Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 99

#Writing Wednesday - February 28th 2018

In case you missed my post from yesterday: "Rhubarb The Red-Nosed Rabbit" is now available in audio from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes, narrated by Jerry Fischer. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Easter is only a little over a month away, so it's just in time to add it to your reading list; perfect for those who like to read seasonally, or those with young children or grandchildren they want to enjoy a book with as part of any Easter celebrations. Regardless of whether you'd prefer the audio version, a paperback, or an eBook, links are in yesterday's post.

In other book related news: my new poetry collection will finally be released next week. Well, the eBook version will. You'll have to wait a bit longer for the paperback and audio versions, of course. This is the pet themed poetry collection I've been promising for a couple of months now, which includes poems written for and about our chinchillas, degus, and rats, as well as both Kero and Lilie. It's called "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" and - as already mentioned - officially releases next week. The release date is March 7th 2018.

Anyway, to kick off the writing related links for this week, here's a post about how observations can help you with character and plot inspiration when it comes to writing your own story.

If you're writing about some of the animals most commonly feared by humans, you might want to bear these things in mind when it comes to serpents of various sizes, spiders, and bats. Personally, I only fear one of the three, but I do know someone who's afraid of all three, and do agree that they're commonly feared and misrepresented animals. Well, snakes and bats are misrepresented... I think spiders deserve what they get. If you had any doubts as to which of the three I have issues with, I expect that's no longer the case. *wink*

Regardless of the kinds of creatures in your story though, you should do your research. If you're inventing creatures for your world, don't forget that nature videos are a useful tool for monster creation, as well as for any other animals in your story - real or imagined.

Anyway, here's an interesting post about the challenge of describing scents in your writing.

Next, here are some tips on how to write historical fiction, as well as a reminder to be careful of misusing period words, and other mistakes you might make if you don't do your research properly. Check your facts, and then check them again, just in case. It's better to have it take longer than you'd like for your story to be finished, but for you to be certain you have things right, than for you to neglect your research and make mistakes that will spoil things for your readers. Bear in mind though that not all of those facts need to make it in to the final version of your book. These bits of advice can apply to other genres too.

By the way, speaking of advice: here's a bit of advice for you if you're still trying to figure out how to write the perfect story, or if you want to know the secret to writing something original.

Finally, remember that everything changes when writing becomes your full time job, and that's OK.

#KidLit #Holiday #Book - Rhubarb The Red-Nosed Rabbit Now In #Audio! #Easter #Animals #Rabbits

I’m sure you’ve heard all about the red-nosed reindeer that saved Christmas. But, have you ever heard the story of the red-nosed rabbit that saved Easter?

Everybunny has always teased Rhubarb because of his bright red nose, even though it’s not his fault he was born different. But when a misty night threatens to stop the Easter Bunny from making his yearly delivery of Easter eggs to the children of the world, Rhubarb’s red nose may be the only thing that can save Easter.

Previously made available in eBook and paperback, “Rhubarb The Red-Nosed Rabbit" is now also available in audio, read for you by Jerry Fischer - just in time for you to add it to your Easter reading list for this year, since Easter is only a little over a month away.

Regardless of which format you prefer, here are the main places where you can buy the book:

Audible, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, and The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

#MondayMotivation And #Inspiration - February 2018 Edition

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.
~Henry Ford

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.
~Albert Einstein

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
~Aristotle Onassis

If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.
~Oprah Winfrey

I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

Little by little, one travels far.
~J.R.R. Tolkien

February 2018 #TV Talk And #Movie Mutterings

It's time to take a look at what I watched in February.

As with the previous posts like this one, just click on the titles to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before viewing to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved. IMDB will usually provide this information for you, but you'll have to look elsewhere if you can't find it on the page I link to.

OK... On to the reviews!

Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999 movie):
I found this to be an entertaining movie, which Pokémon fans of all ages can enjoy. Not quite as good as the first Pokémon movie though. I give this movie four out of five stars.

Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000 movie):
This was another entertaining movie, which Pokémon fans of all ages will enjoy. As good as the first movie this time too. I give this movie five out of five stars.

