tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223873529841007062024-03-13T10:13:44.333+00:00Through the Leaded WindowSarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-36228126858235810012024-01-02T22:55:00.001+00:002024-01-02T22:59:06.024+00:00Advent Story 2023 - Bianca's Tale<p>In December I decided to write a story day-by-day on social media (posted on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/summermoth.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/summer.moth/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554181702837" target="_blank">Facebook</a> each day), for advent. Having completed the tale on Christmas Eve, I'm collating the whole thing here - and it starts like this...</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiiI12MZlUad1GhX1uNFifgAIvcNhK0sikux8vtFbUae7ZWZd6Dasu3Be48-Jk-99uCNVuce5iTBim58XLFAEPYCTZ-Z5Aoti4QM79IGmK5rr4CQNaB4fItGGF-hND75ILQgiOa5TbRqUVnZWpCa0VT2n81CdCV9JfjfSkrawpwBg4hmHr2Rr6Qdkiuk/s2000/bafkreie7wwyjzk4qidplejt26thgxyafhwgvc7c5ta45rimw6e3mfu4oui.jpg"><img alt="A hillside covered in rusty orange vegetation, at sunset. The sky in the background fades from blue down to gold along the horizon." border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiiI12MZlUad1GhX1uNFifgAIvcNhK0sikux8vtFbUae7ZWZd6Dasu3Be48-Jk-99uCNVuce5iTBim58XLFAEPYCTZ-Z5Aoti4QM79IGmK5rr4CQNaB4fItGGF-hND75ILQgiOa5TbRqUVnZWpCa0VT2n81CdCV9JfjfSkrawpwBg4hmHr2Rr6Qdkiuk/w320-h240/bafkreie7wwyjzk4qidplejt26thgxyafhwgvc7c5ta45rimw6e3mfu4oui.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0ec6fb0a-7fff-32c5-bf7f-0e337d29bb2d"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was winter, and the naked trees reached for the cold sky with twisted fingers. Bianca had wrapped up warm but the chill crept in around the edges of her clothes and worried at her skin. She knew it would get worse before it got better, for the night was only just beginning.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fb5de12b-7fff-ffb6-ee6e-d08752e5a8e0"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun hugged the horizon, staining the hills rust-red. Bianca set her back to the fading light and took the path up towards the high moor. She checked her pockets again, mentally ticking off each item; candle, hag stone, crow feather, chimes. The responsibility weighed heavy.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-44c1d6c6-7fff-4bef-8555-254e48a58e8c"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Up on the tops were the stones; unassuming in daylight, they took on looming significance in the dusk, seeming both larger and somehow less solid, ephemeral. Bianca found their centre, ignoring how they seemed to move, and placed her offerings. Candle lit, she rang the chimes.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-657aff75-7fff-e511-0e7e-87dfec708716"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Night had fully descended and she could barely see hand in front of face. She followed the path more by feel than sight, feet alert to grass, packed earth and stone, hugging herself against the chill settling in her bones. Now she must wait and see what came with the dawn.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGawe29YWKj55ywnDcIulHhhyd5NRsyg7ZsNzT-rW7CxcgKDo5TBCbOSTW6rFSo4QP0I1E9QmVGxyuEr7a_XBY2sJtOfBGZ9_wqLh_XVNSZpmCC9Rwai_-yV_1zEexMPBqjv-gbgyZzF6Hss3KgxRYj9aOQAyjjoBLR7hsVMpjnRpvALeJg1-0u2D99Eg/s2000/bafkreibtud7rz3zxa4j5ehlzoursmi7i7a5dyongio33sg63woqdorg4vm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A rocky hill silhouetted in black against the night sky." border="0" data-original-height="1699" data-original-width="2000" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGawe29YWKj55ywnDcIulHhhyd5NRsyg7ZsNzT-rW7CxcgKDo5TBCbOSTW6rFSo4QP0I1E9QmVGxyuEr7a_XBY2sJtOfBGZ9_wqLh_XVNSZpmCC9Rwai_-yV_1zEexMPBqjv-gbgyZzF6Hss3KgxRYj9aOQAyjjoBLR7hsVMpjnRpvALeJg1-0u2D99Eg/w320-h272/bafkreibtud7rz3zxa4j5ehlzoursmi7i7a5dyongio33sg63woqdorg4vm.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The stars were bright as Bianca found a sheltered spot bordering the path and wrapped her shawl close, tucking its woollen fringes in to keep out the creeping fingers of frost. She couldn't risk sleeping in this cold, but she made herself comfortable and rested as best she could.</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5ed03833-7fff-9945-a7a5-6bd6375aae33"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Snow fell heavy in the early hours. The sun rose on a world smothered in white, almost unrecognisable, even to Bianca, who had walked these hills since childhood. Stamping her feet and blowing on her fingers, cold in spite of her gloves, she made her way back up the slopes.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c156f5d2-7fff-fb19-b93d-ef1153a988aa"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The heaped snow reshaped the landscape. Bianca worried she would lose her way, miss the true path. She couldn't see the stones or any other landmarks. Then on the high hill, she saw a great black crow atop a snow-crowned tree. It croaked a summons, and she followed it.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_3Vcrv-yoIl0DZAa7UIBcVuD2NSLkG-tfVKhfx9Eory4m2Yx_6QOOd3f43Y-1oWRxd-X4HVoJ7I-Lj4me_61mmVqxUinooSP6Hn25fF4PGxNCgYzzpBUKXBlU2D6hvcSNR08lg69rPIW_O-qN0Uw_Ml9O0PWR_VvihuvUP6pek4XbDrkRrCKm5MjMJc/s2000/bafkreic5xbfvwfucqbi7zrnuzgizfht6s4uknnrqgbbmc7hwsgoy4qdx7i.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A wintery tree, with all its bare branches outlined in snow." border="0" data-original-height="1375" data-original-width="2000" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_3Vcrv-yoIl0DZAa7UIBcVuD2NSLkG-tfVKhfx9Eory4m2Yx_6QOOd3f43Y-1oWRxd-X4HVoJ7I-Lj4me_61mmVqxUinooSP6Hn25fF4PGxNCgYzzpBUKXBlU2D6hvcSNR08lg69rPIW_O-qN0Uw_Ml9O0PWR_VvihuvUP6pek4XbDrkRrCKm5MjMJc/w320-h220/bafkreic5xbfvwfucqbi7zrnuzgizfht6s4uknnrqgbbmc7hwsgoy4qdx7i.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The crow led her down unfamiliar ways, twisting and turning through the snow-blanketed hills, till they came to a tree standing slightly apart from the rest. Its branches were a lattice-work of ice crystals, diamond bright. Bianca's breath caught in her throat at the sight.</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e45663c1-7fff-a7dd-e185-b7cdc570ff42"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the base of the tree was an opening, a cavity deep in the trunk. Bianca peered into the shadowed arch but could not see how far back it went. She nodded to the crow, still watching with beady eyes, and ducked inside. Passing through the tree, she found herself in a tunnel.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f1f43f4e-7fff-f0c1-8a5e-b19e58b74be7"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The wood of the tree became stone under her hands, cold and hard as ice, as she moved forward, bent almost double, step by tentative step. It was almost completely black, but gradually a blue-grey light began to emanate from ahead. Bianca followed the passage towards it.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-819e7d07-7fff-4cdd-712b-1392582d37cf"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She emerged into a pallid landscape shrouded in mist and frost. It was silent; no wind, no water, no calling birds. No sun was visible in the sky, pale light simply surrounded her. Then into the hush and the fog, she heard something that was almost, but not quite, music.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkH75PWBMz6FhiIaa62z5_mKaqfY3ENVIhGmFcvt_idgsBSUA3MbWBUsns7i7A1hQOSMF0Kbqv4O9_80NOOBl5EoSAXZe0VfeG_sMiuoY0lBD-edccfdSp1m4D74bx_GhpAV07wJwRtAN19ZsJQtJmjzYv097Is0ifRC87PXqdATo61WuU9qz7mTOa_0/s2000/bafkreicynt3krnnvcwfahir2vzljwi37eo6lsbiz2ohlvi3vdi6w5tlgdu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bare trees in the mist against a pale grey sky, with snow in the foreground." border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkH75PWBMz6FhiIaa62z5_mKaqfY3ENVIhGmFcvt_idgsBSUA3MbWBUsns7i7A1hQOSMF0Kbqv4O9_80NOOBl5EoSAXZe0VfeG_sMiuoY0lBD-edccfdSp1m4D74bx_GhpAV07wJwRtAN19ZsJQtJmjzYv097Is0ifRC87PXqdATo61WuU9qz7mTOa_0/w320-h240/bafkreicynt3krnnvcwfahir2vzljwi37eo6lsbiz2ohlvi3vdi6w5tlgdu.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chimes and bell-like sounds echoed and overlapped. Bianca's mind tried to piece together a melody, some kind of purposeful design, but it was seemingly random, though beautiful. She walked in the direction that the sounds were coming from, following her curiosity.</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6b1e1e16-7fff-ddd3-7a2e-e61b68edbedb"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She came upon a circle of stones, much larger and grander than the ones where she had left her offerings the night before. Within them were two great thrones formed from living trees, and seated on the thrones were two figures, their crowns woven from twigs and red berries.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6d244a71-7fff-2f2b-cf82-58b3ce1449bb"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bianca approached them. She was not afraid, but she felt a sense of awe, as though she stood before something very old, very powerful. She saw they did not wear clothes, but rather their skin was covered in layers of frost-rimed leaves; each one different, each one beautiful.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8wITxxd1cvFJXTktmgZ601r2-Tj4uWWXPxwzfe4TL5tR90OKbemwSHTZyOMB_QTzIFfmrhWHlxaWhk8c02T2igcMQvvg-u28lW_W-t7VrkmG2879xQXOH6GZuKFx86zTQsRIZsKspH2UeReKFlOGGmSaf1sXDEd4lGwyX7ZRH7Xkc_ixvhUCOOhrevc/s2000/bafkreihmyffphf35yyc6fybyv2xab5tnmw2fyf7bim24mhvblovms5i4jy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Autumn leaves, in different shades of brown and yellow, on the ground, covered in a layer of frost." border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8wITxxd1cvFJXTktmgZ601r2-Tj4uWWXPxwzfe4TL5tR90OKbemwSHTZyOMB_QTzIFfmrhWHlxaWhk8c02T2igcMQvvg-u28lW_W-t7VrkmG2879xQXOH6GZuKFx86zTQsRIZsKspH2UeReKFlOGGmSaf1sXDEd4lGwyX7ZRH7Xkc_ixvhUCOOhrevc/w320-h240/bafkreihmyffphf35yyc6fybyv2xab5tnmw2fyf7bim24mhvblovms5i4jy.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">They looked down at her, implacable below the twining branches of their thrones overhead. Bianca stood under their gaze, feeling the weight of it. The winter queen extended a pale hand and Bianca stepped closer to take it. The king spoke: ‘What is your purpose?’</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ef3e8f29-7fff-df59-7737-bc4638be2c35"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘I wanted to ask for safety and warmth for my family,’ Bianca said, ‘I left gifts, and lit a candle.’ The queen and king exchanged a long, unreadable look. Then the queen nodded and released her hand, gesturing out at the snow-laden firs. ‘Go now. We see you, and your gifts.’</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb64282f-7fff-2c48-3f42-201a761c54f6"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bianca stepped out of the circle, away from the thrones, and walked in the direction the queen had indicated. The strange musical sounds faded away behind her and somewhere ahead she thought she heard a crow calling. Soon she came upon a body of water, frozen and unmoving.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrsZ1FJ7CYOxvJNniTwSMoOR_Uq2JO5bc3xpZfQ2-dZcSFNVd7kmRlcmaajDqfu3Haggh3KsYKHfIhf7XJQEYU_QRdRVw1xWKxDmTMYTARTfVHqp_XAxzqwGA7THm4P7YcH8Kznt84RwvgeuzFOYsXXjY17e0-CzhNMO4xjTi-NEEnveq4H8HQM75i_E/s2000/bafkreibrde6mpmcgnbqw7rwolcudfugkikyjfgmgc3nscpiih6ry7znmea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="An icy pond surrounded by reeds. Everything is white with frost." border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrsZ1FJ7CYOxvJNniTwSMoOR_Uq2JO5bc3xpZfQ2-dZcSFNVd7kmRlcmaajDqfu3Haggh3KsYKHfIhf7XJQEYU_QRdRVw1xWKxDmTMYTARTfVHqp_XAxzqwGA7THm4P7YcH8Kznt84RwvgeuzFOYsXXjY17e0-CzhNMO4xjTi-NEEnveq4H8HQM75i_E/w320-h320/bafkreibrde6mpmcgnbqw7rwolcudfugkikyjfgmgc3nscpiih6ry7znmea.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">She followed the ice-bound stream, and gradually there was movement under the glassy surface. She walked further, and thought she could hear the trickling sound of it. Finally the water broke free of the ice and tumbled downstream, weeds waving. Bianca’s heart lifted with it.</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-35704ab2-7fff-f4c7-3345-580f2dfa5ba9"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The banks grew steep and snow mixed with mud underfoot. Bianca picked her way carefully but the ground was uneven, treacherous. She lost her footing and slid, rolling down onto her back. When her eyes refocused it was on blue sky and a lattice-work of bare trees overhead.</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a497c035-7fff-3a9e-d08a-ea81ef8b7ed1"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bianca sat up. She had no idea at what point she had passed out of the realm of the queen and king of winter and back into the lands she knew, nor exactly how much time she had spent there, but the sun, hanging low in the sky, suggested that not much of the day remained.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFObTAVPAeCmBNSmnU7tGxXj_J3xxRKuWrE1Jf7pURS3368ZHdde5lOD9vDydmPKpcdwAuj1aUkyGDkmHGDnyfZKMJjCRGbVG2qtOgKVafs40lSxkzibRaQsypDKtmeUr4m8QvZaEmKquDjGAflq3F9tQM6RrCmAe0rDO2Cfe2co3Zr6dhSV6yXx0krU/s2000/bafkreidztumumjrjyi4bdwwgmxs5n6n6hkcevnxqcrz4lotmwilojr3p7m.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tall, leafless trees against a blue sky." border="0" data-original-height="1493" data-original-width="2000" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFObTAVPAeCmBNSmnU7tGxXj_J3xxRKuWrE1Jf7pURS3368ZHdde5lOD9vDydmPKpcdwAuj1aUkyGDkmHGDnyfZKMJjCRGbVG2qtOgKVafs40lSxkzibRaQsypDKtmeUr4m8QvZaEmKquDjGAflq3F9tQM6RrCmAe0rDO2Cfe2co3Zr6dhSV6yXx0krU/w320-h239/bafkreidztumumjrjyi4bdwwgmxs5n6n6hkcevnxqcrz4lotmwilojr3p7m.