Saturday, January 31, 2015

Justine's Journal Week #24

52 Weeks 500 Words


This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 24

"This week I've decided to stay away from a long entry giving out those emotional twists I seem to find myself in. Instead I’m going to share a list of positive events and things I've been working on recently. I intend to put it on my wall to remind myself I have much to be thankful for.

1. I am healthy

2. I have a lovely flat (apartment) in a good area

3. I have enough income not to worry too much

4. I have a car

5. I have good friends

6. My brother and I have reconnected

7. I have finished my first novel

8. I love the editing process

9. ‘Justine’s Journal’ has made me more positive

10. I am stronger now than this time last year

11. My balcony garden is growing pot by pot

12. The ocean is nearby

13. I have stopped smoking

14. I love my new bed

15. I have met someone new

That last one is still very new, but the fact I was open to it made it happen. Holding thumbs. I’ll fill you in down the line, no doubt!

This is a list of thing and events I have as goals and it too will go on my wall.

1. Finish the edit

2. Publish

3. Get a cat, you know you want one

4. Be yourself

5. Stay positive

It’s not a massive list and maybe I should add ‘fall in love; but that may be tempting fate too much. Until next week, then – I have a date this afternoon!"



Wednesday, January 28, 2015

"...grabs you by the heart... "




Thank you!

Review: This Little Piggy (Paul Rudd)


This story is short, punchy, very well written and a warning to all the bad folk out there who think they get away with their terrible deeds.

A man regains consciousness in an abandoned warehouse with a guy in a pig mask singing ‘This little piggy …” while his toes are being severed. Instantly you know this story has got you, it got me!


An excellent, gut-twisting tale. Absolutely worth a read!



Tuesday, January 27, 2015

A Tear in the Clouds

Yesterday I was so excited to see a review I shared it before I even told you about my new book! A Tear in the Clouds is my first attempt at romance, but typically it also needed something more, and became a paranormal romance. It's novella length and is the perfect distraction when you only have a few hours at your disposal. Response has been excellent, and I'm very excited about it! (may have a few more up my sleeve!)


Blurb:

Alayna is a hermit, for good reason. Living in the giant redwood forest away from prying eyes, her tranquility is shattered when intruders break into her home with the intention of robbing and using her.

A man with vivid green eyes is an unlikely saviour, and when they save each other their fates are sealed. Ben and Alayna have the kind of attraction which reeks of a celestial mandate. Alayna realises what Ben is, but he's too young to know his true power. Torn, Alayna sends Ben away to his true destiny, awaiting his return.

Their attraction is so visceral and overwhelming that Ben returns again and again, each time making it harder to leave the only woman who has ever ignited his soul. Alayna feels it too, because only Ben has a kiss that breaks worlds. His ethereal magnificence is so glorious that their love will leave a tear in the clouds.




Monday, January 26, 2015

'... like matches and gasoline ..."


Thank you!


Book Review : Requel's Hell


Requel’s Hell is a big eyes, oh wow are you crazy turning off the highway, kind of story! Here is a man in a muscle car swigging beer when he realises he is lost and sees a cluster of houses out in the desert … and turns off? Madness, I tell you! And off the infamous Route 66 no less!

Right, no spoilers, but all is NOT what it seems when he gets there and realises his car won’t start. Invited to say for the night, he enters another world …


This is visceral, scary, otherworldly, pure hell and an absolute delight to read. Be prepared to be shocked a bit, but also know you are gonna want to finish it to find out what happens. Loved it, lapped it up.



Book Review ; Model Girl


Joanne Sexton writes with a very readable, easy flow and it draws you swiftly in to discover a story of the complications of the heart. Add to that dangers in the background, and you simply must find out what happens in the end.

Model Girl centres around a beautiful women and a photographer, but this isn’t a standard romance – there are complications, there is history, and there is angst. There always is, but Model Girl has something extra, and perhaps that has to do with the soul-searching we all do when it comes to relationships.


