Avril Sabine's Blog, page 13

The Golden Bird

I really love reading. And revisiting stories I read years ago is always fun. As usual I probably spent far more time reading through fairytales than was necessary, trying to choose which one I wanted to retell. But it was important to make certain I’d chosen the right one. It wasn’t because I was enjoying them so much that I kept reading, honest. Oh okay, I admit it. But I do enjoy fairytales and not only for the story. Like any book I’ve read before, they bring with them memories of other times I’ve read them. Of being sprawled on my bed as a child, the rest of the world receding as I lost myself in another world. Of course there were times when the real world intruded and I had to do things like chores. Luckily I learned how to do most of them with a book in one hand.

The Golden Bird is one of those fairytales I’ve read several different versions of. It’s interesting to see the changes between each version. Amongst the different versions some sections have been altered, other parts have been removed and some scenes added. As always, I went with what I liked best in the fairytale, preferring most of what was in the oldest telling I found.

Fairytales Retold: The Golden Bird is now available on Amazon. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Fire

October last year one of our neighbours let us know someone had deliberately set three separate fires on the roadside edge across the front of our property. It’s at times like this I’m glad I live in a rural community where most neighbours look out for each other. The fires were lit not far from where our house is, but since our property curves with the road at that point we wouldn’t have noticed it until it took hold and the sky was filled with smoke.

Having caught it so soon, the urban fire truck and rural fire trucks were able to arrive before it got out of control. We were extremely impressed by how quickly they arrived and sorted out a plan of action. It was a relief to have the urban fire truck parked by the house in case the fire came too close. The rural fire trucks went off-road to keep the fire from getting out of control. As the day wore on we watched the fire come closer, the sky filling with smoke and the air with the crackle of approaching flames.

We weren’t the only ones affected by the fire. We saw wildlife such as birds, snakes, lizards and kangaroos headed out of the burning areas. Amongst them were birds we don’t see often. Luckily the fire didn’t go too far up the hill as we often hear koalas calling out up there. It also meant there were still safe areas for the wildlife to head to.

When we tried to find out who had lit the fires, we were told it was someone who had taken themselves off their medication. A lot of people had numerous negative comments to say about the person who lit the fires, but I couldn’t help thinking about the amount of funding cut from the mental health sector. Obviously there are people in need of the help that extra funding could have provided.

I’m extremely grateful to those who take on the risky job of being a fire fighter. The ones who do it every day as a living and the volunteers in the rural fire brigade. Without those willing to face dangerous situations, moments like this would be far worse.

Perfect Little Princess

It can be fun having a cover created for a story. Even more so when it involves photos being taken for it. This was the case for the cover of Perfect Little Princess. There were so many photos taken to find the right layout, lighting and object. It was interesting how moving the angle of the camera the slightest fraction could completely change the look of the image.

As in previous times when I’ve had photos taken for a cover, it took a while to get the right image. We went with a fake tiara to highlight some of the themes in the story. Once the image was done, fonts had to be chosen. In all, it was a long, but fun day and I enjoyed seeing the cover take shape. I had an idea of what the cover might look like, but it turned out far better than I had imagined.

Perfect Little Princess in now available on Amazon, with a cover I adore.

Bring On 2016

Another year is ending and people are talking about New Year’s resolutions. I’ve always felt if a new habit needs forming, an old one needs breaking, or you wish to try something new, then don’t wait. We often say we’ll start something in the New Year, but when it arrives so many other things interrupt our plans. If it’s important to you, then start it the moment you decide you’d like to do it.

Now I’m sure some people are saying that’s impossible. What if you want to go on a holiday you can’t afford? How can you start that immediately? Some things take time to plan. You could work out your budget and how much you need to save. Research the location or learn some of the language if it’s a foreign country. Find places you want to see while you’re there. Does it have a different climate to where you live? Will you need clothes to suit that climate?

If something is important to you, don’t keep putting it off. Take the first steps towards attaining it instead of only dreaming about it. Dreams are much more fun when they’re lived.

Hope everyone had a great 2015 and all the best for the coming year. May 2016 be even better and your dreams become a reality.

Forgive Me Aiden

The second book in my Plea Of The Damned series is now available. Even though they aren’t very long stories, they seem to take far more time to write than one would think for the size of them. Before I ever started the first story, I spent time researching schools that were in Brisbane before the 1960s and are still around today. I found several schools to focus my research on so I could gain a better understanding of how a school that had been around that long might look. The books aren’t set in a particular school, but I did draw on my research to create the school in the series.

Looking through the photos of the schools as they changed and grew over the years was fascinating. Seeing how the curriculum changed and the amount of students increased was equally interesting. I also spent time researching the fashion of the 1960s, not only online and in books, but also at the Queensland Museum. That trip had me wanting to make some of the clothes I saw, with a few alterations as I can never resist changing dressmaker patterns when I use them. Which is probably why I tend to make my own patterns a lot of the time.

I also wandered through Brisbane suburbs that suited the different settings in the series, scribbling notes for when I needed to add in some description. The amount of research that went into the Plea Of The Damned series is part of why it took so long to write each book. A good thing I love research and enjoy finding out all sorts of information I can use in my stories.

For those interested in reading more about the ghost, Jack, and the teenagers he needs to help, Plea Of The Damned 2: Forgive Me Aiden, is now available on Amazon.