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was still snow on the ground, but it did not feel as deathly cold as it had the previous night. As the light faded Bianca found her path homeward and was glad to see the lamp light glowing from the window. She hurried up to the door and went inside to join her family.</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a1c688e-7fff-e14b-ab49-609efbf9e034"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The fire burned bright in the hearth. Bianca could smell a pot of stew and meat on the spit, and was suddenly ravenous. Her sister brought a cup of warmed wine. ‘Where have you been then?’ her mother asked. ‘Through a passage into winter,’ Bianca replied, ‘and back again.’</span></span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-41c8d59c-7fff-2db1-602d-425601b0b203"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was the longest night. Together they sat up round the fire, hot food in their bellies and blankets and shawls around their shoulders. When the sky was barely beginning to lighten, the whole family laced up their boots and left the house to climb the hill up to the stones.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-3HpKZIXzJIVRRcrUahIFphhUae7OLdJLXNZZ6tkWfb9DR2yT_1plcut7Q9vigJweE6vMt3GdlrfRt9tbmvp4lCcHvBJvA_HgsgkWYabTKRL03A48YcqFqaK0izlZRzAurHnT7FOKkJI1ilChZvVvWU7wY04gIeJRk8E9LLSQ642SS9movkSAn6E5mI/s2000/bafkreicknmpzptfescmgbchl223a2ew6gxsai7rsynq63qfujlreruqf4y.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dramatic pink tinged clouds over a silhouetted hill." border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="2000" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-3HpKZIXzJIVRRcrUahIFphhUae7OLdJLXNZZ6tkWfb9DR2yT_1plcut7Q9vigJweE6vMt3GdlrfRt9tbmvp4lCcHvBJvA_HgsgkWYabTKRL03A48YcqFqaK0izlZRzAurHnT7FOKkJI1ilChZvVvWU7wY04gIeJRk8E9LLSQ642SS9movkSAn6E5mI/w320-h194/bafkreicknmpzptfescmgbchl223a2ew6gxsai7rsynq63qfujlreruqf4y.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p>It had been more than a day since Bianca lit her candle, but its flame still burned. She felt again the cool pressure of the winter queen’s fingers in hers and the recognition of her gifts, her request. Then the sky bloomed pink and gold, and the sun rose; a glorious promise.</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">THE END</span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're reading this, I hope you had a Happy Solstice and a Merry Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2024!</span></span></span></p>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-60823304074970049332022-12-29T19:41:00.000+00:002022-12-29T19:43:32.699+00:00Lit Mag Advent A-Z: The Full List<p>So I had an idea for a series of Twitter advent posts of stories/poems I love from different online lit mags, and for an added challenge I figured is could be an A-Z (so would actually end on Boxing Day). They are all on Twitter under the hashtag #LitMagAdventAtoZ, but if you missed any of them they are all listed here as well, for completeness.</p><p>I dug back into stories I had bookmarked in the past, so they are not all from 2022, although some of them are. Quite impressed I managed the whole alphabet, considering I didn't have a full list prepped when I started. And some letters had more choices that others, so the number of pieces/lit mags featured each day ranged from 1 to 5.</p><p>Anyway, without further ado, here they all are...</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><b>1 Dec = A</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://acropolisjournaluk.wixsite.com/archive2021/louise-norgate-egg-moon" target="_blank">Egg Moon</a> by Louise Norgate in Acropolis Journal</li><li><a href="https://atlasandalice.com/2020/09/07/fiction-from-hannah-grieco/" target="_blank">The Three Witches</a> by Hannah Grieco in Atlas and Alice</li><li><a href="https://atriumpoetry.com/2021/02/12/sea-urchins-for-sophie-fiona-cartwright/" target="_blank">Sea urchins for Sophie</a> by Fiona Cartwright in Atrium Poetry</li></ul><b>2 Dec = B</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2021/02/sara-hills-feb-2021-commended/" target="_blank">Always Down a Dirt Road, I'm Walking</a> by Sara Hills in the Bath Flash Fiction Award</li><li><a href="https://bendinggenres.com/unbinding/" target="_blank">Unbinding</a> by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris in Bending Genres</li><li><a href="https://the-birdseed.com/magazine/volume1issue1/love-at-the-foot-of-the-mountain/" target="_blank">Love at the Foot of the Mountain</a> by Laura Besley in The Birdseed</li><li><a href="https://bwr.ua.edu/zhang/" target="_blank">Because the world is trying to kill you, have some tonic herbs</a> by Lucy Zhang in Black Warrior Review</li></ul><b>3 Dec = C</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://ceasecows.com/2020/02/26/lock-and-key-by-candace-hartsuyker/" target="_blank">Lock and Key</a> by Candace Hartsuyker in Cease, Cows</li><li><a href="https://corvidqueen.com/stories/dont-ask-an-anglerfish-to-smile-alexandria-baisden" target="_blank">Don't Ask an Anglerfish to Smile</a> by Alexandria Baisden in Corvid Queen</li><li><a href="https://www.craftliterary.com/2020/11/13/forest-elegy-despy-boutris/" target="_blank">Forest Elegy</a> by Despy Boutris in Craft Literary</li><li><a href="https://crowcrosskeys.com/2022/01/29/kings-flesh-k-a-tutin/" target="_blank">King's Flesh</a> by K.A.Tutin in Crow & Cross Keys</li></ul><b>4 Dec = D</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://dailysciencefiction.com/hither-and-yon/slipstream/cislyn-smith/things-the-spirit-living-inside-the-west-wind-brought-to-abbys-house-after-the-terrible-storm" target="_blank">Things the spirit living inside the west wind brought to Abby's house after the terrible storm</a> by Cislyn Smith in Daily Science Fiction</li><li><a href="https://thedeadlands.com/issue-13/in-water/" target="_blank">In Water We Survive</a> by Ai Jiang in The Deadlands</li><li><a href="https://www.dustpoetry.co.uk/post/the-alchemy-of-moss-by-louise-mather" target="_blank">The Alchemy of Moss</a> by Louise Mather in Dust Poetry Magazine</li></ul><b>5 Dec = E</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://electricliterature.com/the-complex-by-scott-limbrick/" target="_blank">The Complex</a> by Scott Limbrick in Electric Literature</li><li><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/hair-spread-like-sea-fronds-by-jy-saville/" target="_blank">Hair Spread Like Sea Fronds</a> by JY Saville in Ellipsis Zine</li><li><a href="https://www.emptyhousepress.com/issue-four/cathy-ulrich" target="_blank">In All That Light</a> by Cathy Ulrich in Empty House Press</li></ul><b>6 Dec = F</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/02/25/a-list-of-things-that-are-white/" target="_blank">a list of things that are white</a> by Matt Kendrick in Fictive Dream</li><li><a href="http://flashbackfiction.com/index.php/2021/03/08/tussaud/" target="_blank">Tussaud</a> by Noa Covo in FlashBack Fiction</li><li><a href="https://flash-frog.com/2021/02/22/dermatographia-by-amy-barnes/" target="_blank">Dermatographia</a> by Amy Barnes in Flash Frog</li><li><a href="https://forgelitmag.com/2020/05/11/the-levitation/" target="_blank">The Levitation</a> by Jennifer Todhunter in The Forge Literary Magazine</li><li><a href="https://fracturedlit.com/sapphire-eye/" target="_blank">Sapphire Eye</a> by Sudha Balagopal in Fractured Lit</li></ul><b>7 Dec = G</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://ghostparachute.com/issue/september-2021-issue/things-the-witch-thinks-about-while-not-drowning/" target="_blank">Things The Witch Thinks About While Not Drowning</a> by Jo Withers in Ghost Parachute</li><li><a href="https://gingerbreadhouselitmag.com/2021/07/31/47-10/" target="_blank">The Fathers</a> by Samuel Clark in Gingerbread House</li></ul><b>8 Dec = H</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.havehashad.com/hadposts/lost-in-the-woods-for-37-days-a-dying-man-looks-to-the-sky-and-tries-to-find-god" target="_blank">Lost in the Woods for 37 Days, A Dying Man Looks to the Sky and Tries to Find God</a> by Jared Povanda in HAD</li><li><a href="https://hexliterary.com/?p=298" target="_blank">Candlelight</a> by K.C. Mead-Brewer in hex literary</li></ul><b>9 Dec = I</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.icebreakerslit.com/shark-facts-my-grandma-told-me" target="_blank">Shark Facts My Grandma Told Me</a> by Lindz McLeod and Sage Tyrtle in Icebreakers Lit</li><li><a href="https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/meg-pokrass/" target="_blank">The Forest</a> by Meg Pokrass in Ink Sweat & Tears</li></ul><b>10 Dec = J</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.janusliterary.com/2021/08/17/rachael-smart-david-smith-how-to-tame-a-sea-parrot/" target="_blank">How To Tame A Sea Parrot</a> by Rachael Smart (with photos by David Smith) in Janus Literary</li><li><a href="https://jellyfishreview.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/vagabond-mannequin-by-k-b-carle/" target="_blank">Vagabond Mannequin</a> by K.B. Carle in Jellyfish Review</li><li><a href="https://jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/25/poetry-sing-away-my-sister-by-cate-mcgowan/" target="_blank">Sing Away, My Sister</a> by Cate McGowan in jmww</li></ul><b>11 Dec = K</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.kahini.org/after-your-wedding/" target="_blank">After Your Wedding</a> by Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar in Kahini Weekly</li></ul><b>12 Dec = L</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://leonliteraryreview.com/issue-5-cheryl-pappas/" target="_blank">Let It Out</a> by Cheryl Pappas in LEON Literary Review</li><li><a href="https://longleafreview.com/caelyn-cobb/" target="_blank">The Bone House</a> by Caelyn Cobb in Longleaf Review</li><li><a href="https://lost-balloon.com/2021/03/31/you-will-you-will-jad-josey/" target="_blank">You Will, You Will, You Will</a> by Jad Josey in Lost Balloon</li><li><a href="https://www.lunate.co.uk/fiction/the-aching-wait-by-hanne-larsson" target="_blank">The Aching Wait</a> by Hanne Larsson in Lunate Fiction</li></ul><b>13 Dec = M</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.matchbooklitmag.com/ostrom2" target="_blank">Red</a> by Melissa Ostrom in Matchbook</li><li><a href="https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2021/09/30/the-child-catcher-in-retirement-by-didi-wood/" target="_blank">The Child Catcher in Retirement</a> by Didi Wood in Milk Candy Review</li><li><a href="https://moonparkreview.com/issue-eight-summer-2019/a-date-with-the-scream/" target="_blank">A Date with The Scream</a> by Neil Clark in MoonPark Review</li></ul><b>14 Dec = N</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2021/06/i-find-bee-skin-hanging-behind-bathroom.html" target="_blank">I Find The Beeskin Hanging Behind The Bathroom Door</a> by Ali McGrane in the National Flash Fiction Day FlashFlood</li><li><a href="http://newflashfiction.com/the-watchtower-seasons-by-rosaleen-lynch/" target="_blank">The Watchtower Seasons</a> by Rosaleen Lynch in New Flash Fiction Review</li><li><a href="https://newworldwriting.net/timothy-boudreau-we-dream-we-see-dragonflies/" target="_blank">We Dream, We See Dragonflies</a> by Timothy Boudreau in New World Writing Quarterly</li></ul><b>15 Dec = O</b><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://okaydonkeymag.com/2022/03/18/there-is-only-one-object-in-the-museum-of-darkness-by-helen-harjak/" target="_blank">There Is Only One Object in the Museum of Darkness</a> by Helen Harjak in Okay Donkey</li><li><a href="https://www.orions-belt.net/archives/the-whispering-bones" target="_blank">The Whispering Bones</a> by Lyndsey Croal in Orion's Belt</li></ul><b>16 Dec = P</b><div><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.passagesnorth.com/archives/issue-38/the-middle-ground-by-ingrid-jendrzejewski" target="_blank">The Middle Ground</a> by Ingrid Jendrzejewski in Passages North</li><li><a href="https://www.perhappened.com/portraitofmymotheraudreygidman.html" target="_blank">portrait of my mother lost at sea</a> by Audrey Gidman in perhappened mag</li><li><a href="https://www.thephare.com/flash-fiction/bones-of-the-heart" target="_blank">Bones of the Heart</a> by Anne Howkins in The Phare</li></ul><div><b>17 Dec = Q</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.quarterlywest.com/issue-107-pattnaik" target="_blank">Signedora</a> by Mandira Pattnaik in Quarterly West</li></ul><b>18 Dec = R</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://reckonreview.com/somewhere-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-on-the-last-car-of-the-last-train-to-la-i-fell-in-love/" target="_blank">Somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the last car of the last train to LA, I fell in love</a> by Barbara Byar in Reckon Review</li><li><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/beetle-flash-fiction-by-sam-payne/" target="_blank">Beetle</a> by Sam Payne in Reflex Fiction</li></ul><b>19 Dec = S</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://shooterlitmag.com/2020-poetry-competition-winner/" target="_blank">The Case Against Pockets for Woman</a> by Jo Gatford in Shooter Literary Magazine</li><li><a href="https://www.smokelong.com/stories/lucy-ignores-death/" target="_blank">Lucy Ignores Death</a> by L. Soviero in SmokeLong Quarterly</li><li><a href="https://spelkfiction.com/2020/05/27/ghost-me-in-the-ghost-moon/" target="_blank">Ghost Me in the Ghost Moon</a> by Faye Brinsmead in Spelk</li><li><a href="https://splonk.ie/2020/10/06/interstitial-matt-neil-hill/" target="_blank">Interstitial</a> by Matt Neil Hill in Splonk</li><li><a href="https://www.swampapereview.com/madame-curie" target="_blank">Madame Curie Divines Pure Radium While French Kissing a Beautiful Stranger</a> by Tara Isabel Zambrano in Swamp Ape Review</li></ul><b>20 Dec = T</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.tinymolecules.com/issues/ten#avra-margariti" target="_blank">Better Comforts</a> by Avra Margariti in Tiny Molecules</li><li><a href="https://trampset.org/the-kraken-in-love-518aa5090d1c" target="_blank">The Kraken in Love</a> by Tara Campbell in trampset</li><li><a href="https://theshortstory.co.uk/flash-fiction-breathe-by-kathy-hoyle/" target="_blank">Breathe</a> by Kathy Hoyle in TSS Publishing</li></ul><b>21 Dec = U</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/where-oaken-hearts-do-gather/" target="_blank">Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather</a> by Sarah Pinsker in Uncanny Magazine</li></ul><b>22 Dec = V</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://visualverse.org/submissions/now-do-you-see/" target="_blank">Now Do You See?