Shutting Down

Sad news!  I am shutting down this blog as I want to blog about other things.  I have two blogs and neither of them cover everything I want to blog about, and it seemed silly to me to make even more blogs.

My new blogs is here:

http://moosemousse.ml/

And if that doesn't work then this will:

http://moussemoose.wordpress.com/

I hope you like this new blog as much as this one.

NaNoWriMo Wrap Up

NaNoWriMo officially ended last week and with it so do my winning streak of several years.  I realised during the last week that I wouldn't make it this but it didn't stop me trying.  I wrote a few thousand words on the 29th and well over ten thousand on the 30th.  I stayed up as late as I could but I still fell some eighteen thousand short of the fifty thousand word goal.  Oddly enough, I felt ok with this.  I had always said that I thought of anyone who tried as winners.  They always seemed like hollow words used to help those who didn't make it keep their chin up and feel good about trying.  Being on the receiving end of those words I now think differently about them.

Did I win NaNoWriMo this year?  No, no I did not.  Did I achieve anything and was it worthwhile?  Of course!  I'm proud of what I wrote, even if it's not very good.  I'm proud that I tried.  I proud that I learnt that just trying is often success enough to make things worth it.  I also learnt some stuff about me too.  I had always taken it for granted that I would win NaNoWriMo and that at the end of it I would have a fifty thousand word novel.  This year I learnt that even though I didn't make it to the end I actually achieved something.  I wrote thirty thousand more words in one month than I did in the months since last November.  I expect the same is true of those who didn't make it to one thousand.  They still tried, they still put the effort in.

I also worked out some issues of my own.  Earlier this year my granddad passed away.  It didn't really come as a huge surprise but it was still a shock.  A great-uncle passed away too and his wife passed away a few days later.  I was not expecting that and it brought up a lot of mixed emotions.  My novel took an unexpected twist for the depressing, which I hadn't intended, but it allowed me to work through the emotions that I had experienced during the past year.  Whether it remains in the novel isn't clear, but I found the act of writing about it very helpful.  That's not to say it didn't hurt to write about it as it did, but when it was I done I felt better about things.

And so, to the year ahead.  I haven't decided what to do with this novel.  In an ideal world I'd keep going with it and keep it going to the end, then I'd edit and revise, and then I'd get it published.  This isn't an idea world though, so I really don't know.  What I do know is that I will be attempting NaNoWriMo again next year.  Until then I have books to read and reviews to write, and various other hopes and dreams too.  Between now and Christmas I will be going through all the books that I have read and I'll be sorting out some reviews for those, and they're not all YA!

[Review] Clisson and Eugenie by Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte is a well known name. He was Emporor of France, he invaded Russia and Spain, and he was at war with the English as well.  Not only was he accomplished when it came to fighting battles and making war, but it also turns out that he was a writer as well.  I don't know how succesful he was in his time, but he did write a few things.  One of them was the 'novel' Clisson and Eugenie.

Clisson and Eugenie is a love story between the titular characters in which they fall in love and get married.  At some point in their marriage, Clisson is called away to war and he leaves Eugenie behind.  After Clisson is wounded, he sends a trusted friend to keep Eugenie company until he is well enough to return.  Unfortunately, this friend seduces Eugenie and she stops sending letters.  Heartbroken, he engineers a glorious death in the heat of battle, leading a charge himself.

This novel itself is only a few pages long and might not be complete.  The edition I have is compiled from several fragments that were scattered after Napoleon's death.  It took many years to get them back together and the editors of the latest editions spent many hours comparing the various versions and sorting the fragments into order.  In parts the text is italicised to indicate that the passage is not Napoleon's work but rather the work of the editors to fill in a missing gap.  While I don't have the original French edition, the difference in writers does not notice in the English translation.

What is remarkable is the work itself, rather than the author, famous as he is.  It's a short but powerful and emotional journey from start to finish.  The romance between Clisson and Eugenie is clear and prominent in the text, as is the sorrow felt by Clisson at the end.  There was meme about how things are better love stories than the Twilight series, and this is definitely better by a long shot, despite being a fraction of the length.

My only criticism is that it does read much like an outline of a novel or a lengthy synopsis.  I don't know if that was intentional or whether Napoleon intended to write a fuller version with dialogue, in depth descriptions, character actions, and so on.  What I do know is that, short as it is, it is a very good read.  I'm not sure it's worth the RRP of £7.99 though as two thirds is writing about the novel with the novel taking up the last third.  I managed to find it for £2 though and I consider it quite the bargain.

Should you see a copy for about that price then I highly recommend getting it.  Whether it's for historical reasons, interest in Napoleon, or just because it's not something you see often, it is something I'll read a lot.

