Down a rabbit hole and being Kwirky

I've been a little quiet lately because the house moves wiped me out. Well that and a few unfortunate accidents involving a lamp plug that left a hole in my best jeans and, ahem, in my nether regions, several packing boxes lurking and deliberately tripping me up and a fall down a rabbit hole that has left me needing to use a walking stick. Really, those damn rabbits should remember to close their front doors ;-)
I've also been busy getting my craft stuff ready to sell at some upcoming Christmas markets but once that's all done intend to get down to some serious writing again.
These are some of the things I'm taking to the events. For news of events see my other blog - Kwirky Design
Also you can get a sneak preview of my Facebook store - Kwirky Kaleidescopes

Glamlit v. Chiclit

A while ago now I mentioned the rise of the glambuster. Several months later and the National Press are onto my trend (Okay, maybe they already knew but I like to think I was the first to recognise the migration over to glam ;-)

Glam is selling but Chic isn't so well. Personally I understand it - Tasmina Perry, Jo Rees and Tilly Bagshawe have captured my loyalty and my imagination. Reading about a world outside of my own is so much more mind-expanding!

You know that old saying about monkeys writing Shakespeare? Well take a look at this, personally I think it's hilarious :-)

Good luck to all NV entrants. Thankfully I am distracted this year by trying to arrange a house move and empty my house in Scotland as well. I should resurface from the Highlands in the middle of next week but I'm crossing my fingers I'll see names I know in the finalists' list!

Guilty!

My New Voices entry this year, 'Confessions of a Chalet Girl', is about feeling guilty. It's personal to me because I've had to delve into the complexity of guilt and the irrational human emotions surrounding it over the past few years. My brain injury was an accident but it was caused by my husband. I know it was an accident, he knows it was an accident but that hasn't prevented a few dark moments for both of us.

So my story is exploring the issue and set in a place I love - Switzerland (well I had to justify those drives over to Verbier for 'research purposes'. Really I have to get published just to justify the travel ;-)

If you have time to read it I would value your comments. If the link comes up before I leave to fly to Corfu I'll add it in, if not then please bear with me!

Mad busy/Mad crazy

I've been a little busy since I last posted - I've bought a house, booked a holiday and arranged to fly up to Scotland to pack up my house there. I only have a few weeks to go but in the midst of all the packing boxes I am trying to improve the rusty writing of my New Voices effort. At this rate I will be uploading my chapter from Corfu although the lovely sunshine will be a great distraction from watching my roses grow and shrink (and possibly shrivel back into the ground if last year is anything to go by!).

After New Voices 2010 I promised myself I would absolutely never enter any competition again but concentrate on the traditional route which seemed to be going better for me. Not quite sure what happened to that resolve...Still I'm hoping entering will let people realise I am (a) still alive and (b) still serious about writing.

I'm also hoping I will manage to stay sane and serene this time (who said 'Fat chance?'???)

Anyone else lurking in the shadows clutching a possible competition chapter?

New Beginnings (and this time I mean it!)

Anyone who has known me for a while (and if you've stuck around you have my thanks for your patience!) will know that for the past few years I've been going through a particularly gruelling insurance process following a brain injury.
Thankfully on Wednesday this came to an end in a highly pressurised game of Deal or no Deal that lasted 7 hours in a windowless, underground room. I could take the bankers offer and run or I could stick it out for another two years during which I was promised (threatened?) things would get much nastier. As they had already been pretty nasty - being followed by private detectives, having my post box rummaged through at 3 am, being forced to try treatment that made me worse, having every aspect of my medical and personal history raked over, being squeezed financially to the point of homelessness and being unable to afford food, being lied about, threatened and even blackmailed - my mind boggled as to how things could get even worse.
So, with great relief I decided to take the money and run, or in my case stagger, home. I've been so shattered I can barely take it in but finally it's dawning that all the energy I expended on the insurance reports and rehabilitation can now be channeled back into writing and that, more than any amount of money, is what is making me happy :-)
Now I can finish that requested full (finally!) and maybe even dip a toe in the waters of New Voices. Just for fun though as I've been way too sick lately to sign myself up for the kind of rosemania that swept the internet waves last year ;-)

And in case you were wondering what I've been up to all this time, well even though I've been unable to face a computer screen my creativity still insisted on finding an outlet and these are a few of the things I've made this year. It's patchwork but not as my nan would know it...

