Daylight Saving is Baaaaack

I feel your pain. 😉

 

A Writer’s Meme…

I sort of stole this from another blog – but I thought it would be a fun Friday post.

Name a novel(s) that inspired you to write.

So many… but three that come to mind are: The World According to Garp by John Irving, Of Captains and Kings by Taylor Caldwell, and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

What’s your favorite genre to write and read?

Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense. Love puzzles and can’t resist trying to solve them.

Do you prefer to write stand-alone or series?

Series are great because you get to spend more time with beloved characters and watch them grow and develop. Although some stories are meant to stand alone. So, I guess I don’t have a preference. Although, most of my books at present, are part of a series.

Use 3 words to describe yourself.

Funny, stubborn, determined

Use an image that reveals your latest book’s Main Character or story setting.

Yes, bad things happen in the creepy woods. Hehe

How long did your first book take to draft?

Six months. Then I promptly trashed it. It’s okay, it was utter drek.

Who is your author idol?

Michael Connelly – the best crime writer out there, in my opinion.

Share a writing memory that made you determined to keep writing.

After reading a historical romance I wrote (inspired by a poem) my writing professor told me that I wasn’t ready to write novels yet. He said I needed to get more life experience first. Though he didn’t specify what that experience needed to be. Nothing like being told you can’t do something to make you want to do something.

Tell us something surprising or unique about yourself.

I’m very shy in real life. (Nobody believes me about this)

Share the hardest part of being a writer.

It’s very easy to feel as though you are all alone in the world. Writing is a solitary activity and it can make you feel isolated. You doubt whether what you’re doing matters, is good enough, and whether anyone will really care about what you have to say. You have to learn to be good at self motivation, giving yourself pep talks, and letting your intuition guide you. But despite this, there is nothing more amazing than creating a story you are proud of and want to share with others.

What’s your favorite social media and why? Share your link.

I think Facebook. It allows for a lot of interaction and enables you to connect on a deeper level than most of the other venues. I’ve made some lovely friends and found some wonderful readers on Facebook.

Share some uplifting wisdom in six words or less.

Believe in yourself. Believe in others.

Thanks for reading this fun little writing meme. Feel free to ‘meme’ yourself in the comments.

If you’re a writer: What is your favorite thing about being a writer? What is your least favorite?

If you’re a reader: What do you most like learning about your favorite authors? What book do you wish an author would write?

Have a lovely Autumn weekend.

Cheers,

Annie ❤

 

IN HONOR OF NATIONAL POETRY DAY…

In honor of National Poetry Day, I thought I would share my LOSING submission to the 2018 Wergle Flomp.

Congrats to all the winners.

38 Phrases coined by Shakespeare that you never knew

Some writers are just timeless. Shakespeare is probably one of the most timeless of them all. Don’t believe me? Following are common phrases that we ALL use, even today – that came from the Bard himself.

For goodness sake

Neither here not there

Mum’s the word

Eaten out of house and home

Knock knock! Who’s there?

All’s well that ends well

With bated breath

A wild goose chase

Too much of a good thing

A heart of gold

Such stuff as dreams are made on

Fashionable

What the dickens

Lie low

Dead as a doornail

Not slept one wink

Foregone conclusion

The world’s mine oyster

In stitches

Naked truth

Send him packing

Vanish into thin air

in a pickle

Own flesh and blood

too much of a good thing

Truth will out

Eaten (you) out of house and home

Had you in stitches over a joke.

Give the devil his due

A sorry sight

There’s method in my madness

Salad days

Wear your heart on your sleeve

Spotless reputation

Full circle

There’s the rub

All of a sudden

Come what may

So, the next time you utter one of these phrases, be sure to thank the Bard for it. 😉

Quick Book Tag

 

I saw this over at Loraine Ambers’ lovely blog and it looked like fun…

Quick Book Tag

E-Book or Physical Book?

I like both. It depends on what I’m reading and my mood. I have been reading a lot more on my Kindle lately but I may dig into that stack on my night stand soon.

Paperback or Hardback?

Hardbacks – I love the larger size and print and they smell more like books, if that makes sense?

Online or In-Store Book Shopping?

In-Store. I’m not much of a Barnes and Noble shopper but I love indie bookshops and used bookstores. My local library has one and I can spend hours in there, browsing. And it’s tiny!

Trilogies or Series?

