Helen Lowe's Blog, page 259
May 14, 2012
Tuesday Poem: “Conversations”
Conversations
Going to the shop
to buy more lemons
the wind riffles my hair
tells me a dirty joke
gleaned from old papers
blown along the street
we laugh together
are still laughing
when I walk home
put the lemons
into an azure bowl
winter sunshine
across the window sill
put the rest
into a lemon cake
on a Kosta plate
chrysanthemums
brushed around the rim
by an unknown hand
a message in a rare language –
until today,
untranslated.
© Helen Lowe
Published in The Christchurch Press, 2009
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Last week I was the guest edito...
May 13, 2012
Exciting News: I’m To Do An AMA On Reddit With Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb; photo by Alex Ogdan
You may recall a while back, when The Gathering of the Lost Blog Tour was in full swing, I hinted that there might be one more stop on the tour, but it was all very much in the process of evolving at that stage.
Well, now it has fully evolved and I can finally share the very exciting news that I am to appear on the Reddit social news website’s Reddit Fantasy page this week in an “Ask Me Anything” q&a hosted and facilitated by Fantasy author Robin Hobb — who has a...
May 12, 2012
What I’m Reading
I haven’t had a lot of time for reading lately because ‘there’s been a lot happening’ with both trying to get some traction on writing the next book in The Wall of Night series and doing all the necessary and very important publicity around release of The Gathering of the Lost. Running-just-to-stand-still time, that’s for sure.
But in amongst all of that, I have still managed to read and thoroughly enjoy Jane Higgins’ The Bridge, which is future dystopian SFF for YA readers—although I feel it...
May 11, 2012
“Write On”: I Am Interviewed By Vanda Symon
Vanda Symon
Recently I was privileged to have the opportunity to talk with Dunedin crime author and interviewer, Vanda Symon, on the NZ Society of Authors’ “Write On” show on Otago Access Radio.
It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to do an indepth interview, so I hope you will enjoy the scope of Vanda’s questions—and my replies, of course!
(Plus, for those of you who are not New Zealanders, our famous ability to reduce what for most of the English-speaking world is 5 vowel sounds down to arou...
May 10, 2012
Gone Perhaps “Where The Wild Things Are”: Farewell Maurice Sendak, 1928-2012
Children’s illustrator and author, Maurice Sendak, perhaps best known for the children’s picture book, Where The Wild Things Are died on May 8, aged 83.
The New York Times has run a full obituary, Here.
Not surprisingly, there are other tributes across the world, including in the Washington Post and the Guardian.
Farewell, Maurice Sendak: however much Where The Wild Things Are and your other work may carry on, you will be greatly missed.
May 9, 2012
On SF Signal Now—A New Mind Meld: The Pros and Cons of Book Trailers
I clicked through on to SF Signal last night—a regular blog stop for me these days and perhaps worth checking out if you haven’t already—and saw that they had a new ‘Mind Meld’ up—on the oh so fascinating topic of Book Trailers!
And there are some equally fascinating commentators, including my good friend and fellow author, Mary Victoria—carrying the banner for the Antipodes and the ladies!—as well as E.D. deBirmingham, Cooper Moo and Mark Teppo, all from The Mongoliad project, Scott Sigler, a...
May 8, 2012
Two New Reviews For “The Gathering of the Lost”
USA
Two new reviews have come in for The Gathering of the Lost.
Rebecca Fisher has reviewed Gathering for Fantasy Literature under the heading: “Immensely Satisfying Sequel.”
You can read the review in full Here.
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UK/AUS/NZ
And The Otago Daily Times (NZ’s oldest independent newspaper, I believe) has also weighed in with a review, in this case under the headline “NZ Author Does The Trick With Fantasy.”
The review was by Dr McKinney.
You can read the review online Here.
May 7, 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 VA Hospital Confessional by US poet, Brian Turner, from his second collection Phantom Noise, which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize in 2010.
And I have even written a commentary!
So I would love it if you clicked through to The Tuesday Poem and read the poem—and maybe the commentary. And perhaps, if you really felt moved by the spirit, even left a comment. 
Click to Read VA Hospital Confessional by Brian Turner, He...
May 6, 2012
Out of Middle Earth: Reality & Imagination—New Zealand’s Landscape Influence On The Wall of Night World
During the recent Blog Tour, the question of ‘influences on story’, particularly in relation to world building, came up a few times. And there is at least one interview still ‘out there’ (ie not published yet) where I specifically get asked about living in the country that has, as result of the Sir Peter Jackson films of The Lord of the Rings (and now The Hobbit) become synonymous with Middle Earth.
For any fan of epic fantasy, Tolkien’s Middle Earth has to be one of the definitive fantastic w...
It’s Been Wonderful Having Nicole Murphy As My Guest This Weekend
I have very much enjoyed having friend and fellow author, Nicole Murphy, as my guest this weekend, discussing “When the Heroine Swoops In To Save The Day.”
If you haven’t read her guest post already then check it out immediately below this post, or just click Here.
It certainly got me thinking how much I loved Tarzan as a kid, particularly all the Johnny Weissmuller re-runs that seemed to replay endlessly early on Sunday afternoons. There seemed to be a neverending run of them but now I learn t...