#MarryingCadeWave Stop Six

It’s launch day for Sally Clements’ new book, Marrying Cade, and to celebrate, she’s having a Mexican wave of excerpts! You can keep up with the wave’s progress on the twitter hashtag #MarryingCadeWave – and add a tweet with the hashtag to chat with everyone else who’s reading along!

Here’s how to do it…these are the stops, just call in to these blogs to read each excerpt (they start at stop one, and finish at stop ten). Alternatively, start wherever, and click on the next stop link at the bottom of the excerpt. Or just click on the buy link, to get your own copy of Marrying Cade!

Stop One – Talli Roland’s blog http://talliroland.blogspot.com/

Stop Two – Maya Blake’s blog http://mayabauthor.blogspot.com/

Stop Three – Nas Dean’s blog http://nas-dean.blogspot.com/

Stop Four – Joanne Coles’s blog http://joannecleary.blogspot.com/

Stop Five – Romy Summers’ blog http://romysommer.blogspot.com/

Stop Six – Lorraine Wilson’s blog http://lorraine-wilson.blogspot.com/

Stop Seven – Joanne Pibworth’s blog http://joannepibworth.blogspot.com/

Stop Eight – Suzanne Jones’ blog http://suzanne-sj.blogspot.com/

Stop Nine – Lacey Devlin’s blog http://laceydevlin.blogspot.com/

Stop Ten – Sally Clements’ blog http://sallyclements.blogspot.com/

Stop Six’s excerpt…

“Ciao, Cade.” Her low voice caressed his name. Her eyes rose to his and jolted him with a bolt of blue.

It was Melo, all right. He’d know those eyes anywhere.

She leaned toward him, proffering her cheek for the customary kiss.

Cade’s lips grazed the smooth skin of her cheek, and his nostrils filled with the intoxicating scent of her perfume. His fingers smoothed over her upper arms, feeling the shiver snaking through her. She had a tiny mole above the outer curve of her mouth, something else he remembered from the Melo of old.

He stepped back, needing distance.

“Hi Melo. You look great.” The scratchy croak was just about all he could manage. Rosa’s sister had blossomed into the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. Twelve years ago, the gangly tomboy had been the perfect companion for a boy on holiday. They’d done everything together. Well, almost everything. Now he was tongue tied around her, and that was new.

Read a review of Marrying Cade at Madeline Ash’s blog… http://madelineash.blogspot.com

Buy Marrying Cade from The Wild Rose Press:http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=4557

Before you go on to stop seven, tweet this to help get the wave going! Now, continue on to Stop seven here! http://joannepibworth.blogspot.com/

CATCH ME A CATCH - July 2010, The Wild Rose Press

BOUND TO LOVE - February 2011, Embrace Books

NEW BEGINNINGS - February 2011, A collection of short stories

MARRYING CADE - upcoming 2011, The Wild Rose Press

LOVE ON THE VINE - upcoming 2011, The Wild Rose Press

Wake me when it's over...

Sadly I haven't been absent for the past few weeks because I've been sunning myself in Monte Carlo, ensconced on the yacht of a gorgeous billionaire. Instead I've been having unpleasant things done to my spine and neck that have turned me into a pain fuelled, hobbling harridan.

I'm the first to admit I'm not much fun to be with at the moment and having to miss the RNA conference this year because of some doctor's desire to poke at my nerve endings with sharp implements has made me a tad...grumpy.

Still, I've been getting through the enforced rest by listening to as many audiobooks as I can get my mitts on and the dogs are wisely sleeping through my recuperation (and are a great source of unconditional cuddles!).

I was really pleased to find a new Heidi Rice audiobook has been released on audible.co.uk - Public Affair, Secretly Expecting.

I'm hoping that by listening, listening, listening I can not only distract myself from the pain but also learn and grow with my own writing so this needn't feel like such a wasted time.

If you're going to the conference have a great time and good luck to those of you with editor appointments. I will see you all there next year :-)