More questions and answers . . .

September 19, 2010

I have been sent 8 questions to answer by Creative Barbwire. As in the writing meme, I think it gives others an insight into the person behind the writer and as it’s Sunday and it’s a bit of fun, here goes!

1. If you could have any superpower, what would you have? Why?

To breathe underwater.

'To breathe underwater . . . '

I adore swimming and love diving, but hate scuba diving. If I could breathe underwater, I could spend hours looking at the wonders of the ocean, swim with seals, dolphins, whales. How wonderful! I know I should wish for a humanitarian power, but just for once, I am leaving that to others.

2. Who is your style icon?

Gosh, given that I mostly live in jeans and since my husband retired we rarely have to dress-up, I don’t think I have an icon. Hang on . . . (picks up last month’s Australian Womens’ Weekly and flicks to the fashion section) . . . anything classic’ll do.

3. What is your favorite quote?

‘Don’t bend the river.’ I worry a lot about things that cannot be changed. In truth it is a wasted exercise.

4. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

I love you anyway. (Husband)

'I love you anyway . . . '

5. What playlist/cd is in your CD player/iPod right now?

I don’t have an iPod. We have a nifty little sound system and when I am on my own I will play Cary Lewincamp. Beautiful music. http://www.cary.com.au/

6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?

If I motivate, I can leap out early and be glad. Especially in spring and summer when the weather is wonderful. But equally, I can have a bath, go to bed exhausted and then have to sit up writing or reading for ages because I can’t get to sleep. I am bound my own limitations.

7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Oh heavens, dogs, dogs, dogs.

Count the dogs on the boat!

I’m sorry if I am alienating all the cat lovers but I love dogs. Have two of my own and two grand-dogs belonging to my daughter, and until I had my accident was volunteering at the local Dogs’ Home. Hopefully I can go back this week.

8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?

A mesmer is an enchanted act. Simply put: like waving a wand or saying Abra Cadabra but more sophisticated. It is something that Others are able to do in the world of Eirie in my novels. Eirish mortals live in fear of a mesmer. Because I am such a luddite, when I began to blog I decided I would need to be mesmered to remotely understand what I should be doing. Thus I became ‘Mesmered.’

Now, to a few bloggers who are writers and might want to take up the challenge:

SJAT Author of the acclaimed Marius’s Mules, Interregnum and the just released Ironroot.

A Broken Laptop

Lexi Revellian

Hyaline Prosaic

I would list Lua from A Bowl of Oranges but she is currently on her way to England to study a Masters in Creative Writing.

And also Jane of All Trades but she is likewise taking a break as she settles into her new academic and writing year.

Writing memes . . .

September 17, 2010

30 Days of Writing Questions was from a meme on A Broken Laptop. It became 25 days of writing as it applied to my own writing life. It should really be answered one question at a time in depth each day you blog but Time is at a premium just now. So here goes my abridged version. If you subscribe to my blog and read this, please assume you are tagged and play around with it and pass it on.

The Pillow Book of Prudence . . .

September 16, 2010

When I first read Sei Shonagon, one of the things I noticed and deplored, was her misplaced arrogance. The arrogance of the nobility of a thousand years ago. But one can never ignore her acuity, her powers of observation. It is this particular aspect of her work that I love and which I try to emulate in my own Pillow Book.

The Sheriff’s Collector . . .

September 16, 2010

To arrive in Le Mans on that day was remarkable. We had heard rumours on the road of the Plantagenet family wars and it was no surprise to hear that King Henry had fallen sick whilst at Le Mans where he had been born. He and Richard were in the middle of a horrendous brawl over succession, with Phillip of France siding with Richard. Phillip and Richard attacked the town, and feckless, disloyal Henry ordered parts of his birth place to be burned to stall their invasion. But even a king could not control the wind which changed and caused a massive conflagration, threatening to burn his birthplace utterly. Henry fled. Leaving the town to put out its fires and lick its wounds. We had heard that Henry had retired to Chinon but his health failed by the day and he died two days before we arrived at Le Mans. I was surprised the town thought to ring bells to mourn him. Guy said such was the power of a king.

Variety is the spice of life . . .

September 15, 2010

A thought occurred to me today as the hours progressed, that I lead, along with millions of others in this world, a varied life. That variety is the spice of life.

I have just posted a comment on Hyaline Prosaic’s blog. She’s a historic re-enactment enthusiast and has just spent the weekend cooking over a traditional campaign campfire. Not just pottage and crusts . . . but roasts and coq au vin. This is happening in the States as we speak.

Gisborne . . .

September 10, 2010

He rode along without saying anything and then,

'He rode along without saying anything.'

‘And why are you interested?’

The Pillow Book of Prudence . . .

September 9, 2010

Things to think about:

How quickly the body loses its fitness and how relevant is the old saying ‘Use it or lose it’. How my old dog asks for so little in life . . . food at regular intervals, a comfy bed, a walk once a day and the need to know exactly where I am at any given time. How incredible it is that newborn lambs can survive rain, a southerly change and then frost and temps of zero degrees. How valuable is friendship. How maybe the story isn’t too bad . . . that it could entice readers. That winter is over and we are launched into the heady scents of Spring. How all sensations of any sort, good or bad, are impermanent. Life is short and worth the effort.

Gisborne . . .

September 8, 2010

His thumbs stroked over and over across my knuckles.

I woke gently. Sometimes when one wakes, it’s as if ice has been dropped down one’s spine, but I woke as if I were wrapped in silk and wool. Warm, loose, remembering only the stroking of my knuckles. As I arched my body, I knew he had left me, but I felt no fear. Not immediately . . . and then, like the aforesaid ice, cold crept over me and my toes and fingers clenched, my mind recalling death: Wilfred’s, Harold’s, my mother’s. I sat up with a rush.

e- is for ease . . . the Wattpad phenomenon.

September 5, 2010

I’ve just uploaded The Sheriff’s Collector to Wattpad which provides free downloads to mobile phone apps. Urged to do this by a fan of Guy of Gisborne, I thought long and hard about it. For months I’ve been reading all the intel on the internet about e-books and what will happen to bookstores and publishing when these new mechanisms really start to fly.

Gisborne . . .

September 4, 2010

‘We can’t leave them like that. We can’t!’ I sobbed. ‘They were my friends. They have children. Guy, please!’ We had stopped some leagues away and our horses’ sides puffed in and out like bellows. I sat as if I was a half-empty sack, drooping with grief as the image of Wilfred, arching back on his horse, went through my mind. ‘What will happen to them if we leave them? In the name of God I owe them a burial. For their families and for my father.’ I wiped a sleeve under my nose and rubbed my hand over my face. As I did, I noticed it was spattered with blood and cried out, holding it well away from my body.

Blog Archive