Faith

At about 5pm Wednesday evening I was leaving for my teaching class when I met Faith. Someone had closed the garden gates and abandoned their puppy in our garden. At first I thought Mirpot had forgotten to open the gates after she had taken Rags and Woozer for a run, but I had driven into the house after that so I knew it couldn't be the case. Then I thought some random stranger had closed our gates for us. It had happened before. A few years ago someone had locked our gates with a chain and padlock and we had to get Michael (my brother in law) to cut them open. As I got out of the car to open them a little black and white dog ran out from the patch of scrub to the right of the gate and ran into the beam of the car headlights (it was dark by this time in the evening). She peered anxiously out of the gate and appeared nervous and distressed. I was angry because I jumped to the conclusion that some stranger had decided to use our garden as a park and run their dog in it (it is a big garden). As a human being failed to appear and I realised the dog was a puppy it soon dawned on me that the poor little thing had been abandoned. I had often heard of things like this happening, but I had never experienced it first hand before. I was fuming with the scum who would dump their puppy - especially dumping her by locking her into someone else's garden! She was shy and wouldn't come up to me at first, but soon she let me pet her and I managed to lift her into the car. She looked like a collie cross to me, and I'd say was about 4 -5 months old. She had a nice collar on her, slightly chewed, but no name tag. I took her up to the house where Mirpot took her inside. After my teaching class I came home to find the pup playing with Rags! I couldn't believe it, Rags is usually so cautious with new dogs, but they were having an energetic game. Mapot looked flushed and was close to hysterics at the thought of another dog in the house. As I looked after the pup for the evening my affection for her grew. I dubbed her Faith (after the fighting dog left for dead in 'In Search of the Moon') and my mind boggles at why anyone would want to get rid of her. She was friendly, affectionate, intelligent, well mannered. Janna and Rags practically fought to play with her and apart from a couple of accidents when she was first taken into the house, she was clean. She was used to a house, looked healthy and well fed and knew how to sit. She took a while to settle down that night - partly due to the excitement of the day and to the lack of exercise (I doubt it she had had a run in a couple of days and was a lively pup) but around 12am we all managed to get some sleep. This morning she had an hour of play with a friend's dog over acres of fields and, when it was time to go, she jumped happily back into the car. In the afternoon she had a run with Janna in the garden where they played together happily and she came back when I called her. For only knowing her a few hours she was an excellent dog. Unfortunately, much as I would have loved to keep her, I couldn't. I phoned Collon Animal Sanctuary but they were booked up until next week. Lyn Archer, the fantastic woman who works there, recommended I contact the Dog Warden as they have got very good at rehoming. I took her down to the pound and the warden was very nice. He assured me that she wouldn't be put down and that she would find a home no problem. He checked her for a microchip and said they would keep her for 5 days in case anyone claimed her and then she would go on to an animal sanctuary. I felt so mean as she was carried away, abandoning her again. She was such a lovely dog. People, if you can't look after a dog, don't get one! And if you have one and can't cope, please please please PLEASE give them to an animal sanctuary or the dog pound, don't dump them in someone else's garden or, worse still, on the side of the road.

Competitions for January

This month I intend to enter these two writing competitions:-

1. The American Kennel Club 22nd Annual Fiction Writing Contest.
Word length: 2000 words
Closing date: 31st January 2008
Prizes: 1st $750 2nd $500 3rd $250
Guidelines: Must feature AKC registrable breed or breed listed in the miscellaneous class.

2. Maria Edgeworth Short Story Competition
Word length: 2000 words
Closing date: 31st January 2008
Prizes: 1st Deirdre Purcell Perpetual Cup 2nd €100 3rd €50
Guidelines: Story can be on any topic and any genre

Movie Review: Enchanted

Went to Enchanted tonight with Gonzalez, the Dancer and (not so) Broken Wing. It certainly lived up to its name. I was enchanted by it from beginning to end. It is the story of Giselle, a picture perfect Disney princess to be (she just has to marry the prince) who dreams of her true love - and finds him - only to be thrown into a magical pool on her wedding day and turned into a 3d real woman. She finds herself in present day New York, where nothing is like her home of Andalasia and she can't find her handsome prince anywhere. Step in Patrick Dempsey as Robert, and his daughter Morgan. He is a kindly lawyer who helps out the stranded Giselle and is slowly won over by her magical, and romantic, view on life. This movie had me enthralled from the beginning and kept me entertained to the end. The animation scenes are classic Disney, the acting is superb from the entire cast with not a bum note and I loved Giselle's CGI chipmunk, Pip (you see, this is how CGI should be done). A feel good, funny Disney fairytale for adults, I have a feeling this might be one for the girls (although the males in the audience certainly seemed to enjoy it too). I give it 8/10.

Book Review: The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker

This book is about Robert, a 13 year old boy who loves kicking toy piggy banks, murder, and dreams of destroying the entire human race. Following the legacy of Belloc's poems and Dahl's stories, this is a fantastic, bizarre, grotesque cautionary tale - do bad things and bad things will happen to you. I was interested in this book for two reasons - 1. It was written by Dr Who and 2. It was short. I found it a diversion (a little bit amusing, a little bit dull, a lot perverse) and can only award it 2/10.

Movie Review: I Am Legend

I went to see I Am Legend in the cinema last night with Valpot and Pinky. For those of you who don't know the plot, it revolves around Robert Neville (Will Smith) who is the last 'normal' human survivor in a world full of mutated, blood thirsty vampires. You all probably know that I am passionate about the novel of the same name written by Richard Matheson. To my mind, it is one of the best horror novels ever written. Its gritty intimate descriptions of Neville's life after the vampire Apocalypse are so realistic and scary, it really makes you think - how would I behave in that situation? and, if the everyone turned into monsters tomorrow, what would get you out of bed in the morning? The movie is so different from the book it would be unfair to compare them, so I will try to judge it as a stand alone piece. Will Smith is EXCELLENT in I Am Legend. As a lot of other reviewers have stated, the first half of the movie is brilliant and is carried by Smith single handed. Unfortunately, when I saw it in the cinema, it was so crowded I could only get seats in the first three rows that were so close to the screen I could count every hair in Will's permanently stubbly chin, yet even this did not distract from the tension and the pathos of seeing Neville roaming through a dead, over grown New York. The second half, when the ridiculous CGI vampire/zombies are introduced (I am not against CGI, I love CGI, but BAD CGI I HATE!) weakens the entire premise of the film and it gradually goes down hill from there. I would love to give this movie an 8 or a 9 out of 10. Will Smith is amazing, the dog who acts with him is fantastic, the scenes of New York are incredible, the direction is adequate and obviously a lot of money has been thrown at this movie. However, there are so many plot holes, inconsistencies and repetitions of hackneyed monster cliches from other movies that, book aside, I can only award it a generous 5/10 (if I were comparing it to the book, it would only get 2/10). Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it. I was pulled along for the thrill ride the entire 101 minutes, but afterwards I was left with a lot of questions. 'Why did they do that? How was this possible? It doesn't make sense that? Didn't they say this and then that happened?' Go to I Am Legend, enjoy it, but don't expect a satisfying meal of a movie that will stay with you for a long time afterwards. It is more like a bag of crisps. Delicious at the time, but ultimately unsatisfying.

