Ila Golden's Blog, page 12

The time we spend with family

What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

For me, holidays are all about the time we spend with our families. As long as I’m able to do that, then it’s my favourite holiday.

Maybe it’s a simple thought. And I know I’m fortunate to have a birth family I feel this way about. But for me it’s my truth.

Care and love to everyone and their favourite holiday, whatever the reason.

A scary proposition

Have you ever been camping?

No, I have never been camping. I can see why the idea would appeal to a lot of individuals. There is definitely something to the idea of being as close as you can be to sleeping outside in nature whilst still having a roof of sorts over your head.

Unfortunately the idea doesn’t appeal to me. I struggle to feel safe sleeping at night surrounded by brick and mortar. I’m a light sleeper, always on alert. Camping is a sleeping setup that would only play into all my sleeping fears. Regardless of the realities of how safe camping can be. And I know it’s relatively safe, else others wouldn’t do it. For me there is no appeal, only dread…

The routine early bird

When do you feel most productive?

I wouldn’t necessarily say there is any time of the day I feel more productive. I can certainly be very productive in the afternoon on days I’m doing my day job. But that might be everything coming down to the same psychology.

I am productive from when I am up, until everything I need to do is done. And then I stop.

It’s about routine. Work is part of that routine on days I’m scheduled. On days I’m not there will be more of the day I am not productive. But either way I do just get up and get on. So it’s productive by choice and not necessarily by feel.

🤔😜🤷🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈💛🤍💜🖤

What are your favorite emojis?

Topics that I’m passionate about

What topics do you like to discuss?

Or topics that others are. And I mean topics to do with interests and passions. Hobbies. Films they love. Books. Music. TV. Video games. Gardening. Cooking. Etc. When people talk about the things they genuinely love, it lights them up from the inside.

Sometimes a little luck is all you need

When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?

When the property we were trying to purchase fell through, because of unsolvable issues on the sellers end (See ‘Adventures of a Non-Binary Author – Spanner in the Works’ for details) we had a decision to make. We were already five and a half months into the sale of the flat, there was only so long we could delay without risking losing our buyer.

So we took a risk on going ahead with it, whilst scrambling to find temporary accommodation. Only with sheer luck did it pay off. But sometimes a little luck is all you need.

Hell yeah, Lion is the best character!

Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.

I met my partner on an asexual dating site. I took the plunge by being the first to message. Not the easiest thing for me to do. My opener related to them mentioning Lion from Steven Universe being the best character.

We started chatting. From there we became friends. Then we starter long distance dating.

We’ve now been together four years, living together almost two, engaged, and looking to buy a house together.

So, yeah, best risk I’ve ever taken.

Adventures of a Non-Binary Author – A Tower of Eggs

It started with two. The two dropped of by my dad and step mum, alongside my birthday gifts from them. The next two my partner picked up. Then, between the two of us, the rest of the pile forms. But not a sensible pile, all neatly stacked in a way which would obviously balance. On no. The first two eggs never leave the gift bag they arrived in. The rest of the pile forms on top of them. Until we were left with a very unique arrangement. With Lindor rabbits on top, because how can you have a pile of chocolate eggs without a bunny or two?

We are both non-religious. Me because I was raised that way. Not christened or baptised. My parents wanted me and my brothers to have the freedom to chose. Of course we have Christmas and Easter as family celebrations. But the emphasis was always on us being good people. And we could be those without a church. And so, without a church, I have remained. Respectful of those with faith of course. Everyone has the right to chose what they believe in. And I have seen how faith can help make good people shine. Faith, or at least the kind you find in organised religions, is just not for me.

Chocolate, however, is. Hence the tower of eggs my partner and I have created. Before we start eating any of them, I joke it looks like the two original eggs have been breeding. And it does. Just a little. I work Good Friday. On the Saturday we have a takeaway roast for a late lunch. I’m working the Sunday, and takeaway roasts always leave me feeling painfully full. So, like normal, I don’t want dinner after our Saturday one. But, before bed, I do consume the milk chocolate bunny. My partner has the white chocolate one. The two Lindor bells join the others on my foldaway table. The underneath of which is covered with bells and ribbons. It started because I didn’t like the idea of just throwing them away. It felt so wasteful to me. That was several years ago now. And I couldn’t imagine my little table without it’s haphazard decoration anymore. At some point I might better organise it. But this is not that point. And most of them will probably fall off when we move again. I don’t believe I lost any last time, although more than a few ended up in my mums’ car. They’ve been safely returned since, but I was without them for a short while.

