Helen Lowe's Blog, page 166

Big Worlds On Small Screens & Fantasy/Sci-Fi Films You’ve Probably Never Heard Of: Rebecca Fisher Discusses Mirrormask

~ by Rebecca Fisher

Despite being released over twenty years later, Mirrormask is best described as a spiritual successor to the likes of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. All three have been released by the Jim Henson Company, and each one deals with rebellious adolescence, strange worlds, and the fraught relationship between darkness and light.

With a screenplay by Neil Gaiman, which naturally includes plenty of his favourite topics (including a strained relationship between mother and daughter...

The Tuesday Poem: “I Wish You Angels” by Joanna Preston

I wish you Angels –

riding up and down

and up in elevators

crowding around your

computer screen

emailing God

in the lunch break.

Angels scalding

their tongues tasting

coffee, constrained

to “drat” and “darn”

and “oooohhhh!”

I wish you Angels staring

into department-store

windows, striking up

conversations with dress

shop dummies. I wish

you Angels with fishnet

stockings and misplaced

body piercings, two years

behind the trend. Angels

trying to follow cricket

or rugby, buffeting spectators

with jubilant wings.

I wish...

Playing Hookey—But No, Glossary!

Having finished the edit of Daughter Of Blood last week, I was tempted to play hookey today. But then I remembered that I still had the glossary to finalise…

Or as I like to call it, the “Gross-ary”—because it is both large and full of monsters!

Fun stuff: so now, onward.

I hope the rest of you are winding down into the holiday season. Drop a comment to let me know your holiday plans, “if you like”.

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Inside Middle Earth: Gondor Beaconfire Country

I took this photo in South Westland, near the Gates of Haast: it’s very reminiscent of the Gondor beaconfire terrain from The Lord of the Rings films, but I believe they were shot a little (but not much) further north.

Speaking of The Lord of the Rings films, has anyone seen The Hobbit 3, Battle of the Five Armies? And if so, thoughts?

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A Writing Post For Saturday From Stephen King

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”

~ Stephen King

—

I love this quote: so true, too.

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Ruffians And Roughnecks

credit: PJ Fitzpatrick

As advised last Friday, I’m kicking off a new post series to replace A Geography Of Haarth.

In it, I shall take a word that means either a “bad guy”, eg ruffian or rogue, or a “rough diamond”, eg a roughneck, and match it with a character from my books, either Thornspell, or The Heir Of Night or The Gathering Of The Lost.

The definitions will be taken from Merriam Webster Online, the dictionary I most often use when writing.

Since the series is “Ruffians and Roughnecks” I t...

The Edit Is Done!

Earlier today I posted: “And if I’m really lucky, I’ll be able to come back to you later today to tell you that the tweaks are all present and correct and the edit is done: oh blessed words.”

Well, now I can confirm that the tweaks are all present and correct and the edit is done: the “send” button has been pressed. Another frabjous day.

It’s been a very long—and frequently winding!— road but the journey of a thousand miles ends as it began, with one step; or in the case of a writer, one word...

“Because” Daughter Of Blood

Yup, that’s right folks, no “proper” post today “because” of Daughter Of Blood — The Wall Of Night Book Three, yadda, yadda…But y’all know that bit already, right.

So I hope you’ll be right on board with my saying that rather than trying to think of something fun/interesting/insightful to post I’m spending the time putting the final tweaks to the Daughter manuscript. And if I’m really lucky, I’ll be able to come back to you later today to tell you that the tweaks are all present and correct an...

A New Sub-Series For Big Worlds On Small Screens

In case you missed it last week, just a headsup that Rebecca will be starting a new Big Worlds On Small Screens sub-series next week:

(Ta-da!) Fantasy/Sci-Fi Films You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.

Sounds good, huh?

Anyway, first up is Mirrormask—and Rebecca’s off to a good start because I at least have never heard of it!

Rebecca acknowledges, though, that she runs the risk of everyone contending the sub-series title every week.

I also understand Rebecca’s going to trying out a new format, so chec...

The Tuesday Poem: Featuring Helen Heath & “Fairytale V: O Brother”

Fairytale v: O Brother

Okay, so I don’t remember / it like that. They said we / were going for a picnic and I didn’t even want to go / but they said we needed to get out / of the house and so we were / supposed to feed the fucking ducks / or something, me and my little sister. / So we’re chucking bread / at the ducks and the sparrows / are coming down too and grabbing / the bread my sister can’t / throw far enough and the ducks / are getting really pissed off and / then one of them grabs / a s...