***

My only other movie and TV watching this month has involved movies I've seen before, and episodes of TV shows I've already mentioned enjoying - mainly NCIS, which I'm still slowly attempting to get caught up on.

#Furkid Friday: Mollie The #Chinchilla Tells Tales

Hi everyone. This is Mollie the chinchilla.

My chinchilla sister, Maizie, keeps on teasing the Lilie dog. I told her to quit, but she doesn't listen. She thinks it's funny, and the Lilie dog seems to think the game is fun too. Stupid dog!

I don't!

I don't like the Lilie dog so close to the cage, and get upset when she bounces about and jumps up. The human caretakers don't really like her to do it either. But Maizie calls her and encourages her to do it when she thinks the human caretakers aren't paying attention, and sometimes even when she knows they are.

When I know they aren't paying attention, I call them over to stop it. Maizie says I'm spoiling her fun, but I don't care. I'm not having dogs jumping up at my cage... Even if I know the dog is doing it all in fun.

Maizie used to agree with me; she used to get upset when the Lilie dog was bouncing about too close to our cage, just like I still do. But somewhere along the line Maizie decided she liked the Lilie dog after all, and started what she calls playing with her, which looks more like teasing to me. She even started letting the Lilie dog give her slobbery doggy kisses through the bars of the cage! Gross!

Thankfully, both the human caretakers are on my side, and don't like the Lilie dog being near our cage. At least they have some sense. Well, in this case anyhow.

Squeak soon,
Mollie

#Writing Wednesday - February 21st 2018

"Jinx And The Faerie Dragons" is now available in audio - just in case you missed seeing my post about that on Sunday. You can buy it from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes; see the post I just linked to for links, as well as details about where you can buy the book in other formats if you prefer. The narrator is Andrew Pond, who you can learn more about in his recent narrator interview.

Speaking of my audiobooks: I went ahead and listed the poetry book projects on ACX. I was going to hold off a bit on listing them until all the stories were produced, but changed my mind. Anyway, I'm working with narrator Jane Hopkins on one of them, and narrator Carol Weakland on the other seven.

With all the books from my backlist in various stages of production, I have quiet moments between messages and samples from narrators, which I hope to make use of to get some actual writing done, as well as arrange for a cover to be sorted for the pet themed poetry collection I want to publish, which I've now got the final edits and formatting sorted for, so can publish once it has a cover. I know which of my cover artists I want to use for it, but have to check if he's able to do a cover for me right now... I haven't spoken to him about it yet, but plan to do so soon.

If you're dealing with any editing yourself, or are in the revision stage with your current writing project, here's a post that talks about why you should make time to write while editing and revising.

Remember: you will not use your writing time wisely if you do not plan ahead. Now, it might seem strange for someone like me who can't stick to a schedule for long to be agreeing with this. I mean, the routine I had when I did the post about my writing routine at the end of November no longer applies, as I warned in the post would probably be the case. But bear with me here. The thing is, the article makes a good point, and some kind of planning for writing time is required if you want to actually get any writing done. Whether that be planning a longterm routine that you stick to at all times, or doing what I usually end up doing and planning my writing time for each day on the day in question (based on what I want/need to get done each day, whether any of it is time sensative and what times those things need to be done at or by, and what my current sleeping schedule is). Either way, it all comes down to having some kind of plan for your writing. My longterm "plan" is pretty vague, and my schedule is unpredictable, but I still have a plan of sorts, and you should too.

So, you have your plan. Now it's time to work on that story! Come on. What are you afraid of?

Now you've established what the cause of your fear is, and hopefully managed to move past it, here are some things to consider when choosing the perfect setting for your novel (or short story, or whatever).

Regardless of setting: do your characters talk too much? The postI just linked to gives some tips on ways to avoid your book looking like a screenplay without stage directions, and will help you avoid the talking head syndrome that irritates so many readers.

Speaking of your characters, here's a post about the hero's journey and the real world. Also, don't forget that your villain needs a heart, because everyone has one, even if it's not always obvious.