National Novel Writing Month Begins

So today is November 2nd.  I had meant to do a post yesterday but I didn't actually manage to write anything, so I'm making the first post of my NaNoWriMo journey today.

It is 2pm exactly right now and I have 688 words.  I have three hours and 45 minutes until I have to leave the refuge that is Starbucks and go home.  In the time I hope to have written 3,332 words in total.  It'll be a struggle but it'll catch me up for today's goal.

So far I still don't have a genre or theme or plot or anything.  I do have two characters though, so it's not a complete disaster.  All I can say now is 'wish me luck'!

[Review] When The World Was Flat by Ingrid Jonach

 

Blurb

Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.

But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.

When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.

An epic and deeply original sci-fi romance, taking inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theories and the world-bending wonder of true love itself.

Review

The book, 'When The World Was Flat (And We Were In Love)' to give it the full title, starts off much like any other love story, for the most part.  Lillie lives with her hippie mother in the small town of Green Grove.  She has her friends that she hangs out with, taking lots of photographs.  And then Tom arrives, along with her nightmares.

As things progress, everything becomes complicated for Lillie, with more questions being thrown up all the time.  Answers are few and far between, but only propose more questions.  Who is Tom?  How does she know about him?  What do her dreams mean?  Are they connected?  If so, how?

Well written, the pace is varied and is always appropriate to the situation, serving to heighten emotions.  The imagery is wonderful and vivid, bringing the dusty world to life.  Lillie seems to act like it's a very boring place to live, but it seems a lot more lively and exciting, but it sure seems that way compared to where I live.

There is only one very small thing I'm not sure about, and it could just be me here.  One of the characters seems a bit, well, too sexual.  I'm not saying that it's wrong or anything, it just seems odd to me.  It's probably because I've never known anyone like her and her behaviour is very different to my own.  It's not a big part either, but it is mentioned a few times.

Over all though, this is a great book.  It's yet another good read from the fine folks at Strange Chemistry.  While there might not be a sequel straight away, I'm excited to see what Ingrid Jonach comes out with next.  (I asked about this in the interview)

Interview

As always, my questions are in italics and the answers are in bold.

Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Happily!

I am the author of three books for children and now one book for young adults. I live in Australia and am a dual citizen of Australia and Austria. My family is spread out, as my mother and two brothers live in Australia and my father and half-sister live in the United States.

I studied creative writing at university and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing with Honors. I have worked as a journalist, a public relations consultant and a public servant.

Last year, I got married to my now husband Craig, who I met at university. We have been together about eleven years now and have a pug dog.

This isn't your first book, but is it still exciting to have a new book come out as it was for your first?
Absolutely.

This latest book was particularly exciting because it was my first young adult novel. I love being able to connect with readers online now, which was difficult with my children's books.

Do you find it gets easier to write with each book?
I think every book has its own challenges, for example ensuring your new protagonist has a different voice to your last protagonist and not repeating phrases or settings.

I am becoming a better planner though. I used to write organically, but I now at least plot the key scenes.

Reading WTWWF, I got the feeling that it was all very plausible and could even be real.  Is this a subject you've thought about or done a lot of research into?
Thanks!

I have a lot of wacky theories about the world and this was one that I had wanted to write about for many years. I knew there was some fringe science behind it, but was surprised when I started researching String Theory and found that it led back to Albert Einstein.

Probably a pin prick of the research that I did actually ended up in the novel. We (my editor, agent and I) tried to keep the science as simple as possible, but I am looking forward to explaining it more in a spoiler section on my website one of these days.
Will there be a sequel?
The jury is definitely still out. I know exactly what happens in the next two books, but they are only rough drafts at the moment. My attention has been on other standalone novels. I have just sent one off to my agent and am going to get cracking on the third standalone. They are loosely tied to the concepts in When the World was Flat (and we were in love).

Did you watch the TV show Sliders when it was on?
I absolutely did! It has been many years since I last watched it, but I definitely think it inspired the science fiction in When the World was Flat (and we were in love), without giving away too many spoilers!

(Rachel's note: I used to love Sliders when it was on)

If you had to sum up When The World Was Flat in just one tweet (140 characters), what would you say about it?Oooh… here goes!

When Lillie Hart meets Tom Windsor-Smith she has no idea her whole world is about to change - literally.

Any last words?
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read or who will read When the World was Flat (and we were in love), and to all of the bloggers, bookstores and librarians who have been so supportive. It means so much to me!

