Tanith Davenport's Blog, page 16

Creative outlets I enjoy

 I was rather ashamed when I saw this topic from Long and Short Reviews come up, because I am surprisingly limited in my creative outlets.

I am not, for instance, a person who goes in for arts and crafts. I can't draw, I don't knit or crochet, and while I know people who cross-stitch and embroider, I've never done it myself. So at the moment my only creative outlet is my writing.

I'm currently working on a piece with the working title of Hyperventilating. It has been re-planned about five times now but it's finally getting somewhere - and it has the advantage of allowing me to use a past creative outlet, which is songwriting. My hero is a rock star, and in my past I made several attempts at writing song lyrics, none of which were worthy of anything but which can be quoted safely whenever I write about my hero in performance. 

Makes a nice change from having to remove all song lyrics for trademark purposes!

So what are your creative outlets?

If I won a large lottery jackpot, I would...

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was an interesting one, in that it reminded me how much life has changed since covid happened. My first thought was that I'd travel... if covid let me. As things currently stand, nowhere on my bucket list is available at the moment without having to self-isolate afterwards, which isn't ideal for a pair of key workers.

In any event, if I had a large amount of money, I would travel. I've always wanted to take a fly-drive across America - there are hundreds of places in the US I would love to see, such as the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. I would also like to visit Thailand for the stunning beaches and the food (which is probably nothing like Thai food over here) and tour around Europe. I'd love to go somewhere like Iceland where we might stand a chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

The other thing I would get is a car. I absolutely love classic American cars and would really love a customised pink Cadillac Eldorado, one with a right-hand drive and better fuel consumption than they're known for. Actually, with enough cash, I'd probably end up with a T-bird as well.

So what would you do with a lottery win?

Books I chose based on the title

 I deliberately missed out the part about covers in this topic from Long and Short Reviews, as I couldn't think of a single book I chose based on its cover. I have, however, chosen a number of books based on their title.

Here Be Sexist Vampires - Suzanne Wright. I had no idea what this would be about (other than sexist vampires) but I couldn't resist a title like that. As it happened, it's a remarkably well written erotic romance with some interesting world building.

In Appreciation Of Their Cox - Janine Ashbless. This is a short erotica about an eight-man rowing team with a female cox, and definitely does what it says on the tin.

Stacy's Dad Has Got It Going On - Giselle Renarde. The title made me collapse laughing - the song is a guilty pleasure for me, and this was certainly a take on romance that I had never seen before. It didn't go the way I expected, but was always entertaining.

So which books did you choose based on the cover or title?

TV Shows I binge watch

 I had to twist this topic from Long and Short Reviews a bit, because I don't generally binge watch shows. My husband does - he likes to watch "The Expanse" while I'm working, since he finishes before I do. But I tend to watch things I've recorded, nothing that I could watch in large doses.

So what have I been watching recently?

We recently got a subscription to Disney Plus, so we've been watching shows on there. As well as the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in timeline order, we watched "The Mandalorian" (loved the ending to the last series), "WandaVision", and are now watching "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier". I admit I'm not enjoying that last one as much as "WandaVision", but I've always been a fan of Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and it has only been two episodes of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" so far, so it may get better.

So what do you binge watch?

What my last meal would be

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was a tough one. I have a fairly wide-ranging palate and my favourite foods can vary from week to week, so trying to come up with one dish - or three, if you allow for a three-course meal - was hard work. I can like something one week and be bored with it the next.

For the starter, I think I'd go for burrata. For those not in the know, it's mozzarella cheese mixed with cream. I discovered this at a local Italian restaurant since I love mozzarella, so this is the perfect way to begin a meal.

I'd follow this with a roast dinner of some description. I've recently been hankering after roast pork with crackling, so I'd probably go for that, along with roast potatoes, carrots and green beans. You can't beat a decent roast.

And finally - cheesecake. I love almost all types of cheesecake but my favourite is lime, which unfortunately is impossible to find anywhere at the moment.

So what would your last meal be?

My theme song

 I had to laugh when this topic came up at Long and Short Reviews, because this is pretty much how I work when I write - a lot of scenes are written with music in mind. Unfortunately we're not allowed to quote lyrics and just using song titles doesn't always cut it, as not everyone will know why "Break Me Shake Me" would make a good background track to this sex scene. I've often wanted to include a flash drive or CD with every book and tell readers to play track X for scene Y.

