Helen Lowe's Blog, page 143
July 29, 2015
Writing Epic Heroines: The Princess & Others In “Thornspell”
Last week I discussed Writing Epic Heroines, mainly in the context of the Wall Of Night series.
But Thornspell, as a fairytale retelling, presented a unique challenge in terms of writing heroines.
The fairytale, you see, is Sleeping Beauty, the retelling told from the point of view of the prince who breaks the spell—and I quickly realized that 21st century readers were just not going to “buy” the traditional ending.
You know the one: where the prince wakes the princess with the magical kiss,...
July 28, 2015
Big Worlds On Small Screens: Rebecca Fisher Discusses “X Men Evolution.”
~ by Rebecca Fisher
.
After the release of Bryan Singer’s first X Men movie back in 2000 (wow, has it really been that long?) it seemed natural to capitalize on its success by green-lighting an animated series. The last time these particular characters had been given this treatment was back in the 90s – and though that show is remembered fondly, it’s definitely dated badly.
I was curious to see if the same thing had happened to X Men Evolution, as my sister was a huge fan back...
July 27, 2015
The Tuesday Poem: Featuring Eileen Moeller’s “Wind” Here, & “Anna God Remembers” On The Tuesday Poem Hub
It is snow blood
coursing through
the roots of light.
It is the breath of stones
in watery darkness,
the longing for lift,
the moan of all
rooted things.
Bones cry out
for wings
in their sleep,
as jewels tap the glass.
It is this lack
that keeps
us dreaming.
The insistent
throb and push of it.
.
Eileen Moeller
Published in Firefly, Brightly Burning, Grayson Books, 2015
Featured here with permission.
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About The Poem:
Today I am featuring my fellow Tuesday Poet Eileen Moeller’s poetry, b...
July 26, 2015
Guest Post: Janis Freegard Interviews Three Characters From Her Debut Novel, “The Year of Falling.”
Janis Freegard is a fellow Tuesday Poet, but also a prose writer, and in 2011 I very much enjoyed her short story, The Magician, which featured in the Tales For Canterbury (Random Static, 2011) anthology.
(See A Peek Inside “The Magician.”)
When I heard that Janis had both a book of poetry (The Glass Rooster, Auckland University Press) and a novel (The Year of Falling,Mākaro Press) being published simultaneously, I was keen to do what I could to help spread the word.
Today, the...
July 25, 2015
Those “Oh, No!” Moments
Speaking of copyediting, which I have been on and off, but most recently when Wrapping Up The Copyedit, I’ve traversed everything from comma placement, spelling and grammar, through fact checking, identifying continuity and logic flaws, to disposing of deus ex machinas.
The one thing I didn’t mention was that moment when you have just finished patting yourself on the back for a job well done (or so you believe), and settled down for what you consider some well deserved relaxation — only to si...
July 24, 2015
What’s Coming Up This Week
This coming week is shaping up to be a “fun with friends” time.
First up, on Monday I’ll be featuring a guest post from Janis Freegard — something just a little bit fun and different, in fact, based around her recently published novel, The Year of Falling (Mākaro Press.) But I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag, you’ll have to pop back on Monday and discover the fun for yourself. 
.
On Tuesday, I shall be shining the spotlight on my fellow Tuesday poet, Eileen Moeller, who is to be the...
July 23, 2015
And so it begins—again.
Yep, you’ll recall that last week when I finished the copyedit I also reminded you of an earlier post’s observation that:
“…the copyedit is also the milestone after which I really feel freed up — to concentrate fully on the next book. In this case … that book is The Chaos Gate (working title), otherwise known as The Wall Of Night, Book Four.
And as we all know, The Wall Of Night Book Four is also the final book in the WALL series.”
A statement that is both exciting and daunting, because a boo...
July 22, 2015
Writing Epic Heroines
UK cover
The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost, the first two novels in my epic fantasy quartet, The Wall Of Night, have been recognized for the fact that the leading character, Malian, is a young woman, as well as for the number of strong and important female characters in the story.
I am really pleased that readers appreciate this aspect of the story, but I never sat down and thought: “I think I’ll write a story that’s full of strong female characters.” The story just evolved that...
July 21, 2015
What I’m Reading: “This City” by Jennifer Compton
Recently, I purchased a copy of This City (Otago University Press, 2010), the Kathleen Grattan Award-winning book of poetry by my fellow Tuesday Poet, Jennifer Compton.
And it is wonderful, dear readers.
I am blown away by the emotional depth and integrity of the poems, and the beauty of lines like:
“Like breathing out forever, we announce our imminent absence.”
and
“…The stink of success and their prowess evaporates,
diffuses like a mist, a heady, foxy, delicious, momentary thing.
They stand...
July 20, 2015
The Tuesday Poem: “Requiem” by Robert Louis Stevenson
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you ‘grave for me:
Here he lies where he long’d to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850 -1894
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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here.
