Avril Sabine's Blog, page 12
July 18, 2016
Mark Of Kings
When I first wrote the Mark Of Kings series, quite a few years ago, there were five main characters. During the editing phases I realised that two of those characters were so similar they might as well be a single character. It didn’t take me long to decide they needed to be turned into one. Which wasn’t as simple as I’d first imagined. Between that change and all the rewriting that needed to be done, it probably would have been easier to rewrite the series. I eventually finished my first round of major edits and sent the manuscripts off to my editors. Of course I’d left the old name in a few times, appeared to be numerically challenged in several places and had a few instances where eye colour didn’t want to remain the same. I’d obviously be lost without my editors and their amazing skills.
After numerous edits and much rewriting, the first two books of Mark Of Kings are now available on Amazon with the final two in the series due out soon. I hope you enjoy Mark Of Kings 1: The Arena and Mark Of Kings 2: The Island.
June 30, 2016
Old Petrie Town Steam Fair
On Sunday 5th June 2016 we attended Old Petrie Town Steam Fair with other members of Steam Dreams, the Queensland Steampunk group, dressed in our steampunk gear. There were also members from a local pirate group who attended in their outfits. Due to extreme weather conditions the fair was cancelled on the Saturday, but Sunday was a lot of fun and we hope to attend next year. For those who live in south east Queensland, and would love to attend in 2017, it’s usually on the first weekend in June. The Old Petrie Town markets were on during the day, there was a lot to see and the grand parade was at 12:30 p.m. In all, it was a lovely family event and we had a great time. All the photos were taken by Cat Petersen.
We had a wander around the event.
There was an amazingly large fig tree and numerous old buildings.
The steampunk and pirate groups gathered for photos.
We joined the parade.
If you wanted to keep up to date regarding the next Steam Fair or other Queensland steampunk events, you can request to join the following Facebook groups.
Old Petrie Town Steam Fair:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/484413701704670/
Steam Dreams- Queensland Steampunk:
June 18, 2016
Rosie’s Rangers 1: Justice
Rosie’s Rangers is one of my stories that came about because of a dream, but not in the usual fashion. The first time I dreamt about it was in February 2013. It was such a small snippet of the story that I had no idea what it was about. Throughout the rest of 2013 I had more dreams about Rosie’s Rangers. Segments that I didn’t realise belonged together, and were part of one series, until I was reading over my file of story ideas. Early 2014 I began world building. So far it’s been the story that has taken me the longest when it comes to research and world building. I also haven’t done all the world building alone. My boys have been involved and we’ve spent many hours debating the logistics of different aspects of Rosie’s world. It’s been a lot of fun and I already have numerous ideas for future books in the series that I’m looking forward to writing.
After all these years of world building, research, writing and editing, Rosie’s Rangers is now available on Amazon.
June 1, 2016
Childhood Books
When I was a child I devoured books. There never seemed to be enough to read. It was a good thing I tended to read favourites over and over again. Not only for the enjoyment, but to also discover how the author had created the story. To learn the techniques they’d used to draw me into their world and keep me turning pages.
I still have quite a few of my childhood books. All the Trixie Belden books, numerous Enid Blyton, books that belonged to my parents when they were children and so many more. Occasionally I revisit old favourites and I’ve shared some with my children. The books all have memories that go with them, reminding me of different moments of my childhood.
I have the full set of Trixie Belden books and so many times my mum had to search for the next one because I absolutely needed and couldn’t live without it. I loved reading that series, following the characters in their adventures and trying to solve the mysteries along with them. And of course there was Nancy Drew. Yet more mysteries to solve.
Some of my other childhood books still sitting in my shelves are ‘The Big Brass Key’ by Ruth Park, ‘The Box In The Attic’ by Barbara Euphan Todd, ‘A Horse Called Butterfly’ by Thurley Fowler, ‘Caddie Woodlawn’ by Carol Ryrie Brink, ‘Anne Of Green Gables’ by Lucy M. Montgomery and ‘The Velvet Room’ by Zilpha Keatly Snyder to name but a few.
