C.H. Clepitt's Blog, page 40
July 19, 2015
Badger’s Story Quiz
As you know, Badger has other writings, apart from Newsnibbles, known to some as stories. By now you should have read at least one of these, most of them have been free at least once so there really is no excuse. The questions below are about Badger’s writings, so only TRUE FANS of the Badge will be able to answer them. Of course you could always tweet her or connect with her on Facebook and ask.
There’s no prize, it’s another of those fun ones, like watching a quiz show on the tele! If you want to post your answers in a comment you can, but that would involve some sort of effort, so we’ll assume you won’t.
What is the name of the poodle that causes Stephen’s second accident in A Reason to Stay?
In The Book of Abisan where does Jacques work before she is put on leave for her own safety?
In the Life Begins at Forty Eight series of short stories, what is the name of Linda’s fiancée?
In Pilot, what sort of animal DNA has been used to enhance Kia?
In Crew Genesis (which you can read and vote for here so no excuse, get on with it) what does FLF stand for?
Well there you go Nibblers, there’s your questions. If you are a true fan you should be able to answer them all, and if you can answer them all then please do in a comment below, as Badger would like to know who you are and be your BBFF (Badger Best Furry Friend).
July 13, 2015
Nibblets
If the Leader’s Debate hadn’t been enough to convince you that the Welsh government is way better than the group of Eton graduates that frequent Downing Street and shout at one another then this story should clinch it for you. When asked for details of UFO sightings around Cardiff Airport, and whether research would be funded, the spokesperson replied in Klingon!!
You can’t see a spokesperson for Downing Street responding in Klingon, they would be too afraid of UKIP screaming they’d gone soft on Klingons and splitting the vote. Of course if the Klingons had a similar economy to ours (presumably going through Austerity with many people under employed) then that would be fine.
Whilst we are still impressed at the Welsh government’s multi-lingual skills and ability to actually have a sense of humour, we here at Newsnibbles have not missed the fact that someone must have seen aliens in Cardiff. We would therefore like to request that our Welsh fans keep their eyes on the skies, and send in any UFO photos, cos that’d be fun, wouldn’t it?
Cassette Boy Mashup Tells the News as it should be
Last week The Guardian Online reported on a mashup of Channel 4 News that makes the news way more entertaining and probably more accurate than a lot of news broadcasters. We for sure did not know that Lenny Henry likes chocolates and crisps, but we do now.
Check it out by clicking here.
Vote for Badger’s Story
Just do it, why haven’t you yet? Badger has written a prequel to The Crew Chronicles Series and has entered it into a competition. You can vote by signing in with Facebook or Twitter and clicking on the pink heart. The sooner you do it the sooner she will stop going on about it and we can stop wasting Nibblet space on this nonsense.
Vote and if you want to read the story you can by clicking here.
July 10, 2015
Judith’s Tennis Quiz
So, one of our fans came up with this one, and we think it’s so good we named it after her. Apparently she has been watching a lot of tennis this week. For those of you who don’t know, tennis is a game where you hit a ball over a net to another person, who then hits it back. If it lands in a box and the other person does not hit it back, or it bounces off the net then you get a point. If it misses the box then they get the point. Whilst it all sounds very silly a lot of people take it quite seriously and it has been on television a lot lately. Apparently the people watching it from a thing called the “commentary box” come out with articulate comments like: “She’s really playing tennis here” and “he really wanted to win that”. So your challenge, Nibblers is this: Come up with the best commentator one liners and pop them in the comments box below. As always, there is not prize and you can have as many goes as you want. Let’s have some fun and see which of you out there is a potential commentator waiting to be discovered.
July 6, 2015
Nibblets
You may remember a few weeks ago we shared a meme we discovered on Twitter about the resilient nature of sperm… Well, it turns out the author of said meme may not have been entirely wrong, had they been referring to flatworms.
Scientists have discovered that a hermaphrodite flatworm, if left alone will use its barb like penis to inject sperm into its own head in order to reproduce. The sperm then travels to the appropriate area so that the flatworm can inseminate itself! Eeek.
Apparently when there is more than one worm involved in the process they still inject the sperm with a barb, a process referred to as “traumatic insemination”. The who thing sounds pretty traumatic to us!!
Find out more in this report, but be warned, it contains swearings.
