Review

There's a review up for If Wishes Were Horses at Literary Nymphs

As everyone knows my current WIP is The Bargain, I feel that I should add I haven't forgotten Lily and Darvan, I just needed to take a little break before getting back to them.

For 2009 and a Little Update

So I know I mentioned this briefly before, but this is the plan for 2009.

Monday - What I’m Reading - thanks to Nicole’s suggestion
Tuesday - WIP progress report
Thursday - Thursday 13
Friday - Fiction or Writing Stuff
Sunday - Poem, for as long as I’ve got poems to share

I’m going to post more about my reading choices and my reasons for picking them on the first Monday post of 2009 but the first book is going to be Pride and Prejudice.

The WIP progress is very slow at the moment, but over the past few days I’ve blasted through the first draft of The Bargain and am very pleased with the progress I’ve made. Sadly, the reason for my lack of progress is because my dad passed away just before Christmas. However, he would be the first person to tell me to get on with it, so that’s what I’m doing.

See you in the New Year.

Happy Holidays

So with the holidays virtually upon us and things going mad here with present wrapping and last minute shopping. I’ll take my leave here and catch up with you all in the New Year.

As some of you may know my father is currently seriously ill in hospital. So I’d like to send special thoughts and prayers out to everyone with friends and family who can’t be with them at this time of year.

See you all in 2009

Samhain End of Year Survey

Have a favourite Samhain title for 2008? What about a favourite cover?

Samhain will be posting a top ten bestseller list at the end of the year but they also want to hear from the readers. So this is your chance to get your favourite Samhain books and covers of 2008 into the readers top 10.

Follow this link to see what the releases for this year were - Samhain 2008 Releases.

And this link for - The Best of Samhain 2008 Survey.

You’ll also be able to vote for your most favourite Samhain book and cover regardless of publication date.

So go get voting!

Meme

So this is a meme that I picked up from Book-Wyrm Knits. The ones I’ve done are in bold because it’s a festive colour.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (lol do brass bands count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - nope I’m not too good with heights. So I’ve seen it but never been to the top.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt - not yet
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (It took 7 years from the age of 7 to 14.)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Thursday 13 #13 - Heroes and Heroines

So after the heroes and heroes post of a couple of weeks back I thought I’d do a heroes and heroines post. So 13 of my favourites.

1. Helena and Marcus Falco from the Falco mystery series by Lindsey Davies. I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Lindsey Davies a few years ago (she was speaking alongside Janet Evanovich) and after the talk she was signing her books. She’d been so witty during the talk that I picked up The Accusers, finding out later it was book 15 in the series! But I was good and got the other fourteen books first.

Set in Ancient Rome although the series is primarily mystery based what makes it such compelling reading is the family dramas of the Falco family.

2. Miles Vorkosigan and Elena from the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Another long series but this time space opera and one of the best characters I’ve ever read. The series follows Miles from birth to adulthood and the book where he finally wins his lady love (A Civil Campaign) is one of the best romantic comedies I’ve ever read.

3. Cherijo and Duncan Reever from the Stardoc series by S.L.Viehl. More sci fi. Two characters that really go through the wringer together but just won’t give up on themselves or each other.

4. Alex and Michael from the Darkyn Series by Lynn Viehl. I seem to be picking a lot of series, but I like being able to follow a relationship past the initial happy ending. I like to know what happened next. And one of the things I love about the Darkyn series is that Michael and Alex have been a constant throughout the books. I love their snarky bickering, below is possibly one of my favourite lines ever.

“I could tie you to the bed, you know.”
“No, you can’t. It’s round and you don’t have any rope.”

5. Kate and Curran from the Magic Series by Ilona Andrews. (I promise there are some standalone books in this list). This is a couple that hasn’t quite got together yet, but you can feel the chemistry between them when you read the books. It’s just waiting to happen.

6. Jeremy and Jaime from the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. One of my favourite couples. They don’t actually get together for years because he’s reticent (is probably not the right word but it’s the one I’m going to use) and she’s insecure. I like that their getting together happens gradually and also that it’s very real. In the beginning whenever Jaime talks to Jeremy she completely loses all capability for rational speech.

7. Henry and Claire from The Time Traveller’s Wife. Beautiful, sad, love story. Now being made into a film, but I’m not too sure about whether I’ll go to see it. Eric Bana isn’t really the way I pictured Henry, I think I kind of imagined him more along the lines of James Stewart. (Yes, I know it’s impossible for James Stewart to play Henry in a movie, but that’s how I pictured him in my head).

8. Clay and Elena also from The Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong. Couldn’t really mention Jeremy without mentioning Clay and Elena. Their relationship is such an essential part of the series.

9. Vane and Bride from Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Night Play and Dance with the Devil are my favourite Dark Hunter books. But Vane and Bride are my favourite couple. I like the way Bride blossoms as a heroine throughout the book and learns to stand up for herself.

10. Benedict and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing. Possibly my favourite* Shakespearean couple. I love the banter and the bickering between them.

11. Jamie and Claire from the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Hopefully at some point in the future when I have a lot more reading time I’ll be able to catch up with this series.

12. Rhage and Mary from Lover Eternal. This is a book that I’ve enjoyed more each time I’ve read it.

13. Jaz and Vayl from the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. This is a series that I’ve just started reading and Jaz and Vayl aren’t really ‘together’ as such though they are partners. They have great chemistry together and I’m looking forward to seeing where there relationship is headed in future books.

I think looking at my heroes and their heroines I like couples who although able to stand on their own, choose to stand together. They don’t ride roughshod over each other, and there’s usually snarky bickering going on at some point.

* - Hmmm, maybe I should be fined for the number of times I said ‘possibly my favourite’ on this post?

Poem for a Sunday

Leisure by W.H.Davies


What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Thursday 13 #12 - Kick-Ass Heroines

1) - Xena - Has to be number 1 for me. I was a huge Xena fan - gutted by the ending. For anyone else who doesn’t like the way the series I ended. I recommend watching When Fates Collide as the very last episode.

2) - Ellen Ripley. If it hasn’t got Ripley in it, it’s just not an Alien movie for me.

3) - Selene from the Underworld movies. LOL - well I am a vampire and werewolf fan.

4) - Lara Croft. Like the first movie better than the second. And Tomb Raider 3 is my favourite version of the game.

5) - River Tam from Serenity and Firefly. Beautiful, balletic fight sequences.

6) - Wonder Woman. Well I am a child of the 70’s, and yes I did spend a portion of my childhood twirling round in a circle. LOL

7) - Sarah Connor. I love Linda Hamilton’s portrayal the transformation from normal woman to fighter for the future. I’m also addicted to the Sarah Connor Chronicles as well.

8. - Elena from Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. The only female werewolf. She just not a chick who waits around for the guys to come and rescue her, not if she can do it herself first.

9) - Sydney Bristow from the Alias Series. I’ve not seen Season 5 yet. It kind of disappeared from the UK tv schedule after Season 4. Must get the DVD sets.

10) - Alice from the Resident Evil films. Actually just the first film. I still can’t watch the scene in the corridor outside the Red Queen’s hub. :sigh: I am such a wuss.

11) - Jean Grey from the X-Men. Okay, she’s not exactly kick-ass. But she was the X-Men I would choose to be, if that were possible. And telekinesis would always be my power of choice.

12) - Zoe also from Serenity. One of my favourite films. It took me a while to get into Firefly, but by the time I did I was so pleased that there would be some resolution to the storyline in the film.

13) - The Bride from the Kill Bill movies. Perhaps the ultimate kick-ass heroine.

Just to finish off, here’s River Tam, kicking butt.

On a Short Hiatus

Had some bad family news taking a week or so off from blogging. Hope to be back soon.

End of Nano

And I wish I’d had the time to find a clip of a lady singing opera, but have started to come down with a head cold today, so that won’t be happening.

Didn’t make the NaNo goal this year. Made it halfway and I’m going to be pleased with the fact that the story itself is flowing along very nicely. Still keeping up with Sven, so will be posting my progress about that.

Now I’m off to bed with some honey and lemon.

Thoughts

LOL - you should know by now I suck at titles.

So I’ve been thinking (hence the title of the post) for a while about posting some online fiction. But haven’t, for a couple of reasons.