A Misnomer

The term 'writer' is a misnomer for writing involves more than just putting words down on paper. Yes, actually writing something - be it a novel or a short story - is important, but the amount of time you spend writing is small compared to the other things you have to do. Before writing a piece, research may be necessary and that can take hours, if not days and weeks of work. Then you have your notes to write up and sift through. When your first draft has been completed, it has to be read, re-read and worked on until it is perfect. Eventually, when you have your article, novel or story ready, it must be checked one final time, formatted correctly and sent off to the publisher or agent you had in mind when you wrote it. This sounds simple, but can be very complicated as each publication has different guidelines. And all of this work is for only one story, I'm not counting the publications, books, newsletters and websites that have to be read and trawled through simply to keep informed of the market and abreast with current trends. So when I said my aim for 2008 was to spend 4 hours a day writing, I meant actually WRITING. I didn't realise how hard it would be to accomplish because I forgot that I would have to spend double that time on the other business of being a writer.

Snowday

I woke up this morning and the world looked like this...

and this...

so naturally I ran outside with Janna, camera (and video camera) in hand(s) and played in the snow. Janna had great fun running around chasing the ball. She didn't seem to mind the snow at all, so she must have seen it before, and she looked so cute with it on her nose.

I remember Angel's first time with snow. At first she kept on lifting her paws and walking in this really high stepping way, wondering what this cold white stuff was, and then she raced around and around snapping at the snow and barking. I did something I have never done before in my life today - I made my first snowman! Here is a picture of him with his original head...

Janna got very excited about the snowman and thought his head was a ball and ran off with it. It was really funny seeing her carrying the snowball in her mouth. It started to melt, so she dropped it, licked her lips and then tried to pick it up again where it promptly fell to pieces. She found that very puzzling and tried to pick up the pieces for a few seconds before racing off. I threw some snow balls for her. The snow was lovely - really crisp and soft - so it clumped together to make perfect snowballs. They would fly through the air just like the real thing, and Janna would chase excitedly after them, only to run around in confused circles when they landed and disintegrated, leaving nothing for her to retrieve.

After she decapitated my snowman, I made him a new - meaner - head, so she wouldn't run off with it again. She didn't.

After playing on the grass for about 30 minutes, I walked down to the gate to take some photos of the stream and of the paving stones. Janna was running around with the ball in her mouth. I was standing, camera raised in my hands, busy snapping when the postman whizzed past me on his bike. I think Janna deserves the award for the best dog in the world, because she just stood beside me and watched him go by with about as much interest as if he had been a fly. I held her collar until he whizzed past again and out the gate, but she wasn't interested and just wanted to go back onto the grass to play with her ball. Even when Woozer and Rags started barking from inside, Janna paid no attention. I wanted to take a photo of her in the paving stones, so I called her over. She kept running up to me and then running back to the grass, so I asked her to pose for a photograph on the snow. Immediately she ran up to me and stood still, posing. I said to her I wanted her to pose on the snow, so she ran over to the snow, dropped the ball and stood posing for the photograph. Once I had taken the photo, she picked up the ball and ran back onto the grass.

I couldn't believe it. I must state here that 'pose for a photo' is not a command, so this wasn't a trick Janna had been taught and while I take photos of her, I haven't taken so many that she would know what this phrase meant (or at least I don't think I am that much of a parrot). I know Muffin used to pose for photos, and knew exactly how to do it, but she had been photographed so many times from an early age that she was like a model when it came to cameras. She only had to see one being produced and she would practically say 'How would you like me today?' I was so impressed with Janna, she hasn't had Muffin's upbringing, and yet she understood exactly what I wanted. She is such a good dog. I know every owner thinks her dog is perfect, but I think Janna very nearly is. It started to snow again after that, so we went inside. I would love to have taken Rags and Woozer out to see the snow (they both ran over and sniffed Janna and I with a great deal of interest) but they are not as easy to handle outside as Janna.

Book Review: The colour of light by William Goldman

The Colour of Light centers on Chub, a good guy who grew up in midwest America in the 1960's and always dreamed of being a writer living in New York. The first part of the book centres on Chub during his college days, where he meets his best friend Two Brew and falls for the prettiest girl on campus. The second part of the book shows Chub living his dream and the final part of the book is about, in part, what happens when that dream falls apart.

William Goldman, apart from being a very successful screenwriter (Butch Cassidy and the Sun dance Kid, The Ghost and the Darkness), also wrote The Princess Bride. The Colour of Light is very different from the former novel, but his light, readable style is recognizable. This novel shows the highs and lows of being a writer, but it is also about life, friendships, coping with your past, relationships and the success of failure. There is even some mystery thrown in for good measure. I don't think it will be the best book I'll read this year, but I couldn't put it down and I certainly enjoyed it, so I will give it 7/10.

2008

Last year I was filled with lots of literary ambition come January 1st and plastered my walls with posters containing scribbled notes of all the novels I was going to write in the year. Unfortunately I don't think I completed one of those tasks and looking back on those notes is a humbling experience. As regards my pledges - well, I didn't get near reading 150 books. I started 93 and finished 85, but it was a 33 increase on my book tally from the year before, so I am happy. This year I am aiming for a more doable 2 books a week. Submissions - well, I did submit The Moonwolf Chronicles (if, unlike VT, you count query letters and competitions) but no where near 30 times. I'm not going to make pledges about submissions this year. I want to keep things simple - in the hope that I might actually achieve something! So all I want to do is make one simple promise - I will spend 4 hours writing every day. I might do more, maybe I will only do that, but I want to devote that amount of time to actually writing. Will I manage to keep this promise? I don't know, but I only have myself to blame if I don't.

Congratulations Valpot

on winning DNOTY 2007. You deserved it. You deserved it 2004, 2005 and 2006, and finally you have been recognised for your genius. HURRAY!

Regarding the book of the year, I think you were robbed. Revenge of Queen Rose was the best book on the list - in terms of plot, character, originality, writing style, readability. I am a great fan of the Lucky Diamond, don't get me wrong, but Revenge of Queen Rose has all the LD has, and a little bit more. I think the fact that so few people have read it went against you when it came to the vote.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and all the best for 2008. May it be filled with magic, achieved goals, good friends, love, laughter, fun, swelling financial status, honourable mentions, kindness, overcome fears, new friends, old friends, families, pets, first places, exciting new paths and everything else that you could ever wish for.

(I wanted to upload an exciting New Year animation, but for some reason I can't upload video to blogger, I just keep on getting error messages.)

REVIEW OF 2007

2007 has been a brilliant year for me. Here are some of the highlights (in no particular order):-

1. Going to New Zealand and all the amazing things I did there, including but not exclusive to - whale watching, glow worm caves, Franz Josef glacier, pancake rocks, Wanaka, Kaikoura, seal colony, little blue penguins, patting a tiger, hand feeding birds, kiwi's, tuataras, shotover river jet, everything really!
2. The birth of my niece Lily Marie Murphy
3. Toffee joining the family
4. Going to a shooting range
5. Flying a harris hawk
6. Meeting Jewel Staite et al in Blackpool
7. Going to belly dance classes
8. Getting a part in a meteor ad
9. Staying in a 5* hotel
10. Getting a new car
11. Getting a Nintendo & wii for Christmas
12. Going to the first horse race on the new track in Dundalk
13. Hiring Humphries
14. Going to the horse show in the RDS (3 days)
15. Going to dog training classes
16. Becoming Nathan Fillion's Myspace friend
17. Visiting a friend in Dorset
18. Getting the Five Muses for my birthday (best birthday present EVAH!)
19. Getting St. Brigid's Beats the Band for Christmas (as well as Snatched and Through the Theatre door)
20. Being an extra in two productions

Will winning DNOTY 2007 be the cherry on the cake?

