Express Yourself - Fun in the sun!

                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Express Yourself meme is a weekly jaunt brought to you by Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books. At the beginning of the month the girls will post a gadget with a list of topics, something different for each week. Make sure to head on over to either of these blogs to check out the details more fully and see who else is taking part.

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weeks topic of conversation: What are you looking forward to in August?

Two weeks off work! I can't remember the last time I had two whole weeks off work, and I'm slightly worried that I won't want to go back. I'll be spending some quality time with my daughter during the school summer holidays, and I need to think of some fun and cheap activities to keep us both occupied. I'm hoping the weather will be nice so we can go to the beach!

Any ideas for keeping a five year old amused would be greatly welcomed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club - Chapters 15-28: Brothers, sisters and spiders

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's time for the second round up of A Song of Ice and Fire in our A Game of Thrones Book Club. Joining me is our excellent host, mithrilwisdom.com, Allison at Geek Banter and Ria at Bibliotropic.

Make sure you head on over to see their thoughts on the book so far and answers to this weeks questions.

This week we are discussing spiders, brothers and sisters ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Jamie:

Littlefinger and Varys banter really well with one another; I love their back and forth as they try to outdo one another. Who do you prefer and why?

My preference is for Littlefinger, at least at this stage of the 'game'. We've seen more of his back story, and know of his history with House Stark and his particular fondness for Catelyn. To all involved he appears to be on their side, and I'm rather fond of the Starks myself so anyone who is helping them in any way is alright by me.
I do enjoy that we know so little of Varys right now, and I look forward to learning much more about him in the future. I dare say my opinion will change back and forth a few times as we make our way through the series.

From Allison:

Ned Stark seems to be a pretty honourable guy so far--he obviously cares about his family and duty is important to him. I liked the part where he gives Arya back Needle and arranges for her to have lessons. However, I can't bring myself to like him, because I have this foreboding feeling that he is going to do something terrible and make me hate him. What do you think of Ned so far?

I think Ned has a tough job to do. He's been separated from half of his family and the ones he has with him are squabbling between them. He's been asked to leave his home, and against his own wishes has to follow his king. 
On top of that he has is dealing with the small council, particularly Varys and Baelish, and it is not always clear who is to be trusted. He has walked into a kingdom that has been driven to debt by the king and his extravagances, and is expected to just bear with it and do his duty. All in all I don't think he's been dealt the best of 'hands' (he he), and is doing the best he can in a dire situation. I like him as a character, as I do the other Starks. Well, apart from Sansa that is.

From Ria:

What do you think of the situation involving how Jon turned enemies into allies on the Wall? Effective strategy, or overused Saturday-morning-cartoon plot device?

It probably is a storyline that has been used many times, and will be used again in the future, but it's one that I like. Overcoming personal conflict to come together for a greater good, what can be better than that? I particularly like this one as I think Ser Alliser Thorne is one pretty mean character. Anything the boys can do to show him up is definitely a good thing, although I'm sure he won't take it lying down.
Jon is helping himself and the others to be better men, to improve themselves and be more than what is thought of them when they arrive. I hope they all go on to do great things or the Wall.


From me:

Arya and Sansa are clearly very different personalities with very different views on the world, despite coming from the same origins.
Which do you identify with the most? Do you think the chasm building between them is becoming too great to be bridged, despite their father's efforts to keep them closer?

I identify more with Arya's character. To me, Sansa seems very fickle and weak, embracing a very girly notion of falling in love with the Prince and living happily ever after. She doesn't know anything about him, or what kind of a person he is, and even after some of his character is revealed in the incident by the river with Nymeria she still sticks by this horrid boy she wants to marry.
Arya couldn't be more different, seeing through the pointless activities that entail being a lady. She is not content with such a mundane life of what is expected of her, and wants to be more than just a girl. Arya is a much stronger character, not happy to sit and live the life that is expected of her. She knows what she wants to do, and will fight to be given more freedom.
I think it is Sansa that is drifting away from her sister, by pursuing her interest in the Prince, little realising what kind of family he comes from. The more she wants the dream of potentially being Queen, the more she will alienate Arya and the others.

