Pic of the Week . . . Saryth

Sitting here thinking about my new WIP, trying to bridge gaps, etc, and I suddenly come up with a brilliant idea. It fits in so well with my whole fantasy series, especially with one of the main books that tells the tale of a major event in my world's history, 'The Calming Of Gorthian'.

So, what's this idea?

Necromancy.

For years I've seen this but never really twigged what it meant. Recently I read 'Prince of Thorns' by Mark Lawrence and the art of necromancy plays an important role, and as I read the bridges between my gaps began to form.

So, for this week's Pic of the Week, I've chosen a piece called 'Necromancer' by an artist called Saryth over on Deviant Art. If you like this, check out his other pieces. You won't be disappointed :)

Have a great weekend.

The Other Thing...

So, what was the other thing I needed to announce?  Oh yeah!

I finished my latest manuscript.

This piece has been somewhat interesting to write.  It wasn't that I had to do a lot of research in order to pull it off, it was the fact that it took me so long to finish - as opposed to the usual length of time it takes me.  This is through no fault of its own.  The poor thing wanted to be written, screamed at me and haunted my dreams, but I let it down.  I made it wait, and I think by the time the end come round, it had just run out of steam.

It took me just over two years.  That's outrageous for me!  Never mind the fact I wrote another novel and a collection of short stories in between times - that my life felt like it crumbled and was teetering on edges before slowly being patched together.  Taking over two years to write one novel is something I haven't done since my 'writerly pottering' back in the days of yore.

Since finding my comfort niche with my fantasy series, I've churned one novel a year, which I think is average when balancing work and social lives too, and it was something I thought to be good if I were to look at my writing seriously - producing a steady stream of work.  This one didn't turn out quite on time.

Then there's the fact that I broke my rule:  One novel at a time.  You need to focus, to get to know your characters and allow yourself deep into the story in order to get to know it well enough to do a good job.  For me, having a second project on the side - or even projects - broke the flow of things and had an effect on the overall outcome.

Anyway, my piece, Lady of the Seas, is finished - that is, the first draft.  Editing stages are well under way.  I feel a mile stone has been reached with this one, and there's been a weight lifted from my shoulders.  My characters are no longer screaming at me to finished their tale.  It's done.

And what does a writer do when it's done?  They start another one :)    

First Big Announcement . . .

What can I say.  It's been a while since I graced you with a post (feel free to slap me and punish me as you will) and whereas not much has really happened, when I actually think about it, there's been some pretty big things that do need announcing.  Why I've not done this sooner I don't know.  (That big, one-eyed monster called 'Life' has kept me locked up and has been feeding off my creativity, leaving me with not much to go around.)

Still...

The first big announcement is that I've been published!  Yes!  Not a novel, but a short story.

Before I went to New York (jeez, that was a lifetime ago - 4-5 months) I entered a competition called Fairly Wicked Tales, hosted by Angelic Knight Press.  The idea was to take a fairy tale and put a spin on it, for example, making the heroine the bad guy: Cinderella being a b@*!h to her two stepsisters, Little Red Riding Hood beating up that poor wolf, which in turn invoked it to savage her; you get the gist.  And because Angelic Knight Press deal with everything dark, the competition was right up my ally :)

I chose an almost unheard-of tale called 'The Glass Coffin' - and no, it has nothing to do with the glass coffin the seven dwarfs put Snow White in - although the Grimm Brothers did like their glass coffins.  It involved a hunter saving a brilliant stag from a bull, and in return the stag showed him the way to a hidden cave where a fair maiden was kept imprisoned in a glass coffin. The rest is nothing unusual; he kisses her; he rescues her, the stag transforms back into her brothter, they fall in love; live happily ever after...yada yada.

But then I twisted it.

The maiden in the coffin was a witch who needed the kiss and the heart of a man in order to break the curse over her and her brother - and when I say heart, I don't mean what someone gives as a token of their love.  I mean a real heart, still beating and full of blood.  It turns out the bull he killed in order to rescue the stag, her cursed brother, was the sorcerer charged with keeping their dark secret sleeping...and the disillusioned hunter slayed him and was then lead to his doom.

Worked well as a Grimm Tale, I thought - and others must have thought so too because it's now part of an anthology that's being published by Angelic Knight Press around Halloween.  What apt timing :)

I'll keep you all posted.

As for my second lot of big news (well, maybe not as big as this lot), I'll save that for another post.  It may help get me back into the habit :)

So until next time...               

Always Do Something That Scares You Blogfest

WARNING: DON'T READ ON IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPIDERS...!

In celebration of Mila Ferrera's new book, Spiral, I'm participating with her 'Always Do Something That Scares You' Blogfest. Mila is also hosting a giveaway today too.  I've posted details of this and her book at the bottom.

The gist of the blogfest that sinks with her book is: "In SPIRAL, Nessa confronts her fears about getting close to Aron by reminding herself of her father's motto: "Always do the thing that scares you."  It's probably a saying all of us could use from time to time, so for this blogfest post about a time that you decided to do something even though it scared you, either to get over that fear or because you knew it would be good for you."


For those who have known me for while, you'll know I don't like spiders.  As a kid I would scream and run from the tiniest of spids.  Now I've reached adulthood (don't ask me when that happened.  I'm still in denial at the age of 32) I've grown to tolerate the smaller ones, but once they're past a certain size, the panic button in me gets pressed, I feel physically sick in my stomach, and I have to squeal and back track pretty fast.