Author Bio

Ingrid Jonach writes books for children and young adults, including the chapter books The Frank Frankie and Frankie goes to France published by Pan Macmillan, and When the World was Flat (and we were in love) published by Strange Chemistry.
Since graduating from university with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing (Hons) in 2005, Ingrid has worked as a journalist and in public relations, as well as for the Australian Government.
Ingrid loves to promote reading and writing, and has been a guest speaker at a number of schools and literary festivals across Australia, where she lives with her husband Craig and their pug dog Mooshi.
Despite her best efforts, neither Craig nor Mooshi read fiction.
Find out more at www.ingridjonach.com

Giveaway Details and Widget

Enter below for your chance to win one of two awesome prize packages as part of the Around the World in 80 Days Blog Tour for When the World was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach. 
There will be two winners worldwide. Each prize package includes:
•    a signed copy of When the World was Flat (and we were in love)
•    a pair of silver plated key-shaped earrings in a When the World was Flat (and we were in love) gift box
•    a When the World was Flat (and we were in love) bookmark.
The competition will run until 21 October 2013 and the winners will be announced on this page and via www.ingridjonach.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Participant Widget

Guest Post - by Ingrid Jonach

 

Date: Friday 4 October 2013

Topic: Guest Post

Guest Post – My Top Five Aussie Books 

 

I live in Australia, so I thought I would share the top five Aussie books that have had an impact on my reading and writing. I highly recommend you read these! There are many more I could have added to this list, so I have offered a few more at the end.

1. Brother Night by Victor Kelleher 

 

I credit this book with my love of reading. It is the heartbreaking story of a pair of twins – one beautiful and one hideous – who embark on a journey together to find the Sun Lord and the Night Lord. Rabon may be the beautiful twin, but he has a personal journey of his own to undertake before he can hold a candle to his brother, the monstrous (but only in appearance) Lal.

I was introduced to this story by a teacher in Year Six. I cried when I read it as a child and then again when I read it as an adult.
The author, Victor Kelleher, was born in England, but has since lived in Africa, New Zealand and Australia. I can also recommend his other books, which span the science fiction, fantasy, crime and horror genres.

2. Almost French by Sarah Turnbull 

 

This was a laugh out loud book for me, but I wonder whether it would be accessible to readers from other countries. Apparently it has done pretty well in the UK and it is being made into a feature film for release in 2014!

It is a memoir of an Australian meeting and falling in love with a Frenchman and it is very much a book about the differences between the Australian and the French cultures.

It is genuinely funny. Just look at this excerpt:

The trail of lime trees outside our building is still a public loo. …where else are they supposed to go to the toilet in a city where public toilets are about as common as UFO sightings?

Sarah Turnbull actually spent a lot of her school and university years in Canberra, which is where I live! I recently discovered she has written a sequel to Almost French called All Good Things, which is on my TBR list!

3. Bride Stripped Bare by Nikki Gemmell 

 

I remember being mesmerized by this book being written in second person, kind of like a choose your own adventure book (remember them?).

For example:

There were the endless birthday nights and New Year's Eves of just you in your bed and no one else. There was the welling up at weddings, the glittery eye-prick, when all the couples would get up to dance. Sometimes it felt like your heart was crazed with cracks like your grandmother's old saucers. Sometimes the sight of a Saturday afternoon couple laughing in a park would splinter it completely. 

The result is a poetic and extremely personal narrative, even if the author is choosing the adventure. The narrative follows the story of young wife who explores her own sexuality after discovering her husband has been unfaithful. On her website, Gemmell said, “I hoped to write a book that was startlingly real-with all the messiness and magic of life as we know it.”

The other innovative thing about this book was that Gemmell attempted to release it anonymously. She was outed before publication.

4. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden (Series) 

 

This was arguably the most popular series for young adults while I was growing up.

I tend to take a while to jump on bandwagons and I remember reading this a few years after a friend recommended it. I was hooked. It follows the story of a group of teens who go on a camping trip, only to discover the country has been invaded on their return. They then go into guerilla warfare against the enemy.

Excerpt:

Well, I’d better stop biting my tongue and start biting the bullet. There’s only one way to do this and that’s to tell it in order, chronological order. I know writing it down is important to us. That’s why we all got so excited when Robyn suggested it. It’s terribly, terribly important. Recording what we’ve done, in words, on paper, it’s got to be our way of telling ourselves that we mean something, that we matter. That the things we’ve done have made a difference. I don’t know how big a difference, but a difference. Writing it down means we might be remembered. And by God that matters to us. None of us wants to end up as a pile of dead white bones, unnoticed, unknown, and worst of all, with no one knowing or appreciating the risks we’ve run.

It was turned into a movie in recent years, which I am not sure completely did it justice.

