Maria Yrsa Rönneus's Blog, page 6

Taa-raa!

Dear Reader, today, I can proudly present the first novel in my new series A Scouse Romance! House of Rose is finally live on Amazon as both paperback and Kindle.

Rose and Tom enjoy many classic cocktails and I wish, Dear Reader, that we could join them to properly celebrate. But barring that, at least I can treat you to a playlist of the songs in the order that they occur in the book.

The Bee’s Knees is a prohibition era cocktail that has leant its name to the Liverpool jazz club Rose frequents.

52.5 ml dry gin (use non-alcoholic if you prefer)
2 tablespoons of honey
22.5 ml lemon juice
22.5 ml orange juice

Pour the gin and honey into a shaker and stir until the honey dissolves. Add the lemon and orange juice and shake with ice. (Think Tom Cruise in Cocktail) Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon or orange zest for extra zest. Obviously.

So mix yourself a cocktail, Dear Reader, kick back and enjoy!

Imminent Issuing

Dear Reader, mysterious are the workings of Kindle Create indeed. There are ever new surprises awaiting when you’re trying to reopen a document previously prepared. Gremlins, poltergeist, or just deliberately evil coding, who knows, but something is working to mess up the files when you think they’re safe on your harddrive.
Kindle Create is truly a software that keep on giving… grief.
Yes, Dear Reader, you guessed it, I was formatting yesterday. I had already done it once, and was just going to tweak my Kindle file when suddenly Kindle Create decided it couldn’t read its own file format. So I had to start over, this time uploading it to Amazon directly when I was done.
That Amazon, with its high flying ambitions, can’t manage to produce a more userfriendly software to manufacture a product that’s very lucrative for them, would be hysterically funny if it wasn’t so bloody aggravating. It’s not exactly rocket science, is it?
Then I was going to upload my carefully prepared paperback file when I discovered that I accidentally had deleted it in a long overdue harddrive cleaning frenzy.
So all of yesterday was spent creating new files, but finally I got them uploaded to Amazon.
I didn’t have a heart beat for a full 10 minutes (so it felt, anyway) when I also couldn’t find the file for the cover art. After rooting through all the impossible nooks and crannies of my disks, I finally found it where it was supposed to be. I’m not only going blind as a bat, now I think I might actually be a vampire.

All of this, Dear Reader, is my long-winded way of telling you that the paperback and the Kindle of ‘House of Rose’ are in Amazon review and will be live in a few days.

This time, I’ve decided to try Apple Books as well, so looking into that process is how I plan/hope/sacrifice a serving of the gremlins’ favourite snacks, to spend the day.

Hoping that you and your endeavours have a day free of any mischievous imps, please, Dear Reader, wish me luck!

Silly Sunday

Dear Reader, I’m doodling Sunday away with these silly creatures and they’re about to get some friends too. What a hoot!

These little owls are painted with watercolour and ink. I do have some plans for these fowl fall fellas, but I’m not going to tell you what just yet.
Meanwhile, Dear Reader, you’ll have to be content with a small poem.

(image: unsplash)

Eager as I am to return to my silly owls, I wish you a colourful Sunday, Dear Reader, having much pleasure in whatever you do!

Re-covered

Dear Reader, I really like making book covers. When it comes to my own, I’m even a bit obsessed with it. I can’t stop tweaking them even after I’ve decided I was satisfied.
Yes, Dear Reader, there is a new version of the cover of ‘House of Rose’.

I was happy with the old one. But then I downloaded a few new fonts and the proverbial shit hit the “I’ll just try this”-fan. Predictably, this led to a redesign of the title and, inevitably, to having to adjust all the other elements as well to accommodate the new title feature.

Here’s the new jacket and the old design for comparison. What do you think, Dear Reader?

Finished jacketOld front

Although, I’m still working to fill in the plot hole I wrote of yesterday, I’m confident that ‘House of Rose’ will be ready to publish within the next week or so. Naturally then, I also had to update the graphics on the promo.

Well, back to the writing grindstone for me, and a great Tuesday to all of you, where ever you are!

Mondayed Mind

Dear Reader, I was looking forward to writing this post. I was going to tell you that my final edits were done and that I was just awaiting beta-input before publishing.

Mentally, I had already moved on to other projects. For the first time in what felt like forever, I spent a few days painting. Which was lovely, but hard, it somehow takes a while for the brain to adjust from the verbal to the visual medium, from the inner to the outer eye. Or maybe that’s just me. At any rate, lovely as it was, it didn’t amount to much by way of art. I’ll have to chalk it up to recreation, which is no small thing in it self. And perhaps it gave my faculties a much needed boost, because last night I dreamt that I entered an apron design contest and woke realising that I hadn’t tied together all the loose ends in ‘House of Rose’. Mondayed again!

Curiously, I never wear aprons. I don’t even have one, let alone an urge to design one. There are aprons featuring in ‘House of Rose’ though and, perhaps Dear Reader, if this writing business fails, I could take up apron making instead? Everybody’s into cooking these days, aren’t they?

(Image: pixabay.com)

Yes, Dear Reader, I’m writing silly poems again, instead of doing what I really should, namely fix my story. It’s certainly better that I discovered that giant plot hole now than having it pointed out to me after it was published. So there’s that and, thankfully, it’s more of an addition that’s needed than a rewrite and I am on it.

With that Dear Reader, I wish you a hassle free start of the week!

Fantasy Fest

For anyone loving dystopian high fantasy, Christmas has come early! From today until the 29th, both parts of Zenka Wistram’s unforgettable series The Hand of the Goddess are free on Kindle!

Covers and promo by yours truly, Dear Reader. You can find the books here. Please don’t forget to support the author by leaving a review!

