Busy Frozen Bee

Happy new year, everyone I’m still here, I’ve just been in hiding – keeping warm against the currently near-arctic UK temperatures and busy writing new articles for Suite101. I signed up as a contributing writer in October and as my trial period is nearly up, I have to make sure I’ve uploaded at least ten articles or I get kicked off the team (eek!) Hence, these delights are now hot off the press and ready for your perusal:

Why E-Readers Will Change the Way You Buy Books – How Can Authors Combat E-Book Piracy?

Etsy – A Homemade Success Story

Knitted Toys – A Modern Phenomenon

Notice how I’ve managed to combine my two passions, writing and knitting? That’s the nice thing about Suite101 though, you really can write about anything you like (as long as it’s properly formatted, correctly cited and the pictures you include have commercial reuse rights… their Learning Hub section is more detailed than most car manuals). Plus, I’ve already made 19 cents in ad revenue, woo hoo, we’re eating steak tonight! (or maybe not…)

Here’s something completely unrelated… While I was researching the phenomenon of writers offering their novels for free online, I came across a new writer (new for me, anyway, the woman in question has sold about a million short stories and won about two million awards, I was just late to the party) who seems so awesome I thought I should mention her. As well as being a poet and short story writer, Catherynne M. Valente is the author of nine novels, two of which are available online. The Ice Puzzle can be read for a $10 subscription fee and a young adult novel reminiscent of Lewis Carroll called The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making is offered on an intriguing “read for free and pay what you think it’s worth basis”. If you like highly original, well written fantasy, I strongly suggest you have a looksie.

Now, please excuse me while I head off to knit some sort of blanket to roll myself in, ready for the 20 centimetres of snow that’s been predicted to fall across Devon tomorrow. Oh joy.

What Happened to Summer?!

I’m a very, very bad blogger – I haven’t posted since July. Apparently, in order to create a successful blog you have to post several times a week. Well, I post several times a year, does that count?! In my defence, I have been keeping myself busy. I’m very nearly into writing the last part of Jinn Nation (A.K.A. The New Book) and have a much better idea of how it will end. I’ve had a birthday so I’m now (eek!) twenty-seven and can no longer claim to be in my “early twenties” – sigh. Since coming out of the woolly closet and admitting my love of fibre arts, I’ve also created an Etsy shop where I’ll be selling weird-looking dolls, unique sweaters and other pieces of knitted fabulousness

My sister’s birthday is just a few days before mine, so because something you’ve made yourself is the best present (and because I’m currently poorer than a church mouse with an employment-hindering limp and a speech impediment), I spent the best part of August whipping up these visual delights:

My attempt at Andy Warhol from Carol Meldrum’s Knitted Icons: 25 Celebrity Doll Patterns

One very happy birthday girl

This is a cropped sweater with long sleeves that end in fingerless gloves. Psst! I’m offering these sweaters for sale at my Etsy Shop!

Something else that’s occupied a lot of my time has been the promotion of Dunraven Road. Easier said than done. I’ve been emailing reviewers, phoning local book shops and badgering my local press. Thankfully, my efforts weren’t in vain and (among others) I’m currently waiting on book reviews from the rather fabulous Harry at Temple Library Reviews and from the nice folks at TeensReadToo. I’ve also managed to get some copies of the book into my local bookshops. If you’re in the South Devon, UK area and are hankering for a dark fantasy novel about love, addiction and vampires in the faded backstreets of a fictional Devon town (that’s actually based on St Marychurch in Torquay), you can now purchase Dunraven Road from The Torbay Bookshop, Paignton, WH Smith, Torquay and WH Smith, Teignmouth.

Now, I think I’ve skived off long enough and I need to get back to Jinn Nation…