Category Archives: Ideas

The muse at work

Liebster Award

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Surprises are great to receive, well as long as they are special like this one. Recently I received a Liebster Award nomination and I am very grateful to my blogging friend Jennifer Chow. This nomination inspires me to keep this blog going, even though there are days when I am ready to quit. Don’t we all have those down moments?

Although I have seen blogs that have received the Liebster Award, I was not fully aware of what it entailed or how it had come about.

Jennifer’s friend and nominator, Evelyne Holingue says, “Liebster comes from the German verb Lieben, which means to love. Liebster is the superlative form of the adjective lieb, which means kind, likeable, lovely. As a noun liebster also means sweetheart and boyfriend. Ah the complexities of the German language! As I understand it, the Liebster Award is like a little gift from one blogger to another.”

The Basic Rules are:

1. Write a post about the nomination and link back to the nominator’s site.

2. In that post, explain the meaning of the award and answer the questions given to you.

3. Create questions for your nominees.

4. Nominate 5 blogs with fewer than 1000 followers.

5. Contact nominees and let them know that you have nominated them.

6. Post the award button on your blog.

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The Questions to me:

    Do you remember your first blog post?

It was back in 2011, when I asked “How Green Are The Squirrels?” on the first Blog page started with my wife, The Duskweald. Since then the site has changed and this site, ‘Writing Wings’ has appeared – in May 2012 – and evolved. The squirrels blog was more about our home, lifestyle and dealing with the squirrels who were digging up our tomatoes, than about writing.

Why are you blogging?

Too keep my brain active. On ‘Writing Wings’ I try to focus on blogging about my writing journey, the ups & downs, but also about things that inspire or annoy me. Lately I have been trying to interview some of the characters in my first soon-to-be published novel, “Spiral of Hooves”.

    What do you like best and least about blogging?

I enjoy being inspired to write short pieces that are a change from my novel-writing; even the interviews are a break. I can spend a day or two focused on a piece, and then have it published online in a short time. However, I hate feeling the need to write a blog every week or more often. It is worse when there are other things impacting on my life, whether it’s health issues or just other assignments – like the Course Assignment from last week, to design a computer game. But that might make an interesting blog post, sometime soon.

    What blogs do you like to follow?

I tend to follow blogs by other writers, whether they are ones by authors giving invaluable advice or by writers setting out on their journey, like me. We are always learning, however much we already know or have had published. I also follow a few sites by avid readers, mainly in the crime and fantasy genres. However, if I find a blogger who writes about inspirational topics then I will follow that site.

Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle (Photo credit: BrotherMagneto)

What would you like to share with your readers that they might not know about you?

Hard question as ‘Writing Wings’ as a site is riddled with home truths, as well as an About Me that tries to fill some of the gaps. Some of you might be unaware of my link to North America, beyond the fact that part of my education was at a British school north of Montreal. While there, I went on a white water expedition, the first known descent by ‘white-men’ of the Beaver River in the Yukon. By linking to my wife’s Duskweald site, you will know that she is from Idaho, USA, and her family are there and in Utah. Don’t you?

If money, job and family weren’t an issue where would you live and why?

Ever since I gave up my landed-immigrant status in Canada – yes I should have mentioned that one – I’ve had an urge to go back and live there. Visiting Idaho with its mountains, made me want to stay, but with my health that would be a non-starter. Mountains though are not confined to North America. We have them in the British Isles. So having resolved the money issue, retired and received the blessings of the family, we are moving to North Wales next spring. There we will have fresh air, the sea, a castle and Snowdonia. And there are ways for the family that count to visit.

  Have you learned more from your successes or failures?

The failures feel more prominent at times so I suppose they are the strongest lessons. But every twist and turn in life is part of the learning, and none are more important. It’s the overall experiences that we gather as our life quest unfolds. A perfect opportunity to point you all to the poem “Ithaca” by C.P. Cavafy.  This inspirational article on “Ithaca” also links to Sean Connery reading the poem, with music by Vangelis. Inspiration for a game perhaps, or at least a blog post.

    What is your idea of a day lived to its fullest?