1 - It takes me a long time to write anything. I usually write about three or four drafts, then crit group and/or beta read, rework any problems, then final polish.

2 - Kind of connected to 1). Any extra writing I do will be time away from my WIP, and would probably not be as polished as I’d like. I am something of a rabid perfectionist.

Anyway, what I’m thinking of doing is short scenes, a la Friday Fiction. These may be from familiar characters such as Lily and Alaric, or characters I’m playing about with in my head - such as Robert, or something completely random and strange.

For 2009 (notice how I’m giving myself a little time here) I’m planning on blogging as follows:-

Tuesday - WIP progress report
Thursday - Thursday 13
Friday - Fiction
Sunday - Poem, for as long as I’ve got poems to share

With other random stuff chucked in for good measure I’m sure. That’s the plan anyway, comments, questions, suggestions?

Thursday 13 #11 - 13 m/m couples

1. Callan and David - the two heroes from the book A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R. W. Day. This in a way is a very gentle love story, despite the violence that occurs elsewhere in the tale. Recommended if you’ve never read m/m before but are interested. The love scenes are sensual but not graphic and the main plot of the story is just as strong as the interaction between characters.

2. Belimai and Harper from the book Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started to read this as steampunk is not a genre I’m familiar with. But I was quickly drawn into the world of Hells Below and the forbidden love between Belimai - a Prodigal, and Harper - an Inquisitor.

3. Kevin and Scotty from the show Brothers & Sisters. Kevin is by far and away my favourite B&S character. He’s very witty and sharp. Though my favourite B&S scene remains the food fight between Patricia Wettig and Sally Field. lol

4. Giles and Alim from the movie A Touch of Pink. Maybe slightly controversial? I know some people don’t like the fact that Giles is a bit of a man-slut and sleeps with someone other than Alim. But check out the quotes page for the film at the IMDB. The film is packed full of snappy dialogue and stands up well to multiple viewings. Well for me anyway.

5. Zach and Shaun from the movie Shelter. Recommended on the mmromance yahoo group. I loved this film. It’s a sweet romance without being saccharine and has a happy ending.

6. The same cannot be said of the next couple. The main reason I stuck with Season 1 of The Tudors was because of the relationship between Compton and Tallis. So there was really no reason to carry on watching after episode 7. LOL - I would include a clip here, but my favourite scene is only on Youtube dubbed in Italian. :sigh:

7. Jules Cassidy and Robin Chadwick from Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooter/Team 16 series - which is about 20 books long by now - or getting there. Jules and Robin’s notable appearances are in Hot Target, Force of Nature and All Through the Night. I think most people have Jules as their favourite but I have a soft spot for Robin.

8. Val Toreth and Keir Warrick from the Administration Series by Manna Francis. Set in a dystopian future, the Administration series follows the developing relationship between Toreth an interrogator for the Administration and Warrick, a corporate developer of simulated realities technology. Not for the faint-hearted, Toreth is a sadistic sociopath and Warrick is a masochist. Manna Francis makes no concession for the reader as far as Toreth is concerned, but she also makes it clear that Warrick is no victim.

9. Adrien and Jake from the Adrien English mystery series by Josh Lanyon. I like Adrien because although he could be considered a beta male, this doesn’t mean he takes crap off anybody. The relationship between him and Jake progresses slowly over the course of the series, sometimes taking massive steps backward and sometimes apparently disappearing altogether. But even when Jake isn’t there you can still feel his presence on the page.

10. Aiden and Nate fomr My Fair Captain by J. L. Langley. No list would be complete without a mention of Aiden (who I keep wanting to call Adrien because of the previous entry lol) and Nate from the Sci-Regency series. Very erotic and beautifully written. My favourite scene remains the one where Aiden hides in Nate’s bedroom.

11. Payton and Simon from The Englor Affair by J.L.Langley. Second in the SciRegency series and a little more earthy than My Fair Captain - or maybe that’s just the way I’m imagining them . I hope it’s not too long a wait before another book in this series appears.

12. Dominic and Adam from the Morgan Kingsley series by Jenna Black. A little confusing as they are a human couple possessed by a demon couple. When Dominic is exorcized early in the first book, he stays with Adam and provides a human connection between his somewhat surly lover and the protagonist of the series.

13. Last but not least Donald Strachey and Timmy Callahan from the Strachey mystery films. Another recommendation from the yahoo group. And although I like mysteries, my favourite bits are the time spent with Donald and Tim.

If anyone has other favourites please share. :)

Messiah Week on the Alibi Channel

And boy did I suffer today because of it. Stayed up until one in the morning watching Messiah 1, and was like a zombie all day at work. As it’s over three hours long watched some of it tonight whilst eating dinner! Possibly a mistake. Had to fast forward slightly through the bit where they discover the man who was flayed.

Flagging a little at the keyboard now. Will probably try and watch Messiah 2,3,4 and 5 from my hard drive at a more respectable time of day and whilst not eating food.

I feel Happy

Oh so happy, ’cause it’s flowing, it’s going so riiighhhhhtttt! (kind of sung to I Feel Pretty).

For some reason, today I am chipper. Which is odd, because I’m usually quite melancholy at this time of year. You go to work in the dark, come home in the dark, it’s like your day’s all done and you have to get up and do it all again tomorrow.

Today - I don’t know why, just really happy. Someone said maybe because we had an unusally sunny (but very cold) day.

I don’t know.

What I do know is that even though it’s looking increasingly unlikely I’ll reach the Nano goal, the story is just flowing at the moment and I’m taking advantange of the creative splurge.

I’m not giving up on Nano yet, the game’s not over ’til the fat lady sings. Okay, she may have come onto the stage, but she isn’t singing yet.

Day 3 of Wordcount Blasting.

LOL - have slightly come to the conclusion I suck at wordcount blasting. Maybe next time I do it things will fall into place and I’ll have the time at the computer I need.

Start of Day 3 - 18421

End of Day 3 - 20537

I think I have learnt from this, that I am much more slow and steady wins the race. But I think it was well worth trying and I’m onto Chapter 6 having finally gotten over my Chapter 5 hump.

Poem for a Sunday

When I was at school every term we’d have a book to read and one term it was The Owl Service by Alan Garner. An incredibly atmospheric YA book. What most stuck with me I think were three things, 1) in the front of the edition we read there was a drawing of the plate with the owl pattern on and you could quite clearly see the pattern could either be owls or flowers, 2) At the end when the boy is saving the girl as she is being attacked by ‘owls’ (that may not be how the story ends it’s over twenty years since I read the story so I could have retold it in my own head). But the third thing that I remember quite clearly is a quote from the beginning of the book that just set up the whole intense and almost claustrophobic atmosphere of the story that would follow. The quote is from W. H. Auden’s The Two :-

The sky is darkening like a stain
Something is going to fall like rain
And it won’t be flowers.

The quote stayed with me, and often when the sky is full of stormclouds it will just pop into my head.

The Two - W.H.Auden

You are the town and we are the clock.
We are the guardians of the gate in the rock
The Two
On your left and on your right
In the day and in the night,
We are watching you.

Wiser not to ask just what has occurred
To them who disobeyed our word;
To those
We were the whirlpool, we were the reef,
We were the formal nightmare, grief
And the unlucky rose.

Climb up the crane, learn the sailor’s words
When the ships from the islands laden with birds
Come in
Tell your stories of fishing and other men’s wives:
The expansive moments of constricted lives
In the lighted inn.

But do not imagine we do not know
Nor that what you hide with such care won’t show
At a glance
Nothing is done, nothing is said,
But don’t make the mistake of believing us dead:
I shouldn’t dance.

We’re afraid in that case you’ll have a fall.
We’ve been watching you over the garden wall
For hours.
The sky is darkening like a stain
Something is going to fall like rain
And it won’t be flowers.

When the green field comes off like a lid
Revealing what was much better hid:
Unpleasant.
And look, behind you without a sound
The woods have come and are standing round
In deadly crescent.

The bolt is sliding in its groove,
Outside the window is the black remov-
ers van.
And now with sudden swift emergence
Comes the women in dark glasses and the humpbacked surgeons
And the scissor man.

