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Showing posts from 2010

Books Read in 2010 Statistics In All Their Glory

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aveat! This is a longer post than usual - but it's all about books. Chime in with your own opinions - I'd love to hear what everyone else has been reading. Here's the list of Books Read in 2010 , and for reference, there's also the Books Read in 2009 list, the addendum to the 2009 list , the Books Read in 2008 list, and addendum A and addendum B to the 2008 list (I must have had more days off during the holidays that year, and kept reading). Note - Thank You Contest still running! Only five new followers needed - to enter, please leave your comments on the original contest post. Books read : 92 , compared to 131 in 2009 and 101 in 2008. Though if you count three writers' houseparties over at the Compuserve Books and Writers Forum - the best writers' hangout on the web! - that ran to hundreds of thousands of words (each story read through twice), plus the beta reads, other forum writings, and so on, the number rises a little. I won't gripe, since

Books Read in 2010 Listed Here

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ooks read in 2010! Here's the full list, with all my original comments: Rainy Days With Bear by Maureen Hull (reread) A Christmas Walk by Zan Marie Steadham Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (reread before I see the movie!) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling (reread) Break on Through by Jill Murray Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks (for review) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis (reread, of course) Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau Songs of Love & Death (anthology, featuring a new short story by Diana Gabaldon) Milo - Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg (brilliant!) Facing Fire by kc dyer Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers 50 Uses For Your Cat Constantinople, City of the World's Desire by Philip Mansel The Hating Game by Talli Roland The Joy of Spooking Book One - Fiendish Deeds by PJ Bracegirdle The Cat Who Tailed a Thief by Lilian Jackson Braun Our housepart

Woo for Wednesday Contest, New Releases and Recommendations

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post on Books Read in 2010 is coming soon! Until then, Woo for Wednesday! presents... Contests, New Releases and Recommendations! 1. Three fellow bloggers are hosting contests to win copies of Helene Boudreau's Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings - a new Middle Grade novel that'll have you laughing out loud . 2. Marte Brengle has just published her grandmother Evelyn Eaton's collection of autobiographical short stories Every Month Was May . Don't forget to check out Brengle's own novel, Closed Circuit . 3. Ev Bishop has three new short stories out! 4. I've finished reading Zan Marie Steadham 's A Christmas Walk and highly recommend it. You've still got lots of time to order her first devotional, An Easter Walk . 5. Don't forget to order a copy of Legacy by Kate Kaynak , third in the Ganzfield series. I've just started and if I don't watch it, will be pulling another all nighter - I just can't put it down! Anyone

Year End Writing Wrapup

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ix days left to the end of the year on St Stephen's Day. Let's see... What have I actually done this year, writing-wise? January - At the start of the year I wrote a post called Where I'm At ; looking at it now, it's obvious how little I'd written of the novel. I didn't even have a title! And Rosa was still all mixed up with a boy called Joseph. A little later on I was excited to have written 1,000 words in one day. More importantly, January was when Baha came into the picture , thanks to an amazing exercise that Claire posted on the Compuserve Books and Writers Forum . The story was still meant to be Young Adult (YA), but the idea of Baha dying was there from the start. Ah, if only I'd known what was coming... February - A Post About Posts to Come . I'm impressed to see that I was actually getting up early and writing, as well as doing some research. Looking at my writing diary though, I see it was a matter of a mere hundreds of words per day

Chocolate and 100 Followers Contest

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ingle bells! It's Christmas Eve Eve, and I haven't written a new word in days (though over the past week I have typed up half the 10,000 words of The End that I wrote last Saturday). On the other hand, I just discovered something fun: Did you know that chocolate can be used to cure a cough? This may simply be anecdotal. However, it was precisely the sort of historical fact I was seeking. I needed something that my heroine's father might have obtained during his voyage with Christopher Columbus, something that only he could provide to help cure her husband's illness, and something which he eventually does offer, once he accepts her marriage. And now I know exactly what he brought back - cocoa beans! Rather appropriate for holiday time, no? Speaking of holidays, if you have a day off and would like to see a brilliant movie, I recommend The King's Speech . Don't think I've ever plugged a movie on this blog before, but this one is certainly worth it. Fo

Review of Regina Brooks and a Love Letter to Lord Rochester

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nly a little while ago, I entered the Dear Lucky Agent Contest . While I didn't win, I was one of the first 100 entries, and won a copy of Regina Brooks' Writing Great Books for Young Adults . Came home one day to find it on my doorstep! I don't normally read writing advice books; I can count all the ones I've read on one hand: Stephen King's On Writing , White and Strunk's The Elements of Style and Donald Maass' The Career Novelist . Yet Brooks was a pleasure to read, and would make a great gift for the beginning writer in your life; basic enough not to scare them, while covering all the essential points so that they feel well-armed and not daunted to start writing. Her style is clear and straightforward, and the book even features exercises, to help kick start your ideas. Having just completed my first/second draft, I found the sections dealing with story arcs and conclusions the most helpful. Brooks has fired me up to finish my synopsis and st