Next, here are some tips to being dramatic in fiction, because most stories could benifit from at least a little drama, and sometimes a lot of it.

By the way, if you publish paperbacks via CreateSpace, and are interested in moving your books to KDP Print, here's how to do it.

Random Ramblings - February 2018 Edition (LBE & FD)

When I first started blogging, things were different to how they are now, and people worried less about whether what they were blogging about would be of interest to potential followers/readers.

I feel like I should be sitting in a rocking chair, nodding sagely while saying things like, "When I was a girl, people blogged about whatever they wanted to blog about." Or, "In my day, we had to wait fifteen minutes for a photo to load on Blogger." Or maybe, "I remember when people just blogged, and there was none of this nonsense about worrying how interesting their posts were."

It's true though! Well, OK, the fifteen minutes for a photo to load might be a bit of an exageration. Not as big a one as you might think though, since I do know of times I went to make a cup of tea while a photo I wanted to post in a blog post was uploading, and still ended up sat at my desk waiting for it a while after I was done making my tea. Although, come to think of it, that one still sometimes happens now, just not as often.

My point is that when I first started blogging back in 2006, I posted about whatever I felt like posting about. If the most interesting thing I had to say was that I walked the dog and did the dishes, I posted about it. If the only thing I really did that day was take online quizzes, and I felt like sharing my results on my blog, I posted my results. If I had a random question I wanted to put out there, I posted that too. Some posts got read and commented on a lot, some didn't get commented on at all. But it didn't matter.

Somewhere along the way I started worrying about whether what I had to say was interesting to potential readers. Do people really care what my weather's like? Are people really interested in what my health is like right now? Is anyone out there actually interested in the random thoughts and questions that pop in to my head?

Apparently the answer is, "Yes."

According to comments people have made on this blog, interactions I've had when I've posted random things on Twitter and Facebook to test the waters, and the responses a couple of online friends had when they asked these questions recently, people are still just as interested in those random posts. Apparently the day to day life of others is still interesting enough that even weather reports from other parts of the country/world are worth reading.

It must be another example of the curious nature of humankind. After all, it's clear by the "what if" questions that have sparked so many inventions and story ideas over the years that humans are curious creatures. Well, that and people posting about their lives online gives us a way to be nosy without getting in trouble. Either way, people want to know what's going on in the lives of others, no matter how boring it seems to the person it's happening to.

So... Here's what's been going on in my boring life. I did mean to do one of these posts sooner, but... Well, as it is I've had to use most Tuesdays in order to get everything I wanted to post posted. This should calm down once I've managed to get the audio book production caught up, since part of it is because of book announcement posts going up, and there won't be so many of those once I'm not announcing audiobook availability almost constantly. Anyway...

The first half of January was taken up with me getting ready to go to Wales, being in Wales, and then trying to catch up on the mountain of eMails and blog posts I had waiting for me to read them when I got home. The second half of January, and most of February, have mmainly passed in a blur of exhaustion, mingled with attempts to cross as many of the "publisher tasks" as I could off my to-do list for the year, some reading, a bit of DVD watching, a couple of short writing sessions, and the day to day happenings of housework, furkid care and playtime, etc.

Just something random: I tried cashew butter towards the end of January. No reason other than I hadn't, so I figured I would. I mean, I like cashews, and I like peanut butter, so why not, right? It was nice. Nothing special though. Tasted like I expected it to: like cashew flavoured peanut butter. Like I said, it was nice, but nothing special. I just thought I'd mention that I tried it, and liked it. Didn't love it, but I don't love peanut butter either, so... *Shrugs*

Anyway, I've been sleeping well most of the time - even with people keep waking me - which is nice. Well, the people keep waking me isn't, but the fact I've been getting plenty of sleep despite it is. I've not always been sleeping at the right times, but whatever. That doesn't help much with the exhaustion though. My health has never been great, and these days it seems I'm unwell more often than not. I try not to mention it much online, because I worry people will think I'm after sympathy or something. Yep. We're back to the worrying again. I'm good at worrying about things. I even worry about whether I worry too much. I'm told I really do worry too much, and also that I think too much sometimes. It's probably true, but when it takes very little for you to feel physically exhausted, but your mind's not so quick to want to rest, it's a natural course of action really. Anyway, this is just a long way of saying that I'm not well, but that's unlikely to change any time soon. I've never been totally well, just better at hiding it than I am now. But, hey, I know I'm lucky to have survived to grow up, and lucky to still be here... Even if I don't feel it sometimes... Plus, at least I didn't get that nasty virus thing that's been going around. Makes a change to be honest. Not that I'm complaining.

