Julia Hughes's Blog, page 20

The Best Christmas Present Ever!

I love this period in between Christmas and the New Year – all the gifts have been unwrapped, and oohed and ahhed over, memories of a sumptuous Christmas feast are still fresh – with no guilty feelings because we're all joining a gym or changing our eating habits in the New Year – right? Right! Walking the dogs and meeting others wearing their brand new Christmas jumpers, hats and scarves and exchanging cheery greetings – I could live in this part of winter forever, or at least until Spring bounces in. Best of all, there's still boxes of chocolate to eat. I'm delighted to report that my two sons listened carefully to my hints, and I've literally got a chocolate hamper. Hand on heart, I wish I could hand them around to each and every one of you – it's like a little piece of heaven – chocolate is food for the soul. Instead I'm offering a free short story for your kindle – it's a little piece of fun, dedicated to Doreen, whom most of us know as "Dody"; with my sincere thanks; this lady is a constant source of support and encouragement not only to me, but many other indie authors too. Maybe next year I'll throw a huge party and invite and meet many of my cyber pals for the first time, until then, I hope you'll accept this little story with my best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to you and all your loved ones.
Detective Inspector Crombie finds himself spending Christmas in the Italian equivalent of the House of Usher. After picking a fight with the wrong cat, Crombie finds a poetic justice in having the very last word; and finally gets the best Christmas present of all time.

FREE until midnight 30th December. Download from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk 

If you're in the mood for a spooky little tale of Christmas Past, my friend Stephen Spencer has a true story to tell you over on his site: "Long Past? No, Your Past!" is a brilliant piece of flash fiction that will stay with you - while you're visiting Steve's site, check out his many samples from his thrilling "Paul Mallory" series - don't forget to say "Hi" to the big man Bentley! We have a special relationship.  Jenny's short stories are also  free until 30th Dec, click above if you're in the UK or Amazon.com. A cracker of a story for younger readers! FREE today - click on above to download or Amazon.com if you're in the States.

Season's Greetings & stocking fillers!

I'm all behind like a duck's tail, so instead of wishing all a Merry Christmas, I'm hoping that as always your Christmas time was spent with loved ones, with wonderful presents to open, great food and drink, and lots of laughter.

I've got an excuse – well three actually – in addition to getting ready to eat drink and make merry, I've also been deeply engrossed in Alesha Escobar's fantastic novel, Dark Rift, you can read my review on this site and of course my interview with Alesha. A magnificent imagination, a brilliant story.

To entertain my young neighbour, I also downloaded a copy of "Lionel's Christmas Adventure" – while her mum and I chatted, Molly giggled out loud as she read on my kindle. As soon as they were gone, I had to read this one – Paul Hewlett has created a delightful character in Lionel, and I thoroughly recommend downloading this to your kindle to share with young friends and family. Not last, and definitely not least, the fantastic Charlie Plunkett (of True Diaries fame) published a tribute to children – her "100 little words on Parenthood" was published – at time of writing this blog it's currently free – so grab a copy. An amazing idea to round up parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts and collect their best memories of the significant children in their lives – all captured in 100 words, and Charlie has not only sorted these into easy to dip in and out of chapters, but she's also added apt quotations from celebrities and authors, past and present. Don't miss this one!

Last, and least! I spent some time when I should have been wrapping presents polishing off a short story – Crombie's Christmas – the bane of the Celtic Cousins' lives is stuck in Italy for Christmas – when all he wants to do is go home – told in 3,300 words with a humorous slant – Crombie picks a fight with the wrong cat, finally thinks of the very last word – too late – but then gets the best Christmas present of all!

Right now, Crombie's Christmas is free & will be until midnight 30th December – a belated present from me to you! Thank you to everyone who's taken time to review or tweet via twitter that you've enjoyed reading my little stories – believe me it's even more fun writing them!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy New Year, let's hope 2013 is one of the best yet!  

Winter Solstice 2012.

These past few days the cyberverse has been on fire with chatter about the Mayan Calendar, which ended on this particular date. Although as the Mayans themselves were quick to point out, just the calendar ended – no way were their ancestors predicting the end of the world! 