This might happen any day
So be careful what you say
Or do.
Be clean, be tidy, oil the lock,
Trim the garden, wind the clock,
Remember the Two.

Day 2 - Wordcount Blasting

So, onto Day 2. Reasonably clear day, just have to take the dog to his class this afternoon, but that should still leave me with plenty of time to crack on. Apart from expecting a visit from my sister and nieces later, but hopefully will have made a dent in it by then.

Wordcount start of Day 2 - 17589

Wordcount end of Day 2 - 18421

Now it might seem that this is not a cause to celebrate - but IT IS! Because I have finished chapter five - the first love scene. And anyone who was reading between the lines of my Thursday 13 on Procrastination a couple of weeks ago will have realized I was sorely stuck on that. But I am over it! Finally - and it’s only taken me most of the day editing and re-editing to get it right (and changing the point of view character for the chapter)*. And I can now crack on with the rest of the story.

* - I know that editing is not part of the Nano process, and it’s the part that I struggle most with. But I find the more I’ve got my character’s behaviour straight in my head and right on paper, the easier the revision process is.

Day 1 of Wordcount Blasting

So at the beginning of this three day wordcount blast. I stand at 16,097 words for Nano. Will have to work out Sven later.

Will edit this post with my final count of the day, tonight.

Wordcount Start of Day 1 - 16097
Wordcount End of Day 1 - 17589

:sigh: as often seems to happen when you plan things like this, real life gets in the way. Unfortunately my mother was taken ill and we had to get the doctor to come out and visit her. So not much time for writing today. She’s feeling better, so fingers crossed the count will be slightly higher tomorrow.

Thursday 13 #10 - WIP's

As this month, perhaps more than any other in the year is writing focused and we covered procrastination last week, this week is 13 WIP’s. From ideas that are still drifting in my imagination, to completed stories in need of being gutted, here are 13.

1. The Tithing - (m/f) (vampire) Story complete, awaiting revision. Set in a distant part of the Land of the Fey Universe (kind of).

2. The Bargain - (m/m) (vampire/werewolf) Current WIP (Nano and Sven project) Ouline completed and working on first draft. This is my vampire and werewolf road trip story set in the Land of the Fey Universe approximately five hundred years after the events of If Wishes Were Horses.

3. Raven - (m/f) Outline complete and first draft started. Beginning needs rewriting following comments from crit partners. This is a direct sequel to If Wishes Were Horses.

4. Robert (working title) - (m/m) Outlined. First of the Five Brothers sequence. (Conversely though Robert is the second eldest brother). This is the story I really wanted to work on for Nano, but at least it’s in the queue. A different universe to LotF.

5. Fian (working title) - (m/f) Outlined - in my head. I have a very broad idea of what I want to happen, and some key scenes already worked out. Second of the Five Brothers, Fian is the youngest brother.

6. The Fox Prince (m/f) Genys and Reynard’s story. Prequel to the events of If Wishes Were Horses. Outlined. Explains more of the political situation of Titania’s rise to power and the civil war. (A Land of the Fey story)

7. Titania (working title) - (m/f) Yes she gets a story! Third in the sequence following If Wishes Were Horses and Raven. I have the broad plot in my head but not the fine detail yet. But in regards to Titania I think of the stories as :-

If Wishes Were Horses/The Fox Prince - Ascension
Raven - Corruption
Titania - Redemption

8. Silvertree - (m/m) Outlined, though the beginning needs revising as I’ve kind of swiped some of it for Robert (even though they’re different stories). This is a separate universe to the Five Brothers and The Land of the Fey. And is my sci-fi romance.
Other stuff that’s milling around in my head:-

9. Wolf’s Heart (working title) - (m/f) Partly outlined sequel to The Tithing but following the werewolves rather than the vampires.

10. When Alaric met Lily - Not a romance but a story about friends. I would love to write this at some point. Just something short and sweet about how they helped each other heal.

11. Untitled Shifter Story. I always keep an eye on the Samhain submissions page and see if any ideas percolate through, when I read what they’re looking for. I doubt I’ll get a chance to write this in time to submit, but I may file it away for later use.

12.Untitled Werewolf story. (m/f) Set in the same place as The Tithing and Wolf’s Heart, but taking place a little earlier and following a couple of characters who appear briefly in Wolf’s Heart. When I was outlining Wolf’s Heart they just caught my interest.

13. Untitled Sequel to The Bargain. (m/f) LOL - but that’s about all I have on it at the moment.

Poem for a Sunday

From Auguries of Innocence by William Blake

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

Thursday 13 #9 - Procastination

So as I’m currently attempting NaNo and have just started 70 days of sweat. I thought I’d take a look at all the ways I procrastinate rather than get my finger out. Procrastination is the enemy.

1. Housework. Funny how this takes on much more importance when I should be writing. The insane need to vacuum becomes more important than Chapter 5.

2. Sorting out. Not to be confused with housework. For instance at the moment my wardrobe is in dire need of a sort out, as is the attic. I confess the likelihood of the attic being sorted out is much less than my attacking Chapter 5, I have limits.

3. Computer games. I kind of promised myself a World of Warcraft subscription for this Christmas, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.

4. Ebay. I often find myself surfing Ebay when I shouldn’t.

5. In fact the internet in general is a bit of a timesink. Or maybe I just don’t have any willpower.

6. Television. Okay, I admit since getting my hard drive this has improved. I no longer have to worry about missing that all important program because I’m writing, I let the little box worry about that for me. One procrastination problem solved.

7. Reading. I think it’s important as a writer to read, not just in your own genre but in others as well. I think it keeps your mind open to new ideas and what’s happening out there in the writing world. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

8. Thinking. Now this is also important in the writing process, but again, see number 7. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Though I admit my favourit part of the writing process is puzzling out all those plot points.

9. Critting. I love critting. I think I’ve learnt a lot from critiqueing other peoples work. But you can get so caught up in it, that you neglect your own. It’s about finding a balance.

10. Napping. This is really connected to thinking. If I’m stuck on a particular plot point, a nap can often clear my head. But napping and thinking, is not writing.

11. Blogging. I know I suck at keeping a regular blog. But it’s amazing how I suddenly want to write thirty blog posts when I’m stuck at the beginning of a chapter.

12. Getting off track. Writer’s block I don’t think is necessarily an inability to write anything down in itself. It’s also an inability to focus. My big problem is having so many stories I want to tell and keeping that focus so I can get them down on paper. If I’m not really disciplined with myself I do get distracted. This is something I’m on constant guard against. If I have a brilliant idea I try to outline it and console myself with the fact that I’ll still be able to work on it in the future. As soon as I’ve got Chapter 5 finished.

13. Other stuff or misc. :) Lots of other stuff gets in the way, but I think the important thing is to try and find a balance between your writing life and your other life. And pay attention when the scales tip too far in the wrong direction - whichever direction that may be.

The Englor Affair...

…by J.L.Langley was released today at Samhain. I turned up nice and early at 8am GMT but it wasn’t released yet, so I had to wait to until I got home from work to buy it.

Very much looking forward to reading this. My Fair Captain was just one of those stories that left you desperate for a sequel. And I’ve a sneaking suspicion that The Englor Affair will be the same.

Poem for a Sunday

As it's Remembrance Sunday in the UK today. Two poems we traditionally hear around this time. At 11 a.m. (GMT) please take a moment to remember those who gave up their lives so we could have our freedom.

The Soldier by Rupert Brooke (1887-1915)

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England.
There shall beIn that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.


Ode of Remembrance (From For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon (1869-1943))

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Update

Pleased to see that my scheduled poetry post posted okay, I’m obviously not as technically inept as I thought I was - not quite.

Got back from holiday safely and have started the long haul that is NaNo, am more than a little bit off target at the moment, currently at 1400 words. So I need to try and get some serious typing done. I am terrible for wanting to edit as I go along, which I know is wrong during NaNo. I’m also still trying to work on The Bargain at the same time. Both of the stories I’m working on I am so happy with, I just wish I had more hours in the day to write.

I really need to think of some more Thursday 13’s to post. I usually get up to about 6 or 7 items on the list and then get stumped. Hmm, maybe I’ll do a Thursday 7 instead.

