Napping Blogger Award (and a little fan love)

So, Angie Richmond of Write Me Happy nominated me for this little meme/award. The rules?

1) Link back to the person/blog that nominated you
2) Tell us what you do to make time you YOU. That might be a hobby, a musical break, a favourite show or movie, sitting outside etc.
3) Nominated 5 bloggers - especially those you think could use a break.

So, what do I do to make time for me? Away from writing? Honestly I've spent so long procrastinating from various projects that the list is as long as my arm - gaming, seeing friends, watching an unhealthy amount of TV. But through it all, one thing stands out as something that helps me to just relax, switch off, and simply be.

Those of you who know me best will know I've had a tough year. My main escape from this has been a greater focus on guitar. I might be a writer of fiction but a songwriter I am not, so don't think I sit and compose glorious melodies and lyrics that would make the angels weep. No, I'm more about covers.

Those of you who know me best will also know I have a mild obsession with one singer-songwriter in particular, by the name of Josh Ritter, going so far as to have a line of his lyrics on one of my tattoos. His lyrics are, simply put, incredible. He's been compared to greats like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, and while other people may escape into a great book, I escape into Josh Ritter's songs of love and loss, of Americana and endless searching. He even released a novel last year, titled 'Bright's Passage', which is probably one of the best novels I've read in recent years. Over the past year I've learnt as many Josh Ritter songs as I can, specifically teaching myself to fingerpick.

I've embeded one of my favourite songs of his, the one I'm the most proud of being able to learn. When I'm playing and singing this, everything else just disappears. All I've been through this past year melts away, and for a few minutes I'm lost in the world he creates. This is one of many Josh Ritter songs I would recommend to people. I could spend hours interpreting and discussing his lyrics, as I have done with friends who are fans.

I realise I've rambled on for long enough - I guess that says it all. In short, when I want to relax and just make time for me, I pick up the guitar and I lose myself in whatever song comes to mind - oftentimes the first thing I play will be Josh Ritter. I hope, one day, to be able to write even a single line with the brilliance and genius of his. So many songwriters these days are unable to write lyrics the way they used to be written - lyrics that can be discussed and interpreted; songs which leave you breathless.

So, now to tag people - and apologies if you've already been tagged! As usual thanks for reading - sorry this was a long one.

Dreaming of Stories / @Afsaneh_Dreams

Catching Hummingbirds / @2CAHummingbird

Eilis Phillips / @EilisPhillips

Andrew Moore / @AGRMoore
Angela Goff / @Angela_Goff

'Be Inspired' Blog Hop

Hey folks,

Another meme, though this give me an opportunity to write a little about the current novel in progress. I was tagged by the lovely Angela Goff (@Angela_Goff on twitter). As usual thanks for reading, and even if I don't tag you please take part anyway!

First, the rules:

1. Answer the ten questions

2. Tag five other writers, link to them in your post so we can hop over and see their answers too.

The Questions:

1. What is the name of your book:

Lucian (working title, possibly being changed to 'The Shadows at Sunrise').

2. Where did the idea for your book come from?

First, in my undergraduate degree I took a module entirely on Yeats. One of my favourite aspects of this module was studying Yeats' fascination with the Occult, and the so-called Occult Renaissance that took place at the end of the 19th Century. Societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society were so sure that they were about to discover something special, some hidden knowledge that would explain our place in the universe. I began to wonder, what if they did? What if we were contacted by some otherworldly force? The world of Lucian was born. Of course, since then the moment of contact in Lucian's world has been driven back by a few hundred years, but the seed was still in the Occult Renaissance of our world.

Secondly, and rather more simply, A man sat down in front of me in my mind's eye. He was a man who had seen things, a man who life had not been kind to. As with most writers this came completely out of the blue, but suddenly I was there, we were sitting in a dark bar, and he spoke to me. He said 'What I am about to tell you is true; you can choose to believe me, or you can walk out that door.' He motioned to the heavy door of the pub, cigarette still in hand, and took a draw. 'I don't care either way,' he finished, and I was hooked.

