each creatively assembled from images within our minds and from which we bring joy first to our own selves, then work with whatever magic we can in reaching to others hoping to touch their hearts and minds with the aspect of our creative efforts.

But then, many people consider their children the only aspect of themselves that will be passed on to the future. We writers add to this through our art, as do painters and film actors, sculptors and musicians, hoping that our creative efforts stand the test of time and remain in the public eye, mind and heart for more than just that flash that occurs with our product’s successful completion which brings its own joy of accomplishment. This is my basic fulfillment, and may be that for others too. Yet I remain hopeful that others will enjoy my musings, my verses and thoughtful expressions far forward into the future.

Harvey

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#7 March 25, 2025

“The Untold Story”

I heard my mother’s words telling of a Western story written in her early teens while in the family home among the hills of West Virginia where her father leased a farm and life pastoral carried them forward crop to crop, season to season for many years. An avid reader, she had been no further west then River Rouge Michigan where she was born and would not have traveled further than this until adult and from which point she never settled down anywhere, but moved more often that the years to pass.

Move my move those few precious things from her childhood were lost, even family, which her children only vaguely knew, their contact with aunts and uncles being brief and infrequent. This story manuscript was one of those items lost to packing, eliminating things that could not be carried easily, and repacking to move again and again. This precious piece of art she penned became as if untold ever in existence for the simple fact of belongings-attrition.

This story, and the stories surrounding it, were some of her most prideful memories, possessions in and unto themselves and worthy regular recounting. Marie was a story teller worth listening to, telling of events within her own life, that of her parents, those of her brothers and sisters, of which she was one of six. This one story, the Western, was never one recounted to us who hung on her very rich tales of family history. She would discuss the story’s writing, a summers creation between the routines of farm life. Then from further back in family histories came stories from the growth days of the American Manifest Destiny, tales from the life of Harvey John Brown, a painter, Fresco artist and Homeopathic trained medical student who served in the civil war, saw bones duties. There were even family events for retelling from before the American Revolution which she passed along, but never penned for future generations.

I could go on explaining how she spoke and passed along stories, but here the point is that while these stories were passed along on a verbal basis, they were never written, portions of stories and whole events have been lost as if they never existed, to become “The untold story” in fact being lost to those whose lives would have been enriched had their lives contained records of many of these lost events. Dad, my father Harold, was not a story teller, keeping nearly all information of family to himself and thus removing background which may have been worthy of gifting the many generations yet to come. These, unspoken, became stories of family to remain “That untold story.”

Harvey

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#6 March 20, 2025

“Inspired?”

I was asked the other day just what my inspiration was for a particular poem and I struggled for an answer. This surprised me because it is assumed that all Poetry is based in some epiphany of some sort or another. Then I got to looking at what progenitor had brought about some of the poems I have penned. Within this introspective moment I came up with some answers, some clearly grasped and others vague.

Here are the conclusions I came to. You may want to compare them to your own creative activities, but just as likely you will simply go on being creative, completely ignoring these non-personal musings regarding the subject of inspiration.

When the light turned on regarding writing poetry for me, I was mid-course on learning how to actually study effectively (my church Founder originated the techniques) Which course gave me tools like, how to define words so I could use them well, in doing this course I learned to properly use a dictionary and much, much more. At that point there was an epiphany which changed everything, opening the door to creativity. A cognitive bombshell burst within my mind saying, “Now I can again write my poems!” And this seemed to have come out of nowhere at all, yet cleaning up my failed study history had restored my willingness and thus ability to do what I so love to do.

How thankful I am for this gift of knowledge and the freedom that came with it.

Since then I have written more poetry than I have prose and taken grand pleasure from nearly all I have written. Interestingly, I have not run into any dry spells where writing became drudgery in the last eleven years. You must know I love that aspect, that result from the study course.

As surly as I sit down to write a verse or ten, I can write and I do so sometimes with no more than a vague concept of what could come, no clear picture at all. The simplicity is that all I need to bring about a bit of creative juice is to observe something happening, or recall something that was curious at some earlier time, and from these small basis’ pours out words and phrases to describe the idea, vision or notion and its surrounding thoughts and VOILA!, there it is.

