The Girdle of Melian

art two of Lac Leman photos! We visited Rolle at the end of September: I only have one ROW80 goal this week: decide what to do during NaNoWriMo! Do I edit Larksong and Druid's Moon ? Do I type up the WWI story from last year's NaNo? Do I start a new story? Or do I continue the story I started during Camp NaNo in August? Must choose... I've been listening to something interesting while I work. I discovered the Ambient Mixer website through Kait Nolan , and am enjoying it more than I thought I would! You can listen to all sorts of background sounds, from a quiet library (scratching quill pens!) to a ship at sea (waves on the hull! ship's bell!) to zombies attacking (this would be a great background sound for a Hallowe'en party) and much more. You can also create your own! I've made a pub by the seashore , with a fireplace and a train in the distance. And a bit of medieval music... Which sounds would you love to have in the backgroun...

ew anthology! The Insecure Writer's Support Group hosts are holding a contest! "A short story competition with the top ten stories getting published in an anthology. (Authors will also receive royalties on sales.) Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer's Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free. Word count: 5000-6000 Theme: Alternate History/Parallel Universe. That’s right, we’ve decided to go the speculative route. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines, except erotica or graphic violence. Story deadline: November 1st 2015 How to enter: Send your polished, formatted, previously unpublished story to TheIWSG at gmail dot com before the deadline passes. Make sure to include your contact details. Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges ....

ore holiday tales! Talli Roland has a new story out: Christmas at Cranberry Cottage "With a whirlwind lifestyle travelling the world, the one thing Jess Millward relies on is Christmas with her gran in cosy Cranberry Cottage. When her grandmother reveals the house is directly in the path of a new high-speed railway, Jess is determined to fight. Can Jess save the cottage from demolition, or will she have no home to come to this Christmas?" I read this last weekend, and recommend it! It's just the right blend of heartwarming but not sappy, and was all the more poignant as it made me think of my maternal grandmother, who passed away last spring. Thanks for the warm and fuzzy feelings, Talli! I'm cross posting to the knitting blog today, because my ROW80 goals have gotten somewhat skewed. I've got some notes and those five pages of Larksong still to type, Druid's Moon notes to check and editing to do, and NaNo to plan for, but instead I've ...

urovision! The annual song contest is now accepting entries in one of the very preliminary rounds: selection of the national song that will go on to the official contest. Switzerland has a brilliant option this year: Meant to Be by Swiss Army . Click on the link to have a listen, add it to your favourites (no need to log in! Clicking on "favourite" simply helps keep it at the top of the list on the songs page) and stay tuned for updates regarding voting! Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group day! When are we not insecure? I was drawing up a weekly schedule for myself as part of the latest round of ROW80, and after work and family time, it looks like I have one hour each night (between 9 and 10, if I go to sleep at 10, and I should, to keep up my energy and get a proper rest!) to Do Things. Things = writing, editing, reading, blogging, knitting, the Compuserve Forum, Twitter, etc. The same hour on weekends, plus anywhere from 1 to 4 hours during the da...