The Best Holiday Evah - Bar none!

Apologies for the dodgy puns, but it is who I am. Yep, that really was me snuggling under a duvet in the first class cabin, sipping champagne and feeling grimier by the second as the harrowing tale of Les Mis unfolded.
I reckon everyone should travel first class once in their lives if they can - a huge thank you to Sam and Barry for making it possible. And here's what else they gave us :

Yep, Barbados really was a perfect piece of Paradise - and a virtually private beach with a mill-pool sea 500 yards on from fun filled body-surfing breakers. All one needed was a Pina Colada or the best Rum Punch on the island - oh the lengths we went to on the quest of that little gem! Sheer Bliss!

Spooky Stuff

I'm sitting here listening to the Planet Rock presenters devote the whole day to scary rock tracks (you gotta love their devotion on this last day of Rocktober (groan). Stuff like Ghost (Slash), Creatures Of The Night (Kiss), The Number Of The Beast (Iron Maiden), Witchy Woman (Eagles), Welcome To My Nightmare (Alice Cooper) and even Break On Through (To The Other Side) - (Doors).

I thought it was a good excuse to montage some of my "face" pictures - can you spot them? They are from photos I took in Avebury, Wales and Barbados  - just rocks, roots and water.

Ok, the last one (bottom right) is a bit of a cheat because I reflected the picture (the edge of a rock on the pony path up to Cadair Idris) - but it really wasn't as obvious when it was only half a face. Can't decide if it's animal or human, what do you think?

Happy Halloween, Blessed Samhain or  Joyous All Souls. Whatever you call it, light a candle, eat something made from apples.
 
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ADDENDUM: Imagine my surprise when I learnt that it's not just me who "sees" faces in nature. There's even a posh name for it "simulacra." If you think I'm making it up, check out this guy:  http://www.palden.co.uk/simulacra.html.
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One wondeful week in wet windy Wales

Okay, so it wasn't all total slog. August saw a welcome return to the caravan with both daughters, hubby and even the dog. It did rain a lot - made the waterfalls even more vociferous than normal, and we finally took the Talyllyn steam train all the way to Tywyn. (pix to folllow). For me, much of it was spent doing the most exciting writing thing I've ever done - but I'm not gonna give it up yet. That deserves a post of its own, sometime soon.

Exhausted, Moi?

Ok, so the last 8 months have been the toughest for a while in terms of the pulls on my time. The trouble with full time working is you don't get time to play. At least I don't, because no matter how I try, the job I get paid for always seems to eat up all of my leisure time. My fault, I know - I always spend too much time creating Rolls Royce solutions when they only asked for a mini - I just can't help being creative.

The very best part was reading over 50 YA and MG books - I have discovered a raft of authors who have taught me so much about the type of books I love to read and write. There are way too many to mention, but the ones that moved me most were Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls), Cornelia Funke (Reckless/Fearless) and Michelle Paver (anything and everything - I will be stalking!).

In a week or so, I'll get some of my life back and hopefully be able to put my energies into writing - there has been one exciting little project which I hope to share soon.
Cheers
   Jacky

It's official ...

Archer has made the grade!
He IS Worthy!

I am so excited that my book has received this prestigious Seal of Approval from a bunch of guys who really know their stuff.

If you are an independently published author, I strongly recommend you check out their website with the wonderfully witty tagline
"Don't judge a book by its publisher."

Their aim is to provide One Voice for Self-Published Authors

so we can have the same weight of authority that the Author's Guild provides for Authors published by conventional publishing houses.Their purpose is to establish standards and promote independent Authors. Their efforts are entirely voluntary, so please, have a look and support them in any way you can, particularly by spreading the word so this community can grow.

Nice one Guys.

J

Awesome Interview

I'm so excited. After interviewing an author or two myself, I'm privileged to have been interviewed by a complete master - read the full interview by clicking here.

Ia Uaro is an extremely talented author whose work has been translated into other languages. You can find out more about her latest creation Sydney's Song - "a young girl's courageous journey to adulthood and a love story grounded in the suburban settings of Sydney and Boston where heartbreaks are juxtaposed with humour" by clicking here. Please check out her book trailer - this one is a winner, and as soon as my every waking moment isn't filled with Wimpy Kids, Tracy Beaker, Mr Gum and the Twits, I will be reading and reviewing it and hopefully returning the compliment.

Cheers
   Jacky

Guest Author - L.A. Rikand

 I really love this idea - that writers interview each other about the whys and wherefores of writing.

Sixth in the big black chair is    L. A. Rikand – a truly inspired and inspiring writer.

To see all the Guest Authors, click  here.