It is though, the beginning of the end of winter: today is the smallest day of the year –tomorrow the light lingers a few minutes longer as we turn and face the sun once more. Down in Wiltshire, where my ancestors also made a calendar, the usual suspects celebrated the sun rising in the magnificent framework of Stonehenge. Like the Mesoamericans, ancient Britons knew the value of time. We created something a little less complicated, and while it might not look as pretty as some of the ancient Mayan calendars; because the sun still sets and rises in the sky, the grand old bluestones and sarsens continue to mark the seasons.

Experts know what Stonehenge is constructed from, but can only make an educated guess why our ancestors needed these particular stones, in this particular pattern. If you research "Stonehenge" on the internet, you'll discover a thousand theories – but the truth is we may never solve this ancient mystery. I know this much though – my dad's always been fascinated by Stonehenge, and driving along the A303 on our way down to Cornwall, the car would stop, and we'd be herded out to stretch our legs. After a wild game of hide and seek, we'd perch on the Altar Stone, and listen wide eyed to dad's wonderful stories about Merlin, and absorb the romance of the stones.

Growing up, I learned some of the facts behind the myths and Stonehenge became more awe inspiring than ever. Prehistoric, maybe post-historic, Stonehenge might be around to witness the end of the world. If so, will the first rays of that very last sunrise reveal the true purpose of this enigmatic time machine? Mystic portal or solar calendar, if you ever get the chance, visit this wonder – make up your own mind, and weave your own stories – but one thing's for certain – the haunting beauty of the place will stay with you, and a little part of you will remain with Stonehenge.

Forever and ever, until worlds end!

"Not a bad book"

As "The Griffin Cryer" is a young adult fantasy, and since I have two young adults in the house, both sons were bullied into reading one of mine for the first time. Comments like "I can't believe you wrote this" and "this is quite a good story" (said in tones of disbelief) were duly ignored. But then the eldest took my kindle to read the last few chapters at work (he wasn't skiving – they have regular breaks)! A lifeguard at his pool approached him and asked if he could see how the kindle worked – they're still a little bit of a novelty here in the UK! "Sure" #1 son said, handing the kindle over to his colleague. Within ten minutes his colleague had devoured the last few chapters, and handed back the kindle remarking "That's not a bad book". "Not bad" said #1 son. But he must have secretly been proud of his old lady, at any rate, he reported the "not bad" comment back to me. I choose to think that any "not bad" book might also be described as "good"! 

Happily, my advance readers enjoyed their review copies, and "The Griffin Cryer" already has two glowing reviews on the "product page" – but as always the opportunity to download a sample and decide for yourself is available free of charge – so if you fancy a flight of fantasy on the back of a griffin, why not check out the links below, and you can judge for yourself!

"The Griffin Cryer" (£2.05) can be sampled on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk  

Free yourself!

"Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
that for a hermitage.
If I have freedom in my love,
And in my soul am free, 
Angels alone that soar above,
Enjoy such liberty." Richard Lovelace 1618 – 1657

Those words written centuries ago continue to resonate – minds and imagination cannot be imprisoned by physical restraints. Conversely, the prisons we create for ourselves, inside our own minds can become fortresses and are the hardest of all to escape from – the guard is always present and vigilant. Sometimes we need someone from another world to help us escape from our own self imposed prisons, we call comfort zones. And that little voice you hear saying "it's called the "comfort zone" for a reason" might just be your own personal jailer denying you the freedom to try something new. Don't listen: give yourself permission to be free. 

Give the Devil his due - Playing Devil's Advocate.

As a Pantheist*, I feel duty bound to make a case for Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, or Lucifer, the Prince of Light, depending on which side of the fence you sit on. My friend Stephen Spencer devised a terrible fate for the Devil in his forthcoming Paul Mallory thriller "Chance of a Ghost." Lucky for him he has me as a critique partner(!). 

After all, without giving away too much of Stephen's masterful plot, if the Devil were to be imprisoned for eternity, who would take charge of hell?

