Books by Barbara Strickland

Barbara Strickland believes openly discussing fears and sharing them goes a long way to helping us face our daily lives with less stress and greater joy. Join her journey.Emotions in Eruption: A poetic journey through lifeWe battle conflict in our minds every day. Pen to paper with honesty frees us by giving us distance from the bombardment of our thoughts and feelings. Delve into the poet’s thoughts, sink into the mirror offered, recognise you are not alone.Emotions in Evolution: The poetic journey continuesNature abounds in colour and in flora and all of it shouts messages of love, of intrigue, and of peace. It wants to be heard so it can help us grow in spirit and receptivity to the beauty around us.Emotions in Existence: The poetic journey never endsDigging deeper into the human psyche this third book experiments with poetic forms including Tanka, Haiku and Haibun, shape and free verse. Our mental health depends on acknowledging our emotions whether they be positive or negative. It is only in acknowledging that we begin to heal. 

We were brought up to believe poetry was an elitist means to express emotions, and that rules and regulations applied. Do you recall having to gauge secret meanings behind the words the poet put on paper because if you did you were considered highly literate? Fortunately for some the realisation that poetry is so much more came into existence. Poetry in fact means freedom. We can put our own slant on what we read, we can identify and explore from our own perspectives and in doing so recognise we are not alone in what we feel.Poetry is about exploring our feelings, about discovering the world and the thoughts of others, and most of all it is about connecting with others whether by a single line, a verse, or a poem. Long, short, shaped, rhyming, sad, serious, disciplined or expansive, free verse, or traditional, poetry grabs the heart and supports our existence.Emotions in Existence continues what Emotions in Eruption began, and Emotions in Evolution embraced. It is about consolidating freedom of expression through free verse, sonnets (one to Shakespeare himself thanking him for his interesting input to the English language) and the more disciplined Japanese forms including haiku, tanka and the haibun. It is about letting go of fear when it comes to our deepest emotions.

Enthralled by the magic of Sicily, the splendour of the Mediterranean Sea and fuelled by a thirst for the family that has been denied to her, Lia fights to right a wrong even if it means going up against the formidable man, once a childhood hero. Feisty, intelligent and beautiful Lia is stronger than Nico realises, a worthy adversary that topples his comfortable world.Resentful of Lia’s influence on his family, Nico makes life as difficult as he can for the stubborn woman on a mission. He wants her gone, back to Sydney where she belongs until one night when he sees her dance under an open sky and a fierce, forbidden hunger is unleashed. A man of high principles, Nico realises he needs to establish a safer relationship with her or be lost to desire. His efforts are undermined by unexpected events, and Nico faced with the possibility of making her his, cannot deny his beast the freedom to take her. It has seen her, been aroused by her fragrance and her skin, her fighting spirit and humour, and will not be denied the opportunity to keep her regardless of beliefs.But Lia is more than her looks and soon she becomes an obsession. Nico has never let desire rule over common sense. His solution is destructive. Will Lia forgive his cruelty? Will he forgive Lia for her revenge?Two people, strong-willed and bound by destiny will succumb to the unexpected and fight to preserve the kind of love, very few are gifted.

Sometimes the instinct to survive is shrouded in semantics, both for the speaker and the hearer in the communication. Unconditional love struggles under the intrusive reality of life. The heavy expectancy to be strong, to be positive and to perform accordingly sounds wonderful in theory; in real life terms, an impossible feat to obliterate negative thoughts and actions.The price is a fragile butterfly that emerges and doesn't know how to fit into the limitations on offer. Without a leaf of light on which to rest, the butterfly will falter and the delicate flavour of finely spun wings will dissipate into the breeze and be gone.Words however, can bring us freedom from pain, and unfold and mend the wings to fly again. Through free verse, emotions are explored, giving a small insight into love, hate, marriage and divorce, birth and friendships, and life in general. It is through sharing that we learn, and it is through sharing we find and believe, we are not alone.

Emotions in Evolution is an emotional appreciation of our world through the exploration of nature. Colours, their meaning and the pleasure they bring us, are brought to life through words. Language explodes into a description of common and unusual plant life the Earth offers, and the rich history they bring with them. Like the colour palette, each piece of flora has its own history and meaning. Emotions burst into word-action, and we can't help but react with a feeling of well-being.The flow of images come through, in a variety of poetic forms. Free verse, the haiku and the cinquain all play a role to inspire us and keep us moving forward.