Friday, June 19, 2009

Catching up

I haven't blogged an awful lot lately, partly because I've been quite busy and partly because I haven't been able to think of anything exciting to blog about. What have I been up to? Well, following my mum's birthday last week, I took her out for lunch at d'Arry's in Cambridge, which is wonderful and has a fabulous--and rather dangerous--wine list. Drink a glass or three with lunch, then buy a bottle, or a case, to take home with you. It seems like a really good idea after three large glasses...

Then I was at Center Parcs last weekend. Yes, I know, I go there a lot. I'm reverting to childhood--getting all excited abut water slides and bunny rabbits (er, not at the same time). Which is mad because there are hundreds of bunny rabbits where I live. Spike had one in the garden the other day (he seemed confused by it: too big to be a mouse or other easily-predated small creature, but too small and the wrong shape to be another cat). But we do have a distinct and lamentable lack of water slides.

Then on Wednesday, as a late part of Mum's birthday, we went to see Les Miserables, which she'd seen before, many years ago, and I hadn't. Songs were sung along to. Tears were wept. Thank God I didn't wear mascara.

But it's not all fun, fun, fun. I've also been working on City of Lust, the third Empire book, which has a blind seer heroine. Writing a blind character is tricky when you're using deep-third POV, and occasional first-person flashbacks, and makes you realise how many visual cues you read and write. My heroine can't see anyone smiling, or rolling their eyes. You can adapt things, of course, to read, he said, a smile in his voice or she could almost see the sparkle in his eyes but can't over-use them too much.

Still, as my old Drama teacher used to say: it's not a problem, it's a challenge. A couple of years ago I managed to write a whole novella where my heroine was unable to speak, apart from in dreams, where all she could speak were riddles. And it won an award. It's good to challenge yourself sometimes.

And while I'm here, I had another great review for Burning Desires, this time from ParaNormalRomance.
EMPIRE: BURNING DESIRE was an amazing story. I have not read very many stories with merpeople in them, but this one was very well done. Swann's character was so tortured-both literally, courtesy of the Empire, and figuratively because of the pain in his past, but he still was strong enough to allow himself to fall for Libby, and to trust her to save him when he needed it.

(But once again, where's the final 's'? It's very strange. I should call Jurisfiction to investigate.)

3 comments:

  1. Perhaps they kept the rest of the desires for themselves?

    And challenges are GOOD for you.

    Know what you mean about not-posting. I don't seem to have done anything interesting for daaaays

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  2. How have I missed your blog all these months? Okay, I'm lame. That's old news. The new news is I just finished Still Waters and it's as wonderful as its predecessors. But day-um, when did Samhain scrub the ratings? It's not right that I can't record my cat-scaring delight. *grumbles*
    Hope to see you in DC next month!

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  3. Yes Jan, maybe they did. Those desire-stealers!

    Jean-Marie, thanks! And I hadn't realised they'd scrubbed the ratings. Is that on MBAM? I'm trying to remember what I might have left reviews for there.

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