I read in so many different genres and tended to pick up nearly any book I saw. It made buying presents for me very easy. I continued to read in various genres through my teenage years and kept many of those books as well. Although I tended to read more fantasy and horror than other genres by that age.
I still read in numerous genres and can’t see a book without wanting to pick it up and check it out, tempted to start reading immediately. And I continue to collect many of the books I read, much to the protests of my groaning bookcases.
May 18, 2016
Sir Gawain And The Maid With The Narrow Sleeves
With many of the old tales, whether they be fairytales or myths and legends, many of the characters are nameless. They’re called the eldest daughter or the old man or something similar. I do find a few named characters, but mostly only the main ones are named and even then it isn’t every main characters. With this tale most of the characters were named, even some of those who were barely mentioned. Except the daughters. All of those were nameless, including the young girl who was one of the main characters of the tale. She in particular needed a name and not just the one she was mockingly referred to.
I scoured lists of names suited to the time and place the story was set. I finally found Beatrice. Thinking it sounded like a good name for her I checked the meaning, not wanting to saddle her with another negative name. I found several different meanings. Mostly it was ‘she who brings happiness’ but several times the meaning was considered to be ‘blessed’. A suitable name for a character who has previously only been known by the one she was mockingly called.
Myths And Legends Retold: Sir Gawain And The Maid With The Narrow Sleeves is now available on Amazon.
April 30, 2016
My Desk
January 1975
I can write anywhere. In the car, on the bed, under a tree, at the beach, on the treadmill. It’s possible, but it doesn’t mean it’s preferable. There’s nothing better than being in your own writing space, wherever that might be. To me it’s my desk.
My first desk was purple and I remember running my hands over it and feeling how glossy and smooth it was. I didn’t know what it was for, only that I wanted to do something at it. Mum tells the story a little differently. It was a purple table my grandparents had given my brother and me for Christmas when I was two-and-half-years-old. But seriously, it was all mine. He just didn’t know it. Apparently I spent hours sitting at my table and Mum gave me jigsaw puzzles to do and I’d quickly put them together then clear them away so I could go back to figuring out exactly what a desk was used for.
When I was ten, I lived with my Dad for a while and he had a desk. Well, he did until I moved in and took it over. I guess he must have thought I made better use of the desk than he did because when I moved into my own place at eighteen he gave it to me. I had a mattress, a small fridge and a desk, what more did I need? A bookcase would have been good, but I had the books and they were more important than any bookcase. I still have that desk, even though I outgrew it since I tend to take up way more space these days. One of my sons uses it now.
Currently I’m using a desk that was once my stepfather’s. A big desk with lockable metal drawers, well they were lockable until the key disappeared. And I’ve kind of outgrown it too, but I’ve solved that problem by having a table near my desk to create an L shaped work area. Okay, so it’s kind of solved. I tend to take up a lot of space, particularly when I’m starting a new story.
I sometimes say I should get a new desk, but it’s a bit like getting rid of a favourite jacket. And no, just because it’s older than me I’m not going to ditch my favourite jacket either. I bet I’m not the only one who hangs onto favourites when family and friends think it’s time to get rid of them. One day I’m sure I’ll find another desk that works better, but until then I’m sticking with this one.
April 18, 2016
Demon Hunters 4: Premonition
The idea for Demon Hunters 4: Premonition was a dream of a dream. Now that isn’t quite as odd as it sounds, or at least it isn’t to me. I dreamt of a girl having a dream, one of the Hunters. A dream she couldn’t escape and had relived so many times she could see it while awake. A dream of an event she’d never seen and hadn’t been able to prevent. One that haunted her.
I had no idea where the story would take me, or what would happen to Emily Hunter. So I did what I always do when fascinated by an idea and want to find out where it’s going. I wrote it.
Demon Hunters 4: Premonition kept me awake late at night as I was drawn into the story. Throughout the book there is a time, during the early hours of the morning, which is significant. Just before three, the hour of demons. When I finished the first draft of the story it was eerie to check the time and see it was exactly three in the morning. All I could think was, luckily it wasn’t two forty-five a.m. That would have been far stranger than finishing a book about demons and demon hunters at the hour when demons are considered to be strongest.
