Helen Lowe's Blog, page 199

What I’m Reading: Maggie Stiefvater’s “The Raven Boys”

What I’m reading right now is Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys, which is one of the best YA paranormal urban fantasies I’ve read for a while.

I’m really enjoying the characters and the use of Welsh legend, chiefly the historical figure of Owen Glendower, the Raven King and—if I am picking right—the myth of Blodeuwedd, Lleu and Gronw from the Mabinogion.

So how about you. What are you reading and enjoying right now–and why? What about the book spins your wheels?

So, Christmas Plans Everybody?

I know a lot of people finished up on Friday, so it seems timely to talk about the holiday coming up.

I’m planning to stay put, chill out as much as possible, and hang with friends—then straight back into the writing.

But how about you, dear readers, what are your plans for the festive season and holidays?

A Book Quote For Saturday, From Somerset Maugham

“There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

~ W. Somerset Maugham, 1874-1965

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I definitely ‘grok’ this one!

Thanks to Jan Butterworth for bringing it to my attention!

A Geography Of Haarth: Long Pass

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.

This week canvasses the penultimate entry for “L.”

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Long Pass: the main pass into Emer when journeying south from the River lands

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”Their next stop was at the small, neglected shrine to Seruth—Serrut in the Emerian dialect—that marked the southern end of the Long Pass. The surrounding countryside remained desola...

“Here’s SpecFicNZ Wellington”: Featuring Darusha Wehm

Over the past two months I have hosted a blog “mini-series” titled “Here’s SpecFicNZ Wellington” in which my fellow members—from Wellington, of course!—have introduced themselves using a series of common headings:

Here’s Who: a short, first person introduction to the member

Here’s Why: the member writes or works in speculative fiction

Here’s What: an example of the member’s work

Here’s Where: you can find out more about the writer and their work—and I really hope you will!

This week, I welcome my...

Big Worlds On Small Screens: Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Once Upon A Time”

by Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

Fairytales are popular fodder for entertainment these days. When I say that, I’m not talking about the fantasy genre in general, but fairytales specifically. Hollywood has recently drawn upon them for big-budget films such as Snow White and the Huntsman, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and Jack and the Beanstalk, whilst shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time also use the old tales as a basis for their storylines. Why the sudden resurgence in popularity? I’m not s...

The Tuesday Poem: Featuring Sarah Broom’s “One story and the other” On The Hub

Today I am featuring Sarah Broom’s poem, One story and the other, from the collection Gleam, on the Tuesday Poem hub.

I hope you’ll click on the poem’s title to read and perhaps let me know what you think by leaving a comment below the poem.

One story and the other

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Sadly, Sarah died earlier this year, before Gleam was published. To read my eulogy and other poems featured on this blog, click on the following links:

In Memory of Sarah Broom, 1972-2013

All my life (featured on the Tuesday poem Hub,...

Sharing Great News From Friends

One of the positives of having a blog is that when friends have very good news, sometimes you can shout about it, too.

Here’s three items of great news I’ve been delighted to learn about recently.

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Siobhan Harvey Wins The Landfall Kathleen Grattan Award 2013

The Kathleen Grattan Award is New Zealand’s richest poetry prize and amongst it’s most prestigious. Siobhan won the award for her unpublished manuscript, Nephology for Beginners, out of 90 entries.

Judge Jeffrey Paparoa Holman commented: ‘H...

Comment Of The Week: From Kristen B.

“Having just finished reading both Wall of Night books for at least the third time, I find myself thinking about Malian and what’s ahead for her. Anticipation, don’t you know… I’m really looking forward to seeing how all these bits and pieces come together.”

[Abridged]

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Kristen B’s comment appeared on November 18th’s post “Favourite Questions From Recent Interviews: Ruth Todd Ask Where Malian Came From.”

Needless to say, I am doin’ my utmost to ensure Daughter Of Blood will not disappoint the an...

A Writing Quote For Saturday, From Emily Dickinson

“There is no Frigate like a Book, to take us Lands away…”

~ Emily Dickinson, 1830 – 1886

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I only recently discovered this particular quote from Emily Dickinson, but I felt it was definitely “share worthy.”