</a> by Han Whiteoak in Visual Verse</li><li><a href="https://virtualzinemag.com/vff-1/f/personal-organiser-1994-by-monica-dickson" target="_blank">Personal Organiser, 1994</a> by Monica Dickson in Virtual Zine</li></ul><b>23 Dec = W</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://waxwingmag.org/items/issue21/73_Fish-Unfettered-and-Alive.php" target="_blank">Unfettered and Alive</a> by Kathy Fish in Waxwing</li><li><a href="https://westword.uk/a-beginners-guide-to-mindfulness-meditation-laura-dobson/" target="_blank">A Beginner's Guide to Mindfulness Meditation</a> by Laura Dobson in WestWord</li><li><a href="http://www.whaleroadreview.com/kemmerly/" target="_blank">harvest moon</a> by Karah Kemmerly in Whale Road Review</li><li><a href="https://wigleaf.com/202203season.htm" target="_blank">The Final Girl Prepares to Watch Her Season of <i>American Horror Story</i></a> by Meghan Phillips in Wigleaf</li></ul><b>24 Dec = X</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://xraylitmag.com/my-fathers-house-has-many-rooms-by-todd-clay-stuart/fiction/" target="_blank">My Father's House Has Many Rooms</a> by Todd Clay Stuart in X-R-A-Y</li></ul><b>25 Dec = Y</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.youngravensliteraryreview.org/yr10-hibah-shabkhez.html" target="_blank">Panacea</a> by Hibah Shabkhez in Young Ravens Literary Review</li><li><a href="https://www.yourimpossiblevoice.com/you-have-become-an-archive/" target="_blank">you have become an archive.</a> by Lorelai Bacht in Your Impossible Voice</li></ul><b>26 Dec = Z</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.zeroreaders.com/2022/04/spidersong-ieva-dapkevicius/" target="_blank">Spidersong</a> by Ieva Dapkevicius in Zero Readers</li></ul><div><br /></div>And there you have it, 26 days and 69 wonderful lit mags, 69 fabulous stories/poems, 69 amazing writers!</div><p></p></div>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-64477768214775950992021-03-12T14:13:00.002+00:002021-03-13T17:19:36.457+00:00September-November Reading Round-Up<p>Still playing catch up from the end of 2020 here, so you get three months' worth of online bookmarked loveliness for the price of one. Lucky you!</p><p>(I started reading several new books over this period, but didn't actually finish any of them. There'll be one in my post about December though, coming soon...)</p><p>Anyway, here's what I do have to share with you:</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">September</h3><p><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/beetle-flash-fiction-by-sam-payne/">Beetle</a> by Sam Payne (Reflex Fiction)</b> - A dreamlike invasion of the wild into the normal; gorgeous description and a touch of weirdness.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.thephare.com/flash-fiction/curve-and-sway">Curve and Sway</a> by Cathy Ulrich (The Phare)</b> - I love Cathy Ulrich's writing and this is no exception. An apocalyptic, poetic dance of a story.</p><p><b><a href="https://atlasandalice.com/2020/09/07/fiction-from-hannah-grieco/">The Three Witches</a> by Hannah Grieco (Atlas & Alice)</b> - I always like a fairy tale turned on its head, and this gives us three of them, cleverly twisted and spun.</p><p><b><a href="https://ceasecows.com/2020/09/10/to-distill-by-tyler-barton/">to distill</a> by Tyler Barton (Cease, Cows)</b> - An interestingly weird and surreal story, with a sad edge to it. A commentary on how fame (or notoriety) can treat people, perhaps.</p><p><b><a href="http://www.100wordstory.org/in-every-girl-there-is-a-forest/">In Every Girl There Is a Forest</a> by Jonathan Cardew (100 Word Story)</b> - Love love love this! A perfect tiny lyrical micro, each line tumbling one after another and carrying you along.</p><p><b><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/09/25/silver-and-blood/">Silver and Blood</a> by Michael Loveday (Fictive Dream)</b> - Another weird, sad fairy tale (what can I say, I have a type!), about greed, and giving love, and taking it. </p><p><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/delivery-flash-fiction-by-amy-barnes/">Delivery</a> by Amy Barnes (Reflex Fiction)</b> - This story placed third in the Summer 2020 Reflex Fiction competition, and you can understand why. Lovely, somewhat creepy imagery.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">October</h3><p><b><a href="https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2020/10/01/amelia-by-noa-covo/">Amelia</a> by Noa Covo (Milk Candy Review)</b> - Way back when I was about 14 I decided I was going to write a novel about Amelia Earhart - that story doesn't exist (yet - never say never I suppose!) but this one by Noa Covo does and it's beautiful.</p><p><b><a href="https://ilovedreamjournal.wordpress.com/2020/10/04/fascination-street/">Fascination Street</a> by Mileva Anastasiadou (Dream Journal)</b> - Four paragraphs, each a single sentence, each getting progressively longer, to create a stream of consciousness sense of the narrator's feelings.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/just-to-say-by-rachael-smart/">Just To Say</a> by Rachael Smart (Ellipsis Zine)</b> - A CNF piece that is funny, and cutting, and sort of sexy, and all about plums.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.thebabeltowernoticeboard.com/featured-writing/two-poems-by-kali-richmond">Two Poems</a> by Kali Richmond (The Babel Tower Notice Board)</b> - Fabulous poetry that cries out to be read aloud. I think the first one is my favourite of the two, but they're both great.</p><p><b><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/10/09/a-bird-in-the-hand/">A Bird in the Hand</a> by Jude Higgins (Fictive Dream)</b> - A story about parent-child relationships, with a bird motif that adds layers to the telling.</p><p><b><a href="https://jellyfishreview.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/cracked-by-lucy-zhang/">Cracked</a> by Lucy Zhang (Jellyfish Review)</b> - A dark, dangerous-feeling story, with some gruesome, uncomfortable moments, about death, and life, and pregnancy.</p><p><b><a href="http://fiftywordstories.com/2020/10/15/detta-rose-metamorphosis/">Metamorphosis</a> by Dettra Rose (Fifty Word Stories)</b> - This tiny micro manages to conjure incredible images in so few words, with a slightly unsettling feel.</p><p><b><a href="http://waxwingmag.org/items/issue22/28_Diehl-I-Change-You.php">I Change You</a> by Dana Diehl (Waxwing)</b> - An amazing, weird, magical, sad piece about transformation, and what people accept in a relationship, or maybe about the danger of accepting things in a relationship.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.matchbooklitmag.com/ostrom2">Red</a> by Melissa Ostrom (Matchbook)</b> - A piece that is always relevant, but sadly feels all too timely right now. I bookmarked it at the time because it's another interesting fairy tale take; a story told almost entirely in questions.</p><p><b><a href="https://uncannymagazine.com/article/qi-xi/">Qi Xi</a> by Joyce Chng (Uncanny Magazine)</b> - I think there should be more SF/space poetry out there - I keep meaning to try and write some. This one is beautiful; I <i>think </i>it's based on a Chinese legend (but am prepared to be corrected!)</p><p><b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/oh-lord-by-jude-higgins/">Oh Lord</a> by Jude Higgins (Ellipsis Zine)</b> - A lockdown-inspired CNF, funny and hopeful at the same time.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">November</h3><p><b><a href="https://longleafreview.com/eb-schnepp-1/">Deer Lord / Dear Lord</a> by E.B. Schnepp (Longleaf Review)</b> - Gorgeous folk horror poetry, dark and creepy and lovely.</p><p><b><a href="https://flashbackfiction.com/index.php/2020/11/02/in-whitby-you-may-have-the-misfortune-to-be-caught/">In Whitby you may have the misfortune to be caught</a> by Daphne Milne (FlashBack Fiction)</b> - Great, evocative historical flash, and because it's FlashBack Fiction you can listen to the author reading it aloud too.</p><p><b><a href="https://splonk.ie/2020/10/06/interstitial-matt-neil-hill/">Interstitial</a> by Matt Neil Hill (Splonk)</b> - Fantastic imagery and structure in this, and the language use is stunning.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.craftliterary.com/2020/11/13/forest-elegy-despy-boutris/">Forest Elegy</a> by Despy Boutris (Craft Literary)</b> - One of those pieces where you're not sure if it's a micro fiction or a prose poem and it doesn't really matter anyway because it conveys a feeling brilliantly.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/fol-de-rol-flash-fiction-by-rose-rae/">Fol-De-Rol</a> by Rose Rae (Reflex Fiction)</b> - More fab twisted fairy tale goodness here, exactly my kind of thing, with wonderfully gruesome description.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/people-present-on-carnaby-street-on-a-saturday-afternoon-in-early-may-flash-fiction-by-matt-kendrick/">People Present on Carnaby Street on a Saturday Afternoon in Early May</a> by Matt Kendrick (Reflex Fiction)</b> - This piece is incredible; I see more in it every time I come back and reread it. It's a list story and a breathless paragraph all in one, and the details and mounting tension as you realise what is in there, between the lines - amazing.</p><p><b><a href="https://atriumpoetry.com/2020/11/27/in-praise-of-disney-villains-who-refuse-to-retire-angela-readman/">In Praise of Disney Villains who Refuse to Retire</a> by Angela Readman (Atrium Poetry)</b> - A great poem about womanhood and ageing and embracing your inner villain.</p><p><br /></p><p>There - getting a bit closer to catching up... December next, then I can start on this year! 😏</p>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-77640930433693588702020-12-30T17:04:00.001+00:002020-12-30T21:32:55.973+00:00August Reading Round-Up<p>Can't believe it's nearly 2021! And here I am backtracking all the way to August... but in August I did a lot of reading 😊 I finished three whole actual books, and bookmarked a whole bunch of great stuff I found online!</p><p>First, the books...</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZARPpM5AIo/X85FqImnLEI/AAAAAAAAKsk/ix3Fdw1STUobz7eueopN-KQAg0YFye7mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200812_130244.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZARPpM5AIo/X85FqImnLEI/AAAAAAAAKsk/ix3Fdw1STUobz7eueopN-KQAg0YFye7mgCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/20200812_130244.jpg" width="150" /></a></b></div><b><a href="https://rebellionpublishing.com/product/beneath_the_rising/">Beneath the Rising</a> by Premee Mohamed</b><div>Cosmic horror, dark magics, secret organisations, a race across the world through ancient historic sites, and a very human relationship at the centre of it all. Two best friends, one a rich child prodigy whose inventions have changed the world, and one with none of those advantages, are thrown into a fight for their lives, where Nick quickly starts to suspect that his genius friend Johnny knows more than she is telling him. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel; the characters are interesting, their relationship and reactions are believable, and carry emotional weight, and the alternate history worldbuilding (it's set in ~2001/2002) and cosmic horror aspects are well done. I would recommend picking it up if that sounds at all like your sort of thing. I will also be looking forward to the sequel, <b>A Broken Darkness</b>, which is due out in March 2021!<br /><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKqlAdNAB8Q/X85F3M4VJ6I/AAAAAAAAKso/FrmJG2xzYBAZ01aOlcSaVhRP9_31YdCaACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200905_181032.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKqlAdNAB8Q/X85F3M4VJ6I/AAAAAAAAKso/FrmJG2xzYBAZ01aOlcSaVhRP9_31YdCaACLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/20200905_181032.jpg" width="150" /></a></b></div><b><a href="https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/n-k-jemisin/the-stone-sky/9781405537285/">The Stone Sky</a> by N. K. Jemisin</b><div>This is the third book in The Broken Earth trilogy, but I am going to talk about the whole series here, as I read the first two before I started blogging about what I was reading, so this also includes <b>The Fifth Season</b> and <b>The Obelisk Gate</b>. I loved these books. The worldbuilding is amazing, and the concept is really unique. It's hard to say too much about the plot without risking spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it, but the books are set in the Stillness, the single great continent in this world, which is blighted by cataclysmic geological events known as Fifth Seasons. Orogenes, who can sense and sometimes control seismic activity, are both used for their skills and viciously discriminated against. Through the multiple woven narratives, the main characters' stories - their past and present - are gradually revealed until finally we (and they) can see the whole truth. The stakes and threats are at a planetary level, and yet also drill right down to the intimately personal as this final book reaches its heart-wrenching climax (I cried!). If you haven't read these yet, you should.