What's Up Wednesday! | 25/03/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've finished Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and it's definitely a new favourite of mine. I just loved it. I reviewed it here if you're interested in my thoughts on it!

I'm still reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and getting shocked beyond belief at some of the twists and turns, and I also started Dangerous Women Part I ed. by George R. R. Martin and Gardner R. Dozois, and then ended up putting it down after having to DNF Martin's novella. I've discovered I'm not a big fan of Martin's writing style, and the novella - 'The Princess and the Queen' - was so dull. I definitely want to return to the anthology, but it's a shame they decided to open it with such a boring story.

What I'm Writing

Y'know that short story I mentioned last week? Well there's a chance it's turning into a novella... 

Speaking of novellas, Twelfth Planet Press, who published Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories, are currently accepting submissions for novellas. So if you have a completed story between 10,000-40,000 words that fits into the speculative fiction category, why not send it their way before March 31st?

Also my story 'Coffee Break' is being published on Flash Fiction Magazine today!

What Works For Me

Neil Gaiman? What are you doing in my falafel?

What Else Is New

Today is the very last WUW as the lovely hosts Jaime and Erin have made the decision to wind it down, because that's what's best for them. I'm sad to see WUW go - I've always found these posts a lot of fun and I've met so many wonderful people I wouldn't have otherwise met - but perhaps in their absence I'll get a lot more writing done. ;)

Thanks Jaime and Erin! It's been great!

What's Up Wednesday! | 18/03/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

I've read Coraline by Neil Gaiman and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson since last week - I haven't been reading very frequently recently, which isn't good when I'm in the middle of hosting a reading challenge!

I'd like to finish at least one of the novels I'm in the middle of this week, and I'm also aiming to read Fingersmith  by Sarah Waters for Week 3 of my Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge, where this week's challenge is to read a book with an LGBT protagonist.

What I'm Writing

Short stories! A little while ago I mentioned a new character who'd started speaking to me, a biracial dragon whose parents own a Chinese restaurant, and how, though she was telling me plenty of things to write down, I couldn't think of a story for her. Now that's changed! I'm finally working on a short story involving her, and once it's written and edited I'm going to see if I can submit it for publication in a magazine somewhere.

Sadly I didn't get 'Piranha' finished in time to send it off for the Mslexia competition - I just ended up having one of those weeks where I couldn't catch a break no matter how hard I tried to set aside time to write. I'm still going to finish it, though, with the hope of publishing it elsewhere - apparently Lightspeed Magazine will be opening for submissions again in June, so I'd love to submit something then!

What Works For Me

Brushing myself off, and getting back up. Several times a year I slip into slumps where I don't write anything I'm happy with, and I wonder why I'm even trying when I'll never be as good as all the other writers out there. I think it's a common thing we all experience from time to time, but the trick is not to give in to those thoughts. Let yourself worry and be scared and get upset, but don't let those feelings overtake the enjoyment of writing. In fact if writing is starting to become something you dread rather than something you enjoy, I think that's a sign you need to take a little break to refresh your creative pallet!

What Else Is New

It was Mother's Day on Sunday here in the UK, and I got my Mum some new earrings and a teeny boxset of baking books which she loved! Also uncovered this old photograph from the day after I was born:

That's me when I was a day old! Along with my Mum and Dad, and their early '90s hair, and my big sisters Vickie (centre) and Becky (left). 

It's so funny looking at that photograph. There's grey in my Dad's hair now - in fact he's adamant it was living with four women that turned him grey in the first place. Oh, and if you're wondering what's in the glass, it's Lucozade. My Mum's always had a thing for energy drinks, and she definitely needed one then!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 11/03/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've read The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, The Ice Dragon by George R. R. Martin, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll and The Great God Pan, The Shining Pyramid and The White People by Arthur Machen.

I'm still reading Relic by Renee Collins, Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland - not because any of them are boring, but just because I've found myself with barely any time to read, still not entirely sure why, so I've been reading shorter reads in between. I also started Kindred by Octavia E. Butler which I'm reading for Week 2 of my Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge.

What I'm Writing

I'm still working on my short story 'Piranha' for the Mslexia Short Story Competition, and I've also started writing another short story, 'Stars Over Talsarn', which is set in 16th century Wales. I've been really into short story writing the past few months, I think mainly because I want to get more of my work out there, and also because reading My True Love Gave to Me over Christmas has awakened my love for anthologies and the more short stories I read the more I want to write.