March 31, 2016
String Eggs
This Easter I decided I wanted to give something a little different to my daughter. When she was a child, I often gave her a few toys instead of an excessive amount of chocolate. She’s now well past that stage and everything I looked at was either more expensive than we choose to spend for Easter or I knew she wouldn’t like it. Then I had the idea to make string eggs.
Items needed: crochet cotton, balloons, items to put into the balloons (I went with mini bottles of alcohol), PVA glue, bowl for the glue, small amount of water, somewhere you can make a mess. 
The items were put into balloons that were then blown up and tied. PVA glue was put in a bowl and I got the crochet cotton ready.
A small amount of water was added to the glue and mixed in.
I then randomly wrapped the crochet cotton around the balloons, dipping it in the glue as I went. The crochet cotton was a single length. I didn’t cut it off until I’d finished wrapping it around the balloons.
They were left to dry overnight and the balloons were carefully cut through the gaps in the crochet cotton and removed from the egg.
I then filled them with shredded Easter paper so no one could see what was inside them.
The shredded paper was removed Easter morning to reveal the surprise inside.
They were extremely easy to make and could be used for so many other events such as Christmas and birthdays.
March 18, 2016
Marked By The Hunt
Sometimes a story turns out nothing like I expected. Marked By The Hunt came out of a dream. I saw the moon portal scene and several images of Masquerade. From that the story evolved. When I first started to write it, I thought I knew where it was going. I was of course wrong and my characters headed in their own directions, hounding me until the story was written. It took me less than a month to write the first draft. Long days and many sleep deprived nights as the words flowed and the story formed. So many times I went to take a break when the next scene would burst into my mind and I continued to type, thoughts of a break banished.
I’m often asked how I know what to write. I tell people I write the stories that keep me awake at night. This was definitely one of those stories. Realms Of The Fae 2: Marked By The Hunt is now available on Amazon.
February 29, 2016
Gamer And Reader
It’s great how there’s been a shift in thinking and these days when I say I’m a gamer I rarely get strange looks. Although people often do find it odd that I love to read as well as play games. As if the two are mutually exclusive. I like to play not only computer and console games, but also board games and RPG’s such as Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).
Years ago, particularly when I was a teenager and in my early twenties, I often encountered expressions of surprise and even utter disbelief when I talked about gaming. I remember going into a game shop and the assistant thought I was lost. When I told him I wasn’t, he then asked if his friends had put me up to going in there. I talked about my current D&D game that I was the DM (Dungeon Master) for and his jaw gradually dropped lower and lower. It took him a little time to recover, but he did regain the power of speech and we talked about games for ages. We even talked about the Commodore 64, which was my introduction to computers when I was ten. That was also around the year I started playing D&D.
I still have the first D20 I ever owned. Sadly it’s no longer useable as one of my kids chipped it when they were younger, but it’s like a photo from an album, a relic from my past. There are many memories attached to it and I wouldn’t think of throwing it away.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that as a reader I’m often drawn to games with a storyline. Such as the Elder Scrolls games. I’ve spent hours following side quests, sometimes completely forgetting all about the main quest, as I explore all the locations. There are other games I enjoy. Sims is fun and sadly many of my characters have met the Grim Reaper well before their time. I’ve also played shooter games with my kids. They’re the type of game I like to play as a team. I find them a lot more fun that way. And of course there’s Minecraft, a game you can do so many things with. Fight, create, work as a team, explore and discover. That’s another game I enjoy playing with others, both vanilla and modded Minecraft.
The list of computer games I enjoy playing is rather lengthy, but some of my favourites of all time would have to be the entire Elder Scrolls collection, Age Of Empires II : The Conquerors and Fallout 3 and 4. There are of course others on my list of favourites, but it is extremely long.
The list of board games I enjoy isn’t quite as long as that of computer games. At the top of the list would have to be Articulate. I’ve had so much fun playing that game. It always involves a lot of laughter, often to the point of tears. How can it not be at the top of my list when it causes that much fun?
Now don’t get me started on my list of books. I’d be here for days talking about some of my favourites. It’s impossible to name only a few when there are thousands of great stories out there. Both the ones I’ve read and the ones I’m looking forward to reading.
