Cindy J Smith

The anthology starts out with a beautifully strange illustration, entitled Clock Tower (Amanda Gatton), followed by a gorgeously disturbing poem by Catherine Stovall, The Cogs of Time. In the first story, The Properties of Mercury by Robert Craven, Frederick Devereux has discovered how to make mercury perform many seemingly miraculous tasks, by harnessing the powers of distant stars. A fast-paced, old fashioned, shoot-em-up, with a steampunk flavor.
In Amelia by Samantha Ketteman, a young woman is running scared. She doesn't know what is going on, but she has been attacked and is terrified. Everything makes sense at the end. Flights of Fancy (Amanda Gatton)is another cool, quirky illustration. Balloon by Cindy J Smith is a potently visual poem. Letters to the Prince, by Emma Michaels, was wonderfully sweet and a bit sad. A lifetime of longing, of waiting for THE MOMENT, may end in death for them both! In After the Flare, by Faith Marlowe, archaeologists, from a couple hundred years in our future, look for proof of ancient alien technology, to help get our planet back up to speed after a cataclysmic event wipes out all of our tech. Gas Mask is a super creepy illustration that merges doomsday and children of the corn, in my head.
Well Oiled Machine by Nina Stevens is a wonderful poem about a girl and her daddy, creating mechanical things, and then a flash forward to her adulthood. Point of Departure by Wayne Carey is a dystopian/alternate reality, in which airships and portals are a 'thing'. The first couple of pages were a bit slow for me, but once past the choppy beginning, this story was MAGNIFICENT!!! I cannot blame the first part on the author, only myself, as I am an American, reading a about an alternate reality in which the Brits are actually a world power.... Go figure:-). First Steps, by Zoe Adams: a Maiko, Geisha in training, walks through a mechanical wonderland on her way to a tea house. I had a few chuckles as she reminisced about her training, as I remembered the matchmaker from Mulan. The Hand by Amanda Gatton: a skeletons hand, with the lacy cuff of Victorian garb, hold a delicate teacup. Mauseleum by Cindy J Smith is a super creepy poem about confronting your family's ancestry...literally. Wren City by Catherine Stovall: oh... Wow! In true steampunk fashion, there are air ships, floating sky malls, and a giant clock tower. This story is majorly suspenseful, and quite romantic. Love it! Haven by MJ Baerman: thoroughly enjoyable story of pirates and mutiny and matters of the mind. Steamships and dirigibles and mechanics, oh my! Forever Love by Eada James is an illustration of a clockwork heart in a glass dome. From the fluid leaking, I'd say it's still beating... Machine by Eada James: a poem about a love lost and transformed to clockwork monstrosity. Captive Sleep by Andrea Staum: a twisted tale of treachery. A clan of cat warriors takes over the crew of an airship. Domaroc hits his head and is tended by a female cat warrior princess. Treason and mutiny are served up well in this story. Sandy Marlin: Frontier Brewer by Deborah Dalton: a kick butt novella about a true frontierswoman . She doesn't take crap from anyone, and she aims to keep it that way! Voyage by Eada James: an airship captain flies high above the troubles of the landbound (poem). Time Flies by Cecilia Clark is an illustration of a woman and a tiny flying clock. Invisible Sun by SJ Davies: surprise! There's a full length novel at the end of the book! In a world of gas lamps and steam powered vehicles, Vampires and human coexist peacefully. Rather than cursed, the Vamps in Gravesend are the product of careful genetic engineering. Problems arise when vampire-like murders of prostitutes keep cropping up all over the city. This is a story of scientific horrors, truest love, sacrifice, and hope. A truly great feast of appetizers and an excellent main course!… (más)

This collection is about love, sorrow, even grief, melded in the crucible of life.
The author, Cindy J. Smith, is a truck driver who is blessed with a natural gift. Often while driving through the night, when all is quiet, she is hearing these voices flowing through her mind. She sees herself as their vessel. They force her to deliver them to paper, and she does so with a gentle hand, making her mark with simplicity, and with heart wrenching honesty.

Here are but a few of these voices in her head:

The winds of change are blowing cold
Within my world today.
My dreams of love and happiness
Have all been drawn away.

And here, an excerpt from OLD MAN:

As you sit out on your porch
In your old rocking chair
Wondering why no one
Ever comes visit you there
You are thinking of your children
Are they all full grown
Where are they? How are they?
Why have they left me alone?

And here, from OH, MY CHILD

I’ve been wanting to show you
How very much I care,
But you are in your own world
There’s no room for me there

If you love poetry, Voices in My Head would be a treat for you.
Five stars.… (más)

They Won't Shut Up is a heartfelt body of work, presented with a stark title, and with a cover that expresses what is unique about this author. Cindy J. Smith is a truck driver who is blessed with a natural gift. Often while driving through the night, when all is quite, she is hearing these voices flowing through her mind, heart and gut, making her a vessel through which they are delivered to paper. This verse, for example, brought a mile to my lips:

I write what they have to say
Rhyming as fast as I can
So that I might possibly
Have some peaceful sleep again

She quotes these voices with rare directness; she holds nothing back, even though they touch upon painful, deeply intimate moments:

Sometimes I feel
Like a small child
Wandering around
Lost in the wild

The most poignant poems, for me, were the ones scented with the fragrance of jasmine, which she presents to her daughter as a token of consolation:

To make all perfect
Dear daughter of mine
I'll tie a great bow
Of fresh jasmine vine

This fragrance is an allusion to the girl she calls "My angel in Heaven" whom she misses, and whose poetic work is included at the end of the book as a tender tribute. Oh, such a sense of aching and hope in these words, "Someday we'll never part..."

Five stars.… (más)