What Works For Me

Reading. I feel like I'm cheating because I've said this plenty of times, but reading other people's work really inspires and motivates me.

What Else Is New

The weather was gorgeous at the weekend, like spring is finally on its way, and on Saturday I went shopping. I bought some new shoes for the warmer weather - they're really cool - and I picked up a few paint samples. I want to redecorate my room, but I can't decide what colour I want my feature wall to be. It's very frustrating.

On Sunday I found out that one of my flash fiction stories, 'Coffee Break', will be up on Flash Fiction Magazine on the 25th March, so that's exciting! And tomorrow I'm off to a new writing and reading group. A friend of mine introduced me to this fantastic site called MeetUp where people can find groups and activities in their local area and meet new people. There don't seem to be that many groups down where I am - I keep getting recommendations for groups in Bristol. I live in South Wales, why the hell would I travel all the way to Bristol?! - but this group is fairly new, the meeting I'm going to is only their second one. I'm hoping to meet some new people. I miss my friends from uni a lot and it gets pretty lonely down here.

At the start of the week I was very sad to hear that IdeasTap will be closing. For those of you outside the UK, IdeasTap is a charity which focuses entirely on helping people in the arts. Every year they collaborate with Sky and offer £30,000 to three artists (that's each, not between them) so that for an entire year they can work on a project they're passionate about and not have to worry about how they're going to pay their rent or where their next meal is coming from. Many people also use the money to travel; if a writer decides to write a novel set in Africa, they can afford to go and do their research in Africa.

It's also fantastic for its articles on creativity and inspiration, as well as for the events and scholarships it promotes and the jobs it advertises. For people looking to get a job in the arts in the UK, it has a brilliant job search that allows you to look for arts jobs by area or salary or arts sector.

Basically it's an amazing charity and I'm gutted it's closing. I'm hoping someone will give it the funding it needs before June. #SaveIdeasTap

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 25/02/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

My reading habits have been a bit all over the place this last week; I've found myself dipping in and out of things rather than just focusing on one book.

I started Relic by Renee Collins, which is one of those stories with an amazing premise that just hasn't been executed to the best of its ability. It's set in the Wild West during the 19th century, where the fossils of long-extinct mythical and fantastical creatures can be mined for magic. That's a brilliant idea! But so far the way the story's written just isn't living up to the plot. I think Collins' imagination is fantastic, but in my opinion this book could have done with more editing and a few more drafts because for the most part it feels quite juvenile.

I also started Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire. Seanan McGuire is the real name of author Mira Grant, and I think we all know by now how much I love the Newsflesh trilogy. Rosemary and Rue is urban fantasy featuring faeries; I don't tend to read many books involving faeries, but I'm enjoying this one so far!

And this morning on the bus I started Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland. It's released on March 3rd and Donna very kindly sent me an ARC, so I want to read it and schedule the review for the release date. I've only read the first chapter so far, but I think I'm going to enjoy it!

What I'm Writing

I wrote a blurb for my SNI. I know that probably sounds crazy because I haven't even started writing it yet, but writing blurbs really gets me pumped for a project. I guess this counts as my 'What Works For Me', too!

What Else Is New

Don't forget to sign up for my Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge! ;)

I finally got my own computer at work! Now instead of jumping onto whoever's computer just happens to be free, I have my own shiny new Mac. I'm still getting used to using them, and I think I'm always going to prefer PCs because I'm just old fashioned that way, but it's certainly a cool computer and I can't help feeling very professional and important. Even if I do just spend some days on Twitter.

(I'm not slacking, I promise - part of my job involves me being in charge of a Twitter account and a Facebook page, so I end up doing a lot of social media stuff...)

Speaking of which, the main reason I got this job is because Seren were looking for someone to help organise the centenary celebrations of Alun Lewis, a WW2 writer who died under rather tragic circumstances when he was just 29. I'm in charge of a Twitter account and Facebook page for his centenary, and I'd really appreciate it if any of you could follow the Twitter account and/or like the page!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 18/02/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

I haven't been reading too much this past week. I'm still enjoying Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland, and at work I got to read Judas by Damian Walford Davies.

What I'm Writing

I think I'm going to start a new project. Famous last words.

I am by no means giving up on Bloodroot and Bracken, I still fully intend to finish it, but I've had an idea for another novel that's been rattling around in my head since the middle of last year, and a thought suddenly occurred to me the other day: what am I waiting for?

