The Girdle of Melian

ly-by post! Funny how last week I was too busy with real life to do some editing, but managed to keep up with other stuff, while this week I was busy, but actually got some edits done (inching closer to submitting that short story to Surrey! Deadline is September 18th!). I'm getting used to a new commute, which gives me marginally more reading time, which is always nice. Currently recommending this new release to everyone: Going Back by T. L. Watson "After the meltdown of her marriage, Jessica Pierce is ready to get on with her new life. She moves to Pax Island, where she spent carefree childhood summers, in hopes of creating some waves in her flat existence. Kissing a mysterious stranger before speaking to him adds a nice ripple. Falling into bed with the guy before knowing his name is closer to a tsunami. There's something so familiar about the man, even after she learns his unfamiliar name. He makes her comfortable in her own skin. He makes her laugh. H...

ello! Waving from our new village -- we've moved house! I hope to have a post up soon showing some local sites. We're a nine-minute train ride from the city but it feels much further. It's oh so quiet (remember that Björk song?). Here are a couple of teaser photos, though our village is above this one, and not directly on the lakeshore: The move and all that entails didn't leave much time for writing, but that's not really an excuse, because I found time enough to finish reading an engrossing story: La Vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert by Swiss author Joel Dicker . August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence. Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country's most respected writers, and to find a cure ...

ross-posting to the neglected knitting blog today! With all the excitement on the writing front, and busy real life, knitting has slid onto the back burner. I see intriguing patterns, and have family and friends with new babies, but can't seem to get a project started that's larger than one square to donate to a group project: Starting out... Oh no, I made a mistake and have to tink (unknit)... Whew! Managed to finish a square! Now for the inspection... I'm also still compiling knitting-in-public images and references, as I see them. One of the more recent was a portrait of a knitter in Maison Tavel, the oldest house in Geneva: Also came across a website listing 46 Interesting Facts About Knitting , including about its origins and history: "In the 1350s, 'knitting Madonnas' began to appear in Europe, depicting the Virgin Mary knitting. These include Our Lady Knitting (c. 1325–1375) and Visit of the Angel (1400–1410). The...

rganization! One of the things I used to use this blog for often was as an info-dump for upcoming writing projects, yearly goals, 30 Things I Want To Do , and so on. If they're written down, my brain feels less frazzled. I've got three such lists today: Simmering on the Back Burner Writing Projects (not counting items already started): 1930s father 1930s Springsteen 1920s hotel/class-crossed lovers Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress possible Lord Rochester romance Seeing-colours dystopian Blog Tasks: Update all the photos in old posts Compile posts 500 to today, the way I did for posts 1-500 during the celebrations for my 500th post Related to the above, I'd like to keep track of all my book reviews (see intern list below) Finish visiting everyone that came by on Blog Blitz Day and keep up with the blog roll Re-sync with FB and tumblr and Ello and Pinterest Consider adding tags Prepare guest posts for Tolkienist, Tolkien L...

euchatel! Life is intruding again but it seems to benefit the blog as I get to share lots of photos! These are from a day trip to the town of Neuchatel last month: At the train station  An ad for Appenzeller cheese. I think it says "the tangiest/most full-bodied secret in Switzerland". Town centre  Town centre  Town centre, below the castle  Beginning the walk up...  Fountain  Up the winding road...  Still climbing, now facing the dungeon tower  Through the arch...  View from the top  Looking out on the dungeon tower  1685! Parts of the castle are even older, at least 12th Century Collegial church  Altar  I really like the expression on the face on the left Leaving the church  The castle  Castle entrance  Very steep street!  The steps of the steep street  ...

ampNaNoWriMo was a success! I was about to add "relatively speaking" but I just realised that today is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day ! In honour of the occasion, I refuse to feel guilty over all the editing I am not doing, and instead focus on all the ROW80 goals I've accomplished this summer, some set in advance and some unexpected but exciting. Since June, with regard to writing and transcription goals , I have: Beta read two novels (not counting additional synopsis or query letter or scene-related assistance) Written a short story (One to Another) Provided my contributions to a joint novel I'm writing (s l o w l y) with family members ( The Horror of Horhor ) Typed up over 10,000 words on Larksong (my 2014 NaNo novel), with only 10,000 left to go Provided brief copy edits on a self-published novel Submitted two requested reviews and reviewed a handful of other books read Finished typing up another batch of Wallace correspondence transcript...

ini book reviews! But first, if you missed Misha Gerrick's blog tour stop here last week, please drop by! She's got some fascinating facts about spectacles and tea in history. Zan Marie 's great at these mini book reviews. I find them a relief when I'd like to showcase a book (or have volunteered to do so) but for various reasons can't go on at length. I've got four reviews today! Tolkien at Exeter College by John Garth Published as a monograph with the help of Exeter College, this new text on Tolkien's undergraduate studies includes previously unseen pictures by and of Tolkien. Vividly told, and despite its short length gives enough detail to ground the reader in the language and customs of the time. A great introduction for those looking to read biographies other than Carpenter's and move on from this monograph to Garth's longer work about Tolkien in World War I. There are some story possibilities surrounding one acquaintance of...