Today I am delighted to be sharing with you my review of an advance copy of a new collection of poems, photography and flash fiction by fellow author MJ Mallon. The book is due out on Kindle on 25th November 2022, and the paperback will follow in due course.
I’ve read this author’s work before: young adult novels, poetry and flash fiction, and I love her imaginative handling of the magical, the phantasmagorical and surreal. This short book is no exception to the quality of MJ Mallon’s output. I found the exploration of her past life captivating.
Here are MJ Mallon’s books of poetry and flash fiction so far published:
These are her volumes of YA fiction:
We may consider that the inclusion of often very personal material in a compilation such as ‘Do What You Love’ would make it difficult for the outside reader to find a way in. This is not true at all of MJ Mallon’s poetry and prose: in many places, I related so much to what she writes, especially about a daughter ‘flying the nest’ to a faraway country. I particularly loved the device MJ Mallon uses to draw all this together: she presents it as a conversation with Atropos, one of the three Fates in Greek mythology: the Morai.
Atropos presides over the past. I thought this worked extremely well as a central metaphor. It had me googling the three Fates, and reading all about them: Clotho, who spins the threads of life, guardian of the present; Lachesis, who measures the length of life with her measuring rod, and is guardian of the future: and Atropos, who is the guardian of fate and destiny, and who chooses the manner of death by snipping the threads of an individual’s life. The close relationship between these three Greek supernatural beings and the Three Norns in Norse mythology, also intrigued me. Anyone who loves Wagner’s operas The Ring Cycle will be familiar with the Three Norns who weave the threads of fate; they certainly spend a long time singing about it!
MJ Mallon has had a fascinating and varied life history: born in Singapore, she spent her childhood in Hong Kong and her teens in Edinburgh. She lived in Cambridge for a while, and she now spends some time in Scotland with family, some in Cambridge with friends, and the rest of her time in Portugal where she is about to take up residency. With every culture and environment she has lived in, she has absorbed so much which has influenced her imagination, her interests and her approach as a writer. In this book, we find a compilation of words and images which draws us in: poignant, sensitive, delicate, playful, as she opens up for us her past and present relationships, the places she has loved and spent time in, and her thoughts and feelings about it all.
A highly recommended book for you.
Blurb
Do What You Love Fragility of Your Flame Poems, Photography & Flash Fiction is a personal poetry collection celebrating how the fates may have a part in all that we do.
With special poems and short reflective moments inspired by family, flowers and nature, love, scrumptious morsels, places I’ve visited, lived and intend to live in, the friendships and hopes I have for the future.
The overarching theme is to live a life well lived… And to do what you love.
float along with me
create clouds of sweetest joy
to do what you love
hold fate’s hand as we venture
near and far on life’s journey
Release Date: 25th November 2022, able to preorder via the following links.
Buy Links Do What You Love:
Add the book to your TBR on Goodreads
Author Bio
M J Mallon was born in Lion city Singapore, a passionate Scorpio with the Chinese Zodiac sign of a lucky rabbit. She spent her early childhood in Hong Kong. During her teen years, she returned to her father’s childhood home, Edinburgh where she spent many happy years, entertained and enthralled by her parents’ vivid stories of living and working abroad. Perhaps it was during these formative years that her love of storytelling began bolstered by these vivid raconteurs. She counts herself lucky to have travelled to many far-flung destinations and this early wanderlust has fuelled her present desire to emigrate abroad. Until that wondrous moment, it’s rumoured that she lives sometimes in the UK, and often times in Portugal.. Her two enchanting daughters have flown the nest but often return with a cheery smile to greet her.
Her motto is to always do what you love, stay true to your heart’s desires, and inspire others to do so too.
Find MJ Mallon on:
scskillman.com 
A fab review. You must be chuffed. Good luck. I have tweeted for you. Happy November. x
Thank you Jane.
Thank you so much Jane. I appreciate your kind words and support. 🙂
My pleasure. x
Many thanks Sheila for this wonderful review of the new book! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much. xxx
It’s a pleasure, Marje. Your work is always so readable and has a beautiful lightness of touch.
Thank you so much Sheila. Means so much. 🙂