Festival of Dogs
As most of you know, Diwali is known as the Festival of Light. What you might not know, is that in Nepal they dedicate an entire day of Diwali to celebrating the relationship between humans and dogs. Dogs are dressed up with flowery garlands as a mark of respect and given red markings on their faces. Known as “tika”, this marks the dog as an object for devotion. Food is left out for stray dogs and pets are pampered. We know a certain canine correspondent who might be heading to Nepal soon…
Colour Me Protected!
Some teens at London’s Isaac Newton academy have won the Health category of the Teen Tech Awards by inventing a condom that changes colour when it comes into contact with STDs. Better than a cold show, the device even has a different colour for different conditions, so you will know exactly which ailment your partner has before deciding to, er, take the plunge, so to speak. Now, if only they could invent one that both detects and cures, they’d be onto a winner!!
July 2, 2015
Love Wins!!!
Well you might have noticed lately that a lot of your friends on Facebook have suddenly turned rainbow coloured. If you have been living with your head in a box then you might be wondering why. Fear not though, Newsnibbles exists so that you do not have to be at all well informed.
On Friday 26th of June, 2015, a date that will now go down in history, the US Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favour of legalising same sex marriage in all states.
You may wonder why this is such a big deal, after all, here in the UK we passed a same sex marriage law in early 2014, and there wasn’t such a big fuss. Well, the big deal is this. America is big. We are surrounded by American media – Hollywood films, American TV series are everywhere, and whether we like it or not their opinions and decisions impact us.
It is therefore really nice to be able to report on some good news regarding American law making, now everyone has equal right to marry and equal protection of their marriage under the law. What is perhaps most pleasantly surprising is the reaction to this, globally.
Following the #LoveWins trend on Twitter just showed lots of very happy people celebrating, all over the World, in many different languages. It seemed that everyone understood the impact of this decision, and were celebrating it. We couldn’t see any trolling, just joy and celebration.
Monuments and buildings all over America, including The White House lit up rainbow coloured to celebrate this monumental ruling, and it’s great to see that most of the faces on our fans list of Facebook are rainbow. If you would like to join our “Rainbow Gallery” get in touch.
The White House, Empire State Building, Disney and Niagara Falls celebrate the SCOTUS ruling on #marriageequality.
Posted by Urban Cusp on Friday, 26 June 2015
If you would like to be included in our rainbow gallery then tag us on Facebook and we will upload you! Happy Pride Nibblers.
June 29, 2015
Another Fiendishly Tricky Maths Puzzle
As you know, here on Newsnibbles we are known for our focus on Pet Couture, and although Annie has been off touring the World (or America as it’s known to non-Americans) we have been a bit lax, this does not mean we’ve lost interest, so today’s Fiendishly Tricky Maths Puzzle has a pet theme. So, here it is:
If a dog has four legs, how many pairs of super sparkly shoes does she need to have one on each perfectly manicured paw?
No animals were harmed in the taking of this photograph.
Answers can be posted as a comment below, it’s just a fun one, no prize. If you are really struggling with this one then you could always reach out to the Newsnibbles Facebook Community – as proved with the last Fiendishly Tricky Maths Puzzle they are more than happy to offer help and support.
Good Luck Nibblers.
June 24, 2015
7 Questions
Seven Questions is a section of Newsnibbles where we ask one of our Twitter followers seven questions (duh). Because we do it via email they are free to answer in more that 140 characters, which is nice.
Today we catch up with author and screenwriter Neil Jeffrey, or @SirBlimelyWindy as we know him.
1. What inspired you to write Mr.
Robbins?
Well, that’s a toughie to start with. 26 years ago, when I was 20, I lost my dad to a horrible illness, pancreatic cancer, and when I finally decided to write my first novel, this seemed to be a natural motif to include in the novel, mainly because I wanted to raise awareness due tot he fact that survival figures for this form of cancer have scarcely moved in the intervening time.
As my story took shape, I envisaged it as a simple story about a man who takes one last ‘road trip’ before he loses his battle, but eventually this story seemed to write itself, with the introduction of a feisty Irish artist, a dog and much more romance than I thought I could handle without reaching for a bucket.
2. How did the idea for the film come about?
Well, five months after writing the novel I had a bout of ill health, and to pass the time I bought a copy of Screenwriting for Dummies, and had a go at turning ‘Mr Robbins’ into a screenplay. As I honed it and revised the screenplay to within an inch of its life I decided to submit it to production companies and eventually one said it would like to have a look at the whole project. To say I was gobsmacked was an understatement.