However, I don't have this problem when I'm outside.  It's like spiders are outside creatures, and they should be outside and not in my house!  So, if there's one in the room with me, it has to go.

I'm not a mean person, and don't like to kill unnecessarily, so I tend to try and catch spiders in a glass and let them out.  And with the larger ones that I can't catch myself, I have to call upon my trusty hubby to come to my rescue.  But trust me to pick a long-distance lorry driver who is away from home most of the week and who isn't there to help when I need him.

Because of this I've had to conquer my fear.  I can't see a spider and then turn away thinking 'out-of-sight-out-of-mind'.  I know it's still in the house.  I may not be able to see it, but I know it's there, and therefore it has to go there and then.  No if's or buts.  And because I'm often here alone, it's down to me to do it.  Battling this fear is still a work in progress, but I feel I'm winning.  And here's proof!!!

Below are pics of a spider I was nearly mauled to death by the other week. She was in my bathroom hanging off a jumper - EYELEVEL!!!!  The jumper has hanging on the cupboard door for which I had been in and out of for the past ten minutes.  She was probably sitting there with her front legs in the air every time I opened the door screaming "Weeeeeee....!!! Look, no hands....!!!!"

Then I clocked her, and let's just say a squeal wasn't the only thing that come out of my mouth!! I'll leave that to your imagination.  This beast was the largest I've seen in a hell of a long time (as UK spiders go, this was a dinosaur!).  So I battled my fear, and whilst sqweeming and shuddering, and saying many pleasent things to myself, spent another 10 minutes trying to usher this thing off the top of the hanger where she had perched - yes, PERCHED - until she got onto a flat area where I could put a glass over her.

I then succumbed her to some humiliating photos just for scaring the bejezzus outta me, before letting her go as far away from my house as a pjamma'd woman could get it.  All in all, I'd say it was definitely a step towards conquering my fear - and a step worthy to include in this blogfest. 

Now, I've warned all those who don't like spiders to not read on, but if you're still here, you've been warned...mwah ha ha ha...and to confirm, the glass used was a coca-cola pint glass!  I was pretty proud of this achievement :)

*Shudders....*

Spiral by Mila Ferrera

Summary
Nessa Cavanaugh, psychology student, knows how to stay on an even keel. Despite the urging of her mother and her academic advisor to get a life and have some fun, “all work and no play” sums up her plan to survive her grueling internship year at a children's hospital. She doesn't want to end up like her father, whose constant ups and downs broke her family, and avoiding unnecessary emotional entanglements is a must.
Then she (literally) runs into Dr. Aron Lindstrom in the middle of her disastrous first day on the job. The attraction is instant—and terrifying. Nessa knows she should stay away—especially when she finds out he has a reputation for being a player—but Aron is brilliant, intense, and as sexy as they come. When he challenges her to take a chance on him, her plans to stay focused on work start to crumble.

But what begins as passion takes on a dangerous edge, becoming an emotional roller coaster that’s frighteningly familiar. As things spiral out of control, Nessa must decide whether she should hold on for the ride or run … even if it means leaving her heart behind.

Check out Mila's giveaway

Rafflecopter giveaway...

And check out the other participants in this brave blogfest :)  Enjoy

Pic of the Week . . . Saara Makinen

Bonjour...

Quick post this Friday for Pic of the Week.

Introducing Saara Makinen Arsinoes from Finland and her fabulous piece, the Dark Elf Summoner. 

So enjoy and have a grand weekend.  For those in the UK, enjoy the sun while it lasts :)

A Writer's Companion...

What is it about writers and their writerly companions? 

Every writer I know - baring one or two - have companions that sit and watch them along their writers' journey.  I'm talking about pets - or even cats to be more specific.  They sit back and silently watch your struggles, your pains, your joys, before deciding that they're going to practise their feline-mind tricks in that jedi style in order to distract you and demand your attention.  Be it a simple, under-rated little chirp that does yet somehow doesn't sound like a meow, to the full 'roll-on-the-back-love-me-defy-me' mode, all writers/owners will find themselves looking from their monitors and 'awwing' whilst kitty simulates something that sounds like a purr in order to keep you in their grip.

I know many writers out there don't own cats.  They may prefer dogs, rabbits, hamsters or rats - or even horses (and some, none of the above) - but for the majority I know, it's cats.  What is it about cats and they're mystic ways?  And to prove my point, my own feline companion has just strolled in and sat on the floor.  She's done nothing else - she hasn't even looked up at me - yet I'm distracted.  Oh, and there's the meow!!! See!!  My cat is a master in the feline-jedi mind tricks.  But I digress...

So let's celebrate of all those feline writerly companions.  Here's a few piccies of mine :)



Here's Madam Daisy herself...



Here she is keeping close tabs on what I'm doing with my laptop...



Here she is pondering how I can improve...



And obviously here she is absolutely exhausted after her efforts.  It's a hard life...



Pic of the Week . . . Mario Wibisono

I've discovered a treasure.  Honestly, go and check out the gallery of Mario Wibisono.  His work took my breath away.  The way he uses soft and bold colours, his attention to detail...his imagination...!!! 

So introducing Mario Wibisono and his piece 'Redemption'.

But seriously now, spare a few minutes this weekend - if not now - and browse his gallery.  You won't be disappointed.