DNOTY poll results

Seems like you all think I should win DNOTY this year,which is a great vote of confidence (and is wonderful, as you are coming to check out my blog so I am glad you are voting for me to win!). Thanks dear readers for another year of supporting the Inkpot Files!

Poll results: -

Me to win 44%

Valpot to win 22%

Mungo to win 11%

Parsley or Marvin to win 11%

October and November to win 11%

Sparkie to win 0%

Who will win? Only Judge Pamela knows, and she is keeping her lips tightly shut until the big night on December 31st.

Happy Christmas everyone

Wishing you all a happy and holy Christmas this year

Hellyboy II - the Golden Army

Just saw the trailer for Hellboy 2, out next year, and it looks AWESOME! I really enjoyed the first movie, and while I thought it was a good action flick with a cool tough guy hero supplying plenty of expected one line quips, it was the deeper underlying themes of good and evil, choice and free will, destiny and love that won me over and kept it fresh for me when I rewatched it (several times). I hope that the second movie also has a deeper theme that goes beyond the action, but from the trailer at least, the action and cool effects certainly do not seem to lag. They have left in Doug Jones' real voice for this movie (he plays Abe Sapien, the aquatic guy, who was voiced in the first movie by Fraiser's own David Hyde Pierce). Now, I am in two minds about this. I think Doug performed Abe brilliantly, and I am all for actors keeping their own voices*, but Niles' dulcet tones suited the dancer like grace of Abe's character to a t. From what I have heard (and it is only one line in the trailer), Doug's voice lacks the refinement I would like to hear for Abe's character. However, a whole movie might swing me around.

I can't wait to see it!

*however, performing a creature character in full make up is not the same as also voicing that character. The history of movies is full of guys in suits who were voiced by different people, and usually this was a good thing. Imagine how different Star Wars would have been if Darth Vader had a west country accent.

The King

Where does time go?

I really don't understand time. I am very lazy (I think there is something about creative pursuits that attract the lazy person) and usually when the end of the day comes and I have nothing to show for it I know why. However, today I cannot blame my lethargy. I didn't watch tv or have a nap once today. I did read my book for a little while, but that was when I was waiting for the computer to do something and reading also counts towards my book total, so it is a good thing. I even got up at seven this morning, yet I feel I have nothing to show for a day filled with business (and unfortunately no writing). Therefore there is only one culprit to blame - time. I do not understand you.

Things I really miss about New Zealand

Of course I miss the holiday spirit, the friendly people, the kiwi accent, the warmth, the scenery and the wildlife but what I miss most of all is the light. That bright light you never really get in Ireland, even during the summer. The sort of light that burns your eyes at 7am and is still bright come 8pm even as the day softens. There is no light in Ireland at the moment. I find it very confusing. When I wake up in the morning I don't know if it is day or night, if it is morning or whether I have fallen asleep in the middle of the day, if it is Tuesday or Sunday - you get the idea. Today is a particularly dark day. Come 3pm I feel like it is time for bed. I am living in Dark City.

Disresponsible Nodpot of the Year 2007

It is almost time again for the Disresponsible Nodpot of the Year Award ceremony (takes place on the 31st of December) and this year there are an unprecedented number of Nodpots eligible for votes - 8 out of 10 in fact. Apart from the first year of voting, four years ago, when all the Nodpots were nominated automatically, the DNOTY has been voted on a system of points accumulated during the year for writing and other Nodpot related works, and then the members with points are eligible for nomination. The first year the point system was introduced, only a few members were up for voting - Valerie, myself, Marvin, Parsley and possibly one of our mascots (would have to look up the minutes from 2005 to make sure). Last year Mungo got points and went on to be victorious. This year, three more Nodpots have succeeded in accumulating points throughout the year. Two for starting a blog and the third for fulfilling a task he has been assigned for the last ten years. With eight members in the competition, it will be an interesting night to see who comes out on top. My tip for favourite is Valerie, who had an article accepted for publication this year, as well as entering two competitions, writing two excellent books, getting the LD professionally edited, writing a story for The Five Muses and helping the other Nodpots as she always does. Going by points accumulated over the year, Sparkie is another hot favourite. However, I wouldn't count Mungo out of the competition and after his success last year, I wouldn't put it past him to creep up on the outside and romp home to victory.

Happy Birthday Michael Shanks

37 today

Brain Freeze

Writing isn't working for me today. I am too tired and too cold to be able to think of anything, and even if I could think, I am unable to type.

Yes, there are days like these.

Writing Competitions

I have decided to enter two writing competitions a month, if I can find ones interesting enough and/or with good enough prizes to enter. My competitions for this month are:-

1. The Santa Fe Writers Project 2007 Literary Awards

Closing date: 31st December 2007

Prize: 1st $2,500, 2nd $1,500 3rd $1,000

Guidelines: Entries consist of 25 pages of related short stories, essays or the first 25 pages of a longer work. (I estimate 25 pages to be about 6000 words)

2. Wanna be a writer? Novel writing comeptition

Closing date: 31st December 2007

Prize: 5 day writing course in Wales (27th July - 1st Aug. I know, that's the Nodpot Anniversary and, while it is in Wales, I don't think it is in Port Merrion!)

Guidelines: Entries consist of the first 1000 words of a novel.

Writing and other stuff

I woke up early and finished a short story I started before I went away. It was great, I got about 2000 words written before breakfast. I wish everyday started as well. I was worried that the word count would exceed the submission guidelines of my chosen market, but I just came in with a couple of dozen to spare. It is a miracle. I will leave it for a few days, read over it and submit it. Choice.

I re-read some of my blogs from New Zealand today and found them surprisingly well written. I can't believe that a month ago today I was experiencing wind chill in the Antarctic centre and being chased by ducks in Willowbank, let alone catching my first glimpse of Kaikoura and the south pacific. That song by Dido keeps running through my head - 'two weeks away feels like the whole world should have changed'.

Lots of writing competitions coming up this month and next month. I think I'll give some of them a go. I'll keep you updated.

Christmas

This day two weeks is Christmas day. You know that dream when it is Christmas and you haven't bought any presents and you aren't prepared? Well, I feel like I am living that dream at the moment. I still think it should be summer and I haven't got my head around the winter weather, let alone the festive season. I thought I was doing ok until about 3pm today and then I crashed. I suppose it will take me about 10 days to adjust. I don't know how the Monster is managing having to work in an office. At least I can take a nap if I need one.

