My Half Year Resolutions Check Up

*Picture of clouds to represent a
deep, reflective blog post*

On the eve of the 1st July and exactly half way through the year, I thought it would be interesting to see how I am doing with the resolutions I wrote six months ago for 2015 (here).


MY ORIGINAL RESOLUTIONS WERE:

1. Keep this blog updated even if my mother is the only one reading it (Hi Mum!).
2. Work hard at whatever I am doing.
3. Finish editing my NaNoWriMo 2014 novel then self-publish.
4. After finishing the above novel, work again on the first novel I wrote over a year ago and self-publish it also.
5. Learn everything there is to know about self-publishing

HOW I HAVE DONE?

1. Keep this blog updated even if my mother is the only one reading it (Hi Mum!) Why, yes, I think I have! I have published 27 blog posts (not including this one) so far this year.
2. Work hard at whatever I am doing. I have worked harder on my writing, this blog and all the random administration stuff that goes along with it than I have ever worked on anything in my life so I think that I can safely say YES, I have.
3. Finish editing my NaNoWriMo 2014 novel then self-publish. YES! Buy it here and here.
4. After finishing the above novel, work again on the first novel I wrote over a year ago and self-publish it also. I shall be working on it very soon (blog post all about that before I start.)
5. Learn everything there is to know about self-publishing. I'm getting there...

ANYTHING YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THAT YOU HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR?
I have written and self-published a small book of short stories called CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION (buy here) focusing on characters from my first novel WEIGHTING TO LIVE and a follow-up novelette (the obsession for that word is still a thing) called SIXTEEN MONTHS (buy here).


WHAT I HAVE LEARNT SO FAR:

1. Don't be in such a damn rush. For example, publishing my books - I definitely self-published all of them too quickly without really checking over and over them enough for errors. I need to remember when I think it's finished, I am only half way there (if that).
2. That there is nothing like the feeling of hard work and loving what you are doing plus knowing that the work you are putting in is going towards what you really want to do.
3. That I definitely want to be a writer.
4. That what you put in, you get out.

ANYTHING TO ADD TO MY RESOLUTIONS?

1. Don't panic and slow down. The quote 'Life's a marathon, not a sprint' sums it up perfectly. Rushing inevitably risks your work in the long run and I am finding by rushing, you waste time in the end, ironically. 
2. Find balance. I am trying to get well again and working long hours each day isn't healthy. I am all or nothing and need to keep a steady pace and add a bit of structure to my life if I want to do this long term.

Well there you go! Goodbye to the first half of the year and HELLO to the next 'chapter' (ouch).

Until next time.

Into the Darkest Corner

When someone tells me that something is a psychological thriller, I am on it quicker than you can say the word TENSE. I love films, books, TV shows etc that brand themselves in this genre but after so many years, I am always desperately disappointed. I go into them full of hope I will be blown away by the twists and turns and normally, I can't put them down ... until the last 100 pages when everything drags and the disappointment sets in. This inevitable disappointment never phases me though and I am back for my next psychological thriller fix like a fickle child. (I am not going to mention the other books/films TV shows that have disappointed me as even though I am not a fully-fledged writer yet (I hope yet at least) I don't feel comfortable having a go at other writers). So when I heard about the psychological thriller Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, I was excited for the chance to maybe not be disappointed ... AND I WASN'T!


The blurb:

When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can't believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true.

But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee's dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she's stunned to find they don't believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.

Until the day the phone rings . . . 


Mine and my mother's film mantra is 'When in doubt, watch Sleeping With the Enemy ... again' and this plot reminded me heavily of that so by this point, I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on the book.

The main character of Into the Darkest Corner, Cathy, suffers from severe anxiety and I thought the author did a brilliant job of the thought process that goes behind Cathy's decisions and the way she copes with her, at times, debilitating condition. The book has no chapters but dated segments that alternate between two periods in Cathy's life - four years apart. It is incredible how she changes in that time and it was written in a very subtle way. I spent the entire book in a perpetual state of unease - in a good way. It was very tense, leaving you almost with the feeling you were being watched while you read it. Instead of slowing down, the tension built towards the end and I am sure this tweet I wrote ninety pages before the end, highlights how I was feeling at the time:

I was desperate to know what was going to happen right until the last page.