Have you been reading A Game of Thrones along with us? What are your thoughts on this weeks questions?

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's Friday, which means only one thing ...

                   *****************************************

This post is part of the 'Celebrate the Small Things' blog hop hosted by VikLit, and is for celebrating even the smallest of victories during the week. Head on over to her blog to check out more people taking part in this hop, and to sign up yourself too.

                    *****************************************






I'm a bit late with my post today but it's still Friday so I'm alright!


This week I'm celebrating:

• The birth of Prince George of Cambridge. He really is a beautiful baby, but then he was bound to be with his parents. I'm so pleased for them, and I feel privileged to be able to see this new phase for the Royal family. I will be able to see the beginning of what will be a long era of Kings, when all I've known in my lifetime is a Queen.

• I've passed my English Literature course! I got my results about an hour ago and so pleased with a pass. It wasn't quite as good as I'd aimed for, but I have a busy life and I think an average of 67% across assignments and exam is very respectable.

• This weekend my husband and I are celebrating out first wedding anniversary. The last year has just whizzed by hasn't it? The hotel where we were married have given us a complimentary stay with a three course meal and breakfast included, so we get a well deserved break.

Happy weekend to everyone, have a good one whatever you're doing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's Up Wednesday - 24th July

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow . It's a brilliant way to tell the bloggy world what you're up to, in both reading and writing and anything else that's going on for you.

It's broken down into four headings:

                    1. What I'm reading
                    2. What I'm writing
                    3. What else I've been up to
                    4. What inspires me right now
 

What are you waiting for? Head on over to join in!
                                              

                  

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I'm reading:

      

  

Still on A Game of Thrones ...  

What I'm writing:

Ready, Set, Write! goals, week 5:

1. Plan a 1500 word short story for another competition. 

So, I've achieved this goal, but I've cheated a little bit. I've been going through my Dropbox folders of story ideas and first drafts that are half done, and I realise that there are a lot. I've found one that I like and that will fit in with the criteria set for the competition, all I have to tweak are a couple of details but nothing too drastic.

      2.  Keep going with Camp NaNo.
 

I'm steadily approaching the 10,000 word mark. I haven't been able to write every single day, but when I get a chance I'm churning out 1500 words at a go. Overall I'm chuffed with this progress, even if I am only half way to where I should be.

   

     3.  Write and post something for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.
 

I was a couple of days late with my Wednesday Blog Hop this week, and I almost forgot to finish it and get it up on my blog. I managed it though and it is here if you fancy a peek.

 
      4.  Try and achieve 30mins free writing every day.
 

I know it really shouldn't be difficult to find 30 minutes each day to do some free writing, but they way I've been trying to do it is. I've been trying to find 30 minutes of peaceful, quiet time to write something, but we all know how unlikely that is to find every single day. I've managed 4/7 days this week like that. I'm changing tactics next week, and removing the time limit. If I grab a few minutes to write in my notebook then I'll be happy.

 

Goals for week 6:

1. Do first draft of short story for August competition.
2. Keep going with Camp NaNo.
3. Write and post something for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.
4. Try and write one page of free writing in my notebook every day.

 

What else I've been up to:

I've discovered Netflix this week, which I can also have on my phone. It does mean I'll probably become more unsociable at lunchtimes while I watch some comedy or other for half an hour, but I think I can cope with that :-)

 

What inspires me right now:

It might sound odd, but I inspire myself right now. I'm pleased with my efforts in getting my NaNo count up to the 10,000 mark and now I know I can do it I just want to keep going. My story is growing and taking shape as I write, going in directions I'd never expected, and it's brilliant. I just want to write more to see what else is going to happen.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Express Yourself - Writing ups and downs

                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Express Yourself meme is a weekly jaunt brought to you by Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books. At the beginning of the month the girls will post a gadget with a list of topics, something different for each week. Make sure to head on over to either of these blogs to check out the details more fully and see who else is taking part.