I'm back...

in Ireland, and it feels like I've never been away. My adventures in New Zealand are like a wonderful, beautiful dream. I can't believe that robins danced at my feet, dolphins swarmed around me and I tickled a tiger behind the ears. I also can't believe how cold it is in Blackrock. Is winter always like this? I haven't been warm since I got off the plane in Heathrow. Getting used to driving has been weird as well. I still think the indicators are on the right side of the wheel, and my car feels so heavy after Yari. Blackrock is like a metropolis after the South Island. People on the street sound like they are putting on heavy brogues. Still, it is good to be home again, to see my family and friends. Janna and the cats haven't forgotten me. I got a great welcome from Janna, Fudge practically mugged me and Blueberry has been equally affectionate. It has been good to get back to writing as well. I've missed my trusty laptop. It is a pity I didn't bring it to NZ with me, there was Internet access in all the motels we stayed in. I've been reading some of the stuff I started before I went away. It is good, but I can't remember where it was heading, will have to look up my notes. I can't believe Christmas is almost upon us. I am still confused why it isn't summer. What a year 2007 has been for me. 2008 will have to work hard to top it.

Au Revoir

Dear readers - I am going away.

Leaving the country, that is, for the next month to swan around New Zealand, have lots of fun and hopefully bag a rich sheep farmer for the Monster. Unless you have crawled out from under a rock in the last few days (or you don't know me and have never read this blog before), you will know how long the Monster and I have been planning and looking forward to this trip. Even though I am leaving tomorrow, I still can't quite believe it.

The bad news is, I probably won't be blogging here while I am away. I have my November Adventure blog, about writing a novel in a month - while travelling! and the Monster and I will have a blog as well, so you will have to be content with those blogs until I get back. I hope you will visit and read them, enjoy them and even get the odd chuckle out of them.

Until then, thank you to everyone who reads this blog (or any of my blogs) and comments. I'm sorry I haven't been able to acknowledge your comments recently, but I have been really busy writing (for a change!) over the last few weeks and it cut down on my on line time. Imagine!

Until December, lots of love

Inky

Mad Dog

I am so angry with Janna. I got up early this morning to write. She wanted to go out to the toilet, so I took her out and she got a drink as well, and then I took her back to my room. She usually curls up on her bed, but this morning she was really restless and was pacing up and down. She came over to me and jumped up on me. She knows she is not allowed to do that, and I told her to get down. She seemed to settle down, so I took my laptop on my knee and continued writing. Then Janna came over again, jumped up and raked her massive paws across the laptop key board. Two of the buttons went pop and flew off. I was so cross. I found the buttons, but I can't fit them back onto the keyboard and now my laptop looks like some junk yard reject, plus B is really hard to type. I am so annoyed with Janna. I don't know why she did that. I hope I can get my laptop fixed. Argh.

NaNoWriMo Starts!

It is hard to believe that this time last year I was collecting together my group of fledgling NaNoWriMoers and having weekly write ins, as Co-ML for the Ireland:Elsewhere region. It seems like another life time now. Ah well, I have an equally exciting journey ahead of me this year, what with writing and travelling at the same time. Can it be done? Wait and see. To avoid repeating myself this month, check out my WriMo blog at A November Adventure.

Happy Halloween

I had the privilege of being invited to a family get together of a friend this evening to celebrate Halloween. There was a fire and fire works (which were lovely when they worked properly and went into the sky before exploding, but not so nice when they stayed on the ground or, worst of all, careened towards my car), followed by a meal, ghost stories and a discussion of the spirit realm. It was the second Halloween party I have been to, the first being about 16 years ago. I much preferred this one.

Ponderings

I was listening to one of my favourite songs today. It is in Italian and sung by Andrea Bocelli, and I don't have a clue what it is about. The song starts well and has a good middle, but it is near the end that it really takes off. The music swells and Andrea's voice rises up, he holds the note and then crashes over like a wave into the rest of the song. To me, it is a affirmation of life, and a vocal representation of those moments when everything is going well and you think 'yes!'. It makes me thrill just to listen to it. I get goosebumps waiting for the best bit to come along. If I have my ipod in and I am listening to it, I grin and quicken my step at that point. There are several other songs, movies and books that have this effect on me with these kind of climactic scenes. It got me thinking, wouldn't it be wonderful to collect all these great climactic pieces together and make a super feel good motivational boosting collage of moments. However, without what has gone before, would they have the same impact? Would Ripley's defeat of the alien in Alien or Aliens mean as much if you hadn't followed her journey throughout the movie? Would the collection of the nine bells have spine tingling importance if you hadn't read the Abhorsen trilogy from start to finish? Would Andrea's jubilant high note make you tingle if you hadn't heard the build up of the song? It made me question whether these high points are truly great in isolation, or is it the sum of all that has gone before that makes them great. Like our own lives, do we have one defining moment of wonder, beauty and greatness, or is the significance of our greatest victory actually dependant on all the little ones that have preceded it along the way?

Count down to New Zealand

Lily Marie's Baptism

Lily Marie was welcomed into the Catholic Church yesterday. Unfortunately she had to share her baptism with three other babies, but despite the crowding, it was a beautiful ceremony. Lily looked resplendent in a Christening robe made by my mother. It was my Christening robe too, so it was nice to see something being used that had such a strong connection to the family. Lily was very good and cried at the correct moment of the ceremony, when the priest put the water on her head, letting out the demons. I don't think she liked dressing up in her finery (she especially disliked her tights, but they did come up to her chin), but I am sure it is something she will grow into as she gets older (ha!ha! get it?). There was a lovely meal afterwards for the special girl and her family. I forget the name of the hotel. I think Lily found all the attention a bit draining. Suri Cruise couldn't have been more in demand for photographs. However, it was her party so she could cry if she wanted to. In the afternoon she got a bit grumpy - it had been a long emotional day and she had circulated among the guests - so the evening wound up. It was a lovely day and it was lovely to see Lily and her parents again. I predict she is going to be tall, she has very long fingers. Thanks to Valpot for the picture. As you can see, she is tired and unhappy and very Murphy in appearance!

The Best of the Best

I imagine one of the hard things for parents to accept is the day that they realise that their darling child isn't the brightest and the best, but that they love them all the same. I know I have posted about this before, but it was brought to my mind recently so I thought I would write about it again. Things that you have created - as in works of art - are different from your children, of course, but I imagine that the comparison holds true on many levels. You want your books, or paintings, to do well, to be well received and accepted into loving homes. You've taken time to raise them and you want them to have a wonderful life. They are connected to you on a deeply personal level and their reception - be it bad or good - impacts directly on your life. I want my work to be the best, and I constantly strive to improve, but there are times when I realise that no matter how hard I work, nor how much experience I have, my work will never reach the lofty heights I would like it to. Does this depress me - yes. Does it make me give up? - No. Because it doesn't matter whether my work is the best of the best, if it is high art or just pretty pictures, not everyone has to love it. There will always be better work than mine, but there will always be worse too. My work is mine, it is good, and I like it. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it doesn't have to be. All that matters is that I remember that, and still believe in it.

