Wednesday 6 November 2024

A shout out to Author Rachel Lake

 Why? Because she is not only a great author, but a very supportive friend. 

Sadly not one I’ve not been fortunate enough to meet face to face, but one day…fingers crossed.

When I’ve needed advice Rachel is one of the people I turn to and trust. 

She is a fabulous and prolific writer. I mean that in a good way. Her books are not repetitive or churned out. They are researched, and well thought out. I decided that before we even got a chance to ‘converse’. I love all her books under her various pen names. Darcey Boleyn, Cathy Lake, Rachel Griffiths, and Megan Attley.



Please check her books out. I have too many favourites to pick one. (and I don’t want to upset the rest 😉)

Ok, I really love the Rachel Griffiths Sunflower Street series.

And, I can share some covers.













There's lots more so why not pop over to Amazon and check them out?

Plus there's her website of course, which is

 https://rachelgriffithsauthor.com 

Yes okay this is a blog post about one of my favourite authors. There will be more in this thread.

(the midweek shout out)

Happy reading,

love Raven xxx

Sunday 3 November 2024

To cardi or not to cardi

 Frumpy or fashionable?

No not me, though which I am is debatable. 

I'm talking about the old favourite—or most hated garment—the cardigan.

Affectionately known as a cardi, or a woolly. 


Which are around in a variety lengths, materials and heat level, and for all ages.



As a child, I hated those home made ones. Knitted by my mum, aunty or grandmother. in the most scratchy wool known to man or beast. Usually three sizes too big 'so you can grow into it'.


Now though?

I'm a cardi convert. What's nicer, on a cold evening to wrap a big chunky cardigan around you?

Or to put a thin cotton one in your bag, just in cse you might need it later.

They don't need to be scratchy, or three sizes too big anymore. They can be as big—or small—as I fancy. And of course in a variety of weights and colours, and go with anthing be it jeans or a posh frock. (Until recently I had a photo of a very elegant evening cardi I have. Which of course I've lent to a friend. I can't find the photo or take another picture. Just imagine thin, black, 3/4 sleeves and with bugle beads around the bottom!)

I hate having to get rid of one. Even if it does have a hole under the arm, only four out of seven buttons andis misshapen. It does for warmth not elegance when I'm in the house or picking veg from the garden.

It's good to think, 'ah new cardigan time',and panic when no shop seems to have any in!

Then, phew. Winter stock and some are thin!

I've restocked!

Have a great week, 

and remember I have a mid-week shout out on Wednesday

love Raven xxx

Pics courtesy of pinterest

Sunday 13 October 2024

Better later than...?

Never...

Or is it?

I say that because today went pear shaped very quickly.

Not in a really bad way but in a series of oh blooming 'eck' sort of things.

For instance.

I put the washing in the machine...

turned it on...walked away. 

Time to make a coffee, pick some carrots for dinner, drink coffee, tidy up, and once the washing was finished and drying, start to write a blog.

 


About, of all things, trying to juggle time to sit down and finish the latest WIP, in between doctors, dentists, shopping, not ignoring my other half etc, etc.

I noticed my laptop needed charging, took it into the study so it could get a bit of boost while I sorted the washing and drank my coffee. Then I'd be set up.

Meanwhile the vacuum cleaner got stuck under the sofa.

I helped (as in gave probably not very useful advice to my other half) to get it moved.

The washing machine beeped it had finished the wash. I went to get the washing out and...

ARGH

I noticed the dosing ball was sitting on the work surface. 

Full.

I could imagine it laughing and saying...


That load of washing sure got wet. I did it again.

Went to get my laptop so I could write a blog and get stuck into my almost finished wIP.

Only to find I hadn't plugged the blasted thing in.

I plugged it in!

As it was on around 10% charge and the study not tne warmest place, I gave in and went to get the veg ready.

Ah...

Those lovely potatoes from the garden we'd been using?

All gone.

Took a very deep breath and cussed under my breath.

We went to the nearest supermarket seven or eight miles away. At least it wasn't closed.

Got the potatoes!

Gave in and went for an alcohol-free spritzer.

Came home, and here we are.

So the blog I was going to do, is now on hold for another time.

Watch this space,

Hope your day was better,

happy reading,

love Raven xxx

NB all illustrations courtesy of Pinterest


Sunday 6 October 2024

This blog is brought to you by:-

the sound of me tearing my hair out as I reread my two Christmas stories, and find stupid typos and contradictions.


(source: pinterest)

Hopefully normal service will be resumed next week.

Why do I think that?

Because by then they will have been checked, corrected as best I can, and sent to my editor to groan over.

Until then, very sorry, all I can think of is brids not birds vice not voice and a very rude word instead of cant.

Let's hope your reading is more understandable,


love, Raven xxx



Sunday 29 September 2024

Is that it?

 Okay, that's a bit of an ambiguous title, I admit it. But it's how I feel this week.


(source: pinterest)

Or, I should say, how I felt.

I'd only got 5k left to write on my WIP. 3 now but I have worked out the ending so that's for the next couple of days.

Then I realised I was doing the dreaded what next, urgh...stuff.

Which on reflection was a bit daft. (okay, a lot daft) I had a book to finish.

But I still had a niggle of 'when what?' 

