Michelle Styles's Blog, page 51

Craft post: Manuscript Makeover

It has been awhile, a long while since I have done a craft post. Recently I discovered the book, Manuscript Makeover Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to ignore by Elizabeth Lyon and I suspect that the book will eventually be on many fiction writers shelves, right next to Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Brown and King.
This book is not about crafting a novel but rewriting and revising. It does what it says on the tin.
It is not flashy but full of good ideas and has helped...

Remembering to breathe

Sometimes you just need to remember to breathe.

I feel very relieved as ALL my tests have come back negative. The lymph oedema in my left arm is idiopathic -- ie of unknown cause. But the doctor does not believe it has anything to do with my writing. He did ask if I had been lifting swords (answer no) and did concede pulling dogs might be a cause...

The upshot is the lymph oedema clinic beckons so I can learn how to manage it. Lymph oedema is about managing, rather than curing.

It is why people...

Birthday

Today is my birthday (not yesterday as Donna Alward put on the PHS blog). I have always enjoyed being born on the 26th.

People born on my birthday include General Douglas MacArthur, Paul Newman, Jose Mourinho (former Chelsea manager, 47), Martin Dunn (the editor in chief of The New York Daily News), Christopher Hampton (playwright) and many others. It is St Eystein's Day -- 12 century the archbishop of Nidaros near Tronhiem who worked to bring the Norwegian church in line with other Europeon...

RPJ and hurt paws

I am over at the Pink Heart Society discussing Rupert Penry Jones in the Male on Monday slot.
I am a recent convert to Spooks and really enjoyed him in 39 Steps. It means that I will have to try and catch the new series of Whitechapel when that comes out later this year. And I do think he will provide the inspiration for my next hero but one (ie my current heorine's brother). And I have finished my current wip and can go into editing mode. After that it is a quick Roman Undone to see if I...

Over at Unusual Historical

I have the Sunday spot at Unusual Historical this week so there is a copy of Sold & Seduced up for grabs.

And on Sunday at Pink Heart Society, it is Super Sunday with editor Victoria Curran giving the latest inside scoop about Superomance. If you are interested in that line, you will not want to miss it!
In other news:The Aga is being difficult. I suspect the Aga man will have to come out and sort it. SIGH. It keeps going out. So I have spent the morning trying to relight the thing (3 times so ...

The telephone destroyers

I wondered why the phone had stopped recharging. The kittens snapped the wires. Or maybe it was the puppies pretending to be kittens. Anyway the electric cable has snapped. Cue new phone. But it explains why I have missed a few calls...

The kittens have also visited the V.E.T. They were too little to be microchipped but have had their first vaccinations. And as they had fleas, they have been de-fleaed and wormed. They are very sweet...and definitely male. They will be for the snip when they a...

Seeing the magazine in the flesh

This morning, I got to look at Living North February edition in the flesh for the first time. For some reason it was not out on Friday, Saturday or even Monday but it is now. I had a lovely surprise when the editorial mentioned 'we meet an author who has an ability to melt the coldest heart Michelle Styles.'
It also made me laugh -- the ad next to the article is for a Pandora bracelet. Both Kate Hardy and Fiona Harper know how much I envy theirs...Is this a sign?
Anyway there are lots of intere...

Photos shoots, magazines and books

I am blogging today at Tote Bags about the photo shoot I did for Living North Magazine.
The February edition is now on sale and I am the featured article. You can read more on the Living North website. I feel terribly glamourous now.

My hardback copies of Compromising Miss Milton arrived yesterday, so I will be getting a newsletter out soonish... I like the cover... And my current wip is going along...it should get done this week...

The Very Bad Modem Cats

Heathcliff and Mr Darcy decided to be Very Bad Modem Cats and run all over my desk using the printer as a safehouse.
I came back to discover that 40k of my latest work in progress had disappeared. Thank heavens my youngest heard my scream and calmly pressed the undo button. The words reappeared. Phew. However every 6th line was a new paragraph. (still not sure how they did it!) and I went and fixed that.

Modem cats do not learn. Modem cats like to chase the computer mouse and think that...

The 2010 mouse tally

With the thaw, the mice have begun moving again and the new trap in the basement has caught two mice. There is a rather large gray mouse (not a rat) who has been seen going in and out of the feed shed. Both my youngest and I would dearly love to catch it. However, the amount of mouse damage in the feed shed appears to be abating. I suspect the mice in the basement also make a pit stop in the feed shed...And I rather concentrate on trapping them in the basement.
There have not been more mice i...