A Disresponsible Day

I was in Dublin today and met up with Valpot. We went to not one, not two, but THREE movies in the Dundrum movieplex. The first movie was Stardust. I thought new comer Charlie Cox was very good in the lead role of Tristan. Other stand outs were Michelle Pfeiffer as the witch and Mark Williams as Billy the goat, although all the cast were good with the exception of Robert De Niro, who was cringe worthy, Ricky Gervais, who just does the same thing over and over again, and Claire Danes, who wasn't enough like a star for me, although she did grow on me after a while. Apart from that, the movie was very well done, imaginative, magical and enjoyable. Our second movie was Ratatouille. I have already posted an in depth review of this movie, so I'll just say that I enjoyed it again. After a brief meal in a nearby eatery, we caught our third movie, Black Sheep, a comedy horror with the by line 'The Violence of the Lambs'. There were some parts in this movie that I didn't like, but apart from those one or two occasions, I found it gory, funny and scary which equals good in my book.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Valpot introduced me to this amazing competition last night. Amazon.com, in association with Penguin USA, are offering 5000 novelists the chance to be discovered. Through a six month process, their novels will be read and reviewed and narrowed down from 5000 to 1000 to 100 and then to the final 10, at which time ordinary customers will have the chance to read all 10 entries and vote for their favourite. The three authors with the highest votes will be flown to New York and wined and dined at an award ceremony where the grand prize winner will be announced. Up for grabs is a publishing deal with Penguin USA, a $25,000 advance, promotion through amazon.com and a HP media suite. The runners up get some cool prizes as well, and of course all this publicity on amazon.com is going to help your career prospects no end.

Reading the details on amazon.com, I got the feeling that this is an opportunity too good to be missed, but thanks to my procrastination (a subject for another post) I don't have The Mark of the Wolf in a suitable condition for submission. Entries are open until the 5th November or until 5000 entries have been received. Valpot persuaded me to sign up last night, so I now have seven days to submit my novel or lose my registration number. Can I wrestle 120,000 words into shape within that time? With several gallons of diet coke and no other commitments, I might. Who needs to sleep anyway?

Of course, Valpot has already entered, which leaves an ethical question - should we compete against each other? What happens if we both get down to the final ten? I would be thrilled if I did, and even more so if Valpot managed to hit the top spot, whether I got knocked out at the first round or not. However, this is all moot as it is highly unlikely that I will have anything to submit in the first place.

Does The Mark of the Wolf really have to be 120,000 words long? Maybe it would be just as good at 50,000.

I'm on television!

I've just seen myself in an ad on telly. It is really really weird. I feel very strange. I didn't expect to feel this way. I don't know how to put it into words. It is like no feeling I have experienced before. I'm going to curl into a ball now.

Signs is a good movie - what happened?

Signs was on tv last night and I caught it about half way through. I ended up watching the rest of it. You know when that happens, you start off browsing and then a movie hooks you in and keeps your interest? Well, that's what happened to me. The script is actually really funny, and the atmosphere is very tense. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix are perfect in their roles, hitting every mark with practised ease. The children, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin (much younger than her role in Little Miss Sunshine) are also perfect. It made me remember how once M Night Shyamalan was a good director/writer. Ok, so casting himself in the role of the vet who killed Mel Gibson's wife was a tad self indulgent, but nothing compared to his recent Lady in the Water, which was absolute drivel. Night burst onto the scene in 1999 with the Sixth Sense, which, until Lady in the Water, was my least favourite of his films. Everything is built up to the twist ending and, while it is well made and Brue Willis is good in it, I don't think it rewatches as well as his other films. Then came Unbreakable, a really good movie with an interesting concept that came along before everyone jumped on the superhero bandwagon. Next was Signs. It isn't a good example of an alien movie, but as a thriller and a look into how a family react to a global threat, without playing a big part, it is excellent. A lot of people didn't like The Village but, despite slight disappointment about one of the plot points, I thought it was a very good movie with really likable characters. Night's recent work, Lady in the Water, is so bad that it doesn't bear mentioning. Watching Signs again made me wonder - what happened? How come the promising career of a writer/directer good at creating tense atmospheres between a small group of characters just died in this messy puddle? Is there a lesson in hubris to be learned by us all through his example?

My new hair do

Clarification on yesterday's post

I got a lot of congratulations because of yesterday's post, which I found extremely puzzling. I want to thank everyone for their kind words, but I think it is necessary to clear some things up. I used the example of losing weight to illustrate an abstract concept (the high of achievement), just as I used getting my acting job as an example. I was not speaking about any recent or specific achievement. It was not to celebrate anything that has happened in my life within the last week. Thank you for congratulating me on past experiences, but this was not the aim of the post. It was trying to understand something of the nature of achievement and how it gives you a high to continue to pursue your goal. When this is lacking, it can be easy to fall into apathy and leave the path. I obviously didn't make this very clear.

In reply to DN, yes I am published in Voices in Dundalk and I have won writing competitions, but I have not yet SOLD an article for PUBLICATION. There is a difference.

The High of Achievement

It is amazing the satisfaction that achieving something can bring. I know every time I step on the scales and see that I have lost weight it gives me a great of achievement and spurs me on to lose more (and I really need to). I suppose it is the fact that you have done something productive that gives you such a high. It is the same when I land an acting job. It is such a boost to know that I have managed to do something, that someone else has seen my work and decided to pick me out of all the available people, and I am sure the same goes for any walk in life. I have heard that selling an article for publication gives a similar high and encourages you to write more and seek that achievement fix once more. However, it doesn't matter what the achievement is, big or small, you stick get a kick out of hitting that goal. Maybe it is taking your first steps, or learning how to make an omelet, or going on holiday on your own. They may be small things to other people but they are big things to you and doing them gives you a craving for more.

Ratatouille

Went to see the latest Pixar movie, Ratatouille, at the cinema this evening. I had heard very mixed reviews and, after Cars, I was somewhat apprehensive. There was a time when Pixar could do no wrong in my eyes. After a string of films that just got better and better - Toy Story, It's a Bugs Life (ok, that is my second least favorite), Toy Story 2, Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles - I was bitterly disappointed with Cars. Not that it was a bad movie, mind, and the animation was fantastic, but it just didn't have the imagination and the heart that the other movies did. Ratatouille had me wondering if they had produced another clanger (no offence to the whistling pink mice who live on the moon). It didn't sound very promising to begin with - I mean, a rat who wants to be a chef in a human restaurant? It didn't sound like the greatest of ideas. Then again, when I first heard about The Incredibles I was completely nonplussed and now it is one of my all time favorite films. Like The Incredibles, Brad Bird wrote and directed Ratatouille and I should not have doubted him for a second. Ratatouille was a beautiful film, and I don't just mean that in a visual sense, although the animation was the best Pixar have produced to date. What I loved most about Ratatouille was the story and the characters. It had a real heart and a depth that transcended the fact that one of the main characters was a rat. Like The Incredibles before it, which wasn't really about super heroes, Ratatouille was more about friendship, family, following your dream and being true to yourself than it was about rats and kitchens. This is no dumbed down kids movie full of toilet humor. This is a fully rounded meaningful, fun, uplifting movie for the whole family. I thought it was fantastic. Some of the people I was with felt it was a little slow to start, but for me the pacing was excellent. I loved Remy (who was a rat) and they did not anthropomorphize him too much (if that is possible for a cooking rat). While the people were stylized, after watching them for a while you forgot they were animated and believed they were real. The voice acting was superb. The story line was exciting with a satisfying conclusion and there were enough laughs to keep me chuckling throughout. I think Pixar have returned to form with this gem of a movie. Miss it at your peril.

