Anita Dawes's Blog: http://jenanita01.wordpress.com, page 23

Time to stop dreaming?

Despite the warm weather we have been having lately, the early signs of autumn are sneaking up on us. Little by little, my bonsai are getting ready for their winter sleep and their leaves are gradually beginning to change colour as they start to close down. Imperceptibly at first, then some of them will turn a fiery red before shedding their tiny leaves like so much confetti.
A wonderful sight, but a little sad at the same time, and I always miss seeing them in leaf.
 It reminds me more poignantly that I am approaching my own autumn (and hopefully I won't turn scarlet!) emphasised mainly by the fact that I am not at my best this week. Probably doing too much…for at my age you are supposed to be taking it a little easier, but that’s easier said than done when you have a mountain of jobs piling up in front of you!

 
  Despite the workload, I have been doing a fair bit of gazing out my window this week  (searching for inspiration, or at least that’s my excuse!) and just love the way Mother Nature goes about her business, come hell or high water. Maybe we could all learn from her example, especially me. But I'm afraid it is all too easy for me to find excuses for not doing what I ought. I find myself constantly using my age as the perfect excuse and I really must stop doing that, it's really pathetic and doesn't match how I have lived my life up until now.
 

The only thing I have always known for sure, is that you can do anything, provided you want to enough. So as long as I am still breathing, I should be able to just get on with it!It is easy to think of autumn as the end of things, when in fact it is just part of the sequence.  A resting time to reflect on how much better and brighter next spring will be. And we need that slowing down, as working flat out all the time is unsustainable. We need to look back at the past year and really see what worked and what didn't.

 
You know what I mean, all those things you thought were important at the time, but turned out not to be. I have learnt such a lot this year, but the fact that I am still making colossal mistakes only proves to me that there is so much more to learn and to do.It would be easy to mimic the seasons, shut down and hibernate until spring arrives; and I must admit that sounds incredibly tempting...
But I have a book to finish, Anita's busily scribbling away, so lots of editing there. I also have a pile of notes to wade through. Some to digest, others to discard; time to clear the decks and really get organised, ready for impending publication of my very first book! So many possibilities just waiting to be discovered...

In addition, a huge thank you to all those of you who have helped us this year, you know who you are...
See you all soon...

The Secret of Flying...

The Secret of Flying
I had an idea the other day, but didn’t make a note of it at the time. I think it was a good idea. I remember thinking, “Wow, that would be good to write about,” but nothing else. And it doesn’t matter how long you take to try and retrieve it, it won’t come back.

The other problem I have, and this can be just as annoying, are all the cryptic sentences I do managed to jot down. Looking back at them, it’s almost as though an idiot wrote them and I have no clue what I meant to say.My desk is awash with all the things I find useful, post-it notes, notepads and scraps of paper, and on all these things, I have undoubtedly scrawled something that was to be brilliant, memorable or interesting. Trouble is, I look at what I have written and it means absolutely nothing to me.
I suspect that more often than not, what I have jotted down is the most important detail that would lift our careers out of the depths of anonymity. You know what I mean, that little known secret that will make people notice you and want to read all of your books.We all want to find that, don’t we?Well, for all I know I might have done that, just couldn’t understand a word of what I scribbled down.

Long before I stuck a hesitant toe into the World Wide Web, I had no idea how hard it would be; thinking it must be easy to become involved, to blog, to establish a presence. After all, there were so many interesting people out there all making it look so effortless.How wrong I was to assume that all you had to do was switch on your PC and away you go! Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Over a year ago, I had no intention of becoming a writer. I started our blog at http://anitajaydawes.blogspot.com for the sole purpose of promoting Anita’s books. I am, and always have been, her editor and general dogsbody as she will not touch a keyboard on pain of death and I’m sure there are a lot of writers like that out there.I have always loved the process of transforming a pile of handwritten notes into a printed masterpiece. Back in the day, we have posted off many a manuscript to countless agents and publishers, only to be returned in various conditions. Once a copy of “Bad Moon” came back in tatters with coffee cup rings all over it!




We have had some very encouraging rejections letters (if that’s not an oxymoron!) which is why I am still trying to get these books to fly.What I didn’t know, back then, was that you have to be something of a writer to do all the necessary things in the first place, as you cannot keep coming up with even half decent posts if you cannot string more than a few interesting words together.
I have learnt the discipline of writing, learnt that I write best first thing in the morning and am fast learning the necessity of writing legible, more detailed notes.I am sure there are still so many things I do not know, and one of them just has to be the secret of flying…
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See you all soon....

Jaye

Things they are a-changing...