I like this idea, but I also like how completely unfamiliar to me it is. Like Bloodroot and Bracken it's historical fiction with fantastical elements, but it's set during a period of history I know little about, involving real historical figures I know next to nothing about, in an area of Britain whose history I know virtually nothing about, including fantastical creatures I'm surprisingly unfamiliar with. At its heart it's a story set in Medieval Wales involving dragons and girl power.

It's going to be a huge undertaking - there's a lot of research that I need to do - but I'm excited about it, and after how low I was feeling last week creatively it's so good to feel this way about a project.

So am I writing? I'm still working on short fiction and every now and then I chip away at Bloodroot and Bracken, but for now the majority of my writing is going to be research, because I need to start collecting a lot of it!

What Works For Me

Improv. When I was at school my favourite subject was Drama; I did it at GCSE and A Level and loved it so much, and to be honest I really miss those lessons.

Anyway, there have often been times where I know I need to write a scene in which something big happens, but I have no idea how to go about it or what's going to be said. So I do a bit of improv. With myself.

I know that probably sounds really weird, but I've mentioned before how I find talking to myself useful in that it helps me write natural dialogue because I can hear how a sentence would sound, and whether it sounds like something a person would actually say. This works in a very similar way; when you need to write a dramatic scene it can be really easy to slip into cliche language, so improv helps me a lot in finding that happy medium between 'engaging' and 'real'.

What Else Is New

I'm still hoping people will start signing up for my Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge! *wink wink nudge nudge*

Other than that, not too much! Work's starting to get busier now, and it's my sister's birthday - she's 34 today! I never know what to get my sisters when their birthdays roll around, but this year I got my oldest sister and I tickets to go and see Imagine Dragons in Cardiff in November. I'm really excited!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 11/02/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've read My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland and The Earl and the Fairy, Vol. 1 by Mizue Tani. Both of them were pretty unexpected reads, but I enjoyed them; I loved My Life as a White Trash Zombie and I can't wait to read the other books in the series. The Earl and the Fairy I didn't like as much - it told more than it showed, meaning everything developed too quickly for my tastes - but I'm probably going to read the rest of the series because there are only four books in the manga, and I don't think I've ever come across a manga series so short. Plus the main character's a fairy doctor, so it's kind of cute.

Right now I'm reading Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland, and I'm loving it so far!

What I'm Writing

Still working away on short fiction!

What Works For Me

I'm not really feeling very inspired this week, sorry to be a downer. I'm having one of those existential crisis weeks where I feel as though nothing I ever write is ever going to be good enough, so why bother? I'll work my way through it, I just need to shake off the funk.

What Else Is New

Last Thursday libraries all over Britain were having Harry Potter Book Nights; Bloomsbury sent around a bunch of activity sheets, and I volunteered at my local library to help out with the event. I got to be Head of Ravenclaw House (mainly because I told one of the librarians I have a Ravenclaw shirt and a Ravenclaw scarf) and three other volunteers were the Heads of the other Houses. The kids designed dragon eggs, went on a treasure hunt, played 'Petrified Potters' (AKA musical statues), ate some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and there was a quiz, too, as well as prizes for the best costume. A little girl in my House won one of those prizes for her amazing Tonks costume; not only did she have a pink wig on, but she even had a name tag written like this: Nymphadora TONKS. It was really cute.

Slytherin came away with the ultimate House Cup, but Ravenclaw were a close second, and I think that's impressive considering there were only three kids in my House!

On Sunday my niece turned 4 - 4! I feel like she was only born yesterday! - and she had a big party where pretty much her entire nursery were invited. She also got a buttload of presents, I have no idea where my sister's going to put them all, and she had a great day running around with her friends.

My sister had the most amazing cake made for her. My niece asked for a unicorn and a rainbow, so that's what she got!

Then on Monday I announced the Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge! I've partnered up with Amy Bruno @ Passages to the Past to organise a reading challenge that's been created with the intention of encouraging people to read more diverse historical fiction.  You can find my announcement post here with more information, and I'd love it if some of you decided to join in or just spread the word! This is the first reading challenge I've ever hosted, so it would kind of suck if no one signed up.

Look how beautiful he is...

I've also been rewatching Inuyasha this past week, which ties with Fruits Basket for my all-time favourite anime, and it's been such a comfort. I first watched it when I was around 16 and I still love it just as much as I did then; one minute it'll have you laughing and the next minute it'll break your heart, but that's what makes it so darn good. I wish I could get them all on DVD, but each season is still around £25 each and there's no way I can spend £200 on anime!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday | 04/02/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

It's February! Where did that come from?

