misslj_author: (Kitty of the lord)
Six months into the year and I'm wondering where did the time go? It seems as if I blinked and we went from January, with its sweltering Australian summer to winter, with its rain, wind and cold. I wish I could say these last six months have been productive and the time has gone into writing, but I can't.

For the most part, this year hasn't been a good one. I'll spare you the gory details, but the year so far has revolved around health issues, both mine and my mother's (who I'm a carer for), and other relatives. At the current moment, I'm on (hopefully) the last leg of a nasty sinus infection that has laid me up for nearly three weeks; prior to that, mum was in the hospital; my grand-niece was ill, my niece had the worst ear infection I've ever heard of, my cat was sick, and the list goes on. Subsequently, there's been little in the way of work done. And I'm annoyed at my own human frailty--being tired, being sick, being tired and sick, being depressed--for not getting more done on works in progress that I can't stop thinking about. The mind is willing, sort of, but the body is weak.

It could be said that rather than write this blog post, I could be working on a wip, but the truth is that it takes a lot less concentration to write a blog post than to work on a wip. And I've been Lady Silence for some time and felt that it was probably a good idea to sort of pop my head up and say here I am, I'm surviving.

There were good things that have happened this year, the first being the Cut Snake Collective photography exhibition I was part of, which was a terrific experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The second was a short holiday I took mum on before she went into hospital, a trip up to the Flinders Ranges (where my latest release Book, Line, and Sinker is set) and that was wonderful.

2192235_original 2187481_original 2190012_original

1. The ochre pits, where the Adnyamantha people gathered ochre for paint. 2. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby in its natural habitat, in Brachina Gorge. 3. The Chase Range.

A small selection of the photos I took. To see more, go here.


Anyway, I have been reading a lot, a varied collection of books, actually, so here's a list of some of the ones I particularly enjoyed.

Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith
Close Encounters of the Furred Kind - Tom Cox (non fiction)
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
New Watch - Sergey Lukyaneko
Throne of the Crescent Moon - Saladin Ahmed
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The King - J. R. Ward
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
Feral Machines - Ginn Hale
The Archer's Heart - Astrid Amara
Midnight in Peking - Paul French (non fiction)

Some are re-reads, because a book is a joy forever. And that, dear friends, is that. Hopefully the last half of this year will be infinitely less absorbed by health issues and I can write! Hope you're all happy and healthy. <3
misslj_author: (Baby elephant)
It's a hot day here in Adelaide. That's okay though, as my latest book and first release for 2016 is out today! Song of Song is out with Dreamspinner Press (it's the 18th here, so it counts, even though it won't be the 18th in the US until tomorrow here) and you can get it here in your choice of ebook or paperback.

And that's not all that's happening today. My niece is having her baby, her fourth child! She's gone into hospital with her husband and the whole family are waiting by our phones to hear if she has a boy or a girl. I'm about to be a great-aunt... again!



SongOfSong
misslj_author: (Pharoah Sexypants)
So I know the 'official' What's Up Wednesday is over with now, but it's a good idea and so I'm going to try to keep doing it here on my LJ. How frequently I do this remains to be seen, though!



WHAT I'M READING.

I've just finished Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed and it was fantastic. A great fantasty novel, with the ending open enough for a sequel yet closed enough that it's not necessary. I like books like that. I'm hoping to start J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series soon.

WHAT I'M WRITING (+ A WRITING GOAL).

Still at work on Book, Line and Sinker and I'm hoping to get that finished really soon.

WHAT WORKS FOR ME.

Sleep. Quiet. The sound of rain on the roof. The internet not being down, because it's hard to research something when your ISP suddenly drops out. My cat cuddling up beside me.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW.

I've started new medication to treat my epilepsy. The side effects are annoying and I still feel like my brain is full of cotton wool, so that's bugging me a bit. I hope that this will all settle down soon, as I am not enjoying the adjustment period at all. My brother has moved down here and is all settled in and happy, our niece's wedding went off without a hitch and winter is here, so it's very cold! I have a book out at the end of June, cowritten with Cate Ashwood, called Brick by Brick.

I have a new release out today! A Fire in the Heart, book eight of The Archangel Chronicles is out now!





L-R: 1. Cas slumbering away. 2. Medieval colouring book and pencils! 3. Wedding cake made by my niece for her wedding. She's so talented. 4. Readers reading my books! 5. My brother and myself.
misslj_author: (Daniel Craig)


More about What's Up Wednesdays here.

WHAT I'M READING.

Nearly half way through The Genome by Sergey Lukyanenko, finally! I had books from the library so I kept putting this back until those were read. Anyhoo, I think Lukyanenko is the bees knees when it comes to urban fantasy/paranormal, his Night Watch series are up there in my top ten all time favourite books. So when I got a notif from Amazon that there was now an English translation of The Genome, that was the one I bought with a gift certificate at Christmas.

I only have one problem with this one: the translation isn't as good as it is for the NW books. But having said that, this is terrific book. It's hard sci-fi but doesn't have so much sci-fi!science that my brain wants to melt; in fact, I actually understand what's going on, so I count that as a big win. For another thing, it's very obvious that Lukyanenko likes to poke the bear that is the Russian government (he's Kazak and lives/writes in Russia/Russian.), so his main characters in this book are a black woman who is a doctor, an executioner and a linguist; a gay man who is the best at what he does in the sector; a teenage girl who has been genetically altered to be an assassin; a Frenchman who has an uncanny ability with weaponary; and the captain, also genetically altered to be a specialist pilot. The captain, the teenage girl and the co-pilot are all Russian. There are issues of prejudice between the crew and their new passengers, while the crew themselves meld together into a tight knit unit akin to a family. Who just happen to be on board a discus shaped space ship with high tech weapons and internals.