An inspirational day spent outdoors with my wife, enjoying the majesty and richness of nature, preferably in the mountains or by a tumbling river. Ending with a fine, light meal watching “Lord of the Rings”. Then getting up next day refreshed and inspired to write thousands of words.

    What one key message do you want your readers to take away from your blog?

That it’s never too late to start doing something that you really feel the need to do. In fact, start before it slips away and you regret the lost time.

Do you prefer the book to the movie or the movie to the book?

I tend to prefer the book, but a clever film-maker can capture the essence of a book and give it new life. “Lord of the Rings”, for instance, is my all-time favourite book but Peter Jackson and his team managed to create an image of Middle Earth that resonated with me. However, a film can never have the depth of a book as it is restricted by cinema time. When done well the two media complement each other. Remediation has been happening since the first stories were told, then written down. Words, paintings, tapestries, films and now video games all combine to create a rich milieu.

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On to my Questions:

Why did you choose your Blog name?

What are your aims and ambitions in writing a Blog?

Where do you find your inspiration?

What do you like best and least about blogging?

What inspires you to follow another Blog?

What is your favourite book and favourite movie?

Is a book always better than the movie? Can they be compared?

What is your best quality?

Where have you dreamed of living and why?

Are you always learning from life?

What one key message do you want your readers to take away from your blog?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My Nominees:

1. Another writer’s journey, one-step ahead of me. Vikki is one of my inspirational Municipal Liasons for NaNoWriMo: http://the-view-outside.com/

2. The author of one of my recent best reads, “Oracle”, J C is the fighter-writer that keeps me plugging on: http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/

3. Elizabeth is a versatile writer tackling non-fiction, short stories and now a novel. Always thoughtful words: http://elizabethducie.blogspot.co.uk/

4. Ailsa is an author, biker, knitter and shaman, which means there is never a dull moment… just plenty of fun: http://ailsaabraham.com/

5. Nicole’s adventures in Science and Science Fiction are informative and entertaining. A prolific reader and knowledgeable about science:  http://nicolepoweleit.wordpress.com/

Finally, although Jennifer Chow had told me all she knew about Liebster, I Googled the Award and found this interesting link: http://lorrainemariereguly.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/the-liebster-award-the-official-rules-my-first-blog-award-and-a-few-personal-secrets-revealed/

I haven’t abided totally by these rules – sure some of the nominees have 1,000+ followers – but I feel that variety is meant to be the spice of life. If I have nominated you, then you might want to try your own version of the recipe.

Here then is one version of:

The Official Rules Of The Liebster Award

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.

2. Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)

3. Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.

4. Provide 11 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)

6. Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.

7. List these rules in your post. (You can copy and paste them from here.)

Once you have written your post, and published it, you then have to:

8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)

The post adds that you can nominate someone who already has been given this award, as long as they have less than 1000 followers/subscribers.

Until next time this is the Silver Scribbler signing off and getting in his wheelchair.

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Lord of the Lists

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At the end of August, as part of the Indy Block Party, I posted my Top 5 Books – in fact Top 6 as the Infinite Improbability Drive was playing up as usual.  I had a feeling that another Blog was creeping up on me and here it is – Four more Top 5 or let’s stick with the Hitchhiking theme and go with Top 6 lists. Of course there is a common theme, if you notice.

A Matter of Life and Death (film)

Top 6 Movies: Should this be in order of favourite or chronological from when they were made or random? You tell me…

  1. A Matter of Life & Death or Stairway to Heaven in US (1946) – my favourite Powell & Pressburger movie.
  2. Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) – the books reimagined and echoing the world I was transported to by the Professor back in 1970.
  3. Cinema Paradiso (1988) – a moving tribute and evocation of the magic of cinema in Italian.
  4. Shawshank Redemption (1994) – full of wonderful moments and brilliant acting from Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins.
  5. Pan’s Labyrinth (2206) – Guillermo de Toro’s Spanish language amazing and captivating fantasy set during the Spanish Civil War.
  6. Blade Runner (1982) – maybe not a sci-fi classic but there are classic scenes and lines, including the speech by Rutger Hauer’s character at the end.