Poem for a Sunday

Excerpt from The Garden of Prosperine by Charles Algernon Swinburne


From too much love of living,
From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea.

Ready, Steady...NaNo

Well I should be on my way back home now.

But today’s November 1st so everyone needs to get their writer’s hats on and start NaNoing.
I think you can still register for this year, during the first few days of November so it’s not too late if you want to join in.

More information can be found at the NaNoWriMo website.

Poem for a Sunday

A friend of the family passed away this week, so this one feels appropriate.

Remember by Christina Rossetti

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

No Thursday 13

As I am in the middle of packing for a week away from the internet, so I can get lots of writing done.

That’s the plan anyway.

Hopefully, I’m going to schedule a poetry post for Sunday. See you all in a week.

WIP Update

I'm guilty of not doing one of these for a while, so below is a list of how things are going at the moment.


The Bargain (Working Title)

m/m, current wordcount 12,214/50,000

(Yes the expected end wordcount has gone up just a little bit). This is my vampire/werewolf road trip story, and my main WIP at the moment. A very small teaser can be found here. At the moment it's looking like a two part story and I'm hoping to have part 1 completed and submitted to crit group by the end of October. The Bargain is set in the same Universe as the Land of the Fey, but centuries later.

Robert (working title)

m/m fantasy, word count 0/50,000, outlining

Yep, I suck at thinking up titles. This is my NaNo piece and is what I'll be concentrating on in November. Probably working on The Bargain Part 2 at the same time.

Land of the Fey

Raven

m/f, current word count 12,250/50,000

I've written and submitted several chapters of Lily and Darvan's story to crit group. I know the major plot arc of the story but at the moment the beginning as written isn't working. So it's back to the drawing board for a rewrite.


Fox Prince

m/f

Genys and Reynard's story. It's possible Reynard's story may be completed before Lily's. Fox Prince will give a much broader overview of the Fey World and the larger situation at the time of the Civil War. It will also explain why Genys allowed Alaric to be wounded.


Other Works

Silvertree

m/m sci/fi, current word count - 8000/50,000, on hold

The beginning of this needs rewriting. LOL - mainly because I've nicked a big chunk of it and am going to incorporate it into my NaNo story. So leaving this one with a big piece of plot missing.


The Tithing

m/f, current word count - 50,000/50,000

Awaiting revision. This was my 2006 NaNo novel. It needs tightening up and slightly replotting in places but I'd really like to look at this again before the end of the year. It's a vampire fantasy kind of set in the same Universe as the Land of the Fey

So that's the situation at the moment. :)

Review

Up at Uniquely Pleasureable

If Wishes Were Horses Review

I hope if anyone else out there struggled with the politics and larger story in If Wishes Were Horses that they'll be pleased to know I will be writing more Land of the Fey stories.

Poem for a Sunday

Not a sonnet this week. I first read this poem in a story about a woman with amnesia - ironically I’ve long since forgotten the title and author of the story, but by the end of the book I’d memorized this poem. It’s written by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933).


Off Algiers

Oh give me neither love nor tears,
Nor dreams that sear the night with fire,
Go lightly on your pilgrimage
Unburdened by desire.
Forget me for a month, a year,
But, oh, beloved, think of me
When unexpected beauty burns
Like sudden sunlight on the sea.

Thursday 13 #8 - Writing

13 writerly things - things I’ve found useful/helpful/inspirational. Bearing in mind this 13 is written by someone who still feels like they’re running around not really sure what’s going on.

1. My Collins dictionary. Probably the book I would save in a fire. It’s I don’t know how many years old, could double as a door stop and I love it because it has both US and UK spellings. And if I had time I’d save my Roget’s Thesaurus as well.

2. http://dictionary.reference.com/ - for when I can’t get to my trusty Collin’s dictionary.

3. Wordle - I first read about this on Lynn Viehl’s Paperback Writer blog. A great way to see if you’re overusing words in your WIP.

4. On Writing by Stephen King. If I had to recommend one book about writing, this would probably be it.

5. Crit Groups. Not for everyone, but I’ve found them invaluable. You need to find one that fits you. Not only will it give you an opportunity to share your work with others, it will also expose you to the habits and styles of other writers. And if you’re lucky you’ll be able to follow a book through from first draft to final copy.

6. Beta reader - slightly different to a crit group. Someone who’ll read your polished work and give you an honest opinion before you submit it.

7. Wikipedia - Very good as a jumping off point for research. Bearing in mind you may have to double check your facts.

8. A plotting state of mind. LOL - does anyone know what I’m talking about. There’s a certain state of mind where plotting seems to come really easily - just before you go to sleep, just before you wake up. Certain activities are more conducive to achieving this state. If I’m driving and listening to music I often find it easy to sort out plot problems. Ironing! LOL. Anything that clears your mind of extraneous bumpf.

9. Reading - In your own genre, in other genres. Expand your horizons and keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on. Main problem is finding the time to read once you’re writing seriously.

10. NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. A phrase I will probably be quoting more and more often the closer we get to November. The challenge - write 50,000 words in a month. Once you know you can do it, you know you can do it again.

11. Don’t quit. This is a toughie. But the fact is even if you’ve got a brilliant story if you don’t complete it no one will ever read it. That book you read that you knew you could write better? The difference between you and the author is that the author didn’t quit. There is an oft quoted statistic which I wish I could remember which states that the vast majority of writers fail because they don’t stick at it.

12. Always have a notebook to hand. (I suck at this one and am forever writing plot ideas on random bits of paper.) The point is, you never know when inspiration might strike and you may not always be able to remember that fantastic idea.

13. Write! At the end of the day, you need to put your bum in the seat, at your typewriter / notepad / computer and get those words down. There are always a million other things that need doing. And boy am I the queen of procrastination, so I should really take my own advice here. So I’m off to get some of my own words down on paper.

Sonnet on a Sunday

36

Let me confess that we two must be twain,
Although our undivided loves are one:
So shall those blots that do with me remain,
Without thy help, by me be borne alone.
In our two loves there is but one respect,
Though in our lives a separable spite,
Which though it alter not love’s sole effect,
Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love’s delight.
I may not evermore acknowledge thee,
Lest my bewailed guilt should do thee shame,
Nor thou with public kindness honour me,
Unless thou take that honour from thy name:
But do not so, I love thee in such sort,
As thou being mine, mine is thy good report.


So I’ve picked today’s sonnet because it was used in one of my favourite m/m stories - A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W.Day. Which if you haven’t read and you’re looking for a good m/m story I recommend.

Around Blogland

Apologies, no Thursday 13 today. To be honest I didn’t even realize it was Thursday until I saw everybody elses TT’s. Part of me is still convinced it’s Wednesday. I’ve been incredibly busy all week at the EDJ, and have been writing at night. If this were closer to New Year’s I’d make a resolution to be a better blogger.

So in lieu of a TT, I’m posting a link to one of the blogs I dip into now and again, it’s a poetry blog, the one I mentioned in the comments on Sunday.

I often get to know poems when they’re quoted on tv or film, and I stumbled upon this blog whilst trying to find the poem used in an episode of House (The Socratic Method). The poem was Her Praise by W.B.Yeats.

Poevies Blog

What was great about the blog, was how many other poems it had that I was familiar with through tv and film. With the most recent entries being from Prison Break and Heroes.
The poem from Heroes another Yeats poem and one of my favourite verses.

From The Second Coming by W.B.Yeats

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

As a writer I find this such an inspirational piece of work - so vivid. LOL - and I even remember where I first heard it quoted on tv, in an episode of Babylon 5 I think (well I’m pretty sure) they used the line or paraphrased - things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. It’s probably one of the most quoted and used poems, and one of the few I can almost instantly pick out when it’s quoted.

Sonnet on a Sunday

116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.


This is the sonnet I had in mind whilst writing Valerian and Alaric - love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.

Thursday 13 #7 - For Banned Books Week

So I am sort of borrowing this idea from the Bookwyrm Knits blog. I really wanted to do something for Banned Books week, but time kind of slipped away from me, and now we’re nearly at the end of the week. So to introduce this I just wanted to mention two of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in a movie are in the Indiana Jones film where you see the Nazis burning books - as an avid bibliophile this was almost painful to watch - and in the film Equilibrium where they torch the Mona Lisa. (Guess you can tell I’ve never watched a slasher flick, huh?)

