Happy Halloween...

...or Samhain!!!

Do take care when you're out there trick or treating, my lovelies. The veil between the worlds is particularly thin tonight.

According to the White Goddess: ... This is a great night for visiting the faery realm, but you must return by dawn or remain forever enchanted, unable to return.

Hmm... I wonder if they have taxes/ebola/hunger/politicians in the realm of the fairies?

Have a safe, fun night!

K.U. okay?

Good evening, my lovelies. The kids are on holiday from school this week which means I'm not getting much [i.e. ANY!] writing done. *sigh* By the time the wee darlings are asleep, the creative side of my brain is already snoring.

Anyhoo... as you may or may not know, being a bit of a dinosaur (specifically a veggiesaurus, in case you were wondering!) I don't own a Kindle but for those of you that do, I was wondering, what are your views on Kindle Unlimited? It sounds great, doesn't it? Limitless books and audiobooks for under ten dollar/pounds a month.

Have you signed up for KU yet? If you have, do you like it? Is it good value for money?

Authors? How's KU working out for you so far? Me? Let's just say, I have no complaints.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

Chez Vadim...

Am I the only person in the west who HASN'T read/watched 'Game of Thrones' yet? Quite possibly. But that doesn't mean I can't have some sigil-making fun. 

Here's Vadim's House and his splendid coat of arms. And, look, I even gave him a motto! (A gold star for the first person who can tell me what it means.)

Go, my pretties! Sigil yourself silly, then come back and share your results with me. :D

The London look...

Evening all! How was your weekend?

Sunday was a bit of a wash out weather-wise, so me and the kids spent the best part of the day creating our own version of Samuel Pepy's London in the playroom using Lego, various Hello Kitty/MLP playsets, and a plastic castle.

We recreated the river Thames with kitchen foil, and we used various pots and plates as boats to ferry Twilight Sparkle and co. up and down stream.

 I don't know who enjoyed it most, me or the kids! It's good to play. :)

Paper or e-book?

Well, I'm FINALLY going through the paperback proof of 'Wolfsbane.' All being well, it should be available for purchase some time next month--not that I'm expecting any huge sales there. Why would I when the electronic version is so much more convenient and affordable?

I get the appeal of Kindle, I really do. Why have one book in your handbag(or purse, if you prefer!) when you can carry around a whole library at a fraction of the weight and cost?

Truth is, as regular readers will doubtless know by now, I'm just a fusty old dinosaur at heart, doddering around waiting for the next extinction level event to strike. Until that day, for me, actual paper books reign supreme. Nothing beats the feel, the smell, and the sound of real pages being turned.

How about you? Which do you prefer, paper or electronic?

Enjoy the weekend! :)

This isn't a writerly post...

...it's much more important.

I've just returned from having my first mammogram, and because we hear so many tales of how painful and uncomfortable these things are, I thought I'd tell you a bit about my experience.

Okay, having a mammogram will never be on my bucket list, BUT it didn't hurt at all. Not only that, it was much less uncomfortable than I'd expected. [Male readers might want to look away now...]

Put it this way, given the choice, I'd rather have a mammogram than a cervical smear, and it was way more comfortable than when I get my teeth scaled and polished! My pain rating? A big fat zero. Discomfort rating? Two out of ten, maybe even a one.

So there you go. If you get the chance, please have your baps zapped, ladies. It's much better than the alternative. :)

Why did I not know this?

Hey, all. Happy Friday!

A good friend of mine recently sent me the most wonderful book through the post.(Thanks, Krissie!) It's Neil Oliver's book called 'Vikings: A History.'  Although I've only just started the second chapter, I've just read something that totally blew me away and I just had to share it with someone.

We're all familiar with Bluetooth technology, right? But did you know that the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson named the tech' after a tenth-century Viking? Did you? Well, I certainly didn't. Why did no-one tell me this before?

"Harald 'Bluetooth' Blatand was King of Denmark and parts of Norway... He is famous for bring together the disparate Danish tribes into a unified whole - and then finding a way to unite them with their Norwegian neighbours..."

And get this: "...The little logo that sits at the top of the screen of any Bluetooth enabled hardware is actually a monogram created from the two runes that represent Harald's initials..."

Isn't that awesome? Just think. Even now, the ghosts of long-dead Vikings are still living in our modern world.

Okay, I'm off to read some more. Have a great weekend, my lovelies!

Book Two teaser...

... Name that scene! :)

Hands up who likes Robin Hood...

I'm sorry I haven't been around much this week, but as well as battling my severe snot infestation, I've been busy with my Secret Project© Nope. I can't say any more at this stage.

So, what are you all reading at the moment? (I mean bookwise.) Anything I should be checking out?

I'm currently re-reading Angus Donald's fabulous 'Outlaw Chronicles'--a recent addition to my 'keeper' shelf. I really love this series. It's a retelling of the tale of Robin Hood, but this time, from the PoV of Alan Dale, the Robster's trusty sidekick. If historical yarns are your thing, you might want to give this series a go.

Warning! Blood and Gore Rating 9/10 ****

Write Club...

Hey, my lovelies!

It's my turn in the writerly Thunderdome today.  Click on the link and see if you can spot my story. (Nope. I'm not giving you any clues! :) ) Come back here afterwards and leave me a message in the comments if you think you know which of the two offerings was mine.

Sorry if I'm even more incoherent than usual. My head is a fuzzy, pounding mess. (Yay! Let the cold/flu season commence!) I'm going to make myself a Lemsip, then I'm off to bed.

Have a great Thursday! <3