It's fast paced, it's interesting, it's got me gripped. The characters are all awesome, especially Janet, the black woman, who is a tough, strong, no-nonsense character who also is the most empathic, alongside Alex, the captain. Actually, I like all the characters so far, but I bet that'll change! In short, another fantastic book from Lukyanenko, and I hope there's more English translations of his work done soon.

WHAT I'M WRITING (+ A WRITING GOAL).

Promo things for my new release, A Shot in the Dark, which is available in eBook and paperback.

I've done a bit more on the paranormal, but that's going slowly right now as suddenly, things have happened, much earlier than I expected and I'm suddenly running around like a chook with its head chopped off. (Read: VERY busy). Also have made a start of fixing up and synopsising the sci-fi, but that's also slow going because of aforementioned running around.

WHAT WORKS FOR ME.

Sleep. Ye gods and little fishes, sleep is so marvellous and wonderful and my bed is awesome and it must never leave me. Also, reading helps jiggle the old brainmeats, which is why we should do it. And because we enjoy it. And I'm so gripped and confused and impressed with the TV series Fortitude, which is confounding, wonderful, horrifying and brilliant. If I could write something that intense and maintain the suspense, not giving anything away, I would be delighted.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW.

More bullet points!

  • Epilepsy diagnosed. That's okay, I'd expected that, but laws regarding driving mean that getting my license has been set back by a few years, so that's annoyed me greatly. Oh well. C'est la vie.


  • My niece's wedding is in 6 weeks and I am so not ready!!


  • Planning a trip to the gorgeous Flinders Ranges for the near future sometime with mum, because she's never been and I'm of the opinion that everyone should visit at least once in their lives. This'll be my fourth trip up there.


  • Fortitude. I cannot get enough of this brilliant show. Stanley Tucci is amazing. The rest of the cast are too.


  • The music of Ólafur Arnalds (he does the soundtrack for Broadchurch) is perfect to write to.


  • The new poster for the next James Bond movie, Spectre, is out and sweet mercy me. Daniel Craig. 'Nuff said.


  • Mum's had a few more falls, which is worrying, but her GP is on the case and I'm hopeful that the new plan will be a good one.





  • L-R: The Spectre poster; our first spring onions, fresh from the garden. They smelled amazing; my new release, A Shot in the Dark; the cat hiding under a stool in the bath... as they do; some of the cast of Fortitude.
    misslj_author: (Illumincation - written words)
    April 2014 saw many wonderful authors being interviewed on the blog. They were kind enough to submit to my many questions and my regular question--if you were a plant in the next life, what would you be, and why?

    You can find their posts thus:

  • Astrid Amara, author of "The Archer's Heart" and "The Devil Lancer." She would also like to be a "dandelion in the next life. Normal, resilient, and annoying."


  • Xina Marie Uhl, author of "Necropolis". She would like to be "some sort of long-lived and majestic tree. How about an ancient bristlecone pine? I love how twisted and gnarly strangely beautiful they are."


  • Skylar M. Cates, author of "The Guy From Glamour" and "Exposed". She would be "A wild blackberry bush. I like the idea of growing fruit."


  • Cate Ashwood, author of the Hope Cove Trilogy and "Keeping Sweets". She would be an "eggplant? I currently look a lot like an eggplant with legs!"


  • Zathyn Priest, author of "Amara: The Rebirth". He would be a "rose bush with dark red blooms. Dark red because it's bold and represents my Goth side. The plant because they're beautiful, but they're also tough and you don't want to mess with them. They'll get you with their thorns, making you sorry if you try!"


  • Rick R. Reed, author of "Obsessed", "Dinner at Home", and "Legally Wed". He would be "Cannabis, so I could help people relax...and laugh."


  • Meredith Shayne, author of "Metal Heart" and "Equilibrium". She would be "Mint. It’s tasty, it smells nice, and it takes over everywhere it grows. World domination through botany."


  • Raine O'Tierney, author of "Sweet Giordan, Please Remember." She would be "a Maypop because they are so unique and they remind me of good times in my childhood with my PawPaw."






  • In news not related to books or writing, April also saw quite a sad event in my life and the lives of my family. My father died on April 5. He had been ill for some time, but it was still quite a shock to all of us. He died only a few weeks shy of his 97th birthday.

    My father was born in 1917 in Paris, France. He was always the most French Frenchman I'd ever met, and in his life he'd done a lot--lived in Casablanca, Morocco, after World War Two, where his first wife gave birth to my brother John; worked for His Masters Voice in Quebec, Canada; repaired transistor radios for the French Resistance in World War Two; emigrated to Australia in 1967 with his two youngest children and his first wife. She was killed in a tragic accident in 1968, the victim of a hit-run driver.

    My father met my mother several years later, and they got married and had me. I remember him always being full of life, vim and vigor, even though he was not particularly tall, he always seemed to be something of a giant in my eyes. He did some work as an electrician in the pre-digital era, and later, he assisted at the French Consulate office in Adelaide. He had always wanted to visit the South Pacific, but never realised that dream. He was honoured by the French government with the Ordre National de Merite medal for services during World War Two.

    My parents divorced when I was 16, and while it wasn't amicable at first, they did become friends after a few years. Dad remarried after several years, and was always active in the local French community and his churchlife. He had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and was proud of them all.

    Our relationship may not always have been super happy joy joy--I do have his love of arguing, and we argued about many things, most of the time those arguments ended in laughter and joking--but I will miss him and I will feel his absence for a good long time.

    He would have been 97, today, the 1st May, 2014.

    Rest in peace, dad. I hope the cafe au lait in the next life is to your liking.

    xXx

    This is my dad. Him as a young man, in his twenties; him with me as a toddler, in 1974; and him and me at his 90th birthday, in 2007.

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