Jamie from Mithril Wisdom!, Book Blog Olympics, Brenda Novak, and ROW80

amie from Mithril Wisdom is here!

Hi Jamie! I've got a few questions for you...

Where do you do most of your writing? What do you need to help you write?


I don't really have a dedicated writing space, sadly. It's wherever I can sit with my laptop at the moment. I have to have a full mug of coffee though, that's a given. No coffee, no words on the page.


Which is the most embarrassing song, book, movie or TV show that you love?


Ooh, I've got plenty! Almost anything cheesy and made in the 80s hits my top list immediately. Right now though there's a kid's show in the UK called Horrible Histories that I think is amazing.


[I loved the mini history they did during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant]


Favourite literary character not your own?


Sam Vimes from Terry Pratchett's Discworld. He's so grumpy but at the same time can't help but be the good guy.


Which scenes are hardest for you to write?


The beginning, middle and end ones! More specifically though, I suck at writing romantic scenes and I try to avoid them wherever possible.


[I'll gladly trade you for my action sequences!]


What's the weirdest thing you've researched?


Ancient Egyptian vampires and blood ritual. It was the topic for both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees. There's some 30,000 words on the subject if anyone cares to wade through it all.


What's your earliest memory related to writing?


Back when my parents got their first computer, an Amstrad Word Processor, I wrote a haunted house story that was the kind of ridiculous that only a child could create. It even ended with "and then I woke up. It was all a dream."


Tea or coffee?


Always coffee, but I am partial to a good old British cup of tea.


Who was the last person that haunted you?


I tend not to get haunted; I don't think my life is that interesting. I have a friend who has no concept of time and who calls me at insane hours of the day, if that counts.


Who is your favourite author? Who inspired you to write?


My favourite author would probably be Terry Pratchett; his world, his characters and hit wit are amazing. The person who inspired me to write was Christopher Paolini, though I've yet to read his books. As a kid I remember reading an article about a 15-year old who got a book deal and international success and I thought "you can do that at that age? I'm getting me a piece of that!" I've been writing for years before that, though I considered it doodling with words rather than 'writing'.


[Would you believe I haven't read any Pratchett yet? Guess I'd better move it up the wishlist pile...]


Do you have a favourite writing-related quote?


The best piece of advice I got was from Mark Twain: "Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and your writing will be just as it should be."


[I tried that with a find/replace once - it really helped!]


Where would you most like to travel?


I think Peru would be an awesome place to travel, especially walking through the ruins of older civilizations. That kind of stuff amazes me.

Thanks for having me!

Thank you, Jamie! If anyone else has questions, ask away!

Jamie's hosting a giveaway at the moment actually, to celebrate reaching 350 followers!

Who doesn't love a smooth, empty-page-filled notebook? And a Welsh potion (!), how can you go wrong?

Speaking of free, Brenda Novak's latest novella is free on her website!

And then there's me and my ROW80 update - the writing's going well, on Fred and Lyne's story. And I had some favourable responses and help, for Rosa and Baha's story, over at Flogging the Quill.

Hope everyone else had a great writing and reading week!

Don't forget to enter the Book Blog Olympics! The next entry is for "best alternate ending for a YA book" - a lot tougher than it sounds, at least for me.

How about messing with From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler: "...and Claudia wrenched control of the Rolls Royce from the chauffeur, and embarked on a mad road trip across the States, staying at all sorts of museums along the way, until she got to the book depository and ran into a time travel who said 'Stephen King sent me here. So she went forward to the 21st Century and tweeted her adventures.'"