Elin Gregory's Blog, page 73

Big Scary Monster

I’m a teensy bit ashamed of myself this evening. I had to take a big mirror down, ready for the chimney sweep to vacuum out the log burner, and propped it up safely behind the log basket.

Wilfred crept across to the basket to steal a stick to chew and was horrified to see this HUGE black puppy stealing a stick on the other side of it. It too spat the stick out and it too barked hysterically then ran away.

He’s scared to go near it now and is very puzzled why I’m snickering.

Six Sentence Sunday

I remembered to sign up this week! And since Nanowrimo probably isn’t going to happen Chez Elin, due to all kinds of annoying outside influences, I hope to be a bit better at commenting to other folks posts than I was last week. I read quite a lot but – well, silent appreciation isn’t nearly as good as a “hi well done” under the post, is it.

Anyhow, Six Sentence Sunday! The usual drill. Sex sentences taken from a WIP. Click this link to see masses of others, usually close to 200, in genres var...

Assuming the winter position.

Normally in November I would be shut away in one of the bedrooms, hammering away at a keyboard to try to keep up with Nanowrimo, but this year I have decided to be a Nano rebel. Instead of writing a novel I am editing one and I’ll make a start on my Nanowrimo attempt when that’s done.

The log baskets are full, there’s a casserole in the oven, the pup is asleep on the hearth rug and the cat is dozing on top of the fire. Yes, on top of it.

She feels safe up there. Wilf can’t reach her.

I have tea,...

And the winner is …

Beth!! You won my bit of the Howloween Blog Hop and a gift card is on its way to you, you lucky lady. Have fun spending it!

Trinity College Library – ours isn’t like this.

In other news: angst at work as we try to move the library – and we all know how much books en masse weigh, don’t we darlings? – from one end of the museum to the other, the journey comprising 3 sets of straight stairs and one lethal cast iron spiral staircase that is murder on the knees! I have been pleading age and infirmit...

Six Sunday – missed it again.

I‘m annoyed about forgetting to sign up for Six Sunday this week because next week it will be November and if I have any time I’ll probably be Nanowrimoing rather than reading friends Sixes. I’ll do my best but I don’t know how it’ll go. However I’ll have a hop around later today to see how my mates are getting on.

Meantime I have a blog hop here where in return for a comment with an email address you could win a $10 gift card. I find blog hops interesting – the same few readers comment each...

Howloween Blog Hop

So Halloween – love it or hate it, at this time of year it’s impossible to ignore it. Suddenly the internet is awash with images of pumpkins and people in costume and excuses for parties and frivolity.

Like this blog hop, where, by following this link:

http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page/

… you get access to masses of author’s blogs, each one offering a giveaway and celebrating the holiday.

My own giveaway is a $10 gift card – just comment with your favourite Halloween costume, and don’t for...

Objects of interest

I’ve been poking around the internet – as you do – and have found some articles that interested me enough to share.

First off a discussion at a convention about women in sensible armour.

Kirsten Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman sprang to mind. The armour was very sensible but why didn’t she wear a helmet. Also, she had spent 10 years incarcerated in an 8 by 10 cell room so how did she build up the body strength required to use plate armour credibly? A chain mail bikini – though OMG how it...

Today in the Comfy Chair – Charlie Cochet

Our guest today is Charlie Cochet, author of The Amethyst Cat Caper and The Auspicious Troubles of Chance, and rapidly getting a reputation of being the ‘go to’ person for stories set in the Dirty Thirties!

Thanks, Charlie, for joining us today. Let the interrogation begin.

Elin: All the stories and excerpts of yours that I have read have been set in the 1920s and 1930s. What for you is the big draw of the Jazz Age that keeps you revisiting it?

Cary Grant, looking gorgeous

Charlie: Ever since I c...

And the winner is ….

Hi there Kym Amaral!

I’m emailing you about what kind of gift card you would like – I’m not sure if Amazon dot co dot uk ones work on Amazon dot com or vice versa. Congratulations on being first out of the hat – in this case an antique ARP warden’s helmet. I’m sorry, other commenters, that you couldn’t all win, but there’s another chance this weekend in the Howloween Blog Hop.

Meantime back to the writing – it’s medieval mayhem with Olivier, a frustrated squire, caught between love for his gr...

Six Sentence Sunday

It’s Sunday again and time for another six sentences of something. Cick this link to find loads of others!

This week and in honour of the current blog hop about alpha males, I’m taking an excerpt from a short story that I’m struggling with a bit. You see there was a call for submission from Circlet Press to write short stories, 7k max, about villains, and I had this sudden mad urge to write about the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Remember him? “This? It’s only a flesh woun...