It's been cold here most of the time. I'm not complaining about that either. It's mainly only been a few degrees above freezing, sometimes even dipping slightly below freezing. Almost constantly in single digits, but I don't really mind the cold. We even finally got some more snow on February 5th. We woke up to it snowing. This is what we woke up to:



Here's a little snowy video clip done about the same time the photo I just shared was taken:







It was "real" snow! The kind that comes down in fluffy flakes, and settles, and can be played with! I didn't get to spend as much time out playing in it as I'd have liked though. But then, I never do get as much snow time as I'd like.

It didn't stick around for long, and there was no more snow before and after that (and that part I am complaining about). Some places not too far from us got a lot more snow than us. Like I said, we got some snow at the start of February, but the rest of the time we've just had rain, hail, and strong winds. You'd think I'd be longing for warmer weather rather than snow, but I like snow. I like storms too, so at least I've had plenty of those to enjoy. I still want more snow though. There's still time, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll just have to keep enjoying my storms, and be grateful for the snow we did get, I guess.

Even though I love a good storm, I do know they often cause a lot of damage. In fact, we were worried one had caused some damage to our roof a couple of weeks ago. It doesn't look like it though. At least, no obvious damage was visible when the landlords sent someone to check, and the rain and hail we've had since have stayed outside where they belong. It does make me wonder what the worrying bangs were that night though, since we know they came from overhead. I'm hoping it was just something like some of the junk in the attic from people who lived here in the past fell over, otherwise it means there's a problem that has yet to be spotted, which could cause trouble later.

Speaking of trouble: our heating stopped working. The boiler - which was only installed last year, as those who have been following my blog since then may remember - was saying it was on, but the heating wouldn't come on, which was weird, because the gas safety inspector had checked everything out the day before, and he said it was all fine. It was off though, and we were cold. As I said, the temperatures have only been a few degrees above freezing most of the time recently. We had to sit in the cold for several hours. It would have been longer, except the heating started working again. We didn't mention the fact it had started working again to the people who were meant to be coming to look at it, figuring it might be an idea to have it looked at anyhow, in the hopes of avoiding the issue happening again. So we waited for them to come out. Let's just say it's lucky the heating did start working again, because they still hadn't come out after 72 hours. Actually, had it not started working again, I never would have left it that long before chasing up where they were. I wanted to chase it up though, because it only seemed to be working sometimes, which we thought was strange. Anyway, we learned when we called why they didn't come out. Basically, we called two days before the 12 month warranty ran out to get them to come and fix it, so they dragged their feet so they could tell us we were no longer within the 12 months, so if we wanted them to come out it would cost us £85 plus VAT. I got rather annoyed at this, because they'd been called out in plenty of time to be here before the 12 months was up. Officially they're meant to be out within 24 hours, and they had 36 hours notice even if you work on the assumption that the warranty would end at midnight. I told them I wanted them to come out and see to it for free, since the warranty wasn't up when they were called. Then - since it's not our responsibility to pay for things like this anyhow - I told them if that couldn't happen they better call and talk to the landlords, but that I wasn't impressed that they were willing to allow a disabled person to sit in the cold for a whole weekend just so they could have an excuse to then charge for the callout. I guess that did the trick, because someone came out that afternoon, and no more was said about a bill for the callout. As it turned out though, all that was wrong was that the settings had been changed. The thing is, we had the boiler set to maintain a certain temperature, with us adjusting it using the thermastat. It had been set like that since the boiler was installed. We had no idea how to do anything else with it. It was set like that on purpose because all the fancy new digital bits in boilers and things these days means my accessability with them is limited, but turning the thermastat knob until I'm getting heat is something I can easily do. Anyway, we're guessing when the gas safety inspector guy was here he changed the settings, because it was set on timer. But since I couldn't see to check, and Kelly had no idea how to, we didn't realize. Erm... Oops! I guess it's a good thing I did persist in getting the free callout, or the landlords may not have been too happy with me. Like I said... Oops! The guy showed Kelly how to check and fix that himself in future, so hopefully we won't have anything like that be the issue again.