3. In what genre would you classify your book?

Young Adult Urban Fantasy

4. If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition, who would you choose?  

I honestly have no idea. Unknowns would be good, simply because I don't want people looking at David, or Lucian, or any of my other characters and thinking 'oh hey, it's James Bond, and look there's the guy from Jumper'. Fresh faces are always good, so long as they can act. But why start thinking about this now? I have to finish the damn thing first.

5. Give us a one sentence synopsis of your book:

A teenage boy with the ability to see the dead is told that he is from a parallel Earth; taken there by the enigmatic Lucian, promised the truth about where he comes from, there are darker forces afoot that threaten not only Lucian's world, but all worlds.

6. Is your book already published/represented?

Not yet. I ran into some trouble with it, and it sat undisturbed for a while, but I believe I'm finally getting to a state where I can finish it. It's currently sitting at 66,000 words.

7. How long did it take to write your book?

Too long.

8. What other books within your genre would you compare it to? Or, readers of which books would enjoy yours? 

I'm honestly not sure. Readers of Garth Nix, Neil Gaiman, even J.K. Rowling. It's tough to say...it's dark at times, so I can only hope that readers of any upper band YA would likely enjoy it.

9. Which authors inspired you to write this book?

Obviously W.B. Yeats is responsible for the seed of the story itself. Otherwise, as above, writers like Neil Gaiman who are able to weave fantastically real fantasy worlds that skirt the edges of our society, or J.K. Rowling for her ability to carve a grandiose epic from a beginning so small.

10. Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book.

I find it so hard to boil down the story to a single sentence, something which I know I will have to work on for query letters and suchlike. As such, here is a longer synopsis.

'Can anyone really change their destiny?

Seventeen year old David Gardener has always been able to see the spirits of the dead, and those nameless things that lurk just beyond the veil. He never knew his family, so when the enigmatic Lucian Ducant tells him he is from a parallel world, he doesn't know what to believe.

Desperate to discover where he comes from, clinging to the promise of answers, he joins Lucian in a world of cobbled streets and clockwork, where history took an entirely different turn and magic is fact. But something is stirring beyond the veil, and Lucian is not being entirely truthful with David. What of the strange dreams he is having, of the trenches and the dying, and the wall of mist so thick that it blocks out the sun? A terrible destiny awaits David, one which threatens not only the fate of the world he comes to think of as home, but the fate of every person in every world.'

And now – to tag five other bloggers (apologies if you've already been tagged):

Dreaming of Stories / @Afsaneh_Dreams

Catching Hummingbirds / @2CAHummingbird

Eilis Phillips / @EilisPhillips

Miranda Boers / @PurpleQueenNL

Angie Richmond / @write_me_happy

Kreativ Blogger Award

Hey all,
So, I've just been tagged in the 'Kreativ Blogger Award' by Lisa Shambrook (check out her blog...) so here goes...

The Rules:
1. Thank & link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the ten questions.
3. Share ten random facts/thoughts about yourself.
4. Nominate seven worthy blogs for the Kreative Blogger Award.

The Questions:
1. What's your favorite song?
This tends to change a lot, but Josh Ritter's "Wings" gives me chills every time.

2. What's your favorite dessert?
Cheesecake, every time. Honeycomb Cheesecake is incredible.

3. What ticks you off?
Disrespecting another's beliefs, opinion, or way of life. We are, each of us, entitled to our say, unless that way of life directly harms another person or yourself. That and racism.

4. What do you do when you're upset?
You'd expect a writer to say "write", correct? Surprisingly I can't write at all when I'm upset - instead, I play guitar. 

5. Which is your favorite pet?
I have two cats, Selene and Solstice, who I could not be without. I'd probably go crazy with loneliness without them. I'll never forget my last dog though, Shadow. He's dead a year and a half, and was my best friend for a decade. Rest in Peace, buddy.

6. Which do you prefer: black or white?
Would you like a literal or philosophical answer? Can black exist without white? Good without evil? If so, then I'll say black ;)

7. What is your biggest fear?
Losing those I care most about.

8. What is your attitude mostly?
I'm a worrier, unfortunately. I'm quiet, shy, can become quite introverted, and self-conscious, though online I'm almost a different person.

