Post written by Kaye Booth and Robbie Cheadle

Welcome to Day 3 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons Book Blog Tour, where we’re sending off the sixth volume of the Poetry Treasures anthology series, Seasons. Each volume of this poetry anthology series features the work of the talented poets, spotlighted as guests on Robbie Cheadle’s blog series, “Treasuring Poetry”, from the previous year. Seasons’ poets were guests in 2025. 

For this tour, you’ll meet two poets at each stop, with fun facts about them and reviews of their work. Some of the contributors also share guest posts or poetry readings. Today, we’re introducing Freya Pickard and V.M. Sang. And we’re giving away three digital copies of the anthology in our Giveaway. Each comment earns a chance to win, so be sure to give a shout out and let us know you were there. 

Giveaway

We’re giving away three digital copies of 

Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons.

Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for additional entries.

Winners are selected in a random drawing following the tour.

Tour Schedule

Mon. – Cindy Georgakas (Reading) & Kevin Morris – Poetry by Mich, Hotel by Masticadores, Masticadores Phillipines 

Tues. – Jean-Jacques Fournier (Reading) & Colleen Chesebro (Reading) – Dragons Rule 

Wed. – Freya Pickard & V.M. Sang (Reading) – JoyNealKidney.com 

Thurs. – Joy Neal Kidney & Yvette Prior – Roberta Writes 

Fri. – Michelle Ayon Navajas (Guest Post & Reading) & Marsha Ingrao (Guest Post & Reading) – Prior House 

Sat. – Nolcha Fox & Robbie Cheadle – Writing to be Read 

Introducing Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons 

Picture caption: Cover of Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons

Blurb

Open the cover
and you will discover
Poetry Treasures 
from the guests on
Robbie Cheadle's 2025 
"Treasuring Poetry"
blog series
on Writing to be Read.

Join poets Robbie Cheadle, Cindy Georgakas, Freya Pickard, V.M. Sang, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Marsha Ingrao, Nolcha Fox, Joy Neal Kidney, Kevin Morris, Jean-Jacques Fournier, Melissa Lemay, Yvette Prior, and special guest, Colleen Chesbro share their personal seasons of poetry.

Purchase link

https://books2read.com/PT6Seasons

Freya Pickard

Pushcart Prize nominee, Freya Pickard is the quirky, unusual author of The Kaerling series, an epic fantasy set in the strange and wonderful world of Nirunen.

A cancer survivor, she writes mainly dark fantasy tales and creates expressive poetry in order to rest the prose side of her brain. Her aim in life is to enchant, entertain and engage with readers through her writing.

She finds her inspiration in the ocean, the moors, beautifully written books and vinyl music (particularly heavy metal and rock). Her most recent relaxation techniques to get her through lockdown include hatha yoga and painting landscapes and monsters in watercolour.

Find out more about Freya and her books at https://freyanrites.wordpress.com/  

Picture caption: Author photograph of Freya Pickard

Fun Facts about Freya Pickard

I grew up in a household where my father told me that to own a TV was the equivalent of having an open sewer running through your front room. I don’t think he realised TVs have off buttons!

I am word driven, rather than image driven, which makes life difficult for me when using social media. Too many images confuse my brain!

I have so many concepts and characters inside me, that I don’t need external stimuli to spark my creativity. I find I am in a constant state of creativity and have to find ways of controlling it, so I don’t burn myself out. I’ve never experienced writer’s block.

A review of Vampirical Verse (Dragonscale Delvings Book 4) by Freya Pickard

Picture caption: Cover of Vampirical Verse (Dragonscale Delvings Book 4) by Freya Pickard

Review by Robbie Cheadle on Amazon: “This book is for the walking dead who have learnt to live as best they can with hollow hearts and gaping wounds.”

The author says her brokenness comes from nearly dying of bowel cancer, having open surgery to remove the tumour, a uterine fibroid, and her womb. She then had six months of chemotherapy.

I have had several first hand experiences of the emotional, mental, and physical devastation caused by chronic illness, and dreaded disease. It impacts on the patient and on everyone around them. My own experiences include nursing family members through breast cancer, a pulmonary embolism, a venous sinus thrombosis, and chronic and on-going illnesses suffered by both of my two sons. My younger son is a ‘medical mystery’ or a ‘medical miracle’ depending on your viewpoint.

People react differently to chronic illness and near death experiences, but no-one escapes unscathed. The poems in this book are the author’s expressions of the fear, anger, and stoic numbness which accompany different stages of treatment and survival. Experiencing these poems will change you, as the disease itself changed the author. They will teach you compassion, appreciation, understanding, and gratitude.

A few of the stanzas in this book that resonated with me the longest.

