The Girdle of Melian

ishlists! I shared a wishlist a couple of years ago and, as I've racked up a few items since then, thought I might share one again. I've gotten all the items on my 2012 list except two: Mugs and coffee from TimPeaks , which was (sort-of) started by Tim Burgess of the Charlatans. A subscription to the Sunday New York Times . Or even the Telegraph or the Guardian . It costs about 1000 dollars to receive each one in Geneva. Scary. There's always at least one Tolkien item on my wishlist; this year it's the latest editions of some of his short stories, with new commentary, from the official Tolkien book shop. A colouring book from artist Pete McKee ! And the last item on my list is a coffee table. Not just any table, though. I need a flat surface that's about the width of a sheet of printer paper, which hovers nearby. Mainly so that when I'm settled with book (or notebook or iPad) and baby, I have a convenient place to rest my coffee mug. No...

logging buddies! I'm so far behind in comments! Thank you all for coming by and commenting on my last few posts. I'm going to try visiting many of you today and as I do, I thought I'd highlight a few here: Zan Marie at In the Shade of the Cherry Tree features an interview with brilliant author Joanna Bourne today! I love what Jo says here: "I want happy endings. I want heroes and heroines. I want brave, clever, principled characters who behave well under difficult circumstances. So I write Romance." Pam at A Novel Woman shares photos, hilarious stories, and makes Montreal look good! Forgotten Bookmarks gives away a collection of vintage books every week. Ayak is an English lady living in Turkey; she blogs about her experiences at Ayak's Turkish Life . She's also a rescuer and caretaker of abused street/stray dogs. Please donate if you feel inclined! Then there's Trisha , who's rescuing cats! Pop Sensation has a great time showcas...

ooks galore! I've been reading a lot in the last week or so. Here are a few of the books and stories: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer I tweeted about this yesterday and today. I'm always impressed by writers who can take real life and distill it into a lesson, a moral, a story . I tend to find it hard to connect the dots of real life events. Amanda does it brilliantly. Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman A brilliant retelling of the classic fairy tale. Isn't it sad that when, in the middle of the tale, he writes "Gretel and Hansel" it jumps out at you? Why does the boy's name tend to come first? The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman Another retelling, of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty's stories. I love what he did with Snow White's character. I do wish dwarfs had been pluralised dwarves, but I guess they're not the same creatures as Tolkien's dwarves. Really intriguing spin on Sleeping Beauty's tale. A...

ational Novel Writing Month is here! It's also Insecure Writer's Support Group 's Day, and so, inspired by Tina Hayes' NaNo Survival Kit and Lauralynn Elliott's post on Tools of the Trade , I'm sharing my own Writing Survival Kit: 1. My favourite pen and a brand new notebook. The notebook can't be too shiny and pretty though; the more attractive it is, the more I worry that my words won't be good enough for its pages. Many times I'll start writing from the back of the notebook and only return to the front pages once I'm in the swing of a story and more confident in its development. Hence: 1b. Do what works for you. There's lots of advice out there for writers, but none of it seems to come with the important caveat that a writer need not follow any of it. Use all the -ly words you wish, while typing your novel on the back of a truck in the wind (a la John Cleese in that Monty python sketch), just do what works. That said, 2. Get the ...

hoto day! I've got a few snapshots of our weekend trip to Bern, Switzerland's capital. The river Aare One of the many bears of Bern, the symbol of the city A lovely courtyard The founder of Bern, across from the Theatre A house Einstein lived in Mountains rising above the mist on Lake Leman View of the lake from the train, headed towards Lausanne Bern Old Town, a UNESCO heritage site The Zytglogge, a 12th century clock with moving parts, renovated in the 15th century This week I also learned about William Tell. Everyone knows that image of the father shooting an apple of the son's head with an arrow, but I had no idea it was a legend about the founding of Switzerland, 700 years ago! Here's the Wikipedia version: "The legend as told by Tschudi (ca. 1570) goes as follows: William Tell, who originally came from Bürglen, was known as a strong man, mountain climber, and an expert shot with the crossbow. In his...

over reveal! Very excited to be featuring Medeia Sharif today: VITAMINS AND DEATH by Medeia Sharif YA Contemporary, Prizm Books Release Date December 10, 2014 Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother’s briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High. Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, Deidra thinks no one will figure out they’re the Battles from recent news and that they’re safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed her life. Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out...

ooks galore! I've got three reviews today, starting with Brenda Novak 's A Matter of Grave Concern (isn't that a great title? Read the blurb and you'll see why!) "When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He's worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang's conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but Max knows he must gain Jack's trust. He's determined to find out what happened to Madeline -- and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could earn. Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must procure the necessary ...