Break on Through by Jill Murray and Contests

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uestion number two: when was the last time you read a book straight through without stopping? (Question number one was a few days ago, on The Lord of the Rings ) I did today, when I read Jill Murray 's Break on Through , a fast-paced tale about six months in the life of Nadine 'Lady Six Sky' Durant, who just happens to be a breakdancer. Talk about reading outside of my comfort zone, but Jill's writing is so smooth and Nadine's voice so true, that I couldn't step away from her world for even a minute. I can't wait to read the next book, Rhythm and Blues . It felt even better doing this - that is, the guilt factor was very low - as I wrote over 10,000 words of my own yesterday. Yes, I even wrote The End. Squee! Of course, now I have to turn right around and rewrite it. The last time I read a book straight through was Alan Silberberg 's Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze , and before that, PJ Bracegirdle 's first book in The Joy of Spooking Se

Why Tahereh Should Read The Lord of The Rings

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y favourite question! Tahereh asks "YAY OR NAY on Lord of the Rings ?" and who better to answer than someone who named her blog after a J. R. R. Tolkien reference? Well, of course there are Tolkien scholars that may be more qualified - and I hope to join their ranks someday if I start my Master's degree - but for now, I'm the most Tolkien-obsessed person I know, so... Here are my top ten reasons to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings : 1. They are, in no particular order, exciting, scary, funny, lyrical, sad and satisfying all at once . And so much more. 2. Authenticity ! The languages, landscapes, histories and so on were each painstakingly created and checked for continuity by the author himself (and sometimes by his son) and form a seamless whole. 3. " Most modern fantasy just rearranges the furniture in Tolkien's attic ." It's true! Heck, even dumbledore - as a word not a name - was used by Tolkien before Rowling (others used i

Some Early Resolutions - Thank You Contest Still Ongoing

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ot much left to the year, is there? Perhaps it's time for some resolutions - writing related ones, of course! Let's see if I can break this down month by month for Out of the Water : January - a relaxed month for edits, but more research is needed February - tying up loose ends; finding missing names, filling in square brackets, lots more research March - ramped up edits; checking the themes, imagery, character arcs, and so on April - possibly another houseparty on the forum! A good time to put the MS aside a little and let it breathe. May - pick up Out of the Water again. Panic a little. Edit some more. Polish some more. June - am I ready for betas? Or shall I really put the book aside? Maybe, gasp, start work on the three or four other ideas swilling about in my brain? July - time to decide. Betas or bust! August - possible feedback from betas. Good or bad, it'll mean more edits and rewrites, no doubt. ...and I think I'll stop there. D

Thank You Contest for Followers!

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ecember is shaping up to be a month of conclusions. I'm this close *pinches thumb and forefinger* to finishing Out of the Water (before I start the final round of edits) and I'm only 11 followers away from 100. Thank you to all of you that have followed me since... looks back... 2007, when I'd started my YA, The Face of A Lion . Two complete novels and a short story later, here we are. And that's just me - all the novels and query letters and stories you've all written... NaNo or no, between us all we must have close to a billion words by now. Jessica's hosting a roundup of what everyone's up to this month and I thought it was high time I held a contest for everyone, just to say thank you! It's very simple - because I know we're all busy. Just leave a comment on this post, and as soon as I hit 100 followers, I'll hold a random draw (yes, Frodo will likely be roped in again for drawing duty) for a prize of your choice: 10$ at Amazon.ca

For Your Reading Pleasure - A Snip!

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osa dictated a few scenes to me this morning; I woke up thinking I knew exactly which scene I wanted to explore (The Ending Scene. The Last One.) but she - and her husband and father - had other ideas. I also figured out where Arcturus went when he disappeared inside the Imperial Palace. But I digress. I can't share any of those scenes as they're freshly handwritten but, inspired by Al who has a new snip on his blog , here's a piece from Out of the Water where Santiago tells Rosa how he met her mother, near London, c. 1472: "The first thing I did was befriend her father. He was as interested in me as I was in him. I spoke enough English, at least, for the two of us to ask each other questions about our homelands and the ships that came in and out of the ports every day. He had a longing in his face, I remember, listening to my adventures, of storms and tides, of new towns... "I'm not ashamed to say I played on his feelings. I added what romance I could t