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Top 6 MMORPGS: As video gaming has now been around for 40 odd years, I am probably missing out the early classics that got me hooked. So these are the Top 6 from recent years – ones that I’ve got engrossed in and got characters to respectable levels. Currently I’m even taking a course linking two key areas in my life fiction and gaming – Online Games: Literature, New Media,and Narrative.

  1. Perfect World – this will always be No 1 as my elf archer asked a beautiful warrior if he could fly with her. And now we’re happily married in real life.
  2. LOTRO or Lord of the Rings Online – where I got to visit Middle Earth and meet Elrond. What more can I say but I keep going back.
  3. SWTOR or Star Wars: The Old Republic – set before the Star Wars movies but still a chance to wield a light-sabre and follow a narrative which you can change through your actions. Currently on the run….
  4. Age of Conan Unchained – based in Hyboria, the world created by Robert E Howard. Adult themes mean semi-naked characters, blood everywhere and challenging gameplay.
  5. Cabal – a fantasy world with unique armour and weapons. And great dance routines. Wished I had stayed longer.
  6. Runes of Magic – called by some a clone of the most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, but personally found it had better character creation and liked the dual class skill track using parallel areas. Great houses too.

Deutsch: Pjotr I. Tschaikowski

Top 6 Music: this will be far-ranging as music has been around since our distant ancestors expressed themselves on a piece of wood or by singing. Not going back that far but far enough.

  1. Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin – one of the first operas that I ever saw (at Glyndebourne) and which moved me and still continues too. Wonderful arias.
  2. Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor – very personal as well as moving music. One of the classic recordings being by Jacqueline du Pre, who tragically suffered and died from multiple sclerosis.
  3. Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring – ballet music that evokes so many images from the primitive to those from Disney’s Fantasia.
  4. The Doors’ L.A Woman album – included the track Riders On The Storm which is my favourite Doors’ song as well as the name of my guild in LOTRO.
  5. Queen’s A Night at the Opera – favourite track is of course the classic Bohemian Rhapsody But there are other great hits on this album such as You’re My Best Friend and Love of My Life.
  6. Howard Shore’s Lord Of The Rings Symphony – last but not least has to be this symphony edited down from the soundtrack to the Peter Jackson movies. Full of familiar themes and leitmotifs that continue to send tingles up my spine. Essential element of movies that works on its own too.

The artist and poet William Blake, who lived i...

Top 6 Poems: probably as old as music so the choice is extensive. I have to admit that my interest in poetry has lagged behind other art forms, but there are ones that stand out either individually or as collections.

  1. Thomas Babington Macaulay’s Horatius at the Bridge – a part of my education that still lives with me as it had such a fundamental effect.
  2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – another classic poem that caught my imagination while growing up. The words are so powerful and often lines come to mind like:   Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where,Nor any drop to drink.
  3. William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience – a collection of poems that I studied for English Literature and loved, especially as Blake even illustrated with richly illuminated plates.
  4. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven – a poem with dark images and wonderful use of words. Another classic.
  5. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ozymandias – far briefer than most of the other poems but in its few short lines as evocative and epic, stirring thoughts as endless as the sands.
  6. Beowulf – the longest and for many one of the greatest epic poems, but with no specific source for this Old English masterpiece. Yet so much derives from this amazing work including much of our great literature. I read it in English, not Old English, when I was 17 and it was and still is an emotional experience of unbelievable depth.

The Old English epic poem Beowulf is written i...

There is a notable absence of Lord of the Rings from the last list. An oversight, perhaps? I could have cheated and included one of the many verses that J.R.R Tolkien included in his great work, many of which are fine works of poetry. In fact there is a crucial poem at 6 – Beowulf. The Professor wrote an essay “Beowulf and the Critics” – which I have incorrectly in the past inserted the word monster in with Grendel in mind. I read the essay before I had even heard of Lord of the Rings, but it was the turning point, the beginning of my journey down an unbelievable road… a road which goes ever on.

