NanoWriMo 2011

Most writing enthusiasts will have heard something of NaNoWriMo throughout their journey.  I heard of it about three years ago when a Deviantart friend entered, but I had not decided to try going further with my writing career at the time, and hadn't really appreciated what it was or what it meant.  The second time I heard of it was on another blog.  This time I knew what it was, but it was the middle of November, and far too late to try.  This year I have registered well in advance for NaNoWriMo, which means I have either had some sort of epiphany, or gone mad again!

I really must apologise to my patient followers for my two month silence.  Stepping away from my blog was not intentional.  In the space of three weeks I began and deleted a dozen blog posts before deciding to give it a rest.  My writing batteries had somehow managed to run down completely, to the point where I opened a word document or new post and did nothing more than stare at it.  Eventually the slump began to upset me, so I decided to give it a rest until I was ready to start again.  

But when I was watching BBC news whilst my fiance and I were getting ready for work they mentioned that NaNoWriMo was due to start.  I feel very grateful that I was awake enough to pay the news some attention, as otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue what to do.  So that lunchtime I found the website, and registered.  I even learned about that young persons version, which I passed on to a colleague's daughter who should enjoy it.  I know exactly what I'm doing (for once!), and actually feel really excited for November to begin.

I am a little apprehensive about the notion of correcting the story later - any mistakes I spot tend to niggle away at me until I pounce on them and mess with them until they are right.  Sometimes the constant running back and forth correcting mistakes can be a destructive technique, where I get so depressed that I give up on the writing and start again.  So this will be a completely new experience for me, but I hope I might learn from it!

Hopefully this enthusiasm isn't a moment of madness, and I might have a chance of reaching the 50,000 words by the end of the month (even if Skyrim is being released during November).  I'm also encouraged by the fact at least two of my bloggy friends are entering NaNoWriMo as well, to whom I wish the very best of luck.

HC x

An Eventful Week

After my first visit to the doctor in January regarding my stomach pains, I finally went back to the hospital to find that my results all came back clear.  However, I am now being referred for more tests because they believe that my stomach pains are caused by the very thing that the doctors convinced me were nothing to do with it!


This was the result of an unexpected phone call on Monday morning, when I was asked to go to see the consultant on Thursday.  Like any self-respecting 25 year old I chose the most mature option and panicked like a long tailed cat in a rocking chair factory.  Luckily my mum was on hand to come with me and stop me from mewling like a damp kitten whilst I waited to be seen.  One thing that I am very, very good at is panicking for no real reason.  As it happened I had nothing to worry about, but by the time I got to the doctors I had diagnosed myself with everything!

Fortunately I was wrong, and now have more tests to look forward to in the future.  But for now, I've got another thing crossed of my list.

On Saturday, I went shopping with my fiance and mother-in-law to be around Wakefield and took a trip to the old shopping centre.  The one thing about our new shopping centre that I dislike, it being a modern and exciting thing, is that it lacks a proper bookshop.  However the old one has three: Waterstones, WH Smiths and The Works.

The Works has always been a lucky dip when it comes to good finds, and they very rarely have the books that you want for very long, so it's always a good idea to grab something you want whilst you can.  There are very few occasions, if any, where I have regretted my purchases.

It was my fiance who found the books I wound up buying this time.  I was nosing through the paperbacks and had just found several copies of S.J Parris' Heresy when I heard Martin call my name.  I turned to see him walking towards me with a pretty box in his hands...

Simply Beautiful! <3

Anyone who has spent even the smallest amount of time reading this blog will know that I have a weakness (not a soft spot, a weakness) for well-written fantasy novels, especially when they are as beautiful as the ones you see above.  It is my opinion that, even with the wealth of talent in the genre today, the number of fantasy writers who even come close to C.S.Lewis can be counted on one hand, and I can only think of two who are better.  So to find that such a respected author's greatest works, so beautifully presented, for the grand sum of  £12.99...it was a miracle my fiance didn't find his hands ripped off whilst I made a beeline for the tills.  Needless to say, I left the store feeling very happy, and am making my way through the books quite merrily.