I have also embarrassed my husband a few times by singing along to music in public. I can get away with this a bit more at the moment because I'm wearing a mask, so he doesn't always notice I'm doing it. I can still remember the time I found myself doing a duet of "Blurred Lines" with a random stranger in Asda, or the lunch break last year when everyone in Greggs was singing along to "Love Yourself".

But what would be my theme song?

I actually came up with this last year, before it was mandatory to wear masks in supermarkets. I had gone shopping wearing a mask and found myself surrounded by shoppers wandering around maskless, ignoring the arrows on the aisles - and, appropriately, playing on the radio was Chesney Hawkes' "The One and Only". Yes, I really was. And I think it works for most of my life - we all are, after all, the one and only.

So what would be your theme song?

Best non-book gifts for readers

 The first thought that came into my mind when I read this topic from Long and Short Reviews was a Kindle - however, I'm not sure whether that fits the spirit of it. An ebook reader isn't technically a book, I suppose, so that would be first on my list. I wouldn't be without my Kindle.

The second possibility is a reading light. My husband has one that clips to the headboard so he can read in bed without keeping me awake. Considering he often reads when he can't sleep, it's a real marriage-saver.

Thirdly - well, it's always nice to have drinks to hand while you read, so I have two options. For my non-drinking friends, a large mug for tea or coffee (or indeed hot chocolate, if you're like me and don't like either). And if you feel like something stronger, a bottle of Torrontes wine (trust me on this, it's stunning) or one of the cocktail packs our local restaurants are doing at the moment. 

There's nothing quite like reading your favourite book with a glass of wine or a Mojito to hand.

So what are your best non-book ideas for readers?

My greatest weakness

 Okay, so we went from greatest strength to greatest weakness in the Long and Short Reviews list of topics. If I was a superhero, I'd probably refuse to answer. However, I don't have any kryptonite-level weaknesses lurking, so I'll have to come up with something a bit more realistic.

My husband would probably say my weakness is an inability to see mess. He notices every misplaced item, while I can walk straight past it - and this happens a lot, because our cats have a habit of carrying things around the house, so I'll walk into the living room and find the teatowel and washing up sponge lying in the middle of the floor. As long as we're not living in filth I don't really mind misplaced stuff, which is just as well given these two animals.

The other weakness is probably insecurity. I am never happy with the work I do, even when other people are happy with it. This, I think, is just part of being a writer - we nitpick our own work and then pass it to editors who nitpick it even further. I suppose it can be healthy to want to make things better as long as I don't get too obsessed with it.

So what's your greatest weakness?

My greatest strength

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was a tough one, because this is the sort of thing I'm terrible at. I can tell you plenty of things I'm not good at, but my strong points? No chance.

At one point I might have said my imagination, but I'm not sure I can push that at the moment, because lockdown has left me with a severe case of writer's block. I've struggled to get any writing done at all recently - if not for the new plans by my publisher to release my books as audiobooks, I'd barely feel like a writer at all.

So, strong points at the moment?

I'm good at learning new things - I can pick up a wealth of new information quickly.

I have a very high pain threshold - that's what having a chronic pain condition gets you. Someone else's level 10 pain would probably be my level 5.

And, thanks to my introversion, I'm good at being alone. Obviously I live with my husband, so I'm rarely completely alone, but I'm dealing quite well with not being able to go anywhere, unlike many people I know who have been climbing the walls for months.

So what's your greatest strength?

How I take care of my health

 Self-care is a topic which is hot recently, thanks to coronavirus locking us all up in our homes, and since I'm not high on the list for a vaccine it's unlikely to change any time soon, so when this topic from Long and Short Reviews came up self-care was the first thing that came to mind.

I'm the first to admit I'm not the healthiest individual. I can't really exercise at the moment as I have a respiratory condition which prevents anything strenuous, and I have to be careful which vitamins I take as some clash with my medication. So for my physical health, there's not a lot I can do other than eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, take my meds and go out for a walk when I can. My husband and I like to go out to local wildlife reserves whenever possible, which at the moment is unlikely as a lot of the nearest ones are flooded.

Taking care of my mental health is trickier. I've been working from home for nearly a year and it takes a toll, even for an introvert like me. I keep a steady supply of books and films and stay in touch with friends as best I can - we've been having Zoom meetings for each other's birthdays and sending memes to each other. It's tough, but I'm soldiering on.

So how do you take care of your health?