The Girdle of Melian

uess what! After a five-year hiatus, I'm doing the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge ! My theme is all about fellow bloggers over the years: interviews, blogfests, blog hops, and all the other fun stuff we've done together! I've also signed up for CampNaNoWriMo , so that I can finish my story from NaNoWriMo! April will be busy... My last A Round of Words in 80 Days post was at the start of the month. Let's see how things are going: Overall goal list and my goals for ROW80 : Keep up with blogging and thelitforum (plus the reading, knitting, baking, etc.!): I'm keeping up! I owe some comments but I will try to make the rounds more rregularly during the A to Z The current WiP is The Future in Time (contemporary mystery, Christianne and Rory (third sequel), written NaNoWriMo 2021) I didn't finish it during NaNo, so I was editing or reworking a scene a day in January and February, then reached the point where I didn't have any scenes le...

riday is Tolkien Reading Day! "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." The theme for Tolkien Reading Day 2022 is "love and friendship". The book I've chosen, Mr. Bliss , features friendship, and is also one that was published by Priscilla Tolkien , who passed away last month. "Priscilla Tolkien has died at the age of 92. She passed away peacefully on 28 February 2022 after a short illness. The Tolkien Society sends its deepest condolences to the Tolkien family and all Society members who knew Pri...

elebrate your software! This will be a repost from some years ago, of a guest post I wrote for A Round of Words in 80 Days ! But first, RIP Mark Lanegan . I knew him best from Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age, plus the Manic Street Preachers song Blank Diary Entry . Turns out there are many more pages in that book to discover! The Screaming Trees album Sweet Oblivion features on my playlist for The Charm of Time , since main character Rory is a lifelong fan of the classic grunge bands. I can't believe grunge is now classic; how time flies! And now, the repost! The Library in English , here in Geneva, Switzerland, recently held its annual spring book sale. I picked up a small pile of books — who could resist? Among my finds was a book called The Complete Works of Lord Byron : It’s about as long as my forearm and as wide as my shin, a real doorstop of a book; hardcover, of course. But the feature I’d like to talk about is its publication date: 1835....

heck-in time! I last shared my goals for A Round of Words in 80 Days in January. Here they are with updates: Overall goal list and my goals for A Round of Words in 80 Days: Keep up with blogging and thelitforum (plus the reading, knitting, baking, etc.!): I'm keeping up! I know I owe some comments! Check all "writing to do" and type up all notes on paper and collate all story ideas and ideas from dreams, and all story drafts and research and Save to Scrivener notes in my emails, ideally into my lovely new Kate Davies journal... Organize all Scrivener files: Er, this is moving very slowly, but I'm happy to report that it is moving. My gmail labels are getting more organized by the day! Figure out what to do with the orts, such as the CampNaNoWriMo2015 story The Heathen in the Hold, and others, including items such as this post-apocalyptic story idea I wrote in 2010, based on a dream, the idea mentioned in my 2016 recap, and all other such half-formed notion...

ahoo! It's 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! You ready? Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! March 2 question - Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not? The awesome co-hosts for the March 2 posting of the I...