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Friday 30 August 2013

Confessions and Celebrations - a Friday Two-for-One!

It's Friday and we all know what that means, it's time to celebrate!

But first for something a little different, it's confession time ...

 


This little blogfest has been organised by the Express Yourself team, Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet for Books.

It's an opportunity to confess to all any little things you've been keeping secret. Be as daring as you like, just bare in mind the beauty (or peril) of the internet!


My little confession may not seem too dramatic to most of you, but it's something that probably only one person is aware of and that's only because he lives with me.

Most people know that I'm a bit of a Trekker, and I love a bit of Buffy/Angel on the side. The extent of my geekiness has only become apparent to my work colleagues since Into Darkness came out. I loved the film so much something inside me was awoken, and she's not going back!

Anyway, along with this love, I of course have DVD collections burtsing from my shelves but I also have quite a large collection of novels to go with all of the series. There's Buffy, Angel, and all the differetn Star Trek's and more. I've lost count of how many I have now, although I haven't added to it for a little while. They are currently all boxed up under the bed as there's just no room for them. 

I've always been shy about it when people come round the house, and I don't know why. It's an interest and I enjoy reading them, but I don't know if it's one step of geekness too far ...

See, I told you it wasn't huge :-)


And now time to celebrate!


Don't forget to head over to VikLit's wonderful blog to check out what everyone else is celebrating this week.  For me it's:

  • Star Trek Into Darkness is out on DVD on Monday! So excited! (I'll probably be celebrating this next week too, just to warn you)
  •  It's pay day today, yippee! I wonder how much will be left by Monday though. Back to school shopping this week, what fun ...
  • Going out for a drink after work with friends. Our Year-in-Industry student is leaving us to go back to university, and she will be greatly missed.  Still, good excuse for a few drinks.



What are you celebrating this week? Have you read any TV/movie-tie in books? Anything you'd like to confess?

Have a great weekend!

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Thursday 29 August 2013

Book Thoughts on Thursday: 1302 The Alpha, Christine Rains

Book Thoughts on Thursday is somewhere for me to share with you some of the books I've been reading and really enjoyed.

This week:

1302: The Alpha, Christine Rains

A friendly warning: Although not intentional, I may give away some aspects of the story that you may not want revealed. I know I hate it when spoilers ruin my experience of a story, so feel free to halt your reading here until you've read it for yourself.
Then you can come back to see if you share my thoughts! 



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One run in the woods wouldn't matter, or so thinks werewolf Stefanie Porter. Being cooped up in her apartment for months must have messed up her instincts, because her former pack almost catches her until a mysterious lone wolf jumps in to help Stefanie escape.

The cruel Alpha Wyatt not only stole her pack but refuses to give Stefanie her freedom. She can't hide in her apartment any longer or it will drive her crazy. She puts her trust in the lone wolf who can teach her some of his unusual urban survival tricks. James Roberts might be a bit geeky, but he's smart and looks hot when the argyle sweater comes off. His ridiculous ambition to become a superhero might be admirable if Wyatt couldn't rip him limb from limb.

With the pack scouring the city for her, Stefanie must convince James to teach her and control her own Alpha nature, or fight not only for her life, but his as well.

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I loved The Alpha, right from the beginning. A classic escape scenario leaving you to wonder what exactly she's running away from and why. Of course the only way to find that out is to read on, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

I love the strength of character in Stefanie, and it's great to have a female leading the action. Her strength comes across as physical from her wolfiness, but also mental with her instinct to take charge of both the situation and the people in it.

The introduction of James poses a wonderful dilemma. She's obviously attracted to him, and is troubled by similar feelings to Marc in The Marquis, wanting to get closer to someone but not wanting to put them in danger at the same time. 

I enjoyed the electricity between them, and I was incredibly impressed with her restraint once she found out about his Beta status. This scene was brilliantly written and I felt almost as much disappointment as poor James did when she stopped at the critical moment.

The final battle between Stefanie and Wyatt was set up well, and I loved the transition of power from one Alpha to the other, allowing Stefanie to finally take control and defeat her enemy.

Again, it was a satisfying ending for both characters and I hope their future together is prosperous.


The Alpha is the second in The 13th Floor series of novellas, and the author Christine Rains will be on tour in October to celebrate the release of the series as a collection. Make sure you check it out!

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Wednesday 28 August 2013

What's Up Wednesday - A Ready, Set, Write! Round Up

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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!

