Writing: 2200 on the Half Day

Today was my half day at the office, so I was home for lunch, saw Valerie off to her bowls match (praying it didn't rain for her) and Kate off for her final A level exam (good luck). Settled down to the epic fantasy and produced 2,200 words of tension. Close the denouement now, with only 8,661 words to reach my target of 200,000. But I will exceed that, as I need more than 2 chapters to reach the conclusion. But I'm still on target to complete this first draft before I take the break from the computer.
Tonight is my writing group night, so I'll be off to the coast shortly (36 mile round trip, but it's worth it for the members of this group). On Saturday, Penny Grubb, one of our members, is having the launch of her third crime novel featuring her female private eye. The Jawbone Gang will be available to be signed by her at the local WH Smiths in Beverley if anyone wants to visit between 11.00 and 12.30. I'll be there myself to buy the book. The first two in the series were both really good reads, so I'll be taking this one with me to read under the sun.
Last cup of tea before I leave. So I'll wish you all a very good night.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Parasurama

Image via Wikipedia

Parasurama: one of my occasional ‘god’ spots.

Parasurama is one of the many incarnations of the Hindu god, Visnu. He is supposed to have saved the world from an army of tyrannical warriors. Another legend involves him ridding the world of despotic rulers (would that that were true!). He is generally depicted as a man holding an axe.

Writing: 1330 Words of Epic Fantasy

A brief note, after a long day at the office. I love it when the subconscious works its magic as you're involved in the everyday and the mundane, as I have been all day today. But I arrived home, ate and then settled to write 1300 words of inspired prose. Would that I had the energy to continue, but I don't. But I'm delighted with the section of the story that has tripped off my fingers tonight. 

Hostage of the Heart by Linda Acaster – from Ebook to Audio download

Some time ago I interviewed Linda Acaster about her Mediaeval romantic suspense Hostage of the Heart, when I reviewed the ebook. Today it is being launched as an mp3 audio download and I’ve invited her back to talk about the process.

How did this come about?

I followed a couple of links. Writers need to allot time to keep abreast of news and possible opportunities, just as they spend time publicising their work and activities. This new era of digital publishing is expanding at a rate of knots and, as I discovered, it’s not confined to the printed word.

Audiolark is an audio book publisher based in Canada which concentrates on all sub-genres of Romance, from short fiction to full novels. At the time I followed the link it was looking for a sweet romance to augment its list - not everyone wants erotica bellowing out of the car stereo system during the school run – and Hostage of the Heart was snapped up within days.

Remind us of the storyline

The novel is set in 1066 on the eve of two devastating battles that change the course of British history. On the Welsh borderlands Rhodri ap Hywel sweeps down from the mountains to reclaim stolen lands, taking the Lady Dena as a battle hostage. Tutored to believe the Welsh are barbaric, she finds herself abandoned by her Saxon kin and used as a pawn by the Welsh. Amid the intrigue and power-plays, dare she place her life in the hands of a warrior-knight shielding secrets of his own?

A Mediaeval novel with North American accents?

It’s what I braced myself for, but when the first proof arrived I was delighted to hear an English voice. Audiolark takes great care to match its narrator to the text, and I was asked to consider both the pronunciation and stresses placed on the sentence structure, and report back.

This was an interesting exercise. I’m used to proofing galleys of print books, and checking the html formatting for ebooks, but it was my first experience of proofing an audio download. I had to be very accurate in noting the timings – what at first sounds odd might take up less than a second; I kept having to ask myself whether it was just me being pedantic or whether there was a possible problem – and then I had to be specific in describing what I thought was the problem.

Just as proofreading text is not simply a matter of reading it through, proofing audio is not simply a matter of listening for enjoyment. I found it far more taxing than proofreading text. The list of queries, thankfully short, went back to Audiolark where each query was checked against the master. I thought that would be it, but no, I was sent a second proof. I love this level of professionalism. Audiolark wants the best for its customers and its authors, which is wonderful for us all.

Hostage of the Heart launches as an 8-hour DRM-free mp3 download on 21 June at the discounted price of $3.49 for one week, $9.99 normal price.

http://www.audiolark.com/books/hostage-of-the-heart/

Hostage of the Heart ebook:

Kindle USA http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MNH4BA

Kindle UK http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B003MNH4BA

I-Pad, Nook, Sony, Kobo https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14120

To catch up with Linda Acaster’s other fiction:

http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com

http://www.lindaacaster.com

http://twitter.com/#!/lindaacaster

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Credible or credulous

Image via Wikipedia

Credible or credulous: If you’re credible, you are authoritative, believable. If, on the other hand, you are credulous, then you could be described as gullible or naive.