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weeks topic of conversation: What is the most frustrating/satisfying thing about being a writer?

 

One of the most frustrating things about writing is not being able to find the time. I know it's one of those things that we all suffer from now and again, not finding even half an hour in the day to sit back and get some words down.

The things that prevent us usually revolve around the family, and so they in themselves are meaningful and worthwhile activities, but we can't help the niggle of annoyance we feel that the time has passed too quickly and we have been unable to add to the word count.

On the flip side though, getting a good session of 1000+ words in is definitely satisfying. Knowing that you've made some progress towards a finished piece, no matter how small, is always a good feeling, and submitting it somewhere is even better. There is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment that I hope will not wane each time I finish something.

What do you find frustrating or satisfying about being a writer?

If you're not a writer, how can you apply the same to something you are doing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrating the small things - 19th July 2013

                   *****************************************

This post is part of the 'Celebrate the Small Things' blog hop hosted by VikLit, and is for celebrating even the smallest of victories during the week. Head on over to her blog to check out more people taking part in this hop, and to sign up yourself too.

                    *****************************************




This week I'm celebrating:

• I've just given a 30min presentation to my  work colleagues so right now I'm celebrating that it's over! I don't worry too much about talking in front of people but if I can get away with not doing it, I'm happier.
• I've passed my level 1 OU course. I had to resit the final assessment as I failed the first time. Only by two marks though, and it was due right around the time of our wedding so I had a lot on. Anyway, it's done now and I've passed!
• Getting to 6500 words on my NaNo project. I can't remember the last time I wrote so many words on a particular project. Just need to keep going now.

How has your week been? Is the sun still shining?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's Up Wednesday - 17th July

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow . It's a brilliant way to tell the bloggy world what you're up to, in both reading and writing and anything else that's going on for you.

It's broken down into four headings:

                    1. What I'm reading
                    2. What I'm writing
                    3. What else I've been up to
                    4. What inspires me right now
 

What are you waiting for? Head on over to join in!
                                              

                  

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I'm reading:

      

  

Still on A Game of Thrones ...  

I am reading this as a part of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club', fronted by mithrilwisdom.com. Click here to check out the schedule for the first four books. 

What I'm writing:

Ready, Set, Write! goals, week 4:

1. Submit story for short story competition in July.

So, I didn't submit my story for the particular competition it was intended because I was reluctant to rush it just to get it sent out. I had a very long debate with myself about whether to just get it sent as good practice for submitting, but decided to let the finished draft sit for a little while before editing.

I have another place that I'm thinking of sending it so all is not completely lost. I finished the story so I'm pleased with that effort at least.  

     2. Get caught up with my Camp NaNo word count.
  

I have made good progress this weekend, my word count is now a little over 6500. Technically I'm still behind but this is the most words I've written on one project in a long time so I'm dwelling on that aspect. I don't expect to complete my 25,000 by the end of the month but if I get halfway there I'll be happy.
 

     3.  Write and post something again for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.

Yep, done! So far this is the only goal I'm managing to achieve every week. My latest offering is here.

     4.  Continue with 30mins free writing every day.

I've managed four out of seven days, so I'm up on last week. Progress again!

 

Goals for week 5:

1. Plan a 1500 word short story for another competition.
2. Keep going with Camp NaNo.
3. Write and post something for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.
4. Try and achieve 30mins free writing every day.

What else I've been up to:

I discovered a new website this week called Scribophile. I've been reading a lot about the value of critique partners (CPs), and how giving critique can help with your own writing.

This site allows you to critique the work of others, and you earn points as you do so which you then use to put your own work up for critique too.

I don't have a CP at the moment, and would like to build some experience in offering advice on the work of others. I'm giving the site a go to see if it helps at all with my writing and critiquing.

There are so many sites out there to help writers with so many aspects of their craft, I think I'll give some of them a go until I find what works for me.

What inspires me right now:

As so many of you out there, the sunshine is keeping me inspired at the moment. It's wonderful how it gives you so much positive energy, you feel like you can do just about anything with a smile on your face. It's helping me to feel very positive about my writing life at the moment.