</div><div><br /><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_x5Hz8mocs8/X85GARQ6lnI/AAAAAAAAKsw/5YcW1OhRWowovfzAlPu7_oCdemzj0RXpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200821_141654.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_x5Hz8mocs8/X85GARQ6lnI/AAAAAAAAKsw/5YcW1OhRWowovfzAlPu7_oCdemzj0RXpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/20200821_141654.jpg" width="150" /></a></b></div><b><a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/folk-9781408884393/">Folk</a> by Zoe Gilbert</b></div><div>This gorgeous book is billed as a novel, but reads more like a collection of connected short stories spanning a generation or so of the residents of the fictional island of Neverness. Every story is chock full of myth and folklore, and often danger - the potential for tragedy is threaded through the book, and you can see the impact of certain acts passed down through the generations. In some of the stories the magic is very present, others are more about what the people believe and what that does to them (or to others), and some sit in that dream-space where you're not quite sure whether the magic is real or not. All of them are utterly compelling. This is probably my favourite thing I've read all year, and, as a writer, a book that is exactly the sort of thing I would love to be able to write myself! (Zoe Gilbert also runs courses on using folklore in fiction with <a href="https://www.londonlitlab.co.uk/">London Lit Lab</a> - I have taken two of them this year, and am signed up for a third, so you can take that as a recommendation!) </div><div><p><br /></p><p>And as ever, here are all the lovely bite-sized wonders I wanted to save and share:</p><p><b><a href="https://fracturedlit.com/cosmic-micros-2020/">Cosmic Micros 2020</a> by Neil Clark (Fractured Lit)</b> - A series of gorgeous tiny moments and images, threaded through with stars. The language in these is beautiful.</p><p><b><a href="https://atlasandalice.com/2020/08/03/fiction-from-jad-josey/">It Finally Happened</a> by Jad Josey (Atlas & Alice)</b> - Another micro, sad and lovely, and packed so full of emotion and stunning imagery in one single paragraph.</p><p><b><a href="https://xraylitmag.com/lightning-strikes-by-emily-livingstone/cnf/">Lightning Strikes</a> by Emily Livingstone (X-R-A-Y)</b> - A beautifully written piece of creative non-fiction (CNF) about family, and coping with illness, and hope.</p><p><b><a href="https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2020/07/16/to-ever-love-one-girl-by-melissa-llanes-brownlee/">To Ever Love One Girl</a> by Melissa Llanes Brownlee (Milk Candy Review)</b> - The voice in this is incredible; I could hear it so clearly as I was reading it. It says so much in so few words too - really powerful.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/we-could-grab-a-beer-somewhere-by-rosie-parry/">We Could Grab A Beer Somewhere?</a> by Rosie Parry (Ellipsis Zine)</b> - This cleverly drops you in the middle of a story and lets you work out the history as the encounter plays out, and then takes you somewhere unexpected at the end.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/in-the-hawthorns-flash-fiction-by-conor-kenny/">In The Hawthorns</a> by Conor Kenny (Reflex Fiction)</b> - A lovely little folkloric piece with a hint of something dark at its heart. Exactly the sort of thing I love.</p><p><b><a href="https://okaydonkeymag.com/2020/08/14/stones-my-mother-carved-from-the-mountain-by-noa-covo/">Stones My Mother Carved from the Mountain</a> by Noa Covo (Okay Donkey)</b> - There are some lines and images in this that just captivated me. Absolutely amazing writing, made even more impressive when you realise the writer is still a teenager.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/think-twice-stranger-flash-fiction-by-xavier-combe/">Think Twice, Stranger</a> by Xavier Combe (Reflex Fiction)</b> - Beautifully written, and at the same time slightly unsettling, hinting at the power and danger in nature.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.reflex.press/stories/in-the-dark-by-kristen-loesch/">In the Dark</a> by Kristen Loesch (Reflex Press)</b> - Great worldbuilding and characterisation here in a relatively short flash with an interesting structure.</p><p><b><a href="https://trampset.org/the-ghost-in-this-story-dc72326d9cae">The Ghost in This Story</a> by Cathy Ulrich (trampset)</b> - Astonishing flash CNF, with so many layers to it that it deserves reading and re-reading.</p><p><b><a href="https://www.thetemzreview.com/prose-chelsea-stickle.html">Through Rose-Coloured Glasses</a> by Chelsea Stickle (The /tems</b><b>/ review)</b> - A hermit crab flash in the form of a flow chart, about a dangerous relationship and how easily the choices you make can go bad. </p><p><b><a href="https://atriumpoetry.com/2020/08/28/field-study-in-wildness-eradication-marcia-hindson/">Field study in wildness eradication</a> by Marcia Hindson (Atrium Poetry)</b> - A wonderful poem, full of wildness, and with a weird fairy-tale-ish vibe.</p><p><br /></p><p>Phew! Hope you've enjoyed those as much as I've enjoyed revisiting them! It was a bumper month, with some really rather good words in it 📚💜</p></div></div>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-85511063546286622122020-09-27T16:24:00.003+01:002020-09-27T16:24:55.508+01:00July Reading Round-Up<div style="text-align: left;">Playing catch up again, because life has got away from me a bit recently... No books in July, but I can tell you there will *definitely* be finished books in my August post! And yes, that's <b>books </b>- plural 😃📚</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, here's what I read and bookmarked online in July:<span><a name='more'></a></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://riggwelterpress.wordpress.com/2020/07/01/issue-twenty-seven/">We Daughters</a> by Shenan Hahn (Riggwelter, pg 13-14)</b> - A breathless flood of a poem, packed with wonderful imagery. I recommend reading it aloud and letting yourself be carried along by the words.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/pearl-by-candace-hartsuyker/">Pearl</a> by Candace Hartsuyker (Ellipsis Zine)</b> - I'm a bit obsessed with watery stories at the moment - reading and writing - and there seem to be lots out there, whether because I'm tapping into a trend or just noticing them more I don't know. This one is great, creepy and strangely magical.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/scavenger-and-lost-property-flash-fiction-by-anne-howkins/">Scavenger and Lost Property</a> by Anne Howkins (Reflex Fiction)</b> - Wonderfully gothic and strange, with great description and language, and a last line that packs a real punch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://www.ligeiamagazine.com/summer-2020/float-and-disappear-cathy-ulrich/">Float and Disappear</a> by Cathy Ulrich (Ligeia Magazine)</b> - A quietly lovely post-apocalyptic story about being alone at the end of the world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://forgelitmag.com/2020/07/13/little-ghost/">Little Ghost</a> by Melissa Goodrich (The Forge)</b> - A ghost story, sad and at the same time, I think, kind of hopeful, about how the people we lose never leave us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://storgy.com/2020/07/15/runaway-by-ian/">Runaway</a> by Ian O'Brien (STORGY)</b> - This conveys both fear and the possibility of freedom very well. It is about escape and hope, and builds to a powerful image in the penultimate paragraph, and finally a moment of release.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://www.emptyhousepress.com/issue-four/cathy-ulrich">In All That Light</a> by Cathy Ulrich (Empty House Press)</b> - The second Cathy Ulrich story I saved in July, this one is one of her girl detective stories. I really like the magical, dreamlike quality this has.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="https://lunate.co.uk/short-stories/the-twelve-by-paul-negri">The Twelve</a> by Paul Negri (Lunate)</b> - I enjoyed the premise of this and the way it builds to a conclusion that, after the fact, seems inevitable.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><a href="When You're The High School Biology Teacher">When You're The High School Biology Teacher</a> by Candace Hartsuyker (Porcupine Literary)</b> - Finally, a second story by Candace Hartsuyker; this is great - rather creepy from the start, and taking an interesting turn part way through that is wonderfully unexpected.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However sporadic these posts are, this is still the longest I've maintained a blog for a very long time, so that something to feel good about, particularly n these strange times. I've seen a lot of things about crisis fatigue hitting at the 6 month point and I'm definitely feeling some of that, plus the stress of a new academic year starting, so if you are too I will send some socially-distanced virtual hugs in your direction! Till next time...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/l378c85KbzBnSDWW4/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l378c85KbzBnSDWW4/giphy.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accurate representation of me at this stage of lockdown<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-70976755970678138962020-08-08T18:37:00.001+01:002020-08-08T18:50:05.962+01:00Lockdown CraftingLook, a post that's not about reading! (Not that there's anything wrong with posts about reading, of course.)<div><br /></div><div>I thought I would share a little bit about some other creative pursuits I've been indulging, of the crafty variety. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a very sporadic crafter and also easily distracted by shiny new crafts, and I have a bad habit of doing nothing at all for months on end and then taking on a massive, complicated project (usually with a tight deadline) - example: I made my own wedding dress, and a few years later made a wedding dress for a friend (way more nerve-wracking than making your own, believe me!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, ignoring the fact that I have a heap of WiP craft projects, I thought I'd start with something I *have* finished.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Embroidery</h3><div>I've been wanting to learn embroidery for a long time, so at the start of lockdown I ordered a medieval laid and couched work kit, based on marginalia images of killer bunnies (who doesn't love killer bunnies?) - I got it from <a href="https://www.opusanglicanumembroidery.com/">Opus Anglicanum</a>, in case anyone wants to try it for yourself.</div><div><br /></div><div>The kit came with lovely hand-dyed threads, a pre-drawn outline on the fabric, and a stitch guide. I got stuck right in (see above re. shiny new crafts). Laid and couched work is a fairly easy stitch to get the hang of, the main thing that is tricky is keeping it neat and even. I don't think I did too badly for my first attempt! I thoroughly enjoyed it and it didn't take too long to complete, so I'll definitely be ordering more kits in future - I just need to decide which ones!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a few progress shots - if you're on my Facebook or Twitter you may have seen these at the time, as I shared them as I went along.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NeYBvwJ0QjI/Xy7bMJd4iWI/AAAAAAAAJm4/YXoXV7-q1wMD69LnSIbQQQtihg3NE6f8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w313-h235/20200421_203808.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="313" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kit, ready to start<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4wFHz_wjvlk/Xy7bwz8EzkI/AAAAAAAAJnM/SUt5JfdmSlkAPLz9sIQe3KJEmXEW_MrmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200421_233630.jpg" style="display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4wFHz_wjvlk/Xy7bwz8EzkI/AAAAAAAAJnM/SUt5JfdmSlkAPLz9sIQe3KJEmXEW_MrmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w313-h235/20200421_233630.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laid stitches in one direction, held down with couching stitches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oN7pFJ1Utao/Xy7buqoPnBI/AAAAAAAAJnI/WxDwwN-aZu07jm6jsjmzMijSAk2zBTx7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200502_162818.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oN7pFJ1Utao/Xy7buqoPnBI/AAAAAAAAJnI/WxDwwN-aZu07jm6jsjmzMijSAk2zBTx7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w313-h235/20200502_162818.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laid and couched areas all filled in<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nyxCvaBj37o/Xy7b67qMUpI/AAAAAAAAJnU/kmDI-L0cvKUSwKitYF9ue7LoHAz-qZ8dwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200516_204304.jpg" style="display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nyxCvaBj37o/Xy7b67qMUpI/AAAAAAAAJnU/kmDI-L0cvKUSwKitYF9ue7LoHAz-qZ8dwCLcBGAsYHQ/w328-h246/20200516_204304.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outlining<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>And here is the finished article! 😊</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9wXRQfa8Tn0/Xy7b97E1RGI/AAAAAAAAJng/q37LUW0NL3AxdFMN1wT6ZFjq04IO2R68gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200517_162219.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9wXRQfa8Tn0/Xy7b97E1RGI/AAAAAAAAJng/q37LUW0NL3AxdFMN1wT6ZFjq04IO2R68gCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h384/20200517_162219.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wicked, bad rabbits!