I'm slowly recovering from the nasty bug, and my brain is no longer stuffed like a thick duvet!
My characters have been quiet - plotting their next moves I suspect.
It's also given me time to catch up on some reading, and looking into various things I need to get on with this month.
Yes, I know I was meant to be resting, but I could sit still at my desk and catch up - it's only moving around or standing up for more than a few minutes that gets me!
So to this year's oddest titles (Diagram Prize)- there's some obvious contenders to win this year.
1. Advanced Pavement Research:... (and more about concrete, design and construction. I'm a bit concerned why pavements need rehabilitation.) It's a Souvenir guide to a two-day pavement symposium.
2. Divorcing a Real Witch: For Pagans and the People That Used to Love Them.
3. The Madwoman in the Volvo: My Year of Raging Hormones.
4. Nature's Nether Regions.
5. Strangers Have the Best Candy.
6. The Ugly Wife is a Treasure at Home.
7. Where Do Camels Belong.
The titles in the last few years haven't had as much variety as those in earlier years of the prize, so it's good to have more choice this time.
I'm trying to decide between voting for no. 2 or no. 3.
You can read more over on the Bookseller website, and see the covers - they look quite good together.
But if you want to vote- and remember your vote can decide the winner- you need to pop over to the We Love This Book website to do so. Just click on the vote box to go to the form.
Voting ends one minute into 21st March 2015, and the winner is announced on 27th March.
The winning title doesn't receive a prize, but the publicity that inclusion in the competition brings the book, probably increases sales that otherwise might not have happened.
I couldn't resist opting for 'The Madwoman in the Volvo'. That title just appealed to me, with the image it suggested. :D
Carol Bevitt's blog on her writing and inspirations, along with occasional literature related news...
Friday 27 February 2015
Sunday 22 February 2015
Sick Leave...
Having thought I'd managed to get through winter without any major health problems, the last bugs of winter have struck.
The nasty cold bugs that have been going round my family- and quite a few friends too- has finally overcome my defences, and I'm coughing and spluttering a lot- day and night; consequently my breathing is not as good as is desirable. So it's going to be a trip to the GP surgery to sort out my asthma...
Oh, and rearrange my dental appointments too. :(
So I'm sure you'll understand my brain is a bit hazy at the moment. But I do want to leave you with something to read about.
Last week a YouGov survey announced that 60% thought being an author was the most desirable job to have in Britain...
This announcement resulted in newspaper articles, that in turn got bloggers blogging.
Chas Newkey-Burden in the Telegraph books section gave '14 reasons why you shouldn't dream of being a full-time author', and while his reasons were all valid, most writers cannot afford to become full-time authors as they need their daytime job to pay the bills and eat- and if you're female there's often your family to factor into it all.
Tim Lott in the Guardian books section added his opinion too, including an obvious plug for his current writing related work with the newspaper.
These inspired Sally Quilford to write her response, '14 reasons I wouldn't want to be anything but an author'.
And another brilliant piece from Jane Lovering's 'From Behind the Keyboard'.
It's quite possible that within that 60% there were people who want to be authors, but haven't yet taken that first step on the very long and bumpy road; but sadly, I suspect many think that it is easy to write a book and be a JK Rowling, a Dan Brown or EL James, sell millions of books, make millions and get films made of your work, because the media makes so much of the breakthroughs.
If you want to write, you will do it, however long it may take you, and however much you need to learn.
We'll continue to write because we have to. Because we love doing what we do.
And honestly, you would not want to eavesdrop on my subconscious at any time- it would give you a severe headache. :)
The nasty cold bugs that have been going round my family- and quite a few friends too- has finally overcome my defences, and I'm coughing and spluttering a lot- day and night; consequently my breathing is not as good as is desirable. So it's going to be a trip to the GP surgery to sort out my asthma...
Oh, and rearrange my dental appointments too. :(
So I'm sure you'll understand my brain is a bit hazy at the moment. But I do want to leave you with something to read about.
Last week a YouGov survey announced that 60% thought being an author was the most desirable job to have in Britain...
This announcement resulted in newspaper articles, that in turn got bloggers blogging.
Chas Newkey-Burden in the Telegraph books section gave '14 reasons why you shouldn't dream of being a full-time author', and while his reasons were all valid, most writers cannot afford to become full-time authors as they need their daytime job to pay the bills and eat- and if you're female there's often your family to factor into it all.
Tim Lott in the Guardian books section added his opinion too, including an obvious plug for his current writing related work with the newspaper.
These inspired Sally Quilford to write her response, '14 reasons I wouldn't want to be anything but an author'.
And another brilliant piece from Jane Lovering's 'From Behind the Keyboard'.
It's quite possible that within that 60% there were people who want to be authors, but haven't yet taken that first step on the very long and bumpy road; but sadly, I suspect many think that it is easy to write a book and be a JK Rowling, a Dan Brown or EL James, sell millions of books, make millions and get films made of your work, because the media makes so much of the breakthroughs.
If you want to write, you will do it, however long it may take you, and however much you need to learn.
We'll continue to write because we have to. Because we love doing what we do.
And honestly, you would not want to eavesdrop on my subconscious at any time- it would give you a severe headache. :)
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