                                              

                  
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What I'm reading:

The guys and I in the A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club have just embarked on the last stretch of A Game of Thrones. Only 200 more pages and I'll be ready for the next one.
 
 
 I've also just finished reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, about a thirty-something guy who runs a record shop and has just been dumped by his girlfriend. He has a list of his top five break-ups and blames them for how his life has turned out.
It's not my usual kind of read, but was chosen by one of the members of my other book group. It was enjoyable enough I suppose, and only took two sittings to get through it, but I couldn't honestly say if it was because I actually enjoyed it or whether I just wanted to get it done and dusted. 
I was certainly glad back to my fantasy worlds!
 
 
What I'm writing:
 
A Ready, Set, Write! round up.
 
 
 
I got a lot out of this exercise, set by the What's Up hosts. It helped me to focus my writing and to plan my projects to get things actually finished. Thanks to my weekly goal setting I managed to submit my first competition entry, and it's helped with my regular blogging schedule.

A huge thanks must go to the hosts for a wonderful summer challenge, and I hope I can keep up the good work that I've started. Onwards and upwards!
 
What else I've been up to:
 
There are plenty of blog hops and tours coming up in the next couple of months, so I've been doing lots of reading and rereading for reviews and author interviews. There are so many hops doing the rounds that I've had to put my foot down and tell myself I've signed up for enough. It's difficult though, they all sound so much fun!
 
What inspires me right now?
 
The sunshine! We've had some beautiful weather over the past couple of weeks, and it's nice to have a proper summer. It really fills you with hope and makes you feel like you can achieve anything you want.
I'm certainly going to enjoy it while it lasts, autumn will be here soon enough.
 
 
Happy Wednesday everyone!
 
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Tuesday 27 August 2013

Express Yourself - Childhood memories


                     
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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.
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This weeks topic of conversation: What's your favourite childhood book or movie?


theolivareader.blogspot.com

 When I was in high school my friends and I all got into a series called Point Horror. They were horror stories for teens, and I remember we'd all get different ones for Christmas and birthdays and then would spend most of the year swapping them all around with each other. 
I'd actually forgotten about these books until this question came up and I've spent the best part of a week trying to remember what they were called! 
When I finally discovered them I found there's some new ones that came out this year.



www.bandittransamclub.com


In our house we didn't watch any of the usual movies that the other kids were watching. Most girls at high school were sneakily watching Top Gun and Dirty Dancing, but these are films that I still haven't seen and I'm now in my early thirties. In our house it was all about James Bond, Smokey and the Bandit, Indiana Jones and Superman. Much better in my opinion!




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Monday 26 August 2013

A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club - Chapters 44-58: eggs, brothers and exiles



House Musk

Welcome to the penultimate round up for the A Song of Ice and Fire Book Club, A Game of Thrones edition.

I have embarked on this journey with fellow Book Clubbers mithrilwisdom, the host and brain behind the club, Allison at Geek Banter and Ria at Bibliotropic.

Each of us has posed a question for the others, so make sure to check out what the others had to say about this weeks topics.

We're all about Starks, eggs, brothers and exiles this week.



From Jamie:

Why do you think Jon Snow goes to such great lengths to protect and help out Sam Tarly?

Sam has been disowned by his father and has no real place in the world. Jon can identify with this, perhaps more so than with the criminals (or so-called criminals) that have been sent to the Wall to fight beside him. He has already taken steps to help the others improve their skills, but Sam is much more vulnerable than they are. He has also become a particular target for Ser Allister so any opportunity that Jon can seize to get one over him is all the better.


Also, as a bonus question,

On a scale of one to awesome, how did it feel to read Viserys getting his comeuppance? Golden crowns all round!

Super-awesome! I loved the way Drogo dispatched of his brother-in-law, and now Daenerys can grow to be the true dragon.


From Allison:
Why do you think so much emphasis is put on Dany's dragon eggs in the story so far?

I think this is a pre-emptive strategy. It's clear that they will have some significant role in the future, now that she is the last remaining dragon. Daenerys is discovering her own inner strengths and I think this is tied in with the eggs somehow.


What I'm reading: 
From Ria:
What do you think of the chapters from Bran's perspective? Do they more like filler material, a means to see what's going on where other main characters can't be, or do you think there's going to be something more important that he'll take a central role in?
  
I haven't been seeing them as fillers. Bran is now the lord of Winterfell, following the departure of first his father and now his brother, so he has a responsibility to those around him. At this point I couldn't really say where I think his character is going and what may be in store for him, but I'm sure it'll be something important.


