Likes and dislikes…of the food sort

 I was sorting out the fridge. Seeing what was near its sell by date, and yes, what was past it. My other half has a cast iron stomach, and a propensity to decide the day after I’ve thrown something out, to ask where it is and say he was going to eat it, to which my reply was and is, “It was off and now it’s gone.” (I must add I do know about sell by, use by, and my own version of advice which is sniff, and maybe nibble.)

I’ve resorted to a list sometimes, where I’ve put the date of things I know must be used up. Stuff you can’t freeze, fancy and then forget about, to find it lurking in the back of the fridge and looking a bit fluffy, or the wrong colour, 

However, that isn’t really what this blog is all about. It’s more of food people love, hate, or ignore. Not food they are allergic to, that’s for another day.

 For instance, any cheese in our fridge I ignore. I dislike cheese. So it could be so out of date as to virtually walk out of the fridge by itself. I wouldn’t know. I don’t like the taste of cheese, though I have tried over the years. Different cheeses, ages…no no thank you. As for cooking cheese?  Pass me something to block my nose!

The rest of the family think it’s weird, but then, they each have something they don’t like. Thankfully not detest!

And we all like treats.

It makes me wonder a bit. I mean my parents had cheese whenever they could. In a sandwich or on toast. Me? I’d go for bread and jam or toast, and sit as far away from the cheese as I could. So why do I detest it? I have no idea.

I did a bit of an ask around over food tastes and the things people came back with as dislikes, were varied. From cheese, pears, and salt and vinegar crisps, to cabbage, cucumber, and sweetcorn. The list is varied. 

It helps to make some interesting attributes to give to characters in a story. I must find about food loves next.

How about a salt and vinegar hating, pear loving hero?

Happy reading everyone,

Love Raven xxx

Should it stay or should it go?

 What you wonder? (Or if anyone reads this I hope you wonder.)

This blog.

The thing I agonise over every week, and have worried thoughts about.

As in, is it all a load of drivel? Does anyone who glances at it sigh and pass by. You know that sort of thing. Wish they’d gone fishing so to speak?

When I first stared to write, both books and the blog, I spent almost every waking minute, doing things connected with creating my stories. Writing, researching, editing, hosting on the blog or writing on it myself. I had lots of ideas and loads of time.

These days it’s not so easy. That’s not an excuse, it’s a fact. A rather unpalatable truth, but something I’ve had to face up to.

For a start, circumstances have changed. The lovely husband retired, so all those hours alone aren’t there any more. We do things together. (no sniggering please) We’ve moved house—oh those boxes to empty and find somewhere for the contents to live. Not easy when you downsize. 

Had some lovely holidays, 

Explored new places, and old.

Instead of my old routine of up, coffee write. Coffee lunch write. Quick tidy round and dinner, etcetera, it’s much less solitary and I would say both leisurely and chaotic depending on the ‘to do’ list.

And sadly I’m writing less. A lot less. Oh the ideas are still there but that fire and drive seems to have died a bit. Okay a lot.

Some of it is because of what I want to write and how. I’ve changed my style I guess. When I fist stared to write the stories were hotter, more sexy. Now I’m more into softer, rom-com sort of things. And my two major publishers don’t want that. So I think that took some of the urgency out of writing anything new. I’m playing around with ideas more.

Luckily for me, Bastet’s Quill Publishing are interested in some of my stories, so my name will still be around, and some new stuff getting out there, but no way as it was a few years ago.

I’m also lucky that some of my RavDor Chicks friends and co-members read and offer suggestions. Thank you, you know who you are! 

I’ve thought about this  ‘new era’ a lot. I could so something about it. Get up at silly o clock every day like I used to, and write before anyone else is up, but as I’ve become older, I’m more likely to wake up and read the paper or a book over that early morning coffee. The writing brain needs time to get going. 

Typically when it’s in gear, there’s something else that needs doing. Hey ho, that is, I’ve accepted, life.

I’ve also accepted that this new writing me, works in a different way, at a different pace. I still love writing Regency stories, just not hot ones. I have fun creating my places and people both for Regency times and today. I still love researching, plotting or winging it…but…The urgency isn’t there.

The ideas for my blog are hard to come by.

Sometimes I wish it was as it had been. But it isn’t and you can’t go back, only forward.

So I’ve accepted my writing is just as important as ever, but has to take its place in my everyday life as it is now.

And my blog? Well I’ve accepted the old five to seven blogs a week are gone for ever. As it seems are the hundred of readers they used to get.

But I’ve faced the fact that the one blog every week when possible is not that visible, and the things I blog—okay, ramble on—about are probably yawn making to a lot of people.

But I do agonise over them, try my best to think of something someone might read, even enjoy.

Do I succeed? 

No idea.

Do I carry on?

No idea.

What do you think?

Hope you all (if anyone’s got this far), have a great day.

Happy reading,

Love Raven xxx

Every photo...

 Can bring back memories...

plus sites—and sights, scents, sensations, scenarios and sweet memories.