Of course, there has been all the rioting in London and other cities - thoughts and prayers go out to those who have died been injured or had their homes and/or businesses damaged by the mindless thugs and looters that have run rife over the past week.  We can only hope and pray that this is now coming to an end and that lessons are learned where they need to be, and that justice is dealt to those who deserve it.  Fortunately my own city of Wakefield, the heart of which is a short walk from my flat, was spared the riots, although two local teenagers have been arrested after being caught trying to incite a riot via social networking (I'm certain it was Facebook, but not 100%).  I'm also very happy to say that none of my friends and loved ones were harmed in the riots, and I hope all of my lovely readers can say the same.

One final thing to point out is that I have put a sample of my latest writing project in a separate page on my blog.  Anyone who would like to read it can do so by travelling to this page.  I did post the link on twitter briefly a few days ago, but not through Facebook or this blog.  I wrote this extract using the office application on my phone, to keep me occupied on the bus journeys to and from the office.  It was a lot of fun to write, particularly because the plotline changed completely from the original one I had planned.  I had intended to describe the ceremony used by the priestesses of Baal to activate an ancient artefact's ability to see into the future.  But two characters decided to turn a brief encounter into their own little scene, which turned out to be much sweeter than expected.  It must be said that Gast does have a much more serious side, which I hope to bring up later.  Currently I am writing another, more serious scene during my travels, but I have every intention of writing the actual ceremony after that - it has dancing in it!

For reference, I was inspired by listening to Amaranth by Nightwish whilst letting my mind wander.  How did I come to a scrying ceremony from that song?  I'm not actually sure....

Happy reading, and stay safe!

HC

Here come the other stories...

The more eagle eyed of readers for my last post will have noticed that the title promised "and other stories," which did not materialise.  Truth be told, I completely forgot with the shiny excitement of blogging on my phone.

Since then, I have tried the office capacity, for reasons I will explain, and was thoroughly impressed.  Much simpler to use, and with its help I think I got the hang of typing with my phone.  That been said, now I will never be able to type anything correctly using my phone again - silly me!

Once I had posted my last entry, I noticed that my blog had found itself a tenth follower - hello J L Dale and thank you for following my blog.  I must be doing something right, after all, now that my followers now add up to double figures.

Anyway, the other stories...

The most exciting one is that I finally bought and paid for my wedding dress today!  I also got the chance to try it on for the first time and felt like a princess.  My mum had told me that nothing compares to the feeling of putting on your own wedding dress for the first time - I kid you not, mine glowed!  I can't look at my receipt without smiling, and remembering the way I felt and looked today.

Work has been taking a positive turn, with lots of audit training and experience.  The visits have helped me improve my skills when completing the in-office audits that I have been doing, and I seem to be completing them quicker than before.  On Thursday I was even trusted to go into a store on my own, even though it was only to observe credit card procedures.  It was a lot of fun to do.

Last Sunday (17th July) was the date for a wrestling pay per view called "Money In The Bank."  For the most part, I would have anticipated it to be an uneventful pay per view were it not for an interestingly promoted main event.  The whole pay per view turned out to be rather impressive, with the main event being one of the best matches I have seen from this company in some time.

My fiance has his own blog in which he posts information on video games and wrestling news, including game reviews and pay per view results.  For this it does get some attention, mostly positive, and gives him great pleasure to manage.

After the pay per view we were discussing the results, particularly the last match, he suggested that I write an article about the match.  Because I did not think the article was relevant to my blog, he suggested that he submit it to his blog as a guest publication.  There was just one catch - it had to be completed by the following evening, and it was already near midnight.

For that reason I decided to complete the article using my phone's office capability.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable exercise, and thanks to the easy to use phone controls, I actually had the article sent to Martin by lunchtime.  He was impressed by the article, commenting only that it was longer and more detailed than he had expected.  But he posted it onto his blog, and those who are interested can look here.  It was great fun to write, and has been the first non-fiction that I have written in a very long time.  I was startled that it took me such a short amount of time to write (because I was not writing the article during my working hours - I promise!).