3. Tell us a bit about the process of having a film made.
Oooh, where do I start? We had numerous meetings about how we were going to do this, and we did some location scouting in Aberystwyth as the budget precluded spending lots of time in Sussex (the setting for the original novel). We then decided that, as the project would involve crowdfunding and an established company’s first foray into feature films, we should make a prequel, which was released online in May 2015, This would again be scripted by me, but would serve to introduce the two main characters, Peter and Fiona by delving into their backgrounds in a way that isn’t dealt with in the original novel.
We then had to get funding for a short movie and I was very lucky that the production company see it as a partnership – so I was involved in casting and attended one day’s shooting over in Wales.
4.Being a writer is very autonomous, whereas when making a film requires working with lots of people. How do they compare?
This is tricky sometimes. As a writer I knew how the story played out in my mind, and I was lucky to find a production company that loved the story and they wanted to consult with me about production and how I saw it panning out, but I was very conscious that I may be a writer, but that doesn’t mean to say I know how to put it on screen. In other words it was a good thing I wasn’t too precious about my story, as I was passing it to someone to put into a visual medium.
5. How was the film funded?
The short was made on a small budget (I am not sure how much it was) and I am delighted to see how it turned out. Now we need to get ready for a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the feature, to approach companies and individuals, and to apply for funding from funding bodies – it’s a lot of work and it needs careful planning. Of course social media is fab for publicising etc but it all needs to be done as a plan.
6. How would someone else go about turning their book into a film?
Well firstly I would never ever say I have all the answers, but I think it’s vital to find out how to write and format a screenplay, as a poorly formatted script will probably be thrown in the bin very quickly. In terms of the actual content, remember you only need to put down what happens on screen and let it flow. There’s no need for massive descriptions and you don’t need to give the actors tonnes of directions – they are actors, they are trained, and can work it out. Secondly, just don’t be precious and listen to all sources of advice, and thirdly, just because one person says no to it, it doesn’t mean everyone will!
7. If you could give one of your characters one piece of advice, what would it be and why?
The character I am closest to is, I think, Peter. His outlook shares a lot of mine, plus his character and temperament has similarities to my dad. Sometimes he spends his time fretting and overthinking, and I think he just needs to be told to go with the flow a bit. In fact, as the character of the psychiatrist Sidney in one of my all-time favourite programmes, M*A*S*H used to say ‘Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice!’
If you’d like to answer 7 Questions give us a tweet.
You can watch A Day Like Today below.
A DAY LIKE TODAY – The Prequel to ‘Mr Robbins’ from Wild Edric Media on Vimeo.
June 21, 2015
Nibblets
As you know here at Newsnibbles we enjoy a 
good Pet Couture story, and this summer in Japan it’s all about angles. Multiple news organisations have commented on the cube shaped canines and the picture we have embedded here – because nothing we could recreate with a cereal box and a boxer dog (and we did try) comes close to explaining exactly what leaps the Japanese stylists have made when it comes to dog fashion – has come from MTV.com where you will find similarly cubed creatures, if you care to click.
Our fashion correspondent Annie Butler had this to say on the subject of angles in fashion:
@BadgersTweetToo Seem a bit retro 80s for my taste, but pointy has its place… pic.twitter.com/seawKyTsGA
— Mrs Annie Waffles (@AnnieBBarks) June 21, 2015
So, maybe we will see sharply angled dogs at Crufts this year. Who knows?
A Pussy Riot Update
As you know, here at Newsnibbles we like to keep you apprised of what is going on with Russian Punk Rock band Pussy Riot. Just because they are out of prison now does not mean that their struggle has ended, and it is important that we keep remembering them here in the West. At Newsnibbles we have literally tens of readers, so these little updates are sure to help.
We missed the fact that they released an English Language song in February about a prisoner who died after being placed in a choke hold in America (see it happens there too). We blame this dropping the ball on the fact that we don’t speak or read Russian, which makes following them on Twitter problematic. If anyone would like the honour of being a translator for us, we would give you a virtual embrace and allow your photo to appear on the “about us” page. Who could refuse such an offer?! Anyway, it seems we are rambling.