5. Jessica by Bryce Courtenay

This book is devastating. I remember crying my eyes out when I read it. It is a historical novel, based on the life of the daughter of a farmer. It is too difficult to give a brief overview of this book because it is seriously epic.

Bryce Courtenay is the same author that wrote The Power of One. He was South African and Australian (dual citizenship) and resided in Australia. He was regarded as a national institution until his passing last year while he also lived in Canberra. The next day the flag was flying at half-mast at our wedding venue Old Parliament House. I like to think it was for Bryce Courtenay (although the internet has neither been able to confirm nor deny this, despite flags flying half mast across the country).

Interesting fact, Courtenay worked in advertising before his books took off and was responsible for one of the best loved advertising campaigns in Australia – Louie the Fly.


Other Aussie books deserving a shout-out is Sleeping Dogs by Sonia Hartnett; Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein; and Looking for Alibrandi by Marina Marchetta.

Author Bio

Ingrid Jonach writes books for children and young adults, including the chapter books The Frank Frankie and Frankie goes to France published by Pan Macmillan, and When the World was Flat (and we were in love) published by Strange Chemistry.
Since graduating from university with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing (Hons) in 2005, Ingrid has worked as a journalist and in public relations, as well as for the Australian Government.
Ingrid loves to promote reading and writing, and has been a guest speaker at a number of schools and literary festivals across Australia, where she lives with her husband Craig and their pug dog Mooshi.
Despite her best efforts, neither Craig nor Mooshi read fiction.
Find out more at www.ingridjonach.com

Giveaway Details and Widget

Enter below for your chance to win one of two awesome prize packages as part of the Around the World in 80 Days Blog Tour for When the World was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach.
There will be two winners worldwide. Each prize package includes:
•    a signed copy of When the World was Flat (and we were in love)
•    a pair of silver plated key-shaped earrings in a When the World was Flat (and we were in love) gift box
•    a When the World was Flat (and we were in love) bookmark.
The competition will run until 21 October 2013 and the winners will be announced on this page and via www.ingridjonach.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excitement a-go-go!

Just received an exciting email!  A few months ago I asked to be part of a 'blog tour', where people write guest entries for various blogs and they get posted on certain days.  That one didn't work out but when the next one came up I asked to be part of that one too.  That one was successful and I am now sitting on a guest post!

It's all very secret and hush hush right now, but come back at noon UK time for the exciting guest post!  I want to post it now, I really do, but I can't!

 Yes, I'm a tease, but it's worth it!

Right, now I just need to make sure the formatting is all good and I can schedule it.

Tasty foods!

Healthy eating is important in general, but it's also a good idea for writers to eat well.  This doesn't have to be bland and boring though, so here's a tasty recipe I've come up with that I really like.  It's not perfected yet, but I enjoy improving it.  Here's the latest version:

Tomato and Garlic Quorn Fillets

Ingredients

2 x Frozen Quorn fillets
Tomato Puree
Garlic Puree
Bread crumbs
Olive Oil
Salt and fresh black pepper

Method

Mix a tablespoon of tomato puree with a teaspoon of garlic puree and a tablespoon of olive oil.
I made the bread crumbs and added the salt and pepper as I chopped the bread into crumbs.  A slice of bread was enough.
Cover the fillets in the garlic and tomato mix.  Dip them in the bread crumbs until covered.  They need to be stuck on but not squashed.
Cook at 180°C for 20 minutes or until golden.

The tomato and garlic mix will stop the Quorn from drying out and the bread crumbs will turn crispy making this delicious with any meal.  Like I said, this isn't quite perfect but it's a great starting point for your own recipes.

[Review] The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

The Blurb

Sixteen year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them – letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn’t make it in time? The Darkness will come for her…

When Justin - one of the most popular boys at school but Taylor's worst enemy - is killed, her life gets a whole lot trickier.  Justin doesn't believe he's dead, so Taylor has to solve the mystery before she can lay him to rest.  This leads her to the terrifying V society, and a game of Truth of Dare that went so very wrong.

The Review

Taylor seems to have a hard life.  Reading the first few chapters was like reading a perfect account of being bullied.  Always being the victim and yet always getting the blame for it.  It did make it a little hard for me as it brought back some memories I'd rather forget, but I carried on and I'm glad I did.

Taylor has a lot to do with.  Not just the bullying but also the curse.  Her father thinks it's a disease to be cured and she could be touched at any time, which causes problems with her only friend.  Justin's death puts not just a spanner in the works but a whole tool box.

Well written and well paced, The Weight of Souls has a great plot.  Taylor doesn't just have to solve a murder, she also has to avoid other ghosts as well.  A task that's not made easy when the victim doesn't think he's dead and he's not easy to find.