In terms of writing, I am currently testing out the idea of writing my current project in "nuggets" and pulling it all together.  My mind has a nasty habit of stopping my creative track dead in its tracks because it keeps wandering off to some far-off part of the story and forgetting how it got there.  There are also some scenes that are settling in my mind which I am currently unable to place in the plotline, but am reluctant to leave unwritten for fear of forgetting them.  One such scene, inspired by the tune of Nightwish song "Amaranth," I was particularly keen to write.  The particular song is a temple ritual to activat an artefact that is linked to one of the main antagonists.  It is admittedly a little gratuitous, but has been a lot of fun to develop, which is why it is now the second writing project for my phone.  Currently it only stands at around a thousand words (I can't get a word count on my phone!!), but I have only been pottering about with it, mainly on the bus.  Eventually, when other parts of the project have been completed, I will be able to put the scene in its proper place and it might actually make sense.

Before I close, I would like to offer a big congratulations to the lovely Nari, who got married recently.  A little look on her blog will show you just how beautiful she looked, and the wonderful day that she had.

Until next time!

HC x

The Joys of a New Phone and other stories...

After eighteen months of putting up with my horrible old phone, the time finally came where I could upgrade.  So yesterday I went to my local shop and am now typing from my swish new HTC 7 Mozart!!

I had been eyeing the Windows phones for a few months, and I had heard some very positive feedback about the HTC phones. Everyone who doesn't have one seems to want one, so I'm pleased to have one of my own.
The main reason for getting this phone was the built in Microsoft Office, which I...er...haven't tried yet.  However, I will be having a play with it as soon as I get the hang of the way this phone works.  Anyone watching me yesterday would have been sick of the cries of "What's it doing NOW ?!" as compared with my old phone it is extremely fast.

So, here is my test post.  Hope it turns out okay .

HC x

Not all Spam is unwelcomed - new writing competition ahead!

Living in a flat situated at the heart of a small city, I am used to finding my postbox filled with what ould only be referred to as "crap:" flyers, takeaway menus, catalogues from Peter Jones just because I bought a Mrs Tiggy Winkle music box for my mum many years ago...not to mention business cards and other nonsense that simply leaves me dumbfounded.  Most of it gets thrown away, although my fiance and I have been known to make use of the coupons sent to us by our local McDonalds.

Today was no different - coupons for the online store of a clothing store who happen to own a shop almost across the road from my flat, and something from the electricity provider.  But I also recieved an unmarked white envelope with my name - correctly spelled - on the front.  But when I turned to read the back I was immediately intrigued by the word "Mslexia."

Whilst my entry for the magazine's annual competition at the beginning of the year failed to impress the judges, it was the first time that I had completely enjoyed writing a competition entry so much.  I receive emails from the magazine, but this was the first time anything had been posted to me.  I knew immediately that it was advertising, but I was actually interested in having a peek at this unexpected junk mail.

It was advertising - for subscriptions - as I expected, but it was the most well pitched idea I have seen for some time.  It started with a handsome covering letter proclaiming the many virtues of the magazine, which it claims has recently enjoyed a make-over.  This was followed by an equally attractive leaflet full of information carefully detailing the magazine's features, and was backed up with quotes from a number of people, out of whom I'm embarrassed to say I only recognised Sarah Waters.

But the most interesting was an A5 leaflet that is in the photograph above, detailing their latest competition.  I had already heard of the competition from an email a fortnight ago, and had nosed at the details on their website.  However from a blogging point of view I had completely forgotten about it...apologies about that.  I have no excuses, I simply forgot.  I may have mentioned it on my twitter account at the time, but I cannot remember.

Any ladies wishing to learn more about this competition can do so here: Mslexia Novel Competition 2011

Regrettably it is only open to women who have never been published commercially (although anyone who has published her work independantly is still eligible to enter), and the entries must be suitable for ages 13 and up.  Entries will be judged by a panel of three, one of whom includes Sarah Waters.  Can anyone tell I am a little startled by the fact one of the judges is an authoress I recognise?  The only other occasion was for the competition held by Transworld books and Sir Terry Pratchett, a competition that I still kick myself for missing out on.

Will I be seriously entering this competition?  In all honesty, I cannot give a definite yes or no, because I don't know if I can make the deadline (although this might be the "little pointer" I prayed for when I read the email.) due to a variety of excuses that I won't insult people with.  But I have started writing something which I hope to submit, which hopefully I will enjoy as much as the last one.

