Wedding? What Wedding?

Hello to the blogosphere. And you. Yeah you.

Once again I have been very lax in my writing and blogging but this time I have a really, really, really good excuse. And it has nothing to do with "THE WEDDING" hysteria currently sweeping the media. No, I have been preparing to up sticks from the parent's house and move into me and the boyfriend's shiny new flat on Saturday and I am pretty much set. Things I've discovered when preparing to move:

Happy Easter!

It's Easter Sunday, and though I'm not Christian I've always loved Easter. It has bunnies and chocolate eggs - few things make me happier. Below is a clip that for me evokes Easter and is one of the happiest things you will ever see. If you don't agree you have a heart of ice.

Happy Easter!

Take Cover, Skynet Is Coming

Yesterday Skynet went live (according to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) but so far things are looking kind of quiet. Well, apart from the problems on the London Underground today, but it's hard to tell if that's the beginning of an A.I. takeover or just service as usual. So in honour of the beginning of the apocalypse here are some of my favourite moments from the Terminator franchise. Maybe it will be enough to placate our robotic overlords...

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

This isn't a traditional review, more like my personal impressions and thoughts about the Trylle trilogy from Amanda Hocking. It includes the three books, "Switched", "Torn", and "Ascend". I decided to try Hocking's books as I had heard about her achievements and thought it would be interesting to see what kind of quality a self-published book (or series of books) could achieve, from someone who must be doing something right judging by her level of success. What I discovered was an interesting take on Young Adult fantasy romance, which though it's formulaic in some ways is also different enough to stand out from the crowd.

Move In Day Fast Approaches

Nervous. Excited. Confused. Confidant. Did I mention excited? These are just some of the feelings I'm sloshing around in as I reach the two week mark until I move into a flat with my boyfriend. I cannot wait, but at the same time wonder if my brain will go pop in trying to remember all the things I/we need to make sure get done. The good news is it looks like the Landlord is going to do a lot of the boring stuff (utilities and council tax) so I have funner (is that a word? well, I'm using it anyway) things like broadband and TV license to sort out. The party never ends.

What Feminism Means To Me and Why the French Veil Ban is Wrong

A political post? Didn't I say at some point I'd avoid these? Yes I probably did, but it's my blog so I can do what I want. So there. Feel free to skip if it's not your thing but I promise you it will not be as angry as you think. Well, not very angry anyway.

I felt compelled to make some sort of statement about feminism for a few reasons; 1. I am a feminist (as I define it, more on that later) 2. I am tired of having to explain what kind of feminist I am on blogs/news/forums for and against or that are even ambivalent about so called feminism. And thirdly, the ban on face veils was enacted today in France, a travesty that feminists everywhere should be up in arms about, and yet the reaction online, that I've seen, has been muted. So I thought now would be a good time to talk about what I think feminism is and isn't, what it means to me, how it's affected my reading and writing and why I can't believe we're still in a time when a supposedly free and equal society are not only tolerating but supporting women being prejudiced against.

Bookstores - Done and Dusted?

Poor Borders. They're really not having a good 2011. Though they didn't have a very good 2010 either, or 2009, 2008, 2007... they've been struggling for a while and it's arguably only due to the overall unstable economy throughout the world that made everyone see just how bad things were for them. And they're not alone - other book chains are also suffering and we face the very real possibility that within a few years there will be no book stores on the high street.

Recent news about Borders has been that another 16 stores are closing in Australia, following the closure of many stores in the U.S., and it seems that even publishers have lost faith in the company and are no longer willing to give them books to sell unless they can pay for them immediately. Personally I think this is all terrible news for readers and authors both. What's happening at Borders now is likely going to happen to other bookstores soon, and this is not good for anyone.

Film Review: The Hole (2001)

Gritty is something we British do well. Whether it's Cracker, Shallow Grave or Trainspotting, British productions have typically excelled at showing an unflinching vision of dark tales. Sadly "The Hole" cannot be included in that roster even though it contains all the ingredients for a dark, gritty and challenging British thriller. Teenagers, drink, drugs and a deep dark hole in the ground - what more do you need?

A lot as it turns out. A not so convoluted script for one thing. Rather than see the story once we get three accounts of what happened, resulting in a "been here, seen that" feeling as it rumbles on. Two of these accounts come from the same character of Elizabeth, played by Thora Birch, a teenage girl looking for love from the cool kid in their posh school in the country. She gets her chance when he and his friend join Elizabeth and her friend Frankie (Keira Knightley) in a sleepover with a difference - as they spend a few days in an old disused WWII bunker. But it all goes wrong when the door won't open...

The Writing Goes Well - For a Change

So what's been happening? Well the novel writing has once again been continuing with a few thousand words added this week, and (hopefully) another three thousand added today after I've posted this. It's on my to do list after all so I better do it. Feeling better about it too as I think I've simplified it and streamlined the story. Or will once I go through the editing process; I'm really looking forward to that part as it will mean I've got the first draft done. Oh what a happy day that will be. It will definitely call for copious amounts of wine and good food.

The new found inspiration has been helped by getting the flat situation sorted. I got my money back for the one that went no where (every penny - I checked) and the new flat has been chosen, references and paperwork are done and now we just need to pay the deposit and sign the contract. Already thinking of colour schemes. Turns out I'm a lot more girly than I thought I was! Better go play some Gears of War to counteract that...

I've also provisionally given myself the goal to get 7000 words done a week from here on in. Don't know if I will manage that or not but so far this week I'm up to 3000/7000 words. I've discovered that just telling myself to write every night isn't enough, as I tend to end up working on a short story or a review instead (which is no bad thing) but if I don't get a move on with the 'tome' than it may never get finished. And I definitely don't want to do that again... Until now I've always given up after a few months and I realise that I have now been writing consistently for the longest period of time, ever! For that I have to thank you my dear readers; knowing that you're out there, and think what I have to say is interesting enough to keep coming back for more, is a real incentive for me to keep going. My humblest gratitude to you all.

Must go now to continue with the writing. And maybe watch a bit of Galaxy Quest which has just started on BBC1. I love that film. "Never give up! Never Surrender!"