Wonderful News!

In case you haven’t heard: Stuart Neville, AKA Conduit, has a two-book deal with Harvill Secker, an imprint of Random House. His first novel, The Ghosts of Belfast, will be published in the UK towards the end of next year.

You can read all about it at his blog.

UPDATED: And... the Japanese rights have sold to Random House Kodansha.

Fantastic!

A Quiet Place

I feel slightly ridiculous and a little bit embarrassed. But. It was only after announcing my temporary retirement that I found I needed a change, not a rest.

Yes, I now have a tumblelog (or tlog), A Quiet Place. It is quite different and more personal than this blog -- and you are welcome to visit!

After spending some time at my new blog (or tlog), I imagine I will move back and forth between A Quiet Place and Overnight at Thistletonthwaite Castle.

(It’s the Gypsy blood; I can’t stay in one place! ;) )

This Is Not Goodbye

I have a tendency to over-extend myself because there is so much I want to do. If only there was a microchip implant that meant one could read a book, write a letter, watch a film, and take a relaxing walk along a river, all at the same time!

Unfortunately, there isn’t -- and time constraints rule.

I’ve had to re-evaluate my use of the 24-hour restriction placed on each and every day. I have to prioritise my time, and it’s tough when some of the fun stuff has to slip away. Yes, this is a longwinded way of telling you that I'm temporarily retiring from blogging. And I will miss it ... greatly.

But this phase won’t last forever. And I will still be around, and can’t imagine I would ever stop reading my favourite blogs (and several more besides). Especially as I now have an iPhone 3G, so the Internet is always with me! (Gosh, I love technology.) :)

À bientôt!

WALL-E

Charming and clever; one of the best films I’ve seen in my life!


On Wednesday evening I took my mum to see WALL-E. I thought she would enjoy it, but she adored it, and cried buckets and buckets of tears. When we left the cinema she was a wreck.

Despite her puffy red eyes and dripping nose, she insisted I stop at Tesco before taking her home. She never misses an opportunity to swoop in and buy two or three things she needs urgently, but had forgotten.

She headed straight for the toy aisle, where she spent 20 minutes cooing over WALL-E and EVE and M-O.

She bought a pint of milk and some fresh fruit salad. Then I drove her home.

My grandmother’s favourite film was E.T. And I now know that my mum’s favourite film is WALL-E.

Which leaves me wondering: what will mine be…?

Summer Madness

Crazy People


We have probably all encountered them. These are people who get the bit between their teeth so tightly that they swirl like a dervish spontaneously increasing their passion and speed. The crazy person gradually loses all sense of etiquette, as they wind themselves up to a frenzy.

The crazy person involves other people in situations that aren’t their business.

The crazy person’s vital weapon is the phone. They will ring and ring, but always avoid email. Perhaps it would slow them down.

Regardless of whatever it was that incited their craziness, this person is now crazy because you didn’t return their call within 2 seconds of receiving their message.

Any normal function you might perform -- such as sleeping at night, taking a shower, speaking to another human, going out to buy food -- is a lie. You weren’t doing any of those things, but insulting them by refusing to take their call.

Is there a crazy person in all of us, just waiting to get out?

If so, then the behaviour of 56-year-old Keith Walendowski, who shot his own lawnmower, seems the saner way to go... ;)

The Summit

I did it! Project complete, client happy (yippee!), and my apartment … a mess.

It’s been an intense couple of weeks, and it’s strange how time distorts when you’re working furiously towards a goal. It feels like I’ve been away from blogland much longer than 17 days.

And signing in to my Blogger account seems lovely and fresh.

And speaking of fresh: There are many pros and cons to working from home. But the number one advantage, a perk I never fail to appreciate, is putting a load of washing in the machine while also being at work. :)

Blog Break

This blog is on hiatus for two or three weeks.

I’m working on a design project that has turned tricky (naughty thing). There’s a mountain to climb. I don’t mind the challenge, but need lots of energy to reach the top. Once I’ve stuck a flag in the summit, I’ll be back...


In writing news: How I love submitting short stories! (Though I’ve sent out only two, thus far.) It’s so gloriously different than querying a novel. I’m hooked! :)

Novocaine

I had just recovered from my exhaustion/stress rash, and was feeling quite pucker as I dashed to a dental appointment yesterday afternoon. I tripped on the kerb, fell off my 3¾-inch heels and, in slow motion, collapsed towards the pavement. I managed to break the fall with my left hand, so avoided skinning my knees.

A kind stranger arrived at the scene in an instant. I assured him I was fine.

“As long as you’re all right,” he said.

“Yes, I think I’ve sprained my ankle,” I said, still crumpled on the pavement.

“That’s okay, then,” he smiled, before dashing back across the road.

Perhaps he’d hoped for a broken leg, a fractured skull, or maybe internal bleeding. ;)

I hobbled into the dental hygienist’s surgery then 'relaxed' in the chair. (I have a low tolerance for any form of dentistry, so much so that a humble clean and polish seems brutal.)

The hygienist asked if I’d tried the new PowerPolisher toothbrush heads she’d mentioned at my previous visit.