I will close with a welcome to my ninth follower, Freya Morris, and thank you along with my other eight watchers for the continued encouragement.

Have fun,

HC Clarke x

No More Paperbacks? I think not!

In the offices where I work (until I become the Next Big Thing, of course) there are a good number of us who own and love a Kindle, and another good number who are interested in owning one.  Amazon was truly on to a wonderful thing when it invented its e-reader.

In the early afternoon today (whilst working very hard at the same time - just in case my boss-lady happens across my post - naturally!) we enjoyed a lovely conversation about our Kindles and how they had affected our book-buying habits.  One of my workmates commented that she no longer buys books now that she has her Kindle.  Whilst I can see the sense in it, I still felt sad.  Despite buying my e-reader I have still bought books, and my favourite store still remains my local Waterstones, where I buy most of my books.

Our discussion made me think on about a comment that was made by John Cowton on my last blog post.  I love every single comment I receive for my blog and appreciate every one that is constructive, but this one made me stop and think:


"I have a Kindle, but I don't want your book on my Kindle, because I want it in print and signed by the author.



I too have discovered writers I would never of noticed on the High Street bookshelves. I will never stop buying books, and not all of my books come from Amazon. I still prefer to go to Waterstones or WHSmiths."

Admittedly, the first thing that I did upon reading this was try and remember the last time that I intentionally went book shopping in WHSmiths, but I have always taken the scenic route when it comes to serious thought.  In truth the staff in Wakefield's Waterstones are some of the nicest people I have met, so I tend to go there first.

Talking about taking the scenic route...I think we have taken a little detour again.

What I am trying to say is that John's comment gave me a lot to think about.  In the second part of his comment, John said what I have been saying since I bought my Kindle.  There are two parts to my life's ambition: Firstly to become a successful author and secondly to own a house with a room dedicated to housing my books.

The Kindle has given me a mini-library in its own right, but it has done nothing to put me off my dream library in my own house.  For all its convenience and impressive performance, a Kindle cannot compare with a full bookcase of well-loved books (paperbacks for preference). 

My feelings towards ebooks and paperbacks (it's my opinion that Hardbacks are for collectors and the dangerously impatient.) go a little bit further than John's.  When he said that he would prefer a signed copy of my book as opposed to one on his Kindle, my initial thought was: "why not both?"

I am one of the mad people.  I do not see the harm in owning paperback novel and ebook version of the same title.  That way I do not have to worry about carrying my favourite books around to read during my travels, but if I want to read a "proper" book, I don't have to compromise.  Whilst I wouldn't do it for every book, I would consider it for books and authors I enjoy.

I certainly will not stop buying books - there is no substitute for a favourite paperback - and with the Kindle I can enjoy a good read without worrying about my book being damaged.  Both printed and ebooks have positive and negative sides to them, and there are still plenty of people standing by the traditional book and those who buy both.  Personally I think it is a long while before we have to worry about the disappearance of our bookshops.

Before I leave, thinks to Chloe and John for the feedback about my choice of title.  It was thoroughly appreciated.

HC x

A Blow to the Head, and back to work

Last week I had an accident whilst waiting for a colonoscopy which resulted in a serious blow to the head and the eventual cancellation of the appointment.  It will never have a place among my pleasant memories, the afternoon in A&E gave me a lot of time to think.  During that time I admitted to myself that no matter how hard I try, I will never be the next Terry Pratchett...

...no matter what I do I just can't grow a proper beard!

Beg pardon to all of you for that silly bit of naughtiness.  It has been a long week full of stresses.and recovering from all my bumps and bruises, and it's left me prone to attacks of silliness (although it is true that the most I can achieve in terms of facial hair is a rather sparse moustache, so a beard is completely out of the question!).

I have been in a "Poor Me" rut for quite some time, which has also left me with the attention span of a butterfly in many cases.  The last week was just a breaking point, although the blow to the head does seem to have improved my typing ability somewhat.

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that I had joined the ranks of Kindle owners after over a year's deliberation.  Over five months later and there hasn't been a single occasion where I have regretted buying it.  There was an occasion where I thought it wasn't charging properly, but I have since managed to charge it completely and all is well.