You know, I think heating systems and drains might have it in for us! It seems it's one or the other - often both - in every single place we've live, and often it's something small causing what seems at the time like a larger issue. *Sigh*

The council is trying to make landlords ensure they meet certain standards now. They're making them get certain things up to code, doing health and safety checks, and making them pass all the inspections to earn a special certificate if they want to continue being landlords. We had a health and safety check near the start of the month. The only issues the guy had with our place - other than the fact he noticed the window issue, which we did tell him the landlords are working on - was the need for another smoke alarm because of where they installed it when they put a new one in a few months back, and the fact he wants us to have one of our doors replaced with a fire door. So someone will likely be coming out soon to sort those things. They're supposed to, anyhow.

They're meant to sort the windows properly in a few months time too... When the weather warms up, and the winds from storms are potentially less likely to be an issue, in theory. I'm both looking forward to them sorting the windows, and dreading it. Looking forward to it because I'd like it to finally get done, and we'll save even more on heating next Winter if they get it done properly this year. Dreading it because it means more workman interruptions, which means a lot of unproductive time for me, since it's impossible for me to do anything with workmen around making a noise.

Anyway... Let's see, what else...

I've been trying to have Saturday's as my "day off" each week, but it hasn't worked too well most weeks so far. I keep ending up at least spending part of the day needing to sort things out. This is another thing that should slow down when I'm caught up on audiobook production, since nine times out of ten it's checking for things from narrators that's had me turning the computer on, and then I see other eMails I think I should just quickly see to, and then... Well, I'm sure you know how it goes.

Last Tuesday was pancake day, AKA Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Call it which you like. The end result in my house is the same: an excuse to have pancakes for dinner. Not that I need an excuse, since I love pancakes. I'm not sure I'd eat them every single day, but I certainly wouldn't complain if I had them more often than I do, and there's no way I was going to miss out on a day that actually tells me I should be eating them. So, pancakes for dinner it was. My plan was to have them all with maple syrup, because... Well, it tastes good, and I'm married to a Canadian, so it seemed right. But I had less maple syrup than I thought, and ran out before I ran out of pancakes, so I had the rest with honey. I also enjoy my pancakes with lemon and sugar, or with jam (as in jelly or fruit preserve... Whichever they call it wherever you are).

Speaking of holidays: we didn't do anything special for Valentine's Day. We rarely do. We do nice things for each other all year though, so it's no big deal. We did have take-away a few days later as a late celebration though. Like with the pancakes, we take any excuse for pizza or Chinese food in this house... Especially pizza!

Still sticking on the theme of holidays: our friends, Lorna and Andy, were unwell over Christmas, and in to the new year. But we had a present for them, and they had one for us. Neither of us wanted them to come here while they were so sick though. They weren't really feeling up to it, and they didn't want to give me anything extra to deal with, since it was a very nasty virus they had, and I was already dealing with both a chest infection and kidney infection. Actually, they were avoiding people as much as possible so as to avoid giving it to anyone. Anyway, we finally exchanged our Christmas presents on February 1st. They got us a really nice set of fancy pasta bowls. Now, if only the rest of our tableware was as nice. Haha!

OK... Well... Either nothing else has happened around here, or I'm unable to think of it right now. In my defence, Lilie is currently throwing a ball against my shin, which hurts. She's trying to tell me I've been on the computer for long enough and should go play with her. It wouldn't be so bad, except her passion for chewing toys means we have to buy her the sturdy kind meant for big dogs if we want them to last more than five minutes - and even then their days are numbered - which means the ball currently bouncing off my shin is a solid rubber one. So... Yeah... I think I'm going to end this post and go play with her. If I've forgotten to tell you anything, I can do so in another post later.