Think about it, it can't be an easy task. (Although shoving a huge pineapple up Hitler's arse once a day a la "Little Nicky" must be rewarding). There are some very nasty people in hell. At least, I like to think there are. Someone once said that the Devil gets first choice of souls, and whomever he rejects, St. Peter accepts. If that's true, judging by today's wickedness, we've all got an excellent chance of getting through those pearly gates. In this life, good things happen to bad people, bad things happen to good people. It's comforting to hope that after life, it will be payback time. Fortunately, Stephen's wife has made a decent job of convincing him that we women are usually right, and he agreed that: a) hell has to exist, and b) there has to be someone to run the damn place. Consequently, Stephen invented a new fate for the old Devil, and you can bet your life it's a beauty! Bentley Cramer would have me shot if I revealed anymore, so you guys will just have to wait until "Chance of a Ghost" is published – but the good news is you don't have to wait too long – keep a weather eye on Steve's site for updates here: Stephen Spencer, author of the Paul Mallory Thrillers.

*Pantheists are respecters of all religions and faiths. I just pray this doesn't mean I'm going to experience every single religion's version of hell after life.

12/12/12 – It's not the end of the world.

The ancient Maya civilisation calculated the passing of time differently to our present Western society; as our calendars end on the 31st December each year, so their calendar ended on 12th December 2012. (Or 21st December 2012 – depending on which website you visit).

12/12/12 is a very attractive number though, and staying with ancient civilisations, the Greeks regarded the number three as the 'perfect number'. One and two make three, so this special date can also be read as 'three threes.'

An auspicious date then in anyone's calendar. To celebrate the world not ending on that day, "The Griffin Cryer", a new  fantasy will be published.
So, 12/12/12 won't be the end of planet Earth, but the beginning of the chronicles of Ella-Earth – our world's twin. If you can persuade a friendly griffin to fly you between parallel universes, you'll find in that world, our own planet is referred to as "Ella-Earth" and has a mythical status. With that thought, somehow the whole world seems a little more magical.

Wishing any readers of Mayan descent a Happy New Year – I hope you celebrate in style – and for all readers, there's an open invitation to join Griffin Post on facebook – where you can help celebrate the birth of a new era.

Halloween Special!

Great excitement in our little corner of London this Halloween: Randall Peterson's "Death Train" is published on Amazon, and I can't think of a more fitting story for the spookiest night of the year. 

If you enjoy a good old fashioned horror story, packed full of memorable odd ball characters (some a lot odder than others!) this is for you!

Set in the Swinging Sixties, "Death Train" is certain to be a run away success – particularly enjoyable are the classic cars and drag races. There's also ancient native Americans who cast spells, not to mention ghosts a plenty, and the scariest sub-plot ever: The town's undertaker has ambitions to take over the world by creating a new race of zombie hybrids! Woven throughout is the tale of two youngsters growing up in a small town. The two best friends' high spirits lead them into adventure after adventure. But even when they come face to face with death, Kurt and Jesse keep smiling through – the question is – will they keep breathing? The answer will surprise you!

Randall is a prolific tweeter, tweeting under the handle of @itsonlymeandyou, and also the creator of "Micro Fiction" – a whole new way of reading. Randall also keeps Twitter-land amused with hysterical "Floating Cows" – the annoying typos that only show up once a book is published! So if you already know Randall via twitter, you'll know you're in for an extra-ordinary read with "Death Train."

As an additional "Halloween Treat" there's an special bonus: A spell from Cloverdale's resident witch, Melania. It's a magical potion known as "Melania's Extra Delight Love Tea," which if followed correctly, will make any mortal irresistible to your charms.

I'm pretty certain Randall's tried this spell out a few times, his charm certainly is irresistible, for certain his imagination is boundless. If you want a flavour of "Death Train" there are short stories galore to read for free over at Randall's site; and of course you can always download a sample of "Death Train" for free from Amazon.com, or Amazon.co.uk.  Happy Halloween! 

A hungry "Look"!

Many thanks to Doreen (Dody) Cox, for inviting me to take part in the "Look" Challenge. The idea being for authors to post a passage from one of their stories containing the word "Look." I've tagged fellow indie author Stephen Spencer; I can promise his excerpt will give you a great "Look" at the Paul Mallory Adventures -  if you haven't yet discovered this thrilling series, you're in for a treat! 