I must have been in shock from the fall, because I found this completely hilarious! Even when the goggles went on, with my mouth wide open and full of instruments, I couldn’t stop laughing at the dental dialogue.

Lying in the chair, my mind usually plays THAT scene from Marathon Man, but yesterday it was the black comedy Novocaine, with Steve Martin as the dentist. Then, suddenly, I was Jim Carrey as the patient... But which film is that?!

And it’s ironic that I should take such a tumble when my party-piece is stunt falls. Heart attack, bludgeoned from behind, gunshot impact... I do a convincing fall, without hurting myself at all!

Traditional Sherry Trifle

The most irresistible desert.


Barrie Summy put out a call for 4th of July side dishes. Visit her blog for a great 'ice cream in a bag' recipe and links to other recipes for delicious side dishes, salads and deserts.

We don’t celebrate the 4th of July in the UK (obviously) -- but is that any reason not to make a great big sherry trifle? Of course not!

Sherry trifle is quick to make and easily modified to suit different tastes. If you don’t like jelly, for example, just leave it out! If you prefer to use fresh fruit instead of tinned, please do, and decorate the top with raspberries, strawberries, or anything else you like...
 

Ingredients

 1 packet of trifle sponges
 1 pint (20 fl oz) milk, 2 oz custard powder, 2 oz caster sugar, or 1 pint ready-made custard
 1 packet of jelly
 1 tin of mixed fruit
 Medium sherry or port or brandy
 1 pint (20 fl oz) whipping cream (Or more if you prefer!)
 2 oz toasted, flaked almonds
 2 oz glace cherries, fresh fruit, or any other edible cake decoration


Method

1. Place trifle sponges into a 3½-pint glass serving bowl, or individual bowls or glasses.

2. Soak with the sherry, port or brandy. (If preferred this can be omitted.)

3. Make the jelly using any liquid from the fruit to top it up to make a pint.

4. Pour over the cake and leave to set.

5. If making your own custard form a paste with the custard powder, sugar and a little of the milk. Add to the rest of the milk and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave until cold. Stir every so often to prevent a skin forming.

6. When cold, pour the custard on top of the other ingredients.

7. Whip the cream and spoon carefully over the trifle.

8. Decorate, chill, and serve. 

9. Eat. :)

The Weather...

A very British subject about which to blog.


The month of June was like March or November -- until today. Thank heavens! This afternoon we’ve had sunshine, a slight breeze, and no rain.

I don’t suffer from seasonal affective disorder, but was starting to think the lack of summer was making me SAD. I need summer. Not only because the days are longer, people are happier, the countryside is gorgeous, and it’s nice to wear sandals and sunglasses … but also because it inspires me.

My novels are set in summer. And though I could turn up the heating and dress for the beach, it’s impossible to fake the smell: sunshine on moist soil, sprinkled with freshly cut grass.

However -- and perhaps because of the terrible weather -- I have written my first autumn/winter short story. And submitted it, today! In fact, this is my first short story submission. Appalling, I know. (I might be the world’s worst writer when it comes to sending out stories.)

More Words, Less Pictures

I’ve felt frustrated these last few weeks because I haven’t had time for writing: Ahhhhh! But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about writing -- which probably made the lack of production even more frustrating.

I knew the balance had been tipped when, two days ago, my face broke out in a rash. This is my exhaustion/stress rash. It is not very pretty, and not how you want to appear when meeting your Mercedes driving neighbour for the very first time. It’s bad enough that my Toyota is parked next to his gorgeously sparkling, top-of-the-range-oozing, sporty vehicle. What does this have to do with writing? Nothing at all. (Well, perhaps there’s a story in there somewhere…)

But, the silver lining of this enforced hiatus is that I’ve stepped back -- and come up with a new title for my YA novel, on which I’ll be resuming submissions, next week. And that title is... Hybrids Taste Delicious. I love it, and can now see how off-track I was with the previous title, which did little to reflect the mood of the story.

Speaking of titles, Conduit, AKA Stuart Neville, has what is possibly the best book trailer, ever, for his well-titled thriller, The Ghosts of Belfast. It can be viewed on his website. Enjoy!

Thirty hours in Edinburgh...

Is not quite enough to appreciate this fabulous city.

Despite high winds and changeable skies, I fell in love with the place -- and am not at all disappointed to have to return next week. :)

Thanks to Travis’s comment on the previous post, I remembered to take my camera. Once I start snapping, it’s impossible to stop; I took 222 pictures. I’ve narrowed things down to what looks like a good cross-section, but -- this remains a very long post!


Hilly terrain and no urban sprawl,
means open views from the city centre



The Glasshouse Hotel:
a wonderful mix of old and new



Public art



Magnificent buildings



St. Andrew Square


Statues and monuments everywhere




A pub



One café...



And another



Sean Connery walked past me, twice, on Shandwick Place. His right arm was in a sling. I smiled, and he smiled back.

I regret not taking his photograph!

~~~~~~

EDITED: There were originally twenty photos to this post. Which was a few too many, so I’ve cut it down to ten.