Either one works if the story is enticing. Although, if I fall in love with the characters I will be sad if more books don’t follow.

Heroes or Villains?

Both – any fully formed character is a pleasure to love or hate. Though in either case, I really prefer a flawed hero or villian to the perfect ones who can jump from tall buildings in a single leap, fight off battalions of bad guys with one hand tied behind their back, and make the perfect martini. Good guy or bad guy, give me someone I can relate to and you’ll have me forever as a reader.

A book you want everyone to read?

Anything by Diane Dickson – her writing is a feast for the eyes.

Recommend an underrated book?

Scarpetta’s Winter Table, by Patricia Cornwell. It’s somewhat obscure and very short (relative to her other novels). But it gives you interesting insights into the characters of the Scarpetta series. If you’re a Scarpetta fan, see if you can find a copy and read it.

The last book you bought?

Twist of Truth by Diane Dickson. I’m addicted to her books.

Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?

Like most readers I usually use whatever is within reach but the weirdest thing was probably a sock.

Used Books: Yes or No?

Of course, otherwise what would used bookstores sell? Nothing like a brand new, hot off the press new book but there is something about a used book that appeals to me – the passing on from one reader to the next – it’s almost as though you can feel the love/excitement/fear/interest that each reader experienced while reading the book and it makes it seem alive. (Is that too weird a revelation? Even for a writer?)

Top three favorite genres?

Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense. Yes, I know Amazon considers them one genre but they are not. I also enjoy retro sci-fi (Asimov, Heinlein) and psychological horror (think Twilight Zone not the Chain Saw Massacre), and occasionally a good literary novel but anything with mystery or suspense intrigues me.

Borrow or Buy?

Both. When the budget is tight, I turn to BookBub or the library.

Characters or Plot?

Hands down, characters. I don’t think a book can be good if the characters don’t draw you in and make you care about them.

Long or Short Books?

As long as it’s good, length is not a consideration. Although books topping out at 500 pages is probably my max. I’ve read recently that readers are moving toward shorter books these days. Personally, I’m always sad when a good book ends.

Long or Short Chapters?

Short chapters. It makes me feel more connected to the action in the story.

Name the first three books you can think of

Bone Baby, Lightning, Frankenstein

Books that make you laugh or cry?

Either. But more to the point, books that make me feel, I need an emotional connection to books I read or I’ll end up not finishing them.

Our World or Fictional Worlds?

Fictional worlds always seem like more fun – lots of adventure and less risk.

Audio books: Yes or No?

Audio books are okay. I listened to a lot of them when I was commuting on a day job. Although, I don’t think you get the same satisfaction from them. Especially since you’re usually multi-tasking while listening. I think you also miss nuance in a story you listen to rather than read. The exception I suppose would be if you were listening one hundred percent and doing nothing else. Still, if the narrator doesn’t match the voice in your head it could ruin the experience for you.

Do you ever judge a book by its cover?

If the cover is really awful or really amazing, yes, probably. Generally though, covers don’t influence me as much as it seems they do others.

A Movie or TV-Show You Preferred to its Book?

Perhaps the Handmaid’s Tale. But not really. Generally, I find the book to be better than the film version. They are doing a decent job of the Bosch series from Michael Connelly’s books but I had to get used to the actor they selected for the lead because he was nothing at all like I’d imagined Bosch.

Series or Stand-alones?

Either. Though I LOVE to find a new series to get my hooks into. You always get so excited when a new book in the series comes out, like you get to visit with an old friend. Wow, this question makes me miss Sue Grafton.

How about you? What would you answer to these questions? Feel free to tell us in the comments or consider yourself tagged and do your own version of the post.

 

Cheers,

Annie

Ovine Irish Jig

To round off our St. Paddy’s Day weekend, I thought a little dance might be in order…

 

And maybe something a little more street….

And though St Paddy’s Day is coming to a close   may the green be with you.

Ironical

Have a good weekend. 😉

Happy Valentine’s Day

Scotti’s Favorite Cupcake Recipe

Can you spot the *secret* ingredient? If you want to check out the book you can go here.