What I like most about the Kindle, or rather Amazon's Kindle store, is its way of introducing readers to books they might not have otherwise considered.  When I first started browsing for ebooks most of the free books were old classics, like the Jungle Book, Gullivers Travels and The Illiad, and I assumed that any other books cost money.  However, recently I realised this was not the case after browsing through the fantasy titles.  Fantasy is my first love when it comes to reading, and it appears that I gravitate to the fantasy section on Amazon as automatically as I gravitate to the sci-fi/fantasy shelves in Waterstones.  Currently I won three of these free titles, and I have read two of them.  One of them got me so interested in reading more of the series, and I now own the second installment of the series, which I happily paid for.  The other author's book I would consider reading further, although it was nowhere near as well written.

This fits the ideals that my head was full of when I ordered my Kindle last Boxing Day - albeit an improved version seeing as I still expected to pay something for the books.  Now I can add another author to my favourites, although regrettably not to my bookcase.

Free ebooks are a brilliant new way to gain an author some publicity and also to build up a fanbase for the books they charge for.  Provided they are not terrible writers the download of the free books should lead to downloading of future titles - and the earning of some nice money.

Fantasy novels seem to be the most popular genre, which is fortunate for fantasy readers like myself, and it's certainly appeared popular.  For the authors that have taken advantage and been clever in doing so it works very well.  Worth a try, especially if you are considering independant publishing.

I would advise all Kindle owners who read this and haven't done this already, I would advise trying a few of the free e-books that are out there.  You never know what you might find if you do.

I'm still a little old fashioned and won't stop buying paper books, but if it's made me stop and think then perhaps others will too.

Currently still making progress with my novel, and my main character now has a pet.  Gast can be blamed entirely on the Direwolves in Game of Thrones - I'm very taken by the idea of them - even if he is a cat.  I have left off describing his appearance in the hopes that his rapidly developing personality will  help shape the way he looks, a tactic that has worked before.

Originally I was referring to my main character as the "Lord of the Dead," but I have decided that this title is cheesy and over-used. I was considering replacing "Lord" with "Curator", seeing as the Dead part is very important.  "Historian" is another possibility, but I'm not really committing with anything just yet.  Hopefully as I progress the ideal title will make itself apparent.

Have fun with your writing, but remember to make some time to read.

HC x

Gratitude, and thoughts on Bestsellers

It would appear that the world will not be ending on May 21st after all.  It is beyond me why these supposed men and women of learning seem so determined to determine the exact date of Judgement day.  The outcome is still going to be the same either way, and considering that God and God alone is supposed to have the knowledge of this day, the reaction of said deity would not necessarily be positive...

Before I begin, let me point out that I do not for one minute intend for the beginning of this blog entry to be a slight against any fellow christians, just against the notion of marking the day of oblivion on our calendars.

Now, with the dawn of a new day (although it is currently tea-time as I type) I thought I would begin with a little thanks and reflection. 

Since December my group of followers has gone from none to eight - all within the space of five months.  Each time that I see that my blog has gained yet another follower I feel both excited and humbled in the knowledge that I must be doing something right.  Thanks to all of you for continuing to follow and support me in my haphazard little Odyssey: Sam, Ryan Taylor, Vic, Chloe Banks, John Cowton, Dr.Blood (<--- I love this name!), Nari, and most recently Penelope Fletcher - a recently discovered authoress who already has several volumes avaliable on Kindle.  A special thanks to those followers and other readers who have taken the additional time to comment upo my blog entries - even some of the sillier ones - and offering encouragement.  I enjoy reading every one and will continue to try and respond to each one as soon as I can. 

I have an important question to ask, after the idea came to me during a break from writing. 

Do the words "Number 1 Bestseller" have any effect on your purchase of a new book?

By this I don't mean the latest offering from a beloved author who you've been singing the praises of for years, of course.  If you pick up an anticipated book like that, nothing on this earth could be printed on the cover that could stop you buying it.  It is the books of undiscovered authors that interest me - the books where we pay more attention to the covers.

