Tanith Davenport's Blog, page 5

Something I believed, but found out wasn't true

 I'm back on the Long and Short Reviews hop after a short break, and this topic took a bit of thought since I was trying to avoid the standard Santa/Tooth Fairy/etc stuff. However, it did remind me of something that was a fond memory from when I was a kid.

We, like a lot of suburban neighbourhoods, had our own Santa who would come round the local streets on a float. As a kid I didn't believe that the various Santas in shops were the real one, since even I had noticed that there were several of them, but for some reason I did believe that the one on the float was the real one. Needless to say, it took me a couple of years before I realised that if I told him I wanted something but neglected to tell my parents about it, I wasn't getting it.

I did also, at one point, leave a note under our Christmas tree as I'd forgotten to ask for something and wanted to see if Santa had one going spare. The next morning there was another note under the tree saying he'd run out and to ask again next year. No, I didn't immediately realise the note was in my dad's handwriting, although I really should have. 

So what did you believe that you found out wasn't true?

Favourite scary monster

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was quite appropriate, because I watch a hell of a lot of horror and my preference will always be for something paranormal. I don't mind a slasher film, but don't find them all that scary. I also don't like possession films much - they tend to cover the same ground over and over - and find zombie films quite dull.

The sort of monsters I do like are ghosts, and my absolute favourite is the onryo.

I love J-horror (not always the American remakes, although "The Ring" was good) and will always find an onryo scary. Admittedly they're a bit overused now and "The Cabin in the Woods" proved that, but I will always remember Sadako/Samara crawling out of the television and being absolutely terrified. As were the teenager girls sitting in front of me, who screamed hysterically and then ran out of the cinema.

So what's your favourite scary monster?

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN GIVEAWAY

October 1st-13th

Goodies Given Away Every Day Totaling $210

https://ellenmint.blog/halloween-giveaway/ 

Every day is Halloween in this paranormal romance giveaway. Thirteen authors have teamed up to bring you the hottest and spookiest October. How does over $210 worth of prizes sound? 

The ghouls and goblins are throwing a huge Monster Mash and they want you to join them. With each new day, they’ll open another door or window in this haunted house to reveal who’s partying and what prize you can win.

Head to Ellen Mint’s website giveaway, click on the haunted mansion, and it will reveal the newest prize you can win.

The giveaway is sponsored by these wonderful authors:

Ellen Mint • AE Lister • Robin Jeffrey • Tanith Davenport • January Bain • Megan Slayer • H. M. Gooden • Letty Frame • Rosanna Leo • Seelie Kay • Tabetha Waite • M.C. Roth • Angela Addams • V.J. Allison

Coffee Time Romance Halloween event!

 

Win books at Coffee Time Romance during the Halloween event!

How I shake off a bad mood

 I'm back on Long and Short Reviews's blog posts after a break (thanks to being in hospital with a collapsed lung) and this one definitely seemed appropriate. The NHS is a wonderful thing but being in hospital isn't exactly fun - the food is terrible, going anywhere takes ages when you're hooked up to things, and sleeping is virtually impossible when you're constantly being interrupted to take vitals.

So how did I cheer myself up when I finally got home? The three Cs - cider, cheese and cats.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I made sure we had plenty of blue cheese in the house. Cider, frankly any brand will do. And, of course, my two cats Dash and Spot, who I like to think missed me a little bit even though they were as aloof as always.

So how do you shake off a bad mood?

Three fun facts about myself

 I liked this topic from Long and Short Reviews. I've often played "Two Truths, One Lie" during icebreakers, so I had a couple of facts to fall back on.

I had dinner with an actor from "Hollyoaks". It wasn't a date - it was for my brother-in-law's girlfriend's birthday dinner, and he was friends with my brother-in-law. I won't say who it was, but he was completely different from his character (he played the local comic relief, whereas in person he was very much the ladies' man) and he managed to get us into the VIP room of a nightclub afterwards.

