The Girdle of Melian

logging Buddies! Once upon a time, when I fell behind on blog commenting, I did a roundup post highlighting fellow bloggers ! I am finally catching up again today! Here are just a few of the lovely bloggers I've visited: Hilary (history and travel and fun stuff!) Jeff at From a Rocky Hillside (travel and history and faith and books!) Alex Cavanaugh (blogging ninja!) The Insecure Writer's Support Group , celebrating 15 years! Literary Rambles (spotlighting children's book authors, agents, and publishing!) Roland Clarke (lots of stories!) Romance Book Haven (fun author interviews!) Staircase Wit (lots of books!) I also have a few teaser photos from Oxonmoot , the annual event of the Tolkien Society. I'm always grateful that they offer a hybrid option, and we get to join online! There were so many great talks, as always, and I'm glad not to miss out. A question from the quiz! Brian Sibley sharing some of his memorabilia with us Quiz nigh...

utumn! Autumn is here in this corner, with a week of rain and a drop in the temperature. Why am I talking about the weater? Because there's so much else to do! We moved house, so there's been lots of packing and unpacking and all the admin and legwork. I hope to share photos of thelibrary soon! Work continues to be busy. The kids are back at school! I'm editing a short story that miiiiiight get into an anthology! I'm writing a few other fan fiction stories. I have a crafting nook in the new house! And with the autumn weather, I hope to cast on a new knitting project... And lots more! I'm going to try to share a lot of book recommendations next week, and reviews! I do have a few photos from the last couple of weeks of summer: Hummingbird moth on phlox! Pavlova made by a friend!  Butterfly! Clathrus ruber!   Mountie on moving day! Are seasons changing where you are? Do you have seasonal plans?

nniversary ISWG Day! Insecure Writer's Support Group Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! The awesome co-hosts for the September 2 posting of the IWSG are Kate Larkinsdale , SE White , JS Pailly , Olga Godim , and   Natalie Aguirre ! Every mo...

here There's Life, my short story that might be headed for the moon! I posted about this story last year and I still haven't properly updated the Writers on the Moon page. Soon, I swear! Here's what I said then: I've been so busy sharing photos, I haven't updated my writing To Do lists in a while. I'm still drafting quite a bit of fan stories, but one project I keep putting off is choosing a short story to add to... The paperback of Where There's Life ! The Writers on the Moon project is back on (I need to update all the info!), and I'd love to have this story available in paperback, too, but need to add a second story and make it a collection, to meet the minimum word count. Meanwhile, the e-version of the story headed for the moon is only 99 cents! You inherit a library card for the Library at Alexandria, and decide to try and visit. What might you learn there, about your past—and your hopes for the future? Where There's Life by ...

ongs of Summer! A while ago, we had a Songs of Summer blogfest. I looked at my old post and it was riddled with other things in and around the songs, so the time has come for a new post! The original guide was: "Post your top five favorite summer songs, and explain why they're you're favourites. My songs at the time (three songs and two albums) were: The Divine Comedy - The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count It's about summer! What more could you ask for? "I'm in love with the summertime..." Margarita, by Whisky Trench Riders Romance by the sea... Idlewild - You Held the World In Your Arms You know how sometimes you hear a song and you have no idea what it is or who sings it but you must find out? This happened to me over a decade ago with this band, with this song. And it was summertime! Sezen Aksu - the album Gülümse The first song on this album was a huge hit in Turkey many summers ago, and Sezen Aksu herself is one of...

ook reviews! I'm going to try to collate a fewof my short reviews from the past few months. This doesn't cover all the books we've all been reading, because it's so difficult to keep up with the Books Read list! Among other books (and lots of comic book rereads, Far Side, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin, Asterix, etc), older kiddo is reading The Mysterious Benedict Society series and younger kiddo is reading the Animorphs series. The last post in the Books Read series was a month ago! We loved the Buttons McGinty series by Rhys Darby, and really loved all the Patrice Lawrence we read. Katherine Applegate, Martha Wells, TJ Klune , Louise Penny, Catherine Mack... I'd recommend them all for summertime reading! Or wintertime cosy reading if you're not in summer. Lots of great Canadian authors to add to that list, too! Kait Nolan 's latest is releasing this weekend! The final book in the Hatterwick Island series; each book can be read as a standalone...

oday is ISWG Day! Insecure Writer's Support Group Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! The awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence , Diedre Knight , Liza , and Pat Garcia ! Every month, we announce a question...