How’s the year been treating you? In my corner of the world, we’re heading into winter. I’m braced for cold winds and, hopefully, a lot of rain. We’re desperately behind in our rainfall. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, you’ll have summer plans. If any rain sneaks into them, just send it south to me, please!
Book-wise, 2017 has been treating me really well. My writing and publishing schedule is on track (Fire Fall will be out May 26) and I’ve read some great books. Plus, on May 30, I finally get to read the sequel to Ilona Andrews’ Burn For Me. I’ve been waiting for White Hot for over a year!
In the wider world (there’s a world outside of books, who’d a thought? 😉 ) there’s been some desperately sad world news and the politicians are frustrating, but the everyday kindness of the people I encounter is a positive, life-affirming balance.
I haven’t done anything radical – like colour my hair in unicorn rainbow fashion, which is a real thing and I’m hugely tempted to try. It would finally make my grey hair an asset. I bet it would show off the dye beautifully. Still, I’m a bit too shy. But even without doing anything radical, I’m happy and healthy, and I hope you are too.
Happy Mid Year!
Kindle Unlimited Discoveries
Read It FREE in Kindle Unlimited, May 8-21
So many great books in this promotion – and the best thing with my Kindle Unlimited subscription is that I can read them ALL without breaking my book budget.
I recently picked up The Bigfoot Blunder by Amanda M. Lee. It’s the first book in her new Charlie Rhodes series, which is a spin-off from her hugely successful Wicked Witches of the MidWest series.
I enjoy the escapism of Ms Lee’s novels. There’s a mystery in each, but it’s mild. The real charm is in the cast of characters, their banter and the easy-read entertainment. It’s like a favourite TV sitcom: I just have to sit down and enjoy.
As an author, I’m impressed by how Ms Lee has handled moving on from her incredibly successful series. The number of adventures one character can have without getting stale (unless they’re Nancy Drew) is often limited, especially if there’s not a powerful growth arc (quest) driving the series. By starting a new heroine with a new focus (not a witch), but linking her to an established town and characters, I think Ms Lee has found the best of all worlds: new and fresh, within an established fictional town, with plenty of cameos from beloved characters.
Free for Everyone on Amazon
Demelza Carlton’s writing some fabulous fairytale retellings. Awaken, a tale of Sleeping Beauty with an intriguing twist, is free till May 12.
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Brief Detour Into Art
I recently, randomly, started following a Twitter account for Alfred Sisley, the long-dead Impressionist painter, which has reminded me how much I love that style. Do you have a favourite artist or style? Any art sites that you look at? I subscribe to the newsletter ArtDaily, but lately, haven’t been reading it daily. Sometimes I think we need two lifetimes to fit in everything – or maybe three lifetimes! So I guess, if I was to make any new mid-year resolutions, it would be to squeeze in a little more time just to sit and look at beautiful things.
4 responses to “Approaching Mid Year, How Is 2017 Treating You?”
I’m certainly not at your masterful level, but I am working through my goal list of stories. 🙂
I am also not ready for my first WA winter. I am trying not to think about how much colder it’s going to get.
Ordering Fire Fall will be a wonderful birthday present, thank you very much. 🙂
Oh dear. I am uncultured. My kind of art is nature scenes or nature photography – beautiful beaches, stormy seas, the night sky, the very beautiful flowers that grow here – that sort of thing. If I was to pick one painting I love though, it would be Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night.’
Winter is creeping in – I have the heater on this morning (yes, I’m a sook – and shamelessly so).
Glad to hear you’re on track, too. Doing a mid-year check in is satisfying. So many things accomplished. *rolls up sleeves* So many things still to do.
I love beach scenes too! I have one on the wall behind me as I type this. I love looking at great art in galleries, but for everyday living, liveable is preferable 🙂
We’ve gotten a lot of homesteady things done so far. I’d like to have it all behind me before July when it gets too hot to be outside.
I’m having trouble selling Ray Charles, our Boer goat. Not because no one wants him, but because I keep finding reasons not to list him on Craigslist. Deep down I hate to lose him, but we simply can’t keep him with the Nubians.
re: artist
When I was at uni, I did a paper on Caravaggio. Although I love many different artists, Caravaggio always touched me with his raw honesty in paint. He didn’t care about pretty–even though he painted beautifully. He cared about reality.
It’s so weird to hear you talking about July as hot 🙂 But yes, you have been BUSY! I can guess how hard it is to sell Ray.
Caravaggio never really hit my radar. I admit, Leonardo da Vinci has absorbed most of my Renaissance attention. Even Michelangelo doesn’t really get a look in. But I’ll pay more attention to Caravaggio in future!