'S Wonderful

I have just heard the most wonderful news. VALPOT has made her first sale of an article to a magazine. CONGRATULATIONS VALPOT. I've been dancing around, sorry that 50 miles separate me from Valpot so I can't join her in celebrating. She has been working so hard, never giving up, she really deserves this affirmation of her writing. I hope it will be the first of many publications. YOU'RE THE BEST VALPOT.

A big shout out as well to Broken Wing, who will shortly be appearing in print in the letters page of a well known equestrian magazine. Congrats BW.

Detox-lightful

I've been feeling quite sick, sluggish and nasty the last few days so when I visited my nutritionist yesterday (sounds dreadfully posh, doesn't it?) I asked her for a detox regime to help me get rid of the ickiness I was feeling. She recommended this living food, green food drink, which sounded great as she described it (a shower for the inside) and promised to get rid of the acidity in my body (I did feel really acidic). I went shopping for the ingredients this morning and, armed with my brand new juicer come blender, I proudly made my first portion. After hours of work and making mountains of mess, I was left with a glass of thick, green smelly sludge. The colour didn't put me off too much, it was a very pleasant dark green (if it had been paint), the viscosity didn't deter me, it was like a smoothie (a smoothie made of sludge) and I could even put up with the smell, it had a freshness to it (freshly composted veggies perhaps) but my resolve was sorely tested when I took my first taste. The first hit to my palate was not unpleasant. It was quite sweet, and I thought 'This isn't too bad.' The second thing my mouth noticed was how thick the mixture was. It was not a nice sensation; I felt as if I had been sucking the scum off the top of a pond. Then I got a double whammy of flavour (if I can call it that) - I was hit by a spiciness, which might have been nice if I hadn't been punched at the same time with a slimy earthiness of an aftertaste that made me want to retch. One sip was enough. Unfortunately, this is what I've got to drink during the day - for the next four days!

My 200th Post!

I've been watching out for my landmark 200th post for ages, and I am mad that I missed it! This is my 207th post, my real 200th post was a review of Lottie the Half Vampire, however I am going to pretend that it really is my 200th post.

YAY! 200 POSTS!

Can you believe it! Special prize for first comment on this post.

Thanks to Valpot

I want to give a big shout out to Valpot and to thank her for all her help and inspiration over the weekend. She has encouraged me in my writing for years, supported me, listened to me when I needed to rant and read all my work.

Short Story Mania!

I've just finished writing a short story and I am really pleased with how it turned out. Valpot challenged me to write a fantasy short story for Alienskin, and we both spent most of the day plotting out and writing our stories. I ended up writing a horror instead of a fantasy, but I'm going to try and write the fantasy tomorrow. I haven't written a short story in so long, and doing this exercise today made me realise that I can write them relatively pain free, so it is something to think about doing again on a more regular basis.

Feeling overwhelmed

33 days to go until I fly out to New Zealand and I am feeling totally overwhelmed with work. I want to plan out what I'm taking to New Zealand and get the trip in order, I want to get all my Christmas presents (bought and made) sorted before I go away, I have 3 friends birthdays this month and two family and there is Lily's baptism of course. I have paintings to finish and my art work to promote and sell and last, but by no means least, I have my writing to do. Til the Moon Fails has to be finished, The Mark of the Wolf has to be edited, and there are a couple of other projects that need my attention. Whether or not all these things are humanly possible, I don't know, but I will never get them done while I am stuck in this brain freeze of overwhelmdom. I've tried blocking things out, and even letting things go, but I am still buckling under the pressure of this self imposed burden. You know the old saying, 'You are your own worst enemy'? Isn't it funny that even when you know all the things you are doing wrong, it is really hard to stop doing them and change your behaviour.

Feeling sad

Feeling sad today for two reasons:-

1. Humphries went back today

2. I should have been flying to London to spend the weekend at a sci-fi convention today but I'm not well enough and I am so fed up of having to cancel things because of poor health.

On a more positive note, my brochures and cards arrived for my paintings today. Now all I have to do is get people to buy them. Also, I got to brain age twenty on the DS today, after only 3 days!

Happy Birthday Miriam

Review: The Revenge of Queen Rose

It has only been a few days since Witch Rose was banished from the Ferga by the Diamonds, and already twins Cathy and Alan are bored. Their boredom doesn't last for long, however, as Mount Slant is attacked, the Diamonds imprisoned and Susan and Vicky kidnapped. What follows is a breathtaking, edge of your seat, non stop knuckle ride that will keep you from putting down the book until you have finished. More details about the land of Ferga are revealed, and we also get to see Paul Puddings land and the lands beyond the Diamond's realm. This is a brilliant book, a worthy follow up to the Lucky Diamond. Valinora Troy is a master of her craft, weaving story lines involving ten characters and three different countries with ease and skill and keeping the readers interest throughout. I can't wait for the third book in the trilogy. I remember feeling the same way when I finished Lireal by Garth Nix. I couldn't put it down and when I was finished I had to get my hands on the third part of the trilogy, Abhorsen. In that case, I only had to wait a couple of days for the shops to open to buy it, unfortunately in this case I don't know how long I have to wait for the third book to be out! It is terrible. I'll just have to read The Lucky Diamond and Revenge of Queen Rose again until it comes out!

Review: Lottie the Half Vampire

Lottie isn't like the other members of her family. She doesn't share the health and golden hair of her mother and sister, she struggles with school and every so often she feels an ominous presence following her, which forces her family to up sticks and leave - except this time. The malevolent stranger that has been hounding Lottie since her birth finally catches her and Lottie is left with a difficult choice - leave her family willingly and go with this stranger, or subject her family to danger and be taken by force.

This is the first book in the Lottie series. It is a perfect introduction to the characters and sets the scene for an exciting set of books. Lottie is likable, her dilemma horrific and the story intriguing. I can't wait for the next book. Lottie is a real page turn and unputdownable.

Review: The Five Muses, An Anthology

Bee Gears with the Five Muses

I had a wonderful birthday today, with fantastic presents and great company. One of the highlights of the day was receiving this wonderful book of short stories. It contains seven stories by different authors and is introduced with a foreword by children's author Geri Valentine. The first story, A Fragment of Time, charts man's history with dragons after the flood. Dragons feature again in the second story, Flower, where an old man teaches his grand daughter about the beauty of life and is rewarded for his faith. In A Very Happy Birthday, Rags the dog describes her plan for the perfect day, and in Lily we meet an accountant who leads people back to God. Rubies are Dangerous is a haunting gothic tale twined with romance, set in Paris and concerning curses and the ballet. A Turgid Tale is inappropriately titled as it is an exciting and chilling story about druids and animal sacrifice. Dragons crop up once more in the final story, Falcon, which is a fantasy that will leave you wanting to delve deeper into its world.

I devoured the entire book in one sitting. Each story is engrossing and the threads of fantasy and horror that weave through the book give it a cohesive theme and make it a satisfying collection. I hope that this is the first in many such anthologies and I eagerly await more editions of The Five Muses.