From me:
Ser Jorah Mormont has been by Daenerys as she has grown amongst the Dothraki. We know he has a price on his head by Ned Stark and cannot return home without facing death.
Do you think he's helping Daenerys as part of a new life for himself, or rather he sees her as his ticket back to his homeland? 

 
In the beginning I think Jorah saw his service to Daenerys as a duty to be done as something to do. She has come to rely on him more and more as their journey has progressed, and I think a bond is forming between them. I think he would have mixed feelings if they were ever able to cross the seas and make it to Westeros about what would be waiting for him, even if he were part of a strong army.
Daenerys is unaware of his past at this point and I wonder how she'd feel if (or when) she learned the truth about him. I believe he would probably follow her wherever she went though, whether it was across the sea or not.


The next installment of the A Song of Ice and fire Book Club will be the final part of the first book, A Game of Thrones. I'm certainly looking forward to it and moving on to the next, A Clash of Kings.

Have you enjoyed our discussions so far?

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Saturday 24 August 2013

Friday Celebrations, but on Saturday. Oops!


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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.

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It's been manic this week. Being back at work after two weeks off was always going to be tough, but by the end of it I felt well and truly shattered.


Being at work wasn't too bad in itself, but it took up all the time that I'd previously been using for reading, writing and blogging. Now I've got to go back to doing it in the evenings, when there's far less time. If only I could work from home ...


As a consequence, this post is late, I missed my What's Up Wednesday completely and I've been in danger in getting behind in my reading. Oh, and there's the small matter of over 150 blog posts to catch up on. Guess what I'm doing this weekend!


Anyway, to the celebrations:


  • Getting as many of my blog posts up as I did, and more or less on time. I started my new Book Thoughts on Thursday, which I've wanted to do for a long time. I'm hoping it will help keep my reading going.
  • I got my contribution to the inaugural edition of Write ... Edit ... Publish done,  which you can check out here. I almost didn't make this and it went up very late on Friday. It's very rough really, and I wish I'd started it earlier and done a better job. Still, it's up and I'd love to know your thoughts on it. Feedback is always valued.
  • I'm very excited about some of the blog hops and tours coming up in the next couple of months. I'm helping out on a couple of tours and it's been great this week to be working with the writers involved to get things ready. You gals know who you are, thanks for having me on board!


I'm also glad to have made it to the weekend in one piece, phew!

How about you? How has your week been?

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Thursday 22 August 2013

Book Thoughts on Thursday: 1301 The Marquis, Christine Rains

Today I'm adding a new feature to my blog, which I'm calling 'Book Thoughts on Thursday'.

I wanted a place to talk about some of the books I've been reading, but I'm somewhat reluctant to call them reviews. As soon as I think about writing a 'review' I go into an internal panic that whatever I write isn't going to be good enough, or descriptive enough or contain things that would make it a 'proper review'.

I'd rather just have a relaxing stroll through what I've been reading and enjoying, and share these thoughts with you. I haven't got a rating system of any kind, but if I've taken the time to get my thoughts down to be shared then I definitely enjoyed the book. 

The timing for this new venture couldn't be better either, as the first book I want to talk about is from one of my favourite bloggy friends Christine Rains.
This year she has been working tirelessly on her 13th Floor Series, and after successfully publishing six titles in the series she is ready to put them all together and release them as one collection.

Throughout the month of October she will be going on a tour across the blogosphere, and as part of a build up to it I will be offering my thoughts on all six installments. I know you're going to love them and will be ready to pick up your own copy of the collection by the time I'm done.

So, to the first story in the series:  


1301: The Marquis

A friendly warning: Although not intentional.I may give away some aspects of the story that you may not want revealed. I know I hate it when spoilers ruin my experience of a story, so feel free to halt your reading here until you've read it for yourself.
Then you can come back to see if you share my thoughts!


 
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Life after Hell isn't more exciting than watching football and fixing a busted pipe. Once a powerful demon, Marc enjoys his quiet existence and a good cup of coffee. With big ambitions to gain his master's favor, a trickster demon named Vetis shatters Marc's peace and vows to deliver Marc's head to the fires of Hell. Not before he destroys everything Marc cares about, of course.

Marc's power has diminished over the years. Heaven will never grant him absolution, and he refuses to return to Hell. Running isn't an option. The city of Carmine is his territory. It's also home to his favorite cafe owner, Mae Hopkins. The dame has a lovely smile, but it's her heart and soul that shine bright.