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sewing: Facemasks</h3><div>Ah, facemasks - the things that every crafter on the planet has suddenly started making. I am no exception, although working from home and not really going anywhere meant that I left it quite a long time before giving this a go. I also don't have a printer, so I had to use a bit of guesswork in constructing my pattern from pictures and measurements I found online. I bought some fat quarters in basic prints, some elastic, and some gardening wire to shape the nose.</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-851ociUPtDY/Xy7hBTuXbNI/AAAAAAAAJoI/6bZyWFKljag2FDv14SEVu-B0WYBXz_8HgCLcBGAsYHQ/w246-h328/20200724_172018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="246" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black and purple - once a goth...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>My first prototype wasn't terrible, but the shape and angles weren't quite right. So I fiddled around and adjusted things a bit, and had a second go - much better fit.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XO038oUCf20/Xy7hA2ks18I/AAAAAAAAJoE/xSO1TgQlyLkO1jzQ0a_PJSOIoJiukGL3ACLcBGAsYHQ/w328-h246/20200724_155348.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="328" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark I bottom, Mark II top<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XO038oUCf20/Xy7hA2ks18I/AAAAAAAAJoE/xSO1TgQlyLkO1jzQ0a_PJSOIoJiukGL3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200724_155348.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CqfyjWA67B0/Xy7g-M9kXSI/AAAAAAAAJoA/57IqcopoDC0bEXra92kVL2lhtW_MaeArQCLcBGAsYHQ/w246-h328/20200724_155203.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta-da!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I left it there for the time being, but having just worn the second version into town for an appointment, popping into a couple of shops while I was there, and getting the bus back, I think there are more improvements I could make, so watch this space for facemask mark III...</div><div><br /></div><div>The other thing this has made me realise is that it might finally be time to bite the bullet and replace the sewing machine I've had since I was 18 or 19. It has served me well, but it's quite temperamental these days, so I may treat myself sometime soon!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for future crafting updates, which may include knitting, nalbinding, dressmaking, and yes, more facemasks 😷👍</div>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-47998104587240755072020-07-21T18:23:00.000+01:002020-07-21T18:23:25.153+01:00June Reading Round-UpJune was a pretty full-on month work-wise, so didn't finish any books (although I did squeeze in some reading along the way). <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/3o84U1nWRzyqOEOKpa/giphy.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="373" height="158" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/3o84U1nWRzyqOEOKpa/giphy.gif" width="122" /></a></div><div><div>The problem(/benefit) of following a lot of wonderful writers and small/indie presses on Twitter is that I keep coming across new and exciting books and adding to my TBR pile (it's getting pretty precarious), so I really need to make some quality reading time and dig in to some of them! I have this week off work, so this will be me for some of the time at least:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But I did still collect some links to things I stumbled across and loved, to share here, so without further ado here are my June recommendations for stuff you can read online...</div></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://splonk.ie/index.php/2020/05/28/end-of-the-line-matt-kendrick/">End of the Line</a> by Matt Kendrick (in Splonk)</b> - I like the sense of history in this, both the personal history of the character, the history of the tree, and how they are connected. Plus the details are wonderful.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.retreatwest.co.uk/it-was-the-horse-that-killed-her-by-matt-kendrick/">It Was the Horse That Killed Her</a> by Matt Kendrick (in Retreat West)</b> - Another one by Matt! A clever twist on something familiar, with a creepy edge. I got part way through this before twigging what the inspiration was - see how long it takes you...</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://jellyfishreview.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/vagabond-mannequin-by-k-b-carle/">Vagabond Mannequin</a> by K.B. Carle (in Jellyfish Review)</b> - A hermit crab flash is a story written in the form of something else (e.g. a recipe), and this one is a crossword: clues and answers. It's amazing how much story can be conveyed when this is done well, and this is a stunning example.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://dailysciencefiction.com/hither-and-yon/slipstream/cislyn-smith/things-the-spirit-living-inside-the-west-wind-brought-to-abbys-house-after-the-terrible-storm">Things the spirit living inside the west wind brought to Abby's house after the terrible storm</a> by Cislyn Smith (in Daily Science Fiction)</b> - A list-format flash, featuring lovely imagery, and that sense of the fantastical within normality that I always really like.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="http://waxwingmag.org/items/issue21/73_Fish-Unfettered-and-Alive.php">Unfettered and Alive</a> by Kathy Fish (in Waxwing)</b> - A story that tumbles over itself as it builds and uses repetition and an unreliable narrator to drip feed the reader information about what actually happened. Plus it features a Joni Mitchell song, and I LOVE Joni Mitchell.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://corvidqueen.com/stories/dont-ask-an-anglerfish-to-smile-alexandria-baisden">Don't Ask an Anglerfish to Smile</a> by Alexandria Baisden (in Corvid Queen)</b> - I'm a bit obsessed with water/ocean themed writing at the moment, and this poem ticks that box as well as having a dark side and a layered message.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://fracturedlit.com/jjackson/">Of Photography and Truth</a> by Jason Jackson (in Fractured Lit)</b> - A sequence of micros; I like the way each brief image comes together with the others to form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, allowing the reader to fill in the gaps in between.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2020/06/18/the-patron-saint-of-fury-by-carolyn-oliver/">The Patron Saint of Fury</a> by Carolyn Oliver (in Milk Candy Review)</b> - A stunningly gorgeous tiny micro, with beautiful language and imagery.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://ceasecows.com/2020/06/25/night-children-by-nikolaj-volgushev/">Night Children</a> by Nikolaj Volgushev (in Cease, Cows)</b> - This is interesting and exactly my kind of creepy and drew me in from the first few lines. I want to know more about this world.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have a few topics in mind that I want to write posts about if I can manage to get around to them, based on things I have been doing this year and also things I have not been able to do but am missing, so you never know, if you're very lucky you might get a post from me soon that is about something other than my reading habits, but for now that's your lot!</div>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-19008772884922306332020-07-13T23:27:00.001+01:002020-07-13T23:27:52.563+01:00May Reading Round-Up<div>Falling behind again, but circumstances still being what they are... you know!</div><div><br /></div><div>Part of the point of documenting what I'm reading (even if it's only for me) is an attempt to read more widely and finish books on my TBR list (I have a tendency to re-read old favourites a lot), read outside of my default comfort zone (which is SFF/speculative), and also read more deliberately around the genre(s) I want to write in, which currently includes interesting/weird short fiction and books that draw heavily on folklore. You can't write a genre you don't read!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, in May I finished two books, and while I haven't wandered very far from my comfort zone yet, this month I did cover the last goal: both folklore and short fiction.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXiHmSJr-oo/Xwy56y-8_KI/AAAAAAAAJiE/xD-G8LKsITAb6yxHAwf0FsY_I3qMQ3f-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200508_111840.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXiHmSJr-oo/Xwy56y-8_KI/AAAAAAAAJiE/xD-G8LKsITAb6yxHAwf0FsY_I3qMQ3f-wCLcBGAsYHQ/w154-h205/20200508_111840.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buried-Giant-Kazuo-Ishiguro/dp/0571315070/">The Buried Giant</a> by Kazuo Ishiguro</b><div>Strange but rather lovely - this is a quiet, meandering book that is far more complex than it might appear at first glance. Set in a fantasy version of post-Roman, 'dark ages' Britain, it plays with Arthurian myths and other similar tropes in a way that feels very familiar, but also a bit twisty and hard to grasp. As a story largely about memory and history (personal and societal), in which many of the characters do not know or cannot quite remember what is going on, it has a dreamlike quality. It also explores love, aging, loss, and death, through what is happening to the characters and also to the land itself. It is somewhat unusual in fantasy to have elderly protagonists, and this plays into the tone of the book - even the action sequences have a subdued or confused feel to them. The overall effect is a poignant, rather ambiguous narrative that feels simultaneously odd and familiar, sad and quietly satisfying. I enjoyed it and would suggest anyone who likes interesting takes on mythology gives it a go.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urXFXh6rMdc/Xwy6KOrI1AI/AAAAAAAAJiI/Xq7aoPBGIIYrYLuwmSzU6wCi1EGyCk7-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200601_104507.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urXFXh6rMdc/Xwy6KOrI1AI/AAAAAAAAJiI/Xq7aoPBGIIYrYLuwmSzU6wCi1EGyCk7-wCLcBGAsYHQ/w154-h205/20200601_104507.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><a href="https://commapress.co.uk/books/moss-witch/">Moss Witch and Other Stories</a> by Sara Maitland</b></div><div>A short story collection in which each story is inspired by a different scientific theory or area of study. Maitland consulted with experts/academics in each field, and each story has an afterword written by them responding to the her story and/or explaining the science. It's a fascinating approach to storytelling and has resulted in tales that are variously creepy, unexpected, whimsical, and weird. Many of them also blend elements of myth or folklore with the science - frankly, it's a brilliant collection. Among my favourites were Her Bonxie Boy, which combines bird migration on a remote island with a traditional shapeshifting lover tale, Lighting the Standard Candles, about Henrietta Leavitt (who was responsible for a key discovery linked to measuring the scale of the universe in the early 20th century), and the title story Moss Witch, a delicately dark story of the encroachment of humans on the natural world and how it doesn't always end well even when we have the best intentions.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And here are the month's recommended short reads that you can find online...</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/the-day-we-disappeared-by-s-a-leavesley/">The Day We Disappeared</a> by S.A. Leavesley (in Ellipsis Zine)</b> - A weird, fun little story about inexplicable happenings in an otherwise normal world. Includes a bonus link to a 'supporting' website!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://storgy.com/2020/05/04/the-family-by-rab-ferguson/">The Family</a> by Rab Ferguson (in STORGY)</b> - A longer piece about the pressure of family, denying who you are, and the power that comes from embracing it instead, tied up in magical happenings.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://corvidqueen.com/stories/the-magic-in-her-bones-rin-willis">The Magic in Her Bones</a></b><b> by Rin Willis (in Corvid Queen)</b> - A wonderfully creepy cyclical fairy tale/horror story, beautifully written with interwoven narratives.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://dailysciencefiction.com/fantasy/Monsters/kalisa-ann-lessnau/marathon">Marathon</a> by Kalisa Ann Lessnau (in Daily Science Fiction)</b> - This appeals to the long distance runner in me, at the point in every race where you start wondering why the hell you are doing this... Being pursued by monsters is as good a reason as any!</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://forgelitmag.com/2020/05/11/the-levitation/">The Levitation</a> by Jennifer Todhunter (in The Forge)</b> - An intense, stream of consciousness narrative about aging and nostalgia and trying to reclaim something from your past (plus teenage-me loved The Craft, so...)</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2020/05/14/revelations-by-derek-heckman/">Revelations</a> by Derek Heckman (in Milk Candy Review)</b> - What happens after the Rapture, to those left behind. The structure adds an extra dimension, with numbered paragraphs like bible verses.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/luna-flash-fiction-by-giles-montgomery/">Luna</a> by Giles Montgomery (in Reflex Fiction</b> - Another dark one, telling a pretty bleak story of hubris and the futility of human endeavour, with just a hint of a sting of hope in its tail.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/05/24/johns-oak/">John's Oak</a> by Mike Fox (in Fictive Dream)</b> - A poignant story of the relationship between man and nature, inspired by John Clare.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://spelkfiction.com/2020/05/27/ghost-me-in-the-ghost-moon/">Ghost Me in the Ghost Moon</a> by Faye Brinsmead (in Spelk)</b> - A strange little piece with something to say about loss and change. Feels quite resonant in lockdown, which I think is why it grabbed me on first reading.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/05/29/meat-eaters/">Meat Eaters</a> by Kristina Ten (in Fictive Dream)</b> - A visceral story with a well realised voice and setting, that will leave you feeling slightly grubby and just a little bit vengeful.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>All done for now - more soon I promise! Stay safe out there folks...</span></div>Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-20593723683232710792020-05-25T23:25:00.000+01:002020-05-25T23:31:56.249+01:00April Reading Round-UpI do plan to use this blog for more than just book/story reviews, and I have other things (like updates on my own writing, and various crafting projects) that I will hopefully manage to share with you soon, but frankly I'm quite pleased with myself for getting these posts done, as historically I haven't done very well at sticking with blogging!<br />