I wish I’d read more of the books on the banned books list, I can’t help but wonder why some of them are there. (You can see the lists of frequently challenged books here. I did read a book when I was a teenager that disturbed me - it was about cannibalism and didn’t have a happy ending. But funnily enough that book isn’t on the list.

As I haven’t read 13 books on any of the Banned Books lists, my Thursday 13 will be books I have read, or am going to make a supreme effort to read before Banned Books Week next year.

1. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007) I studied this one at school. And am pleased to say that when quotes from it were used on Lost I recognized them before being told where they’d come from.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007). Another one I studied at school, with the same teacher as Of Mice and Men IIRC.

3. The Pigman by Paul Zindel (Top 100 challenged books 1990-1999) - Yep, another one I studied in that same English class in high school. IIRC this was free reading rather than part of the curriculum.

4. Cujo by Stephen King (Top 100 challenged books 1990-1999) Okay, this one I didn’t read in class. I can’t remember whether I watched the film first or read the book. I think I saw the film. It was during my horror phase in my teens, and I was studying Stephen King as part of my wide reading for A-Level. That was the part of the course where you had to choose an author to study. (I was told at the time to make sure I submitted an essay on something classical as well in case I completely scuppered my course result by choosing to study a horror novelist. So one essay on the short stories of King, and one essay on Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare).

I remember reading about his thoughts on Cujo and why it (the book) had to end the way it did, and why of course the film had to end differently.

5. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Top 100 challenged books 1990-1999). One of my favourite books from childhood. I’m sure we read this at school as well.

6. The Dead Zone by Stephen King (Top 100 challenged books 1990-1999) Again read during my horror phase, though I didn’t study this one for class. Funnily enough I never read Carrie which is also on the list, maybe because I found high school horrific enough without having to read about it.

So that brings us to the end of books I’m sure I’ve read on the list, :sigh: I definitely feel I should have read more. So below are some of the books I intend to read before Banned Books Week next year.

7. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007). Now I’m already halfway there with this one because it’s in my TBR pile.

8. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007). This one has been on my wishlist for longer than I care to remember. I’m not 100% clear how it got there but it makes this list.

9. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007)

10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007) Kind of ironic that this book is on the list given its subject matter, and because of that probably one I should read.

11. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007)

12. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (Top 100 challenged books 2000-2007)

13. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (Top 100 challenged books 1990-1999)

If you have any recommendations from the challenged lists, I’d love to know.

Sonnet on a Sunday / Lily

94

They that have power to hurt, and will do none,
That do not do the thing they most do show,
Who, moving others, are themselves as stone,
Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow;
They rightly do inherit heaven's graces,
And husband nature's riches from expense;
They are the lords and owners of their faces,
Others, but stewards of their excellence.
The summer's flower is to the summer sweet,
Though to itself, it only live and die,
But if that flower with base infection meet,
The basest weed outbraves his dignity:
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lilies that fester, smell far worse than weeds.



So we've skipped ahead, (just a few :) ). I can't remember where I first read this poem, but it was in the front of a crime novel, several years ago. It's the couplet at the end that stayed with me, and that's really where Lily got her name from. Even if the rest of the poem goes over your head, the last two lines are pretty clear.

Lily is also a bit of an anti-Mavis, the fairy from the Willo the Wisp cartoon who always seemed to be skipping through the forest, (but Lily has slightly more of an Edna edge :) ).

Thursday 13 #6 ~ Werewolves

Okay, strictly speaking not 13 werewolves, but 13 weres and shifters. In no particular order, but it’s kind of appropriate that the Lord of the Beasts is at number 1.

1. Curran from the Magic series by Ilona Andrews. He’s tough but he has to be, and the chemistry between him and Kate is wonderful to read.

2. Elena from the Otherworld series. Bitten was the book that really got me into UF, and Elena was the first werewolf I read about, I believe at the time I was finding it hard to find good vampire books so decided to switch species. If you’ve never read Urban Fantasy (UF), Bitten is one of the books I recommend you try.

3. And of course wherever Elena goes there has to be Clay. Obsessed, protective and maybe a touch psychopathic.

4. Jeremy - last of the Otherworld werewolves to be mentioned here (sorry Karl). My favourite Otherworld character. And the Alpha of the pack.

5. Lucian leader of the Lycans from the Underworld movie. I think all my favourite bits of that film are when he’s on screen.

6. Bran leader of the werewolves (Marrok) in the Mercy Thompson Universe (Patricia Briggs). The books start with Moon Called and this would be the other series I’d recommend if you’re interested in reading UF. He’s something of an enigmatic character, centuries old but with the appearance of a young man.

7. Lucas, alpha of the Dark River leopard clan in Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series. This was the first book in the series and it got me hooked.

8. Bowen hero of Kresley Cole’s third full length novel in the Immortals After Dark series - Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night. Not strictly speaking a werewolf as the Lykae don’t completely change, but they are the werewolves of their world. He’s sarcastic, does some things which in retrospect he perhaps regrets, but at the end of the story he comes through.

9. Sam from the Sookie books by Charlaine Harris and I guess the True Blood series as well. Though that hasn’t made its way to the UK yet. Sam is kind of unique on this list, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise for any True Blood viewers who haven’t read the books. (LOL - assuming the show will follow the books faithfully).

10. Michael Wyndham - of the Wyndham werewolves series by Mary Janice Davidson. Not the most politically correct werewolf on the list, but he certainly knew how to make being stuck in an elevator more interesting.

11. Mercy Thompson of the aforementioned Mercy Thompson novels. A skinwalker rather than a werewolf, she changes into a coyote. However being raised (at least partly) in a werewolf pack has certainly left her with an insight into pack politics and in-fighting.

12. Tera. From Fool Moon, Book 2 of the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Another unique werewolf whose circumstances I won’t spoil. I recommend this book if you’re interested in werewolf mythology at all as it covers 6 different varieties of werewolf, all of which I think (going on my faulty memory) make an appearance in the book. So concentrate at the beginning when they’re being described.

13. Vane from Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Night Play. Strictly speaking an Arcadian Were-Hunter, but he changes into a wolf, so that’s good enough for me. Night Play remains one of my favourite of the Dark Hunter series (along with Dance with the Devil) so Vane had to make the list.

Overall I think the werewolves was a slightly tougher list than the vamps, but even so I still had a couple that I wanted to mention at the end. So honourable mentions go to Adam from the Mercy Thompson Universe, and Andrea from Ilona Andrews Magic series.

The Englor Affair by J.L.Langley

I’m probably miles behind everyone else, but I spotted the cover for The Englor Affair by J.L.Langley on theNose in a Book blog and certainly share the SQUEE of delight.

So for anyone else like me who hadn’t seen it, here it is.

My Fair Captain the first in the Sci-Regency series is one of my favourite m/m romances. So I’m very much looking forward to the sequel. And I love that the cover follows a similar theme to the first book.

The blurb can be read on the Coming Soon Page at Samhain. And you should keep an eye out for the excerpt. The Englor Affair is due to be published on November 11th, so should make a nice pre-Christmas treat.

Sonnet on a Sunday

6
Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface,
In thee thy summer, ere thou be distilled:
Make sweet some vial; treasure thou some place
With beauty’s treasure ere it be self-killed.
That use is not forbidden usury,
Which happies those that pay the willing loan;
That’s for thy self to breed another thee,
Or ten times happier, be it ten for one;
Ten times thy self were happier than thou art,
If ten of thine ten times refigured thee:
Then what could death do if thou shouldst depart,
Leaving thee living in posterity?
Be not self-willed, for thou art much too fair
To be death’s conquest and make worms thine heir.

Thursday 13 #5 ~ Vampires

So in honour of one of my current WIP’s, The Bargain which features a vampire hero - Sebastian - this weeks Thursday 13 will be 13 of my favourite vampires (in no particular order). There will be no wimpy, soul searchers here. That’s not my kind of vamp.

1. Selene. Death dealer vampire from the film Underworld. The good girl vampire of this list. She’s kick ass and does the right thing even though it means turning all her fellow vampires against her.