30 Things to do before I'm 30

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday and as I am now nearer to the big three-oh than I am to twenty, I have decided to make a list of thirty things I would like to happen/think it would be fun to do before I am thirty. I've been asking people for their suggestions over the last few weeks and I'm going to compile my final list after the big day.

More paintings

My most recent workFemale Harris Hawk,35 x 45 cms, acrylic on canvas

Rags, 40 x 50cms, acrylic on canvas

Book Pledge: 66/150

Submission Pledge: 8/30

Baby Animals

I went to the zoo recently with Pamela to see the baby elephant. The new enclosure is lovely and the elephants seem much happier with their sand and swimming pool than they did with the plain concrete they used to have (of course, these are probably a new set of elephants!). I was cooing over one of the elephants for ages, thinking it was the baby, but it turned out it was a teenager and the difference was apparent when the real baby elephant shuffled out onto the scene. The older elephants were very protective of her as she stumbled around, pretending to be like the adults and trying to get a handle on how to use her trunk.

Asha the baby elephant

Talking of baby animals, I visited my niece Lily a couple of weeks ago. She had grown a lot since I last saw her, at nearly a day old. She was suffering from colic, so most of the time she was screaming and her face was red and scrunched up, but for a little while she unscrunched her face and looked really pretty. She has very long fingers and looks a lot like her dad. I was wearing a bright blue top and she kept on staring at me, I think because she could make out the colour.

Lily at 3 weeks old

My Painting

Because I have been doing so much painting recently, I thought I would post some pictures of the works I am particularly proud of.

This is a picture of Cori rearing (his welcome to Humphries). 30 x 40 cms, acrylic on canvas

This is a portrait of J.B, 20 x 25 cms, acrylic on canvas

A portrait of Janna. I call it Her Master's Voice, because I see it as her looking up at me, but other people think she looks really sad. 30 x 40 cms, acrylic on canvasGerry the goat, 18 x 24 cms, acrylic on canvas

Portrait of Cori, 25 x 35 cms, acrylic on canvas

All the original pictures are for sale and I also have a range of note cards and limited edition prints. I am available for commissions, so contact me for any further information on the above.

September

I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted! September is flying past. The start of the month was exciting as I got a couple of acting gigs and got to stay in a 5* hotel, which was very nice. I've also been throwing my energy into doing a lot of painting in a hope to supplement my (as yet non existent) income from writing. The painting is going very well and I am really pleased with the results. Because the pictures are turning out well, I am finding it very satisfying and rewarding, unlike my writing at the moment unfortunately. I'm working on The Mark of the Wolf and it is tough going. I've forgotten what it is like to write with abandon, enjoying the thrill of the work and satisfied with the outcome. It can't be like that all the time, of course, but it seems to have been a long time since it was like that with me. I feel like I'm doing lots of work with very little result and even though I know what I want the result to be, my work keeps on falling short of it by a long shot. That's life though, isn't it.

Poll Results

Last week I asked you if you would like to live forever, and I got a very good response. Thank you for voting.

44% percent said they would like to live forever. I found this surprising, because the comments on my posts about this seemed to indicate the opposite.

On a more morbid note, 33% percent would like to live forever as a vampire. Vampire's with souls aside, this also surprised me. I can't imagine living to the end of time having to drink blood. Long hair and velvet clothes are all very well, but I would miss food!

Only 22% of you decided you would rather not live forever. I presume you wished to go to Heaven and enjoy eternal life there, rather than that you wanted to die and felt suicidal. I hope it was the former anyway.

Thanks for voting and look out for more polls in the future.

Filing Cabinet Trouble

I think someone is trying to tell me something about filing cabinets - I'm not supposed to have them. You see, I have all these notes and story ideas that I want to put in some order. They've been sitting around in a box for years and it is really hard to find anything. Last year I thought it would be great to get a filing cabinet and sort it out so I could easily access my work. I got a two drawer flat packed cabinet for Christmas, which was wonderful, but I foolishly tried to put it together myself and I didn't do it very well because the drawers were impossible to open. When I fixed that problem (brute strength and ignorance) I found the drawers were the half page size rather than the A4 size I was used to and I couldn't fit my crystal hanging files in to it. So, earlier this year, I decided to buy a full size four drawer cabinet for my office. They are expensive but I shopped around and found one that was quite cheap. There was a long waiting period for the delivery, made longer because I missed the delivery man's phone call and it took another two weeks before they could reschedule. When they finally did bring it to the house, I was out, but my sister was great and looked after the delivery for me and even asked them to bring it upstairs to my office. I was so excited when I got home and rushed up stairs to find this big brown box in my room. I tore off the cardboard packaging like a kid at Christmas. There was a large dent in the second drawer, which annoyed me, but I didn't think much of it. I eagerly reached out to open the drawers but was met with resistance. They must be locked, I thought, and rummaged around for the keys. Having found them, I tried to open the lock, but it wouldn't budge. Since then, the filing cabinet has sat uselessly in my office, gathering dust. I know I should have phoned the furniture company and complained, but I have a major fault in leaving things on the long finger and I have had it so long now I don't want to phone them. Does anyone know how to fix a dodgy filing cabinet, or should I resign myself to the fact that I'm just not supposed to have one?

The Mark of the Wolf

I'm working on revising The Mark of the Wolf at the moment, heading towards the final draft. I have all these ideas in my head about how I want it to be, and I hope I can bring all these threads to bear successfully in the final draft. I've been reading TMOTW again before I start work on it and, despite all its faults, I am enjoying it. I think the characters are good and the scenario interesting. However, I keep on feeling that it is the action that takes place off scene that is the more important stuff. A lot of the scenes are based very much in the mundane and the everyday, with the characters often referring to something exciting that has happened but that we, the readers, didn't get to see. One of the things I will have to do in this edit is shift the perspective and show those scenes which weren't shown before, and leave much of the everyday to the imagination. This might make the final draft look very different from the original (on the surface) but the book that was struggling to break free from the confines of the ordinary was there all the long. I think it is going to be good - really good. I'm very excited about it.

Baby Lily Marie

Here are the (possilby) first photos of post natal Lily Marie Murphy, certainly the first on the internet of her anyway! This is my niece at almost one day old. We went down to the hospital in Port Laoise yesterday to visit her and to see how mum and dad were getting on. I've never been around babies much, I've never had any interest in them, so I've never experienced before the feeling of looking at a new person who has her whole life ahead of her. What will she be like? What will she do and learn and be? It is very exciting. I hope I will be part of her life and that she will like it when she visits me or I visit her, rather than groaning 'Oh no, Aunt Inkpot isn't visiting, is she?'.

I HAVE A NIECE

WELCOME to my brand new little niece who was born this evening to proud parents, Simon and Danielle. Today is St. Rose of Lima's feast day, so she has a beautiful patron saint. Being born on a Thursday means she is destined to go far. She also shares her birthday with famous people such as Gene Kelly and River Phoenix. Of course, none of this matters to her at the moment. She is only a little thing (under 6lbs) and is probably still struggling to make sense of why she has so much more room to move around in. I am going to visit the family tomorrow, so I'll let you know when I know more.

I know I shouldn't laugh, but...