While his city burns and his love is captured, Marc must decide to surrender or let hate and anger fuel him to become the fearsome beast he so loathes: The Marquis. If the Marquis rises, Vetis can be defeated and Mae saved, but Marc would be lost to his demon forever.

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This was a great introduction to the 13th Floor, a secret level where all manner of different creatures reside out of view from the regular folk.

The main character living in room 1301, Marc, is the father figure to all who live there and tries to help and protect them whenever he can.

Throughout the story he is in conflict with himself about where he fits in. Not welcome in Heaven and refusing to go back to Hell, he is in limbo on Earth as he tries to atone for a previous life as a demon. I love this aspect of his character and it comes across really well in the writing. 

In contrast to his dark and brooding character is Mae, who he is deeply in love with but can't bring himself to tell her. He would rather ensure the safety of others over his own happiness, believing that by letting anyone into his life will put them in danger. He proves to be spot on with this theory when Vetis steps into the scene.

Mae brought a softer, gentler side to the story which worked well opposite Marc's strong and determined demeanour. Through her characterisation we saw she had her own strength, which she used to great effect in helping Marc overcome his internal and external demons. She saw something in him that he didn't see for himself, and this outside perspective was brilliantly portrayed through her eyes.

I enjoyed watching Marc grow as a character, from a lonely and unhappy guardian, to realising it doesn't have to be so hard to have his own happiness. 

The pain and mental journey he goes on had me enthralled in the story, and the final build up led to a very satisfying ending as a reader.



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Tuesday 20 August 2013

Write ... Edit ... Publish!

 


This week sees the inaugural edition of a new blog hop put together by Denise Covey.
It's a monthly challenge to post some flash fiction of no more than 1000 words, and each month there is a different theme.

This months theme is 'Vacation', and stories will be posted from 21st-23rd August. If you want to take part head over to Denise's page to check out the rules and sign up on the linky list. Don't forget to check out the other entries too.

I will be posting my entry up on my fiction blog H J Musk sometime before the end of the week, so check it out if you fancy it.

Here are the Write...Edit...Publish monthly themes for the rest of the year:




Are you up for it?

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Monday 19 August 2013

Express Yourself - Books and films for comfort

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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.
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This weeks topic of conversation: What is your comfort book/movie?
 
 
booksterreviews-cliona.blog...
 
I think my comfort books are probably my Harry Potter books. They are the books that I have read the most times, and I love to read them in the build up to Christmas. There's just something about them that adds a little bit extra to the festivities for me. 
 
 

www.dvdactive.com
 
 
 
My comfort movies are definitely the Back to the Future films. I've seen them so many times I've lost count, and I could probably do them line for line as well, but  I still love them and watch them whenever they are on the television. The third one is my overall favourite, you can't beat a good ole Western showdown!

 
 
 
 
 
What do you like to read or watch for comfort?

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Sunday 18 August 2013

Announcing the Kinetic blog tour!

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=582b76abc2&view=att&th=1407459c14853918&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_hka66cf00&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P8LbTfdZ1oA3OPrr8tc58ak&sadet=1376846274702&sads=qpY4col6sXYqcq0wQxPYUjfRl2M

Last month I was pleased to be involved with the cover reveal for one of my blogger buddies, S K Anthony.

The cover for her book, Kinetic, is amazing and it's due to be released next month.

To accompany this release there will be a blog tour from 16th-28th September, so you'll be seeing plenty of her and her book around the blogosphere.

I'm thrilled to be able to say I will be one of the stops on the tour, so keep your eyes out for that and all the other fun stuff she's got going on!


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Title: Kinetic
Genre: NA Urban Fantasy
Release Date: September 2013
Cover Design: Mae I Design & Photography


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…




About 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!




Goodreads:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Website:


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Saturday 17 August 2013

Get ready for the Confessions blogfest!

I know what you're thinking, 'what? another blogfest?!' 

And you'd be right! There are plenty of 'fests going on in the next couple of months and another one I've decided to take part in is the Confessions blogfest.


 


It's being run by those lovely gals responsible for the Express Yourself meme, Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books.

On 30th August their asking folks to reveal their not-so-dark confessions to their bloggy buddies, and then check out the linky list to see what other people are confessing to.

To get more information and to add yourself to the linky list head over to one or other of the hosts above.

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Friday 16 August 2013

It's Friday, yeah yeah!


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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.