 

Inspirational Links that might lead to more lists being created:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse

http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/The_Muses/the_muses.html

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Beyond the Conflict

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Syria

Syria (Photo credit: Yishac – Isaac Alvarez i Brugada)

Syria has become the hot topic of the moment with President Assad as the west’s new figure of hate. The Obama Administration wants a limited military response to the chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians, allegedly by the Syrian Military. And as AP reported, ‘Syrian President Bashar Assad has warned there will be “repercussions” against any U. S. military strike launched in response to a chemical weapons attack in his country.’

Does the threat of military escalation resolve anything for the Syrian People? They would be the first to suffer, as a Syrian-born woman told Senator McCain in Phoenix, Arizona: http://mash.network.coull.com/activatevideo?video_provider_id=2&pid=8165&website_id=8319&width=640&height=390&embed_type=IFRAME&video_provider_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/embed/7MAQBMNPf7M.

And the so-called collateral damage won’t stop there. The humanitarian repercussions will be unacceptable. Haven’t our politicians learnt anything from recent conflicts in the Middle East? Or is the US administration under the naïve belief that by siding with rebels supported by Al-Qaeda prevents terrorist responses? Oh, I’m the naïve one forgetting that it is acceptable to back both sides. The west was selling arms to both Iran and Iraq back before Saddam Hussein was the bogey man. And what about super-power dealings with the Taliban? Okay to arm the Taliban when they are fighting Russia. Terrorists can be valuable allies, when they oppose an evil empire.

President Carter said, “The chemical attack should be a catalyst for redoubling efforts to convene a peace conference, to end hostilities, and urgently to find a political solution.” But that is too much like common sense. Fortunately the Russians are also using their heads and attempting to move towards a peaceful outcome.

I don’t claim to be a Middle East expert but I have lived for enough decades to recognize that the situation is complex with multiple political and religious sides, and small sparks have a tendency to grow if fanned by outside forces that have their own agendas. Whether this will escalate into World War III is a frightening question, which I pray the politicians are seriously asking before they count the benefits… to themselves.

ThisBrokenEarth

Fellow writer Roger Colby’s apocalyptic ‘This Broken Earth’ should serve as a warning since it starts from a crisis in Syria. . On his insightful blog, Roger Colby says, “I am not writing this blog to make you go out and buy the book, but simply because I’m pretty freaked out about the fact that a prediction I made in my novel is slowly becoming a frightening reality.”

Sadly his excellent novel is a warning that will be dismissed as science fiction and not reality. But what about history, do we ignore that at our peril? As G. W. F. Hegel said, “What experience and history teach is this – that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.” This has been said in other ways by greater minds than mine: http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/history/quotations/lessons_of_history.html

History should demonstrate that the solution lies deeper than opposing dictators when they are already at war with their people. The violence starts when dictators are first allowed to emerge. WWII began many years after Hitler was given the financial backing and the arms. Before the Jews there were others suffering and yet he was funded and ignored. Why were Wall Street financiers supporting Krupps, the largest German arms manufacturer?

The dictators of tomorrow are being created today in our name. Reacting now with violence only escalates Syria’s civil war and the same applies further afield. Sadly the solutions to today’s conflicts lie yesterday… when our nations were selling chemicals and arms to Syria, and probably to the opposition. Where were Obama, Kerry, Cameron, Hague and all their cronies when the export deals were being approved? Counting their shares in the manufacturers? Looking for votes? Where are they sending the next batch of death to as part of the despicable arms trade? The next hotspot that gets them spouting from their power pulpit when it makes the headlines.

Maybe as The Onion wisely reported, “a new poll of Americans has found that though the nation remains wary over the prospect of becoming involved in another Middle Eastern war, the vast majority of U.S. citizens strongly approve of sending Congress to Syria.”

Sending politicians to fight the wars they want sounds inspired. Instead of being cannon fodder the troops could run Congress or the House of Commons. Beyond the amusement of suits fighting, history shows that there was once a time when the best leaders were willing to be there in the front line, leading from the front. Forget America’s armchair Presidents and remember George Washington, even if he fought us Brits and won.