From: The Dead
“the dead feel –
I am not in stasis as you believe
I fluctuate between despair and hope
empty days, lonely nights”

From Camouflaged
“if you blink
you’ll catch a glimpse
and wish you’d not;
I am the thought
you didn’t want to think”

and a haiku
“on this side of death
shadows remain long, gaunt, thin
light never expands”

If you know someone who is, or has, suffered chronic illness or dreaded disease, these poems will give insight into their world. I encourage lovers of poetry to read this book and allow yourself to change and grow. Vampirical Verse (Dragonscale Delvings Book 4)

Purchase Vampirical Verse (Dragonscale Delvings Book 4) by Freya Pickard from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Vampirical-Verse-Dragonscale-Delvings-Book-ebook/dp/B0CH4Q8KD8 

V.M. Sang

V.M. Sang was born and lived her early life in Cheshire in the north west of England. She has always loved books and reading and learned to read before she went to school. 

During her teenage years she wrote some poetry, one of which was published in Tecknowledge,the magazine of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). Unfortunately, that is the only one that is still around.

V.M. Sang became a teacher and taught English and Science at her first school. 

She did little writing until starting to teach in Croydon, Greater London. Here she started a Dungeons and Dragons club in the school where she was teaching. She decided to write her own scenario. The idea of turning it into a novel formed but she did nothing about it until she took early retirement. Then she began to write The Wolves of Vimar Series. 

Walking has always been one of V.M. Sang’s favourite pastimes, having gone on walking holidays in her teens. She met her husband walking with the University Hiking Club, and they still enjoy walking on the South Downs. 

V.M.Sang also enjoys a variety of crafts, such as card making, tatting, crochet, knitting etc. She also draws and paints.

V.M.Sang is married with two children, a girl and a boy. Her daughter has three children and she loves to spend time with them. 

She now lives in East Sussex with her husband.

Website: http://aspholessaria.co.uk 

Picture caption: Author photograph of V.M. Sang

Fun Facts about V.M. Sang

 I want to a new school and the cookery rooms weren’t ready, so the teacher offered to teach anyone who wanted to tat.

I learned to play the piano when 5 years old from my music teacher aunt. I restarted about 4 years ago, and took (and passed) the exams I’d not done, up to Grade 5.

I had a house in France for 12 years. 

Poetry Reading: “Spring Sonnet”

https://youtube.com/shorts/vaeh9T0wDuw?feature=share

A review of From January to June (One Poem A Day Series Book 1) by V.M. Sang

Picture caption: Cover of From January to June (One Poem A Day Series Book 1) by V.M. Sang

Robbie Cheadle review on Amazon: I enjoyed this collection of poetry very much. It is very British in its content and language and the poems reminded me of the stories of my mother has told me of her childhood growing up in a small town in Suffolk, UK. The references and descriptions are all familiar to me and reading this book was like putting on a comfortable dressing gown.

The style of the poems is varied from freestyle, to rhyming verse, to syllabic poetry and I enjoyed this aspect. There were also several limericks to make the reader smile. The content is also wide ranging from nature, to a Roman gods theme, to friends and family. The poems are grouped by month and tell a story of the poet’s daily experiences during that month in terms of the environment, the holidays, and entertainment.

A few of my favourite poems with a short synopsis:
Grown Up – a fun poem asking about why the poet should do certain expected things in order to be deemed grown up;
The Peacock – a delightful descriptive poem of a male peacock;
Destruction – a sad commentary of the damage humans have, and continue to, inflict on the planet;
The Fishmonger’s – a delicious commentary on the yummy seafood enjoyed by the poet;
Robin – a gorgeous depiction of a robin in the poet’s garden;
Starlings – a tanka about a murmuration of starlings going to roost;
Tea – a poem about English tea;
Blackpool – a comparative poem between the Blackpool of the poet’s childhood memories and the modern Blackpool;
Mum – a very special tribute to the poet’s mother;
Boudicca – a poem about this famous historical queen. I was interested to note that the name of this woman has been changed from Boudicea which is the name my mom always calls her. It cleared up a confusion for me;
Son – a delightful poem about the poet’s son;
Rainbow – an interesting and unique take on the colours of the rainbow;
Spring cleaning – an entertaining take on spring cleaning which is very familiar to me;
I am a Writer – a poem about why the poet writes. I always enjoy peeks into why poets and authors write;
True Love – a romantic poem about a lost love;
Teddy – a delightful poem about the poet’s teddy bear from childhood. I also had mine until recently;
Fickle Muse – a commentary about when the words don’t come;
Gardens, I’ll quote this short poem:
“Gardens are bits of heaven
Fallen from above.
Gardeners are angels
Tending them with love.”
Ode to Beer – an amusing poem about the historical and modern joys of beer;
The Village Green – my personal favourite in this collection. A poem about British communal life;

This is a delightful collection that really warmed my heart.

Purchase From January to June (One Poem A Day Series Book 1) from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/January-June-One-Poem-Book-ebook/dp/B0CNW1NQPZ 

Wrap-Up

That ends Day 3 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons. Join us again tomorrow over at Roberta Writes, where we’ll be meeting Joy Neal Kidney, (your host for today), and Yvette Prior. – Kaye Booth of WordCrafter Services

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Here’s a short trailer of all the contributors.