Highly enjoyable! 

Released yesterday on Amazon


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Justine's Journal #23

52 Weeks 500 Words


This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 23

"I’m going to discuss the word euphoria.

The Dictionary definition is ‘A feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation’.

And there’s my point. Exaggerated elation. There are other synonyms, such as bliss, ecstasy, jubilation, rapture, and excitement (it’s quite the word!) but they do not really describe euphoria. These others are ‘okay’ feelings, if you know what I mean, while euphoria can be something else. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but it should be something to be somewhat cautious of.

Exaggerated  means ‘Represented as greater than is true or reasonable’ and ‘Enlarged to an abnormal degree’. Synonyms are amplified, enlarged, magnified, and overstated. Do you see?

Thus, following the logic, euphoria is something a bit bigger than is entirely healthy.

This happened to me recently, and has to do with my writing. I finished a piece I’ve been working on for a fair while. See what Elaina has to say about me and my writing in her progress report, and you’ll understand this was actually a massive achievement. Hooray to me! I was, in the aftermath, euphoric. I danced around my little flat and punched the air like a teenager. This was cause for celebration! I phoned friends, including Elaina, I phone my brother, I told my neighbours, I even shared it with the girl at the register in the local shop. Hooray for me.

No one cared, really. I got the ‘well done’ and ‘happy for you’ of course, but they were less than impressed, if truth be told. The downer thereafter was terrible. Euphoria led to the worst kind of disappointment, because I allowed reality to get away from me. I expected too much. I was too happy.

Be wary, friends. Always temper your sense of achievement with a healthy dose of reality.

Here now I want to thank someone, and she is the one sharing this post with you. My friend Elaina is also a writer and she completely understood what had happened to me. She had been there, she knew the pitfalls, and she was able to offer advice I could work with. She told me to begin the self-edit, for now I am to take a rough draft and polish it into something smooth, telling me the satisfaction from that process is often as rewarding, sometimes more so.

Learn from this, please. Be wary of euphoria. And share what you have achieved with someone who understands what it means, for there is the real validation.

Validation: ‘Finding or testing the truth of something’ and ‘The cognitive process of establishing a valid proof’. Good or bad for you, what do you think?"


Friday, January 23, 2015

My Sweet Matryoshka

Tale 11 from The Secrets of Castle Drakon by Poppet



Supernatural –I wish I had the prose to match Poppet’s in order to wax lyrical about My Sweet Matryoshka. There is a gathering of the ancient blood in Castle Drakon, a of the Drakonian Order, and this night will see the ceremony that serves to bind its members together come to pass. Zalar is the guest on this night, summoned because he has the blood that enables him to attend the gathering …


A brilliant story set in Mother Russia, filled with imagery and culture and legends. Profound, and perfectly written. Very, very well done!



Gray Jedi Code


Thursday, January 22, 2015

Sleeping with the Gods

Tale 10 from The Secrets of Castle Drakon by Tee Geering


Fantasy – Sisters come to scary Castle Drakon with their parents. Maya is over-weight and is constantly picked upon. She takes on a wager to sleep alone inside the crypt and while her body sleeps she is taken up to Olympus, where the gods of ancient times live. She discovers a different self and is soon in demand as a lover by the gods, including Zeus himself. Mayhem ensues!


This is a tale fitting to the legends of old times. Boy, do not trust the gods (or goddesses!) for they do not take kindly to mortals, do they? A great yarn.



64 000+!

Thank you for visiting!


xxx

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

The Dragon's Mate

Tale 9 from The Secrets of Castle Drakon by Joanne Sexton


Fantasy Romance – A sorceress turns a man into a dragon, a girl is hounded from Castle Drakon for murder. Hunters are on her trail, but the dragon sees this and saves her from certain death. When they ‘meet’ as man and woman, they realise their freedom lies in ridding the castle of its sorceress, and along the way certain sparks fly!