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've read Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch - a really fun graphic novel that I recommend to any high fantasy lovers! - and I'm currently in the middle of Rurouni Kenshin, Vol.1 by Nobuhiro Watsuki, My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland, and Half Bad by Sally Green.

I'm reading Half Bad with Shannon who I know has already finished it, and I'm hoping to finish it in the next day or so - terrible reader that I am, I let myself get distracted last week!

What I'm Writing (+1 Writing Goal)

I'm still working away on short stories for submissions and competitions, and I'm enjoying writing short fiction right now. It's been a while since I worked on any short stories - while I was doing my MA I worked on nothing but Bloodroot and Bracken for a year - and it's been really fun to write something that actually has an end in sight. There's something very satisfying about just bashing out a 3,000 word story and knowing it's finished!

I didn't complete my writing goals last week, which is really annoying, but I only have myself to blame. Over the weekend I didn't really manage to get much time in which I could work undisturbed. This week, though, I need to complete two of the stories I've been working on, because I have one competition and one submission deadline next week!

Writing Goal: Complete 'Dead Beautiful' and 'Mab' - URGENTLY!

What Works For Me

Making lists. This can be something of a double-edged sword because sometimes I can get so into list making and planning that I end up doing no writing whatsoever, but lately as I've been working on submissions for various magazines and competitions making lists as to which story I'm sending where and what the deadline is - as well as another list for stories that have already been sent off, where they were sent to and when - helps me to de-stress and makes me feel just a teensy bit more organised. And to be honest writing stuff down in my own list on Google Docs is a lot easier than having to find the competition submissions page every time I want to check the deadline!

What Else Is New

First off, thank you to all of you who sent my nana your good wishes last week, I really appreciated that she was in your thoughts, even if it was just for a moment. I'm pleased to announce that she's slowly but surely getting better; I mentioned before that along with the septicemia she'd already been ill for a while, and she was worried she had bowel cancer because her dad passed away from the same disease. Thankfully tests have shown that she's cancer free, and today they're letting her go home!

I haven't really done much this past week! I entered The Winston Fletcher Fiction Prize, and I've sent off a couple of short stories and various poems to some magazines that are currently calling for submissions, but other than that it's been fairly quiet here. Oh, aside from my book-buying addiction that has got somewhat out of control since I started working and earning my own money. I already have no room for books, so I really need to stop buying more! Am I going to, though? No. No, I'm not.

Today, because of our heating not working, I get to work from home where it's nice and warm, and has the added benefit of being able to stay in my pyjamas.

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 28/01/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've read The Meat Tree by Gwyneth Lewis, which is probably the weirdest thing I've read so far this year, and The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau. The beginning of the novel is a little slow - which you wouldn't expect considering the majority of the beginning takes place in the Tower of London! - but with a little patience things soon livened up. If you're interested in reading some female-led historical crime then I recommend giving this book a try.

On Monday I finally picked up Half Bad by Sally Green which I'm reading alongside Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight!

What I'm Writing (+1 Writing Goal)

Right now I'm mainly working on short fiction. There are a few competitions and calls for submissions that are ending in a couple of weeks and I want to make sure I enter/submit as much as I can. A few of the competitions I'm aiming to enter are the Mslexia Short Story Competition, a competition for women writers, the BBC Opening Lines Competition, a chance to get your story read out on the radio, and The Winston Fletcher Fiction Prize, a competition for people who work in advertising, marketing and any related businesses.

Over the past few days I also had a little brainwave concerning a plot point in Bloodroot and Bracken that's been bothering me for a while, which is just what I need. I love it when solving a problem rekindles my passion for a project that's been around for a while. 

I haven't forgotten my latest character, Mab, either; I'm hoping to use some of the notes I have to write something for one of the competitions I'm entering.

Writing Goal: Redraft 'Dead Beautiful', finish 'Crying Wolf' and draft something from my Mab notes.

What Works For Me

Deadlines. I wish I was one of those people who did work gradually and got everything done and dusted before the deadline, and once in a blue moon it does happen, but for the most part I have the tendency to leave things to the last minute. Most of the time I don't even do it on purpose, I'll try getting something done but I can't seem to be able to get into the zone unless there's a deadline hanging over my head that's slowly but surely helping me to develop a stomach ulcer.

