And Now For Something Completely Writing Unrelated . . .

Before 2.30 this morning, I had no topic to blog about. Then, in the shadow of the night, something woke me and that all changed.

Out of nowhere, the wind picked up, a huge gale blew through our village, pelting our windows with hail and rain to the extent I thought our windows would break. This

lasted for about three minutes and then it all died away to nothing. Very odd. There are even rumours of lightning too but I must have missed that.

Suspicion: Tornado/Funnel cloud

Funnel Cloud over Pembrokeshire, Wales

I love weather, and the worse the better. I'm well aware of the devastation it can cause, and am truly sympathetic to the victims left in its path - but I can't help watching every time a storm blows through, or as spectacular cloud formations brew in the skies. Where am I during thunderstorms? Against the window with my nose pressed against the glass.

I love it. Can't help it. And there's something soothing about listening to the gentle sound of rain.

We do get tornadoes in the UK, but nothing like the monsters that rip through the US. Most of the time these tornadoes don't touch down, leaving us with just funnel clouds, but it can still kick up wind and havoc as it sweeps through. I've sat on the coast line in Devon and watched waterspouts come in before disappearing over land, and we've seen random funnel clouds snake their way by.

Whether this was a tornado or a funnel cloud, I don't know, but it created havoc in our garden. Not much by any means, but enough. Plants have been blown over, garden furniture strewn across the lawn, and the remaining leaves on our walnut tree at the back are now blanketing the grass and our cars.

Still, clearing this up gives my hubby something to do on his day off.

And to add another twist to the tale, there I was this morning, standing in our kitchen eating a banana and surveying the mess, when a little weasel decided to scurry across the lawn and along our fence. I've not seen a weasel in our garden before and this made my day. So sweet - although I wouldn't like to get my fingers too close to it...

Have any of you experienced Tornadoes in your area? Share your tales.

Plans for NANO . . .

Firstly, what do you think of the blog's new look? I was a little bored of the old look so decided to freshen it up.

This year, I've decided to take part in Nanowrimo. Normally during the month of November, I've used the hype to push the word count of a current project along as opposed to writing 50k words on something new. This year, however, I've decided to put effort into pastures new.

I've blogged about my supernatural horror, Rose Black, before when I had visions of writing it then, but it never took off. It's a perfect project for Nano though. So here's tiny a recap.

She's a victim of a serial killer but doesn't realise this until years later when a group of paranormal investigators release her from the spectral hold on her. Alone and confused, she attaches herself to this group, but when one of their investigations inadvertently opens a portal to something dark, Rose realises she is the only one who can fight this. She has to confront her biggest fear or watch as her new friends succumb one by one to this consuming darkness.

50k words in 30 days? Challenge accepted.

I've tried Nano before. Tunnel was originally a Nano story but I had a car accident half way through which left all my plans high and dry. I still finished it though - and published it on Amazon - but the 50k/30day thing didn't happen. This year all my efforts will be put towards writing, so I'm not leaving the house - ever - so I certainly won't be driving.

Also, watch this space come Halloween. In celebration of this spooky season, I'll be running a promotion on all my ebooks. Keep an eye on here and be sure to catch a spooktacular bargain... (see what I did there...??)

'Till next time, have fun :)

I Just Watched The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance...

I guess the title of this blog post kind of gives it away but guess what! I just watched The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix and Oh My God!!!

I remember watching the original film when I was young and it scared the living bejesus out of me. I never saw it again because of that, but then just as the age of DVD's starting dawning, I saw a copy of it on a trip to Switzerland and had to buy it for old time's sake. Unfortunately I had no idea what area codes were on DVDs back then so when I got it home to the UK I couldn't watch it. I was so disappointed.

Then Netflix announced they were making a prequel as a series, and with it put the original up, so I was there. I love the original, with all its Gelflings and Skeksis, and it was no where near as scary as I remember, but then I'm not six years old anymore (I don't actually know how old I was when I first watched it, but know I was fairly young - born in 1980). Yeah, it's full of your typical tropes, of chosen ones and prophecies, but it was released back in 1982 when those things probably weren't considered as tropes, and the whole thing is so endearing. And the puppetry design by Brian and Wendy Froud is brilliant

I've always been a big fan of Brian and Wendy Froud, and not just because of their work on the Dark Crystal and, of course, the Labyrinth with David Bowie (their son, Toby, played Toby in this film, in case you didn't know). Back when I used to blog Pic of the Week every Friday, I featured Froud (here) and was absolutely thrilled when they left a comment. I felt like I had been contacted by an A-lister! It seriously made my day.

So anyway, the fabulously talented duo were back doing what they do best on the Age of Resistance series, and wow. Just wow! They kept the puppetry work so don't expect any amazing Matrix CGI stunts but the work they put into it was amazing, and it still keeps the original 1982 endearing feel and all its charms that fans love so much - including me. I was blown away. And it didn't scare me this time :). Definitely worth a watch.

Well done, Netflix. Well done.

By the way, if anyone wants to by me a Christmas (or even birthday) gift, I wouldn't mind a little Fizzgig :)

Marvel-ous Endeavours . . .

I don't think I've blogged this before, so forgive me if I have. Thought I'd share some of the creative things I've been up to beside editing.

