Libre Paley's Blog: Libre Paley - Thoughts on Literary Erotica, page 9

Chocolate hearts and rice

I’ve blogged before about the sensual relationship between food, love, and sex (e.g. If food be the music of love). This symbiotic relationship can be contrary. Infatuation, in some, can affect the desire to eat—due, evidently, to the natural chemical stimulant phenylethylamine (PEA), which can have mood and energy enhancing effects, making us feel alert, … Continue reading Chocolate hearts and rice

Viva Virago

What a great name for a publisher of literature by women writers: Virago. Following a brief look at Penguin publishing house a few weeks ago (here), I thought I’d take a look at another favourite publisher with a strong ethos. When setting up Virago in 1973, founder Carmen Callil wanted a name that signalled a … Continue reading Viva Virago

Getting back into it

In my last post I mentioned getting back into writing again (Passion lost, passion regained), and also referred to the potentially excruciating experience of revisiting an old draft. I selected something I composed, very roughly, several years ago, about 25,000 words of it. Well, a few passages were more ‘refined’, those that had been redrafted … Continue reading Getting back into it

Passion lost – passion regained?

Those are the risks of falling in love, aren’t they? First that your passion can consume – if not all of you, then part of you. It can pull you in, give you chance to find a new side of yourself, to express yourself, provide an outlet, a channel for your creative self, even a … Continue reading Passion lost – passion regained?

…without a bookstore

“…a town isn’t a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a bookstore, it knows it’s not foolin’ a soul.” – Neil Gaiman in American Gods (2001) A few days ago here in UK, a story was going around in the media about a second-hand bookshop in Hampshire … Continue reading …without a bookstore

Blogging goals reviewed

It’s so hard to get back into routine, isn’t it, after a break? You anticipate feeling refreshed after some time off, only to find you’re not as revitalised by the experience as you’d hoped. Studies have shown it can take days to return to normal after time off, with at least three days to return … Continue reading Blogging goals reviewed

Seasonal book haul

I cannot give an adequate excuse as to why I hadn’t hauled myself out for a ‘proper’ walk this holiday. Not back to work until Thursday, my institution closes down until new year, making me very lucky. Yesterday we got ourselves out and went over into Yorkshire, near Haworth, taking in the moorlands.Winter doesn’t tend … Continue reading Seasonal book haul

Snowflakes

Well said Michael Mopurgo. This multi-faceted author, poet, and playwright (styling himself as a ‘story-teller/writer’), is best known for his children’s and Young Adult books, and was founder, along with poet Ted Hughes, of the Children’s Laureate role here in the UK. An animation of his book Mimi And The Mountain Dragon was shown on … Continue reading Snowflakes

Cristemasse murye

I love the familiar Christian family tradition of hanging up stockings on Christmas Eve. In our house, it’s not only proven a good way to exchange small tokens, but also a way to stave off the ‘big unwrapping’ of presents from under the tree with impatient children. According to legend (and I am guessing there … Continue reading Cristemasse murye

Oh baubles!

It’s Christmas tree day at our house. Up it goes. And out they come from boxes, from last year’s newspaper, the decorations and baubles we’ve collected over the years. Some of them the naïve creations the kids made that now embarrass yet please them in equal measures. The vintage ones I have picked up, because … Continue reading Oh baubles!