Yet another British rival, Emperor Napoleon led his armies to victory and then defeat. And we have our own warrior leader, Boudicca. So why do politicians send others to fight? Are the troops our modern day champions fighting it out for the spoils? But wasn’t the combat meant to be single combat?

Obama .v. Assad. Bare-knuckles, swords, or pistols at dawn? Or words of wisdom and a pen?

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There are non-violent ways and there are many who have proved that path can work. I can count one of the campaigners for the Abolition of Slavery as both my ancestor and an example of what is possible. My 4th Great-grandfather, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was a tireless advocate of choosing the right way. It’s not the easy route, especially when there are alternative options, even ways-out.

I will end by quoting Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton’s Quaker brother-in-law and friend, Joseph Gurney who wrote to him when he became an MP saying, “Do not let thy independence of all party be the means of leading thee away from sound Whiggism. Let us take special care to avoid the spirit of Toryism. I mean that spirit which bears the worst things with endless apathy, because they are old.”

This apathy still leads the Tory descendants and their allies in the US to distract from the real issues with their march to war. We have to

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One Book to Fuel them all…

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Another reading theme for Post 6 in the Indie Block Party: What are the top 5 books you absolutely love?

This is harder, perhaps, than listing my Top 5 Movies, games/MMORPGS, and even music. Immediately reminds me of BBC Radio Four’s Desert Island Discs where celebrity ‘castaways’ name their top eight record choices, plus a book and a luxury, as well as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Bible (or similar text). Except here it is just books, I’m no celebrity – yet – but I can pretend to be a castaway.

So what five absolutely loved books would I take to this desert island… where my Kindle won’t be charged for more than a few chapters. Need to be paperbacks or hardbacks then.

1.   J R R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: this has always headed my list of favourite books and it is nowadays classed as a classic. Other options of that ilk, Classics, would include Great Expectations, Heart of Darkness, 1984 and others, but this is the one I re-read every few years. It has always inspired me whether I need to escape into another world or in my writing. Is that the same thing? And I have been able to see my vision of Middle Earth on screen plus been there in a gaming world. That is also echoed now in the Professor’s words. (As is the Blog title). I also have the hardback set that I read in my late teens back in the late 1970’s.

LordOfTheRings

2.   Charles de Lint’s Greenmantle: staying on the fantasy theme although de Lint is the master of blending genres, in this case fantasy and crime. Of course John Buchan had already used the title and I remember following Richard Hannay through thrilling adventures, when I was in my teens. But de Lint’s Greenmantle is both magical and gritty. Urban fantasy at its very best. And I re-read it a few months ago.

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3.    Linwood Barclay’s No Time for Goodbye: to me this is a crime-thriller novel that I can re-read, even if I vaguely remember the circuitous complexities of the plot, which is so well woven. Barclay is a master of the art of leading you astray and yet it all fits logically, when you reach the end. My crime novel of choice would have been Agatha Christie’s Murder of Roger Ackroyd, but I’ve read it too many times to get lost in its cleverness. So now I choose Barclay. Would a series count as one book?

no-time-for-goodbye

4.   Anne McCaffrey’s The White Dragon: once I discovered McCaffrey’s Pern series about dragons, Thread and so much more, I was hooked. Of all her Pern books this is the one with the best characters, best plot, and best surprises – especially if you’ve read all the books before this one. Sadly lost my copies of the Pern books so must go online and order at least this one before I leave for the island.

white-dragon-medium

5.   Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist:  such a small book and yet vast in its depth. The Alchemist is gold dust… magical fairy dust from a true artist, poet, and alchemist. If you haven’t read it – why not? If you have, then re-read, or try his other masterpieces. It opened my mind in the same way that Antoine de St Exupery’s The Little Prince http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince did.

Alchemist_41BkEX-7CUL

Well that’s it, folks… or is it:

6.   Douglas Adam’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: I know this is more than five but I’m using the Infinite Improbability Drive. Plus there has to be humor and for me this was a laugh that I could re-live over and over again without the joke getting stale. And bonus this is the beginning of “a trilogy in five parts”. (Another review at: http://www.intothebook.net/2011/10/hitchhikers-guide-to-galaxy-douglas.html)

The-Hitchhiker-s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-9780345391803-1

Okay I’ll stick by the Catch 22 rules, forget I had a cat called Oliver, and head for Casterbridge, all to avoid another War and Peace.