Mixed with the tale of how she got the curse in the first place, The Weight of Souls is a murder mystery unlike any other.  A great read that kept me reading to the very end, and left me wanting more.

Bad news!

So, in my last blog post, I said there was a plumber coming today.  He came, he saw, he decided to do the work next week instead.  Still no room, no desktop, no books, and my laptop is breaking.

Doom!

Doom and woe!

Oh well.  At least I have Animal Crossing: New Leaf to keep me going, and I can do a review of that over on my gaming blog.

In the meantime, I have a special request!  I'm looking for a website thing that will allow me to do a blog section as well as other pages.  I quite like the idea of keeping my blogger blogs and having both of them appear in the same feed.  I'll probably need a host.

I do have a googles sites website set up, but I don't know if it can do what I want.  If anyone can help, I'd very much appreciate it!

Sorry!!

I am so sorry for neglecting my blog!  Things have been quiet on the writing front and I've been starting reviews and then getting distracted so they've never appeared.  I do have some great books for review though.  I don't have access to my desktop or my books right now as I'm having plumbing work done in my room, which meant I had to clear out everything.  That'll be done soon so I should be able to sort out a few books for the next few weeks.

If you've read a good book and you want to recommend it, just reply and I'll see if I've got it or I can pick it up.  I'm always on the look out for new things, so I'm up for anything really.  I've read so many books and I've only disliked one.  Oh, and bad writing isn't a problem, as I like Dan Brown.

Until then, keep reading and writing.

Book Links for Salisbury

Cover

Overview

Kate is having the worst day of her life. Nothing is going right and her life is falling to pieces around her. With the help of a friend, she manages to pick herself up before life send her through another loop and a whole lot more crazy.

Set in the cathedral city of Salisbury, England, this is a romance novel with a twist, and a few surprises along the way. Featuring cats, coffee, zombies, and ferrets, Salisbury has something for everyone to enjoy, including real locations that can be visited.

Links

Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/salisbury-rachel-james/1113742128
iBookstore:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/salisbury/id572578472
Kindle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Salisbury-ebook/dp/B009QEJJAI/
Lulu (ebook):
http://www.lulu.com/shop/rachel-james/salisbury/ebook/product-20456428.html
Lulu (paperback):
http://www.lulu.com/shop/rachel-james/salisbury/paperback/product-20314800.html

Let's Talk About Bullying

Bullying is never acceptable, ever, and yet it goes on everywhere.  And I don't just mean school, but throughout life.  Why it happens isn't really important, mostly because there are so many reasons and so many people have their own theories about that listing them all would be mostly guess work and speculation.  Only the bullies know why they do it, and sometimes even then I wonder if they do.  All that really matters is that we do something about it.

For me it started when I was at Primary School (ages 5-11), it continued when I went to Secondary School (normally 11-16), and then at Sixth Form College (16-18).  It stopped when I went to Uni for two years but I dropped out due to ill health and it continued at the college I went to (20-22).  It wasn't always the same thing, but it always had the same effect.  It made me feel like crap every time.

To make things worse, I was the only one who'd get into trouble.  One time at Secondary School I was sitting down to lunch.  I was just sitting there, probably eating sandwiches or something similar, just minding my own business.  I don't remember how it started but this other kid in my class was on me, so I threw him off as I was trying to eat.  He then yelled out that I was going psycho and that everyone should grab me.  All I wanted to do was eat, so I shook them off as best I could, but that wasn't the end of it.  This kid yelled out the same sorts of things about me being psycho, and I was jumped on, again.  It went on a few more times before I just gave up and walked out, slamming the door behind me.  It was a reinforced glass door and I broke it, the glass actually coming out the frame.  Like I said, I was the only one who ever got in trouble.  Despite not being the one who started it, despite being the victim, despite everything that lead up to that, it was only me who got in trouble.  I refused to pay for the door but it turned out later that my parents had.

When I was at college, there was another kid who found out something I wanted kept secret and he promptly shared it with his friends.  They made my remaining time there a living hell.  I wanted to get on with my work, but they would constantly berate me during class, yelling out how I was a freak and that I should be allowed at the college.  The worst thing is that they would do this with teachers present and the teachers would know it was going on and just ask them to be quiet if the teacher was speaking.
And talking of teachers, what the hell do you do if the teacher is the bully?  There is nothing you can do about it then.  They'll just persuade the other teachers that you're at fault, that you're a problem child, that you're just being difficult.  One teacher would send me home every time I forgot something, no matter how insignificant, which meant I never got the homework, so I was sent home again the next week, and so one, ad nauseum.  Another teacher straight up told me I didn't have asthma and that I was putting on an asthma attack.  Really?  After all the doctor's notes?  After all the times it had kept me home?  You really want to tell an asthmatic they don't have asthma while they're having an attack?  I could go on and on about how my Asperger's Syndrome caused problems, but I'll just say that the Secondary School spent their Special Needs budget on building repair and leave it at that.