I will say there were parts I wasn't as keen on such as Cathy's friends. They made me feel sad for my generation, in a 'To have fun we must get as wasted as much as possible', kinda way. Cathy's life before with her friends just seemed desperately empty to me. The other thing I didn't like much was how graphic it was in places but I think regardless of how hard it was to read, it was important to the plot. Neither of these issues took away from it being a brilliant book.

And one last fabulous thing I must mention was that the author wrote the first draft of the book while participating in NaNoWriMo which I did for the first time last year and loved! Anyone reading this, I 100% urge you to try it yourself.

Anyway, I must dash, I'm off to lock my front door again and NEVER DATE MEN EVER AGAIN.

Until next time.

Déjà vu

I have a new superficial book to add to my collection.

Have I read the book approximately 5,000 times? YES

Did I already own a copy of the book? YES

Did I need another copy of the book? NATURALLY

I am talking about Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught. If you have ever read my blog before, you will definitely already know that I adore her books. For an entire post dedicated to all things McNaught, click here.

My 2 copies of
Someone to Watch Over Me
(old smelly one behind)

As I already owned this book, I shall try to explain why I felt justified in my purchase:

Firstly, I bought my original copy last year from a seller on Amazon and when the book arrived, not only was it scuffed and bent but it had an extremely strong smell of disinfectant on it (FYI - it was listed as 'new'). After hanging the blasted book out a window for two weeks, the smell FINALLY left but every time I have touched it since, I have felt iffy about it.




Secondly, this version matches my copies of Perfect and Paradise 'perfectly'. After seeing my photographic evidence of this >>>>>>>>>> I am sure you'll agree it was money well spent.


– CASE CLOSED –

Flashin' you a lovely bit o' spine

I am still undecided what to do with the old copy - possibly clean my house with it, I don't know. To celebrate my new totally reasonable book purchase, I will reread it for the 5001st time.

Until next time.

Healthy food 'n flowers

I'm sorry I haven't posted on here in over a week but three seasons of BBC's Robin Hood don't watch themselves...

I promise I haven't just watched Robin Hood (er..), I have also been tinkering with the four books I self-published on Amazon as I am STILL finding things to change. How is it that after months, I can't seem to find all the quotation marks I've missed - the trials of not having a professional editor, I suppose.

Photo taken from my
instagram account

If you haven't read my blog before, I've been ill for the last couple of years and recently, I have been trying to go out to get some Vitamin D as it is apparently great for helping what I am going through. While walking each day, I have discovered a new obsession: taking photos of all the flowers for instagram. This applies to all nature really and I have been really enjoying posting the pictures I take.

Now onto the yummy stuff. I have been following the health food blog Deliciously Ella for a while now. The blog was founded by a woman called Ella Woodward who battled a rare illness, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, and through natural eating alone, she was able to heal completely over 18 months.  


Because of borderline laziness, I haven't tried any of her recipes yet but the blog (and her instagram) inspire me to make healthier choices each day and I have approximately one million recipes of hers saved onto a Pinterest board ready to try when I feel a bit better. I have no idea what her food tastes like - it could all be like eating a glorified lettuce leaf - but from what I hear and the ingredients she uses, it sounds absolutely wonderful.

As I was already a fan of hers, I decided to borrow her first cookbook (Deliciously Ella) from the library.

*Photos taken from the book* Beetroot Chocolate Cake (left)
and Berry Scones with Coconut Cream (right)

After a good read of it earlier on today (and salivating over half the recipes), I will say it's a beautiful, well laid out book full of recipes that sound absolutely delicious. I have a major sweet tooth and cannot wait to try her Key Lime Pie, the Beetroot Chocolate Cake (pictured above) and the Sweet Potato Brownies. Plus, the idea of eating healthy scones (also pictured above) fills me with joy!

You can buy the book (here).

I'm off to gaze lustfully at food I can't be bothered to make.

Until next time.