I’ve been Nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award!

Sunshine Bloggers Award.jpg

I’m delighted to say that Sadje, of Keep it Alive, has nominated me for the
Sunshine Bloggers Award!

Sunshine Bloggers Award Rules

Thank you, Sadje for the nomination, it’s an honour!

Okay, here are my answers to Sadje’s questions:

What made you start blogging?
I set up Luna’s on line about 6 years ago purely as somewhere to store my short stories. I was also experimenting with WordPress as I had started my ‘ghost blogging’ career.
It wasn’t until early this year when I started working from home full-time that I got up and running with it and started interacting with other writers and bloggers. I am so glad I did; the support and encouragement is amazing.

Do your friends and family support you in this?
I have a lot of encouragement for my writing. Maybe they actually believe I’ll be a best selling author one day so want to be nice to me! And a special mention for Cliff, my husband who’s really supportive unless it’s suppertime (a bit like Luna, my cat).

Which is your favorite time of the day?
I write best in the late afternoon, so it’s then.

What would be your dream vacation?
Visiting the gorillas in Rwanda. I’d need to have some strong-armed bearers to carry me and to bring the G+Ts.

What genre of movies you like best?
It depends on my mood. I have very eclectic taste (although I don’t like rom-coms or splatter movies much).

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
I’ll own up to a couple which work both ways: I get too involved with my characters. I talk to them, often out loud. Also, I’m a dreadful grammar pendant.

Are you an emotional person?
Don’t you have to be if you write fiction?

What motivates you in life and writing?
Imagination and an enquiring mind.

What sort of friend are you to your pals?
I’m there in mind and spirit, always.

Have you written poetry as well?
Some, but it’s not really my forte.


sunshine cup
Now imagine: I’m standing at the podium in full evening dress – gold lame, glitzy earrings, killer heels – (I did say imagine) and I am holding the 11 envelopes.
Here’s the speech…

These are some of the most inspirational, inventive and supportive writers I’ve met in ‘blogland’ so far. This is my thank you to them! Check them out. I’ve put in some links to their sites and to their work.

  1. Kent Wayne, the Dirty Sci-Fi Budda for being the first person to like my first post – check out his Echo series: I really enjoyed Vol.1 and I have Vol.2 is ready to read. Thanks for all the re-tweets!

  2. JI (Jenn) Rogers, a great inspiration – all those Six Word Challenges, wow, she’s right, they are addictive! Check out her book The Korpes File, vol 1 – a cracking read – vol 2 will be out soon; can’t wait to find out what happens next.

  3. Jean Lee’s World such lovely writing and great support. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed several of her ‘Tales of the River Vine’ and I now have ‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen’ to read on my Kindle.

  4. Teresa Grabbs, The Haunted Wordsmith, for all the inspiration and support, I’m reading her short story collection, ‘Tales from the Haunted Wordsmith’ now, and her new novel Reflected Echois lined up ready to read on my Kindle too.

  5. Ellie Scott for being awesome and witty and from Yorkshire (where I grew up). Ellie writes lot of lovely little engaging pieces not only on her website, but on Twitter and on Instagram (clever!). She’s on Medium too – head over and give her a clap.
    I’ve started reading her
    Merry Bloody Christmas: A Short Story Collection’ – one story a day in the run up to Christmas, although it’s tempting to pig out on a whole week’s-worth in one go! 

  6. Debra of Nana’s Whimsical World  for her ever-so-wittily described crafty projects, her wonderful stories about Foster and Panda (you have to read these!) and general awesomeness – this woman installed her own toilet!

  7. Adam West, The Writer of Age with whom I’ve probably had the longest email exchange ever when trying to download his free offer on Amazon (they like to make it tricky for you if you live in deepest, darkest Africa). However, The Vague Ship: A Tale of Ambiguity was well worth the effort!

  8. Freja Travels – a travel blog by Mickey & Yunni, so beautifully illustrated with photos. I followed them every step of the way through Madagascar. And Yunni is reading my work-in-progress novel from this blog (so I’d better hurry up and finish it).

  9. Muted Mouthful – Tiara has truly found her feet in her blog! Awesome stuff. I really don’t know why she doubts herself. And she lives in New York, which I find very cool!

  10. Jason H Abbott, The Aetheral Engineer – wonderful witty flash fiction. He’s on Twitter and Instagram too – thanks for being there.

  11. Keith Sandvidge -– dark and witty tales. Great support over in ‘twitterland’. Don’t tell anyone, but I think he’s reading my first novel…I wonder how it’s going.
    He also writes on Medium – pop over and give him a clap.

…and there are others, newer to my circle – and since Sadje also very kindly nominated me for the Liebster Award as well, I’ll give them their shout out there – stay tuned!

And I’m not going to ask anyone any questions, I merely offer the invitation to grab the ‘Sunshine Blogger’ banner, tell us more about yourself and pay it forward if you’d like.

You are someone's sunshine

 

NaNoWriMo – hitting the buffers

nanowrimo 2018

Week 4

Last day, last update!

Buffer Bashing NaNoWriMo LunasonlineWell, to continue the railway analogy: I haven’t run out of steam (far from it), but I have run out of time. But only just. I’m nearly there.

I might manage to squeeze another chapter out before the end of today, but I’ll still won’t have finished. That’s fine.

It was always ‘my rules’, so I’m extending my deadline into next week. And why not? Then I will have a completed ‘rough-ish’ first draft to work on next year.
It will be a good start to 2019.

So, how was it for me?

It was a good experience.
I enjoyed it.
It hasn’t mattered that I didn’t quite reach my goal.
I wrote every single day (apart from two Thursdays, which I’d anticipated).

Other priorities permitting, I discovered that I can write more, and I can write more quickly without (I believe) compromising on quality.