Those are just a few incident of many.  At Primary School there was a kid picking on me.  The only friend I had was with me at the time and he stood up for me.  He stamped on the other kid's foot.  You'd think that the bully there would've been punished, but he wasn't.  It was my friend who was.  The other kid had an ingrown toenail or something and my friend was suspended.  Nothing happened to the bully, even though he was at fault and my friend was just standing up for me.

And that's the biggest problem with bullying.  Nothing ever happens to the bully.  It's always the victim who gets blamed.  It's always the victim who's punished.  It's always the victim that anything negative happens to.  What can you do when you can't trust the teachers to punish the bullies and not you?  What do you do if the teachers are the bullies?  What do you do when you're an adult and shamed into silence because 'it only happens to kids'?

I wish I knew what the answers are, but I know it's not suicide.  No matter how close I've come before, I've somehow not gone ahead with it.  I'm still here, able to play games with some good friends and write books and enjoy the bits of life that are fun.  It has gotten better for me, and if it can get better for me then it can get better for you too.

There are lots of anti-bullying songs out there.  Some deal with homophobia, some are just general.  Have a google, you'll find some, but these I like:
Hero - Superchick
Bully – Shinedown
Make It Stop – Rise Against
Jumper – Third Eye Blind
Never Too Late – Three Days Grace

To Write Love On Her Arms – Between The Trees

The Call – Matt Kennon

Don’t Laugh At Me – Mark Wills

Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.

Don’t Jump – Tokio Hotel

How To Save A Life – The Fray

Savin’ Me – Nickelback

Jeremy – Pearl Jam

Hold On – Good Charlotte

Happy? - Mudvayne

Last Resort - Papa Roach

 Some might seem like odd choice, but it was bands like Linking Park, Papa Roach, Slipknot, and Marilyn Manson,that kept me going some days.  Hope they help you too.

Finally, an ebook!

When I first put my novel, Salisbury, up for sale I had hoped that the ebook version would go up on the same day or within a week or so.  Unfortunately, I got confused as to how to do and gave up because it was making my head hurt and was just too confusing and too much to deal with at the time.  Last night I decided that I wouldn't sleep, because I'm like that sometimes, and I decided to have another go.  It's still confusing and it still made my head hurt and I still wanted to give up, but I didn't!

That's right!  Salisbury is now available as an ebook!

I'm rather pleased with the result, even if the first line indentation is a bit small and I'm not 100% sure that all the formatting is 100% correct.  It is as close to perfect as I'm likely to get it though, because I gave up and thought 'sod it' and put it on sale anyway.

So, yes, you can buy it, now, for reals.

Here are some happy links for you:

Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/rachel-james/salisbury/ebook/product-20448569.html
Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Salisbury-ebook/dp/B009QEJJAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350205147&sr=8-1
Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Salisbury-ebook/dp/B009QEJJAI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350205175&sr=8-2

It is currently 'pending' for Nook and iBookstore sales and I don't know when it will be available from there.  As far as I know there won't be any reason why it'll be rejected but I'll keep you posted either way.

I'm actually quite excited now that it's on sale.

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

I have something a bit special for my blog.  Today I am going to do a review of 'The Assassin's Curse' by Cassandra Rose Clarke.  And if that wasn't enough, I have an interview with her too!  Exciting stuff, no?

First thing first:

The Review

So a few months ago, Strange Chemistry were giving away some advance copies of 'The Assassin's Curse' on their twitter.  I was the lucky winner of one copy and I waited impatiently for it to arrive.  When it arrived I saw the cover and thought it looked very Arabian Nights-esque, with the swirly title about an Arabian Nights type skyline silhouette.  A theme very appropriate to the setting of the novel.

The story is about a pirate girl who runs out on an arranged marriage and meets an assassin, activates a curse on him, and then has to follow him around while they try and cure it.  There's also magic involved, which is not the ordinary kind.  It's interesting to see how it does work, and I'd like to see more of it.

While I love the book, I find it hard to say why, mostly because there's a lot to love about it.  I really like that it's written in first person and is written with Ananna's accent.  I think it adds depth to the character and the novel.  There's also a lot that isn't explained, and in a good way.  There's enough information to understand what's going on and not be confused, but there's also more that could be said.  It's a fine balance between too much information and not enough, and this is pretty much perfect.