This blog is about to undergo some dramatic changes.
Being comparatively new to all this blogging stuff, I know I have made some colossal mistakes along the way, due mainly to my technophobia.Overall, I was quite pleased with what I was doing, although something always nagged at me whenever I looked around at other people’s blogs.The first thing I did wrong, I think, was trying to run a blog for and by two people, and it wasn’t long before I was almost as confused as everyone else. No one seemed to know who they were talking to.


I am still not sure what this blog should look like. I mean, should there be a landing page with an introduction? It is important, I feel, that everyone knows who we are and what we are about.So, from now on, this blog will be run solely by me, Jaye. Anita doesn’t like computers, preferring to write her books longhand, so this arrangement should work well.This also means I will now have full control over what material I use and hopefully this blog will be all the better for it. Along with all the book promotion for Anita and myself, I want to share more of the things I enjoy, like photography and bonsai and various arts and crafts.




The one thing you will not see, unfortunately, is a photograph of me. Unless a miracle occurs and I stop breaking every camera that points in my direction, you will only see something that could be me. (see below) I mean, I am trying to make this blog more interesting, not send you all running for the hills!


I think this is what I should look like...

 Anita’s Facebook page will remain, but I have a page of my own somewhere there…  
Of course, your input would be welcome. Please tell me what you think, I would welcome any and all blog related suggestions…

This is Jaye, signing off for now…

Lest we forget...

Lest We Forget…



I have been finding the commemoration of the start of WW1, one hundred years ago this week, very moving. Didn’t think I would, as it all seems so long ago and you wouldn’t think many people would remember that far back. But it would seem that it is still in a great many people’s minds.


There have been many gestures of remembrance, from brass bands to fly pasts all over the world, but the one that affected me most was watching the creation of hundreds of tiny ice figures, each one the artists representation of a fallen soldier. There was something very poignant, seeing so many tiny figures sitting in rows, knowing that one by one they would all gradually melt and be gone forever.


Then there was the display of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, such a lovely idea. There will be 888,246 of them in the end, each one representing a soldier who never came home. I loved the way the display was designed, a river of blood red poppies pouring out of a window into the moat below.


And then there was the candlelit service at Westminster Abbey. So many moving prayers and hymns as the lights were slowly turned off, leaving the cathedral in the gloom. When the last candle was extinguished, you could have heard a pin drop.You could be forgiven for thinking that all this remembrance of war was not a good thing, even though we don’t want any more of them. Terrible things are usually best forgotten, aren’t they?







But it suddenly dawned on me in my emotional state, that we are not honouring war, we are honouring and remembering all those who gave their lives so we could live in peace…
This is Jaye signing off…see you soon…

Now it can begin...

The day I never thought would happen has finally arrived. I have actually typed the words ‘the end’ on the last page of my manuscript.I have never written a book before, just short stories and the odd poem; but this one idea for Nine Lives would not let me be and I just knew I had to write it down.It is nowhere near ready to publish, I know that; but I am so pleased to have arrived at this day. They say this was the easy bit, but I am not so sure about that. Some days were very hard going and I nearly quit so many times, but when you put something on your bucket list, you feel obliged to finish it if you possibly can, don’t you?So now I have to put it away for a few days before the process of proofreading and editing can begin.For the best part of a year I have tried to learn how to write a book, how to construct a style sheet and create a workable plot with likeable characters.

I did this...







I thought taking part in CampNanoWriMo this year would be a good way of knocking  Nine Lives into some sort of shape, for up until now it has consisted of a huge unruly pile of scribblings. Never thought it would be so hard, despite many people telling me it would be and I nearly gave up on several occasions, but now it is finished, I'm glad I stuck with it.  Now I have to learn how to polish and groom what I already suspect will not amount to a hill of beans.



I have been a proof reader/editor for my sister Anita’s books over the years, and consider myself to be reasonably adept, but none of this prepared me for the joy (and sometimes not) of creating my own book. It was so hard, at times quite impossible and you will never know how many times I nearly quit. How did Anita make it look so easy? 
Editing is one of the most interesting and valuable parts of writing. It gives you so many opportunities to change, remove or enhance what you have just spent months putting down on paper. Some people say that good editing can take longer than the initial writing and I can agree with that.Just when you think it will be easy, it gets more and more complicated. There are so many points to go over, far too many typo’s or missing words to find. However, you only get one shot at turning a good book into a great one and I will not be one of those writers who do not even bother with the spell check!
See you all soon,
Jaye

Southsea Rock Gardens...

Living as I do, quite near to the coast in the south of England, I have visited several places of interest during my time here.