Taking the NYT By the #Book Quiz - #AmReading

Jeanie did a post a couple of weeks ago where she took the "By the book" quiz/questionnaire thing from the New York Times - you can see her post here. Not being someone who gets and reads the New York Times, I didn't know the quiz even existed, but it looked like fun, so I thought I'd do it too. So, here are my answers, using the questions Jeanie posted.

*What books are on your nightstand?

All the ones in my Kindle, since that's where my Kindle is nine times out of ten. My Kindle only moves from there if I'm using it elsewhere.

*What are you reading right now?

This will have changed by the time this post actually goes live, but at the time I'm writing it I'm reading "The Forgetting" by Sharon Cameron. For the most up to date information on whatI'm reading though, you'd be better off checking out my Goodreads profile.

*What is the last great book you read?

Once again, this answer probably won't be entirely correct by the time this post goes live, but at the time I'm writing it, the last great book I read was "The Princelings of the North" by Jemima Pett, which is an imaginative story that's part of a series where the characters are guinea pigs. If you love stories like that... Think Wind In The Willows, or Redwall... You should totally check it out!

*What do you read for solace? For escape? For sheer pleasure?

Anything and everything I can get my hands on. Fiction, non-fiction... Whatever I feel like reading at any given time.

*What are your favorite books on a favorite subject?

That depends on the subject. Give me a subject, and I'll tell you if I have favourite books on it, and what they might be.

*What are your favorite genres and which don't you particularly like?

My favourite genre is fantasy, regardless of the age it's aimed for. I'll read most genres though, including mysteries, horror, science fiction, romance,, historical... Even the odd thriller from time to time. As I said with the fantasy books: regardless of genre, I don't care about age range in the books I read, and will read children's books, young adult books, or books aimed at an adult audience. It depends how the mood takes me, if the book sounds good, and if I can get an accessable to me copy.

The only genre I usually try to stay clear of is Christian fiction. Though even that I've read a little of when it overlapped with another genre and the blurb made it sound interesting enough for me to give it a chance.

I'll also read non-fiction books sometimes, if they're on a subject that interests me. As with my fiction books, I don't really care what age range they're aimed at. I mean, some non-fiction books aimed at children can teach adults things they didn't know sometimes too.

*What book did you think was overrated or just didn't like?

There have been several books over the years I've read and then wondered why people were making such a fuss about them, or how they got so many positive reviews. One I read recently was Lord Of The Flies by William Golding. I'm sorry, but I just didn't think it was as great as people were saying, and actually found it a little disturbing, especially considering how many people were exposed to that while still in school.

*How do you like to read? Paper or electronic? Morning or Night? Where do you like to read?

I prefer either braille books or a document on my computer (such as a PDF) for non-fiction, and audiobooks or Kindle friendly eBooks for fiction. Braille books and PDFs are easier to navigate to different sections in, making them good options for me for non-fiction books, where I might need to skip back and fourth between sections (especially when using them for research). However, braille books are bulky and awkward, and the read out loud option on my computer isn't as customizable as it is on an eReader, meaning that the reading experience in itself is better with audiobooks or eBooks read on an eReader, making them better options for me for enjoying a fiction book (especially in the case of an audiobook, where an actual person will be reading it to me, rather than a computerized voice). That's not to say I never let them overlap. I mean, I do have some fiction books in braille, for example. I do have my preferences though, as I just explained.

I'll read anywhere. As a general rule though, I'll be sat in my computer chair when reading something on my computer, either on my bed or in the armchair in the livingroom when reading a braille book, on my bed when listening to an audiobook that's on CD, and either on my bed or pottering about the house doing housework while listening to books on my Kindle.

My irregular sleeping pattern makes answering the question about when I read difficult. I can say though that I always put an audiobook in the CD player to listen to when I go for a sleep, even if I have to put one on that's been listened to countless times before, since I fall asleep better listening to a story. Plus, I tend to use reading as my main go to activity if I'm awake in the night. Beyond that, I just read whenever I get a chance, and when that will be depends on my sleep schedule at the time, what else is going on in my life, etc.