The term "Bestseller" is one that usually fills me with caution, having encountered certain books that have gained international acclaim that I personally found boring and disappointing.  I don't want to mention names of books or Authors that I feel fall into this category, because I'm sure every reader feels the same about at least one author of their own.  Often much better books can be found that haven't earned the title of Bestseller, and the reader can pore through their pages with the feeling that this author is a a private little secret known only to them.  Most sci-fi and fantasy authors - with exceptions that include Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett - can usually offer their fans something of this secrecy.  For example, who has heard of Maggie Furey's excellent Shadowleague novels?  Not many, I'd wager, but I would recommend her work to anyone in search of a good read.

Of course, not all Bestsellers are a disappointment.  Anyone who has read "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak seems to have nothing but praise for it - myself included.  As I have mentioned before, C.J. Sansom is an author of incredible talent, but I was very nearly put off buying the first of his books.

I first spotted Revelation in the supermarket two years ago, and was immediately attracted by the unusual title and pretty cover.  But when I picked it up the first thing I saw were the words "No 1 Bestseller" printed in white on the bottom...

It made me pause for a minute, but the title had interested me enough to keep the book in my hand so I could read the "blurb."  Upon the disovery that the book was based during the reign of Henry VIII - one of my favourite periods of history - the book had caught enough of my interest to find its way into my shopping basket.  At £4, I felt it was a fair gamble to give Revelation a fair chance.

Having read all six of his books (one of which was a nightmare to find) I can safely say the gamble paid off.  Revelation turned out to be one of the most captivating books I have ever read, and remains so even now.  Hoever, if I'd started with Winter In Madrid, or Sovereign,  I might not have been so enthusiastic. 

However, there have been other occasions where I have bought a book on the basis of it being hailed as a bestseller and been utterly disappointed.  A certain controversial book that has enjoyed recent praise and seen itself and other books in the series become very successful films falls into this category.  It found itself in a charity shop within three weeks of trying and failing to try and retain interest in its plot, because I couldn't bring myself to throw even that book away. 

I waffle again. I'm very old fashioned and set in my ways when it comes to my books and I will be the first to admit that I can be very unforgiving to "new" authors if their book did not impress me.  I've been very distracted thanks to a disasterous hospital visit this week that found me in A&E...but that is definitely a story for a day when I've calmed down.

~*HC x*~

The Best Source of Inspiration

2011 has been a disappointing year thanks to these unfortunate stomach-aches that I have been plagued with since January.  Finally things seem to be stabilizing and I've finally stopped struggling with belly-ache, although my stomach seems to be anticipating the pains and tensing.  Maybe once all of my tests are over I may be able to turn a corner.

In other news, wedding plans have taken a busy turn.  I had to order my wedding dress three months early and so will be seeing my actual dress in August rather than November.  That doesn't sound like a bad thing, does it?  At the time - thanks to some works unpleasantness - I'd had such a dreadful day that it felt like the End of The World!  But having had time to think and calm down I feel considerably better about it.

Right, I created this blog to talk about something...what was it..?

Oh yes, writing!

I really must apologise to all of my lovely and above all patient watchers (7 of you now - thank you all!) for putting up with my silence recently.  For those of you whose blogs I follow as well I'm sorry that I have not had the time to read your recent posts.  I've simply had too much on my mind recently and have been exhausted beyond belief.

I've decided to attempt another writing competition in a hope of waking my muses up.  I do have some information on a competition due in June/July that has no theme, and I might enjoy that if I can remember where I got the information from!!!

Whilst my writing over the past two months could only be described as "pottering about" (it is extremely off-putting when someone who prides herself on excellent spelling has to stop and re-type every second word) I have had the chance to develop a few of my characters.  This chance came from the most unlikely of sources - YouTube.

I normally visit YouTube for two reasons - to watch countless AMVs relating to my favourite cartoon and/or gaming series, and to indulge my other hobby of watching painfully cheesy B-movies (Blue Demon is my current favourite) that no sane person would waste their time on.  However for some time I have been crawling through the latter and found myself returning to the same videos over and over again.  The reason being that the songs have been helping me work out aspects of certain characters personalities.  Artists such as Lordi, Il Nomine and Sonata Arctica have been the best source of musical inspiration thanks to their songs having actual stories to them.  Pretty much everyone has a favourite genre of music that wakes their imagination, mine is alternative.