2. Mircea. North American Vampire Senate member of the Cassandra Palmer books by Karen Chance. Dracula’s older brother.

3. Danica Talos. Playing the part of the bad girl vampire on this list. For me, the best thing about Blade Trinity that isn’t Ryan Reynolds. LOL. She chews the scenery and her victims, she’s witty, sarcastic and a total bitch. My favourite vampire of the entire Blade series.

4. John Matthew a.k.a. Tehrror from the Black Dagger Brotherhood books by J.R.Ward. His ongoing story has me completely hooked.

5. Raphael, a vampire you won’t have heard of yet, but who I’ve been lucky enough to read about. He doesn’t take prisoners, and he doesn’t suffer fools. The first of the Vampire Lords of America from D.B.Reynolds a member of my OWG group, currently scheduled to be published January of 2009.

6. Cassandra from Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. KA is one of my favourite authors, and Cassandra is a character whose story I’ve been waiting impatiently for. This is a vampire who doesn’t apologise for her behaviour, who says what she wants to, even if it offends others and who doesn’t always realise when she is offending people.

We have a few either/or’s coming up now.

7. Erik or Bill (from the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris). I have to go for Erik. I liked Bill in the beginning I really did, but he kind of blew it. Plus Erik was so adorable when he forgot who he was.

8. Asher or Jean Claude (from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton). This one is difficult. And I think it’s probably impossible to choose between the two as they kind of go together, so for the list, they get equal billing.

9. Angel or Spike (from Angel and Buffy). Has to be Spike. Angel did have a tendency to take himself slightly too seriously sometimes and even the redeemed Spike still has that British sarcasm thing going on.

10. The Wroth Brothers from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. I’m picking Conrad from Dark Needs at Night’s Edge.

11. Jayr from the Darkyn books by Lynn Viehl. Jayr is the heroine of my favourite Darkyn book so far - Evermore.

12. Vayl from the Jaz Parks books by Jennifer Rardin. One of the vampires I’ve read that I actually believe is over 300 years old. His inability to always grasp sarcasm and tendency to take anything Jaz says literally is a delight to read.

13. Henry Fitzroy from the Blood series by Tanya Huff. There should definitely be more bisexual vampires.

A Couple More Reviews

I’m very pleased that the response to If Wishes Were Horses has been so positive, (touching wood). :)

Review on Elisa-Rolle’s LJ

Review at Two Lips Reviews

Will post my Thursday 13 in a while. :)

Sonnet on a Sunday

5

Those hours, that with gentle work did frame
The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell,
Will play the tyrants to the very same
And that unfair which fairly doth excel;
For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter, and confounds him there;
Sap checked with frost, and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o’er-snowed and bareness every where:
Then were not summer’s distillation left,
A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass,
Beauty’s effect with beauty were bereft,
Nor it, nor no remembrance what it was:
But flowers distill’d, though they with winter meet,
Leese but their show; their substance still lives sweet.

Thursday 13 #4 ~ Films I Love

Well this topic could run and run, so for the purposes of this post this will just be films made in the past thirty or so years. In similar ways that I can lose myself in a book, I find some films I just want to watch over and over again. They’re the ones that if I catch them as I’m channel surfing I’ll stop and watch ’til the end, even though I’ve seen them numerous times before. In no particular order.

1. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) Follows the attempts to kill a beast in 18th Century France that has been on a killing spree. It’s a beautiful film to watch and one scene in particular where the children are chased through the forest by the beast is like a painting that’s come to life.

2. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago. One of my favourite ‘comfort’ films. One I have to watch if I come across it channel surfing. LOL - I think I probably know the entire script off by heart. Well I can quote large chunks of it anyway. Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis kicking ass. Favourite scene - when Charley flashes Mitch.

3.Alien (1979) Any of the Alien quadrology. Though watching it makes me experience this bizarre recurring dream where I’m in a supermarket and all the other shoppers are Aliens, with tiny baby Aliens running up and down the aisles screaming, and face huggers in baby baskets. It’s not scary just extremely surreal. Favourite scene I’ll take from Aliens. The fight at the end - get away from her you bitch.

4. Shelter (2007) This is the film that’s currently in my DVD machine. Thanks to JenB for the recommendation. Just a really sweet m/m love story with some great songs on the soundtrack.

5. Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) How much did I hate High School? A lot. And this film just highlights how trivial most of that stuff really is. Very funny. Favourite scenes - anything with Janeane Garofalo in, and where Romy confronts the A group at the end.

6. High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) Another comfort film. Two friends try and blackmail a gang of bank robbers. Favourite scene - first rehearsal for the blackmail phone call and when France wakes up in the morning with a hangover on her way to audition as an alien tomato.

7. Underworld (2003) One of my favourite vampire and werewolf films. Favourite scene - anything with Lucian in, brilliantly played by Michael Sheen.

8. The Matrix (1999) (Trilogy) The first film I saw in the cinema with my mouth hanging open. LOL. The gun battle in the lobby, I just couldn’t believe it. Though my favourite fight scene from the trilogy happens in The Matrix Reloaded, the incredibly balletic sequence on the dual staircase.

9.Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Incredibly beautiful and moving film, sad but hopeful, the ending is somewhat ambiguous. The visuals are stunning, an adult fairytale come to life, you feel like you’ve entered somebody else’s dream. Favourite scene - stealing from the blind man.

10.The Terminator (1984) This remains my favourite of the terminator franchise, I love the doomed relationship between Kyle and Sarah. It doesn’t matter how many times I watch it, you keep hoping that some way it will work out. (Though I think of the whole series my favourite scene is Sarah’s escape from the asylum in Terminator 2).

11. Mulan (1998) Strictly speaking I don’t think this is my favourite animated movie. I prefer The Incredibles. BUT this was my nieces favourite movie when she was a toddler and whenever she came over we had to play it, to the point where we wore out the tape. And to the point where I ended up buying the soundtrack because I found myself continually singing the songs. Favourite scene - the haircut, because I love the music at that point.

12. Shaun of the Dead (2004) I was a Spaced fan (and if you haven’t seen that series and loved Shaun of the Dead I highly recommend it. There’s a brilliant Matrix parody in the second season (I think)). What I love about SOTD is that you can watch it over and over and see something new every time. Favourite scene - the dart throwing in the pub and the argument over whether or not it’s a real rifle.

13. Die Hard (1988) The original and probably the best, though Die Hard 3 has Samuel L. Jackson. Favourite scene - any time Ode to Joy is playing in the background.

Anyone for NaNo?

Yep, it’s coming up on that time of year again - November - which means NaNoWriMo.

For anyone not familiar with this phenomenon, November is National Novel Writing Month, when thousands of people across the globe sit themselves down in front of their computers, typewriters and word processors and attempt to write a 50,000 word story. This means you have a target of 1667 words a day, which certainly sounds more attainable than 50,000.

I have been taking part in NaNo since 2005. I won (this just means you completed your 50,000 word target, the only thing you’re competing against is your own procrastination) in 2005 and 2006. Though I didn’t win in 2007 the piece I worked on last year eventually became If Wishes Were Horses, so that’s a win in my book.

What you write doesn’t have to be great, though that’s always a bonus. In a way what you’re proving to yourself is that you have the ability to sit down and do it. The main idea is that you don’t revise, you don’t edit, you start at the beginning and keep writing until you finish, if you want to go back and edit you do it at the end of November.

The story I wrote in 2005 I think was the first thing I ever finished and will probably never be shared with anybody. Although there are parts of it I was really pleased with, I have never re-read it because most of it was dire. LOL. I am great at writing beginnings, but up until that point I’d never finished anything. So 2005 was about proving I could finish something once I’d started.

In 2006 I wrote a story which I ended up calling The Tithing. This one I was very pleased with and although it still needs a lot of work. I do hope to do something with it one day. You may have noticed it appearing and disappearing from my progress meter widgets.

I think year on year through NaNo it’s possible to see an improvement in your writing. Though you need to be writing in the other 11 months of the year as well.