Or bad ones but I'd rather concentrate on the positive.

And think...

(source: pinterest)

What bought this about?

The lovely husband was tidying his desk and found an old hard drive. which was full of photos from anything up to twenty or so years ago.

And every photo brought back memories. Of fabulous holidays, and experiences like street food in Singapore. The Night Market in Hong Kong, watching a shoal of fish turn a placid english river into something like a whirlpool. 

Street signs, a junk in Hong Kong Harbour, Tring a zip line (Never again)  And as I looked through the photos I could imagine what it was like.

I remembered food, parks, animals and birds. The sheer joy of discovering somewhere new. Even now I'm thinking how lucky I was to go to somewhere different and fascinating.

The picture of me holding one of my earliest paperbacks, gave me the sensation of the smell of a new book. 

Looking at a photo of a cake and I couldn't remember who made it and why. That was (and still is) frustrating.

Then there's times I had to go back to where I thought of something, because I'd forgotten what it is I wanted to do after seeing something in a photo. (Or even just thought of something and forgotten it before I got to where it was.)

Some photos I'm sure I've got a dozen of, taken at different times of the day, and different years. But each one evokes a different memory.

Walking on the sands in Barbados, going again at sunset to see the 'green flash' as the sun disappears. 

Remembering the sound of the waves, the fish market and the live music.

 
Heading to Devon and watching the fishermen go net fishing, 

Going across the river on the ferry and using the area in my Devon Trilogy. (Written as Katy Lilley)

So of course I then got out the box of snapshots.

Old Photos of my family, from Grandparents, to the present day. Imagining I could smell my late mum's favourite perfume. Remembering how she'd go to the hairdressers and the same day, a few hours later, go swimming. 

Looking at wedding photos and feeling the silk petals of a corsage, how my feet hurt and I kicked my shoes off as soon as I could.

(No I'm not showing that photo)

Rain on the patio, with the Christmas lights twinkling  and the scent of fresh earth once the rain stops

I could go on and on, but I won't. Because The rain has just stopped, the earth and the lawn have that gorgeous 'just soaked' scent, it's time to go for a walk.

Happy reminiscing,

Love Raven xxx

Those first few words

 This last week I've been plotting in my head, and making some notes about a story that's been in my mind for a while now, but I've not got any of it down 'on paper'.

Or anywhere else

But I've read a lot of books and drunk a lot of coffee.

If I'm honest I've been struggling to get anything written. Lots of starts, no substance. (And not been that eager to make myself sit down and get on with it.)

However, this story I'm determined to write and finish. I like the idea I've created.

That's easier said than done. I've played around with the first chapter umpteen times and been dissatisfied with it. The delete button has almost worn out. 

I'm lucky that a good online friend is always happy to read and give me some advice. I'd written the first couple of thousand words—again—and asked her if she'd help.

Bless her, she said yes, read it and gave me some great advice. She'd picked up the bits I wasn't happy with, and a bit more that didn't work and suggested some ideas for me.

It's given me some good things to ponder. 

Helped me realise I do want this story to work, and that one of the things I'd missed was getting into the head of my character(s). They played a little role in an earlier book—Second Chances for Lottie Botte—. She's what we in the North East and Scotland would call a 'nippy sweetie'. 

As I read those few words over again, I saw I'd not shown that at all.

So, it's second chances for my new story. And maybe third and fourth. Until I get her character right, and a hook, that grabs the reader and keeps them wanting more!

Wish me luck.

Happy reading,

love, Raven xxx

The dilemma of what to take on holiday to write with

 Of course there’s an obvious answer…paper and pen! Except I couldn’t then be bothered to type it all up when I got home. (I know me!)

Which when you consider I love notebooks, is weird, maybe? But my notebooks have bits of stories in. Prompts and bullet points. Which as my handwriting is getting worse, (arthritis is a pain in more ways than one) have to be brief. So the thought of putting a whole book down in one of them is a big no no.

It has to be laptop or tablet. 

Usually, any holiday sees me with a tote bag over one shoulder, my carry on and a big suitcase. Cables, notebooks and of course, e-reader, laptop and tablet. Which is a pain at security as I have to haul them out.

I decided I needed to try leaving the laptop at home and writing on my tablet. I’ve got one with the ability to write all I want, so. I decided to give it a go.

The dilemma was should I take a keyboard or not?

The first break I left home, feeling I’d forgotten something.

Ah, ha, my laptop. Safely tucked away.

I can manage I thought, after all I had my keyboard, so wrote I could.

Except I didn’t.

It was a faff to sort the keyboard out every time I wanted to use it, and remember to switch it off when I’d finished. So half the time I didn’t bother. And writing on my tablet with a different keyboard to my laptop was (and is) frustrating. I keep hitting the wrong keys and getting silly words. Which if I don’t see immediately, I then have to try and fathom out. Yes, silly things I know but it all added up to very little writing getting done. And as often on holiday I would usually get up early to write, I found that just didn’t happen.