The plot is well pace, intriguing, gripping to the end, and the ending left me wanting more, so I was thrilled when I found out there's a sequel on the way.

The Interview

(Questions in italics, answers in bold)

Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I live in Houston, Texas, where I work as a college English instructor — when I’m not writing, of course! I have two cats, one of which I adopted after his mother brought him and his siblings into my mom’s back yard. I love to draw and paint and cook, and I love going to the movies, too. I’ll see pretty much any movie in a theater, but I don’t really like watching DVDs all that much. Weird, I know.

So, The Assassin's Curse is out in October, the sequel is out next year, and you have a sci-fi novel, The Mad Scientist's Daughter, out in January.  You must be very excited.  Just how excited are you?

I’m extremely excited! Like hands-shaking-just-won-the-lottery excited! A year ago I had only just signed with Angry Robot, and now one of my books is out in the world. It’s mind-blowing. I’m definitely looking forward to going to every book store in the city to see if they have copies of The Assassin’s Curse.

Could you tell us a bit more about Ananna and her world?  Preferably something non-spoiler-y?

Well, Ananna and her family are part of a vague governing body called the Pirate’s Confederation. It’s made up of a bunch of pirate clans, each with their own ship or collection of ships.  Ananna’s father heads up the Tanarau clan, which is why Tanarau is both Ananna’s surname and the name of her father’s ship. Ships and crew pass from father to son, so if Ananna ever wants her own ship, she would have to go outside the Confederation. Their loss!

If you had to sum up The Assassin's Curse in just one tweet (140 characters), what would you say about it?

A runaway pirate girl gets entangled with a magic-wielding assassin; adventures (and maybe romance) follow.

With a sequel already confirmed for The Assassin's Curse I have to ask, will there be more?

Well, the sequel, The Pirate’s Wish wraps up Naji and Ananna’s story. Right now there isn’t anything officially planned, but I would love to continue writing stories set in the world. I’ve already got some ideas cooking.

With one book out with Strange Chemistry and another with Angry Robot, how do you feel the YA differs from other fiction?  How do you feel it differs from the reader's perspective?  And how does it differ from the writer's perspective?

YA is interesting because it’s a target age group that gets treated like a genre.  All YA books used to be thrown together on the same shelf and that meant there was a lot more freedom to blend genres, which was one of the things I liked about it. Unfortunately, Barnes and Nobel has started dividing their YA shelves up into Adventure Fantasy and Paranormal Romance and so forth, so I’m wondering if YA will keep genre-bending, or if genre-bending will pass over to adult novels (which seems to happening somewhat and which makes me sad).

Actually, I feel like the biggest difference between YA and adult is one of voice and distance. YA tends to be a much more immediate reading experience, whereas adult fiction, even when it’s narrated by a teenager, inserts distance between the narrator and the reader.  A portion of The Mad Scientist’s Daughter, which is an adult book, does take place when the main character is a teenager, but the voice I used is a completely different sort than what I would have employed had I been writing a YA novel about the same character and situations. In adult fiction, I feel like the narrator is always speaking from a place of adulthood (again, even if she isn’t an adult), whereas in YA, a narrator speaks from a place of teenagehood.  It’s a difficult concept pin down, though, and it’s not something I’m necessarily consciously thinking about when I write.

A recent study showed that most people who buy YA books aren't 12-17 and most of those buy it for themselves.  Do find this surprising?  Is it a good thing?  And why?

I don’t find it surprising at all, since I know so many adults who read YA. Plus, think back on some of the big literary hits of the last few years: Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games were all YA. It wasn’t just kids or teenagers turning those books into bestsellers. And even Fifty Shades of Grey evolved out of Twilight, so although it’s far from being a YA novel itself, that connection is still there.  I don’t really see it as good or bad, although I do think it’s interesting and wonder about the reasons behind it. I’ve heard a theory that adult fiction tends to be too dreary and dismal, working as it often does on the flawed assumption that a downer ending makes a work more worthwhile, whereas YA typically has happier endings.  There may be something to that, there may not be. I couldn’t say! (I actually like both sorts of ending myself).

Any last words?

Thanks for having me on your blog! I hope your readers enjoy The Assassin’s Curse!

What does 'Romance' mean to you?

I'm finding it hard to understand what people usually mean by the word 'Romance' when it comes to books.  To me it conjures images of two or more people falling in love and lots of feel good romantic feelings with a large side of mushiness thrown in.  Stuff that'd make you go "d'awww, that is so cute/romantic/etc!" when you read it.  I can't tell if it's my view on Romance that's skewed, or if it's societies in general.