‘Bill Gates would make a credible judge in any contest between developers of computer software for mass use.’  

‘Most religious people are seen as credulous by atheists, as they understand them to be prone to believe in events lacking evidence to back them up.’

Writing: 1100 Words Only Today

A day at the office, so not a lot of time to write. It would have been dance class, but the teacher is on holiday in Morocco for a couple of weeks, so an extra night to write. Had a new Author Interview to deal with; this one will be especially great to read, so watch out for 21 July.
Once at the keyboard, managed to turn out 1,100 words before the energy started to drop. But the epic fantasy continues to grow and go well. Sorting out a new danger for one of my protagonists tonight; will he or won't he overcome this particular barrier?
That's it for tonight, though.

The picture shows a lane in the area, known by the locals as 'Mucky Duck' but I've no idea why.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Oasis

Image via Wikipedia

Oasis: noun - fertile place in a desert where water is found; place or period of calm in the middle of trouble or fuss; the proprietary name for a rigid foam used in flower arranging.

‘It’s pure coincidence that this word should come up for definition today, since I’ve just employed 2,500 words or so describing the adventures of one of my protagonists trapped in an oasis in a desert in the imagined land of my epic fantasy.’

‘Mrs Woebegone, a stalwart of the Mothers’ Union, refused point blank to use Oasis for her flower arrangements, referring to the device as a cheat and an unnatural aid. Of course, all her companions thought the foam blocks were brilliant for making their arrangements stay fresh and in place.’

‘Pandora had trudged miles with a raging thirst through the desert and was overjoyed, indeed, delirious, when she saw the palm trees that surrounded the oasis ahead.’ 

Writing: 3000 Words, and on Fathers' Day!

Up slightly later than usual, but managed 1,800 words before breakfast, so the epic fantasy moves along apace.
A good walk, in the rain, after breakfast. Then some lunch and work on various other things, including some blog posts. Another session to bring the total to 3,000, which leaves my 200,000 word target now short of 13,323 to do before I take a break. Mind you, I suspect I'll exceed that target before the first draft is complete.
Enough for today. Time to relax and devour some of the special goodies my daughter, Kate, has made for the special day.

Picture is of a Japanese decorative bush, an Acer, I think, in the back garden.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Didactic

Didactic: adjective - with the character or manner of a teacher, intended to instruct, with instruction as its ulterior purpose.

Noun - didactic author or treatise; the art of teaching.

We all come across and know about didactic literature, even if we don’t necessarily know the term for it. With its academic tone, intended to educate, it carries connotations of heavy-handedness.

‘The novel was so obviously didactic that most readers were immediately put off reading it.’

‘Are you actually trying to bore them, George, or is your didactic prose somehow supposed to attract people to your words? You might have more success if you concentrated less on teaching your readers and more on telling the story.’

Nothing suitable on Zemanta, so here's a picture of an Iris I took in the back garden a week or so ago.

Breaking Faith, Reviewed by Kim Tomsett-Fowler

Breaking Faith by Stuart Aken
Reviewed by Kim Tomsett-Fowler

You often hear about stories that stay with you long after they have been read. Well, for me this was 'that' story. I was bombarded by several different emotions whilst reading this book and I loved every minute of it!

This book was a rites of passage tale. We are taken on a journey by the female lead of this story and how her life changes therein. I was amazed at how much time and emotion I invested in each of the characters – really feeling their every emotion, they were so real to me. I also like the way the author changed the narrator almost each chapter between the two main leads. It meant we could see both sides of the story as it were and was a nice touch.

It was beautifully written, in such a way as I could not put it down. Almost to the detriment of my sleep! Thank you Mr Aken for writing a story that has taken me over so completely that now I have finished it, I feel a little lost! May there be lots more from you.




As the author, I'd like to thank Kim, publicly, for this great review. I came across Kim on a Facebook group I belong to, and she was offering reviews of books by Indie authors; a service both generous and valuable. I commend her for her dedication and her love of books and reading. Many thanks for this, Kim.