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Anyway, April was the month in which we all realised that all of this *waves hands expansively* was likely to go on for a while... I've been working from home since lockdown began, so in theory I've gained back the ~2.5 hours a day I usually spend on my commute, but we all know that doesn't necessarily translate, especially in such weird times. But I have done some reading, in spite of all that, and here it is.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Mountain-Canons-Nan-Shepherd/dp/0857861832" target="_blank">The Living Mountain</a> by Nan Shepherd</b><br />
I confess, I don't usually read a lot of non-fiction, although I always feel a bit like I should. I read this for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoReadingVirus" target="_blank">#CoReadingVirus</a> read along on Twitter (organised by <a href="https://twitter.com/RobGMacfarlane" target="_blank">Robert Macfarlane</a>, who also wrote the introduction for the edition I bought), and it was the most wonderful experience. I honestly think it was exactly what I needed under current circumstances. It is a love letter to the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland, and the writing is so beautiful, emotive, poetic; it transports you there to the hills and the sky and the heather and the water. It made me want to be there, or failing that to go up into the Peaks and stand on my own on top of a hill in the wilds. If you feel any connection to the outdoors, read this book - I doubt you'll regret it!<br />
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A few quotes I loved to whet your appetite...<br />
<ul>
<li><i>'the violet range of colours can trouble the mind like music'</i></li>
<li><i>'a ptarmigan's breast feather has caught the sun. Light blows through it, so transparent the fugitive spindrift feather has become'</i></li>
<li><i>'My one October night without a roof was bland as silk, with a late moon rising in the small hours and the mountains fluid as loch water under a silken dawn: a night of the purest witchery'</i></li>
<li><i>'This plunge into the cold water of a mountain pool seems for a brief moment to disintegrate the very self; it is not to be borne: one is lost: striken: annihilated. Then life pours back'</i></li>
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I didn't bookmark as many things in April - maybe a bit of lockdown fatigue - but here are the poems and tales that did grab me:<br />
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<b><a href="https://lunate.co.uk/poetry/the-fourth-dimension-of-cats-by-william-doreskyidence-week-3" target="_blank">The Fourth Dimension of Cats</a> by William Doreski (in Lunate)</b> - As someone who has lived with one or more cats for the vast majority of my life, I feel this poem captures the essence of cats and cat ownership delightfully.<br />
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<b><a href="https://ceasecows.com/2020/04/08/the-coast-road-is-closed-by-ankh-spice/" target="_blank">The Coast Road is Closed</a> by Ankh Spice (in Cease, Cows)</b> - I grew up by the sea and I miss it, and this poem makes me remember the feeling of standing on a cliff top above a restless sea on a windy day.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/winter-sun-flash-fiction-by-beatrice-derosier/" target="_blank">Winter Sun</a> by Beatrice Derosier (in Reflex Fiction)</b> - This piece is lovely; the imagery of the seasons entwined with the relationship they have. Plus I like the little mythic reference thrown in there at the end.<br />
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<b><a href="https://theshortstory.co.uk/flash-fiction-yew-by-johanna-robinson/" target="_blank">Yew</a> by Johanna Robinson (in TSS Publishing)</b> - Quite a lot of my own writing (at least recently) involves trees, so I like seeing how other people use them in their stories. This is told from the tree's perspective, which is nice.<br />
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<b><a href="https://theshortstory.co.uk/microfiction-walking-on-eggshells-by-sharon-telfer/" target="_blank">Walking on Eggshells</a> by Sharon Telfer (in TSS Publishing)</b> - A good micro is a wonderful thing, and this one breaks down a relationship via a single metaphor, applied three ways.<br />
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That's all folks! Maybe my next post will be on a different topic... you never know 😊Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-61680493683649560082020-05-03T16:57:00.000+01:002020-05-03T16:57:49.281+01:00March Reading Round-UpWill I ever catch up and post these in a less delayed fashion? Who knows. Does it matter? Probably not. What day is it anyway, the 413th of Quarantinuary?<br />
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Right, March. March was that weird month that started out sort of normal and ended up with working from home in lockdown. Yeah. But... I did read some stuff. So here goes:<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/533992/this-census-taker-by-china-mieville/" target="_blank">This Census Taker</a> by China Miéville</b><br />
Even more so than with other China Miéville books I've read, I wasn't sure what to make of this when I started it. It's bleak, and creepy, and leaves a lot to the imagination and interpretation of the reader. I admit I took a while to get into it, whereas with the others I've read (The City & The City and Perdido Street Station) I was immediately pulled into their worlds. But as the different layers of narrative play out and the story comes together, I did end up liking it a lot by the time I finished it. It feels a bit like peering through a partially obscured window into a place you'd like to see more of - so many unanswered questions, so many things mentioned but left unexplained (particularly about the past), so much you still don't know about the main character's life outside of the brief moments you are shown. But it's beautifully done, and reinforces to me that I need to work my way through the other books of his I haven't yet read!<br />
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And highlights of March's online reads:<br />
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<b><a href="https://ceasecows.com/2020/02/26/lock-and-key-by-candace-hartsuyker/" target="_blank">Lock and Key</a> by Candace Hartsuyker (in Cease, Cows)</b> - A delightfully disturbing retelling of a possibly less well known folk tale.<br />
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<b><a href="https://storgy.com/2020/03/09/the-reflection-room-by-angela-wipperman/" target="_blank">The Reflection Room</a> by Angela Wipperman (in STORGY)</b> - An interesting take on the idea of your life passing before your eyes when you die, and I like the conversational, instructive voice.<br />
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<b><a href="https://ceasecows.com/2019/02/14/vigil-by-kate-finegan/" target="_blank">Vigil</a> by Kate Finegan (in Cease, Cows)</b> - I'm finding it hard to put into words quite what I love so much about this one, but I think maybe it's something to do with the weirdness-accepted-as-normal (or at least, stated in a tone of acceptance) combined with some of the imagery.<br />
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<b><a href="https://cabinetofheed.com/2020/03/16/a-moment-coloured-dusk-elodie-rose-barnes/" target="_blank">A Moment Coloured Dusk</a> by Elodie Rose Barnes (in The Cabinet of Heed)</b> - Just gorgeous writing! The details and the sense of nervous anticipation of being in the moment before something might happen.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.smokelong.com/lucy-ignores-death/" target="_blank">Lucy Ignores Death</a> by L. Soviero (in SmokeLong Quarterly)</b> - A brilliant concept, again with an innate acceptance of something entirely not normal woven through it; the idea that you could be dead but not know it.<br />
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<b><a href="https://jellyfishreview.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/watch-list-by-amy-zhang/" target="_blank">Watch List</a> by Amy Zhang (in Jellyfish Review)</b> - Powerfully conveys the experiences it describes, and stayed with me because it reminded me of the many international students I see all the time in my day job (studying in another country & another language is such a brave thing to do!)<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/miss-quinns-instructions-to-class-8q-by-angelita-bradney/" target="_blank">Miss Quinn's Instruction to Class 8Q</a> by Angelita Bradney (in Ellipsis Zine)</b> - A lovely combination of the mundane and the magical, that feels both nostalgic and whimsical, and slightly sad.<br />
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<b><a href="https://okaydonkeymag.com/2020/03/27/wetted-appetites-by-molly-gabriel/" target="_blank">Wetted Appetites</a> by Molly Gabriel (in Okay Donkey)</b> - Something wonderfully creepy to finish on! The imagery and turn of phrase are unsettling from the start, and it ends up somewhere very strange indeed.<br />
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That's all for now. If there's anyone out there finding my book-related ramblings at all interesting, then thanks for reading! 😘Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-2459856889947886112020-04-12T18:08:00.001+01:002020-04-13T18:07:00.062+01:00February Reading Round-Up (a month late!)I'm now well over a month late writing this, but I think I can be forgiven with everything that's going on! I suppose I could have conflated February and March together, but having only started this in January I thought I'd try and stick to the format I wanted...<br />
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I actually finished two books in February (!), so let's start with those.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Djinn-Nightingales-Eye-Fairy-Stories/dp/0099521318" target="_blank">The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories</a> by A. S. Byatt</b><br />
Four short stories and a novella, all with a fairy tale feel, which suits me down to the ground. The stories are all quite different, actually, and while I enjoyed them all, there were a couple of the shorter ones that really stood out for me. My favourite was The Story of the Eldest Princess, in which the princess, and others, are aware of their fairy tale roles, and both understand and subvert what is expected of them. I also liked The Glass Coffin, the tale of a simple man finding his happy ever after by fulfilling a series of tasks and being a generally decent chap - very traditional in some ways but with some twists thrown in. The titular novella, which forms the bulk of this book, is also very good. I actually wasn't sure about it at first - it took me a little while to find my stride with it - but as it developed and the magical elements emerged it drew me in. The thing I liked best about it were the layered narratives, the stories within stories (the main character being a storyteller of sorts) that built up to give added depth and nuance to the main thread.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.rebellionstore.com/products/uprising" target="_blank">Heirs of the Demon King: Uprising</a> by Sarah Cawkwell</b><br />
Currently available as an ebook, or you can pick up second hand copies in print (I actually did both, because I wanted to support the author/publisher and also have a physical copy). This is an alternate history fantasy novel, in which the Plantagenet kings made a deal with dark forces, won the Battle of Bosworth and continued to rule, and magic is widespread across Europe but forbidden in England. It is an engaging adventure story with some classic coming-of age themes that carries you along on the characters' journey, and has some good world-building threaded through it to develop your understanding of how everything works alongside the main characters, Mathias and Tagan. There are hints of a much bigger story still to be told, and a destiny unfolding for the characters, particularly towards the end of the book. Sadly at the moment I don't believe there are plans for a sequel, but I would gladly read one if such a thing ever materialised!<br />
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And here some pieces I read online in February, that I felt inspired to save and share:<br />
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<b><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/02/01/no-rhyme-or-reason/" target="_blank">No Rhyme, Or Reason</a> by Jude Higgins (in Fictive Dream)</b> - a sad little story about loss and motherhood, overlaid with nursery rhyme elements that somehow add to the melancholy.<br />
