Don´t worry, be happy.

A nice little book available on Amazon with lots of pictures.!

Had friends from the UK staying and havent done so much writing although my ideas are flowing, as usual I group them altogether, to use in the future if not now. I have ideas that flow through my dreams and I remember them clearly the next day, to write down, and sometimes record images. So clear and able to connect to other dreams. I have one bursting to be written, but as I am working on another, it is difficult to allow another to enter my workspace.

It is very positive to be filled with ideas but at times it creates headaches as where and when to place them. No news from the other publisher but I dont worry about it, I am just happy to be able to return to my work. Hope all of you out there are happy.

All Things Must Pass

Thankyou dear George for such a lovely title.
Well it arrived, all nicely packaged and on opening no sign of a little rejection slip......my heat skipped a few beats, as I saw the letter heading, my hope was raised a little, sillyme... they had just been ever so nice and wrote their rejection, basically wasn´t they were looking for, (Ibet they say that to all the girls and boys). No problem, I didn´t really feel disappointed, and that is being honest, hand on heart, where as with other books I have sent out, I kind of gave up on them after the third rejection. Any way wizzed off another introductory letter, put everything in a nice fresh envelope and sent it off directly, publisher no.2. So the waiting begins once more. haaa! I love suspense.

The Postmans knocks twice

My postman didn´t knock twice...It wasn´t my manuscript, so still no news, but I was pretty nervous there for a while, it was a large envelope with some info in....so keep hoping, thats why You know me as hope. Without a little hope what do we have. Any way got the proof from Create Space, the illustrations were more or less ok, and I would have accepted it if the page numbers hadn´t jumped all over the place, so I went through the whole book tweaking it here and there, so now I am awaiting yet another proof. It looked better than imagined, I had initially wrtten it as a pocket size book but now it is 8,25 x 8,25" and 60 pages half with full colour illustrations. So its changed from what I had first thought, to something different, but I quite like it this size.

So there you go, working on one book, thats going slowly,slowly, and on the days its not happening I am collecting information for another idea. But I am a bit lethargic, because I have been with headaches and severe eye pain, diagnosed as glaucoma. Also have the mumps, Cant believe it, and dont believe it..but my face is swollen and painful....eeeh will it get better..soon I hope.should have the next proof in a couple of days. So lets see what gives.

Harvest Moon

I have returned from my journey today,in the post box was an advisory slip that they had tried to deliver me something from UK....I think that this may be my book........complete with thankyou but no thankyou. They, those onimous ones do not email, they either shred it or "return to sender"

The small book I spoke about, I decided to try Create-space, and am awaiting a proof copy. The picture above is the illustration for the cover...my own design.I have had a lot of problems uplpoading the images, seems although I design and send them at 300dpi, They open at a lot less appearing blurred and pixelated. Someone out there must be able to help me with this one ....please. there must be a knowledgeable person who can tell me whats happening.........PLEASE.

The other problem I have found going this route is the shipping costs more than the book, which makes it expensive for those outside the USA...not a plus point.

I am awaiting the proof to see the quality, and will tell you more. So arrival home from complete peace, to 2 bounding german Shepherds (dogs not men) sorry that was a bad one!!

keep watching, within the next couple od days all hell may break out on this page, stranger things happen under a Harvest Moon.

The Long and Winding Road

Still nothing, but better than confirmation of rejection.
I have been looking at the Amazon/self publish scheme, and thinking with the small book I finally completed, (not the one I am sending to Publishers) that I may go this route. It looks a good way to produce a book, but almost too good. I feel I will try it as they give you an ISBN no.
Can´t find much information from people who have used it, so if anyone out there has a knowledge or experience, I would be pleased to hear from you, otherwise later I will give you my experience.
I hate the term "Vanity Publishing" for I believe some writers will never get into print, (I have 3 past rejections) Truth is it is very hard to get published. For me, I think the small book, I would rather self publish and maybe sell a few copies than it sitting on the shelf collecting dust. I had looked at LuLu in the past, so lets see.
I am writing, lots of different pieces, and have one novel on the go but it´s progress has slowed down a little. Next Friday, I shall be leaving for the greenery of Asturias 7-10days of clearing the mind and looking for inspiration!! A change of scenery and weather,leaving behind heat, scorched greenery and volcanoes............. hopefully it may rain.

Paint it Black

The auspicious of the auspicious...now that is something to chew on. A friend recently visited, walked into my office and came out with that little gem of a phrase, quite what she meant by it I am not sure, but each to their own thought.
I have been absent, yes I know...and I have missed blogging here and wondering about who is actually reading this blog. Well the mind has been overflowing with ideas- non relating to the other I might add, but worth saving to disc for future use. I also completed a small book I started 3 years ago, a very simple little book, and I am not sure what to do with this either.
Plus the fact I am still fighting terrible headaches, that no-one seems to find the cause for.. WEll thats the reasons for absence,I should now continue to blog regulary once more.
No rejection slip as yet, but it is a little early...so I am remaining positive with that one at the publishers. But not over positive, we all know how difficult it is to get published.
Whats the idea of an ideas if you do not use them? Whatever you have in your mind, write it, save it...for one day you may use it!!