Would I do it again? Quite possibly.

So, all you other ‘NaNoWriMos’ out there. How was it for you?
I hope you achieved success – however you care to measure it – and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! See you next year?

Normal service will be resumed shortly.

 

Freebie this week!

 

Well, it’s that kinda week…

Just a reminder that my novel, ‘The Silver Locket’ written under pen name Holly Atkins, will be available to download onto your Kindle (or phone with ‘app’) for the rest of this week.

Please do help yourself to a copy!

If you get the chance, I’d really like to hear what you think about it. All feedback and reviews are welcome.

Ellie Scott did and I really appreciated her review. Here’s what she said: Ellie Scott’s book review of The Silver Locket

Offer closes Friday 30th November at 11:59 PST (Saturday 1st December 07:59 GMT)

NaNoWriMo – are we flagging?

nanowrimo 2018

Week 3

Actually, no, not flagging!

Three-quarters of the way into the month and my children’s novella is coming along quite nicely, in fact it’s probably just about at the right point in the story now for it to crank up, wind down and come in close to the finishing line by this time next week; lucky I set the bar low. But I mustn’t be complacent. Just plug away. I never know quite what the pesky characters are going to do to trip me up!

Meanwhile, back in the real world…

Swept up in all the Black Friday hype (no, not really, that’s a lie); rather slightly aware of an opportunity, I went for the old ‘Kindle giveaway’ for ‘The Silver Locket’. Now that was a handsome piece of prevarication, don’t you think. Still, I’ve taken advantage of so many freebies and cheapies from other Indie Authors, that I wanted to join in with a free offer – don’t worry about missing it – I’ll be tweeting the odd reminder next week.

So, have a pleasant and productive week all you NaNo people – and everyone else by the way!

Climbing on the Black Friday Bandwagon

black friday lunasonline

It has to be done. A FREE OFFER!

Actually it will be Monday 26 – Friday 30 November.

My novel, ‘The Silver Locket’ written under pen name Holly Atkins, will be available to download onto your Kindle (or phone with ‘app’).

Please do help yourself to a copy and let me know what you think, if you have the time, like the lovely Ellie Scott did: Ellie Scott’s book review of The Silver Locket

Save it to read after NaNoWriMo, if that’s what you’re doing. I have a stack of books waiting for me.

So, from Monday 12:00 PST (08:00 GMT) this is where to go for your freebie:

NaNoWriMo – onward and upward

nanowrimo 2018

Week 2

This morning, having once again had a terrible Thursday – not even one paragraph completed – I was feeling discouraged. The whole day before me and I just couldn’t get going. Maybe I’d put my characters through too much in the last couple of chapters? Charred bodies? Too gruesome for a middle grade story?

Leave it. Move on. I can always tone it down later.

Then after doing a spot of ‘real work’ up they popped, ready to go. Now Chapter 10 is all finished and I’m pretty much on track for my 30,000 word target for the month – 14,290 to be precise – and they’re ‘all good’ words (I think).

So, onward and upward to fellow ‘NaNo’s next week, and to everyone else busy toiling at the keyboard!

NaNoWriMo – update

nanowrimo 2018

The first week is almost over. Well, it’s been a week and a day, strictly speaking, but since my Thursdays have been too chock-full of ‘other stuff’, I’m not counting them (or on them).

I am enjoying it. I’m having fun. Maybe not getting quite the word count… but I have (mostly) finished my first five chapters. I’ve allowed myself to miss bits out: not worry about names, or particular locations. I’ve left notes to myself to look up this and fill in that. It’s working, at least in the context of my own particular goal for a short novel for children.

Oh, and the planning has mostly gone out the window. I’ve discovered I can’t write that way. Although I do still have the end written. It might change , I’ll have to see what my characters do. And I’m loving them!

So, my writerly friends out there who are busy with this little adventure too: may your words flow fluently, your plots thicken seamlessly and your characters give you joy! (Was that too many adverbs??).

On with the journey…

Writing for Children with Kieran Fanning

Great little interview. Check it out if like me you’re busy with a children’s story for NaNoWriMo.

theryanlanz's avatarRyan Lanz

bear-422369_640

Our interview today is with Kieran Fanning. Kieran is a teacher in Co. Meath, Ireland.  He has an MA in Children’s Literature and wrote 4 puzzle/adventure books for children.

View original post 1,438 more words

What Do You Think Are the Most Popular Genres?

Interesting article! I found it encouraging too, since I’m working on a novel for children during #NaNoWriMo.

theryanlanz's avatarRyan Lanz

by Jean M. Cogdell

Is your genre one of the top percenters?

I hadn’t given this much thought, until reading a great article on Medium by Erica Verrillo from the Writing Cooperative. And boy howdy, the stats were eye-opening. Erica gives stats on most popular genres with readers, agents and includes which genres make the most money.

What surprised me most?

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NaNoWriMo

nanowrimo 2018

It’s started and not quite as I’d imagined. Of course, I must start by coming clean and admitting to those who didn’t catch my admission on Twitter the other day, that I haven’t signed up for this properly and officially.

No. I decided to be easy(ish) on myself and aim for a modest target of 20,000 – 30,000 words. A children’s story. Something I could add to later: parts two and three perhaps.

So, at the start of the week, I did a little light planning, which was good. Feeling confident!

And then midweek, and I shouldn’t complain,  I got a whole bunch of ‘proper work’ to do. That, incidentally, means paid work for clients which, of course is good. But it did include reproducing a 28 page, closely worded, legal document, which took hours (it’s not something I’d normally do) and it numbed my brain, something chronic!

NaNoWriMo Day One – 7,239 words… and none of them fiction! Day Two has been better.

Good luck to everyone who’s doing this! I wish you very well. See you next month.