How about the rest of you? How goes your Wednesday?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Express Yourself - Socially challenged

                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Express Yourself meme is a weekly jaunt brought to you by Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books. At the beginning of the month the girls will post a gadget with a list of topics, something different for each week. Make sure to head on over to either of these blogs to check out the details more fully and see who else is taking part.

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weeks topic of conversation: What is the biggest challenge you face socially?

 After I had my daughter it took a little while before I started going out socially again, and when I did I found I was very anxious and had one or two quite bad panic attacks. It put me off doing a lot of things for a long time.

I've since seen a couple of therapists and I'm doing much better with it now, but I still have the odd occasion when I feel like I might have some kind of relapse. Enclosed places, jammed packed with people are always the worst situations for me.

With the help of some amazing friends and my lovely husband though, I've managed to claw my way back to some normality, and I know they're there for me if I feel like I'm having a bit of a wobble. I really can't thank them enough for helping me through.

Have you any worries or challenges you face when going out and about?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club: Chapters 1-14 - of direwolves and Lannisters

First of all, I'd like to apologise to the other members of the group for posting this a day late. Yesterday our internet connection went down (I think someone has been cutting cables, tut, tut), so this is the first opportunity I've had to get back on.

So, here we are with the first catchup of the Book Club. We are making our way steadily through the first four A Game of Thrones books in preparation for the fourth series being released next March.

The plan is to have a catchup every other Saturday, with each of us posing a question to be answered by the rest.

The brain behind the Club is Jamie, who resides at www.mithrilwisdom.com, and joining him is Allison at Geek Banter, Ria at Bibliotropic and myself.
Make sure to head on over to the others to see their thoughts too.




And now to the questions for this week:

Jamie: In the few chapters that we've seen already, Tyrion is amazing. His snark and wit mark him out as one of my favourites. Do you think his role is more the comic relief or a juxtaposition for the cruelty of his sibling Lannisters (opposites in appearance as well as personality)?

I think that his difference in physical appearance is certainly not the only way Tyrion Lannister is set apart from his siblings. In the beginning he is portrayed by his brother and sister as something less than them, referring to him as 'the Imp' and immediately placing him lower down in their eyes. As we see him apart from them though, we see that there is far more to him than they'd care to advertise, and his intellect and manner of dealing with situations marks him out as someone not to be overlooked, if you'll pardon the pun.
I think he is definitely meant to be a contrast to the cruelty and morals of the rest of his family, and at times I wonder if he is sometimes ashamed to be associated with them. He can see the benefits he has in being part of the Lannister family, not the least of which is that he has lived and grown to a man. This may be a heavy price to pay though for being tarred with the same brush.


Heather: Have you already seen the television series before reading the books? If yes, has it influenced how you read them?

I am currently half way through watching season two of the television series, and inevitably, it means I am seeing the characters in the book as the actors who play them.
This causes a little dilemma though, as the characters in the book are a little younger than they appear in the series. Robb, for example, is only 14 in the book but Richard Madden certainly looks older than this. So far the book is quite close to the series too, which means I picture it as I have seen it on the screen. This is bound to change though, when I get onto the books that are yet to be adapted.
I have to admit, when considering these questions it is hard not to bring in my knowledge from what I've seen in the series so far, and concentrate on the chapters we've read up until this point. 


Allison: What do you think the names chosen for the direwolves say about the children's personalities? And for  a silly bonus question, share what you would name yours (come on, I know you've thought about it :-P)

(and for a silly bonus question, share what you would name yours (come on, I know you've thought about it :P) - See more at: http://www.mithrilwisdom.com/#sthash.6mmMH1K0.dpuf

(and for a silly bonus question, share what you would name yours (come on, I know you've thought about it :P) - See more at: http://www.mithrilwisdom.com/#sthash.6mmMH1K0.dpuf