2008 is the first year I’ve been organised enough to get an outline worked out before November. For the past three years I’ve been sitting down and writing by the seat of my pants. But this year I’ve got a great idea, I’m going to use September and October to get it solid in my head, with hopefully some character sheets as well. Then come November 1st I’ll be ready to go.

If you’d like to follow my NaNo progress I’ll be posting regular updates in November on my blogs. I’ll also be posting my progress on the NaNo site where I’m posting as SarahL. It may seem like November is weeks away at the moment (which it is ) but before you know it, it will be day 1 of a 30 day marathon. I hope some of you will be NaNoing with me.

For more info. visit - NaNoWriMo

Sonnet on a Sunday

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
Upon thy self thy beauty’s legacy?
Nature’s bequest gives nothing, but doth lend,
And being frank she lends to those are free:
Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse
The bounteous largess given thee to give?
Profitless usurer, why dost thou use
So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?
For having traffic with thy self alone,
Thou of thy self thy sweet self dost deceive:
Then how when nature calls thee to be gone,
What acceptable audit canst thou leave?
Thy unused beauty must be tombed with thee,
Which, used, lives th’ executor to be.

Thursday 13 #3 ~ 13 Things I Don't Like

So after last weeks raindrops on roses, this week it’s the bees stinging and dogs barking.

1.Flying. I have a phobia about it. Strictly speaking it’s a phobia about crashing, but I haven’t been on a plane for many years and I can’t see that changing any time soon.

2.Aniseed. Just don’t like it, so yep I don’t like fennel or pernod either.

3. Daddy Long Legs (Does anyone outside the UK call them that?) Their proper name is cranefly. They have long spindly legs and follow you. When I was little I was once trapped in the back of a car with one. Cue hysterical screaming and trying to get out of the back of a three-door car when no one in the front thinks they should move because it’s only a cranefly. We were in a public carpark at the time - this did not endear me to my parents.

4.Wasps - I’m only allowing myself two insects and this is the other one.

5.Speaking in public. I’m quite shy so this is a toughie for me. Though I will usually pull myself together and get on with it.

6. Mornings. Well more the fact that I have to get up out of my toasty warm bed. Once I’m up I’m usually okay. And on the mornings when it’s crisp and fresh outside and the sun is shining I wonder why I don’t get up this early every morning. A feeling that lasts until 7am the following day when I don’t want to get up again.

7.Being late. Hate it. I hate it if I’m late.

8. Soggy bread. LOL. So I’ve never tried bread and butter pudding.

9. Litter. I love going to the seaside or for walks in our local wood. And the fact that there is so much litter on the beach when we have such beautiful countryside I don’t like.

10.I don’t like that I’m a slob. Partly I think this is an over reaction so I don’t become completely obsessive compulsive and organize myself to the nth degree.

11.Banning books. I always find it interesting during banned book week to see if I’ve read any of the books on the list.

12. Films with bad endings. I hate when I go to the cinema, pay my money and come out at the end feeling like I’ve lost two hours of my life that I’ll never get back.

13. Intolerance. Now, I think every human being is a little intolerant of something. Just looking at my list I’m intolerant of wasps that like aniseed and get up early in the morning. But being intolerant just because you can, or without reason, or without even thinking why you’re intolerant of something I don’t like.

Hmmm. Hope I don’t come across as too much of a grump. Remember I did post 13 favourite things last week.

Sonnet on a Sunday

3

Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest
Now is the time that face should form another;
Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,
Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.
For where is she so fair whose unear’d womb
Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?
Or who is he so fond will be the tomb
Of his self-love, to stop posterity?
Thou art thy mother’s glass and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime;
So thou through windows of thine age shalt see,
Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time.
But if thou live, remember’d not to be,
Die single and thine image dies with thee.

(Hmmm, not sure I agree with the sentiments of this one. :) )

Thursday 13 #2 ~ 13 Favourite Things

So not quite raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens but 13 of my favourite things.

1. Green, okay I’ve now got Kermit in my head singing. But truth be told my favourite colour tends to vary with my mood, though it’s usually somewhere at the bluey/green end of the spectrum. must be something to do with being a pisces.

2.Baking, something I definitely should make more time for. There’s something about the smell of home baking in the kitchen that is comforting, plus it helps to know that you get to eat cakes at the end of it.

3.I love being by the sea. It has a way of putting things in perspective, you’re very small when you stand next to the ocean.

4.Comfort reading - something I no longer have as much time to do. But I love curling up with a good book and taking the time to go somewhere else in my imagination.

5.Giraffes and penguins. The world can be a pretty terrible place, but I hold onto the fact that as long as we’ve got giraffes and penguins then it’s not completely terrible. (This is turning into raindrops on roses…)

6.My favourite films. I wish I could put something trendy and clever in here, but I’m not that highbrow. I like films that make me laugh and where there’s great chemistry between the actors. Two of my favourites are - The Long Kiss Goodnight, High Heels and Low Lifes. In common with #12 I like banter and verbal sparring between the characters.

7.Favourite food is probably Italian, mainly pasta because it’s so quick. I am terrible for losing track of time when I’m writing and missing meals, so quicker is better.

8.My favourite season is autumm. I love the wind and the rain (yes the rain ), the vibrant colours of the trees. You still stand the chance of getting a sunny day, and it’s not yet winter.

9.Favourite album, this is one I don’t even have to think about. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Sarah McLachlan.

10. Bumblebees. (Which I guess is kind of opposite to the song). I know they hurt if they sting you, having been stung. But I guess the fact that they can fly when aerodynamically they shouldn’t be able to - they’re the little insect that could.

11.My dog. I’ve only just recently got him, always been a cat person before but when my last cat died I couldn’t face getting another one as I’d had him for so long. So instead I have a spaniel cross who may be small but he’s got a big personality to make up for it.

12.Shakespeare. Yes, some of it is difficult to understand. But 12th Night, Macbeth, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing -the plays I studied at school are favourites. And I think it’s one of those situations where the reward is worth the effort. His dialogue could be incredibly cutting and to the point, with sarcasm, double meaning, banter and sparring between the characters.

13.The moment just before you go to sleep and just before you wake up. I find when I’m nearly asleep I have a capacity to solve a lot of my plot and character problems, if only I could hold onto the ideas once I’m properly awake.

Natural History Museum and Updates

So a quick word about the Natural History Museum in London - well worth a visit if ever you have a few hours to spare. I think I spent about 5 hours wandering around and still didn’t manage to see all of it. Though I made sure I visited the Earth’s Treasury in the red zone, having studied geology it was probably the section I most wanted to see. Plus LOL I think it’s by far and away the most gemstones I have ever seen in one place, a simply stunning and beautiful collection.

Of course no trip to the museum would be complete without seeing the dinosaur skeletons - favourite dinosaur is the tricerotops - and the life size model of the blue whale. I think of all the skeletons the one that blew me away was of the giant sloth. Maybe because you expect dinosaurs and whales to be big, but trying to comprehend a furry land mammal that was that big…and thinking more of modern sloths as being dog sized. LOL - maybe I should stop there, I just found it hard to get my brain wrapped round that one.

And as Dr. Who would point out where there are museums and people there have to be gift shops. :). I picked up a lovely marble egg - very white and calming - sitting next to me now as I type.

Speaking of typing. Raven is going very well. I’m managing to write every day, so on current speeds I should have a first draft finished in the next four weeks. 50,000 words may have been an underestimate but I’m not going to change my target. Later on there will probably be cutting and adding so it could all even out.

Now I’ve settled into a blogging routine there will be Thursday 13, Sonnet on a Sunday and I’m going to try and squeeze in a post on a Tuesday as well, which will either be updates, news or the character profiles which I’m hoping to start posting next week.

That’s all for now, back to work for me. :)

Sonnet on a Sundayish

I’m off to the Natural History museum tomorrow, so am posting this a little early.

2

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field,
Thy youth’s proud livery so gazed on now,
Will be a totter’d weed of small worth held:
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserv’d thy beauty’s use,
If thou couldst answer ‘This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel’st it cold.

Thursday 13 #1 ~ 13 Random Songs

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - 13 random songs from my Ipod

I got the idea for this Thursday 13 from Sarai at Thoughts of an Aspiring Writer. Hopefully nothing too embarrassing will come up.

