5-Star Reviews of Book I

The reviews are coming in as readers discover Aunt Willy, Niece, Miss Tuppence, Floodgate and his beaked bully of a bird.

When Aunt Willy first talks with Mr. Floodgate about lodgings, the man is unenthusiastic at the thought of dark basement rooms, but he says he'll take them if he can bring his bird along.

Willy's hearing aid acts up, so she assumes he's talking about a sweet little budgie. Too embarrassed to let on that she can't make out what he's saying, she agrees, remembering her own little lovebird, Petey.

Little does she know that her boarder's "budgie" is really a massive Macaw. Things go from bad to worse, and soon, Willy is scheming to convince Floodgate to vacate.
 

Reviews

From the U.S.

Clever and Amusing
September 14, 2016  
The telling of the tale is a clever one, both by the author as well as the character. The author teases the reader with rich and enticing characters, leaving the reader wanting more. This prose is to be enjoyed by any age.
~ Amazon customer

Quite an Enjoyable Read
September 02, 2016
The book is quite entertaining. It had me chuckling from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to experience the next adventure for Willy.
~ Nicole Steward

From Canada

I Absolutely Fell in Love With the Mischievous Aunt Willy and Endearing Niece
September 15, 2016
Just finished reading Boarder in the Basement. You've created rich and enticing characters, and your diction lures in the reader and promises to never let go. I absolutely fell in love with the mischievous Aunt Willy and endearing Niece. I wait with anticipation for the next storytelling episode.
~ Amazon customer

Great Read!
March 08, 2016
Laughed from almost the first paragraph. Really great book!
~ Amazon customer

Enjoyed the Story and the Characters
October 04, 2015

Really liked the character descriptions and how the personalities were well-rounded in the dialogue. Aunt Willy is full of mischief.
~ Kendall

Readers have been asking when book II will be out. I'm hoping to finish and publish it this winter.

Teaser 

CAN YOU GUESS WHERE?

After Floodgate leaves, "lock stock... and feather," Aunt Willy reluctantly takes in another lodger, but because Floodgate spilled hot wax all over the carpeting in the basement when he burned his hand (and Willy wants to have the carpeting cleaned first), she has to put the next boarder in a unique location in her old house. Can you guess where?

What causes Floodgate to burn his hand on the hot wax? Take a peek by following any of the links below and using the "Look Inside" feature:

Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B014Z8IFWC…

U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014Z8IFWC…

U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B014Z8IFWC

AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B014Z8IFWC

© Melody Rhodes

A Week of Good Book News - Two Books Rise the Ranks at Amazon

It's been a great week of good book news... Two of my books have garnered attention...

Japanese-English Bilingual - The Bedbug Who Wouldn't Bite
The interest from Japan has been heartwarming. Our hardworking translator has done a wonderful job of introducing the bilingual to kids, parents, schools and other places.

Boarder in the Basement Free Book Promo Results

High interest levels during free book promo...

The free promo for Boarder in the Basement is now over and I'm happy to share the results.

As word spread, there was a high degree of interest and a number of downloads of the free book.

My Facebook page, Aunt Willy Books received lots of visits, as well, with 35 Shop Now clicks.

Downloads came in from Canada, U.S. and the U.K.

Stats in Categories:

#33 U.S. Teen & Young Adult
#105 U.K. Literary Humor
#154 U.S. Literature & Fiction
# 234 U.S. General Humor

Good Results Each Time
Boarder in the Basement made the Top 100 during the first promo, and the results for this promo have been every bit as exciting.

A Boarder, a Bird, Mischief and Metaphysical Mayhem
"Why, when the man mentioned a bird before, I thought he meant a sweet little budgie. I mean, isn't that what most normal people keep? I had no idea, he meant..." A madcap misadventure where nothing goes as planned and desperate measures are called for. Join Aunt Willy and her boarder, Floodgate, in this first book in the Aunt Willy's House series.

Preview Book

A Country Lane

I’d made up my mind to it, 
I’d stay in and read.
But a light shower, earlier, 
had imbued the woods
with a peculiar sweetness
that drifted in through the open window
and tempted me out of doors.

And now, with the mountains 
reflecting that last slanting light
that dusts everything in gold,
there was no help for it;
I felt an enchantment
that encouraged me to 

venture to deeper realms,

deeper far and more mysterious
than my favorite armchair would have allowed.

I paused at an opening in the trees,

where a russet needled path
beckoned inward with an irresistible charm.

Under a canopy of branches,
a tiny bird flitted back and forth,
as if to guide me on my way;
and, on either side, forget-me-nots nodded,
sprinkled there, no doubt, 
from a truant elf’s watering can.

A curve ahead...
and I took the strange fancy that at its end
I would find a thatched cottage
with a chubby “Hansel” peeking ‘round the corner.

Ah, such is the magical quality of a little lane
winding its way through the woods.
I will return often to wander here,
where dreams and reality
merge and meet
in the moment.

© Melody Rhodes
  

 

Awards & Publication
Grand Prize Winner, The Sword Review, 2005
First Place, Tickled by Thunder, 2002

Years ago, on a wander through the woods at Lemon Creek, up the Slocan, I discovered a winding path and followed it through the woods, wondering what secrets I would find at its end.

This poem also appears at Wikinut and AllPoetry

Jenny Meredith

'Twas in September of the year
that she bid him well away
and his little boat bobbed merrily
as it moved upon the spray.


His promises she kept with her,
all through that fall till spring, 
aye, and young Jenny waited
on what the cove would bring.


But alas no craft was sighted,
e'en as days grew long
and she watched there and she waited
ever he'd come along.

And the sea winds howled their fury
out beyond the reach
ere a solitary figure
wept there on the beach. 


And villagers had a story,
indeed, of what befell
their young Jenny Meredith
who was lost to foam and swell.

Yea, no one listened to the hermit
who lived beside the quay,
when once he paused to give account
of a sight he saw that day.


Two sets of footprints in the sand
that met then continued on
to water's edge, where they disappeared
and were forever gone.


Oh, the sea winds they are restless
oh, they wander wild and free
and 'tis said they whisper secrets
of lovers gone alee.

© Melody Rhodes

Publication
The Sword Review, 2005 
5th Place Winner, Tickled by Thunder, 1999

Author Notes
Alee: sheltered from the wind. Jenny and her love made it, whither they went.

Name meanings: Jenny (Celtic: white wave), Meredith (Welsh: guardian of the sea). (I was surprised at how perfectly her name fit this poem. Such is the power of the muse.)

Photo 1: John William Waterhouse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo 2: John William Waterhouse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons