Brain to Books Blog Tour
Fast Facts
Author: Linda Dobinson
Genre: Poetry
Book: Encounter
Bio
I was born in Croydon, England but grew up in Barbados. Endless sunshine and never far from the beach – I was spoilt. As an only child I quickly learned to use my imagination to amuse myself.When I was seventeen we returned to England. The fast pace of London life was exciting, the shops were fantastic, the cold – not so good. Although I did not like the cold and never will I loved the changing seasons. In summer I love the long evenings but equally in winter I love the long nights. Spring means ‘goodbye cold’ while the glorious colours of autumn are inspiring.
I love reading, writing poetry, chocolate, cats, shopping, F1, and watching way too much TV – not necessarily in that order. I am teetotal and a non-smoker, does that make me two shades of boring?
As a reader I am a big fan of classics and my top three are ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen, ‘Queen Lucia’ by E.F. Benson, and ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte. As for poetry, my favourite poems are ‘The Lady of Shallott’ by Tennyson and ‘Kubla Khan’ by Coleridge.
I have been married and divorced twice so as the song says – ‘I have looked at love from both sides now’. Good or bad our experiences make us who we are.
I started writing poetry when I was studying for a BA degree with The Open University. I joined The Open University Poetry Society and it was the many positive comments from fellow members that encouraged me to submit work to poetry publications. I have had poems appear in ‘Decanto’, ‘Time Haiku’, ‘Poetic Licence’, ‘Candelabrum’, ‘Krax’ and ‘Poetry Now’ to name a few. As a writer I draw on my experience but my main inspiration is nature. Having said that anything can grab my imagination, for example, a moment between two characters in my favourite TV show ‘The 100’ sparked a poem.
I am currently working on my third book.
Author Accomplishments
I have had poems appear in the following poetry magazines – Decanto, Time Haiku, Poetic Licence, Candelabrum, Krax, and Poetry Now. I have been included in many anthologies including – Southern England 2008 and South & South West England 2009.
Book Blurb for Encounter
‘‘Insightful’’, ‘‘beautiful’’ and ‘‘wonderful’’ have been used to describe Encounter on Goodreads.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Encounter is a collection of poems written mostly in free verse but with some traditional poetic forms included. The poems are divided into three themes – love, nature and life, but of course, themes overlap.
Linda has experienced all sides of love – the joy it brings, the pain when it goes wrong, unrequited and learning to move on. Her aim is to show that it really is possible to overcome heartbreak and start again with hope and confidence. She is constantly inspired by nature and she invites you to share with her the thrill of a new spring, mercurial summer, the glorious colours of autumn and the frozen wonders of winter.
Excerpt
Journeys On The 7.20
If I were the sun
and you were the moon
I would shine my light
on your sweet face
and you would feel my warmth.
If I were the sun
and you were the moon
no longer would I stand still
your love would make me spin.
If I were the sun
and you were the moon
no rain would ever fall on us
the way it does on little Earth.
If I were the sun
and you were the moon
nothing on Earth could keep us apart,
not even the Earth itself.
If I were the sun
and you were the moon
we could roam the universe
and the un-crossed stars
would light up our path.
If I were the sun and you were the moon.
But I am not the sun
and you are not the moon.
We are just two people
in separate orbits.
Our worlds touch daily but softly,
so softly that you do not feel it.
I am not the sun
and you are not the moon.
So I will have to dream
starry dreams of our journey
through the universe
and all the things
we would see and feel
if I were the sun
and you were the moon.