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<b><a href="https://lunate.co.uk/flash-short-stories-and-poetry/the-first-law-of-thermodynamics-by-michael-logan" target="_blank">The First Law of Thermodynamics</a> by Michael Logan (in Lunate)</b> - A longer short story that beautifully portrays love, and coping (or not) with the certainty of losing that love to the shadow of illness.<br />
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<b><a href="https://spelkfiction.com/2020/02/07/whatever-comes-your-way/" target="_blank">Whatever Comes Your Way</a> by Sam Payne (in Spelk)</b> - this piece uses a child's perspective on a single conversation to show the reader that something awful is going on in her life <i>[I feel like I bookmarked a lot of potentially upsetting stories in early February, sorry!]</i><br />
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<b><a href="https://okaydonkeymag.com/2020/02/07/emily-dont-by-kelsey-ipsen/" target="_blank">Emily, Don't</a> by Kelsey Ipsen (in Okay Donkey)</b> - this one just grabbed me when I first read it; it's about being young and stupid, and not knowing what you want but knowing you don't want what you have.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.ellipsiszine.com/pure-and-simple-by-shelley-roche-jacques/" target="_blank">Pure and Simple</a> by Shelley Roche-Jacques (in Ellipsis Zine)</b> - a tiny story about bees, and honey, and anger, that also manages to be about all the misguided hatred and nationalism that sometimes seems to be all around us.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/on-repeat-flash-fiction-by-laura-besley/" target="_blank">On Repeat</a> by Laura Besley (in Reflex Fiction)</b> - a stream-of-consciousness, single sentence flash that stunningly conveys what new parenthood must sometimes feel like.<br />
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<b><a href="https://fictivedream.com/2020/02/25/a-list-of-things-that-are-white/" target="_blank">a list of things that are white</a> by Matt Kendrick (in Fictive Dream)</b> - is it a flash, is it a prose poem, does it matter? This is lovely, tinged with sadness; I'm still not quite sure I know what it's about but I don't care, it's like reading someone else's dream.<br />
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<b><a href="https://lunate.co.uk/flash-short-stories-and-poetry/my-sister-my-sister-by-aisling-flynn" target="_blank">My Sister, My Sister</a> by Aisling Flynn (in Lunate)</b> - a strange story with the feel of a folk tale, but with some hard edges.<br />
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<b><a href="http://x-r-a-y.com/marks-by-monica-dickson/fiction/" target="_blank">Marks</a> by Monica Dickson (in X-R-A-Y)</b> - a great example of using an unusual structure in a flash; telling a whole life story through key moments, tied together by graffiti.<br />
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<b><a href="https://spelkfiction.com/2020/02/28/the-paper-son/" target="_blank">The Paper Son</a> by Bradley Sides (in Spelk)</b> - another piece with, I think, a slightly fairy tale vibe (shades of Pinocchio maybe?), small and perfectly formed. (Maybe I just see fairy tales everywhere!)<br />
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One good thing I'm finding about saving these lists of stories to post, is that it makes me read them all over again and remember what I liked about them so much the first time!<br />
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So that's it for now - March's post will follow (hopefully before the end of April...). Look after yourselves out there folks! 😘Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-70550033247162560782020-02-02T18:11:00.000+00:002020-05-03T17:05:25.451+01:00January Reading Round-UpIn an effort to get through more of my endless TBR pile, and rebuild my reading habits a bit, I thought it might be nice to blog about what I read each month. Turns out, in spite of having several books on the go in January, I haven't actually <i>finished </i>any of them yet... D'oh! Best intentions and all that 😳<br />
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However, I also read quite a lot of flash/short fiction and poetry online these days, so I decided to make a note of things I came across this month that jumped out at me, moved me in some way, or were just downright brilliant! Obviously there is a huge amount of great writing out there, so this is just a short personal selection of things I happened to read and enjoy.<br />
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And without further ado, here is January's list:<br />
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<b><a href="https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2020/01/09/yesterdays-tide-by-jo-withers/" target="_blank">Yesterday's Tide</a> by Jo Withers (in Milk Candy Review)</b> - I love the repetition in this, like the waves coming in and out inevitably. The imagery is beautiful, shot through with sadness.<br />
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<b><a href="https://spelkfiction.com/2020/01/10/vintage-with-nozzle/" target="_blank">Vintage, with Nozzle</a> by Alison Theresa Gibson (in Spelk)</b> - Something about this piece just grabbed me when I first read it; the way the series of short images build up to imply a much bigger story.<br />
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<b><a href="https://okaydonkeymag.com/2020/01/17/b-is-for-balls-by-kara-vernor/" target="_blank">B is for Balls</a> by Kara Vernor (in Okay Donkey)</b> - A brilliantly framed story about how boys and girls can be treated differently.<br />
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<b><a href="https://jellyfishreview.wordpress.com/2020/01/20/a-stubborn-woman-gives-nothing-by-nikoletta-gjoni/" target="_blank">A Stubborn Woman Gives Nothing</a> by Nikoletta Gjoni (in Jellyfish Review)</b> - I've always been a sucker for mythic stories, and this one is just wonderful from start to finish.<br />
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<b><a href="https://lunate.co.uk/home/go-to-hell-by-ashling-dennehy" target="_blank">Go To Hell</a> by Ashling Dennehy (in Lunate)</b> - This micro is an incredible example of how someone can use a few carefully chosen words to say much more than you might think possible.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/sacred-kingfisher-flash-fiction-by-mary-francis/" target="_blank">Sacred Kingfisher</a> by Mary Francis (in Reflex Fiction)</b> - Another piece with mythic threads beautifully woven through it, both complementing and contrasting with the modern elements in the story.<br />
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<b><a href="https://lunate.co.uk/home/one-day-before-too-long-by-kathryn-milam" target="_blank">One Day, Before Too Long</a> by Kathryn Milam (in Lunate)</b> - The voice in this story is really well developed, and conjures the setting and relationships it describes perfectly.<br />
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So there you have it! I hope if you hadn't come across any of the pieces above, you found something to like, and maybe next month I'll have finished some books to review as well 😉Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-90544243923343237942020-01-13T15:17:00.000+00:002020-01-13T15:19:14.147+00:00Slightly Belated 2019-in-Review PostBefore it gets completely too late to do so, I thought I should try to sum up how 2019 went for me in terms of writing stuff.<br />
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Submissions</h4>
I decided at the start of the year that I wanted to take my writing more seriously, and that included aiming for at least 1 submission per month... well I smashed that goal! My beautifully colour coded spreadsheet (who doesn't love a spreadsheet?) tells me I made 57 submission in total, some of which included multiple pieces.<br />
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I had 42 rejections (9 of which were personalised in some way, which was nice) and 4 non-responses. 2 were still out at the end of the year (I've now had a rejection for one of those, but a very friendly one!)<br />
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If your maths is any good you may have worked out therefore that I got 9 acceptances! I had to wait until the end of June for my first success but then had a steady flow on and off through the second half of the year. One of those was a shortlisting in the <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/whq-flash-quarterly/" target="_blank">Writers' HQ Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition</a>, and one was a longlisting in the <a href="https://www.reflexfiction.com/flash-fiction-contest-schedule/" target="_blank">Reflex Fiction Flash Fiction Competition</a>.<br />
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6 of those pieces have been published, and the remaining 3 are due out over next couple of months! You can see a list of what's been published <a href="https://theleadedwindow.blogspot.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">here</a>, complete with links, should you so desire 😊<br />
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Events and Challenges</h4>
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I took part in 28 Plays Later in February (for the second time) and Like The Prose in June, and successfully completed both, which generated a bunch of new first drafts for me (both challenges from <a href="https://www.theliteralchallenge.com/" target="_blank">The Literal Challenge</a>, and thoroughly recommended if you need something to kickstart your motivation). I probably won't do 28 Plays Later again personally, as although it was fun I think I've concluded playwriting isn't for me, so I'll focus my efforts on prose/poetry instead.</div>
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Also in June I made the last minute decision to attend the <a href="http://bigbookend.co.uk/nssf/" target="_blank">Northern Short Story Festival</a> - turned out to be a great decision as it was fab! I did some excellent workshops and met some lovely people. Definitely hoping to go again this year.</div>
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Last but not least, I also made it to two Writers' HQ <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/writing-retreats/" target="_blank">one-day writing retreats</a>, which are an amazing opportunity to just get your head down and get cracking - I came out with around 3,700 new words both times! And I'm already booked on for February and March retreats this year - starting 2020 as I mean to go on... If there's one near you, definitely check it out!</div>
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2020 Plans...</h4>
In keeping with the <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/submit2020/" target="_blank">#Submit2020</a> challenge, I want to beat 2019's submission figures, so I'll be aiming for about 60 (or 5 a month). Totes do-able, right? I've managed 3 already in the first couple of weeks!<br />
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I also want to write/finish some longer stuff. I LOVE flash fiction and poetry and I'm not going to stop writing either, but I also have a bunch of longer short story ideas, and *mumblemumble* years' worth of aborted NaNoWriMo novel beginnings. As a starting point I'll say I'd like to do at least 6 short stories (of more than 1,000 words), and complete the tree-mythology themed novel/novella I'm been sporadically working on for the last year or so.<br />
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Oh, and blog more often should probably be on the list too... although 'more than two posts a year' isn't a particularly high bar to beat! 😆Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-51902538259074122182019-07-03T19:11:00.001+01:002019-07-03T19:11:47.376+01:0030 Tiny Stories in 30 DaysIn June I successfully completed the <a href="https://www.theliteralchallenge.com/liketheprose" target="_blank">Like The Prose</a> challenge from the lovely folks at <a href="https://www.theliteralchallenge.com/" target="_blank">The Literal Challenge</a>. The idea is to write 30 short stories in 30 days - one complete new piece of prose every day for a month.<br />
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I've completed their script writing challenge <a href="https://www.theliteralchallenge.com/28playslater" target="_blank">28 Plays Later</a> twice before - which to be honest was much further outside my comfort zone, as I never normally write scripts - so I was pretty confident going in, but motivation/procrastination is my constant enemy, plus I was going to be in a field for 3 days one weekend in June with only a phone to write on!<br />
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But... I succeeded! Some stories were written on my phone, some were written in a half-asleep mad rush before bed, some were squeezed in between multiple other competing priorities, but they all got done (which is more than I can say for any of my ill-fated NaNoWriMo attempts!)<br />
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The Format</h4>
At 10pm each day (starting on 31 May), you receive a prompt via email, and you then have 36 hours to submit your story (so until 10am on 2 June for Day 1). The final prompt arrives at 10pm on 29 June and must be completed by 10am on 1 July. If you miss the deadline you're disqualified! (Although you can still carry on and be an honorary completer if you finish all the stories.)<br />
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Responding to the prompts/themes isn't compulsory, but I find it really helps to have something as a jumping off point rather than trying to pull something from nothing out of your own brain every day!<br />
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The Stats</h4>
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Because everyone loves some facts and figures, right?</div>