Writing: 3100 Words For Today

Best laid plans....  I completed 3,100 words of the epic fantasy this morning, in a single session. I'd intended returning to do more later in the day, but other things also needed doing. The novel continues to go well and I'm well on target for the 200,000 or so I think will take me to the end of this volume. I need to write 16,314 words to reach that target.
However, in the not-too-distant future, I'm intending to have my annual break from the computer, so I need to build up some of the daily word spots to be scheduled whilst I'm away from the keyboard. So far, with today's efforts, I've got word spots and author interviews scheduled up to and including 30 June. Also, the Writing Contests page needed an update: this is a time-consuming operation, but I managed to add a good 20 or so and removed those where the entry date has passed, so that's now up to date. You know where it is if you're interested in entering competitions.
Emails are more or less up to date, though there are a couple from friends that need a bit more thought before they are answered.
A member of one of the groups I belong to on Facebook is reading my romantic thriller, Breaking Faith, and will be reviewing it once she's finished. So I'm keen to see what she thinks of the book. Watch this space for her review later.

The photograph is one I took in Crete, on my last holiday there.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Nacre

Nacre: noun - mother-of-pearl.

‘The ornate writing desk, which she bought him as a reward for his success in having his novel published, was inlaid with mahogany, ebony and nacre, which shone with the soft lustre of the sea and inspired him to write more about the sailors she so loved.’

The picture is of the Harbour at Sissi, Crete.

Writing: 3100 Words, Two Sessions

Been one of those days when small things combine to prevent bigger things occurring. This morning's session went well and I reached 2,000 words before joining my wife in bed for breakfast. A short trip to the local shops for odds and sods and it was time for lunch.
The weather was great, so I took a short stroll round the garden and took some photographs of the flowers as a diversion from the desk. Back inside, and the pictures uploaded and tweaked, emails sorted and then had to update the laptop. My Google Chrome then started to play up, so I had to stop the email session and prepare more blog posts. Valerie was bowling and Kate had a date with her boyfriend, so I was taxi driver, ferrying everyone here and there.
Then Blogger decided to play silly devils just as I was scheduling some of the posts I'd prepared. Finally actually got down to more writing and managed another 1,100 words. So, in the end 3,100, but it could so easily have been 4,000 or more.
Still all is going well with the epic fantasy. And I'm still managing to keep the timeline up to date, which is just as well, as I'd be lost without that.
Enough. It's 9:30 on Friday night and I've been up since 7:30, so I think I deserve a drop of red on the sofa with my lovely wife.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Macaroni

Image via Wikipedia

Macaroni: noun - pasta in tube form, an Italian dish consisting of this and a sauce; macaroni penguin – (Eudyptes chrysolophus), so called because of its orange crest; an Italian, when used as derogatory slang; nonsense, meaningless talk, as used in Australian slang.

‘I could really fancy some macaroni cheese; what about you, Antonio?’

‘That’s just a load of old macaroni, Bruce.’

Writing: 3500 Words in Two Sessions

Started off this morning with 2,500 words of the epic fantasy. This was after a short session of email response and some breakfast with Kate who was on her way to school to take her 'A' levels in English Lit and Media. She's out celebrating with a group of fellow students and the English teacher now, having done what she can in the exams. One more to go, next week.
Spent some time in the garden, cutting back a vicious pyrocantha to allow a bit more room to turn the car, once I've made the hardstanding for the turning. Had to rest after that.
Had another session in the afternoon, working on new blog posts. Then, following tea, another session of writing on the fantasy, creating another 1,000 words. So, not a bad day's work in all.
Time now for rest and relaxation in readiness for tomorrow's session.

The picture shows a fisherman's hut on the coast of Crete.

Author Interview with Lucinda Brant

Hello Lucinda. Please tell us little about yourself.

Hi Stuart, nice to be here! I’m a History and Geography teacher at a girls’ boarding school by day, and by night and weekends I write Georgian historical romances and crimances (crime with lashings of romance).

I know you write historical romance, amongst others; would you give us some insight into NOBLE SATYR in a few sentences.

It's set in 1745, the age of hedonism and enlightenment. The heroine Antonia is abandoned at the court of Versailles. The predatory Comte de Salvan plots her seduction, but his all-powerful adversary snatches her to safety. But is the Duke of Roxton Antonia’s saviour or a satyr most despicable?