Supanova Brisbane

Last weekend I was at Supanova, Brisbane. It was as great as the Gold Coast Supanova and like last time I loved seeing all the amazing costumes. There were people dressed as everything imaginable including characters from books, movies, anime and games. Some people obviously spent a lot of time creating their costumes and it was easy to see who they were dressed as. I especially liked steampunk Belle from Beauty and the Beast. It was great to see so many steampunk themed costumes, particularly as it’s one of the genres I enjoy writing. Like many others, I also had a steampunk costume.

My steampunk wings from the novel Rosie’s Rangers were finished a week before Supanova and I had a lot of fun showing people how they work. I was told I was like a kid with a new toy. I’m certainly not about to deny that. Of course I was. How could I not be when I had wings that could open and shut at the touch of a switch? The wings have a nearly three metre wing span and the housing is made from a grandmother clock. The upper section of the housing has a piece of Perspex instead of being solid timber, allowing people to see the mechanism opening and closing the wings.

After watching the progress of the wings and being involved in the design process, it was good to be able to step back and see them as a finished product. To marvel in the way they have come together and enjoy the finished item. Just like everything else that has been created from Rosie’s Rangers, it was beyond my expectations and I loved seeing yet something else from one of my novels come alive. I can’t wait to see what is created next.

Myths and Legends Retold: Ion, Son Of Apollo

When researching the details of the myth about Ion, I found several variations of the story and chose to retell the one I was most drawn to. The original tale was attributed to the ancient Greek Euripides who wrote numerous plays. He often shocked the males in his audiences for the ‘heresies’ some of his female characters spoke. While retelling the myth I found myself researching more about many of the places and characters mentioned in the story, the Delphic temple and in particular the oracle that people came to consult with their many questions about the future. I lost hours immersing myself in ancient Greece, fascinated by the times, the culture and the people.

The first story in my Myths and Legends Retold series of short stories, Ion, Son Of Apollo, is now available on Amazon.

Celebrating Two Years

In the middle of November I’ll be celebrating two years since my first four stories were released on Amazon. Like the first year, this one has been equally as busy. Without the help of my family I couldn’t have managed anywhere near as much as I have in the past two years. Not to mention I wouldn’t have been able to write 100,000 words, during July Camp NaNo this year, if my oldest son hadn’t set me that challenge and asked me why I wasn’t working every time I took a break.

During the past year I attended Supanova, Gold Coast, visited schools, taught workshops and of course wrote numerous words. I published nine novels, two novellas and four short stories, which came to a total of 601,815 words, 36,548 more than last year. There was no actual plan to release more than the first year. Somehow or other it just worked out like that. Probably partially due to those insistent characters that demand I write their stories.

I already have plans for many of the stories I’ll be releasing in the following year, including some in my series Demon Hunters, Realms Of The Fae, Plea Of The Damned and Fairytales Retold. I also plan to make more of my books available in print. In particular, I’m looking forward to the release of my western steampunk novel in July 2016, Rosie’s Rangers 1: Justice. I’ve been enjoying seeing some of the characters from the book being created out of copper wire and old pocket watch parts and can’t wait to see the steampunk wings, that are currently being made, finished.

My third year will be starting out with attending Supanova, Brisbane and doing NaNo. It shall be interesting to see where it goes from there with how unpredictable life often is. From past experience I’m expecting another busy year full of the unique and the unexpected. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Realms Of The Fae 1: A Debt Owed

I can relate to Melody’s fear of spiders and how difficult it can be to face fear, regardless of what you’re afraid of. Many years ago when my oldest child was a baby, there was a large huntsman spider stalking towards her where she lay peacefully sleeping. Up to that point, I would stand as far as possible from a spider and spray them, well okay, drown them with spray and leave the dead body for whoever I managed to convince to dispose of it for me. I didn’t have that choice. There was no way I was going to let that spider get anywhere near my daughter. Grabbing her, I fled the room, escaping from the spider that was starting to appear bigger by the second. With my heart racing, I put my sleeping daughter in a safer location and tried to convince myself to return to her room so I could spray the spider. I wasn’t about to let it escape and hide somewhere so it could come out and get us later. Spiders are sneaky like that!

Realms Of The Fae 1: A Debt Owed has been one of the hardest books I’ve ever written because I used to be completely and utterly terrified of spiders. Now they just give me the creeps. While writing I had to tap into all those old fears, and to make matters worse I kept finding spiders everywhere. It was like they knew I was writing about them. My family were laughing about it and my oldest boy took over spider killing duties.

Melody is in a situation where some of her choices can bring her face to face with her fears. No matter what your fear is, you can overcome it. You just have to figure out what it is that will override your fear.

If you’re interested in learning whether or not Melody faces her fears, or if she finds ways to avoid them, Realms Of The Fae 1: A Debt Owed is now available on Amazon.

Scraps

Anyone who is following me on Facebook may have noticed some photos I’ve been posting of steampunk critters, from my series Rosie’s Rangers (Book 1 coming July 2016). It has been rather exciting seeing characters from one of my stories come to life. I now have a bit of an idea as to how Fenoglio, from the story Inkheart, would have felt. To see my words take physical shape is the strangest of feelings. Even more so when the character looked how I imagined she would.

I gave very little details about how Scraps looked so I was impressed with how much the physical critter resembled the one from my imagination. “The tinkerer threw the critter together in a hurry out of bits of watches and wire he had left lying around on his worktable. The critter needs to be able to fly and have a ‘finished in a hurry’ look about her.” There was a little bit of discussion about what items would be suitable, probably five minutes of talk at the most, before the artist went off to begin work. And out of that conversation, Scraps was brought to life.