Helen Lowe's Blog, page 50
January 31, 2021
On Supernatural Underground Later Today — T Frohock & Magic In “A Song With Teeth” (LOS NEFILIM #3)
Later today, the second in my Magic Systems in Fantasy series will be posting on the Supernatural Underground (sometime earlyish on February 1, US Standard Time.)
This month I’m interviewing Teresa Frohock about the magic in her LOS NEFILIM series, with a particular focus on A Song With Teeth, the final novel in the current trilogy, which will be OUT on February 9!
Regulars here have no doubt grokked to the fact I am a Teresa Frohock fan, as well as a friend-in-writing, but even allowing for a c...
January 27, 2021
About The Characters: Meet The Minor Players in “The Wall Of Night” Series — Meet Lawr
The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:
“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”
~ from my Legend Award Finalist's Interview, 2013Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical...
January 24, 2021
A Report on Holiday Reading: “The Dry” by Jane Harper
Along with film and television viewing, a rainy Christmas – New Year break also presented the opportunity to settle in with a good book.
The standout read was definitely Jane Harper’s The Dry (genre: police procedural/murder mystery.) The protagonist Aaron Falk, an officer with the Australian federal police, returns to his hometown in the rural hinterland, to attend the funeral of his boyhood best friend, who appears to have murdered his family then committed suicide.
Not unexpectedly, plot-wise...
January 20, 2021
A Report On Holiday Small-Screen Viewing: “Emily In Paris”
I know, I know, I am clearly shallow – but I liked it!
For starters, the French settings (especially in this time of Covid when travel is largely on hold) are ooh-la-la, in the most pristine of tourism-poster ways, and as for the clothes— Did I say ooh-la-la already? Well, I’m saying it again!
While I am not a fashionista at all, I can appreciate the art, so thoroughly enjoyed the ensembles Emily and other cast members got to wear. Another scene, another ensemble – but I am not saying that like ...
January 17, 2021
A Report on Holiday Viewing: “Nomadland”
Last week I shared a few pics from the Christmas-New Year holiday, and also let fall that it had been a fairly rainy experience. The great thing about that, though, is that it totally justifies concentrating on catching up on reading and viewing, both ‘at home’ (TV!) & ‘abroad’ (cinema!)
When it came to the film viewing, the surprise positive was Nomadland. I say ‘surprise’ because I didn’t really know what I was going to see, and the format was unexpected. Nonetheless, I was immediately interes...
January 13, 2021
A Little About Character
USA
UK/AU/NZ
Recently, a reader asked whether the character of Kalan, in The Wall Of Night series, is based on a real person.
In penning my reply, it occurred to me that others might be interested in my answer, so am sharing it here:
“Kalan isn’t based on a real person, but is his own character, one who has been shaped by the events and experiences of the narrative, which has itself evolved from my original concept. Having said that, I think stories and characters are undoubtedly shaped by the e...
January 10, 2021
A Few Scenic Photos From My Christmas — New Year Break
The weather was not particularly clement over the Christmas — New Year break, but whenever the sun came out, even if only a break in the clouds, I tried to grab some photographic evidence of having gone “there and back again.”
I used this on the SU for Jan 1: it’s Raumati South on the Kapiti Coast, looking toward Kapiti Is. The ‘spike’ is a NZ flax flower.
Sometimes, though, the season even managed a skerrick of sunshine — chiefly when I was en route with a ferry to catch or commitment to keep, ...
January 6, 2021
Magic in Fantasy — The First Q&A Features on Supernatural Underground: AK Wilder & CROWN OF BONES
It’s here!
On January 5, Crown of Bones (Amassia #1) was published by Entangled Teen — and I was pleased to interview the author, Kim Falconer writing as AK Wilder, on the Supernatural Underground.
The interview is the first instalment in the Magic Systems in Fantasy series that is my theme for 2021 on the Supernatural Underground. As noted here on Monday, wherever possible I hope to not just feature a book that’s grabbed my interest in magic system terms, but to e-chat with the author to gain t...
January 3, 2021
On Supernatural Underground Now: Magic Systems — & Fun With Fellow Authors
Happy New Year, dear “…on Anything, Really” friends. 
December 30, 2020
The Ten “Most-Read” Posts of 2020
Keeping an eye on the horizon
As noted on December 24, Christmas Eve really is the beginning of the end of the old year in NZ—but December 31 is really *it*, the last day of the year. As also noted on December 24, what an extraordinary and demanding year 2020 has been.
Unquestionably, it’s been the year of Covid-19 everywhere in the world—but in finding out my top ten posts for the year it became clear that in coming here you will looking for something other than Covid. Something I learned from ...