So recently when we had a couple of weeks in the Lanzarote, I swithered. Laptop or not?

It was only a couple of weeks. I could use my tablet, surely? And not take the keyboard.

So that’s what I did.

I sat near a palm tree. Got out my tablet…

Oh dear, too sunny. Better try later.

Oh what a lovely sunset. Can’t see properly to write.

Indoors and oh, there’s a puzzle I want to do.

The writing just didn’t get much of a look in. Which is my fault, no one else’s. But it is frustrating not to be able just to open laptop, open the doc and get stuck in.

So, I might just have to accept I’m going to have to unload half a tote bag at security, or not get much writing done, if we go away anytime soon.

It shouldn’t be such a big thing. I didn’t think it would be, but…

And now, after a lot of puzzling, I think, just think I might have a sort of a solution.

I was watching a video on my tablet the other day and I had a sort of a brainwave. Why not write landscape and have bigger keys? Okay, the area of type I can see is miniscule and I can’t actually see the last thing I wrote without scrolling. But I had a go! 

.

So the next holiday, it will be notebooks for notes with a big memo from me…

Turn the tablet sideways!

Happy reading,

Love Raven xxx

Ps to prove I could do it, I decided to write this on my tablet, and for the life of me I have no idea why the size of type keeps changing and I can’t sort it, it just glares at me every time I try. Sorry

, 

There’s w h a t in the search history? (Oops, sorry. This was last week’s blog. Guess who forgot to publish it?)

Every so often—although probably not often enough—think it’s time to clear my search history. 

It’s an eye opener.

How many times do I go to the same site for the same thing? Too many to mention.

Source: Pinterest 

But sometimes you just have to. It’s too much to scroll back for however long to try and find one specific search.

So I had a brainwave. Well a thought anyway.

I took photos of whatever I’d looked for.

Now all I have to do is scroll through umpteen photos

 Or just search…

After all it is so much easier just to type, ‘Regency silver’, or ‘what’s the name of the racecourses in Hong Kong and when did they open?’ than trying to find a photo.

Of course, I did, (eventually) think, “aha, a document. Or ten. Or thirty. Or…

But that would then mean I would need to remember what I had called the doc. And let’s be honest here, there’s no guarantee I would remember. I know what I am like.

Source: Pinterest 

So the search engine it is.

Which is a bit quicker than the encyclopaedia, or working out when the local library is open.

That’s it. Now when did those racecourses open?

Happy reading, Love, Raven xxx

Can't think what to call this ...

 Because I know it will be a bit of a hotch potch.

No, not hop scotch, 

(source: pinterest)

hotch potch.

(and that I can not find a picture for.)

This and that. With a bit of the other added in.

To that,

I can now thankfully say I am just about lurgy free.

(source: pinterest)

Very few sneezes and I feel, well if not 100% a good 90+

And, I have some energy.

It's a pity it's too icy to venture out. However, hearing and seeing the geese flying over in their various skeins, is fabulous and I never tire of seeing them. There's always one who refuses to conform. Does his own thing and then flaps—and honks—madly, as he (or she) tries to rejoin the rest.

(source: pinterest)

Luckily we did manage a couple of walks by the coast this week. Absolutely freezing, but gorgeous. It really made me appreciate how lucky we are. To live near the sea and to be able to visit it in all seasons, and weather. We've even been walking on the beach and had snow! Sorry, no I didn't take a picture, I was more concerned in dodging the tide and getting back to the car before I was totally soaked.

That's just the beach on a cold clear, day.

The upshot of all this is I'm now ready to get stuck into a new story. I just have to make my mind up on what.

But before I went round and round in circles, trying to decide and getting nowhere fast, I had some fantastic news.

One of my very early books, which has been out of print for years, is to be revamped. Revised, rewritten and brought up to date. Then published.

To say I'm excited is an understatement. I love the premise of the story but it definitely needs something doing to it.

Luckily, the lovely Deadra of Bastet's Quill Publishing agrees and is happy to help me to do everything we both think is needed to make it shine. In fact, it's all down to her and her insight that it's going to be possible.

I know I'm going to have a busy few months, but I'm really looking forward to it. And then hopefully, at the end, we'll have a m/m, mystical and very sexy book for you all to enjoy. Watch this space.

Apart from that I've a good few ideas to think about. I just need to concentrate on one and not keep rereading the lot!

Wish me luck.

Meanwhile, I'm having a whale of a time, playing catch up with an old series, because I've got an idea for another story in mind. Another book in the Devon trilogy.

Will it work?

Now, that I'm not sure about. but I bet I can have fun trying to find out.

On another tack, it's six years since the late, great, and fabulous author, my bestie, Doris O'Connor passed. Even now I talk to her in my mind and hear her advice. Usually it's along the lines of, 'stop waffling, woman and get on with it'.

So the only answer, is yes, I promise.

Doris I miss you,

love Raven xxx