How did you come to write this particular book?

It was the first book I wrote and it won the $10,000 Woman’s Day/Random House Romantic Fiction Prize – an Australia/New Zealand wide competition that had over 1500 entries.

If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

Antonia of course! She is exuberant, tenacious, loves reading Tacitus, and believes utterly in the power of love to conquer all.

Where and when is this novel set and why did you make these specific choices?

The first half of NOBLE SATYR is set in Versailles and Paris in the 1740s; the place to be in Eighteenth century Europe. Versailles was a hot bed of intrigue and sexual liaisons –nobles had little else to do with their time while kicking their red heels around the Court of Louis XV. Part two is set in Georgian London – the place to be in the Eighteenth Century for new architecture, science and technological innovation, a melting pot of political ideas, and of course tea-table gossip!

Where can people buy your books?

All my books are available from most vendors, including Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Kobo, Diesel, and Smashwords. The hardcovers are being published over the next couple of months with SALT BRIDE to be the first to be released.

NOBLE SATYR is available on Amazon for 86p (99c in the US). http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004Q9TWOG

All my books are available on Amazon UK: http://tiny.cc/wr8m8 and Amazon US: http://tiny.cc/3s0hj

Other outlets can be found through my website which has direct links to stores: www.lucindabrant.com

What qualities do you think a writer needs to be successful?

The ability to write an entertaining story, and persistence. Never ever give up!

What’s your working method?

I do a great deal of planning. I have lots of little notebooks full of story ideas, half conversations, chapter starts. I carry the notebook with me everywhere so I can write down an idea then and there. I write on weekends. And while I write I edit as I go. As I work full-time, I write mostly on weekends, and with so little time, there is little time to be precious about “getting in the zone” or “waiting for my muse”. I just write!

What single biggest mistake is made by beginner writers?

Giving up too soon. It takes twenty years to become an overnight success!

To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

Most important. Grammar and spelling are the clothes in which your words are dressed. It doesn’t matter how elegant your outfit if the zipper of your trousers/skirt is undone. All anyone is looking at is that open zipper, so too with grammar and spelling. A misspelled word, a comma out of place, and the reader is distracted from the story and the spell is broken.

How much do you revise your MS before sending it off?

Revise. Revise. Revise again! I edit and revise as I write. It’s not for everyone. But it works for me.

As a writer of romance and mystery, to what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?

Mmm. That’s a hard question to answer. I guess it helps to “classify” my novels for the reader but I often find that my historical romances and mysteries fall through the cracks in both genres.

My historical romances are set in the Georgian period (specifically 1740 - 1780) so not strictly Regency – where they often end up.

And my historical mysteries I classify as Crimances (crime with lashings of romance) because they are not strictly mysteries. There is a murder/murders to solve but there is a strong element of romance, which is just as important to the story; hence my coining of the term “Crimance”.

Many authors view marketing as a chore. What's your opinion on this issue and how do you deal with it?

Marketing is essential if authors want to get readers to find them, least of all read their novels. So I offer readers one of my novels NOBLE SATYR for 99c (86p) on Amazon – which enables them to read my work for very little outlay and decide if it’s for them.

I also have some professional help.

And I do the social media thing with Facebook and Twitter. It is all rather thrilling to be able to connect with authors and readers from the comfort of my study!

How do you know where to begin a given story?

I usually drop myself right into the middle of a conversation/conflict and away I go!

What sort of displacement activities keep you from writing?

I’m a high school teacher. I have a teenage daughter, a husband and a dog. Need I say more?

What support, if any, do you receive from family and friends, or a writing group?

My husband is my greatest support. He believes in my writing 100% which is fabulous!

I also have the support of dedicated fans, one in particular, Mel, runs the Lucinda Brant Fan Page on Facebook! How thrilling for a writer!

Do you think presentation of the MS is as important as agents and publishers suggest?

Yes. It’s the “Open Zipper Principle” I spoke about earlier.

How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

About a year while working full time.

If there’s a single aspect to writing you find really frustrating, what is it?

Not having enough time to write!

Is there a particular aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

I enjoy all of it, even the editing.

Do you believe writing to be a natural gift or an acquired skill?

I don’t believe you can learn to write but I do believe you can learn to write well.

What are you writing now?

