Monday, March 30, 2015

Justine's Journal #32

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 32

"The concept anger, that’s what I’d like to address this week.

We all know it well. That feeling of frustration/helplessness/aggression/thoughtlessness which is - when you add them all together - anger. Of course there are more emotions involved than the four lumped together here, but you get the idea.

Unusually anger is sparked by the frustration of helplessness. This is when you want something to work so badly and yet you cannot change it, you have not the power, the power is elsewhere. Those frustrated feelings then result in aggression, for now you need to express how you feel in some overt way, and aggression becomes thoughtlessness. You start feeding those flames so much you no longer give thought to what you’re saying, doing, or who you may be hurting.

We think we feel better having released the demons of frustration, but in fact the aftermath can be far worse. Soon we realise we hurt someone or we broke something or we went too far in some way … and there is no undoing it. Fixing, trust me, isn't undoing.

Anger harms the angry the most, in my opinion. Not only is there the aftermath, but there is an inner disappointment. You lost control. You didn't think first. You were impatient. You were, in fact, selfish, wanting something to go exactly according to your demands, or someone to react exactly as you expect them to. So you allowed anger to take root and it solved exactly nothing.

There is much advice about what to do when an angry person confronts you or you need to deal with someone in the grip of it. Do not add fuel to the fire by arguing with them. Walk away, an angry person cannot fight with him or herself. Some say, listen, and wait out the tirade, and then offer logical solutions. This may take a while, for a listener is a great scapegoat for an angry person.

The advice above is for the witness, however.

What about you, me, him or her, the one growing angrier by the second?

What advice can we offer ourselves to prevent it? Take a deep breath, they say. Think first, they say. Walk away, change your environment in some small way to distract you. Have a drink of water, your mouth will be too busy to speak, and therefore you grab time to calm down.

All of the above have merit, but we are only human and we cannot always control our aggressive sides. I say use what works for you, try one tip, then another, until you find the one that makes you stop long enough to choose another manner of expression. But remember this – we ARE human and we make mistakes and fail in our intentions even when we try to do the best we can. So don’t beat yourself up after, apologise if you need to, and try the next tip … or come up with something that works.

One last point. Anger is a valid emotion, but how we deal with it makes all the difference. Allowing anger to rule us is not good for anybody."



Reaume is in Print!

Happy to announce that the first two Lore of Reaume books are again available in paperback!





Saturday, March 21, 2015

Justine's Journal #31

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 31

"This may end up being a week to update you all (and me) on posts previously left open-ended – in fact, it will be J Why, you ask? Well, that’s what I asked myself, and I realised we’re nearing the end of this experiment and I may not again have opportunity to clear some things up.

In Week 1 my woe was about my writing, about never trusting I can do so. Happy to report it’s going well, although now in editing stage.

In Week 2 I commented on the fact that I felt like a bystander to life. Happy to report that’s no longer so. I feel involved again, and most of that feeling stems from self-belief.

In Week 4 we discussed my inability to share good or bad news with equanimity. Again, that is no longer so, for I have learned to trust myself more.

Week 6 was about examining answers –I do that as a matter of course now, but not in judgement, rather for proper understanding.

Week 8 discussed people wearing masks. Now this is still a truth, for I can’t change everyone around me, and I certainly can’t do so for the entire world. This facet of ourselves is something we all need to address and make note of.

Week 10 was about a stalker. Thankfully it all went away, although I do remain wary. I still look over my shoulder all the time. I guess time will heal this. I hope so.

In Week 14 I spoke about taking it slow (these journal entries) and how the process aided thinking. Yes, that remains absolutely true.

Week 17 was about honesty. This remains the hardest concept for most people, and it has to do with the masks we wear. My advice? Be honest with yourself, for there lays your responsibility.

Week 21 mentioned again reconnecting with my brother. And in Week 28 I told you of my paranoia and how it ended up as a premonition about my brother. At this time I still can’t explain how that happened (and I don’t want to get all esoteric here) but know my brother and I remain firm friends and we can’t wait to see each other again.