Whilst my energy is slowly recovering I'm looking forward to taking advantage of this new source of inspiration to get my fantasy work done.  I came across a wonderful quote from Terry Pratchett's "Wee Free Men" that pretty much hit home that I felt should be shared:

"...if you trust in yourself...and believe in your dreams...and follow your star...you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy."

It is with the sound advice of Miss Tick that I finish my latest entry.  My next blog entry will be coming soon as some...exciting things have been happening, and I hope I can make them even better with some positive writing news.  In the meantime, I'm going to try and catch up on what I've missed.

Thanks to all of my wonderful friends and followers for your infinite patience.

HC x

A difficult month - and a curiosity...

To say that I have been absent this past month would be an understatement.  I have just looked and realised that a whole month has passed without me paying any attention to this blog!

Apologies to all of my patient followers who have been with me so far.  The stomach cramps that I have mentioned in the past continue to plague me, although now I have visited the hospital and am going for further testing.  Whilst I have been able to continue working through the cramps, I have found that they are draining me considerably, leaving me with little energy to even indulge my favourite pastime of writing fan-fiction.  I have, however, been able to catch up with my reading.

It's during this catch up that I found myself in the sci-fi/fantasy section of my favourite bookshop, or rather the section next to it.  Once upon a time the section was crammed with graphic novels and the pitiable collection of manga that the store provided.  But now I find that the selection is being reduced considerably to make way for a new kind of book.

The range of titles is interesting... Mass Effect, Gears of War, Resident Evil, Fable III, Warcraft, Assassins Creed.  Most readers will have recognised these names as video game titles, and a few may be interested to read these books.  I have read a few of the Resident Evil titles over the years, and am a huge fan of Oliver Bowden's Assassins Creed books, which I would advise all players of Assassins Creed 2 and Brotherhood to read.  They are a good help throughout the game, if not without a few spoilers.

Oliver Bowden's books are probably the best that I have read thus far out of this new genre, which happily seems to be increasing in popularity, albeit gradually. 

Since the arrival of modern video games, we have seen gaming companies look to books for inspiration.  My favourite example would be the classic Chinese epic "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," a book which long-term followers of my blog will recognise as one I waffle on about regularly.  This book was used by Koei to create my favourite gaming series - Shin Sangoku Musou - or "Dynasty Warriors", a series which released its latest offering last week.  It was on the many merits of this excellent series that I bought Sun Tzu's "Art of War" and added Romance to my bookshelf and Kindle.  As the series has a relatively small fanbase, I have learned that I am not the only one seeking out these titles.  For some fans, Dynasty Warriors has opened the doors to literature from around the world that they may not have otherwise even heard about.

Being engaged to a fiance who lives and breathes video games, I have been able to see first hand the effort and creativity that goes into some of the better game plotlines.  When seeing games like Final Fantasy VII, Elder Scrolls Oblivion or Dragon Age, it's no wonder that fan-fiction is so popular!  So it's refreshing to see that gaming companies are now offering their fans a way to enjoy their favourite game in a more traditional medium.  For the more hardcore gamers and the devoted lovers of technology and Progress, most of these titles can be found on Kindle or the alternative e-readers.

As pleased as I am to see traditional means of entertainment flourishing in the face of ever-improving technology, I am curious as to how these authors have found success.  Clearly the producers of the game have allowed the author to publish the book, otherwise they would not be on the shelves for long.  But how? 

The question is purely out of curiosity - in this medium I would class myself as a "Fangirl", and one who is prone to messing around with the plot until it is unrecognisable.  I just want to know, after discovering a novel based on the Dead Space games (which make Resident Evil look like a Disney production), how the decision is made to publish a book based on the game.  I suspect that most, if not all, of the authors have already been a member of the creative team who created the game, but it would be nice to know for certain.

Regrettably, this blog entry has been a filler to make up for my silence over the past month.  I will try and be more active and get some work done in the future.

Thanks to all of my followers and friends for continuing to have faith and check in on me.  I really do appreciate all of your comments and views, and hope you will continue to enjoy looking round the other pages on my blog in the future.

Much Love,

HC x