I was on an episode of The Chase. We didn't win, but I did bring four thousand pounds back to the table after my Cash Builder. Our chaser was Anne, and while many people have asked me what Bradley Walsh was like off-screen, I can honestly say I don't know since he had his game face on from the moment he walked on set.

Until I was 21, I had taken off in a plane but never landed in one. I used to skydive between the ages of 18 and 21, but had never been on a foreign holiday so had never been up in a plane that wasn't designed to jump out of it. I eventually went on my first proper holiday after I finished my Masters, and exited that plane by the normal method.

I'm very interested to see what everyone else is going to come up with!

When I Look In The Mirror blog tour!

 I'm now touring for my new release "When I Look In The Mirror" and I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter, so please stop by!

August 14: Kenyan Poet
August 14: Full Moon Dreaming
August 15: Erotica For All
August 16: Sandra's Book Club
August 17: Fabulous and Brunette
August 18: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books! - review only
August 18: Long and Short Reviews
August 21: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
August 22: The Key of Love
August 22: Author Deb Bailey
August 23: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
August 24: Dawn's Reading Nook
August 24: Westveil Publishing
August 25: The Avid Reader

A documentary I liked

 I had to think a moment for this topic by Long and Short Reviews. I haven't watched many documentaries lately, I have to admit. However, I did remember one which stood out for me.

"Blackfish".

For those who haven't seen it, this is the one which is a searing indictment of SeaWorld's treatment of its orcas, and the multiple deaths caused by orcas in their care. 

While it makes for uncomfortable viewing at times - particularly the section where a young Spanish-speaking woman is in tears describing the death of her fiance - I'm glad I watched it, because I've been to these sorts of shows before and, at the time, enjoyed them. I daresay I would have enjoyed going to a SeaWorld show had I not seen this film and discovered how terribly the orcas are treated.

It's definitely worth watching, but will probably make you cringe.

So which documentaries have you liked?

The strangest dream I've had recently

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was an interesting one. I often have very vivid dreams and keep a notebook beside the bed so I can write any good ones down, as I've often used them to inspire my writing. My novel "Photograph" was inspired by one dream, and "The Hand He Dealt" by another.

That said, I haven't had any good ones lately, so instead I'll tell you about the one that inspired my upcoming new entry in the "Rock My World" series, "Get Out Of Here".

In the dream I was at a motorway service station. From what little I remember about the layout, it was probably Woolley Edge (which will mean nothing to those who don't drive down the M1). As I walked out of the services back towards my car I was stopped by a group of men who made it clear they wanted to abduct me.

Just as I started to panic, a voice behind me said "Hey! Stop bothering my fiancee!" I turned round to see an attractive man standing behind me, someone I had never seen before but who had obviously decided to step in and save me. It worked, too, because the men all disappeared, at which point I woke up.

That was definitely one to write down, and it inspired the opening of "Get Out Of Here", which is due out in February 2024.

So what strange dreams have you had lately?

A Job I Wouldn't Be Good At

 When this topic from Long and Short Reviews came up, a story from my past immediately came into my head.

When I was a kid, I went to my primary school summer fair and encountered a stall which claimed to tell your future using numerology. I got a printout with various predictions on it, most of which I can't remember, but one was "With a sharp and technical mind like yours, you would do well in a career like engineering."

Right.

While it's nice to be told you have a sharp and technical mind, even as a child I knew this was absolute nonsense. While I got a double A* in my GCSE Science, that was primarily by sheer determination and my chemistry and biology scores dragging my physics score up. Physics and maths, which are the sorts of subjects you need for engineering, are definitely not my strong subjects, and while I'm good at using a computer I'm certainly not technical. I would be utterly terrible at engineering.

It's probably just as well I can't remember the rest of the predictions, because if that one is anything to go by they weren't worth remembering. I think it did suggest I would get married in my thirties - I was 27, so they got that wrong as well.

So what job wouldn't you be good at?