And the Grave Awaits – by: Roberta Eaton Cheadle

On By ResaIn Outside the Box Book Reviews

These roses have been drawn. Unlike real roses, their image will never die. They will wait for us, forever.

Curtia Wright

Much is to be gleaned, at the foot of a grave; more than you know. Roberta Eaton Cheadle takes us to more than one place of eternal rest. She has fifteen tales for us to learn from.

Photo courtesy of Timothy Price ©

Be it an icy death, in a cold cruel world of the future,

Sumartist

…. or a legend fraught from old wives’ tales, where tables turn in the wretched pit of a spider’s lair, should we be afraid?

Resa – Robbie, in And the Grave Awaits, Whether you have built a story from an old legend or an actual happening, there is something to be gleaned from each: a moral, life lesson or historical fact.

In other books, IE: Lion Scream, your sublime poetry (accompanied by brilliant photography)is filled with nature’s beauty, although animals and environment might cry out. 

“A Ghost and his Gold” shows the horror and senselessness of war. Yet, reveals a better nature of man, through its riveting story .

All the while you are teaching about the Boer War.

Your children’s books teach about many things, and are a positive energy.

WHAT DRIVES YOU TO DO THE GOOD WORK?

Robbie – Your question is an interesting one. I am a sensitive person and I see a lot of things that make me feel saddened. On the other hand, I am a very positive person and I usually manage to find the silver lining in life. I think both of these aspects of my personality, the seeing and the positivity, come through in my writing.

I love to share information, photographs, and interesting bits and pieces with other people. It promotes conversations and ignites new thought processes and ideas.

Fondant spider made by Robbie

I think this love of sharing knowledge also comes through in my writing.

I especially like to teach children.

They are so eager to learn and discover.

Beehive cake art made by Robbie

Resa – From what age through adult do you think  And the Grave Awaits is cool to read?

Robbie – And the Grave Awaits is for adults, 18 years and upwards. 

Resa – I had to ask because  so many movies that are extremely violent and sexually suggestive are rated 14+ these days. When I was a kid, those same movies would have been restricted to 18+ , and we would have to show ID to get into the theatre.

Video games can be wildly violent, sexually suggestive, and seem to have very little parental oversight. This book seems mild compared to the games and movies I am referencing. I hope you don’t think I’m silly for asking. It occurred to me out of the blue, while working on the post.

Robbie– It is a thought provoking question and one I found a little difficult to answer. I listed this book on Amazon as a ‘normal’ adult book. No explicit sex obviously, and not overly dark compared to other books.

South Africa is still a conservative society, but it’s what I know and what I use as a benchmark. My aim with this book was to make people think about historical events and the reasons behind them. My purpose is to remind people what can happen if we don’t retain the human rights our ancestors fought for. People quickly forget the past and don’t know how easily rights can be undermined to the detriment of the ordinary person. 

I don’t consider it to be a YA book, although teens could read it, because the characters are not teens. My understanding from what I’ve read is its the age of the characters rather than the content per say, that separates YA and adult. 

Resa – I really appreciate your thoughtfulness on this topic. I have read a lot of your books, and have become a huge fan, because of your intrepid stance on what you convey through all of your artistic endeavours.

Following is a selection of street art. As in the first images of this post and in the cake and fondant art of Robbie’s, each image represents a tale in And the Grave Awaits.

  • Shalak Attack
  • Mandy van Leeuwen
  • The Half Decent
  • Nick Sweetman

If you’ve read the book and can’t figure what an image could represent, just ask in comments. If you haven’t read the book, you’ll have to read it to figure them out!

About

Robbie is a prolific writer. You can find her books on Amazon sites around the globe. Just search “Robbie Cheadle” for children and youth books – “Roberta Eaton Cheadle” for adult books.

Some of her books are also available on KOBO.

Visit Robbie on her blogs:

Roberta Writes and Robbies Inspiration

Robbie has a YouTube Channel  filled with African wildlife videos, readings and cooking videos.

On Robbie’s Unsplash Page find African nature & wildlife for free downloads.

Pics of street art © Resa McConaghy

178 thoughts on “And the Grave Awaits – by: Roberta Eaton Cheadle”

    1. You are welcome, Robbie!

      The book is terrific. Each one of the stories is special.

      Also, it was a fun post to make. Your work, all of it, from writing to drawing to photography is an art adventure, too.

