Suzanne Bowditch's Blog, page 36
June 7, 2016
June 7 Challenge
Day 7 Seven Days OffJune 7, 1982. Priscilla Presley opened Graceland to the public.
Many Elvis fans have taken vacations to Memphis just so they can tour Graceland.
Where would you like to visit on your next vacation? What would you do with seven days off? What is your idea of a perfect week-long vacation?
Alternatively, write about a vacation you took in the past.
A vacation I took in the past.
Florida.Many, many years ago, I took a holiday to Florida. Well it wasn’t technically a holiday, but was booked as a vacation and just turned out to be my honeymoon! (Another story, but we married after knowing each other for just over a year, and are still married after 27 years).
We booked a fly drive from Heathrow, London, to Orlando. We had seven glorious days in Theme park heaven, exploring SeaWorld, the Magic Kingdom, and Universal Studios. This was 1989, and the new Universal attractions were still in the pipeline. Lots of vacant lots with For Sale signs on them, indicated the potential growth of the area.( Indeed, we stayed on the same strip a few years later with our two year old, and were amazed at the amount of hotels, restaurants and attractions that had built up.)
The most memorable part of the honeymoon was, for me our trip down the Florida Keys, straight down to Key West. The weather was glorious and the scenery breath taking as we traveled across bridge after bridge, making our way further south.We stayed in the Southernmost Hotel just at one end of the main strip of Key West; a colonial style hotel, that I remember as being clad in lots of white woods, with blues and creams as the decor. It was just a short walk down the strip to Mallory Square, where tourists gathered each evening to watch the sun go down over the sea.
Fabulous.
Then, we got drunk on delicious cocktails from Fat Tuesdays, and staggered back to our hotel. The next day, we managed to take a tram around the island, visited the pub where Ernest Hemingway often fell out of (Sloppy Joe’s I believe) and visited the said author at his home on the island, unchanged since he lived there. I recall lots of cats sleeping in and around Hemingway’s garden. There was also a visit to a lighthouse, and a trip to the top of it where the sea looked cool and inviting.
It was with regret that we headed back to Orlando, but not before stopping off at a lovely restaurant for lunch, on the island of Marathon. I remember the snapper was delicious!
Key West
A gorgeous vacation/honeymoon, which I still have fond memories of to this day.[image error]
Suzanne Bowditch, 2016
Book Review
An Isolated Incident – Emily Maguire
Having just recently enjoyed the psychological thriller Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica, (set in Chicago) I was looking forward to settling down with this new psychological thriller, set in a small rural town in Australia.
The premise of the book grabs the reader immediately;
-Bella Michaels, 25 years old and a care assistant in a nursing home, is brutally murdered and left on a secluded road outside the small town of Strathdee,
-the town is naturally stunned, no more so than the victim’s devastated older sister Chris, a barmaid in the local pub,
-Chris plunges into deep despair and depression, is suspicious of every man who walks into the pub, and starts having visions of her dead sister,
-Added to that, the media descends on the town and the usual circus ensues.
I plunged myself into this read with enthusiasm and anticipation, and I was initially not disappointed. BUT as the book unravels, the focus leans more towards the two main characters -Chris the sister, and May the reporter, rather than the actual murder itself. I wanted to know more about the murder, but instead got viewpoint’s from Chris (real good character development, if a little unlikable) and May the reporter (also flawed).
There are themes of domestic violence, misogyny, the media treatment of murder victim’s especially young women, BUT then it became not so much a thriller as a drama.
The attack became secondary to the development of the characters – not a bad thing in itself, but this, to me, was a psychological drama.
I give it 3 1/2 out of 5.[image error]
June 6, 2016
June 6 Challenge
Days 6 Six Sounds You Love or HateJune 6, 1944. The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London.
Are you a fan of the song YMCA by The Village People? Or do you hate it?
I neither hate or love the song YMCA. In fact, it reminds me of the kids film Despicable Me, when the minions dress up as the YMCA pop band itself. Good vibes really.
*Videos courtesy of Youtube.
The six sounds I love :
The telephone. This may sound strange, but my hubby phones me most mornings to see how my day is going. At the moment I have toothache, but dislike the dentist so am putting off going. The telephone reminds me that he cares.
The patter of rain on my window. I live in sunny QLD where the temperatures are HOT most days. It is Winter now so it has cooled down, which is a relief. The rain reminds me of Wales.
Oasis – Wonder wall. This song was a huge hit when I was pregnant with my first child, Liam, who’s now 19 years old. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1Bh...
Robbie Williams – Feel. The Robster at his best.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy4mXZN1Zzk
DNCE – Cake by the Ocean. My daughter thinks that I am not ‘with it’ enough. We have her radio channels on every morning, so I have become quite fond of this song. Its catchy, tuneful and easy to sing – good enough for me.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaRiD5ym74
My daughter’s laughter fills the house. She loves telling jokes especially on Road Trips.
Self-Publishing Tip — 1
Great tips here for self publishing![image error]
When you decide to self-publish, you can’t just put the book up for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other ebook retailers. This is no time to sit back and wait for the money to roll in. You have work to do, my friend, and this work should be started before you publish. If you haven’t done so, start a Facebook page and sign up for Twitter. Join groups that deal with promoting eBooks. Trust me on this, don’t put any of this off to the last minute. If you have a regular FB page, set up one for you as an author, and one for the book you are going to publish. Connect with other indie authors. When they promote a book of theirs, share the link on your page. Chances are they will do the same for you when the time comes. On your author or book…
View original post 125 more words
June 5, 2016
June 5 Challenge
June 1 – 30 challenge
Day 5: Five Favorite Foods
June 5, 1941. Robert Kraft, founder of Kraft Foods, was born.