This proved especially true for me at the end of last week when I discovered that, if I wanted the chance to apply for funding, I needed to have sent off my PhD application no later than the 23rd. So on the 22nd and the 23rd I worked my arse off until it was done and dusted.

(In my defense a) I'd never worked on a PhD proposal before so I was a little lost, b) pretty much the entire week before I was away at a friend's and didn't have time or access to my laptop, and c) I thought I had until the end of January. It's still no excuse, but it makes me feel better.)

What Else Is New

It's been a strange sort of week. On Friday I sent off my first PhD application - eek! - then my parents and I ate Chinese food and I introduced them to The Book Thief; I haven't watched the film since it came out in the cinema so it was nice to see it again.

Then over the weekend both my best friend and my nana ended up in hospital. My best friend is now appendixless after hers had the nerve to burst, and my poor nana, who in my eyes is invincible, has been poorly for a little while. My uncle took her to hospital after her leg swelled up and it turns out she has septicemia. She was very poorly, but now she's wide awake and she's regaining some of the weight she's lost recently and keeping her food down, so fingers crossed she'll be back to her usual self very soon. 

I'm back at work this week after my week off, and you know you enjoy what you do when you're glad to get back. I'm very lucky to have a job that I enjoy. I've mentioned before that this year I'm working on the centenary of Alun Lewis, who was a Welsh English-language writer during WW2, and this week I got to proofread something very exciting: his unpublished novel. What could make that more exciting? Being able to read and hold the original manuscript. It's very cool.

So what's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 21/01/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

I haven't done any reading since last week, so I'm still in the middle of The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau and Valour's Choice by Tanya Huff!

What I'm Writing

I'm still working away on the story with no story; my protagonist's still very talkative, and if nothing else I might be able to turn what she's telling me into a short story!

I also really need to get my PhD application finished, because the deadline's Friday - eek!

What Works For Me

Always having a notebook with me! I never go anywhere without a notebook and a pen in my bag, and it's saved me from losing ideas many a time.

What Else Is New

On Saturday I travelled up to Doncaster to visit a friend of mine from uni, and I just got back today! I had a great few days there that included skittle cocktails, rocking out to a live band's cover of Livin' On A Prayer, walking around Clumber Park, shopping, going to see Into the Woods (great film!), having a look around Cusworth Hall (and their tearooms!) and, the main reason I went, going to see Matthew Bourne's ballet production of Edward Scissorhands.

It was stunning. Matthew Bourne is a British choreographer who's well known for his dark ballet productions; he's done a production of Sleeping Beauty that involved vampiric faeries! You wouldn't think Edward Scissorhands would be possible in ballet form, but it was absolutely gorgeous and we had amazing seats - we were only on the second row, and right at the end of the show we got snowed on when they released foam from the ceiling!

If any of you have the chance to go and see it, go and see it!

What's Up Wednesday! | 14/01/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

I didn't read some of the books I'd planned on reading in the past week; I'm still in the middle of The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau and I set Kate Mosse's The Winter Ghosts aside for the time being because I just wasn't feeling it.

But since last week I've managed to read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and the first four volumes of Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples which, unsurprisingly, is now one of my new favourite series. Right now I'm still reading The Crown and yesterday I started Valour's Choice by Tanya Huff, which is a piece of female led military sci-fi by one of my favourite authors!

What I'm Writing (+1 Writing Goal)

I'm still writing from the POV of the character I mentioned last week. There's still no apparent story, she's just telling me about how her parents met and came to open their restaurant. I'm hoping for some sort of story to become apparent eventually because she's a character I'm really enjoying, and she now has a name: Mab Hu. A fitting name, I think, for someone with a Welsh mother and a Chinese father.

I also have some short stories I need to be working on, especially if I want to enter some of the competitions I've come across recently. One of my short stories is driving me up the wall and has been doing so for about two years; it's been finished for a while, but there have been so many drafts because I still haven't quite found the best way to tell it.

My Writing Goal: Redraft 'Sati' for the umpteenth time.

What Works For Me

Sharing my work with others. It's not for everyone, but I spent four years at university in seminars where other people critiqued my work and my writing improved so much during that time. I'm still in touch with the people from my MA course and whenever one of us writes something that we're unsure of there's always someone who's willing to take a look and give some honest, constructive advice. Sometimes just hearing someone else say 'I really want to know what happens next' is enough to get me back to my keyboard.

