Helen Lowe's Blog, page 243
October 14, 2012
Reflection on Characters
USA
Last week, I was pleased to be able to guest post on two blogs. I participated in the latest SF Signal Mind Meld,“Holding Out for a Hero”—on heroes in SFF—which comprised a diverse range of views, all well worth a read, here.
I also contributed a post to blogger and reviewer Abhinav Jain’s “Names: A New Perspective” guest author series, with an article on “The Power of Names” in my writing, .
Preparing both posts got me thinking about how ideas, whether around heroism and villainy, or th...
October 13, 2012
What I’m Reading: “A Long Girl Ago” by Johanna Aitchison
In my recent Monday updates, I’ve mentioned that the Canterbury Poets’ Collective Spring Season of poetry readings is currently in full swing. One of the guest poets on the first evening was Joanna Aitchison and I am currently reading her collection “A Long Girl Ago” (Victoria University Press, 2007.)
And I have to say that I am enjoying it very much, as I did Johanna’s reading on October 3. She has a distinctive “voice” and also uses alter egos, such as “miss red” in this collection, as a way...
October 12, 2012
The Supernatural Underground Celebrates Halloween: A Paranormal Giveaway Extravaganza!
The paranormal & supernatural is very much the home turf of the Supernatural Underground—and that makes Halloween a festival of note for those who post on the site.
To really make Halloween rock this year, Supernatural Underground authors are doing a paranormal giveaway extravaganza—and not only will there be related posts on the blog, but some authors will also be doing extra features on their own sites.
So if you like Halloween, the paranormal and supernatural in your reading, as well as “gho...
October 11, 2012
I Guest Post on “The Power of Names”
UK/AU/NZ mass market paperback
USA
Recently, I was delighted to receive an invitation from book blogger and reviewer Abhinav Jain to participate in a guest author series on “Names: A New Perspective.”
To elaborate: “The topic is how the names of characters and places and other things within their novels (and other works where appropriate) fit into their setting, their relevance and their power.”
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My post, titled “The Power of Names”, is featured now and you can check it out .
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USA
One o...
October 10, 2012
SF Signal Mind Meld: “Holding Out For A Hero”
The Keep of Winds, from "The Heir of Night" -- art by PJ Fitzpatrick
I’m currently participating in a Mind Meld on SF Signal and the topic is:
“What makes a hero (or heroine) a hero instead of merely a protagonist? Is the idea of a straight up hero old fashioned or out of date in this day and age?”
The “meld” part comes in because SF Signal generally invites a range of speculative fiction writers to share their views—and needless to say, as a writer of epic-heroic Fantasy, this was a Meld in whi...
October 9, 2012
An Aotearoa Affair: Frankfurt 2012 & “A View From Here”—The 5th Blog Carnival Goes Live
This week is Frankfurt Book Festival week, and the 5th and final Aotearoa at Frankfurt Blog Carnival has now posted, here.
There’s a fabulous line up of contributions from New Zealand and Germany, as well as a sprinkling of international writers, including:
Trish Nicholson, Beate Jones, Paula Green, Siri Embla, Gus Simonovic, Christopher Allen, Gill Hoffs, Andrew Bell, Marcus Speh, Piet Nieuwland, Leanne Radokjovich, Frances Mountier, Hinemoana Baker, Lesley Marshall, Rae Roadley, Helen Lowe, K...
October 8, 2012
Tuesday Poem: “My Ancestors Live” by Christina Stachurski
My Ancestors Live
My ancestors live in libraries
now, in tiny type on microfiche,
births, marriages and deaths
reduced to lists and photocopies
of sketchy cemetery maps leading
to names cut in stone, blurred
by decades – some more
than a century – of Taranaki rain.
The museum’s photograph index
brings up very old images
of Rosalia and Maria
with their husbands and babies,
their Polish bones, my nose.
.
© Christina Stachurski
Published in Flap: The Chook Book 2, 2010
Reproduced here with permission.
—
About the...
October 7, 2012
What’s Happening This Week: 8 — 14 October
There’s a few things happening this week so I thought I’d give you a headsup before the week and the events start kicking in.
Daughter of Blood, The Wall of Night Book Three
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USA
First off, as every week, my main focus will be on getting down with my bad self… I mean, working hard on the ms for Daughter of Blood, The Wall of Night Book Three. 
As indicated in yesterday’s update, I am currently working on a Kalan section of the story and right now am having some fun with that. So: onwards...
October 6, 2012
What I’m Doing: A “Daughter of Blood” Update
USA
I think my last proper update was back on September 14, which is getting close to—but not quite—a month, Still, time for a wee update perhaps…
Although Jan protested about my “teasing” you then, so am mindful that I mustn’t do that either.
So on September 14 I wrote that:
“… the characters-de-jour were Malian and Raven… Most of the last few weeks have been Kalan, but this week I returned to a Malian sequence.”
UK/AUS/NZ
Well, I have gotten through that sequence (a “sequence” by the way is a s...
October 5, 2012
It’s the Weekend — So What Are You All Reading?
Yup, it’s the weekend and that means r’n'r time for most of us, and in my lexicon that usually means at least a little bit of reading, amongst other things…
So I thought I’d ask what “..on Anything, Really” readers were reading right now? Or have just read and would like to recommend?
Just to get the ball rolling, you may recall that Adam Christopher’s Seven Wonders arrived on Wednesday, and yes, I am already reading it with a view to doing that interview. So far, I can tell you that it’s exact...
