Rae Gee's Blog, page 23

Music Is The Food Of Life

A lot of different artists have inspired my writing. Their music has stirred my soul and my mind. Here's a list of albums I've listened to since I started writing the Veetu Industries series. I'm also open to suggestions so feel free to leave some in the comments!

Deadmau5 – Random Album TitleDeadmau5 – For Lack of a Better NameDeadmau5 – 4 x 4 = 12F5 – A Drug For All SeasonsF5 – The ReckoningIron Maiden – The Number Of The BeastIron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh SonIron Maiden – Fear Of The DarkIron Maiden – Brave New WorldMetallica – Ride the LightningMetallica – Master of PuppetsMetallica - S&MMegadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's BuyingMegadeth – The World Needs A HeroMegadeth - RiskMegadeth - Countdown to Extinction
Megadeth – EndgameNine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate MachineNine Inch Nails – Year ZeroPendulum - Hold Your Colour
Pendulum - In Silico
Prodigy - Invaders Must DieSkrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
At some point I'll get around to making a play list on You Tube. :)

RIP Tony, the Top Gun of Film-Making

This morning, the world changed. It changes every day. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Today, the world brought me a small dose of sadness.
Several years ago, I attended film school. I wanted to make action films and was inspired by the likes of Top Gun, Die Hard and Indiana Jones. These days I want to make inspiring documentaries but the drive and passion is still there.
This morning, I woke up to the news that one of my all time favourite directors, Tony Scott, had jumped from a bridge in LA.
He was just 68.
He'd have been in his late 40's when he made one of my favourite films (True Romance). As of yet, we don't know why he decided to take his own life. I, for one, hope that he's in a better place. I hope that whatever was bothering him so much to take that last, final walk, is now gone, erased forever. I pray for those he's left behind, his wife, his children, his brother Ridley and the many friends and fans.
RIP Tony Scott. You've left a great legacy on the world. We'll miss you, buddy.

Olympic Spirit

I was a dyed in the wool hater. I didn't think we should have been hosting the Olympics.

Why?

Well, because the UK's crap at hosting things/the London transport system wouldn't cope/we like to moan about everything/it rains A LOT.

For some reason people think we're not great at doing things. Heck, we had a terrorist attack the day after we found out we had the 2012 Olympics (the running joke was that the French weren't happy that we'd been chosen over them. That's the British sense of humour for you right there).

Everything began to change when I was invited to an Olympic Opening Party. As the countdown began for the opening ceremony, I burst into tears of joy.

Then the medals started rolling in.

Then I was handed a ticket for a bonafide Olympic event (football at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Except it's currently the City of Coventry Arena because Ricoh aren't an Olympic sponsor. Which I think sounds better than "Ricoh Arena".).

Notice the use of "was" in the first sentence.

Yep, I'm now a dyed in the wool Olympic fanatic. I don't think the UK has really screwed this up (there was the mess with Korean flags on the first day but that's been forgotten. Hasn't it?). People are complimenting how nice it is, how well all the sports are going, how great the opening ceremony was. Apparently America thinks London has replaced Disneyland as Happyville. And the British press have finally (and mostly) gotten on the side of it all. London's still standing, no one's tried to blow us up, we're still smiling, we're still here.

To me, it's great. These people, the athletes, those putting their hearts and souls in to this, are the ones we need to be raising up as celebrities, not those who seek their 5 minutes of fame in reality shows. We need to show everyone that glory comes through hard work and dedication, not falling out of a night club and showing the world your knickers.

Come Sunday, when the closing ceremony lights up our screens and the flag is handed over to Brazil, I'm going to be sad. It'll be the closure of an epic few weeks.

But come the end of August comes another sporting event. Yep, the Paralympics. Where do you think I'll be? Yep, cheering on Team GB.

Thank you, world, for coming to see us. We're loving having you here. Enjoy the rest of it (and the sun, while it lasts!).

I'm An Addict!

Hi! My name's Rae and I'm an addict!
Well, former addict now. Once upon a time, I was hooked on cocaine, amphetamines, ketamine and alcohol. At one point, I pretty much blew my brain thanks to everything I was taking. I was hooked and I loved it. I didn't care that my skin was yellow, my hair was thinning and I was on the verge of losing my liver.
Addicts can be selfish fuckers. I didn't care who was picking up the tab as long as I was drinking, eating, getting high and had a place to sleep. I didn't care if my hand was in your pocket. Hell, you'd better count your fingers once I was done with you. I didn't care as long as I was as high as a kite and had something to bring me back down. Some people may remember me from those days and, to them, I'm sorry and I thank you for staying beside me and believing in me.
For the most part I was a functioning addict. I held down a job and had a relationship. But one day the lights went out. Something in my brain flicked off and on and I found myself spiralling downwards. Hallucinations, shakes, I had the lot. Whether it was an overdose or just my brain deciding it had had enough I don't know. I was admitted to hospital for brain scans and eventually put onto medication to level everything out. One friend dutifully took me to the hospital whenever I needed to go. We spent a lot of time discussing life, the universe and mental health. To him I will be forever grateful. That was in 2004. A couple of years ago I was finally diagnosed with bipolar, something which may be a result of the “breakdown”. I'm still on medication and may be for the rest of my life. I still hallucinate from time to time. The worst episodes see me locking myself away in the windowless bathroom.
It took me four years to get back on my feet. Four years of not working, not writing, not doing a lot of anything. I hated myself. I felt useless and broken, a waste of space and a drain on resources. Several times I contemplated suicide. Eventually a wonderful person in the north took a chance on me and gave me a job. I was finally able to feel something akin to pride.
I've moved since then and am still in touch with the wonderful people from the north. I work another job now. My first novel has been published, my second will be out in October and I'm currently working on my third. Occasionally my brain still flips out, still breaks down. So I still have to be ultra careful, not pushing myself too hard. Occasionally I forget and everything stops.
Why am I writing this? Why am I airing my dirty laundry? Because, no matter how you're feeling, life's not useless. If you feel like crap remember that the sun will rise tomorrow. If you feel like life has lost its lustre, go and find something which inspires you. Never give up no matter how bad you feel. There will always be bad times but there is hope. There are people who are willing to help you. Tomorrow is just another day, another step closer to the person you want to be, another chance to do what you want to do. No matter where you want to be, keep going.
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Wake Up World!