An Historical Romance, AUTUMN DUCHESS. This is the third book in the Roxton Series, of which NOBLE SATYR is the first.

I am also writing the second book in my Historical Crimance series, DEADLY AFFAIR. I hope to have both completed by the end of the year.

Do you have a website or blog that readers can visit?

Website: www.lucindabrant.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucindaBrantGeorgianHistoricalRomanceandCrimance

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucindaBrant

Given unlimited resources, where would you do your writing?

In a Palladian terrace in the heart of Georgian London! Failing that, a Georgian sandstone terrace in Hobart, Tasmania (where I intend to move, unlimited resources or not, in the next year or two).

Where do you actually write?

At a replica Eighteenth century desk in my small study at the back of our house crammed floor to ceiling with non-fiction titles on all manner of subjects relating to the Eighteenth Century, and with windows overlooking a Koala reserve where Koalas laze about in the forks of trees. Lovely!

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Laborious

Laborious; adjective – distinguished by or involving labour or exertion; entailing labour in construction or execution; not fluent; giving birth with difficulty; of labour - difficult.

‘The prisoners in the chain gang found the manual digging of drainage ditches a laborious task.’

‘The vicar’s sermon on moral decline in the modern age was so laborious that half of his congregation fell asleep before he’d finished.’

Writing: 2000 Words, 1 New Character

This post should have appeared yesterday, but, due to the changes made to Blogger, it didn't appear.
Wednesday is my half day at the office and the end of my employment week (part time employment allows me to do full time work - the rest is the writing). Home in time for lunch and then settled down and wrote another 2000 words. Had a short break midway to develop another character and write a profile for him, as he was essential to the next stage of the plot. Still a lot happening. With just over 26,000 words to reach my target 200,000, I'm fast approaching the denouement, which means that all three story threads need to converge, or at least come to natural conclusions. The story will continue into volume 3, of course. But that should see this piece of epic fantasy concluded. Whether or not I continue with the land, characters and societies I've imagined into existence will depend on the how readers respond to the books, of course.
As for the rest of today; I visit a seaside town each Wednesday, where my writing group meets. We discuss the work we are each doing and look at many other aspects of the writing life. Always an interesting and stimulating evening, especially as we are all published writers. Some, in fact, are multi-published, and in a number of different areas.
So, that's me for today. On my return I shall relax with Valerie. Tomorrow, Kate takes her first two A level exams; wish her luck.

The picture shows a local field, about fifteen minutes walk away, planted with potatoes.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Compliment or complement

Image via Wikipedia

Compliment or complement: A compliment is praise given to your lover in hopes of the rewards of love. You may complement a collection of objects by making it complete, or add an item to some others for the same reason.

‘Frank was apt to flirt with the girls and compliment them on their figures and appearance in the hope that they would favour him with, well, favours.’

‘Jesse brought in a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to complement the meal of roast beef.’ 

15 June 1996 – Central Manchester was bombed by Irish dissidents.

Another example, fortunately now well past, of idiots believing they can achieve their unpopular aims by terrorizing populations indiscriminately. Terrorists rarely actually achieve anything that couldn’t be better changed by normal, if slow, democratic processes. And when governments and journalists dress up the activity of such sociopaths by referring to mass murder as something other than what it is, they aid the terrorists.

Writing: What? Only 600 Words?

Nothing written yesterday. But that was due to my working day at the office followed by my dance class with Valerie (the last for a few weeks, as the dance teacher is off to Morocco for a holiday). That was followed by a must-see TV documentary on assisted suicide. Terry Pratchet presented and the programme dealt with a difficult subject in a sensitive and mature way. By the time it, and the discussion that followed, had finished, it was too late to do any writing.
Today, I returned from the office late and, after my evening meal, didn't start in my study until just before 20.00. I had 53 emails to sort and respond to; comments to make on Facebook and various other forums. But, I managed to get down to the writing at last and determined to do at least 500 words. I completed 600 and that will do for now, as I'm pretty knackered. Still finding cliff hangers and passages of what I hope will prove thought provoking prose.
But, for the moment, I will bid you goodnight.

The picture is one I took on the coast in Crete, last time I was there.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Bring or take

Image via Wikipedia

Bring or take: Fairly straightforward, this one. Someone will bring something to you. But they will take it away from you.

‘Bring me the ring, so I can place it on the finger of the king.’