      It’s always a joy to host a Robbie post! xx

  2. A very intereseting, though provoking post ladies. Of course I expected no less from the two of you. Congratulations Robbie and fab presentation of Robbie’s work, Resa.

    1. Thank you for reading Shey, and for your fab comment!

      It’s a cool book. It’s often scary in a more “close to home way” than the haunted house on the shadowy the street. (and those hauntings can be hair raising).

      “Close to home”; even though some stories are far away and long, long ago they are just over your shoulder. xx

    1. Thank you, Dave!

      Yeah, I adore Robbie’s work. This book was a bit different, a different kind of 15 scary Halloween adventures. 😰💀

  6. Sorceress,

    You might consider a career change; nay, an addition, to your already huge roster of talents! That of book reviewer.

    You have such a unique way of showcasing the books you read. Truly fabulous and there has not been one book that I’ve not wanted to add to my “To Read! pile!

    1. Thunder!

      You’re back.

      Did Lil’ Fkkr get life….erm..ah.. go home?

      Hmm, just checked your blog. I still see him hanging at the end. Vasco? Probably the in tarnation reincarnation of Vasco de Gamma, whose “expeditions were marked by aggressive tactics, including attacking unarmed civilians and setting a pilgrim ship on fire.”

      Returning from digression – And the Grave Awaits is terrific. It’s a different kind of scary. It is a most enjoyable & rewarding read.

      You are most kind about my …reviews. Really though, they are not regular. I thought about it after reading your comment. I think they are more like celebrations, of the book and its author.

      Beware of the TBR pile! They breed, exponentially. I’m down to 1 of Diana’s books and will be getting John’s new book to pre-celebrate. (My first pre… very excited!) Then, I will allow a few into my Kobo reader.

      xoxoxoxo

      1. Sorceress!

        I am! I have a lot of catching up to do!

        Yes, Li’l Fukkr is back in his mommy’s loving arms. He was never at my house (way too destructive to trust with my things…)

        Yes, she did name him after said de Gamma!! I don’t think she realised what a pox she set for herself…

        I don’t doubt it is as your review is enticing.

        I love your reviews (no …) They are original and fun and I will take a celebration of the author over a dry recap any day.

        They DO (It DOES)! Either way. It just gets higher and wider every day. Wow. You are fabulous. And I beta-read John’s latest. A perfect ending to his trilogy, in my opinion.

        xoxoxoxoxoxo (extra coz I’m overdue)

          1. Awww! I missed you too and see I have so many posts to catch up on!

            xoxox🧚🏻‍♀️🌟xoxox

            It’s quite enjoyable. Funny reading Dale all throughout!

        1. Yay!
          I like celebrating, so it’s all working out. It’s taken time to figure out what I can do, because I am not a reviewer per se. ❦

  8. Timothy Price's avatar Timothy Price

    Wonderful post, Resa. Robbie is so talented. She wears me out trying to keep up with all her talents. Your frozen tree worked well.

    1. Lol… I know what you mean. Robbie always has something on the go.
      Thanks for letting me use the pic of my frozen tree! The story it goes with is very, very, very, cool. xx

  9. A great post, Resa and Robbie. I enjoyed learning a little more about Robbie’s approach to her stories and how she thinks about her reading audience. I love it when she draws from real events and history – this book was awesome. She’s wildly talented. Great images, Resa.

    1. You are right, Diana, Robbie is wildly talented, and it’s a terrific book.
      I wanted to review it now, in case anyone is thinking of buying a Halloween book. Lol! Instead of a pumpkin.

      Thank you for reading, and for your lovely comment, Diana!

  10. A terrific review, Resa. You bring a book to life and make a reader want to run to get it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and talent to Robbies fine work. Thanks also to Robbie for her comments about her process. 😊X 🐂

    2. I love celebrating a good book!
      “And the Grave Awaits” is quite the hair raising book. (as opposed to hare raising).
      It is a fab option for Halloween. The sooty crone in one of the stories is a witch you want to …… 🤬
      😈𝐗 🧙‍♀️𝐗 🐖

  16. Gwen M. Plano's avatar Gwen M. Plano

    Thank you, Resa, for sharing your review. Like you, I loved And The Grave Awaits. A big congratulations to Robbie for this recent masterpiece. ❤️

    1. Thank you, Gwen!
      It’s wonderful how many people have already read this fab book.
      It was a groove putting this celebration of Robbie and her book together. 🌹❦

  17. Resa and Robbie, thanks for this excellent review. I enjoyed learning more about Robbie, and Resa, you always create unique and beautiful posts for your book reviews. I’ll definitely add this book to my TBR! ❤️

    1. Thank you, Lauren!

      It’s a really terrific book. For someone like me, a slow reader, the short stories work excellently.