I heard on the news yesterday that mobile defibrillators (you know, the electronic device that paramedics use to restart the heart - CLEAR!) saved two lives over the weekend. This is great news! One life was a heart attack at Croke Park. I don't know who was playing, I don't follow GAA, but I understand that there are some who feel very passionately about this sport and I can understand that in the heat of the moment - standing red faced in the crowds from shouting at your team - the old ticker might give out. The second life saved was a heart attack at the Rolling Stones concert at Slane. This made me chuckle. I wonder was it one of the band.

Printer Problems

I was sending out query letters to agents for The Mark of the Wolf and, this just shows you how long it has been since I last got a submission package ready, I ran across a problem with my printer. Well, my print cartridge to be more precise. I printed out my letter head and it is a brown/sepia tone and it came out red. The display on the computer told me I was out of black ink, but the colour cartridge was over half full. I changed the black cartridge and printed another test page. Again it came out red. I played around with the image and changed the lettering to black and, even with this, it came out with a faint red line around the words. I printed out a test page and it was also red. The conclusion I came to was that I have run out of the other colours in my colour cartridge leaving only red ink. I didn't know this was possible (I don't remember printing predominately blue and yellow pictures) but I am very disappointed that the printer is telling me I have so much of my colour cartridge left when it is only red ink! I would have changed it if I had a spare cartridge. It will be a waste of all that red ink, but I don't print red that often (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have so much left!)

Poll Results

I asked you what genre of books were your favourite and you answered in your hundreds... well, you answered -

HORROR! HORROR! HORROR!

Yes, that is right. With over 50% of the vote, horror came out top. Science Fiction and Fantasy tied as second with crime coming in third and factual books fourth. Popular fiction didn't even get a look in with not one of you voting for it in the poll. I wonder if I should ditch the Moonwolf Chronicles and concentrate on writing a follow up to 7 Days in Hell - 7 Weeks in Hell anyone?

Would you like to live forever?

I watched a documentary on Channel Four last night about the worlds oldest people. It was amazing to see a 100 year old woman in Japan who still grew her own vegetables and ran a shop and a 100 year old man in England who lives on his own and still uses coal to fuel his furnace. However, for every lucid able bodied centurion, there were plenty who were the more familiar picture of old age - crippled, deaf, unable to communicate and suffering from the unfortunate decrepitude that awaits for us all. Why some people age better than others is a mystery - it is all in God's hands - and there seemed to be no common link in diet or exercise between the various people who were interviewed. There was a difference in attitude however. Some were happy to have achieved such a great age (usually the more able bodied people) while the others longed for release from this mortal coil. One of the most poignant was a woman over 100 living in the US who was wheelchair bound and much distanced from the world, but who would sing when her nurse started to sing into her ear. It is one of the worst consequences of original sin that old age reduces our bodies to cages where we are can only respond to the strongest of stimulus. With this thought in mind, I asked myself the question - Would I like to live forever? It is a question I have often asked myself throughout the years and, bouts of depression aside, the answer has always been yes. There is so much in this world to learn about, study, see, explore and experience, so many people to get to know and to help, so many monsters to discover (and by monsters I mean creatures of the deep, Nessie, living dinosaurs etc) that our brief allotted time has never seemed enough. However, I long for the never ending life that was intended for us before the Fall. Living to a great age when you still have health and autonomy does have some attraction, but I am afraid I baulk at the thought of years of ill health, surviving all your loved ones and living in a home. However, it is not up to me to decide these things and, while I spend the years finding out my fate, I can explore the implications of immortality and mortality in my writing, as many authors have done before me.

How far would you go?

A friend said to me the other day - 'If you knew you had to submit your work 500 times before you were published, would you?' I must admit that it gave me pause to think. 500 times is a lot of times. Do I believe in my writing enough to keep going that long? 100 I have no doubt, but 500? It only took me a few seconds to respond with a positive 'Yes', but it did have me considering the whole situation. Later, when I spoke to Valpot about this, she posed another question. 'Which would you rather, to win the lottery or be published?' I found this easier to answer. 'To be published of course!' But it led me to think on another course. I've always looked at publication as the end of the road, the final achievement, the validation of my work, but what happens after publication? What if your books don't sell? Or what if they only sell ok and go out of print after 18 months? It happens - a lot! My answer to that is WRITE MORE. If you are publishing twice a year, you have more chance of getting your name known and making money from your books and, when you become successful enough, you will get your out of print books reissued. I found this very helpful for reminding me that I love writing and that I can easily get two publishable quality books out a year, if I just stick to it.

Book Pledge: 61/150

Happy Birthday David

47 today. Good luck with the new tv show!

Happy Birthday!

Two birthdays today: -

Happy Birthday Michael Biehn (51 today). I think Michael was my first Happy Birthday post last year, so it is nice to be posting birthday wishes to him again this year.

And a decade younger, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Superman *cough* I mean, Dean Cain (41 today)

Happy Birthday Summer

26 today

Happy Birthday Vin Diesel

40 today.

I'm a walking cliche!!!

I've just realised I am a living breathing cliche! You know the one about the struggling writer who spends all morning writing only to delete it in the afternoon? I know lots of writers have written about it, but I think Albert Camus put it best in his book, The Plague, when one character has been writing a book for years (can't remember the exact details) and hasn't got past the first sentence!

I'm feeling a bit like that at the moment.

Houston we have a problem

There I was, sitting at my notebook, getting ready to write the last two hundred or so words of Til the Moon Fails, when it hit me - the reason why I've been finding it so hard to finish the last section. I know the first draft didn't go so well, but since I've started it again I have been happy with it and the progress has been good. Until I got to the last section and things started to drag again. I thought it was because I didn't want to say goodbye to Hans and Janna, but reading what I have written of the section, I realise where I have gone wrong. It is just too depressing! This isn't how I want to end the trilogy - on a down note. So, much as I want to type 'The End', I think I'm going to have to start the last section again.

This is a WRITING blog!

Ok, I know I haven't posted a lot about writing recently, I do apologise, but it is because I have been working hard (although not hard enough) on getting Til The Moon Fails finished and every time I finish a section I keep on meaning to publish a picture (remember how Mulder used to announce the news?) but then I forget and then I've finished another section and it seems too late to post about it... anyway -

News on Til The Moon Fails - I hope to finish it this week (before Sunday 8th July). I've heard that before, I hear you groan. Yes, I know, the deadline for this book keeps on stretching and stretching, and the weird thing is I have only about 3/4K more words to write. I just don't want to say goodbye to these characters, it is so hard wrapping up their story.

Once I've finished Til The Moon Fails, I am going to tackle The Mark of the Wolf with a vengeance. I want to have it all shiny and ready for publication before the end of August so that I can start sending it out to agents again. I might get a professional editor to look it over before I do that, but either way I want it to be finished before September. It would be great to have it sent out to a few agencies before I go away in November.

As regards other writing - at the moment I have my hands full with these two projects. I know I can be more prolific, but at the moment I'm struggling to get the energy to drag myself from my bed to my writing chair.

So, when it comes to this blog, I will try to bring it back to being strictly about writing. If I have any random thoughts on TV programmes and movie stars, I will try to keep it to another blog (possibly my myspace blog - and yes, I have way too many blogs to keep track of!).