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This week I'm celebrating:

  • Spending some quality time with my daughter in the summer holidays. We've been to my parents caravan at the coast and she really has worn me out. It's been good fun though, and I wouldn't exchange it for anything.
  • Submitting my first story for a competition! I don't have much hope for it I must admit, it was a bit of a rush job, but I've jumped that hurdle of finally sending something off. Onwards and upwards now!
  • Just feeling relaxed. It's been a long time since I felt this chilled out, and I'm hoping it's going to last. I'm coming to realise what's most important to me, and what I want to do with my life. That's a pretty good feeling.

How about you guys, what are you celebrating this week?

Whatever it is, enjoy your weekend!

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Wednesday 14 August 2013

What's Up Wednesday - 14th Aug

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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!
                                              

                  
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What I'm reading:

You guessed it -
 
 
On page 401 now!

What I'm writing:

Ready, Set, Write! goals, week 8:
  1. Edit and submit short story for August competition.
Eek! It's gone, submitted today. I went through the usual doubts about whether it's any good or if anyone will like it. In the end I thought 'what the hey' I won't know until it goes. If nothing else it's given me an experience of actually submitting something. It feels good, you know, I might do it more often.
 
     2.  Keep going with planning the novel idea that has forced itself upon me this week.
 
This has been plodding along whenever I've had a spare half an hour. At the moment I'm writing a very rough outline of all my ideas in a little notebook, before making a start on a more focused scene-by-scene plot outline.
 
      3.  Write and post something for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.
 
Yeah, back on track with the blog hop this week. You can check it out here.
 
 
 
 
 
Goals for week 9:
  1. Write a 1000 word story for the theme of Vacation for new bloghop Write...Edit...Publish.
  2. Do character profiles for at least two out of the three main characters on new WIP.
  3. Write and post something for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop.
 
What else I've been up to:

I've become very aware of all the books in a growing stack waiting to be read, as well as all the ones on my Kindle and on my Goodreads TBR list. I'm in the process of putting together a comprehensive list of them all so I know what I'm up against with what's pending. I need to concentrate on knocking things off this list before adding anymore to it.
 
What inspires me right now:

Actually getting something submitted to a competition has been a real boost for me. It doesn't matter if it's useless and doesn't get anywhere, at least I know it will get read and judged. It's a nice feeling to have something completed and submitted, one that I could get used to.

Happy Wednesday everyone! 
 
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Tuesday 13 August 2013

Novel Films II Blogfest - not to be missed!



Yet another cool blogfest coming up in September is the Novel Films II blogfest. This 'fest comes from Madeleine Sara at Scribble and Edit to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of her blog.




This is a three day event from 2nd-4th September, with something different on each day. If you want to join in then you can do one, two or all of the days, it's entirely up to you!

Here are the details (as taken from the Scribble and Edit blog):

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YoifJ0KQ948/UfvauSDcNdI/AAAAAAAAGjw/2bw3QOesm2Y/s1600/novelfilms2+brief.jpg


As usual, make sure you head over to the host to sign up if you fancy it, and remember to put up your posts on the correct days. 

Then make sure to check out who else is taking part, this is a blogfest after all!

So do you fancy it? Go on, give it a go! It'll be fun!

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Monday 12 August 2013

Coming soon - More Than Just a Kiss Blogfest!

Put the date in your diaries everyone, it's time for another blogfest!

This one has been put together by the ever awesome Christine Rains and her partner in crime Cecilia Robert.


 
“A kiss, when all is said, what is it? 'Tis a secret told to the mouth instead of to the ear.” ~ Edmond Rostand 


From 9th -15th September you are invited to post one of your very own kissing scenes. Be it saucy, sexy, racy or sensual, we want to see what you can come up with.

And there are prizes on offer too! Each scene will be judged by some brilliant romance writers and their favourites can win a critique of their work, as well as a chance to win some awesome books from the judges themselves.


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The rules are simple:

1. Sign up on the linky list and post the badge on your blog.
2. On one of the days of the week of September 9th, post a kissing scene on your blog. It can be either fiction or non-fiction.
3. Please do not exceed 250 words.
4. This is a blogfest, so visit the other participants and have fun!
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I've had my first stab at something for this 'fest already but it came in at just over 400 words. This is going to be tricker than I first thought. It'll certainly be fun though, and a challenge to keep the word count tight.
If you want to have a go head over to one of the hosts to find out all the details in full, and don't forget to sign up and check out who else is there too! 
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