*What's the best book you ever received as a gift?

I've had a lot of books brought for me over the years. One that sticks with me though is "Which Witch?" by Eva Ibotson. I loved it so much it was one of the first books I set out to replace in audio when I could no longer see to read my paperback version, and have re-read it so many times I've lost count.

*What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?

I was the child who'd rather sit in the corner with a book than join in with the other children, who spent break time in the library whenever I could get away with it, got excited about getting books for my birthday and Christmas, and... Well, you get the idea, I'm sure. Basically, I read as much then as I do now. In fact, I read so much when I was younger that a teacher actually quizzed me on some books after I reviewed more than she thought I should have been able to in a given time period for homework.

If you're curious: I got every answer right, and she never doubted me again. In fact, after that she started looking out for books that might interest me whenever she knew about library sales and things like that, so that I got in the habit of keeping some of my pocket money in my schoolbag to pay her back for any books she grabbed for me.

My favourite authors - in no particular order - were Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter, Enid Blyton, Hans Christian Anderson, Jill Murphy, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Monica Dickens, and Bonnie Bryant, to name but a few. My favourite Roald Dahl book remains to this day, Matilda. My favourite Beatrix Potter and Hans Christian Anderson stories are more difficult, since I love so many of them. My favourite Enid Blyton stories are difficult too, but I know I loved her Magic Wishing Chair and Faraway Tree stories a lot. With Jill Murphy it was her Worst Witch series I loved. As for Monica Dickens and Bonnie Bryant, they wrote stories about horses, and I was absolutely horse crazy, so loved their books very much, especially Monica Dickens' World's End series, and Bonnie Bryant's Pony Tails books. I still love those authors and books today, especially my favourite by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which was - and remains today - her book A Little Princess.

*You're organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

My answer to this one changes so often it will most likely have changed again between the time I'm answering the questions in this post, and the time this post goes live. If you asked me right now though, my answer would be Terry Pratchett, Michelle Paver, and Beatrix Potter. Terry Pratchett's sense of humour could come in handy to keep the mood fun and light, Michelle Paver will no doubt have plenty of wonderful stories to share with us about her travels while researching her books, and Beatrix Potter is just someone I would love to have been able to meet and talk to.

#KidLit #Fantasy #Book - Jinx And The Faerie Dragons Now In #Audio! #FaerieDragons #Pixies

Jinx’s little sister, Ayla, has warned him time and time again that one day his mischief making will get him in to serious trouble. But Jinx isn’t interested in his sister’s warnings; not even when the trouble she warns him about is a cave full of goblins.

Like most pixies, Jinx loves to play tricks and explore. But, unlike most pixies, Jinx takes his tricks too far on a regular basis, causing chaos and taking risks that no other pixie would even consider, much to the amusement of his faerie dragon friends, Caia and Draco, and the annoyance of just about everyone else; especially Ayla. Now Jinx and his faerie dragon friends are off on a treasure hunt, and not even the threat of being captured and eaten by goblins is enough to stop them answering the call of adventure.

Previously made available in eBook and paperback, “Jinx And The Faerie Dragons" is now also available in audio, read for you by Andrew Pond.

Regardless of which format you prefer, here are the main places where you can buy the book:

Audible, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, and The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

#Furkid Friday: Joshua The #Degu Checks In

Hi everyone. This is Joshua the degu.

Yeah, the Lilie dog is finally letting someone else have a turn. It's not her fault though, I suppose, since she really does usually have more to say than me and our chinchilla sisters do.

I mean, she's in to everything, goes out in the world, etc, while we like to keep to ourselves, playing on our wheels and with our other toys, watching TV, enjoying our nibbles, playing in our sand baths, and that kind of thing.

In other words, most of the time there's not much for us to say.

From my point of view, this is one of those times. So, mostly I'm just stopping by to say, "Hi," to you all, and let you know I'm doing OK. I'm still alive and squeaking.

Squeak soon,
Joshua