Feel another Blog creeping up on me – Lord of the Lists. What Lists should I have? Movies, MMORPGs, music, maybe even poems.

What do you suggest?

Please visit the Blogs of other Indie Block Party participants via: http://felwetzig.com/indie-block-party/

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And for my reading pleasure…

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Indie_block_party

This is Post 5 in the Indie Block Party and today the topic is: What are you currently reading?

So this is my current situation, when I haven’t even updated my Goodreads page to reflect the last five centuries or so of reading.

Oracle OFFICIAL Cover

1.   Anyway I’ve just finished an excellent thriller, ‘Oracle’ by J C Martin, which I recommend to all who enjoy a good crime, mystery or thriller. ‘Oracle’ has a great plot, well-rounded characters with human frailties, and the novel is realistically set in a London that I was familiar with… and in the underbelly that few of us have ever seen. I’m keen to read J C’s next books as soon as they are available.

Further details: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15905037-oracle OR http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/ 

BLURB:         

“As the countdown begins, the body count rises.
With London gearing up to host the Olympics, the city doesn’t need a serial killer stalking the streets. They’ve got one anyway.
Leaving a trail of brutal and bizarre murders, the police are no closer to finding their latest murderer than Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is in finding a solution for his daughter’s disability.
Thrust into the pressure cooker of a high profile case, the struggling single parent is wound tight as he tries to balance care of his own family with the safety of a growing population of potential next victims.
One of whom could be his own daughter.
Fingers point in every direction as the public relations nightmare grows, and Lancer’s only answer comes in the form of a single oak leaf left at each crime scene.”

Cover of "The Chronicles of Amber: "...

2.   I’ve been re-reading Roger Zelazny’s “The Chronicles of Amber”, as a chunky paperback. Finished the first book ‘Nine Princes in Amber’ and well into No 2 ‘The Guns of Avalon’. Eight more in the series so lots of reading left. I read the Amber series in my teens and I wanted to revisit the world as the series were among my all-time Fantasy favourites. Zelazny’s masterpieces were published in the early 1970’s but are still available.

Further details: http://www.amazon.com OR http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/316876.The_Chronicles_of_Amber

BLURB:

“Amber is the one real world, casting infinite reflections of itself – shadow worlds, which can be manipulated by those of royal Amberite blood. But the royal family is torn apart by jealousies and suspicion; the disappearance of the patriarch Oberon has intensified the internal conflict by leaving the throne apparently up for grabs; and amnesia has robbed Corwin, Crown Prince of Amber his memory – even the fact that he is the rightful heir to the throne.”

Shaman's Drum

3.   On Kindle, I’m reading Ailsa Abraham’s “Shaman’s Drum”, to which there is a prequel due out in the future. Ailsa comes from a ‘long line of Scottish witches’ and knows first-hand about shamanism, which shows in the novel. I am still learning how to use my Kindle so I am reading this one very slowly, but I keep wanting to know more. It might be a fantasy setting or rather future England, but at its core is a tale of love.

Further details: http://ailsaabraham.com/ AND http://www.crookedcatbooks.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=84

BLURB:

“England in the near future. 
Mainstream religions have been outlawed, and the old gods rule again.
Iamo has been a priest of the Great Mother and is sworn to celibacy, but his love for Riga, a Black Shaman, a magical assassin, caused him to break his vows. After being imprisoned apart from each other for three years, Iamo accepts an offer to earn them both a pardon and the possibility of marriage. If they survive.
Iamo and Riga must discover why demons are breaking through from the other side. Which of the cults are renegades who allow the demons through? Who can they trust? 
Combining their powers, they face the ordeal with the help of a band of eclectic pagans, spirit creatures, Riga’s Black Shaman brothers, an undercover Christian granny, and three unusually energetic Goths. 
It’s a tough assignment, but the hope of a life together keeps them fighting.”

