Helen Lowe's Blog, page 242
October 24, 2012
Reflection on Minor Characters
In part sparked by Abhinav Jain’s guest author series on “Names A New Perspective”—which was titled —as well as the recent SF Signal Mind Meld on Heroes, here, I’ve been reflecting on characters and character development lately.
The initial posts on my reflections are here and here.
Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about minor characters, in particular how I take as much care with naming them as I do with the central protagonists. In part that’s because of the pheno...
October 23, 2012
Questions Authors Get Asked: “Aren’t Writers in Competition?”
Like most authors I get asked a lot of questions, not just about my stories and characters but also more generally about the writing life.
And some folk out there have noticed that I don’t just talk about my own books and writing on the blog, but also about other writers, as well as doing interviews with fellow authors, book reports on books I’m reading and enjoying, and being a member of communities such as the Tuesday Poets and SpecFicNZ.
So the question I get asked is: “why do you do that, b...
October 22, 2012
Tuesday Poem: “Tom O’ Bedlam” — An Anonymous Folk Ballad
.
From the hagg and hungrie goblin
That into raggs would rend ye,
And the spirit that stands by the naked man
In the Book of Moones – defend ye!
That of your five sound senses
You never be forsaken,
Nor wander from your selves with Tom
Abroad to beg your bacon.
(Chorus; sung after every verse)
While I doe sing “any foode, any feedinge,
Money, drinke or clothing,”
Come dame or maid, be not afraid,
Poor Tom will injure nothing.
Of thirty bare years have I
Twice twenty been enraged,
And of f...
October 21, 2012
A New Review for The Gathering of the Lost: “Highly, Highly, Highly Recommended”
UK/AUS/NZ
Since I work hard on my books, I thought what better way to enjoy NZ’s Labour Day holiday than with the latest UK review for The Gathering of the Lost! 
The review site is Fantasy Reviews and I’m pleased to say that they like the book, giving it not only 5 stars but a “highly, highly, highly recommended.”
(And as all of us who dabble in Fantasy fiction know, what you tell me three times is always true… 
)
USA
But to check out the review for yourself, click here.
October 20, 2012
A Writing Quote for Sunday — Courtesy of Ernest Hemingway
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at the typewriter and bleed.”
– Ernest Hemingway
October 19, 2012
Book Review: “Citadel” by Kate Mosse—Reviewed by Karen McMillan
Karen McMillan is a friend and fellow New Zealand author—and she also does reviews, generally across a range of literature genres (although not usually SFF/speculative fiction.)
If you’re interested in reviews, particularly in the contemporary realism, crime-thriller, chicklit and non fiction areas, you should definitely check out Karen’s review page, here.
One of the books recently reviewed by Karen is Kate Mosse’s novel Citadel, the third in her timeslip (which is, after all, a form of specul...
October 18, 2012
Just Arrived: “When We Wake” (Advance Reading Copy) by Karen Healey
As “…on Anything, Really” followers probably know, I am currently doing a “Fun With Friends” series for SF Signal, interviewing one fellow New Zealand or Australian SFF author per month.
(I would love to do more, but time, ‘little grasshoppers’, time… And I, alas, unlike the redoubtable Miss Hermione Granger, have no time-turner…)
But one thing I feel is really important if one is going to interview a writer, is to read their work. Because by and large, that is where the interest in interviewin...
October 17, 2012
More Reflection on Characters
USA
On Monday, I posted my initial reflections on the importance of character, essentially arising from last week’s guest blog posts with SF Signal–the Mind Meld on Heroes, here—and Abhinav Jain in his guest author series on the importance of names in Fantasy, . These posts led me to reflect on some of the characters in The Wall of Night series and the testing of “who they are” and “what they are about” through the action in the story.
Writing characters is challenging and exciting and fun—...
October 16, 2012
What’s Happening Today: It’s Canterbury Poets’ Spring Reading No. 3
Frankie McMillan
Today is Canterbury Poets’ Spring Reading Series No.3, with three excellent guest poets appearing, including my friend and very successful poet, Frankie McMillan, together with Joan Fleming and Andrew Coyle, the latter of whom I know from the Catalyst Open Mic poetry nights.
Tonight’s event will run from 6.30 pm at the CPSA hall, Christchurch Polytechnic on Madras Street, commencing with a BYO Open Mic.
(The programme for the full eight weeks is here.)
—
In the past, I have featur...
October 15, 2012
Tuesday Poem: I Am Guest Editor on The Tuesday Poem Hub
Today I am the guest editor for the Tuesday Poem Hub where I have featured Listening to Glenn Gould on Orton Scar, by fellow Tuesday Poet, Kathleen Jones, from her collection “Not Saying Goodbye At Gate 21″ (Templar Poetry, 2011.)
So I would love it if you clicked through to The Tuesday Poem blog and read the poem—and perhaps, if you really felt moved by the spirit, you could even leave a comment.
Click to read Listening to Glenn Gould on Orton Scar , by Kathleen Jones, Here
I featured another p...