Tell us about your five favorite foods or five favorite restaurants. You can also share five favorite recipes.
Alternative: Write about your least favorite foods or dining experiences!
Sunday roast. I grew up in Wales, and a roast dinner on a Sunday was an essential part of life, followed by a Sunday afternoon film, and a snooze.Then, my mother would make –
Victoria Sponge cake. My mother did not spend hours in the kitchen baking, but Sundays she loved cooking. One of her best bakes was a sponge, or a Jam Roly poly cake or Banana cake…all remind me of Sundays and food.
Sushi. I had never heard of sushi until we moved to Australia ten years ago. Living on the eastern part of this huge country, it is very much Asian influenced, with a sushi train in most shopping centres, whether large or small. I love tuna and avocado, chicken and the Californian roll the best, smothered in Japanese mayo.
Chocolate. Not technically a food, I suppose, but it has to have a mention. I would eat chocolate every day if I could (and boy do I try). I love Dairy Milk, Lindt chocolate and Maltesers, although would consider ANY chocolate.
Indian curries. We had a fabulous curry house around the corner when I lived in Wales, which we visited at least twice a month when my children were small. So, they have also come to love curry. My favorite dish has to be Chicken Tikka Marsala. A new curry house has opened near us, making life in Oz complete.[image error]
June 4, 2016
June 4 Challenge
Day 4: Photo Challenge
June 4, 1917. The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded.
If there was a Pulitzer for amateur photography…
Today is your chance to post your entry for the competition!
Post a picture representing the number 4. It can be four items, four people, or something showing the number 4. Be creative! Look around you and take some fun photos to share!
This is my darling daughter Jessica, who was born on FOUR January, 2002.
We have FOUR fingers on one hand.
There are FOUR chambers of the heart so, FOUR times the love.
The number FOUR derives its meaning from Creation itself – on Day FOUR God created the material universe.
Hence, the FOUR seasons in one year.
*
June 3 Challenge
Day 3: Three Things You Can’t Live Without
June 3, 1937. The Duke of Windsor married American Wallis Simpson. He loved her so much he knew he could not live without her, so he gave up the Crown of Great Britain to marry her.
What are three things you can’t live without (or wouldn’t want to).
#June 1-30 Challenge
Chocolate. Growing up, I loved Christmas. The thrill of presents and sumptuous food, yes. But the real reason is the amount of chocolate that my parents allowed me to eat! One year, I found a stash of chocolate meant for Christmas day. I opened a Milk Tray box, and ate the top layer. Then I swapped the layers to fool my mother into thinking that I’d had just one or two….! To this day I cannot imagine a life without chocolate.
My family, and my dog. This is a no brainer as far as my family is concerned… I have a little fox terrier dog, Billy, that I adore. He’s wicked and naughty but he comes third after my children.
I love my computer. I’m old enough to remember a time when all I knew about computers was that it was ‘just for boys.’ Girls had to contend with needlework classes instead. Now, I cannot imagine not consulting my computer for anything from recipes, pet tips, film reviews.. its endless. Its also helped me to rediscover my passion for writing.
June 3, 2016
June Challenge – Day 2
Day 2 – Choose two goals for the month:
Continue to eat as healthily as possible. As well as aiming to complete the June challenge, I started a healthy eating plan on the 1st of June. Today, I visited my local supermarket and picked up lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as wholemeal bread, eggs and low fat milk. I am not calling it a ‘diet’ as I always feel that I am somehow punishing myself by the very word. Tomorrow I am going shopping for some warmer clothes (Winter has arrived in Queensland), but will choose a sushi roll or a salad for my lunch, instead of my normal shopping treat of coffee and cake.
Continue on my writing journey. I completed my second book a few weeks back, and have been busy editing it myself. This means that I have spent precious hours looking at words that I have already written, instead of creating new ones. So, with that in mind, I am determined to set a time for editing, and a time for creating. I have my blog, plus the third book of the trilogy in the pipeline. Also, a series of short narratives have sprung up in between researching, so am excited about perusing those ideas.
Early morning on the Gold Coast
June 1, 2016
June Challenge
I have decided to take up the June challenge on Kathleen Duncan’s blog. Check it out –
Image courtesy Google images: science-all.comDay 1 -One Piece of Advice.
My advice for the day? –
“Have the courage to live a life true to yourself, not the life others expect of you.”
This may seem philosophical and even vague, but it resonates with me on many levels.
Firstly. I am married with two children. Ten years ago this weekend my hubby and I decided to up sticks and move from our homeland in Wales, to the other side of the world – Australia. Some may say this was risky, crazy even, and very stupid. but we have not regretted one day. We love it here.
Secondly. I have had numerous jobs/careers in my lifetime. I have cared for old people, dying patients and very sick children. I have sold double glazing, diet supplements, clothes, confectionery and even ironing board covers (now that’s another story). I have taken a full time degree and studied whilst training to be a librarian/teacher and have worked as a telephone operator for a tax company. BUT the role that I like the most is that of a full time writer.
I feel like I was born to write. I see stories everywhere; in magazines, newspapers, in current affair articles on the TV, and I hope to never lose this.
I love writing.
So, even as the skeptics around you shake their heads and rub their hands in glee if you have any doubts on your abilities – give them the distance they deserve.
Live your life true to yourself – ALWAYS.[image error]
Suzanne Bowditch, 2016.