Dody's post can be view on her site at "Treasured Encounters," and contains paragraphs from her touching memoir "Adventures in Mother-sitting" which should be required reading for anyone who is caring for, or who has ever cared for, another person. I can highly recommend Dody's site for anyone who enjoys short stories, poetry, and not forgetting some outstanding wildlife photography. Dody can also be found on Twitter @Mothersitting. 

The following excerpt is from a work in progress, provisionally titled "Griffin Calling" and takes place in a school playground, as related by Frankie Shaunessy, an ordinary school-girl with an extra-ordinary talent. 

Still smiling, the professor replaced the smart phone in his pocket, and with a pleasant nod towards our English teacher, Miss Gerraty, held out his hand.

'Good afternoon, Miss Gerraty. I'm Professor Chown, I'm overseeing this young lady's dear brother's rehabilitation.' His eyes darted towards me, as he and Miss Gerraty shook hands. 'It appears Francesca has a special gift, I want her to use it, just the once …'

'…You dirty old man – Miss Gerraty – call the police now!' Chelsi actually barred her teeth at the professor, pulling me closer to her side.

'Please Chelsi!' Miss Gerraty and I spoke as one.

'My dear, you completely misunderstand me, while your concern for your friend does you credit, I can assure you that Francesca can help me fulfil a lifelong ambition – she has the ability to call for a griffin. She is in fact, a "Griffin Cryer".'

Chelsi's lip curled, and she regarded Chown as another person would regard a particularly loathsome insect. 'What on earth is a griffin anyway?'

I responded automatically: 'They're supposed to be a mythical beast – but they're not mythical – they look like dragons, only they're a lot easier to train, and they don't breath fire.'

The hungry look returned to Professor Chown's face, and I could have bitten my tongue out. Everyone stared at me, and I hung my head quickly, to hide my flaming cheeks.

End of excerpt, thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed this "Look"!  

I'm passing the baton onto fellow indie author Stephen Spencer, catch up with him over at his site: Stephen C. Spencer, or find Stephen on twitter @StephenCSpencer - over to you Stephen! 

Dinosaurs, Dragons …and Griffins

London griffins It's pretty unusual in our house for me to have the remote control, which is probably why I know so much about the internal combustion engine, and J Clarkson Esquire's likes and dislikes. One evening last week though, as the telly channels were being zipped through at a rate of knots, I caught the word "Griffin" and after the compulsory wrestling match (best of three) settled down to watch Dinosaurs, Myths and Monsters presented by Tom Holland. 

This programme explored our ancestors' fascination with the giant fossils and petrified footprints left behind by creatures that continue to excite our imagination – and probably always will. Dinosaurs! Eons before the first man walked upright on this planet, they became extinct. But once Homo-sapiens got their act together – roof over the family's head,  rabbit in the stew pot, a refreshing liquid chilling in the ice box – they turned their mind to higher matters. The Greeks were the first of the European tribes to get their act together; in addition to producing some mind bending equations that vex school children even today; it seems Spielberg's great great grandparent to the power of pi was also around to weave the storyteller's spell. Then as now, our ancient fore fathers took a smidgeon of fact, and ran with it – from the bones of dinosaurs grew all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures. Favourite amongst these are dragons – imagined as colossal flying reptiles with fire breathing tendencies, and griffins: Chimera imagined as half eagle (king of the skies) and half lion (king of beasts).

I'm always intrigued by stories behind stories, and watched spellbound. I particularly enjoyed Mr Holland's style of presenting – he didn't mock, neither did he employ an over enthusiastic "gee whiz isn't this amazing" breathlessness*. Instead, he explored humankind's obsession with the need to explain the world and its mysteries, in a sympathetic yet methodical manner – when experts spoke, he listened quietly, and encouraged them to expand on their theories with intelligent remarks and questions. And so the viewer became a willing companion as he investigated myths about dragons, griffins and other chimera and their possible origins. Dinosaurs, Myths and Monsters is still available to watch on line, and recommended viewing for anyone who's ever been enchanted by stories of fantastical creatures. The "special effects" with two toy dinosaurs fighting is worth the entrance fee alone!

*Other presenters please take note – there's only room for one David Attenborough and he is already pretty good at being David Attenborough – you on the other hand fail.