The Girdle of Melian

have treats! For all you bloggers doing the Blogging From A to Z Challenge , I have some virtual goodies to share! I also have some lovely photos, as part of my latest Hodge Podge post: Cakes and cookies and brownies, oh my! I used a friend's brownie recipe, but my sister's brownie recipe is also a good one! ...and now, to decorate! A Valentine's Day shoe! Mm, roasted almonds Hodge Podge post No. 11! Photos from Paris, November 2019 Love and thank you to critical care workers An article about our village shop! Knitting foxes! Foxy Friends by Fiona Alice Two sweaters knit by my mother... ...and pompoms too! Finally, here's one of  Turner's painting of Thun : What are some of your favourite paintings?

t's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! April 7th's question, if you'd like to answer it, is: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work? Sometimes, is the short answer! I do try different POVs and styles, but don't approach many controversial topics. I would definitely like to try a few different forms in future, such as telling a story entirely through one person's thoughts, or a murder mystery that works backwards, or a family saga that covers many generations and decades!   Thanks to our awesome co-hosts for the April 7 posting of the IWSG!   PK Hrezo , Pat Garcia , SE White , Lisa Buie Collard , and Diane Burton ! Kait Nolan has a new book out! The prequel, Bad Case of Loving You , was recently released, and now the full novel is out! Made for Loving You A wounded warrior After the catastrophic loss of his best friend in battle, Army Ranger Tyson Brooks trades

have a post on the Insecure Writer's Group Anthology website today! All about my story in Dark Matter , "One to Another". The title comes from a song by The Charlatans , and the epigraph comes from Neil Gaiman : "Long ago, in the days when there were still fish in the oceans and cars on the roads, there lived a woman who was not afraid of governments…" Meet the authors of Dark Matter here ! Here are the stories in the anthology: Artificial by Stephanie Espinoza Villamor Space Folds and Broomsticks by CD Gallant-King Rift by Kim Mannix The Utten Mission by Steph Wolmarans Sentient by Tara Tyler One to Another by Deniz Bevan Resident Alien by Charles Kowalski Nano Pursuit by Olga Godim Resurgence by Elizabeth Mueller Vera’s Last Voyage by Mark Alpert Meanwhile, I only just found out that there was a Wales Readathon on this month! "Welcome to the third   Wales Readathon   (aka   Dewithon 21 ), a month-long event beginning on   Sai

omorrow is Tolkien Reading Day ! "T hursday 25th March is Tolkien Reading Day 2021 and the theme is  Hope and Courage . What will you be reading? What is Tolkien Reading Day? Tolkien Reading Day  is held on the 25th of March each year. The date of the 25th of March was chosen as the date on which the Ring was destroyed, completing Frodo’s quest and vanquishing Sauron. It has been organised by the Tolkien Society since 2003 to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favourite passages. We particularly encourage schools, museums and libraries to host their own Tolkien Reading Day events. March Events For this year’s Tolkien Reading Day the Tolkien Society is extremely excited to be teaming up with the  Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic  at the University of Glasgow to host and celebrate the event. We are working with the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic to create engaging and interactive social media throughout March. On the 2

oetry day is on Friday! Today's guest blogger is Beste Barki ! More difficult than dying Once we hit the age of 65, reconciling with our past becomes more of a concern. It is not possible to envision the future without examining the past. There may be those who proclaim they never look back, but they are likely not speaking the truth. After 65, commonly, the idea of dying gains permanency in the mind, for death becomes more of a relevant possibility. And haven’t we all thought more about death since the virus has taken over? It is certainly better to wear a mask, keep our distance and not hug even our loved ones than to die short of breath in a hospital bed. You may say, why tell us all this, we know it so well! I am over 65 and I feel the need to vent. People who are older, like me, are saying, “We have limited time ahead of us and this bug is stealing our precious years.” They are right, of course. Looking at personal and media photos from the past fills us with wonder at

n 25 March, it will be Tolkien reading day! “This year's Tolkien Reading Day will take place on Thursday 25th March and is themed 'Hope and Courage'. For the event the Tolkien Society is extremely excited to be teaming up with the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic at the University of Glasgow to host and celebrate the event. The Tolkien Reading Day is held every year on the 25th March and aims to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favourite passages.” I just learned that Walter Hooper passed away in December, rest in peace. It was 200 years ago last month that John Keats passed away. I blogged a while ago about my visit to Keats' home near Hampstead Heath. And now I bring you... Writers on the Moon !   125 Writers on the Moon and 8 Official Stowaways! Here are a few blog posts by Sue describing all the behind-the-scenes efforts that went into making this happen: "The  Official README file  that w

oday is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day!  I’ve got photos of our first trip in six months, to a wee village only an hour or so away. But first, the March 3 question: Everyone has a favourite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice? Ooh, I read widely! I read romance and thrillers and historicals and romances outside my own time periods, and I read lots and lots of Middle Grade and YA. Plus short stories, classics, novels in other languages... My favourite thing is to follow up on authors and stories mentioned by other authors and in other stories! The awesome co-hosts for the March 3 posting of the IWSG are Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen   Jacqui Murray,   Chemist Ken,   Victoria Marie Lees,   Natalie Aguirre,  and  JQ Rose ! Very excited about our upcoming IWSG publication! Dark Matter: Artificial An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Antho