Lara Morgan's Blog, page 9
August 11, 2011
My dirty little secret: I love tv
Okay so here's the thing, although I am a writer and I love, love, LOVE, the written word and have so many books my main form of house decoration is stacks of books in haphazard poses, I also really love tv. And when I say tv I am talking here about tv shows. Mostly the genre kind. 
Right now I am in the midst of watching Supernatural Season 6, Eureka, Haven, Stargate Universe, Falling Skies, Teen Wolf, Alphas, Fringe, True Blood and Warehouse 13. I am also waiting with curved desperate fingers for the return of The Vampire Diaries. And my past favourite shows have been Buffy ( of course!), Firefly, anything Stargatey (yes that's a new word), Battlestar Galactica and the unbeatable classic, The X Files. Love me a good Mulder / Scully argument.
So most evenings after a day of existing in my own worlds and wrestling with the traumas of trying to make plots work, there's not much I love more than settling down on the couch to immerse myself in somebody else's world. And I refuse to feel guilty about it. Time was when people looked down their nose at you for watching television, as if it might curdle your brain and in the midst of a conversation little curls of frontal lobe might start oozing from your ear if you so much as dared to indulge in more than a nano second a day. When I was a kid my mum had me convinced that too much tv would probably send me blind and that I had to go outside. And probably away from annoying her. And now as a supposed grown up, I still read articles which assure me that watching that little black box in the corner will suck the creativity out of me and turn me into a dribbling zombie capable of writing plots only Home and Away would be interested in.
But I refuse to be repressed. I still love my tv shows. Yes some are better than others (Teen Wolf I"m looking at you and your sappy teen love angst. Barf. The Vampire Diaries does it so much better) but there is something appealing about being able to be part of these character's lives for longer than the length of a movie. So what if sometimes the writers don't quite get it right. So what if sometimes the endings can be a bit pat, a bit sentimental. I don't care. And if we're all being truthful, in comparison to some of the sludge that's been lobbed at us by the Hollywood machine in terms of films these days, the shows on tv have a hell of a lot more depth and are better 
than their burnt popcorn cgi laden crap.
So I'm going to keep watching what I like and damn the consequences to my brain or social standing – such as it is. Whose with me? Anyone for an episode of Supernatural??
August 2, 2011
Equinox cover reveal and more Aug 22…
I'm excited and I hope you will be too. Okay now I need a lie down and a cup of tea.
July 31, 2011
Cover reveal soon…
Equinox is almost ready to send to the printers and it's only a short time now until I can reveal the cover – and closer to November the first chapter will be let out into the wild.
But not yet.
In the meant time I've been working on the third book – no there will be no hints about the plot yet, sorry! – and reading.
Just finished in fact the first on Kelly Armstrong's Darkest Power trilogy, The Summoning. If you like your stories with more than just a romance, but mystery danger and adventure as well, you'll probably like this one.
June 27, 2011
Equinox sneak peak 2…
You asked for it, so here it is another snippet of Rosie Black Chronicles 2 to tantalise your eyeballs…..
'…Do you want a seat?' His hazel eyes looked golden in the light coming through the opaque roof.
'Um, no, I'm fine thanks.' Rosie felt awkward.
'So what's your first name, Miss Black? I can't keep calling you Pilot Girl.'
'Rosie.'
He held out his hand. 'Dalton.' There was a wry twist to his lips as she hesitated a moment then shook it.
'Not that you need an introduction,' she said.
'Right of course, I'm one of the famous Curtis men.'
So what's going on here and who is this Dalton guy? Is he a rival for Rosie's affections or is he something else? You'll have to wait until November to find out.
June 15, 2011
Equinox has left the building…
Yay and thank god! I have finally booted the revised draft of Equinox out of my house – well electronically anyway. And then there's the back up…. but it's gone to the publishers and they haven't thrown it back in a fit of pique so it must be good to go….Almost.
It is such a relief when the book finally leaves home like a lemming off a cliff, and I can breathe for five minutes before I'm on to the next one. Rosie Black book 3……yes that is in the planning and drafting stages.
But meanwhile I have been peering with dismay at the growing number of books I'm in the middle of reading. This always happens. I start one, see another start that and before I know it I have 5 books on the go. Yes 5. Clearly I have an attention issue.
So what are they, you ask? Because you care I know.
First the YA – and fab it is… totally compulsive reading. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
which is the second in her Iron Fey series – which some of you have probably read.
I'm loving the pacy read, the characters and what a gorgeous cover.
Then I'm also reading Stephen King's The Stand.
An older one but a great one if very very long. But I read the Dark Tower series recently and characters from that are in The Stand. All very complex and terrifying, but if you've read The Dark Tower you'll know what I mean.
I'm also half way through The Distant Hours, by Kate Morton. 
This one is contemporary adult fiction and it starts with a mysterious letter, a device I've always loved. There is also an old house, forbidden lovers and past secrets. Juicy stuff with a literary bent.
Other contenders for reading time are the second book in the Monster Blood Tattoo series, by DM Cornish.
and Jasper Jones, by WA talent Craig Silvey.
Presently half buried under all the award nominations Jasper Jones is almost a love letter/homage to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – one of my very favourite books.
What are you reading? Suggestions for more brilliant YA always welcome!
June 12, 2011
Equinox in final stages!
Yeah and yipee! I am almost close to finishing the final major draft of Rosie Black 2. It's been a hard slog but I'm hopeful you're all going to love it.
I've been working on it over the last four days at a writers retreat – among other things that writers get up to when we're together ! – and I think it's about ready to leave my nest….again.
I'm also going to be checking up on the progress of the cover, so stay tuned and I will let you know when I can show it to you all as soon as I can.
all the best
xx Lara
May 24, 2011
Be fabulous, be furious…
Eliza Boans has everything. A big house. A great education.
A bright future. So why is she sitting in a police station
confessing to murder?
I am loving this first book from Aussie author Shirley Marr. It's totally compelling with a great heroine – or anti heroine - Eliza. Like a dark, furious, Gossip Girl, but better, Fury is keeping me up at night as I can't put it down. Funny, dark, shocking. Read it is all I can say.
You can find out more about at Shirley at http://shirleymarr.net