Have a wonderful Sunday night where ever you are!

Of the Evils of Editing

It’s been a strange week, Dear Reader. Family matters have over-shadowed fictitious drama, but I am pleased to report that I’m today returned to fantasy-land, snugly tucked into my studio, heavily equipped with candles, rose hip soup, and red pens.

Yes, it’s editing time.

Aptly dreary, the rainy, stormy weather has frigthened even the magpies off, robbing me of the distraction of their fowl antics on the garage roof.
Just as well. I’m supposed to be editing, not procrastinating by writing poetry or blogs.

*crickets*

But it’s booooooring!! My inner five year-old protests. And she’s right, but it’s got to be done. And given the amount of red ink, it’s much needed too. It’s harder than I expected writing in modern British English – those wily americanisms slip through as soon as you stop paying attention.

Editing is another of those tasks in the publishing process that’s best done by someone else. The reason is simple: having spent months writing a text, living a story, you grow too used to your words, too close to turns of phrase, too attached by your own ideas. A set of fresh eyes are needed to detect the errors and the flaws, preferably professional eyes. For authors with a budget, there are plenty of options to be hired. For authors without a budget… well.

However boring the process in itself is, I congratulate myself on every typo, every mistake caught.

“Die, die, die my darling!” I channel my inner Misfit as I mentally stab at text that won’t work however much I love it. Which, by the way, also is a great way of giving yourself an earworm. Or to lead yourself astray, watching youtube videos and reminiscing your misspent youth.

Anyway, so here’s the poem I wrote.

(Image. pixabay.com)

With that Dear Reader, I force my nose to the grindstone and wish you a focussed and efficient Saturday whatever your endeavours!

Monday Mourning

Spirits are low today, Dear Reader, as I take in the sad news of my mother-in-law’s passing. She was 86 and not in good health so, although sudden, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. She loved to dance. Here’s a poem I wrote in her memory. The translation below isn’t very good as translations go, but it’ll give you the rough idea of the poem’s meaning.

(A leaf lets go og life’s tree
flies on the wind’s wings.
Delivered, the leaf’s soul dances
its last whirling journey,
to eternity it swings.
Mother, dear mother, farewell!)

Life is short and fragile, my friends! Take care of each other and be kind!

Saturday magic

This week, Dear Reader, I could write “The End”. It landed on ca 40k words. That doesn’t mean however that ‘House of Rose’ is finished just yet. Edits still remain and I’m now waiting for input from a beta-reader.
Whist letting the text “sit” for a few days, I’m writing a short story inspired by Swedish folklore. Outside rainclouds do battle with the sunshine and, if nature has its course, it’s still a toss up who’s going to win.

However, I have discovered two dead cert spells for determining the outcome and I thought I’d share these groundbreaking scientific *ahem* discoveries with you, Dear Reader.

Certain way to invoke rain:

1. Sit inside, note sunshine outside
2. Think “why this looks like a fine day, I might do a spot of gardening”
3. Make yourself a hot beverage of choice and take out your favourite blanket whilst you wait 10 minutes.

Foolproof way of invoking sunshine:

1. Be indoors, note rain clouds outside
2. Think “it’s going to rain in a minute, no point in going outside then”
3. Start indoor project of choice
4. Wait just long enough that you’ve properly started your project and are really getting into it.
5. Look outside: voilá!

As I type this the sunshine beams gleefully through my window, but rain clouds lurk just on the outskirts on my horizon, waiting for my finishing this post.

With that Dear Reader, I wish you luck in spells and weather, and a happy Saturday where ever you are!

Sunday Sweets

Slowly but steadily, I’m nearing the end of ‘House of Rose’, the short novel/novella, I’m currently writing. I’m planning for it to be the first of a triology of police romances. The idea to this series first came to me when I discovered an old, British tv-show called The Bill. It was one of the first shows that was filmed in a “documentary style” and follows the beat bobbies and detectives at the fictional Sun Hill police station in London’s East end. It first aired in 1984 and swiftly became immensely popular, when it was cancelled in 2010 it had reached something of cult status in the UK. Many of the film and tv stars of today guest starred in The Bill when they were first starting out: Sean Bean, Idris Elba, David Tennant, Brendan Coyle, Robert Carlyle, et al.

PC Steve Loxton was a rather nasty character appearing in the show 1990-1999; unreliable, sexist, self-serving, and lacking empathy. But, he was played by the angel-faced Tom Butcher. In later series, another character, Dale Smith (portrayed by Alex Walkinshaw), is accepted into the special firearms team. He had all the makings of a romantic lead but had his heart broken instead.

Combining Tom Butcher’s face with an improved version of Dale Smith’s character, Inspector Montgomery Thomas “Tom” Loxton was born to right a wrong. He’s the ultimate hero, quintessentially a perfect dreamboat. But then, fiction is woven by dreams.

My Inspector Tom Loxton is a Sandhurst graduate, an Afghanistan vet, and a CTSFO (Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer, Britain’s elite, paramilitary special ops police) and is, at 37, a bit older than the actor was in the picture above. He comes from a military family, his ancestors have participated in every war Britain was involved in during the past two centuries (that’s a lot!) and they’re all named for generals. His father disapproves of his career change to the police, but his mother is a sweet woman who taught him to love flowers and dancing. He practises martial arts, keeps a goldfish named Sun Tzu, and cycles to work for the environment. He’s clever, steady, and has a penchant for bad puns.

The male leads for the two following parts of the series, as well as some minor characters, are also inspired by characters from The Bill. More about that in another post.

Until next time, Dear Reader, I wish you a lovely Sunday, where ever you are!