Have a great weekend. 😀

It’s all in the translation – British to American Terms Cheat Sheet

I thought it would be fun to do a cheat sheet that takes British terms/slang and converts to its American counterpart.  I think I got a little carried away because the list turned out to be huge.  And not too pretty.  Anyway, for lovers of trivia, and maybe even a few Brit writers here you go.  Annie

FOOD / FOOD RELATED
British	American
Chips	fries
Crisps	chips
Bangers	sausage
Biscuit	cookie
Courgette	zucchini
Aubergine	eggplant
Jacket potato	baked potato
Sweets	candy
Ice lolly	popsicle
Treacle	molasses
Spud	potato
Pudding	dessert (pudding is one of many desserts in America, maybe you call it custard?)
Peckish	hungry
Takeaway	take-out or carry-out (or by its name “Chinese” “Italian” “Thai”)
Tin	can
Cooker	stove, cooktop, range
Eating Irons	Cutlery, flatware, silverware, silver, table ware
LOCATIONS
Lounge	Living room, great room
Garden	Yard (although we often have gardens in our yards)
Pub	bar, watering hole (if it’s bad it might be called a dive)
Flat	apartment
High street	main street
Loo	bathroom / restroom / washroom/ head/john
Underground	subway
Pitch	field
Car park	parking lot, parking structure
Motorway	highway / freeway / expressway / interstate
Pavement	sidewalk
Zebra crossing	crosswalk
Snail Home	Motor home,  trailer, RV, camper
Railway	railroad
Cinema	(at the) or (go to the) movies
Supermarket	grocery store
Shop	store
Lift	Elevator
Phone box	phone booth (although these are pretty rare in the U.S. these days)
CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES
Trainers	sneakers, kicks
Jumper	sweater
Waistcoat	vest
Braces	suspenders
Nappy	diaper
Dummy	pacifier / binkie
Kit	uniform
Bum bag	fanny pack
Trousers	pants, slacks
Pants	men’s underwear/briefs /boxers / shorts
Knickers	ladie’s underwear/panties/briefs/ thong
VEHICLES / VEHICLE RELATED
Bonnet	hood
Windscreen	windshield
Indicator	blinker/ signal
Boot	trunk
Road surface	pavement /blacktop/ road
Diversion	detour
Lorry	truck
Petrol	gas
Flyover	overpass / freeway bridge
Number plate	license plate / tags
Artic	semi truck, 18-wheeler,  big rig
FURNITURE / FURNITURE RELATED
Telly	TV / television / boob tube
Settee	couch or sofa
Hoover	vacuum cleaner /  vac
Wardrobe	closet
Secretray	desk
Bin	trash can / garbage can
PEOPLE
Justices of the Supreme Court	Judge (only Justices of the Supreme Court are called Justices)
My Lord	Your Honor
Mum	mom, mommy, mama, ma
Dustman	garbage collector / garbage man
Barrister	attorney / lawyer
Copper	cop / police / law enforcement
Postman	mail carrier / mailman / mail person
Mate	friend, buddy, girlfriend, boyfriend, bud, pal, gal pal
PHRASES / OCCASIONS
Holiday	vacation
Brilliant	great, cool, awesome, wonderful
Cheeky	smartass, wiseguy / smarting off
Mad	crazy / nuts / insane
Right	OK
Kip	Sleep, snooze, nap
Nick	steal, lift, swipe
Arse/bum	ass, butt, behind
Ta	thanks
Taking the biscuit	takes the cake
Uni/University	College, Grad School
Wanker	jerk, asshole, son of a bitch
Yonks	ages, long time, month of Sundays
Rubbish	Bullshit, BS
Pear-shaped	disaster, a wreck, trainwreck, fubar (fucked up beyond all recognition)
Pissed	drunk, hammered, wasted
Wag off	To waste time, dick around, fuck off, screw off
Bollocks	Bullshit, BS
Brassed off	pissed off, angry, mad
Cock up	screw up, mess up, make a mistake
Dodgy	suspicious, questionable, not to be trusted
Knackered	tired, beat, worn out, done in, exhausted
Posh	high class, pricey, expensive, classy
Fortnight	two weeks, couple of weeks
Skint	broke, tapped, penniless, flat broke
MISCELLANEOUS
Timetable	schedule
Rubber	eraser
Post	mail
Queue	line
Torch	flashlight
Mobile	cell
Football	soccer
Zed	zee
Full stop	period
Postal code	zip code
Fag	smoke / ciggie / cigarette
Protectives	condoms / rubbers
Rubbish	trash, garbage

Feel free to add to the list…