It has come to the point that all I truly need to bring alive a poem, or some piece of prosaic essay, is to have a suggestion from some person and then in short order I have come up with something to fulfill their request, and thus came about this website, this whole notion of using my recovered ability, some would call it a gift, to bring a little joy to the world of others.

Harvey

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#5 March 18, 2025

“What of word play”

One asks, “What do the words say, What do they mean?”, it is asked of words in conversation, of poetry and lyrics alike. Often metaphor or analog come to play in each to bring the listener or reader to consider or to bring a likeness in image from their past similar to what is being expressed. When this happens, it happens fast, the image clear to mind, or emotion true aligned with something within the one listening.

Sometimes the reader or the person listening to a song does not even recognize the source of their mood change, but feels it deeply just the same. What remains is that each is swayed subliminally or outright by what is taken in such that they, for an undetermined time, are away from their locale lives, sharing with the author/singer an experience, or seemingly so. They are given something to feel, think about, something real between themselves and the writer who coined the phrases, their meaning, in an effort to convey some internal affect they too had cause to experience if but for that moment.

My friends, whether you have considered this or not yourself, the bringing into being a change to affect another with words and phrases, music or motion, as in dance, each are elements native to all communication. Within the passing of any information and no matter its nature, the desire first is to find purchase in understanding within another or others awareness, then, with understanding or just acceptance, as occurs often with song, to get a response from the person or audience.

Consider this notion, use it if you can. But find some pleasure along your way.

Enjoy the music, enjoy the tone whether it brings joy or you are enjoined to respond with a cry and moan. Bring your thoughts to others in images you fling, or cast in a single ear, whether to bring awareness of sad times or the greatest moment of cheer.

Harvey

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#4 March 14, 2025

“The Grace of Poetry”

When one speaks in prose, normal speech, they tell what happened, what was thought about occurrences bad or good, hateful or loving. They tell the story straight out or well embellished to gain other’s responses, enjoyment, shock, fear or disgust, the many choices of reaction that exist. Each emotion can be a desired response from a story teller. I know, I have received smiles, a cheer, for my works as well as had people give out with a “Yuk!” or “Damn!” from something I said.

And then there is the dance of words which make up poetry.

In poetry the specific desire of a poet, and I say this for myself alone as each poet may have their own ideas regarding what they want from their efforts, is to get a response from those who read their work or works such that a return of emotion comes back to the originator. Surely there would be a delay of variable proportion from origination to when the returned response would arrive, and it arrives to the poet even if in the afterlife as a completed communication, the poet is buoyed by each response. One may disagree with me on this, that is very much okay. Each of us has a Right to our own opinions and choice.

In the writing, the creation of flowing words which through meter and rhyming phrase, dance from line to line, stanza to stanza making their own song, with or without musical accompaniment. And in this dance there comes about a grace of flow, of comparison between events minute to minute, color to color, emotion to emotion which conveys a semblance of the image or images in the authors world bringing it out for others to compare with their own life, means and times.

And words dance across the page, then through the vastness that is the reader’s mind to find purchase there, favorable or ejectable, depending on the flavor or disquiet they bring, but nearly always impactful upon that reader’s moment or lingering day.

Harvey

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#3 March 11, 2025

“And there I was”

And there I was with a thought in mind which story needed telling, as surely as lumber’s tree for homes needed felling. It would not stay inside, it cracked shell my fright and could no longer withhold abide. And words came to express a story, and though unpracticed, a jumble, and in serious need of edit, that story came to be.

It wasn’t like this story came out whole-cloth to find me and many satisfied, not close, not even. Years, of learning between rewrites, years of reading, learning, yearning to have it known, expressed so others could take enjoyment from its read, because this was this story’s need, to touch the hearts of many.

Four decades of learning, efforts spent at odd and even times to fulfill this story’s calling, to come to this very day, approaching its fifth reader with the concepts and ideas appreciated along the way by these few. Soon now, the opportunity will indeed become a fact, and the act completed.