Ten for Tuesday: Introduce Your Characters

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ere we have over 10 centimetres of snow and the blizzard isn't over yet! It's the perfect weather to stay indoors, wrap up in a blanket, have some cocoa... and think about your novel. More specifically, think about the story, and the characters (not the other kinds of thoughts, the when-am-I-going-to-find-an-agent and let's-see-what- Tahereh -has-to-say-today procrastinatory thoughts. She has a new website , by the way). Here are ten of my characters from Out of the Water , a historical romance that takes place in 1492-93 (credits for the photographs are here , along with a discussion on anachronisms): Rosa Magdalena : The heroine; bold, daring, outspoken yet demure. She leaves Spain with her family, becomes separated from them by misadventure, and then learns the truth of her parentage. Captured by the Inquisition, she manages to escape, only to run straight into the arms of another man. Does she have a flaw? She's slightly head strong, and doesn't take ad

A Ramble

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y thoughts seem to be everywhere today and this blog post will probably be a reflection of that. Actually, what better way to sort it all out than to write a list? 1. Congratulations to Talli! Here 's her run down of the blog splash for her amazing debut novel The Hating Game . 2. Agatha Christie answers the question , where do you get your ideas from? 3. Over on the forum we're discussing why we like or dislike certain characters in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and holding a wrap up of what we all learned from NaNo - including snips. Here's a teeny one that I shared: "I will not be beholden to my father. I'm not sure what [style of living] you are accustomed to –" He glanced at her over his shoulder, mouth quirking in a smile. "You never complain, my love, or ask for anything." He paced across the room and indicated the trunk with an open palm. "This is nearly empty; it came with the house. As did the bedding, the few candl

Congratulations to Talli!

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ongratulations Talli ! If you missed her blogsplash yesterday, you can of course still get a copy of The Hating Game , in the United Kingdom or North America . She came in at Number 24 on the Amazon UK listings and 460 on the Amazon US listings - way to go Talli! In other book news Hélène Boudreau is having a super easy contest and giving away copies of her latest Middle Grade Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings . I've been laughing out loud as I read this book - don't miss your chance to win a copy! Or, if you prefer to give, why not give to Heifer International? If you donate through the link on Worldbuilders , they'll match 50 per cent of your donation until 13 December. And you know what? You can win stuff through there too - including signed books from Diana Gabaldon, Neil Gaiman, Sam Sykes (through whom I found out about this) and many other authors. There are lots and lots of other prizes to be won, as well. Now then. Who doesn't need a good lau

Talli Roland's Take on Amazon Web Splash - The Hating Game

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elp Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers. Amazon.co.uk readers go here , and Amazon.com readers here . No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more. Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com . About THE HATING GAME: When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four

Back to Reading, Happy Sigh

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oom! Writing full on for NaNo - especially given my writing habits, which involve pen and paper, and typing it all up later - cut into all of my reading time, so that I was reduced to reading only during my commute to and from work, and one very late night, when I had to keep reading The Hating Game (look for Talli Roland 's Take on Amazon blog splash, coming Wednesday!). This past weekend, I returned to reading with a vengeance, finishing Dorothy Sayers' Clouds of Witness , kc dyer's Facing Fire , the Songs of Love & Death Anthology (featuring a new short story by Diana Gabaldon), starting A Christmas Walk by Zan Marie Steadham , Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Hélène Boudreau and The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (thanks again Jenny !), and starting and finishing  Alan Silberberg 's Milo - Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze , the second of the local author MG/YA books I picked up at the CANSCAIP meeting last month . Milo is a great char

This Is Your Brain. This Is Your Brain on NaNo.

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did nothing yesterday. Nothing. Well, I wrote and plotted in the morning, then went to work, came home and did some chores. But after that? I read three days' worth of newspapers, a magazine, a couple of short stories and kc dyer 's Facing Fire . Imagine! Reading, for pleasure! Not for research and not while wracked with guilt for not writing. On the other hand, this is exactly how the slippery slope starts. Now that NaNo is winding down, and I don't have the push of other Forum writers barrelling or crawling through the process with me, it's easy to fall back into old habits of "I'll just read a bit tonight. I can get more editing done tomorrow, if I get home from work early and we order take out." That kind of talk leads to two years or more and no finished novel in sight. What are your tips for nipping laziness in the bud? For corralling yourself back to that chair in front of your notebook/laptop? logsplash for Talli Roland 's The Hat

Got You NaNo!