We have our first eggs on the Sunday. Our post dinner dessert. My partner goes for one of the midsized ones. I opt for one that’s a little smaller.I don’t want a big egg, since my dinner includes two triple chocolate hot cross buns. A last minute addition from my partner. They had theirs for breakfast apparently.

The Monday is a rare bank holiday without working for me. It’s by chance more than anything. But it does mean both me and my partner have the day off. We spend it going to Exeter to see their friends. We have a nice Thai meal, and do a pretty good escape room. The traveling really throws me off though. Trains always feel like their moving to me. That constant vibration messes with my vertigo. Still two days working, two days off, not a bad Easter weekend. The time in Exeter was enjoyable. And I have the Tuesday to recover from the travel.

And then… Well then we go back to waiting again. Waiting to hear about our mortgage application. Waiting for the results of our Home Buyers Survey to come back in. Waiting to see what our solicitor finds in their searches. Lots of waiting. So it’s probably a good job we have so much chocolate to eat…

To be continued…

Releasing a new book

What makes you nervous?

No matter how excited you are to release your story out into the wild, the nerves will always be there.

So I am actually an author

With so much going on in my life, it’s no wonder these Adventures posts of mine have been focused on other things. But, as I’ve mentioned, I am an author. And part of the reason for blogging it to try and get my name out there,.And to do so in the most cost effective way possible. I write every day. It’s part of my morning routine regardless as to whether or not I’m working. Something those of you following these Adventures blogs will know. But, what I haven’t done so far, is talk about my writing.

So, whilst we’re in this current lull. The one between applying for a mortgage and hearing whether or not it’s been accepted. Why not spend a little time talking about my actual passion?

I am at heart a fantasy writer. I lean a little more towards slice of life storytelling. But there’s always some magical element. Sometimes more towards the magical realism side of things. Sometimes more pure fantasy. Over the last eight years or so, my writing has been focused on the world where Neva Aton exists. Neva Aton is a town within an Earth very similar to the one we live on. Only this Earth has magic, obviously.

I hadn’t intended to become so focused on this particular reality. It all started when I was re-editing Hyena Boy. At the time Hyena Boy was set in an unspecified town in Devon. It was also a standalone story I’d first written when I was doing my A-Levels. This was not the first time I’d tackled edits/re-writes with it. But this was the time that would go on to change everything.

It all started with little moments I noticed between two of the characters. Queer little moments. Queer little shippable moments, And the more passes I did with the story, the more defined I made those moments. Until, eventually, I figured I should just make it actual text. Text with curious little moments, hinting an entire other story might be going on. And, well, if anyone was going to write the fanfiction for that, it should be the author, right?

Writing The Colours I See, as a companion book to Hyena Boy, meant giving the town a name. Neva Aton. Never a ton. Never a town. Basic, maybe. But it fit with naming conventions in Devon. At least enough to sound like it might exist there. The Colours I See shared Hyena Boy’s timeline. Even having crossover moments shown from the POV of the new main character. As such, I did not expect The Colours I See to become the absolute doorstop of a narrative it became. Nor did I expect writing it to sow the seeds of another book. No Doors Allowed. And, once again, there’s a different character taking the lead. Only this time the story is set after the events of Hyena Boy and The Colours I See.

And then, when you have stories for three of the four main friends, you shouldn’t ignore the fourth one. We Giants. Set part way through No Doors Allowed. Four stories. Four friends. Two sets of companion books. One collection. The Neva Aton Collection. A collection and not a series, because the books can be read in any order. Even if there is an earlier part of the timeline and a later part of it.

I spent a lot of time in this world, with these characters. Both when writing and editing the stories. So it was only natural I would start wondering about what happens next. Who are their children. What kind of family do these four friends go on to create. And who’s perspective do I want to see that future from? Step in Toby. The first book in what would become the What Makes Me series. And from there my obsession with this world and these characters became a driving passion. And eagerly I was there, ready and waiting, to explore everything on offer.

With each subsequent series, more of the fantasy elements come into focus. But the heart of the story remains the same. The characters and their relationships to and with each other. Sometimes they’re just twisty slices of life. Sometimes they take much more dramatic turns. But the same love, care, and passion goes into writing and editing each one. So, hopefully soon, the next series set within this world will come out. I just need to feel as though I’ve finished the editing process first. And come up with a name for the series. Oh, and covers. I need covers too.

But still, hopefully soon, the next expansion of Neva Aton’s world will be released. Standing alongside it’s grandparent and parent series. Creating an impact on those who read. Because that’s why I write. I write to reach people. To move people. To share emotions. Joy. Love. Sadness. Anger. I write because stories matter. And now I kind of sound pretentious or whatever, so I’ll stop there.

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