What Else Is New

Honestly, not a lot! On Sunday I went shopping in Cardiff; it's a great place to shop because it's the capital of Wales, but it doesn't feel like a capital city. It's very wide and flat and you can still see the horizon, so, unlike London, you don't feel boxed in.

I ended up buying myself a bunch of new tops including a Beauty and the Beast top, an Aladdin top, a Ravenclaw top and a dinosaur top, as well as some Harry Potter pyjamas and a unicorn jumper which might just be the cuddliest thing I've ever owned. You know you're all jealous of my fashion sense. 

I think I deserve an award for just buying clothes; I even went into Waterstone's and came out empty handed, which is a miracle!

But yesterday I received an ARC of Mistress Firebrand from the lovely Donna Thorland who, after seeing it mentioned on my blog as one of my most anticipated reads of 2015, kindly asked to send me a copy. I'm really looking forward to reading it!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 07/01/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for readers and writers to stay in touch!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What I'm Reading

Since the last WUW I've read My Family and Other Superheroes by Jonathan Edwards, The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan, Witch by Damian Walford Davies, Burial Rites by Hannah Kent and White Ravens by Owen Sheers.

Right now I'm reading The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau, and just this morning I started The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse. I'm taking part in the Bout of Books 12 this week; I haven't set myself any challenges because they only stress me out and I don't want to turn reading into something that brings me stress. I'm taking part so that I can get 2015 off to a great reading start!

With that in mind I want to try and finish both The Crown and The Winter Ghosts this week, and I also want to try and read The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier, Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers and A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf.

What I'm Writing

I'm ashamed to say I've written barely anything over the holidays! I'm aiming to enter a few writing competitions so I've been trying to tweak, complete and write some short stories that have been stuck in my head for a while. One story in particular has been driving me nuts, so some of the people from my MA course are very kindly going to read it and tell me what they think.

Then yesterday inspiration struck, so I started scribbling in my notebook during my lunch break. I don't think any character's voice, without a story, has ever come through so clearly before; I won't say much (because I'm not even sure what it is yet!), only that whatever it is is from the POV of a biracial dragon whose parents own a Chinese restaurant.

What Works For Me

Actually writing when I get a new idea. I have this habit of thinking of an idea and 'saving it' for later, as though writing it later is going to make it somehow better, but most of the time when I do that what actually happens is that I convince myself it's a bad idea or I forget something (especially if I don't have something with me to jot the idea down!) and the idea doesn't get written the way I want it or it doesn't get written at all.

This has worked for me very recently! The story I mentioned above isn't exactly a story yet, it's just this very loud character talking through me; I have no idea what I'm going to do with what she's telling me once she's finished talking...

What Else Is New

I had a great Christmas and New Year! I spent Christmas with my family and got some great presents, including a bunch of books and DVDs I'd been after. And then I spent New Year in York, the most haunted city in Britain, with my best friend; we shopped, ate, drank, went to the cinema to see Night at the Museum 3 (and I totally teared up near the end; I'm going to miss seeing Robin Williams in new films) and binge watched the first three seasons of Parks and Recreation. Why have I never watched that show before?

I'm still enjoying my job and my wages, and last night I bought tickets for me and my parents to go and see The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. I enjoyed it - I certainly enjoyed it better than the other two films which, while good, felt very much like "Bilbo and the Road Trip" to me - but I think I'm always going to love The Lord of the Rings more. Eowyn's my home girl.

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday | 17/12/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Last week I was away for my graduation for three days, and before then I was on a roll. During those three days I couldn't find any spare time to do any reading and now I can feel myself heading towards an end of year slump - which I don't want!

So I'm continuing on with some festive/seasonal reads, and right now I'm in the middle of The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I'm also still reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, which is intriguing but hasn't quite hooked me yet, but I have only read the first four chapters so far.

What I'm Writing

Right now I'm working on my PhD proposal. I'm hoping to return to university in a year or so to pursue a PhD in Creative Writing. My MA went well so I have my results to back me up, but I want to make sure my proposal's great, too. Over the past couple of years I've become fascinated with the representation of minorities in historical fiction (women; people of colour; the LGBT community etc.) and how, in some ways, historical fiction can be more useful to us than historical fact because it's often better at inducing empathy.

