Helen Lowe's Blog, page 106

The Giveaway for “The Blood In The Beginning” by Kim Falconer Is Still Open

KimFalconer

I hope you have all enjoyed reading Kim Falconer’s wonderful post on “Narrative Point Of View” as much as I did — it’s great to have some insightful and lively comments on the post as well. So a big thumbs up to Kim and to all of you in that respect.

The Andrew who commented is also the same Andrew Robins who also occasionally reviews and guest posts here, and he tells me he is not very well right now (oh no!) but is still really enjoying reading The Blood In The Beginning. I beli...

Guest Post: Kim Falconer on “Narrative Point Of View” Plus A Giveaway!

Introducing Kim Falconer:

KimFalconer

Kim probably needs no introductions for many of you, but I am going to introduce her anyway, for those of you who may not have met her before.

I was privileged to meet Kim at Worldcon (Aussiecon 4) in Melbourne in 2010 and since then we have become friends-in-writing and fellow Supernatural Underground authors. Kim writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, YA and epic science fantasy novels.

You can find out more about her at AvaSykes.com, the 11th House...

Big Worlds On Small Screens & “Fantasy Films From the Eighties That Weren’t That Bad” — Yes, Our Grand Finale’s “Ghostbusters”!

~ by Rebecca Fisher

The original Ghostbusters came out in the same year I was born, and growing up it was something of a rite-of-passage to watch it for the first time. The kids in my class were divided into those who knew what people were talking about when they mentioned the ghost in the library, and those who didn’t.

In hindsight, Ghostbusters isn’t a particularly appropriate film for children – along with some very adult jokes there are some truly terrifying scenes as well (those hellhou...

Tuesday Poetry: “There’s a certain Slant of light” (258) by Emily Dickinson

There’s a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons —
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes —

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us —
We can find no scar,
But internal difference,
Where the Meanings, are —

None may teach it — Any —
’Tis the Seal Despair —
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air —

When it comes, the Landscape listens —
Shadows — hold their breath —
When it goes, ’tis like the Distance
On the look of Death —

by Emily Dickinson, 1830 – 1886

—

For today, I thought I’d depart fr...

Happening This Week: A Guest Post From Kim Falconer!

A few weeks back, I interviewed Kim Falconer on Twitter, focusing on her newly released urban fantasy novel, The Blood In The Beginning.

This week I’m delighted to be hosting Kim here on Thursday 21, when she’ll be posting a guest feature on an aspect of her new book and/or her writing generally—or maybe even a bit of both.

Plus, to keep Kim’s launch goodness rolling I’ll also be doing a giveaway of the The Blood In The Beginning for one lucky commenter.

So that’s Thursday 21, folks (NZ/Aust...

Meeting A Remarkable Tree

Recently a stroll through Auckland’s Cornwall Park led to a meeting with today’s tree, a Quercus canariensis, alternatively known as Mirbeck’s oak or an Algerian oak.

Apparently it hails from the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and the Tunisia-Morocco-Algerian region of North Africa.

You can read a little more about the tree here, but the plaque beneath it states that it is “the finest oak tree in Cornwall Park.” (Or words to like effect.)

Although I have insufficient knowledge of the...

Mystery Galore: aka Everyone’s A Winner…& That’s No Lie!

Trees shaping landscape… (PJ Fitzpatrick)

That’s right: this week I’ve decided that everyone who commented for the Mystery Giveaway is a winner and shall have the opportunity to claim a Mystery Prize!

What’s more, my US editor is joining in on the fun. Personally, dear readers, I believe this is because she is made of awesome, but naturally I shall leave you to make up your own minds.

Anyway, here’s the deal: on Monday I posted my fifth and final post on the part trees play in shaping the Fan...

Two Famous Quotes — Plus A Poem

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

-Vincent van Gogh

—

Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” is probably one of his most well-known and publicly favoured paintings, and this quote goes with it perfectly.

It also reminds me of another, possibly even more famous quote, this time from Oscar Wilde’s play Lady Windermere’s Fan:

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

To check out Siobhan Harvey’s ekphrastic poem th...

The Giveaway for 1 of 2 x “Children Of Earth & Sky” is Redrawn

UK/AU/NZ cover

On Saturday I announced two winners for the giveaway of Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay.

The deadline for claiming the books was 5 pm yesterday, 13 July — and although I asked the winners to contact me, I also emailed them myself (just to be sure, yanno!)

As one of the initial winners has not yet been in touch, I have redrawn in accordance with the process set out on July 4 and restated on July 13.

And the second round prize winner is:

Morag Gray

Again, Morag, if y...

Just Arrived: “The Raven King” by Maggie Stiefvater

Way awa’ back in December 2013 I posted a “What I’m Reading” on The Raven Boys the first novel in Maggie Stievater’s “The Raven Cycle”.

As I said at the time, I thought it, “one of the best YA paranormal urban fantasies I’ve read for a while.”

I’ve since read the second and third books in the series, The Dream Thieves and Blue Lily, Lily Blue — and although I thought the latter suffered somewhat from middle book syndrome, I have still enjoyed the whole series enough to be very much looking fo...