9. What is perfection?
A house by the sea, with two cats and someone who loves me. A few novels published, a comfortable amount of money in the bank, and for one person in the world to finish my novel and think 'wow...my life is never going to be the same again'. But does perfection exist? All we can hope for is to get as close to perfection as is possible, with minimal heartbreak along the way.

10. What is your guilty pleasure?
God, there's far too many to even list...

The Random Facts:

1. Beginning from when I was a kid, I've wanted to be everything from an archaeologist, an astronaut, a palaeontologist, a videogame journalist, a psychologist, a teacher, and a writer. I still have no idea what I want to do with my life.

2. I gave up the dream of archaeology because I was scared of ancient Egyptian curses (I was 6, to be fair...)

3. I live in Northern Ireland, which can be nice...sometimes. We have an 800 year old Norman Castle in our town, perfectly preserved.

4. I want, more than anything, to go north and see the Aurora Borealis with my own eyes.

5. I am quick to fear someone will let me down, but equally quick to give people second chances. I place a lot of faith in people sometimes.

6. I've been working on my novel, in some shape or form, for 4 years (from when the initial idea struck me). I have two other novel ideas waiting in the wings.

7. I was vegetarian for ten years until last summer. Since then, I've been trying any kind of meat I can get my hands on. My favourite so far is either Kangaroo or Venison...

8. I struggle to write, a lot, and have little faith in my own writing ability. When someone gives me positive feedback I often disregard it, thinking they are just being nice, and I find it far easier to accept criticism.

9. My favourite movie is still The Shawshank Redemption. Can't get much better than Shawshank.

10. If I was going to change my name to anything, it would be Alexander. I don't know why. 

The Nominations:
No idea if these bloggers have already participated, but here you go!


http://anonymouslegacy.blogspot.co.uk/ - @angela_goff
http://dasiahasablog.blogspot.co.uk/ - @awkwardoptimist
http://jemcogdell.blogspot.co.uk/ - @jean_elaine
http://lilliemcferrin.blogspot.co.uk/ - @lilliemcferrin
http://2catchahummingbird.blogspot.co.uk/ - @2CAHummingbird
http://the-book-thief.blogspot.co.uk/ - @AGRMoore
http://arichmondwritemehappy.blogspot.co.uk/ - @write_me_happy

The Keeper of Tales, and 7 Sentence Challenge

The past few days have been focused on finishing my latest short story, which I've mentioned in previous posts. Following the feedback received from my writers group (a shout out here to Joanne, Eilis, Niamh and Cathy) and from my good friend Liz (visit her fantastic ezine Wordlegs), the story is very nearly complete. Titled 'The Keeper of Tales', it's about two brothers and their clandestine burial of a body deep in the snowy woods of Germany. As in all good stories there is more to this than meets the eye, and things go from bad to worse when we discover just who - or what - the body is.

I'll give no more away. It's now at a third or fourth draft stage, and I have a few others reading at the moment it for final opinions before I start looking for a suitable market. This, I think, I'll write about next time. There is a fantastic website I have used in the past, sort of like a searchable Writer and Artist Yearbook, which I couldn't recommend more if you are a fellow writer.

As a teaser, I thought I'd take part in a little meme proposed by my good friend Angela Goff over at Anonymous Legacy (you can follow her on twitter at @angela_goff). It's called 'The Lucky Seven Game'.

1. Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscripe.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next seven lines/sentences as they are - no cheating.
4. Tag seven other authors.

While I don't have seven other authors to tag who have not already taken part (if you'd like to take part and don't have a blogspot, feel free to post in my comments), I thought, what better time to post something from The Keeper of Tales? So, here you have it - seven lines from the seventh page.

Wilhelm curses and pulls me on. The preternatural wind whips up again, the manifestation of her rage; all around us I hear sounds and movement coming out of the snow and the dark; inhuman cries, muddled voices and half conversations. A glance and Wilhelm dodges something I did not see, but I hear him swear even over the cacophony of sound.

‘What were those things,’ he calls.

‘I don’t know, just keep moving!’

‘They’re her, she’s doing this!’

Teasing, right? Hopefully you can read The Keeper of Tales soon as possible, if I am lucky enough for it to be picked up by anyone. Until next time, and thanks for reading.

Matt