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In total I wrote <b>11,815 words</b>, which works out as an average of <b>394 per day</b>. I knew I was likely to be producing mainly flash fiction length stuff, working at this pace, so that's not a surprise.</div>
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My longest submission was <b>1,756 words</b>, and my shortest was <b>49 words</b> (and was actually six micro stories of between 6 and 9 words each!)</div>
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Breaking it down a bit further:</div>
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<li>2 were over 1,000 words (for argument's sake, let's call this short story length)</li>
<li>8 were between 300 and 1,000 (pretty clearly flash fiction)</li>
<li>20 were under 300 words (likely to be classed as micro fiction, although all these categories have pretty blurred edges and are open to debate...)</li>
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Of the sub-300 word stories, 10 were under 200 words, and 2 were under 100 words!</div>
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The earliest I submitted a story was 8.59am the morning after receiving the prompt. The latest I submitted was 8.24am on the morning of the deadline (getting in with about 90 minutes to spare). My average submission time was somewhere between 10pm and midnight the night before the deadline.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MsEURpHfmaU/XRzrtNggOoI/AAAAAAAAHUo/yiPg2W5EUWMPxc4Xi3KVR8RTaDaAmreVgCLcBGAs/s1600/LTP.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MsEURpHfmaU/XRzrtNggOoI/AAAAAAAAHUo/yiPg2W5EUWMPxc4Xi3KVR8RTaDaAmreVgCLcBGAs/s320/LTP.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my winner's badge to prove it!</td></tr>
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Any challenge like this is a bit of a wild ride, but if you can keep it up it's super motivating - I've now got 30 stories I didn't have in May! Inevitably some of them are terrible and should be hidden in a box and never read by anyone ever, but I reckon there are 15 or so I'd like to edit/do some more work on and see where they take me, which is 50% - I'm definitely calling that a win!</div>
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Now trying to ride some of this writing momentum into July and beyond... wish me luck!</div>
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Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-760829903505650322019-06-04T18:37:00.000+01:002019-07-03T19:12:12.896+01:00Writing About WritingSo, that 2015 relaunch went as planned, huh? Let's try this again...!<br />
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Last weekend I attended the <a href="http://bigbookend.co.uk/nssf/">Northern Short Story Festival</a> in Leeds. It was a bit of a last minute decision (just two weeks before the event) but, it turns out, an excellent one! I've come away all inspired and motivated, and feeling the need to network and achieve things with my writing, or at least attempt to (hence: blogging). Long may this feeling last!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hykVfIgI6BA/XPag-ZdebsI/AAAAAAAAHG8/HxblBfws6EYzhxIeaKbIoBW4wDLm-2_FQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Distracted_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hykVfIgI6BA/XPag-ZdebsI/AAAAAAAAHG8/HxblBfws6EYzhxIeaKbIoBW4wDLm-2_FQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Distracted_large.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm very focused, until the next shiny thing comes along...</td></tr>
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Two of the workshops I participated in at the weekend were particular highlights for me, and the thing they both had in common was the idea of using something small like a word, or an image, or a scientific concept, or an old newspaper advert as a jumping off point for your story.<br />
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When I first started writing (as an adult - I wrote stories as a child/teenager and then took a long hiatus!) I wanted to write a novel. This resulted in any number of abortive <a href="https://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> attempts, all of which are now languishing on my Google Drive. Some are worth revisiting; several are definitely not! What's interesting is that most of the more recent ones are more like interconnected short story collections in their conception (or would have been if I'd actually written the damned things...). Perhaps I should have taken that as a sign of where my brain wanted me to focus.<br />
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The past few years I've been playing a lot more with flash fiction and poetry (and things that are somewhere in between). I like how you can play with language in something that's so short as to be almost abstract, and yet still try to tell a story. That's one of the things I took away from the two workshops I mentioned above - creating a moment out of something seemingly small or obscure, but trying to do it in a way that feels bigger than it is, part of a wider story.<br />
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I'm not quite sure what my intent is with this post, beyond trying to capture my current enthusiasm by writing about writing, but anyway - here it is! Maybe I'll manage the next one a little sooner than four years time, eh?Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-19036399846795564752015-08-21T13:00:00.001+01:002015-08-21T13:02:30.109+01:00“I Don’t Like Fighting” (or, How I Ended Up Playing With Swords)<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3617bc63-3b98-37c1-650a-5ad1dc2cfa74" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So here’s the thing: I’m not a fighter. I have never been a fighter. I didn’t get in fights as a child (except for the occasional spat with my brother, but that hardly counts), and I never had any interest in doing martial arts.</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></b> </div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was a reasonably active child and teenager, but the activities I took up were non-combative (and often, I suppose, those that would be considered more ‘girly’).</span></span></b><a name='more'></a><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I did swimming, gymnastics, a couple of years of trampolining, and I danced. I danced a lot. Not with a view to becoming professional or anything, but it’s the thing I kept doing longer than any other sport/exercise hobby. I’ll not go into full detail here, but I did multiple different styles of dance from the age of 7 onwards, and I loved it.</span></span></b><br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sometime after finishing university, I stopped going to dance classes, and although I still danced occasionally it got gradually more and more sporadic. Life got in the way, as it often does with these things once you get to be an adult and start thinking about boring things like having a job.</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></b><br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I was 25, my husband (who has always been a martial artist of some variety) discovered a HEMA class in our local area that he fancied joining. He tried to persuade me to go too, but I wasn’t bothered. After his first class he came home fired up with enthusiasm.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">‘You should come next time,’ he told me, ‘You’d love it.’</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was adamant that I wouldn’t. Swords were cool, but I didn’t actually want to fight with them. But he kept bugging me, and in the end I agreed just to shut him up! He promised that if I went once and didn’t like it he wouldn’t ask me again.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So the next month I went to a full day workshop on rapier and sabre, convinced I would hate it and that would be that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yeah…</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fast forward to today, eight years later, and in that time I’ve been a member of three different HEMA clubs, and trained (or at least dabbled) in around six or seven different weapons/styles.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnoGJ6ntyoY/VdM2oPGsvNI/AAAAAAAAAJE/do354v1P2to/s1600/11873652_10153231969169440_6818849184638095252_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnoGJ6ntyoY/VdM2oPGsvNI/AAAAAAAAAJE/do354v1P2to/s320/11873652_10153231969169440_6818849184638095252_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Apparently, stabbing your friends is fun. Who knew?</span></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">At my current club,</span> <a href="http://www.pumabartitsu.co.uk/">PUMA Bartitsu</a><span style="color: #fff2cc;">, that includes unarmed styles (pugilism and late 19th/early 20th century self-defence), which came as another huge surprise to me. After about six years of playing with swords, I would still have told you I didn’t want anything to do with punching, grappling or kicking. Then I tried it last year and discovered actually it’s quite good fun.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">These days I will concede that I may, in fact, have been wrong about whether I would like fighting!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The thing is though, I actually </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">don’t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> really like fighting, at least not in the aggressive and combative way that some people seem to approach it, particularly when entering tournaments (not everyone of course, but a fair few in my experience). I don’t seem to have much of an urge to kill and win, which means I don’t do well under those circumstances, especially if facing people who are both bigger and stronger than me.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What I do enjoy though, far more than I ever expected to, is the movement and flow of martial arts. I like the back and forth exchange with a partner/opponent, and the way certain things only make sense when you have another body there working in partnership (or opposition) with you. I like the satisfaction of getting a technique just right and having it work perfectly; footwork just so, body mechanics all spot on, weapon moving in just the right way at the right time. It doesn’t happen to me all that often, but when it does it’s a good feeling!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> </span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’m not saying I don’t get a buzz from landing a hit, or winning a bout in sparring. I do. But it’s the excitement of putting what I’ve learnt into practice and it actually working that I enjoy, more than simply the fact that I’ve won.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’m still a dancer. It’s just a different dance.</span></span></span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeHsyY52pVE/VdHR7q1ztLI/AAAAAAAAAIw/opKsB493Km4/s1600/20150816_134211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeHsyY52pVE/VdHR7q1ztLI/AAAAAAAAAIw/opKsB493Km4/s320/20150816_134211.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Also we train in a dance studio, so...</span></td></tr>
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Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022387352984100706.post-58486538169155096662015-08-17T13:16:00.001+01:002015-08-18T14:56:46.938+01:00Obligatory Intro Post<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c2a90c0c-3b92-9c54-f594-8ce10b44cba3" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In theory I’ve had this blog since 2012. In practice I’ve basically never used it, so I’ve decided it’s time for a bit of a relaunch (also I’ve written pretty much nothing this year, and blogging might kick start that bit of my brain… maybe?).</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So here we are.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m not really sure quite what this will turn out to be. Most likely a collection of random posts about my various interests and hobbies, which include but are not necessarily limited to:</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HEMA (historical European martial arts)</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">LARP (live action role play)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Writing</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Crafting (mainly sewing plus other bits and pieces)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Running</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have a fairly severe issue with procrastination, so any activity that doesn’t involve regular stuff to attend or externally imposed deadlines is likely to be pretty sporadic, and therefore blog posts on particular topics may well come in fits and spurts as my brain engages and focuses on something for a while and then wanders off to something else (or just resorts to sitting in front of the TV). You never know, this might actually help me be a bit more consistent with some things (…who am I kidding!).</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br /></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I haven’t blogged regularly since my LiveJournal days (and to be honest ‘regular’ is something of a misnomer for the level of LJ activity I managed). I’d love to say I’d like to post once a week, but I know myself better than that! If I manage one or two a month I’ll be happy.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Anyway, let’s get on to some actual content…</span></b><div>
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</span></b><br />Sarah McPhersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16826427973372937642noreply@blogger.com0