Week 25 was about celebrating life and nature, and that is something I do daily. Even when I need to get around with the help of a walking stick!

Last week (Week 30) we talked about the fires in our region. Sadly, more did erupt and we still live on the edge of expectation here. It has rained (last night) but not enough to entirely remove the threat. Please remain on guard, friends of the south.


And that’s a bit of recap. Looking at this I realise I would love to do a post on the premonition issue. Would you read it? I think I may do so before this session of journal entries close. Stay tuned, and thank you for reading so far." J



Everyone loves to read ;)




Friday, March 20, 2015

"... a fascinating cross between a post holocaust tale and high fantasy ..."

As you may know my previous publisher commissioned stories for an anthology. The Secrets of Castle Drakon has been shared and aired here on Writing World, but Thorstruck has now closed and the tales are no longer available in one book ... but they are as individual stories (some of them, with more coming!).

The anthology was nominated for the British Science Fiction Fantasy Awards, as were a few of the stories contained within, among others - Ancient Illumination.

Below is an excerpt from a review posted for the anthology on the British Fantasy Society's site:


Ancient Illumination is republished!



Thursday, March 19, 2015

Lore of Reaume is BACK!

Recently my Reaume publisher closed its doors and this Lore series needed to find a new home.

They're baaaack!





And keep an eye open for The Sleeper Sword - Coming REAL SOON!



68 000+!

Thank you for visiting!


xxx

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Secret Remedies

New Release from Your's Truly!


In Secret Remedies peek around the corners of a large tale to discover the bits hidden from plain view, for always there is more to a story.

Every sage saying from the Lore of Arcana series is gathered in one place, along with the hidden history of Ardosia, the real Pendulim mission, the beauty of Pilan, character interviews, and other surprises.


Secret Remedies (Arcana) gifts the reader greater insight into the Lore tales and what causes the main players to endure in a world on the brink of annihilation, as well as being a companion work for future reference.


Sunday, March 15, 2015

Justine's Journal #30

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 30

"I’m sure you’re aware I live at the southern tip of Africa (if you didn't, you do now!) and it is summer here in the southern hemisphere. Yes, technically, if you want to name months, it’s autumn, but trust me it’s still very much summer. It’s hot, dry and very windy and fires have erupted all over the region. Many mountain ranges have now burned to nothing, all vegetation and little creatures just gone. Fire fighters put up a heroic effort and have been well-lauded locally. A few were injured and one helicopter pilot lost his life. It has been a time of a thick pall of smoke over everything, the sun battling to get through. When it did, it was a strange orange-red globe we could stare directly at.

Two weeks ago I watched the mountains across the bay go up in flame and this week I saw the range across the valley from us go up as well. This is a truly sobering sight. It reveals the power of fire. It has also revealed to us the spirit of people, for every man and woman who went out to tame these blazes is a true hero, the majority of them volunteers.

A new fire can erupt at any moment and destroy more mountain vegetation and its wild inhabitants; we live in fear of it, we live in hope it won’t happen. Some are talking of deliberate arson, politically motivated, a complicated subject of which party is control of what region, or simply some folk hoping to keep jobs they otherwise wouldn't have. I can’t say whether any of that has truth, but I do know a lit cigarette tossed from a moving car into the over dry bush is able to start a blaze of note. A small barbecue fire, left unattended, can spread swiftly in the wind and cause havoc.

I’m asking that folk be careful, be vigilant and let us keep what is left. Heroism is one thing, but this is something that can be avoided and should be avoided. We live here; let us keep what we have, and nurture our environment.

And here’s to proper autumn arriving and the approach of winter! The moment it starts raining is the moment we may again breathe a sigh of relief. Those blackened moonscapes will have a chance again to sprout new growth and in time encourage the little creatures to return, and the dry landscape for the rest of us will transform into a green paradise once again. Be vigilant until then, please."