Victoria Ray's Blog, page 28

Writing is easy. Writing well is hard work.

Check Ray’s latest interview (lots of secrets revealed!

“The Pearl Territory”, ch. 19 – Trotta

Trotta – #privatejournal  My mom was white… Her dad was from the Republic of Chad. He was also a drug addict. Her mother, Alice (my grandma), have died young from overdose. When you are growing up between the empty food canisters, cigarette butts and brutal kicks in the head, you learn to stay strong no matter what. My mom was a tough one. She studied a lot. She had a...

The best of Today in the best Order

Daisy is 10 years old today ☕️

The journey from the head to the hand

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. Kurt Vonnegut Yes, I slipped out. Again. It feels OK though. The thing is – writing (or blogging) should be fun, otherwise I don’t see the point… Any activity should bring joy, and if it doesn’t – do something else. That’s Ray’s rule.  Switch off – switch on.  I never wanted (or...

Left Hand Clara (part 2 & 3)

Part 1 – click here to read * * * The safe house is dirty, cramped and right next to the sewers, but so is Imee’s old home.  RSP (Revolutionary Society of Philippines) is only a public front in forms of protesting students and anti-government publications. Or so it seems in the beginning. They do have a theme colours though – black & red – to signify the bloody revolution...

Left Hand Clara (part 1)

Info: Shabu is the term for crystal meth in the Philippines. It is the drug of choice for 90% of the Filipino drug users. Shabu is commonly made from cheap medicines containing ephedrine. Police in the Philippines say that Shabu is often made in industrial style labs capable of producing over 1 ton per day. Rizal Park s one of the largest urban parks in Asia/Manila/.  Imee  – the meaning...

…within covers with pages of printed letters

I’m sharing a poem of Tomas Tranströmer today (translation: Robin Fulton). I’m checking a lot of poetry books lately, because I’m planning to publish my own book/poems Legs: A Global Perspective on Society (October).  Alone I have been walking for a long time on the frozen Ostergotland fields.  I have not seen a single person. In other parts of the world  there’re people who are born, live and die in...

7 Cool Destinations For Your Novel

Guest post by Peter Manley (click to check website) Sure, having interesting characters and a compelling storyline are extremely important, but the setting where your story takes place is equally important, or even more important in some cases. Think about it: if your story takes place in a middle-class home in Virginia with no interesting details about it, your book will more than likely be a drag from the start. Even...

Hagia Sophia – Christ Pantocrator & Co

Research about Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (for my upcoming thriller book)  Built and rebuilt upon countless tragedies, with materials from iconic structures, claimed to have healing and cleansing properties, the Hagia Sophia mystifies the masses to this day. Religious undercurrent, unshakeable construction, this Byzantine behemoth rose like a phoenix from the ashes of its predecessor. Cloaked in a veil of inexplicable mystery, the Hagia Sophia’s resilience is more than good fortune...

“The Pearl Territory”, chapter 18, #dialogue

Mars is divided in 9 “circles” (or regions): Circle SciTech Circle Energy Circle FoodFarm Circle Impro (studying, teaching, learning) Circle BioMed Circle Junk Circle Rulers Circle Casso (artistic) Circle Seeds (kids; keeps separately) Each circle has a leader. Every week, the leaders gather in the Ellipse Hall. They represent the government and call themselves – “Team Happiness” or HT. “Soul repository” is the place where you can leave your soul. Being soulless...