The names given to the direwolves by the Stark children seem to be a reflection on their own personalities and how they see themselves.
John Snow doesn't see himself as a true Stark, merely a presence among the rest of his half-siblings and so Ghost is appropriate. He believes that although he is present among the house, nobody really sees him or pays much attention.
Sansa has taken to her role of the eldest daughter, excelling in the finer details of what  being a lady entails, such as needlepoint. The name Lady for her wolf demonstrates how she sees herself.
The differences between her and Arya are obvious, with Arya showing no interest in the pursuit of being a lady, instead wanting to join her brothers in combat training. Nymeria was a warrior-queen, and so this choice of name reflects her desire to be something more than just a lady.
Shaggydog is typical for Rickon, who is still very young being only 3 years old. This name shows how literally he still sees things and how unaware he is of the greater world around him.
Grey Wind was named for his colouring and speed, a speed which Robb exhibits in his swordplay. 
Summer is the name of Bran's wolf, which we haven't learnt quite yet in this part of the book. The Stark's words are 'Winter is coming', and so Bran's choice of name could be a reflection of his optimism that although winter is coming, it will not last forever. 

If I had my own direwolf, I'd probably name it Mexico. For as long as I've been able to drive I've longed for a MkI Escort Mexico. One day I will own one, one day ...


Ria: "[...] a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." What do you think about the veracity of Tyrion's line there, especially in a world that seems to prize physical strength more highly than intelligence?

Tyrion is well aware of his weaknesses, which centre around his physical limitations. One of the only strengths he has is his mind, and is able to talk himself out of situations that could possibly lead to a physical conflict and put his life in danger.
This in itself makes him a danger, as others with more advanced physical abilities may see his intellect as a threat. His use of words can manipulate others to his will, especially if they don't fully understand his meaning. He reads his books to understand the past and the world around him. This is his whetstone, for sharpening his mind so he can successfully maneuvre through the different peoples he comes into contact with.


I have enjoyed the questions for this catchup, and look forward to more reading and more thinking over the next couple of weeks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Celebrate the Small Things - 12th July

 
                   *****************************************

This post is part of the 'Celebrate the Small Things' blog hop hosted by VikLit, and is for celebrating even the smallest of victories during the week. Head on over to her blog to check out more people taking part in this hop, and to sign up yourself too.

                    *****************************************




This week I'm celebrating:

• The sunshine! The weather has been beautiful all week, and although it was perhaps a little too hot for me at the beginning of the week I'm not going to complain about it. Summer may just have arrived ...
• I dragged myself off to yoga this week, even though I didn't really fancy it. It was a hard session, but I'm glad I went. Maybe next week will be easier.
• The weekend finally being here. I've only had a four day working week but it has draaaagggged.

Here's to a sunny weekend everybody!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's Up Wednesday - 10th July

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow . It's a brilliant way to tell the bloggy world what you're up to, in both reading and writing and anything else that's going on for you.

It's broken down into four headings:

                    1. What I'm reading
                    2. What I'm writing
                    3. What else I've been up to
                    4. What inspires me right now
 

What are you waiting for? Head on over to join in!
                                              

                  

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

What I'm reading:

      

  

Still on A Game of Thrones ...

 

 

What I'm writing:

 

Ready, Set, Write! goals, week 3:

1. Finish and do revisions for short story competition in July. Possibly submit, eek!

I'm not really ready for submission of my short story yet, it is still sat in the same state as last week I'm sorry to say :-(

     2.  Keep up with my 800 word a day target for my Camp NaNo project.

 

I have done some work on my NaNo project, I'm currently at about 3500. At this point though I should be over 6000, but there's plenty of time to catch up. *she says, buzzing with optimism*  

 

     3.  Write and post something again for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.

This is the only thing I managed to achieve with my writing goals this week. To check out my latest story head over here.

     4.  Continue with 30mins free writing every day.

 

After quite a good week of free writing, I'm ashamed to say I haven't done a single session of it this week. Although I've been busy I thought it would be easier to find just a half an hour a day. All I can say is, must do better.

 

 

  

 

Goals for week 4:

 

1. Submit story for short story competition in July.
2. Get caught up with my Camp NaNo word count.
3. Write and post something again for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.
4. Continue with 30mins free writing every day.