‘Take away the cake, for I can make a better bake.’

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Bought or brought

Bought or brought:

Bought: past tense and past participle of verb to buy - Gain possession of by giving money; obtain by payment; purchase; obtain in exchange for something else, or by making a sacrifice; win over, hire or engage (usually in a bad sense as in: winning favour by using money, influence, bribing; suffer, be wounded, killed, or destroyed; believe; accept; approve.

Brought: past tense and participle of verb to bring - Cause to come with, or to convey by carrying, leading, impelling or attracting; to prefer a charge, initiate legal action. 

There should be little difficulty with this one if you keep in mind the relationship between ‘bought’ and ‘buy’. Something that has been bought is a thing that has been purchased.

When you use ‘brought’, it is describing the action of bringing something from one place to another. I don’t know, but perhaps if you remember that the ‘r’ in ‘brought’ stands for ‘retrieve’, it might help as a mnemonic.  

Writing: 4700 Words, And on a Sunday.

The epic fantasy continues apace. Two sessions today, with 1,900 words before breakfast. Interesting illustration of the workings of the subconscious: I was eating breakfast with my wife and we taking about nothing in particular. I mentioned that I’d started the session with very little idea of my direction, really no more than an aim in mind. A plot device had arrived, as they do, out of the blue, and I’d written this as part of the story, adding drama and action. But, in talking about the new plot section, I suddenly realised that I had worked the event to tie in exactly with another event and that the two would coincide a couple of days further in the story. This coincidence would work excellently with the major story threads. And this all happened as if by accident. But was, of course, my subconscious diligently doing its duty and feeding me the ideas just when they were needed.

The second session took me to a total of 4,700 today. Very satisfactory, especially since I also had to produce a new character profile for a character who is quite important to this part of the novel, but who will disappear after this section ends.

Made a start on the next lot of updates for the contest page, but I’m tired now, so that will have to wait. Also, worked on more blog posts so I can schedule those for the days I’ll be away from the computer in the not-too-distant future.

The target is 200,000 (though that is flexible, as it depends on the way the plot finally pans out. But it's a reasonable notional figure to aim for). I'm currently at 171,118, which leaves a balance of 28,882 words to complete before I take my break from the computer on 6 July. Think I'll make it?

The picture shows a Clematis from my garden, taken during the week, before the welcome rain started.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Byronic hero

Image via Wikipedia

Byronic hero: A jaded and flawed hero, founded on the life and works of romantic poet, Lord Byron. He is usually erratic, disrespectful, self-destructive. His emotional behaviour often isolates him from the world. Byronic heroes appear throughout literature: Heathcliff is a good example. They are still common in certain types of romance, and the Phantom in the Phantom of the Opera is a relatively contemporary example, though there are doubtless innumerable modern examples.

12 June 1991 – Boris Yeltsin became first democratically elected President of Russia.

For all that he was perceived as a drunk and a buffoon in some circles, and was undeniably eccentric, he was a symbol of the emergence of the USSR from its communist straightjacket and into the modern political clothing of democracy. Still far to go before the corruption of the past is purged and yet to throw off the traditional urge to appoint a dictatorial figure as a leader, the Russians are slowly modernising their government to bring it into line with contemporary ideas. 

Writing: 4300 Words; But it is Saturday

A latish night last night but up early for a Saturday and wrote 1,900 words before breakfast. Two of the main protagonists are featuring a lot during the current sessions, as there is a lot happening for them but the other two threads are both in quiet periods.
The garden at the front is slowly being prepared for a relatively major project and today that moved a step forward, when Valerie and I removed a major obstacle in the form of a large bush. Transplanted it to another part of the garden. Let's hope it recovers.
After lunch, I had a second session and completed another character profile for a minor character who has decided she should take a more prominent role. They do this to you, don't they? Characters take control and dictate certain aspects and you just have to go along with them. I usually find they are right as well. After that, I wrote another 2,400 words, featuring the new character in an essential part of the narrative. So, 4,300 words of epic fantasy done.
I added a couple of pictures to my Facebook album, 'My Homeland' and then responded to the comments they attracted.
Kate has gone to yet another 18th birthday party - her life seems to be full of these as her friends all reach that age. She has her first A level exams on Thursday.
So, we're going to relax now, having taken our constitutional a little earlier.
The picture was one I took in the back garden a couple of days ago.