 

PaperKindle

Copyright: J M Clarke

Sadly I have a growing list of books that I want to read in paperback or tree-form as some call it, and also on Kindle, which some claim is more green. Still love the feel of turning pages of a paper book, and seeing them around.

I also need to read more in the way of research – e.g: Don Bamford & Paul Carroll’s ‘Four Years on the Great Lakes, 1813-1816’ , as above under my Kindle, and vital for my proposed ‘Seeking A Knife’ novel, which is merely a vague outline. Plus there are dozens I want to buy and those are on my growing Wish List. But I just don’t read very fast, especially on the Kindle.

What should I do? Paper or Kindle? Read more and write less? Abandon sleep?

More on my Reading habits here on Writing Wings tomorrow.

but until then

Please visit the Blogs of other Indie Block Party participants via: http://felwetzig.com/indie-block-party/

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Nothing but the Truth

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Cover of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"

Cover of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

I do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

As a fledgling crime writer in England these words should at least be embedded somewhere in the background or at least in the minds of some of my characters. Yet just because a witness claims to speak the truth, should all my characters be honest in their dialogue and thoughts? I do not have the skill of Agatha Christie to pull off the deception in Murder of Roger Ackroyd, but most of us are not totally honest so why should my fictional creations be? So my readers don’t get confused?

I try to ensure that the characters are not totally contradictory in their words and actions, unless that is clearly part of their make-up and consistent across all their actions. Deception can be a part of someone’s persona as long as it is believable. However it’s realistic to portray most people as having layers of personality and masks to hide certain things – isn’t it?

What is Truth anyway? Surely what one person sees as the truth can be another’s injustice or lie. Some people make an art of justifying their own actions and that works as much for protagonists and antagonists. Gone are the days of white-robed heroes versus black-caped villains. The power of Truth has also diminished over time, or so it seems if one glances at the following quotes:

Anti-Stratfordian Mark Twain, wrote "Is S...

Anti-Stratfordian Mark Twain, wrote “Is Shakespeare Dead?” shortly before his death in 1910. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this, except that it ain’t so.

MARK TWAIN, Mark Twain’s Notebooks

Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.

ALBERT EINSTEIN, Ideas and Opinions: Based on Mein Weltbild

Or does this show that it all depends on perspective? Does Truth prevail as long as the judge and jury are society and not a single group or person? Sometimes it seems that the media can become judge, jury and executioner … or maybe I should say politicians decide they are. But then I’m only a retired journalist that tried to report only the facts, although those were often the facts as stated by those I interviewed.

However, there was one article that I had to research very thoroughly as it was a controversial doping incident – equestrian not cycling. I attempted to interview parties on all sides, and when I wrote the article for an online equestrian site, I ensured that it was a balanced assessment. Fortunately there was almost unanimous agreement that it was one of the best reports at the time.

English: Toronto: Winston Churchill statue at ...

English: Toronto: Winston Churchill statue at City Hall Deutsch: Toronto: Winston Churchill Statue am Rathaus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Was it still my version? Can a writer ever stand back and be objective? Winston Churchill said, ‘History is written by the victors‘, and looking back over thousands of years that seems so wise. What I was taught in school about the Roman Empire took their point of view, not the ‘barbarians’ that we now know had as rich a culture but it was subjugated by the victors. How much of the negative image of Marie Antoinette was Revolutionary propaganda? How will Nazi Germany be remembered if fascism writes future history books?

I’m moving perhaps into the area of Alternate History, which in most cases is merely a fiction genre akin to science fiction, although there are some excellent academic works out there. But maybe some of the old historical accounts that were once authorities strayed too – strayed from the truth for justified reasons that might have been called for dramatic or political effect.

Thus I ask again: what is Truth? My protagonists think they speak the truth but the antagonists have their own version. If a jury was asked to make a judgement then both versions would be tested, as are the jury of readers. And if the tale was turned on its head and told by the guilty victor, who would know? Is the innocent man telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

A truth that’s told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.

WILLIAM BLAKE, Auguries of Innocence

*~*

Inspiration from a source close to my heart: http://duskweald.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/snow/

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