Looking at the top ten Romance books on Lulu I see three that are BDSM related (one is even a collection of real life stories that have been fictionalised) and a fourth has a warning that it contains adult material.  Throw in Fifty Shade to the mix and I'm left wondering what the hell 'Romance' actually means to people these days?

As far as I can tell, it's just erotica that's been labelled as romance so that it's acceptable to read in public.  Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms about people reading what they want and I won't ever say 'oh, you shouldn't be reading that in public' as I'm not like that, but would 50 Shades have done so well if it wasn't in mainstream shops and was labelled as erotica and not romance?

It seems like people are expecting romance to include erotic sex scenes or something along those lines, whereas I don't think that romance has to have any kind of sex at all.  I'd rather read a book that explored the relationship and the feelings and didn't have any sex that one that just had sex, no matter how well written that sex is.

Is it me that's wrong?  Is it everyone else?  Are we all wrong about everything to do with romance and relationships?  It's not like I have anything against BDSM or erotica, because I don't.  And I can see how BDSM can be romantic, but I'm not sure I agree with putting the two in the same category as romance.

I know I don't get many views, but I really would appreciate comments or thoughts on this.  I'm thinking of recategorising my book so all input on this would be great.

It's out now!

That's right, the print version of my book is now on sale!  I only just noticed an error in it so those that have already bought a signed copy will see it but I have since corrected and all new copies will be error free!  The url to get the book is this:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/rachel-james/salisbury/paperback/product-20314800.html

I'll update the book page with that later.

I am working on the ebook version which is taking a bit longer than I had hoped due to some formatting issues, but it will be up as soon as possible.  Thank you for you're patience if you're waiting for that.  I really did hope to have it up at the same time as the print version, or at least close enough.

I look forward to hearing what you think of it.  I'll be adding comments to the book page as the come in.  I just hope you like it.

News concerning signed books

Due to the response I've had about signed copies, it seems that there are people who still want a signed copy but don't have the money right now.  This is something I perfectly understand on account of being broke most of the time myself.  I have said that I will always be happy to sign books if you can find me in person, but I know it's not really practical to find me or easy as I'm not in Salisbury much these days.

Because of this I have decided to offer signed copies as an incentive for donating to my blog.  Simply donate £10 or more and I will send you a signed copy!  It's just that simple.  Unfortunately I don't keep a stock of my book so you won't get it straight away as I'll have to make an order for the books myself so I can sign them and send them on.  These orders will be made on Mondays, so it really depends on when you order as to how long it'll take to get the book.

I do use my email address for paypal transactions, so if you want to email me an inscription or request, just check you paypal receipt and it should be on there.  Alternatively, leave a comment on my blog and I'll make a note of it.

Oh, and here's a donation button:

It's the same as the button on the side menu so clicking on either will work.

My book

So, I've just made the order for those who have bought signed copies. These will be delivered to me, I'll sign them, and then I'll send them on. I'll tweet and update here when I have the books in my hands, and I'll also tweet when I send them out too. I don't know how long it'll take for them to arrive, but it shouldn't be too long, I hope! For all my bitching and whining about it, I really am touched that people want it. One of the things about depression is that it makes everything bleak and pointless. Instead of focusing on the fact that people have bought copies it made me focus on the negative. Every single sale does matter to me and I really do appreciate every single one. I'm putting a lot of effort into doing these signing and I'm saying this not because I want the attention or anything like but because I want you to understand how much you, the reader, mean to me. As for my next book, that's already written. I'll spending a lot of time going through that and making sure it's as good as I can get it. I'll probably put up a teaser at some point, which will probably be the first chapter. I'm really pleased with it though. During the rest of the year, I have a secret project codenamed 'Project Gin and Tonic' that I'll start working on. Not only that but in November I'll start working on a brand new novel. Anyone who wants to know what it's like for me to write a novel will find November particularly interesting as I'll be tweeting and blogging about the highs and lows. It'll also be a good chance to meet me and get a book signed if you didn't buy a signed copy. I like to hang out in Starbucks while I write and there's only one Starbucks where I live. Just watch my twitter account @racheljwrites to see if I'll be in or not.

First Post!

So this is the first post on my new blog dedicated to just my writing.  This is where you'll find everything you need to know about me, what I'm up to with my writing, and how to get a hold of my books.  There will also be sample chapters and sneak peeks at what I'm working on.  If there's any exciting news then it will appear here first and on my twitter account:

https://twitter.com/RachelJWrites

Feel free to leave a comment, ask questions, tweet me, etc.  I'm fairly easy going and will happily get back to you as soon as I can.  I do live in the UK so you might have to wait until I'm awake, but I will try to get back as quickly as I can.

Watch this space!