Helen Lowe's Blog, page 182
June 15, 2014
Coming Up This Week of Monday 16 June
Tis al-most winter solstice here, but not quite, so I still have time to think of a solstice meal menu. Although if I crept away to the vasty wilds to commune with the winter stars, then the meal might be baked beans over an open fire… I’ll let you know if I do, shall I?
Meanwhile, there are a few more blog related activities coming up this week. Firstly, I am guest editor on the Tuesday Poem Hub tomorrow, so I’ll hope you’ll come across to the Hub and check out my selection. (All other detail...
June 12, 2014
A Geography Of Haarth: Swift
The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick
The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing the full range of locales and places from The Wall of Night world of Haarth. Each locale is accompanied by a quote from either The Heir Of Night, The Gathering Of The Lost, or both.
Today’s entry is the last of seven for places beginning with “S.”
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Swift: a river on the Northern March of Emer
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“And already, Carick thought, the shadows are lengthening. In only a few more hours it will be...
June 11, 2014
Which Speaks, Book Or Author?
On January 20th (2014), I posted on “The Tao Of Writing: ‘The Book That Can be Spoken Of Is Not The Book’.”
The post was an update on writing progress for Daughter Of Blood, The Wall Of Night Book Three, but in it I wrote, amongst other things, that:
“…the quote in the title…derives from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. I have paraphrased the opening line, which (in my edition) reads:
“The Way that can be spoken of is not the Way.”
One interpretation of this is that the Tao or Way that can be spoken of or...
June 10, 2014
“Flash In The Pan” — An Event For National Flash Fiction Day on June 22
Christchurch is having its own celebration for National Flash Fiction Day on June 22, including announcement of the winners of the National Flash Fiction Competition 2014.
Here are the details:
I hope to make it along, and if I do may see some of you there as well. 
June 9, 2014
The Tuesday Poem: Refeaturing Glenn Colquhoun’s “Teddy”
…for a child with leukaemia
Teddy was not well.
Teddy had been feeling sick.
Teddy had to go to hospital.
Teddy was told that he had too much blood.
Teddy did not miss his friends.
Teddy knew the thermometer was not sharp.
Teddy was not scared of needles.
Teddy said the medicine would make him better.
Teddy closed his eyes at night.
Teddy ate his vegetables.
.
Teddy’s small girl lay in the corner of his bed.
She was not so sure.
Her eyes were made from round buttons.
The fluff on the top of her head wa...
June 8, 2014
When Genre Intersects Classical Literature & Myth On SF Signal
Last week, I participated in another SF Signal Mind Meld on the topic “When Genre Intersects Classical Literature & Myth.”
The more indepth brief was this:
“The Iliad and the Odyssey…the Epic of Gilgamesh…the Mahabharata…Journey to the West… These ancient myths and stories, and many others seem to partake of genre elements. Are they, in fact, on the Road to Science Fiction, to quote James Gunn’s classic series? How do they fit into the world of genre? How can they inform and be used in modern r...
June 5, 2014
A Geography Of Haarth: Storm Hold
The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick
The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing the full range of locales and places from The Wall of Night world of Haarth. Each locale is accompanied by a quote from either The Heir Of Night, The Gathering Of The Lost, or both.
—
Storm Hold: a satellite fort of the Keep of Winds, on the Wall of Night
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“The Honor Captain nodded. “I have already sent to Storm Hold for wyr hounds,” she replied, “but it will be days before they arrive. M...
June 3, 2014
Big Worlds On Small Screens Features Miyazaki — & Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Kiki’s Delivery Service”
~ by Rebecca Fisher
Note to Readers: From now on, Big Worlds On Small Screens will be posting every second Thursday, not Wednesday as has been the case. So the next post will be on Thursday, 19 June.
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Introduction:
If Kiki’s Delivery Service was a film made by Western studios, I have no doubt that its eponymous character would fight evil, that she would have a love interest, and that it would be framed as a coming-of-age story. And let’s be honest, the main character would probably be a boy.
For...
June 2, 2014
The Tuesday Poem: Refeaturing Glenn Colquhoun’s “She asked me if she took one pill … ”
She asked me if she took one pill for her
heart and one pill for her hips and one pill
for her chest and one pill for her blood
how come they would all know which part
of her body they should go to
I explained to her that active metabolites in each
pharmaceutical would adopt a spatial configuration
leading to an exact interface with receptor molecules
on the cellular surfaces of the target structures
involved.
She told me not to bullshit her.
I told her that each pill had a different shape and that
each...
June 1, 2014
“Fantastic Sidekicks” — Featured Now On The Supernatural Underground, Plus More: A Reference To “The Prince Of Tides”
My 1 June feature on the Supernatural Underground discusses the sidekick in Science Fiction and Fantasy, particularly the part the sidekick often plays in the traditional “hero’s journey”:
“Often it’s the sidekicks who ground the heroine or hero, like the “Scooby Gang” in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
And like Samwise Gamgee in The Lord Of The Rings, and Zuzana in the Daughter Of Smoke and Bone series, the sidekick has the heroine or hero’s back…”
To read the full post click on:
Fantastic Sidekicks
B...