 

 

What else I've been up to:

 

I've downloaded and will be trialling the Scrivener software this week. I've heard different things about it, but haven't had much inclination towards it until now.

I'm hoping to use it to organise my projects, large and small, so I can keep track of them all simultaneously. Ideally I could do with some kind of project management software for tracking too, but my searches for one haven't proved fruitful as yet.

 

 

What inspires me right now:

 

Right now I'm inspired by Laura, author of My Baffling Brain. She has been doing Camp NaNoWriMo too and has reached over 6000 words already. It makes my 3000 words look pretty lame, but reading her update has spurred me on to catch up with mine and more. I want my graph to be over the target line like hers is.

 

Thanks Laura for spurring me on before I get too far behind!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
 

Cover reveal - Kinetic by S K Anthony

I am very pleased to be a part of S K Anthony's cover reveal today, it is definitely worth a look. Check it out!

Title: Kinetic

Genre: NA Urban Fantasy

Release Date: September 2013

Cover Design: Mae I Design & Photography

 

Synopsis:

Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.

Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding. 

A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything…

Links:

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18072566-kinetic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/S-Katherine-Anthony/403554526400225

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/SKathAnthony

Website:

http://www.skanthony.com

Meet the Author: 

 

 

S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders…she is convinced they are out to get her!

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Express Yourself - Favourite Movie Munchies

                      
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Express Yourself meme is a weekly jaunt brought to you by Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books. At the beginning of the month the girls will post a gadget with a list of topics, something different for each week. Make sure to head on over to either of these blogs to check out the details more fully and see who else is taking part.

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weeks topic of conversation: Whether watching a movie at the theatre or at home, what's your go-to snack?

I've never been one for popcorn, usually getting stuck in my throat and making me cough or making me thirsty. Either way I need to drink plenty with it, which means toilet breaks and I cannot go out in the middle of a movie.

Some kind of crisps, preferably Tangy Cheese Doritos, do the trick for me. The only trouble is, I don't realise how many I'm eating so I deliberately don't get them very often. I'd be the size of a house otherwise!

How about you, what's your movie treat?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrate the Small Things!

  
                   *****************************************

This post is part of the 'Celebrate the Small Things' blog hop hosted by VikLit, and is for celebrating even the smallest of victories during the week. Head on over to her blog to check out more people taking part in this hop, and to sign up yourself too.

                    *****************************************





All I have to say to celebrate this week is:

Bon Jovi baby!!!!!

As you read this I'm probably on my way to London (not to get Heat magazine!), ready to sit in the sunshine and wait to watch my favourite band.

It's been ten years since I last saw them so I'm just a little bit excited. You all know this, as this is not the first time I've mentioned this little excursion.

I'm sure this will probably may be the last time I mention it, then normal writerly, readerly things will resume.

Enjoy your weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club - Are you in?

 


Despite my excitement at finishing my English course and having the opportunity to finally get my teeth into the first four Game of Thrones books, which have been staring at me for months, I've only actually made it to page 100 of the first book. I just don't know what I've been doing with my time, and once again the reading is falling behind.

Not to worry though, I've come across a great book club that's going to keep me motivated and help me work my way through them!

Welcome to the A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club!

Jamie Gibbs at www.mithrilwisdom.com has started this great new book club, and will be making his way through the first four books in preparation for the release of the Series Four television release in March 2014. 

There's still plenty of time between now and then so it should still be a fairly leisurely read.

Every couple of weeks we will be posing some questions on what we've read so far, and generally having a good ole chinwag about the books as we make our way through. 
I don't know about you, but I think it's great to have people to bounce our thoughts off and keep engrossed in the story.


If you fancy joining in too then click on the link to Jamie's page for more information, or if you want to read at your own pace and just follow our discussions then that's fine too.

You're probably wondering about my lovely family sigil, and you can create one of your own by heading over to www.jointherealm.com. Trust me, you'll have a lot of fun making yours!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~