I've had an idea burning away in the back of my head for a few months now that I'd love to work on for my PhD, which is a lesbian retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in 17th century Virginia, featuring a Native American protagonist who is raised by a Puritan preacher with a white savior complex. It's basically a mixture of a lot of things I enjoy writing and talking about, from sexuality to race to identity, and I can hear my protagonist's voice so clearly in my head (meaning I've already written a few sentences here and there!)

What Works For Me

My journey to and from work. I don't/can't drive. I had driving lessons during my teens, failed my first, and so far only, driving test (even though I think I should have passed, my examiner was a grump) and then I started university before I could take another. Since then I haven't drove because I don't enjoy it; in fact being behind the wheel of a car both unnerves and terrifies me. I wish it didn't, but I just hate driving. Obviously since I've started working full time I need to get to and from work during the week, but luckily for me there's a regularly running bus service that only takes 20 minutes to get into town (and I can use this bit of time to read if I feel like it). 

Anyway, this is all a very long-winded way of me saying that I enjoy my journey to and from work because it gives me time to think, and when I'm walking/going on the bus somewhere on my own I do tend to slip into brainstorming mode. I've come up with some of my best/most useful ideas while journeying. Plus this journey gives me some of that time alone that I mentioned needing last week.

What Else Is New

Honestly not a lot! I had a wonderful time at graduation - thank you to everyone who congratulated me last week, it was really lovely and appreciated! - and caught up with some of my friends, and then I visited my sister and her family. My youngest niece, born in October, has started smiling. She's gorgeous.

Other than that I've just been getting used to working full time, but it's not something I resent at all - I'm really enjoying my job!

Next week is Christmas Eve so there is no WUW. With that in mind I wish all of you a very, very Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brings you everything you want, and if you don't celebrate Christmas I hope you have a lovely week all the same!

What's Up Wednesday! | 10/12/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

After finishing Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop I've been eagerly awaiting my copy of The Christmas Surprise in the mail, which is the latest Rosie Hopkins book and another Christmassy, contemporary read - just what I'm feeling right now!

In the mean time I've finally started The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, and despite only being three chapters in I can tell I'm really going to enjoy this book.

What I'm Writing

Sadly, nothing this week. This week's pretty busy - I'm actually away from home until Friday night - and I feel a bit... creatively deflated. I was really into my SNI, but the more I wrote for it the more I realised there's just not enough of a story there right now for me to pursue it properly, and the characters still feel very much like ideas rather than people. It still needs a little more time to stew. I think that's one of the reasons I've been reading non-stop recently; it's like I'm stocking up on inspiration for future projects. I do feel guilty for not writing anything, though, and I hope something grabs me soon - even if it's just a short story!

What Works For Me

Me time. I need time alone to think and relax and just be. I love being surrounded by people, but just as I get very cranky if I'm lonely for too long I also get really cranky if I get no time alone at all.

What Else Is New

I'm graduating today! An entire year's worth of work has led up to today, where I'll at last be graduating with my MA in Creative Writing. I'm really looking forward to seeing campus again and catching up with a bunch of my friends.

After the ceremony my parents and I are travelling across to Yorkshire to visit my sister, so it's unlikely I'll be able to respond to any comments or comment on anyone else's WUW posts until the weekend. I hope you all have a great week!

What's Up Wednesday! | 03/12/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've continued on my contemporary kick by reading A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson, which I didn't like as much as I'd hoped I would. If you want to know about my thoughts on it I'll be reviewing it later this month as part of my Twelve Days of Christmas.

Right now I'm reading Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, both of which are on my Winter TBR. So far I'm really enjoying them both!

What I'm Writing

On Monday I accidentally wrote the first lines of my Christmas Sci-Fi/Contemporary Romance SNI, featuring an Asian/British protagonist with one leg and a figure from Greek mythology who falls from the stars. I didn't really have any plans to work on it - I still don't even really know where it's going - but the mood took me, so I wrote!

What Works For Me

Reading! This year I've challenged myself to read seasonal books for Christmas (something I've always been really rubbish at in the past) and as my SNI is set during Christmas all the festive books I've been reading are a really fun inspiration.

My writing goal for the week: Write the first 2,000 words of my SNI!

(I'm probably not going to give myself writing goals very often, because I'm very, very bad at sticking to the goals I set myself. This week, though, I want to give it a try!)