One of my favourite places is the Southsea Rock Garden, which is just a short way from Portsmouth and on the sea front so it is very easy to find. Access is easy and free, and if you like gardens you’ll love this one. Calling it a rock garden makes it sound small, but it is over 12.000 square metres. You can wander around and lose yourself in the peaceful tranquility that is always there, no matter what time of year you visit.I was surprised to discover that it was built in the early 1920’s by unskilled labourers, set to work by the government during the years of depression after the First World War

The garden is designed on several levels with paths and steps leading you to many areas of natural beauty filled with an impressive array of plants. Huge rocks and boulders were brought down from Cumberland to create magnificent rockeries and a huge fountain and waterfall occupy the centre stage, with a goldfish pond at the bottom. I never could find out who actually designed this garden all those years ago, but if I ever come into any money, I would have this garden replicated in my own back yard. I would need a very big back yard and lot of money though, for this place is huge!


 


Nearly a hundred years later, we can still enjoy the layout and beauty of the unusual planting, despite its being badly flooded on several occasions whenever a fierce enough storm arrives. The last time this happened was just a few months ago, and I worried that the damage would be so severe the garden would be ruined.But when I went there last week it was as if nothing had happened. The voluntary organisation, The Friends of the Gardenhad done a magnificent job, pumping out all the sea water as quickly as possible to prevent the salt damage and there were flowers in bloom everywhere I looked.


 


I expected to find desolation and ruin and be saddened by the loss of a beautiful thing, only to have my heart gladdened by the display of care and attention that I did find there. To say I was pleased does not begin to describe my joy as I walked around and enjoyed the sense of peace and serenity the garden has always given me.
See you all soon…Jaye

The Old Abandoned House...

If you didn’t know it was there you could have driven right past it. Totally hidden behind an effective screen of overgrown hedges and trees was the saddest house I had ever seen. It must have been deserted for years if the extent of the undergrowth was anything to go by.

 
It was a lovely sunny afternoon and it felt as though I had walked through a magical portal into a fairy tale world. The air was hot and eerily still; the whole place had a timeless air about it, as if it had been this way for a very long time. 





As I walked about, I had to be careful where I put my feet as it was hard to make out any paths or garden boundaries.Everything seemed to be on the verge of falling down under the weight of Natures finest. She was doing her best to take back what was once hers and hers alone. It was a large house and must have been lovely once, now it seemed to be apologising for being there in the first place.

 As I walked slowly around the impressively large garden, I was rendered speechless by the spread of vegetation that climbed, crawled and invaded everything in sight. Here and there were plants I vaguely recognised, like the overgrown Jasmine and Wisteria that were doing their level best to cover the house.




 
The garden sprawled all around the house and for some distance behind it. Everything I looked at was green, so many wonderful shades of green I felt privileged to be there. I was not invited but felt welcomed, much as an old pensioner would welcome a rare visitor.



 

I didn’t intend to look through any of the windows as that can sometimes be just too sad for words. I didn’t need to see a forgotten toy or piece of furniture to remind me of the life that once happened there. I didn’t want to see but felt compelled to look anyway. But the house was completely empty; nothing had been left behind and in a way that was sadder still.




  As I took all of these photographs, I thought I caught sight of an old grey haired woman looking out of one of the windows at me. It was only later that I realised the woman was me, but for a moment there it felt as though I was in a magical place, and it was with a great deal of reverence that I walked away, leaving Mother Nature to her own devices…





Hope you enjoy the visit to this old house....
See you all next week...

Jaye

Demons in the Machine...

The demon inside the machine…
It’s official, I hate my laptop. I would go so far as to say that I hate all computers. The laptop is one of those touch screen ones, and apparently I have the wrong kind of finger. And it’s not just the one, I have tried them all. The slightest touch has things flying about all over the place, and then there are those other times when I can stab at the screen like a maniac and absolutely nothing happens.The demon that inhabited the main computer that has now gone to the PC heaven in the sky seems to have moved into the laptop, doing all kinds of things that are totally out of my control. If anything finally kills my dream of being a reasonably successful author, it will be a computer of some sort. My ageing brain is no longer capable of the kind of mindless patience (or insane tolerance) that is needed to use them.I am convinced they are here to drive us all insane, starting with me. And as for using it in the garden, which was the plan, no such luck!I thought this would be such a brilliant idea, combining two of the things I love most in this world, writing and gardening, but when I tried it the screen faded so badly, I couldn’t see a thing!
  Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…
Took possession of new PC in the middle of the week, and the minute I turned it on I knew I had a problem. It made so much noise; I thought I was in a wind tunnel! Added to that, it refused to connect with my broadband, so it went back to the shop in a hurry. To cut a very long, annoying story short, the blasted machine had to be fitted with a ‘silent’ fan or something to reduce the noise to a whisper. I wasn’t hopeful but went along with it. I had to. I had coughed up all my hard earned pennies so I had to try and make the best of it.It was beginning to look as though Anita was right, (she usually is) that I should have gone to PC World, but because we don’t have transport at the moment, I went with our local PC shop, who offered to build me one with all my requirements included for a reasonable price.Now, they say you only get what you pay for, but is it too much to ask for a machine that does what it says on the tin? I mean, I’m not expecting miracles here, just Word and the internet with a few photos on the side. How hard is that?

