Pages

Tuesday 31 May 2011

Writer's resource

Interesting resource here for anyone interested in writing about the Royal Navy. The National Archive has scanned the service records of  5000 naval officers and made them available to search and download. This is primarily for the interest of genealogists, but the kinds of details are treasure for authors.

This page offers options for searching

This one is a browseable list

I'm having a good look through. Sadly I don't think my father will be on there. He only made it to a rank of Leading Wireman.

: D

Monday 30 May 2011

Write or Die

Oh it's the dog's kneecaps, it really is. 620 words in 20 minutes. If I could do that 3 times a day I might get this novel finished AND have a tidy house. I'd have to turn off the 'net though.


This is what I'm writing about at the moment - or rather a bit of it a little further along. Makes you want to get your mallet out and have a tap, doesn't it?

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Anthologies of British GBLT fiction

British Flash - to be published on 16th June as a free ebook (on
Smashwords)

Contributing authors: Alex Beecroft, Victoria Blisse, Stevie Carroll,
Charlie Cochrane, Sophia Deri-Bowen, Erastes, Lucy Felthouse, Elin
Gregory, Mara Ismine, Sandra Lindsey, Clare London, JL Merrow,
Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Jay Rookwood, Caroline Stephens, Stevie
Woods, Lisa Worrall and Serena Yates.

And

Tea & Crumpet - to be published by JMS Books on 3rd July as an ebook.
Print copies will also be available in late July.

Contributing authors: Alex Beecroft, Stevie Carroll, Jennie Caldwell,
Charlie Cochrane, Lucy Felthouse, Elin Gregory, Mara Ismine, Clare
London, Anna Marie May, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Jay
Rookwood, Chris Smith, Stevie Woods, Lisa Worrall and Serena Yates.

Too excited for words because these will be my first published stories and just look at the company they will be keeping! I'll post pictures of covers when they are available.

Monday 23 May 2011

South Wales strongholds

I was looking at this map yesterday and contemplating the similarities between 12th century Wales and mid 19th century Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Real Fort Apache country. The map only shows the BIG castles, there were a lot of little ones too.

Saturday 21 May 2011

Want to write Victorians

Sometimes I really wish there was a book that would cover every aspect of life -  what to wear, when to wear it, manners, food, deportment, grooming. For most periods of history there's no chance but for the Victorians there's Enquire Within Upon Everything, the book that is credited with having given Tim Berners-Lee the idea of the World Wide Web. Old House Books has reprinted the 1890 edition of the book but it is possible to find copies from other years.
There is also a companion volume, The Lady's Dressing Room by Baroness Staffe, translated by Lady Colin Campbell in 1892. If you need a recipe to make the hands white, to sweeten the breath or to make dark hair fair it will be in there, though I don't recommend using some of the concoctions.

I wish books like that existed for some of the periods that interest me.

Friday 20 May 2011

Books

Books

Found at www.demotivational.us - though it's anything but demotivational, really.

I feel so sorry for the kids who don't read. They may be the ones who are busy playing sports or who have a hectic social life but I still think they are missing out.

Books give you wings!