Apologies everyone, I did not post yesterday! It has been a super busy week (month so far). The items on my list seem to continue to grow.
Firstly, I have been promoting the launching of the sequel to my fantasy romance, Rython Legacy, I have proofed the finished product and ordered printed copies for Words in the Park on 28th September.
In addition as secretary of the hosting group, of said event, I have been replying and supplying promotional materials for the vendor applications. And contacting new authors to invite them to attend.
I went on a super four day writing retreat road trip to Lloydminster and discovered a new part of Canada as well as increased the word count on my steampunk novel by 12,440 words – happy author!
The next few weeks will be just as busy:
Board meeting to finalize planning of the event 10th September
Road trip with my daughter 14th & 15th September
Road trip and attendance at Word on the Street, Lethbridge 21st September (another long weekend as I will add the Friday & Monday for writing and exploring).
Preparation and mock ups for my tables at the event to show case all my books (8 in all)
Words in the Park 28th September
This doesn’t include twice weekly aquasize/walking and ‘normal’ life chores etc LOL
How’s your month shaping up?
Are you going to a book event? Why not share the details?
On the cusp of my week long writing road trip, today’s question is: Where would you go for the perfect writing retreat?
My answer is probably predictable for those who know me – I would go to Rome.
Last week’s question When crafting a new story – what works best for you, laptop, fountain pen, dictation, or longhand? certainly hit a note with many of you, although the answers went to my Facebook author page. However, here they are:
Notebook, legal pad, post-it notes. I suck at typing, so if I try to get thoughts down quickly, “spell check” works overtime and muddles my train of thought.
Mary Cooney-Glazer For a story,in progress, my laptop. For random ideas, I jot things in a little notebook or scrap that gets tucked into it.
Liz Knowles Liz Knowles I use a notebook and pen. This is ideal for me, in case of electricity going out, battery running low, I have an accessible record of what I have been writing and it as makes a good record for later, in case I need to reference something or prove something. Typed words, do not always constitute proof its yours or that you wrote it. And these types of records are important to have to secure your work.
Linzi Carlisle Nokes I write on my laptop but keep a notebook alongside, in which I am constantly scribbling ongoing story notes.
Montgomery Frogg I usually write and illustrate my books on my lap-top, but if the sun is shining outside, I’ll often sit on my patio, writing a story with pen and paper, or sketching out illustrations with the old faithful pencil and rubber.
Karen Probert Longhand for sure – my mind works differently when I can write longhand. The laptop for sure for editing as it is faster and more efficient.
List a few phobias you have. When and how did you discover you had these?
My ‘phobia’s’ are rather bizarre to say the least. Firstly, as a child I had a recurring nightmare, which was so vivid I would wake with terrible stomach and back pain. The source was a rhino’s horn penetrating my body! In the dream I was at a fancy ‘garden’ party with marquees, waiters, lavish tables, musicians – the works. I was still young and attended with my parents. The setting was Africa on the boundary of the wilderness. (I was born in South Africa).
A rhino thundered towards the garden party scattering the guests in all directions, it also pierced through me as it exited the scene. I could feel the horn through my body and the jarring as the animal ran across the savanna. I could hear screams behind me as the guests realized my predicament. This is the moment I would wake up.
Many, many years later, when my daughter, a born animal whisper wanted to visit the rhino house at Longleat Safari Park, UK, I tried to get her to go on her own. Up to that point I couldn’t even look at a rhino photo images on the TV. She was insistent I went with her to stroke the animal. As we entered the rhino house my fear grew. My daughter went up to the rhino, who was leaning against the massive metal bars and patted it’s hide. She held my hand as I did the same. It’s hide is incredibly solid and rough and I was amazed at how it felt. This encounter lessened my childhood fear in a way I did not think possible. I can look at rhino’s now but still find I turn away when the images are of a charging bull rhino.
My second ‘phobia’ became apparent once I became a mother. The feelings of love and protection were (and are) so intense that I worry about my children’s safety and well-being. Even now when they are adult’s, I still worry about them (I am often teased because of it but the ‘cord’ is never cut – as we mother’s know only too well). Again I had recurring nightmares of this situation, which in a dreamscape is perfectly reasonable, of course. Bearing in mind at the time I was living in England and the situation was far from possible, the dreams were all too real to me.
Once again the dreams were vivid and I had the sensation of the bitter cold. Upon waking I would be shivering. The dream situated me with my two small children on a mountain side where an avalanche roared down towards us. I grabbed a child under each arm and ran to a rocky outcrop, where I held them tight under the overhang. As tonnes of snow poured over us I clung as tightly as I could to ensure each child was not ripped from my grasp.
Once the torrent ceased, we were buried in a capsule of snow and ice with a small pocket of space around us. As time passed, we became colder and colder and I understood I had to find a way to keep my children warm. (Now remember this is a dream and anything is possible in a dream!) I had the children put their feet and hands on my torso and that worked for a while but I could feel my extremities heat lessening. So the best way to keep the children warm was to put them ‘inside’ me where it was very warm. I cut my torso open and made the children crawl inside.
This is the moment I would wake up.
So now you have a glimpse at my psyche – how about you share too?
We are taking advantage of another long weekend and traveling west to Wildwood, then stopping over in Drayton Valley. Then an early start to take in the sights via the Brazeau Dam, Lodgepole, Yoho National Park, Kicking Horse Pass, Abraham Lake, Crescent Falls and onto Golden in British Columbia.
We were not so lucky this trip with wildlife – only spotted a herd of elk, a couple of deer, and several wild turkeys as well as a few osprey nests with chicks and one bald eagle – but the scenery is absolutely speculator. Alpine like valleys bordered with massive mountains and pine covered foothills.Stops at some wonderful places like Crescent Falls as I love water!
Sunday’s trip was to Radium Hot Springs and through to Invermere, a lake side town with a large arts and culture presence.
As I am scheduling this on Sunday night, I have no idea which route our trip home will take but as always there will be plenty of stops for photographs and to drink in the beauty around us. Possibly toward Banff but who knows as long as we are on the road enjoying the splendor, who cares?
Notebook, legal pad, post-it notes. I suck at typing, so if I try to get thoughts down quickly, “spell check” works overtime and muddles my train of thought.