Once more with feeling…
The new demon machine is back and virtually silent. Wi Fi connection is not great and I discover that it won’t let me choose my favourite browser. I wasted an entire afternoon reinstalling different things and trying alternate browsers. Wi Fi is still a problem, looks as if I will have to move the hub as obviously the machine is not Superman and cannot cope with a wall.Consequently, what with all the disappointment, frustration and anger, I haven’t managed to do much of anything else this week, so have an awful lot to catch up on!

The last straw…
Just when I thought I had everything nailed down, fate had another treat in store for me. Google, with whom I had our main blog, decided I was not who I said I was, and locked me out. Nothing I did or said made any difference and they refused to budge.But I have since discovered that the problem is telephone related and surmountable. So I am a happy bunny again.

Sorry about the missing post last week, I hope a little normality has turned up at last, but I’m crossing my fingers just in case fate hasn’t finished with me!


See you all next week, madness not prevailing…

Review post for Felix Faust...

Washington, 21 May, 2014 - The Arcane Insurrection Continues
Dexter Morgenstern, author of “Felix Faust” has announced the release of a sequel. In “Felix Faust,” readers were introduced to an arrogant, intelligent young-adult, gifted with psychic abilities that attract a few friends and many foes, many of whom share Felix’s fundamental abilities.
In the contemporaneous sequel, which is scheduled for release in summer 2014, readers are set to be introduced to Byron Bishop, a psychic ex-convict with a ghostlike companion, who incidentally draws attention from foes before finding many friends. This places him on the opposite side of the playing field as Felix, and seeks to answer several questions about the previous book, while introducing new ones.
Byron is desperate to find a way onto the good side, but Baron isn’t, so how does the situation play out when tensions rise, and they grow closer to combating each other? Find out in the latest instalment of The Arcane Insurrection.
Dexter Morgenstern has already received numerous positive feedbacks for his debut novel.
One reader said: “From tragedies, deaths, kidnappings, daring rescues, powerful enemies and allies the book keeps you reading eager to know what is going to happen next.
I can't wait to find out more about the other characters and just see where the story will lead in the next book.
Another said: “...Morgenstern has a great handle of plot and keeping the pace going, and you'll hardly ever encounter a dull moment in this book. His magic system is well thought out and is very in depth, and he does a great job explaining the intricacies instead of just walking over it, which makes the battles -- when everything finally comes together -- feel all the more real.

 About Dexter Morgenstern
Dexter is a writer and game-enthusiast from North Carolina. He was home-schooled by his parents after being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Being a creative, highly-motivated individual, Dexter officially began writing books at the age of fifteen, and published his first novel "Felix Faust" at seventeen. When he is not writing, Dexter spends much of his time
gaming, studying, or contemplating new plot details and stories in his head. Dexter's ultimate goal is to get a degree in Robotics and contribute to the subjugation of humanity by artificial intelligence.
The Arcane Insurrection: Felix Faust
Blurb:“Felix Faust is a nineteen-year-old semi-genius who has just been accepted into a prestigious college. He discovered telekinesis at an early age and has used it discreetly for his own entertainment. Felix finds himself displeased and malcontent with everything he encounters in the school, except for one student. This other student shares Felix’s gift, and is much stronger, capable of abilities Felix never thought possible. Now a new door opens for Felix as he is mentored and develops his psychic abilities, but this door also brings danger as malevolent forces set their eyes upon him. Tragedy and destruction follow Felix, leaving him no choice but to continue growing and fight back, but danger follows him every step of the way, and failure means death...”
Website:http://dextermorgenstern.com/books/felix-faust/
Amazon:http://amazon.com/gp/product/B00896N19E/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15958171-felix-faust
 