One of the joys of writing novels in a historical setting is the research. Some people hate it. I thrive on it, love it in fact! It feeds my soul to go digging for new information, to find the tiny little details which may have been lost in the depths of time. Once upon a time, I did it more frequently, digging out information people needed. When I stopped doing it, it felt as though a part of my soul had died. So when I began to inadvertently write in a Victorian setting, that little part of me which had gone to sleep suddenly woke up singing.

It's got me thinking about the way we see the world. Once upon a time, we had one newspaper or one news channel or a single radio station. Before that, we had nothing. We relied on word of mouth for information. These days we have entire libraries and encyclopaedias at our fingertips. A multitude of news sources are just a click away.

Yet people still seem to rely on a single source for their information. Often I'll see arguments where the person will say "I saw it on X blog so it must be true". Or, "I found it on X news source". Never has the person ventured further than this single link to verify what they're posing to the world.

It's time to wake up. There's so many alternative news sites out there, so many everyday people reporting from the ground. The major news channels want you to believe what they report. They want you to believe that what they say is truth. They want you to get hooked on what they say and pass it along verbatim.

Time to wake up, world. Time to start looking deeper into the issues which matter to you. Get out there and get reading. It's amazing what there is to discover and read. Enjoy! It's an incredible ride!

Sticking Plaster for the Mind

One hot subject at the moment is Obamacare. From what I can gather, it's like Marmite; people either love or hate it. It's a subject which fascinates not only myself but a lot of other Brits as well. Coming from a country which has nationalised healthcare ( the NHS I know it's the Wikipedia page but it'll do for now), it's a subject we're desperately trying to wrap our heads around and not quite understanding. From what I can gather, Obamacare means that you buy private health insurance and then pay extra taxes on top of that for those who can't afford it. And if you don't have both then you're screwed and you get a fine on top of it.

I know this is a controversial subject and I'm not looking to start a fight with anyone. I come from good engineering blood so I like knowing how everything works. It makes me tick.

So what happens if you get sick and your insurance runs out? Are you left to die? What happens now if you can't afford insurance? (I know a little about Medicare but that's it, it's just a little) What happens if you turn up at a hospital without insurance? Do they just put you on the street?

It's something I'm really interested in. Feel free to use the comments section to fill in my very patchy knowledge!

Losing Their Fingers

It's not often my characters receive invitations to be interviewed. I'm not surprised really. You'd want to keep all your fingers  wouldn't you? Well, one brave interviewer decided to risk life and limb to interview Erus. You can read the interview by following the link and decide for yourself whether it's worth the risk or not!

The Scarlet Letter interviews Erus Veetu

It's the 1800's Jim, but not as we know it...

Don't get me wrong. I love writing guest posts. Absolutely adore it. But suddenly it's become a bit of a pain in the rear. Why? Well, stupidly, I decided to write one on "What Is Steampunk?". That's not the smartest decision I've ever made and I'm wondering why I set myself such a challenge. Why? Because I am, whether I like it or not, a sucker for punishment.
Steampunk is one of those genres which can't easily be defined. Ask several different people and you'll get several different responses. The general consensus is that it's set in the Victorian era but a version of it that they may or may not recognise. Oh, they'd recognise parts of it. But would they know a land dreadnought if you showed them one? Or how about giant, steam spewing flying fortresses?
There's always debates raging about what is and what isn't Steampunk. At the end of the day, I honestly think it's what you make of it. Obviously there have to be certain elements for it to be considered for the genre but each book is so different. (I'm looking at it mainly from a literary genre rather than the whole huge picture) Some books focus on the technological elements, while others have supernatural themes. Others again take people on a Verne-like journey to some incredible new world. It's such a beautiful and creative genre and it's one of the reasons I love it so much. You can have so much fun with it and there's definitely a suspension of disbelief with it as well.
So I'm going to do it. I'm going to write a “What Is Steampunk?” post. Hopefully it won't cause any arguments...
Can someone pass me the gin, please?!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

I'm extremely proud to tell you that Book 2 in the Veetu Industries series, "Selling Mars", has been picked up by Torquere Press. Stayed tuned for release dates and all the fun that goes with it!

The World Through Their Eyes

There's something beautiful about the adverts of the Victorian era, something which we don't see a lot of now. The designs were outstanding for even the simplest of items, beauty captured in only a handful of colours.

The adverts were one of the things which first drew me to the Victorian era. There's something quite innocent about the way they promote concoctions of cocaine, tobacco and morphine, completely unaware of the consequences. It's the feeling of an era when many things were far more simple, an easier and more laid back way of life (although we know this was far from true for many.).

I wonder what people will think of our adverts a hundred years from now? Will they look back as fondly as we do?

Theatre Posters - Victoria & Albert Museum