1. Years - Beth Nielsen Chapman (Greatest Hits) I have a real weakness for buying songs after hearing them on tv. So this album was one I picked up after hearing Sand and Water on Charmed. It was one of those where I ended up loving the whole album.

2.Every Day is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails (With Teeth) LOL - I also buy songs if I hear them on soundtracks. So picked this one up after seeing Wanted and love it. Definitely could write something to this.

3.Full of Grace - Sarah McLachlan (Surfacing) I know you’re thinking I picked this up after hearing it on Buffy. Wrong! I’d got this album before the song was used. Love Sarah McLachlan and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is perhaps my favourite album.

4.Eyes Like Yours - Shakira (Laundry Service)

5.My Last Breath - Evanescence (Fallen) Love this album and I think the majority of songs on it lend themselves well to character inspiration.

6.Dumb - Garbage (Version 2.0)

7.Nara - E.S.Posthumus (Unearthed) Also known as the theme to Cold Case, and has been used in movie trailers as well. Very dramatic and I find it helps when I’m plotting tense situations.

8.Grace Kelly - Mika (Single) It’s nice to have the occasional happy song on there.

9.Hurt - Christina Aguilera (Back to Basics) This is actually an inspiration song for one of the characters in the Untitled piece I’m outlining at the moment.

10.Henry Martin - Figgy Duff (Due South Soundtrack) Another song with a story.

11. Songbird - Eva Cassidy (Love Actually Soundtrack) Just a beautiful song

12.The Planets Suite:Jupiter - Holst, performed by London Philharmonic - One of my favourite pieces of classical music. An incredibly emotional piece, uplifting and melancholy at the same time. The middle section is used for the hymn I Vow to the My Country.

13.Duel of the Fates - Star Wars Phantom Menace Soundtrack - A great piece of music for writing action and fighting scenes to.

Sonnet on a Sunday

So as Lily loves Shakespeare’s sonnets and the next Land of the Fey book is about her. I thought it would be nice to have a regular delve into the work of the Bard. So every Sunday I’ll post a sonnet. Also if you think about Lily reading these to Alaric as he lay in the infirmary, some of them would cut quite close to the bone.

1

From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding:
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee.


There is a wonderful website shakespeares-sonnets.com which has commentary on the various sonnets and delves deeper into the meaning behind them. I’ve added a link to this site in the sidebar.

Heading Back into the Writing Cave

So the sharp-eyed amongst you will have noticed I’ve edited my progress meters to more accurately reflect what I’m working on at the moment.

I’ve started work on Raven, and am continuing to work on The Bargain. As I’m not sure when I’ll get round to revising The Tithing I’ve taken it off my WIP list for the moment.

I may not be posting quite as regularly as I have been. Though I’ll keep you up to date with my writing progress and any exciting news as it happens. Once a week I’m going to try and post about a character or something along those lines. The first one will be about Valerian. And if ever I can squeeze it in I want to write a short story about when Lily first met Alaric. Appropriately enough it will be called When Lily met Alaric. :)

Teaser from The Bargain

So I know I promised a teaser from The Bargain and that’s exactly what this is.

Unedited excerpt (teaser) from The Bargain. Copyright Sarah Leslie 2008.

Sebastian stood at the foot of the bed, watching as David struggled against the thorny vines which snaked around his body. Pinpricks of blood appeared on the werewolf’s straining arms and Sebastian licked his lips. “You look like every vampire’s wet dream.”

Songs to Write With

I meant to post this a while ago but it was one of those posts that just never got posted.

Quite a lot of the time when I’m writing I have a song that plays in the back of my mind for a character. Of course as the story progresses and the characters evolve this song may change and some characters have more than one song. And some songs or pieces of music inspire more than one character or situation. Anyway, songs for If Wishes Were Horses, which you may or may not agree with.

Alaric - Hello by Evanescence

Valerian - Insatiable by Darren Hayes

Lily - Bitch by Meredith Brooks (LOL)

Another Review for If Wishes Were Horses

At Fallen Angel Reviews:-

http://www.fallenangelreviews.com:80/2008/July/Teresa-IfWishesWereHorses.htm

Back From Holiday

So I made it back from holiday - refreshed and recuperated and ready to get stuck back in.

I completed the outline for Raven, currently it’s looking to come in at a minimum of 50,000 words. So a little bit longer than If Wishes Were Horses.

I also completed a second outline for a completely unrelated story following a remark I overheard about adjoining bedrooms. LOL - inspiration comes from everywhere.

So my task over the next couple of weeks is to get the first draft of The Bargain (now looking like a working title) completed and then I’ll start working on Raven. Hope to have a teaser from The Bargain up some time this week.

Away for a Week

I’m going to be away from the internet for a week.

Hopefully during that time I’m going to get the outline for Raven finished which will give me a rough idea of how long the finished book will be.

I’m also hoping to have the first draft of The Bargain finished by the second week of August - so expect a teaser from that when I return.

Land of the Fey 2

So after a great deal of procrastination, I’ve come to the conclusion that was probably obvious to everyone else. The next Land of the Fey story will be Lily’s.

:slaps forehead:

One of the biggest hurdles I have as a writer is how easily sidetracked I get. For instance in IWWH I know the backstory and motivations of every character*. Whenever a character does something I want to know why - and often the why is very interesting. Which is why I’ve been pulled towards wanting to do Genys and Reynard’s story. Genys is quite a powerful character, she never appears on page in IWWH, but it is her actions that are the pivot for Alaric and Valerian’s relationship. She makes an incredibly hard decision, sticks to it and because of that everything changes. So I will definitely be writing her story at some point.

Back to Lily. I’m giving her story the WIP title of Raven. So you’ll see that changed in the sidebar. Currently working on getting the outline down, the whole story is in my head, I know exactly what happens. But I just need to get the major points down so I stay roughly on track.

* - With two exceptions. Jerin and Marek. Jerin is strong and silent, and probably has a very interesting story to tell, but he’s keeping it close to his chest. And Marek is very young compared to the others, very earnest and hasn’t really done much yet.

The Day After

Hmmm, staying up ’til 3am was perhaps not the best idea I’ve ever had, and I definitely paid for it today. Am very, very tired. But I had a great time at the chat, and look forward to taking part in my next one. Though hopefully not as early in the morning.

In writing news, Bargain is coming along really well. At the moment I’m managing about 1000 words a day. As I’m aiming for 20,000, I’m looking at finishing the first draft in just under three weeks.

Also still working on the outlines for Land of the Fey 2. Once I’ve got both of them written, I’ll make a decision as to which book I’m going to concentrate on first.

Chatting at Coffee Time Romance

All being well I will be chatting at Coffee Time Romance tomorrow (Thursday) at 9pm eastern. Along with other Samhain authors.

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/

I say all being well because it will be 2am in the UK on Friday. So I’m not sure how well my typing skills will hold up, but I’ll at least try and make the beginning of the chat.

Works in Progress

So before I head off into my writers cave again. I thought I’d do a little update on what I’m working on. You can see progress meters in the sidebar but I thought I’d give a few more details.

Land of the Fey - currently I’m outlining Book 2. At the moment I haven’t decided for certain which couple I’m going to go with - Lily and Darvan, or Genys and Reynard. After I’ve got the outlines written I’ll decide. It would seem obvious that I should write Lily and Darvan, but Genys and Reynard’s story plays an important role as well. And I’m almost equally drawn to both stories, but for different reasons.

The Tithing - Well this is my vampire story. And it needs a lot of revision doing on it before it gets submitted anywhere. LOL - it may never get submitted anywhere, but there are a lot of things in this story that I love, so I hope I can knock it into shape. It may stay on the sidebar in revisions for a while.

The Bargain - This is a short story/novella featuring a vampire and a werewolf. It’s male/male. And details the first meeting between the pair. I’m hoping to have this ready for submission in a few weeks. So watch that progress meter go.

Silvertree - Another male/male. This one is sci-fi and currently on hold whilst I work on The Bargain. But anyone who’s seen my yahoo mail address will know this one is close to my heart. So hopefully I can get over my block on this and get going on it again.

First Review...

of If Wishes Were Horses.

http://www.mrsgiggles.com/ebooks/leslie_horses.html