The Arcane Insurrection: Byron Bishop:
Blurb:“Vilified by the community as a notorious delinquent, Byron has spent his best years as a petty criminal in order to provide for himself. He isn’t alone, however… Byron has a secret companion who acts as a second conscience, a second set of eyes, and a second pair of hands. He has Baron, whom he can only describe as a brother, a twin, and a ghost. With Baron’s help, Byron joins a criminal syndicate, which he sees as the first step toward a better life, but he is soon in over his head when a sinister group of assassins with their own supernatural gifts encounters and forcibly recruits him. With the body-count rising, Byron desperately tries to find a way out, but he and Baron don’t always see eye-to-eye. How can Byron hope to escape and wash the blood from his hands, when the loyalty of his own conscience is compromised?
Website:http://dextermorgenstern.com/books/byron-bishop/
 Media Contact:
Email: Dexter.m@dextermorgenstern.com
Website: http://dextermorgenstern.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/dextermorgenstern
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dexkwondo
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6511556.Dexter_Morgenstern
 Buy The Book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads Shelf


  I found this story, Felix Faust  (The Arcane Insurrection) by Dexter Morgenstern a fascinating read, just the kind of book I like to review and I enjoyed reading it very much. Felix Faust is a gifted university student, arrogant and rude but with the extraordinary power of telekinesis. The author, Dexter Morgenstern, is an extremely eloquent writer, with an interesting vocabulary. His powers of description are varied and right from the first page you quickly climb inside the main character, Felix Faust's head. This book is a fascinating insight into the world of psychic abilities, albeit from the author's perspective. Before too long, Felix realises that he's not half as clever as he thinks he is, when he meets someone who is far cleverer than he and has to quickly learn how to first protect himself and then challenge his opponent. His learning curve is fascinating and you could be forgiven for thinking that maybe the author is psychic from the detailed descriptions of the main character's progress. A fast paced and thrilling psychic adventure which will leave you breathless and very impressed. I know I was. Well plotted with excellent characterisation combined with excruciating tension so visual, it is as if you are watching it in real time. It reminded me of those action films that never let your attention wander for fear of missing a valuable piece of the action, leaving you impressed but breathless. The author, Dexter Morgenstern is to be applauded for his vivid imagination in the creation of this masterpiece.
  I will be posting again, quite soon, but I am still having all kinds of technical problems with this blessed computer...See you soon (I hope!) Jaye    


 

There can be life without football...

perfect spot to get away from the footie!


I have been doing a lot of thinking this week (as opposed to what, you might be thinking) yes I know, but I think my brain has finally reached its tipping point.  Since we began this journey into the weird and wonderful world of electronic publishing, my poor little brain has been tortured by an avalanche of information, much of it incomprehensible I'm afraid.                                                     
I have tried my utmost to assimilate what I thought (and was told) was absolutely necessary to be successful in this new digital publishing world.  You know what I mean... you have to have a good and interesting blog to attract what they call 'content marketting'. You must be on Facebook, Twitter ect... the list goes on and on.
Well, I have tried to do most of those things, but it doesn't help to discover you might be using the wrong website provider... and that Facebook keeps changing the rules (which I didn't understand the first time) and there was always that other sneaking doubt, you know, the 'I might not be good enough anyway' one.  Which, lets face it, is probably the real reason this website doesn't attract many visitors, and Anita's books are not flying off the shelves.



So I was gazing out of my window to where all my bonsai live on their shelves, hoping for some divine inspiration, when I noticed something odd. I had to go and have a look, for my eyesite is not what it was and I sometimes see things that are not there. But not that time. It was real and I had to take a photograph to prove it.  On the shelf, nestled between a pine tree and a Ginko, I had placed this huge pine cone that we found in a forest. It must be about six inches long and it really does tell you about the weather. It closes up tight when it rains and opens wide when the sun comes out.

 
 
But what was special that day (as you can see in the photo) was the fact that tiny mushrooms had sprouted from inside it. Don't ask me how... it just has. I think it is magical, and it got me to thinking differently about a lot of things.

Maybe I was trying too hard on all the wrong stuff. Because one of the things that has started to annoy me big time, was the fact that what with all this networking, blogging and searching, there seemed to be precious little time left for what is really important...writing. And as hard as I tried, I couldn't squeeze everything in. It was simply impossible.

Don't forget, I am still knew to the writing side of this business and I know there is much to learn about the craft. But I won't learn it properly if there is no time left to do it, will I?

So I have made a monumental decision. I will keep this blog going because I really do enjoy doing it, but I will stop worrying about it. But I am afraid the rest of it will have to take a back seat for now because I have a book to finish (and I am enjoying that too!)

I have it on good authority, that what you really need to be successful, is to produce brilliant books, so that is what we are going to do...
(reposted from last year, as my PC and I are not on speaking terms!) 

See you soon...
Jaye