This week Vice reported that two members of the band were arrested (again) this time for sewing a Russian flag in the street. There are so many confusing laws in Russia it does not seem to be a good idea as a holiday destination. What if you ripped your trousers and needed to do an emergency repair? You ripped them in an embarrassing place, you could either hurry back to your hotel and risk some sort of police action for revealing too much of yourself on the streets (it’s possible right?) or attempt to sew them and be arrested for publicly sewing trousers. Either way this would not end well for you. We don’t know if this law only extends to flags, in which case your trouser sewing would be fine, again this is where a translator would come in useful, because at the moment this is pure rambling conjecture.
Anyhoo, Vice provides you with their account so do check it out if you’re interested.
Vice Video
And finally, whilst reading Pussy Riot’s account of their flag sewing incident we discovered this report from Vice on the effects of the “Anti-Gay Propaganda” law in Russia. Whilst we were aware in theory what was going on, this harrowing report really does send it home. This final Nibblet is not designed to be funny, but to draw your attention to something serious that perhaps you weren’t aware of. If you chose to click and watch the video below please be aware that there are some upsetting and disturbing images of violence and abuse.
June 17, 2015
7 Questions
Seven Questions is a section of Newsnibbles where we ask one of our Twitter followers seven questions (duh). Because we do it via email they are free to answer in more that 140 characters, which is nice.
This week we chat to author Maggie James or 
@MJamesFiction as we know her.
1. Tell us about your most recent project?
I’m not far off publishing my latest non-fiction book, entitled ‘Write Your Novel!’ It’s aimed at anyone who’s always wanted to write a book but either lacks the confidence or doesn’t know where to start. I took decades to get around to writing my first novel, which is a shame. I wish I’d done it sooner and if I can help anyone else to become a novelist, I’d be delighted.
2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and as a child I assumed that’s what would happen. Things didn’t turn out that way. As an adult, I procrastinated, shoving my dream aside because writing a novel seemed an insurmountable task.
3. Who do you admire and why?
Stephen King amazes me, both for being so prolific and for the fact many of his books as so long. How he maintains such quality over 700 – 900 pages astounds me. He’s been called a master of the writing craft, and deservedly so.
4. What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Learn everything you can about the craft of being a novelist. Then delve into the practicalities of formatting, marketing and self-publishing. Think of writing as a business, with you being the managing director.
5. You can take three books to a desert island, what are they, and why?
I’d take 11.22.63 by Stephen King because it’s one of the best books I’ve read in recent years. It’s huge, so would keep even a fast reader like me absorbed for ages. King’s books are so multi-faceted I’m sure I’d discover new aspects to it every time I read it.
What else? I’m a sucker for motivational books, so I’d take The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, one of the best books of its kind I’ve ever read. Good for keeping up my morale if I’m to be stranded on the desert island for any length of time!
Lastly, I’d cheat and take a compilation volume of several books by a classic author, perhaps Jane Austen or George Orwell.
6. If you could give one of your characters some advice, what would it be and why?
I’d advise Beth Sutton, my protagonist in ‘The Second Captive’, not to go on a date with Dominic Perdue.
‘Listen, Beth,’ I’d say. ‘Don’t be swayed by his good looks and superficial charm. Underneath he’s warped. You’ll regret getting in a car with him.’
Will she pay attention? Of course not. She’s eighteen, sure she knows what’s right for her. Dominic, however, has a dark and disturbing plan for Beth…
7. Describe your writing style in one sentence.
Hmm, difficult one! I’d go with this comment, received in a review for His Kidnapper’s Shoes: ‘She writes in a raw, visceral style.’
Is it true? Partly. His Kidnapper’s Shoes was my first novel and like any author, the way I write is evolving. I’d say I was maybe less raw and visceral these days, with a softer tone to my work.
You can follow Maggie all over the place, and she probably won’t even get a restraining order!! See below. And if you’d like to answer 7 Questions then give us a tweet!