Literally, the forms of death and life to each find their unexpected but proper place and have purchase in the minds of readers who have ever been wanting for these occurrences to be expressed by anyone who could. Thank you, it was I who found the need.

And so, from that encouraging moment my chosen forward life was borne unto this day where poetry has taken me onward beyond this story, not yet in publisher’s hands. Soon, I am glad to say this story, adrift on my mind’s sea, will find itself the object of others attentions and I to go about my day.

a

Harvey

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#2 March 8,2025

This Poet’s Heart

Many readers may wonder from where poetry comes, how does it arrive to page to become know through publication, many may wonder.

To answer for myself, and I am hoping this rings true for many poets, but yet knowing that there are no actual rules to this art, only past guidance from earlier creative practitioners of linguistic painting, like I consider myself then I will better explain.

Dang, I wish I had taken up more than just English in the past years. Translating some of the poems I’ve come up with would be its own joy. Not to mention enjoying reading poetry from other poets pens in that other tongue. What about for you?

As for what brings these poems to my mind, I must say that it is my belief, my personal certainty, that from a non-verbal concept, a mental image whether from memory or imagination, is where they arrive from. It is important to me to follow a phrase from the Bible attributed to Jesus,  “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” , it then is my understanding that I am he who brings these works about, they are not a gift from without but an ability that is native to me, and indeed each of us. And having a relatively rich understanding of common words, idioms and phrases, then the image stirs quickly within my mind bringing out an expression. Some even result in poetry, others as prose. After all, my mind is that tool I use with memory of language to express myself.

Once I start, rhyme and meter actively applied, the flow begins, the image become more clarified, is set to page or screen, as I often write on my computer, is saved and most often printed.

Sometimes these concepts are supplied by others, to fill their wishes for verse. Often an occurrence will impinge, bringing out a concept that would have lain undiscovered otherwise, and these too become the basis for prose or poetry.

Here then is a view of my creative methods.

Tell me and others a little of your story, your creative flow. I am sure others would enjoy these bits of wherewithal that bring about your artistic works.

An importance to my creativity has been become trained in how exactly to study, so that I know and can use the subjects which I put my mind to learn.

Harvey

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March 5, 2025

Opener

Among the many poets casting their creations into our literary world I am but one, but surely not alone. To look at poetry pages on Facebook one would almost believe everyone a poet. How then does one stand out, how do we show our cumulative creations in a way they will be seen and recognized as worth something or worthy of being published. How?

Since August of 2014 I have been putting thoughts to rhyme and meter not just testing the waters, but with enthusiasm. My friends see me as a prolific writer in this genre, and there is some evidence to validate this. When I was being followed with my first series of poems called “Futures Made Daily Post” wholly on Facebook, I got some recognition as my works were followed or at least liked. At one time I had a poem which reached to more than three-thousand friends. That was before the page was taken over and renamed for someone else and all my copy removed. The good thing is that I continually wrote and write my content offline, saving my copyrights. I retain the originals.

What I found was that marketing was the key, but each time I reached to a Marketing Company or and individual doing marketing, it did not seem to matter what stature they had online, they each wanted more than I could give for even the smallest services, even Fivrr ended up costing me a good deal more than a sawbuck.

A good deal of the time I remain frustrated with those coming solely to drain my bank account rather than do anything like deliver a service. I will bet most poets have experienced circumstances like these. And should you come across someone who does truly deliver on their service-delivery promises, then I would be glad to know of them, and would include them among the Useful Links, the last page of this website.

I will gladly keep and allow access to those sites, companies and persons who prove trustworthy. Within our genre, that would be much like “Angie” recommendations. If you’d like that, then hit me back with a Feedback note. Your opinion matters. In future for those company which are vetted there may develop a need to charge a nominal fee for inclusion within this posting service. Author’s website listings will remain no-charge, individual book links will in future have their own page, but are not yet implemented.

Harvey

Updated with each new posting