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one! 51,300 words all typed and organized into the master file. Now, if only I could say the draft was complete. Not yet, by a long shot. The beginning is undergoing a major overhaul, the ending has yet to be written, and I just hope the middle doesn't fall out like the inside of a cake as I sit there holding up the sides. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the States. If you're feeling slightly overwhelmed by family and food, skip over to Margaret and Helen's and read their T hanksgiving letter to the family . First bit of advice: "If it jiggles, slap a girdle on it or leave it at home." Solvang and TerryLynn have both won the Middle Grade Giveaway ! Please send me your addresses.

Beer Bread and Character Names

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eekends are slow during NaNo, at least for me. I typed up all my words but haven't written any new ones, either yesterday or today. Distractions abound as well - for instance, would you like to play Mad Libs with your characters? Do so here ! I did wake up with a Brilliant Idea for shaking up the beginning of the novel, but the lack of words was getting me down - I'm only 3,000 away from completing NaNo early after all - so in order to feel like I'd accomplished at least one thing today, I baked Kait's yogourt beer muffins (meanwhile, part 17 of Forsaken by Shadow is up !), which turned out very yummy, and was the easiest recipe I've followed in a long time. Also, I've been thinking of character names again. I originally blogged about this back in 2008 , where I was discussing the characters in my middle grade story The Face of A Lion . Even after all that, however, I'd never found a surname for the main character Austin. A couple of months ago, how

Ceci n'est pas un NaNo post

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eering away from word counts... There I was fretting about how to frame my blog post for the day – how many NaNo blog updates can a NaNo blogger write before NaNo readers get NaNoed out? – when my trusty sidekicks/whip hands/inspirational writing friends on The Forum came through once again! Here's Sheena's post for the day , wherein she quotes yours truly. Where else but on the Forum can you segue from NaNo to lycanthropy to Doctor Who to VCRs to Medieval Europe, and survive another day, to talk about Thanksgiving and seven league boot spells? In re Doctor Who, visit the BBC page for links to archival footage featuring the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and Frazer Hines, here and here . How To Write Badly Well mentions Istanbul ! Middle Grade Giveaway is still up for grabs ! Don't forget to save a word ! Must dash... got an appointment with my notebook.

Bleary-eyed and Droopy Tailed - but My Novel Is Nearing The End

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h, NaNo. Still going strong! My schedules have gotten a bit topsy turvy, so that I'm still writing every day, but with lots of family and friend (and, oh yea, work) commitments, haven't been typing up my words nearly every day. Cracked 30,000 over the weekend but have another 6,000 to type up tonight, to bring the novel itself to c. 120,000 - the longest I've ever had. Just look at my notebook! Frodo did: Here are my 15 Authors Who've Influenced Me (per the Facebook meme, off the top of my head, without overthinking it): 1. L M Montgomery 2. Jean Little 3. J R R Tolkien 4. C S Lewis 5. John Bellairs 6. Diana Gabaldon 7. Walter de la Mare 8. Agatha Christie 9. Dorothy L Sayers 10. Marchette Chute 11. Madeleine l'Engle 12. E L Konigsburg 13. Fyodor Dostoyevksy 14. Charles Bukowski 15. James Herriott Then I added in the comments that I'd forgotten Ted Keneally, Beatrix Potter, Louisa May Alcott, Kit Pearson, Margaret Buf

NaNo and Rugby and Authors!

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es! Words, words and more words and haka! Yes, I know it's Saturday but I was up at 5.30 this morning, writing - bare minimum of NaNo words for the day. Then I typed up at least 3,000, but had to stop because I went out with friends to watch Scotland vs the All Blacks. If you haven't seen the haka yet, here's a taste . Also had a pep talk from John Green , author of the amazing Looking for Alaska , in my email - and just discovered that the brilliant Katherine Paterson has done one before as well. And what does Mr. Green say? "Go spit in the face of our inevitable obsolescence and finish your @#$&ng novel." So there you go. But if you're not writing - or watching large men on a field - head over to Kait's and read the next part of Forsaken by Shadow . And watch this space for a Talli Roland related blogsplash soon! And... enter the middle grade giveaway here . Off to type some more before my friend's party...

NaNoStupids Make for Silly Stories

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n Flanders Fields the poppies grow, between the crosses, row on row... Today is Remembrance Day, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It's also Day 11 of NaNo... Writing at this pace sometimes produces what Claire calls NaNoStupids - those phrases or words that you know you'll edit after but which seem to crop up more than usual as you write without second-guessing yourself. This morning I wrote a story based on many of those oft-repeated phrases : He looked at her. She looked at him. He frowned. She raised her brows. He turned away. She put a hand on his arm. He scowled. She rolled her eyes. He shrugged. She set her hands on her hips. He grinned. She quirked a smile. He leaned forward. She rested her fingers on his chest. He kissed her.