      My reviews are …different, so I’m now calling them celebrations. Celebrations of the book and its author.

      🌟❦🌟xo

      1. You’re welcome! I like the idea of short stories too, so I know I’ll love it. Your reviews are different in their awesomeness! 😎 And Celebrations is a perfect way to describe how you share them. Happy Friday and have a great weekend! 🥰🌹💖🎉

  18. That is a great interview with very interesting answers and it was very well presented. I loved the book, And The Grave Awaits, as well. The stories are spooky and creepy and very imaginative. I can add that Lion Scream is a master piece of poems, art and photos.

  20. Robbie you are such a gifted and prolific writer. I look forward to reading this book. Thank you Resa for introducing Robbie’s new books to us. I haven’t been able to read but a couple of your books Robbie, I’m a nurse at a huge hospital and it’s getting harder to keep up as I am on call so much of the time. This book sounds like one I truly hope to add to my stack and get to sit down and read. A wonderful informative post you two.
    sending love !

    Xoxoxo

    1. Sending love back Holly!
      It would be a great book for the busy nurse. The short stories make to easy to read, then not get back to for days.

      I was just about to make tea and go draw, and sa this. Okay! I’m going to go draw! xoxoxoxo

      2. This definitely sounds like a wonderfully entertaining book that I could read without too many interruptions look forward to it.
        Robbie, you’re incredibly talented. Congrats on your series of fabulous books

        ❤️

    2. Hi Holly, I didn’t know you are a nurse. I have enormous regard for nurses. With all the health problems with my sons, I have spent a lot of time in a hospital. Nurses are wonderful people who work extremely hard. These are short stories which makes the book much easier to read as you can do it in bites. Have a good weekend. Hugs.

      1. I adore Holly. Her poetry has a special feel … a life force.
        When I found out she was a nurse, it made sense. I also found it inspiring. At this point she has drawn a lot of creativity out of me. I started drawing portraits because of her.
        (and more)

      2. Thank you so much Robbie , I hope everything is going well with your sons. I can think of nothing more consuming than a child the hospital! You have a wonderful series of books and are so talented. This particular book is definitely on my list to read.
        sending love ❤️

  21. Robbie has really talented in several areas, and you’ve done a great job of showcasing them. A thoughtful interview, and that’s a cool idea to pair her stories with street art!

    1. Thanks Dave!
      I’m understanding now that I celebrate books and their authors, more than review a book, per se.
      Art is a great tie in.
      It’s a lot of fun.

  22. Your artwork is always outstanding, Resa! What a wonderful post. I have read this collection of short stories and, although dark, easy to read and quite relatable. The historic retelling of the Radium Girls is heartbreaking, as the truth often is. Thank you for showcasing this book. The Q&A is great! Congratulations to Robbie!

    1. Thank you Jan! I just finished a portrait of Ronnie Spector for Holly and my series on Rock Stars. Very exciting!

      Yes, dark, but informative…like being shocked into realization in cases of the Radium Girls and All that Glitters.

      Those were in the past. What did we learn to take into today? AI…a different kind of poison?

      It’s all about the author after I’ve read the book. I just want to know!

      Sincerely, Resa

    1. Thanks Trent!

      I enjoyed this book a lot.

      As well as the fab content, the short stories worked for me in my beaver busy life. A win/win book experience.

  25. It’s another brilliant interview and introduction by you, dear Resa, with your magical designs to perfection, about an excellent writer. Thank you both!

    🤙🌹🖖💥🎉

  26. It’s always a treat to visit your blog Resa and find such lovely art and interviews. I enjoy your ‘Resa style reviews’ and this post was so creative. Also, I recently reviewed Robbie’s And The Grave Awaits, and was addicted to every story. Hugs to both. ❤ ❤ xx

    1. Thank you Debby!
      Yes, I just saw you reviewed Robbie’s book.
      It was a terrific read for sure.
      I’ll be over shortly! Hugs xoxox🌹

    1. She’s a fabulous poet.
      I have read a lot of Robbie’s work. It’s easy to read, unique and she messages, big time.
      Entertaining..yes…But never without a point.

      I’m thrilled you have found her work!

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