A while back I felt a little artistic and put together this little Marvel piece. It's done in ink and is A3 size. It took quite a while to do, and I did make a little error (in ink) that put me off it for a while, but I eventually forced myself back and I completed it. I am proud of it, but then I'm biased (and that error still glares are me but I think I hid it well. I'm not telling you where it is).

Anyway, while having a little down time in editing, I decided to put together a DC one too, pictured beneath the first. It's a work in progress, same size and currently in pencil, so any errors can easily be erased. I'll eventually go over it in ink like the first, and when that happens I'll post pictures of the final piece. Hopefully there won't be errors in ink like last time...😠

Marvel

DC - work in progress

RIP Rutger Hauer . . .

I heard the news yesterday that Rutger Hauer has died. This is very sad.

My first encounter with Rutger Hauer on the screen remains, to this day, one of my favourites. He's starred in many films and shows throughout his acting career, including 'Blade Runner'. I loved that film growing up, and who could forget that brilliant, iconic speech at the end?

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."

But this wasn't my first encounter. I was born in 1980 and Blade Runner first come out in 1982 so I didn't see it until many years later but my first encounter was seeing him in 'Ladyhawke', a medieval fantasy starring him, Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick.

I fell in love with that film back then and it still remains a nostalgic favourite today. Yes, it hasn't dated too well (that synth soundtrack still sounds like some cheesy 80's masterpiece) but the tragic story line of cursed lovers, he a wolf by night and she a hawk by day so they can never meet, stole my young heart. And who couldn't love Navarre! I'm sorry but I still watch him caped in black and sitting upon his impressive steed today, and it still makes me go slightly weak at the knees. 

I was more a film kid than a cartoon kid growing up, and there are a few films I remember falling in love with back then that I attribute to my love of fantasy today (the horror came later), and Ladyhawke sits right there at the top of the list. So I'm deeply saddened by the passing of a childhood hero...

Blood, Gore, Murder, and Jane Austen

I've just finished reading 'The Death Pit' by Tony Strong, published back in 1999. It centres around Terry Williams, an Academic who travels to Scotland to research a victim of the Scottish Witch Trials back in the late 1700's for her thesis, and finds herself thrown into the world of murder, witchcraft, torture and human sacrifices. It was pretty gory in places, which I don't actually mind being a horror fan.

Anyway, at the weekend I had a cull of my book mountain, deciding to get rid of books I've read and really don't need to keep, and books I've acquired and will probably never read. I only made a small dent in my collection but (more importantly, and to the single raised eyebrow from my husband) I've made room for MORE! And whilst doing this, I decided which book I fancied reading next.

My fictional mountain consists of a wide variety of genres. They say 'to better yourself as a writer, you need to read far and wide outside your genre'. My favourite writer is Stephen King. That's no secret, and the entire bookshelf/shrine overflowing with his work can attest to that. I also read fantasy, with the likes of Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence, to name a few. Then there's the thrillers, the comedies, adventures, and historical. There's a few.

So, what book is next on my list? One that's a far cry from blood, gore, and murder, that's for sure. Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'. I do confess to being an Austen fan. I own a few of her classics
but this one become hidden behind the masses of fictional horror and intrigue and has never been read. The spine isn't even creased! So, I had to change that.

I started reading it today, beginning with the small biography of Austen at the front, and to my surprise, today, 18th July, is the actual day she died back in 1817! Today! She died in Winchester, UK, and her brother, Henry, oversaw the publications of her last pieces, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

I felt a little choked after realising this, and wondered what forces made me pick up this book after owning it for so long and remembering her on the day she died...

So tonight, I'll be raising a glass (or a cup of tea) and sitting back, remembering her, whilst reading one of the last books she ever wrote.

Here's to Jane Austen...

Writing Update . . .

It's been a wee while since I last gave an update on my creative endeavours, so I thought today is as good as any to bore you all.

I won't lie. Writing my current piece, Blood for Blood, has been hard, much harder than any of the other books in the series (none of which are published). This dark fantasy follows Reagan, a female assassin, who discovers that her current target has a connection to the murder of her father when she was a child, and seizes the opportunity to investigate rather than kill him, regardless of the wrath that falls upon her from her employees.

Whilst devising this story many many moons ago, it was going to be just as above, a bog standard story about a girl hunting her father's murderers, but it's evolved sooo much since those days. Yes, this is the basic premise for the story, but there is a reason this is 'DARK fantasy', and as horror writing scarily comes naturally to me, the dark element soon found its way in. I didn't have a problem with this at all. I really liked the twist it gave the story. It also gave the back story depth and fit in well with the rest of the series.

But suddenly I felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew. I felt out of my depth and a simple story suddenly turned complicated. I think that's when I started to struggle with it. It wasn't my enthusiasm for the story. That was still there, thick and fast. I think more than anything it was my confidence, and I began to question whether I was good enough to carry something this complicated off.

When that wall hits your confidence, it hits hard.

I even got to the stage where I felt I needed a break from it, and started planning my next WIP. But I inevitably went back, persevered, and finished it about two months ago with a word count of 120k. Not bad, all things considered.

I've now started editing it. It needs a lot of work and you can tell the areas I struggled with, and even though I've convinced myself that yes, I am good enough to pull this off, I can't help but sit back, look at the entire thing and think "ugh...can I really do this?"

The answer is yes. I know I can. There's also a sequal that's banking on this story to be completed. So deep breath and here we go...