Daniella Blechner – författare

Make it Shine! is a celebration and appreciation of language diversity and poetic forms such as dub-wise and narrative poetry poised for performance. The reader becomes engaged through the rhythms of speech and humour whilst identifying with a character or situation. At times, the reader is led to a place of self-reflection through such themes as spiritual and cultural identity, transition, adoption, bullying, love, perseverance, resilience and renewal.

Within the Make It Shine! collection, you will find poems that celebrate Black heroines and heroes from our past and present thus acknowledging the existence and rich legacy of ancient civilizations well before the transatlantic slave trade. Here, the spoken voice echoes the invitation to those who are willing to ‘shine’ encouraging them to go that extra mile to achieve their future aspirations.

As well as entertaining her audience with her crafted use of Caribbean dialect and humorous reflections of ‘small days’, Make It Shine! will not only inspire but will provide moments of appreciation for the rich culturally diverse beginnings that salute our heritage.

The last thing on Shantel’s mind, on her first night out after a holiday in Dominica, is a relationship. She’d enjoyed some great relationships, but none had made her consider settling down. Little did she know that by accepting a drink from Andre, a tall, handsome and articulate man, would soon change that.

With Andre’s effortless charm, relentless pursuit and a rapidly growing connection, Shantel shares more emotionally than she had ever done before. At first, he is the perfect boyfriend - attentive, assertive and ambitious. However, after a series of red flags and twists of events, what seemed like a match made in heaven, turns into an intense love affair and Shantel finds herself caught in a web of unexpected drama and deceit.  A drastic change of circumstances leaves her dependent on Andre as she wrestles with her conscience and the reality of what she truly deserves.

Blossom Tree is a compelling story based on a fun loving and independent woman who, for the sake of what she thought was love, loses her vision, her identity and sense of self in a relationship she thought was perfect love. Will Shantel see the relationship for what it really is and make a decision to free herself? Will Andre let her go?

This emotional thriller will have you swirling in the throes of passion and new love, then in the abyss of a love gone devastatingly wrong. The author’s story highlights the complexity of matters of the heart but reminds you that as long as you hold on to your essence and remain connected to a higher being, you can navigate your way out of the maze onto to higher ground.

Lockdown Life is a humorous and reflective snapshot of the unique period called ''Lockdown''. 2020 brought us the great global event that resulted in seven billion people on the planet being sent to the confines of their homes amidst the pandemic, some to homes padded with toilet paper and others with cupboards full of dry pasta!

Split into three parts, this book is designed to help you spot ''Lockdown Personalities'', explore ''Lockdown Activities'' and reflect on ''Lockdown Lessons''. Did you know that the Lockdown Roadman''s hobby of chatting up women outside Iceland was classed as ''essential work''? Did you catch that glass of brandy your child''s teacher was drinking off-screen during the English lesson on Shakespeare?

Lockdown made introverts (Intros) scream with joy and extroverts (Extros) quake in their boots as they were forced out of the pubs and clubs. It made parents appreciate teachers and the public appreciate the NHS, and some tapped into gifts and talents they didn''t even know they had. But what can we gain from this time? Can humanity learn and grow?

Dive in and join us as we explore love, laughter and freedom amongst one of the most challenging times of humanity.