The girl with Kalidoscope Eyes

Yep, thats me, that how I feel, watching, waiting....hoping, secretly knowing. Afraid someone will lift my words and ideas. God you could drive yourself crazy, haven´t heard anything...yet. But I knew it would be like this. I remember years back had a go at writing romantic novels, you know the kind, innocent sweet maiden, one handsome hunk that fights to win her heart. these 2 novels sit on my shelf, collecting dust. NO; my novel I just completed was not a romantic girl meets hunk. It was more along the spiritual lines. I am quite far into a new one now, although its still very much in the planning chapters and characters, but chapter one is almost ready to go. My headaches have become severe once more, holding me back. Still back to the Neuro and see what is going on. I often wonder about all you nice people out there,reading my one way conversation!!hello to you all

Shakespeare in love

Here I stand head in my hands, turn my face to the wall.....It has been a long time, distance created by vacations, The death of someone close and just a combination. Well shall I tell you, and yes we all expect it, but no word from the publishers...but then we all know unless your Princess Fergie, or someone super famous like David Beckham, it is very difficult to get a publisher to look at your work. Nearly all are "No unsolicited manuscripts!" they will be binned immediately and if we accept unsolicited manuscripts, they will also be binned immediately.

The truth of the matter is, that it is very difficult to get published, but hang in there.

I have already started my next book, in a different theme to the other, but I quite like the era it is set in,,and although I have only planned the chapters and characters, and have half written the first chapter at this moment, I am enjoying it, the last one became hard work in the end, and I do not wish to slave over this one...if it becomes unenjoyable writing it then shelve it. We have to feel like shakespeare in love.....with our words

Another Brick in the Wall

Oh my, can it really have been so long? Must have been something bad that I did. Some rotten virus hit me as I opened a webpage that I visit often, and zap! down went my laptop with all the goodies stored on the hard disc with it. Fortuately I had my book on disc, well done! I hear you say, or so I thought................the final edit had not been copied onto disc, silly me. Sooooooo it´s been a time of re editing it once more, and now it´s complete again. The rst of the ideas and artwork has been lost, that will teach me a lesson..I promise in the future to keep copies of everything. "Teach your children well" Well its back to waiting time, what amazes me is it takes 3 months to open the first page and say NO, Oh well "Another Brick in the Wall" and on with the next. So if you continue to visit great and welcome, join me in another marathon of putting words together on paper, and the trials and tribulations of a writer.

Here comes the sun

Well Thats it, finished and ready for enriching the life of the mailmen that will be delivered my brown, unsolicited envelopes to a variety of publishers. Probably first stop is the bin, sad and unopened waiting to burst all over the desk, of he who says yes...no..maybe. It has been quite a remarkable few weeks, as I knuckled down to finally complete this manuscript, in between being plagued by terrible headaches that woke me aat night, like knives searing through my head. So I got very tired but carried on with the manuscript. I was irritable and finally ended up in emergencies being scanned for a tumor, thank god there wasn´t one, but its been a series of investigations including mri with liquid pumped into my brain in search of a clot...Thank you god all clear. So the headaches continue and i continued to finish the manuscript, my mind relieved that what ever it is, cant be too serious. Next project....I will tell you on my next post. Thankyou for reading.

The Sound of Music

No, No, No...............Not the Julie Andrews running through daisy clustered grass up a mountain in Austria, singing to the sheep. The sounds of music that inspires us, helps us to be creative. For me, heavy rock does it when I want to make bold brash strokes on a canvas and call it abstraction.

The strains of Leonard Cohen or Mdme Butterfly when I want to write something emotional, Vangelis for when I am looking for ideas. The Rolling Stones, when I am editing what I have written, and various low key songs like Cat Stevens, that will guide my my mind which guides my hand whilst typing. Music is a wonderful thing, creativity creates creativity. Singing up a daisy covered mountain??Not my style

Streets of London

I have been travelling the streets of London, my home town, for the last ten days. Sitting in Coffee shops, people watching....recording ideas and inspired thoughts. It was snowing, cold and lovely, when you went inside everything was cosy and warm, the stark contrast of hot to cold and back to hot was great, warming up inside with wonderful mugs of hot chocolate, how I would have loved to have spent a little more time there.

I got a grip of myself and planned my writing agenda, as the minus1 temperature chilled my cheeks, and provided me with a renewed energy.

Home again with piles of observations and my mind has frozen (not literally) I watch the screen of my friendly laptop, I write some words and erase them again...........and again.......and again.

Auspicious words......muddled thoughts.

Tomorrow is yet another day.

I´m a believer

Well I made a few resolutions, none that could be too difficult to attain, so if I kick myself up the butt, I could meet them as they only depend on me. I have over these last days organised my office, aren´t baskets and boxes wonderful inventions!! To qoute a song title by those gone and probably fogotten monkeys, I´M A BELIEVER! and if you believe in something enough then it can be done. I believe in my book and it believes in me because when I return to it, it just flows

Changes

I cant believe it has been so very long since I posted here, and I missed it. The solitariness of the life of a writer, at times causes us to miss out on people contact and conversation. For me this blog is a conversation...albeit with myself, but it would be nice to read a voice far away that I could respond to.

I suppose Christmas got in the way of my blogging as it probably has for most people. You love it or you hate it, I have mixed feelings myself. But it was not only Christmas that sent me into silence, but also healthwise I have been having severe headaches and problems with one eye, that to look at a computer screen or write a lot was impossible. I am still suffering but I wanted to wish you all out there wherever you may be................

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH LOTS OF LOVE,LUCK AND HAPPINESS!

Oh, I feel good having said that, so I am back with you