Fly By Post!

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hisking by to report on progress. NaNo is going superbly! At least 3000 words per day and most of the time I manage to have them all typed in the evenings. On the other hand, work has heated up, with all sorts of overtime and extra projects; isn't that always the way? I hope everyone else who's doing NaNo is also having a great time. Some that aren't have exciting news to report, like Jessica, who's going to be published - congratulations Jessica! Help her choose a title ! Thank you to everyone on the Forum for keeping me on my toes, especially the ladies of All The World's Our Page . And if you'd care to read a long snip from Out of the Water , featuring a lover's spat, please go here .

Statistics and Story Writing Fun

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tatistics on Day 6: Words typed in last five hours: 5,000 Number of times checked Facebook: 1 Number of times felt like checking Gmail/Facebook/Writer'sForum/etc. and did not: 5, and counting Days worth of newspapers caught up on in one sitting: 4 Today's discovery: while I love listening to music while writing, the set up works better if I listen to non-English music (such as Runrig , in Gaelic, or the Super Furry Animals , in Welsh) as it leaves me free to concentrate on my own words Original research for the day: listening to nightingales And so on. Total word count for week one: 12,650 In other news, the next installment of Kait Nolan's Forsaken By Shadow is up - here . And Alliterative Allomorph 'as an adventurous 'andout! By which I mean, she's hosting a contest; enter here . Meanwhile, here's a wee NaNo snip from Out of the Water, in the point of view of Rosa's love: He followed the others to the kitchen and stood by the he

Out of the Water Chapter Critique at Clarissa's! and More NaNo

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ay 3! Kristi did a fun NaNo list over on the forum, and I've created one for myself: Spanish classes skipped: 1 Lattes: 1 Cups of coffee: upwards of 10 (but that mostly because there's a symposium on at work and I get free coffee) Dinners made by me: 0 Pauses on the stairwell in the office to scribble ideas: at least 2 per day Replies given to friends and colleagues in character: 2 Dreams about writing while walking down the street: 1 Silent panic attacks: 1 Said panic attack calmed by coffee refill: 1 Scenes written that are required by the wip: 0 Scenes written that take the wip in new directions: 4 I could go on, but I'm too busy writing. Clarissa Draper has done a brilliant Chapter Critique (in her ongoing series) of a scene from Out of the Water ! Thank you Clarissa. Check it out, here . Don't forget to enter my Jean Little giveaway - and vote in Disgruntled Bear's Query Contest ! Also, How To Write Badly Well features Old Istanbul .

NaNo Update, Because It's The First Day - and Query Contest

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nother NaNo post... I'll probably only do these once a week or so, as they'll simply be word count updates. NaNo is a lot more exciting this year now that more of the Compuserve Books and Writers Community members are participating. The fact that I'm not editing but still working on the first draft of my novel might also have something to do with it, of course. However, what with work and all, I only wrote the bare NaNo minimum today, plus two words (1,669). Though I've got at least three scenes percolating in my head that I might start working on tonight! My progress is slightly hampered by my working method - I wrote all my words this morning, then typed them up as soon as I got home. Composing on the computer still doesn't work for me. I debated what else to include here. A link to a fun contest, like Terry Lynn Johnson's book giveaway or my own Jean Little giveaway ? Summer's fun Show Your Workspace Blogfest ? (I can't really show mine as i

Hallowe'en Haunts and Giveaways

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appy allowe'en! Creepy contests galore: Win a copy of Deborah Kerbel's ghost story Lure and Marina Cohen's Ghost Ride , here . Join Theresa's Hallowe'en Haunting here . Don't forget my less-creepy middle grade giveaway, here . And the latest instalment of Kait Nolan's Forsaken by Shadow is out.

Inspiration and Neighbourhood Authors!

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y best time to write is usually when I'm meant to be doing something else - working or falling asleep or in the car and on the way to meet people. Have you ever stopped in the middle of a group of friends or family and said "excuse me, I just need to write for a moment?" Perhaps that sort of thing is easier to pull off nowadays, as most people won't question you if you whip out your phone and start tapping away. The other day, Jessica asked: "You know those moments when you get a sudden wave of "Oh my God I need to write! Now!" and your skin goes all tingly? What triggers those for you?" Reading does this to me every time. A snatch of lyricism, a deftly turned phrase, the sort of word you can roll on your tongue (like my favourite, wariangle); all of these can spark an idea. Sometimes it's an image; Austin's story began when I had a vision of a boy walking the dusty road from Kusadasi to Ephesus, the sea following behind. What wou