Trying to get a clear head and buck up,  I decided to tidy up my iPad and delete stuff that was no longer needed. So filled with zeal I opened pages.

I discovered over 30k of a medical I'd started, subbed and had it rejected so fast, I doubt they'd looked further than my name and said 'nah', she doesn't write medical stories.

Which was true in the fact that I hadn't before but...

Anyway, I started to read it.Half an hour later, I remembered what I was supposed to be doing, so put it to one side.

But you know? I'm going to finish it after this Christmas story is done and dusted. Even if it doesn't get subbed, I will have the satisfaction of writing 'the end'.

Plus, as I prepared the paperback for New Beginnings of Bryony Bennett (out 10th October, New PB cover, will show it as soon as I can) I got the idea for another story set in the same area, featuring one of the minor character who was in a couple of the books set there.

Maybe I need to call them a series?

Watch this space

Happy Reading,

love Raven xxx


Sunday 22 September 2024

There'a an awful lot of de-ing going on.

 To say nothing of de-ly, de-and, de-so, and of course,the dreaded de-ing.

It's that time again.


The time where I'll probably shorten this story by about 1K,

By being ruthless and taking out all those useful while you're writing your first draft words, but totally unnecessary in the finished book.

Those darn words ending in 'ing' or 'ly'. Plus, those other words we use, often without thinking. Such as, and, so, and when.

When I do my read though I'll probably find a lot more. 

Some are necessary. Needed to make the sentence flow. Those I keep.

However, others are not. I know it, the reader knows it, and they can be a big turn off.

Therefore I'm turning them off before they turn any readers off. 

Argh.

Procrastination central.


(source: pinterest)

I couldn't find my 'arghhh' pic so this is as good as...

I know it needs doing. The book needs fine tuning, actually, so do I. Or is it a kick up the you know what I need. Metaphorically speaking.
My muse has been awol, and to my shame I've let it be.
But now it's time to shake it up. 
 
Tell it to behave. Get ride of those lazy words, find alternatives or rearrange the sentence.
I know the book will be better for it. Those darned words are often used to bulk the wordage.

Naughty.

Let's just hope it now meets the required number of words.
Happy reading—
Without too many ings lys, so and when and whatver my favoured word of the story is.

Love, Raven xxx


Sunday 15 September 2024

This week I bit the bullet...

...and managed (I think) to do a few things I've either not achieved since my knee op or been too scared to try.

Yes, I am a wuss. But I'd decided to make sure I felt confident before I tried something and failed.

That might sound negative but it isn't. 

I was also conscious that I needed to be certain I wouldn't make things—i.e. the recovery of my knee any worse.

I felt I needed to think about the pros and cons—but not too much or I'd never do anything. 

(source: freepik on pinterest)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting I should do the hokey cokey or any similar thing. Try to do the in-out bit or the knees bend. Although bending my knees is on my lists of exercises and I do them—albeit not with the hokey cokey actions. Maybe I should?

Nor do I intend to try to climb the stairs backward—that was definitely not on my to try list.

What was were things I'd have taken for granted pre dodgy knee, and found harder to do once the darned thing gave me gip. (Standing on one leg, walking in a straight line one foot almost touching the other etc, etc.)

The hospital gave me a great list of exercises, and I can now do them all. Some a lot easier than others. It also advised about when to try things, and gave reasons why. 

Therefore this week I have been trying the three month stuff and with great pleasure can say unless I know I'll be walking a lot, or uphill I don't need my crutch or a stick any more. It does come handy for the up and downhill stuff though and i'm not too proud to think, 'ah, better take one today'.

I can walk downstairs one step after another. I honestly didn't think how difficult that would be and how, the first time I followed with my dodgy leg not on the step I'd put my good leg on but the one below, how bleeping sore it would be. But now as long as it's not a giant step I can do that. It might not be a fast journey but I can do it.

(source: pinterest)

I say so long as it's not a giant step because the other week we had a few days in a fisherman's cottage in Norfolk (UK) The stairs were so steep, it wasn't easy to go up and down one step at a time, let along one after another. I accepted defeat gracefully.

I don't need the painkillers very often, but accept if I do need them, to take them and not hum and hah until the pain is so bad I've lost an hour or two where I could have done something I wanted to do. I use my cool pack as often as recommended (ok maybe not quite that often now) and boy does it help the swelling, and take those ten minute to chill. (In more ways than one.)

And perhaps something that matters more in some ways—less in others—I've got back on a roll with writing. A slow roll, true, but the enthusiasm is back, I hope the ability is as well, and I've got a new ohh maybe a story about *** could work list.

I call this week a win win.

Long may it last.

Now, I do realise this post is a 'ohh it's all about me', post and feel free to ignore it, I won't mind. (Not too much anyway.) However, I really wanted to share a bit about where I was. Because it's amazing what the body is capable of. I'm celebrating and I wan't to share my happiness. Form a computer navigated op under an epidural to today. From the weird sense of not being able to move or feel sensation in my legs, but in my feet, as the epidural wore off, to getting out of bed unaided, getting on and off the loo, also unaided, to climbing the stairs and so on, my words of wisdom (?) are slowly but surely, you can do it. I did, and when I saw the list of what to do when, I was eh? Not a chance. But there was, there is and here we are.

Happy reading,

love, Raven xxx