Website and blog: http://www.maggiejamesfiction.com
Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-James-Fiction/191644207648375
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjamesfiction
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/maggie-james/64/381/727
Google+ : https://plus.google.com/101511690389687930651
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/828751.Maggie_James
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/maggiejamesfict/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maggie-James/e/B00BS9LVMI
http://www.amazon.com/author/maggiejames
Authorgraph: https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/mjamesfiction
Sales links: http://smarturl.it/hiskidnappersshoes
http://smarturl.it/sisterpsychopath
http://smarturl.it/guiltyinnocence
http://smarturl.it/thesecondcaptive
June 13, 2015
Proud to be Less Ordinary
Less Ordinary, a compelling novel that explores hard hitting subjects such as male rape, and the taboos associated with polyamory in modern Western society. She will be reading a section of her book at Pride Arts Festival, London 2015 and we caught up with her to find out a bit more.Less Ordinary is your first novel, what inspired you to write it?
A few years ago I read an interview about Benedict Cumberbatch’s carjacking in South Africa. He said it was a horrible experience, but he added that he was thankful that nothing worse has happened to him, like being raped or killed. For some reason I couldn’t get the story out of my head and it got me thinking: what if it would have been worse and if what he was afraid of actually happened? So I started doing some research on how often people get carjacked/kidnapped in certain parts of the world and how often the victims are raped. What is the percentage of male victims? How do the victims deal with what happened to them? I also read a study on PTSD to learn about how it works and what the symptoms and effects are.
And lastly, I saw a documentary on the National Geographic channel about Polyamory, when more than two people are involved in a romantic relationship. It was interesting to see how some people can actually make this work and in the middle of all this I started writing the book!
Well, I think that’s about it
Less Ordinary touches on some very hard hitting subjects early on, are you afraid this might put people off?
Well, one of my readers described the first chapter as “harrowing” and another said that the kidnapping reminded him of the movie Reservoir Dogs which, in a way is flattering because I really liked that movie. But I also had people contacting me via social media to let me know that they loved the book and the fact that it touches on interesting subjects, and are waiting for the second part. I believe that people are drawn to the story because of the characters, the chemistry between them and the complexity of the situations they go through, and instead of being put off they welcome the “less ordinary” subjects.
How did you get involved in Pride Arts 2015?
I applied to be a volunteer and help out with the organising of the London Pride Parade, and this is how I met the curator of the Arts Festival, Duncan Day. We started talking and I told him about my novel and gave him a book. Later on he asked if I would be interested in doing a reading as part of the festival and I said yes I would be happy to. To be honest I was more than happy, I was ecstatic, but I did my best to not do a crazy dance right in the middle of the cafeteria. I think he might’ve changed his mind then
Where can our readers find you if they go, and what else should they look out for?
I can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. I’m currently working on a screenplay for Less Ordinary and started writing my second novel which is a fantasy themed one. I can’t really say much about the latest at the moment as it is in the first stages of development, but will keep you posted.
Who would you say inspires you?
My biggest inspiration is my Grandmother. I know this doesn’t sound as exciting as having a well know person as a role model, but my Grandmother was the one who always believed in me and taught me to never give up on my dreams. She used to say that if I work hard and stay focused I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. She had a hard life and wanted to make sure that her children and grandchildren will have a better one. She was a determined woman, (haha), I learned a lot from her and she will always be in my heart.
If I’d have to pick an author as an inspiration, that would be Frank Herbert. Although his books are in different genre than mine, the amount of work and research he put into his novels has never ceased to astonish me. The Dune Saga is the best piece of sci fi literature I have ever read and I highly recommend it.
Have you ever wanted to pretend to be a vampire, just to freak people out? (you can tell us this, there is no judgement here)
Haha, yes, several times. In fact when I worked in Los Angeles with The Blank Theatre, whenever we had someone visiting, my colleagues liked to introduce me as “the Vampire girl from Transylvania”, and I always looked at the visitor with a very serious expression for a few moments, fixating on him/her without saying a word. Some people freaked out, others were just impressed by the fact that I’m from Transylvania and kept asking loads of questions
What advice would you like to give to aspiring authors?
I still consider myself an aspiring author and I think the most important thing is to keep writing. The more you practice the better you get. And read the best books in the genre you want to write in, to learn the language and see how other authors describe similar situation.
Anything you would like to add?
On the 22nd of June at 6pm I will be doing a Reading for “Less Ordinary” at the Bankside Space, 32 Southwark Bridge Rd SE1, London. This event is part of the Pride Arts Festival and it is promising to be a lot of fun. Please come by and say hello
Less Ordinary is available to purchase in bookshops and on Amazon Kindle.
And you can follow/bother Monica on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
