Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 63

The Fall Time Cosy Book Tag

The Fall Time Cosy Book Tag (image source)

You probably know by now that I love a good book tag and luckily enough I was tagged a little while ago by Tash over at The Bookie Monsters to do the Fall Time Cosy Book Tag. Let’s go!

#1: Crunching Leaves: The world is full of colour. Choose a book that has reds, oranges and yellows on the cover.

The Soul

The Soul by S.R. Carrillo is very warm in tone (and gorgeous for that matter).

#2: Cosy Sweater: It’s finally cold enough to don warm cosy clothing. What book gives you the warm fuzzies?

Here it is folks; the obligatory Harry Potter answer. Who had bets on it appearing by question two?

#3: Fall Storm: The wind is howling and the rain is pounding. Choose your favourite book OR genre that you like to read on a stormy day.

A dark, stormy day definitely makes me think of a thriller. Something gripping and immersive that makes you want to curl up under a blanket and not emerge until you’ve reached the end of the story.

#4: Cool Crisp Air: What’s the coolest character you’d want to trade places with?

Emily from Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet series is pretty cool and she gets to go on some pretty crazy, epic adventures, so that could be fun.

#5: Hot Apple Cider: What under hyped book do you want to see become the next biggest, hottest thing?

I fell in love with The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan. It did get a bit of buzz within the circle of booktubers who I watch but it still only has around 1500 ratings on Goodreads (I just checked, I’m not weird enough to know that off hand) so it seems to have slipped under a lot of people’s radars. If you like character driven stories with unique settings, beautiful writing and a wonderful blend of fantasy and fairy tale vibes then I think this book will swallow you up, as it did me.

#6: Coat, Scarves and Mittens: The weather has turned cold and it’s time to cover up. What’s the most embarrassing book cover you own that you like to keep hidden in public?

I don’t read erotica or even romances really (I don’t mind romance in a story but I rarely read a fully-fledged romance novel), so there aren’t any scantily clad women or shirtless men adorning my bookshelves to cringe at. So, there’s the odd cover I don’t really like out of personal taste but none I can think of that embarrass me.

#7: Pumpkin Spice: What’s your favourite fall time comfort food/foods?

I’m a simple tea and chocolate kind of guy (though that’s not exclusive to this time of year). What can I say, I’m a cheap date.

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Big thanks again to Tash for inviting me to do this. I’m going to leave it open this time so that anyone who would like to get involved can do so. Happy reading!

Unison

Let’s let our bodies be like maps

and travel foreign lands;

our lives like winding rivers

and simply flow as one.

Never

My life was a blot on scrawled maps

of enforced distance;

the image of inconvenience.

You were in my veins

but I was never in your heart.

The Autumn Book Tag

The Autumn Book Tag (image source)

I love this time of year and luckily enough I was tagged by Tash over at The Bookie Monsters to do the Autumn Book Tag. Without further ado, let’s just jump right into the questions.

What is your favourite thing about Autumn?

I love the crisp, fresh feel in the air and the gorgeous colours on the trees. And, yes I’m going to mention it already, I love that Christmas is right around the corner.

What book reminds you of your school days?

I remember a book called Huntress of the Sea by Alan Temperley that I must have read at least half a dozen times. I actually met the author at a book convention and got my battered, bruised copy signed. It still sits proudly on my bookcase now.

What book cover reminds you of Autumn?

The Darkest Part of the Forest

The nature theme and the mix of greens and warmer tones on The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black remind me of Autumn.

What is your favourite horror or Halloween story?

I read Coraline by Neil Gaiman recently and thought it was a perfect, creepy little read. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy is a collection of abstract poems, stories and illustrations by Tim Burton that I also think is ideal for this time of year.

What is your favourite horror or Halloween film?

There’s a Spanish psychological horror called Julia’s Eyes that sticks in my mind. It follows a woman losing her eyesight to a degenerative disease who is trying to solve the mysteries of her sister’s death before she goes blind. I’m also a huge fan of the first two Alien movies with Sigourney Weaver, and it’s not a horror as such, but Pan’s Labyrinth is very dark and whimsical which I think suits Halloween.

What Fall book release are you most looking forward to? 

The new illustrated Harry Potter. (Come on, we all knew I was going to mention it somewhere!)

What Autumn movie release are you most anticipating? 

The Martian just came out and I’m always interested to see how book to movie adaptations are handled, so I may try and see that one.

What are three books you plan to read this Autumn?

I’m definitely a mood reader rather than a set TBR kind of person but a few books I’m hoping to get to soon would be George by Alex Gino, The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James.

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Big thanks to Tash for tagging me. I’ll tag Melissa Barker-Simpson, Driftinglexi and anyone else who would like to get involved.

Patience

image source

Though they hide from us

beneath the veil of daytime,

the stars still shine bright.

September in Books

books, books, books!

As another month draws to a close, it’s time for a reading update. Throughout September, I managed to read 12 books (7 novels, 2 novellas, 2 graphic novels and a poetry collection), which I’m really happy with.

Best of all, this took me beyond my 80 book target for the year, putting me on 89 thus far and making every further book I manage to finish a very welcome and pleasant surprise.

Standout reads this particular month were probably Coraline by Neil Gaiman, which is a delightfully creepy little story, and The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough, a tale of life and death with wonderful touches of magical realism.

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What was your favourite read in September? How are you getting on with your goals for the year?

Cosmic Karma

Impervious to your toxic voice,

that diamond mind still sparkles

in patience for reprieve

with silent smiles of knowing;

when you spit up so much venom

surely you will choke.

#FabulousFridayGuestBlogger – Callum McLaughlin

callummclaughlin:

I was very kindly invited to do a guest post over on The Write Stuff, in which I wrote about the inspiration behind my writing and invited others to share their stories. The site is a real hub for readers and writers so I highly recommend you give it a visit. Thanks again to Marcia for having me!

Originally posted on The Write Stuff:

Welcome to The Write Stuff Callum. Take it away!

~~~

“Where did you get the idea for your book?” – It’s a question any writer will be asked countless times throughout their life. In some cases, we can pinpoint the exact moment when inspiration struck, while often it’s something as whimsical as an elusive dream or a brief conversation that triggers the construction of an entire imaginary world.

With my first book for example, I was simply watching a news report about a country in absolute turmoil. I remember thinking that it seemed like something from a story; far removed from most people’s lives and yet shocking in its reality. Thus, the plot of The Vessel began to form: A dystopian world, a depleted population, a corrupt government, and one woman at the heart of it all, determined to expose the truth. It’s not to say that what happens in

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If Only

image source

Excuse me kind sir,

I’ll be needing a new heart.

This one is broken.

Fit to Burst

I denounce the middle ground –

Place me atop the mountain

or bury me under it;

riding the crest of a wave

or drowning in its depths.

I’m bored of indecision,

exhausted by this passion –

Translucent skin stretched

across a beating heart;

freedom fit to burst.