This is a really awesome and romantic fantasy dream tale. Good stuff, loved reading it!



He must be reading ...


...The Secrets of Castle Drakon!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The Blood Red Nails of War

Tale 8 from The Secrets of Castle Drakon by Hannah Warren



Historical – WWI – this is the tale of headstrong Elle, her twin brother Jacques, and Agnes, the ethereal Swedish beauty adopted by her French stepfather. Castle de Draká½€n brings them together, first as teenagers, with disastrous results when both brother and sister fall in love with Agnes, and then later when the old chateau is transformed into a war hospital and Agnes is a doctor, Jacques the administrator and Elle an ambulance driver often at the front to collect the wounded.


A beautifully composed story of history, turmoil, suffering and also hope set in the beautiful French countryside, a country torn when war comes. I am in awe of Hannah’s ability to take the reader into another era, to experience it as if we are right there. Absolutely brilliant. Very well done.



The magic we live with




Monday, January 19, 2015

Satan's Band

Tale 7 from The Secrets of Castle Drakon by Paul Rudd


1990’s – oh, oh, this is a blood and guts, teeth and sex story, a nightmare the musicians from Satan’s Band discover at gothic Castle Drakon, where they are invited to play at a wedding. A snow storm isolates all. Boy, oh boy! Drugs, drink, fire and MUSIC!


This tale had me wondering how bad could it get, really, how do you describe a nightmare? Easily apparently, to leave the reader gasping for breath! Another excellent tale indeed. Oh boy.


Saturday, January 17, 2015

Justine's Journal #22

500 Words 52 Weeks


This is how it began: Justine (not her real name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52 weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend. Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.

Week 22

"This will be a post to celebrate the positive.

For many days now I've run into folks who think their ‘kind’ words will help me. By pointing out the flaws in my actions, they believe it will help me see the errors in my ways. Thanks for caring, folks, but you don’t know shit about me. My flaws may be yours, given the manner in which you regard your world. It isn't my world. And just because I refuse to respond in a like manner, doesn't mean you are right. (Someone hit upside the head with anger, and I walked away, choosing not to fall into that trap)

Given the judgements I mention, how is this post about celebrating the positive?

It’s like this: when you know yourself (I don’t yet claim that state completely!) then you are able to stand aside from judgements and see yourself through your eyes, not the gaze of another. That is positive. When you realise anger is the manifestation (Elaina will love me using that word!) of the other’s state of being, then you are able to ignore it, not take it on board and respond in like fashion. That is positive. And when you are able to walk away from ‘kind’ words with a smile and a thank you, then you have taken another step towards knowing yourself. VERY positive.

Perhaps it’s taking the time first to think about what was said to you, to not automatically give out the knee jerk reaction in the very moment of confrontation, discussion, advice or whatever. And to think means you actually listened to that other, and listening is the best way to understand the world and its issues. The more you listen the more you open your mind. This doesn't mean you must take it on as gospel, of course, but listening and then thinking about what you heard makes all the difference. This concept has escaped me until recently. I’d be the one mouthing off, filling the silences with strings of words, and know what? I learned nothing, except that I was beginning to hate the sound of my voice. I have since stepped back a bit and chosen to listen first, think next, decide thereafter, and then speak.

Now I hear you think to yourself – that makes you uninvolved in life. You choose to stand aside and make private judgements after the fact? Where is the satisfaction in a conversation that is one talking the other just listening? You would be right on one level. It does translate into lack of involvement, but that judgement is the other’s, not mine, for I am in no way uninvolved, I am LISTENING. How more involved do you want me to be? Listening is the greatest compliment, after all. As for satisfaction in a conversation: if the other is pontificating (Elaina will love that word too!) then it isn't a conversation, it’s a lecture, and all one can do is listen. My advice? Let’s all of us get our facts straight first, before judging another’s action.

I did learn things about myself, by listening, and thus I celebrate it as a positive leap forward."