What Else Is New

Yesterday I started my new job! I am now an Administration & Marketing Assistant at Seren Books, which is a tiny publishing house in South Wales. I've been made to feel very welcome and I really enjoyed my first day. I think the job titles in publishing can often sound more dull than the jobs themselves, because the majority of my role - which is guaranteed for at least six months, but will hopefully last for a year - is helping to organise the centenary celebrations for a Welsh WW2 poet who was born in 1915. I'm a big fan of war literature, so it's really exciting!

Other than that I haven't been up to much else aside from Christmas shopping. What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 26/11/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've read The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly and finally gave up on A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan after three weeks of slogging through it. Both of these books were only okay. I reviewed The Little Women Letters on Goodreads here for anyone interested in my thoughts, and while I think I might return to A Natural History of Dragons at some point in future for now I want to concentrate on books I actually enjoy.

Today I'm hoping to make a start on my Winter TBR! I'm either going to pick up A Winter Flame or Burial Rites first, not sure which one just yet!

What I'm Writing

After a long break I'm finally starting to get back in the mood to work on Bloodroot and Bracken again, which is awesome.

Other than that I haven't been writing a whole lot, but I'm still jotting down ideas for one of my SNIs, a mix up of Sci-Fi and Contemporary Romance that I've mentioned before. I had a little brainwave this week regarding one of the characters, and because I'm in such a Christmassy mood it's accidentally turned into a Christmassy story. Probably because my favourite Christmas song is A Spaceman Came Travelling!

What Works For Me

I feel like this is going to make me sound really narcissistic, but sometimes I like to imagine that my WIP has been published and I'm being interviewed by BBC Radio 4's Book Club. Imagining what questions I could get asked about my characters and my writing process often helps me to solve something I'm struggling with. Weird, I know.

What Else Is New

I'm officially a published author! On Monday my science fiction short story, Beam Me Up, was published in the latest issue of Nebula Rift. It's only a short story, but I'm still really pleased - I've never had anything published before and it's a wonderful feeling!

And today I had a job interview with an independent publishing house based in South Wales. It's for a six month job as an administrative/marketing assistant. I do have another job waiting for me in January if I want it, but right now I'm keeping my options open. Of course if this company decide to offer me the job I need to make a decision, and when it comes to these kinds of decisions I hate making them.

I've also started working on my PhD applications. Fun stuff!

Other than that I've just been Christmas shopping and wrapping the presents I do have. I'm desperate to have all my presents so I can wrap them all and make them all look pretty; I think I love giving people presents more than I like receiving them, to be honest!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 19/11/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've finished Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams, which I really enjoyed, The Giver, which sadly I didn't like all that much, and If I Stay, which I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. One of the main reasons I wanted to read Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop is because I saw its sequel, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop, in my local library and thought it would make a great read for December. Then I found a copy of it for just £3.85, so I picked it up and they both look adorable together!

Right now I'm reading The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly. I seem to be on something of a contemporary kick this month, which is unusual for me.

What I'm Writing

NaNo has fallen through for me, which honestly I'm not as bothered about as I thought I would be. Am I disappointed? Sure. But I think what all these attempts are teaching me is that NaNo just isn't for me. Does that mean I'll never try to do it again? Of course not; one of these days I'll be a NaNo winner, even if it doesn't happen until I'm 80!

Rather than writing I've found myself doing a lot of planning and idea jotting this month. This month I've had three SNIs, and I've been getting back into short stories. I have a lot of unfinished short stories lying around! Right now I'm working on finishing two short stories, and I've been making notes on one of my new SNIs which, unusually for me, is part Sci-Fi and part Contemporary Romance.

What Works For Me

Talking to myself. I know, I sound crazy, but if I had a £1 every time I heard someone say 'I find it difficult to tell if my dialogue is natural' I'd be a very wealthy lady. Dialogue can be tricky; it can be really easy to make it sound way too stilted or melodramatic, but I find that talking to myself really helps. If I have the conversation that I want to write with myself then I can hear how it sounds, and if it doesn't sound natural I know it needs some tweaking!

What Else Is New

Christmas is on its way! I signed up for The Broke and the Bookish's Secret Santa this year and at the weekend I received all the details for my giftee, so I've been deciding what I'm going to send them - hopefully the things I'm picking out they'll like! - and I've also decided to write my giftee a letter, because I can't remember the last time I wrote someone a letter by hand.

I also wrote out my Christmas cards at the weekend and then decided to decorate them with Christmas tape. Honestly I'm so excited for Christmas, and I love making cards and gifts look pretty!

What's new with you?