I’m definitely not much of a collector of anything, except for odd socks.  However, a year or so ago I found a book called “Rodney” by David Hannay for sale on abebooks, and as I’m a bit of a fangirl of Admiral Lord Rodney, I bought it, only to find that it was published in 1891 and I was now the proud possessor of a book which was almost 120 years old.

Well, today I went into the Oxfam charity second hand bookshop in Cambridge, and discovered both volumes of Oliver Goldsmith’s  The Citizen of the World, published in 1790, available for £25 for the pair!  The second volume may be (as Terry Pratchett would say) slightly foxed and severely badgered as well, with it’s front board detached (but still present) and the ends of its spine missing.  But the first volume is almost perfect apart from a bit of staining.  It’s actually in better condition than the Rodney book, and the gold work on the spine still gleams.

They’ve got the ‘f’s for ’s’es and everything   I couldn’t let fuch wonderful books languifh in a fhop, or even go to a home that wouldn’t appreciate them.  Not when it would cost me £17.50 even to get the modern paperback.

So now I’m the proud owner of two books which are almost 220 years old!

I’m beginning to get a taste for this   I’m also thinking that I’d like to have the second volume restored so that the front doesn’t keep falling off.  Anyone know anything I ought to know about re-binding ancient books, before I go out and look someone up to do it?

.

Word count on “Away with the Faeries”

15085 / 50000 words. 30% done!

So, I’ve completed 30% of the novel in the first week.  But despite my defense of NaNo on the metawriters site and elsewhere, I think I’ve decided to give up for this year and possibly for good.

I’m really not enjoying it the way I did the first year.  I’m too aware that the focus on getting the words out fast means that I am not thinking them through.  I’m getting very aware of all the massive editing problems I’m storing up for myself after I’m finished – such as needing to re-write chapter 3 in Chris’ POV rather than Ben’s.  I’m aware that my POVs are not balanced, and that my characters are tending to do things that don’t make psychological sense.  And that’s because I can’t tell what they’re feeling, because I’m writing too fast to be able to get into their heads.

It’s not working, and I’m thinking that I will switch back to my more usual pace of between 1,050 and 1,400 words a day, which has thinking time and looking-stuff-up time built in.  And also doesn’t make me snippy and unpleasant to my family and unable to answer my emails.  It might also allow me time for swimming, which I need on account of the fact that my shoulders are now so bad that I can’t wear jumpers (too painful to pull them over my head) or sleep properly at night.

At a pace of 1,050 words a day, I should get the first draft finished in three months (call it four to take account that not much writing happens over Christmas), and it should need about half the editing it would need if I did it in one.  Which may even end up being faster in the long run.

I don’t like to be a quitter but, as you can see, I am at least quitting while I’m ahead

.

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

Cheyenne Publishing and Bristlecone Pine Press are throwing a celebration on Thursday November 5th to introduce Hidden Conflict: Tales from Lost Voices in Battle

and re-introduce Speak Its Name: A Trilogy.

To read excerpts from the two anthologies, watch the book trailer, or to get details on how to enter the drawings to win some really cool prizes, visit the Kindle boards (http://www.kindleboards.com/) or the Speak Its Name Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpeakItsName/

Bristlecone Pine Press will give away a free eBook of each title, and Cheyenne Publishing has a brand new paperback of Hidden Conflict with a bookplate signed by all four authors, and a paperback copy of Speak Its Name with a bookplate signed by all three authors. Everyone who enters the drawings will be eligible to win Hidden Conflict bookmarks. Come on by for full details on how to enter.

.

aiyatheydidnt
The Chinese version of ONTD, AIYA is a dynamic international community that welcomes users who share a love of contemporary Chinese pop culture. Dedicated to celebrity gossip and entertainment news, you'll enjoy gorgeous photos and breaking stories featuring the glitterati of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

wendylady2
Designed to rescue fashion victims everywhere, this Brit-based community reads like a rag-ezine. Published once or twice weekly, you'll view bizarre highlights of the global fashion scene through captivating photos and delightfully snarky editorial. Sit tight for a virtual fashion tour from the runways of New York to Milan to Paris and back home again to London in homage to the adage: you can't buy good taste.

soldiers_heart
A passionate community for veterans of all ages (mostly American), plus families, friends, and supporters. View poignant snapshots detailing life in combat and back on civilian soil in the form of original artwork, personal narratives, poetry, and photos. Be forewarned that members don't shy away from describing their disappointments, disabilities, and struggles.

I remember growing up with the message that women never fought in wars.  I was taught that!  And the more I learn about history, the more I realise it was an utter flat out lie.

Amazing story of Soviet Russia’s three regiments of women fighter pilots, dive bombers and night bombers, the “Night Witches”…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8329676.stm

who flew more than 3,000 missions along the ‘eastern front’ in WW2 and were not provided with parachutes – so if they were shot down, they all died.

Thanks to catdancerz for the link

Even Britain had its “Spitfire Women” of the Air Transport Auxiliary, flying the planes that took vital supplies between Britain’s airfields.  They may have been non-combatant, but they died just the same.  So why was I never taught about any of this?  Why was I specifically taught that heroism was only for the boys?  (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.  I know why.)

I boggle, again.

.

Finding a title for blog posts is the hardest bit!  I can’t find a unifying theme for this, so I’ll just toss them all together in one bowl:

Hidden Conflict gets a great review from Rainbow Reviews

Overall this is a great anthology that highlights historical men in the military in realistic and moving ways. Since the collection of stories is so dark and intense, I’d suggest reading them individually rather than the entire anthology at once. Their depth and emotion will not overwhelm then. Either way, this well written collection will appeal to literature fans easily.

We (the authors of the anthology) have been discussing that “dark and intense” ever since we read the review this morning, and it lead onto some reminiscences which reminded me of this article, which always makes me laugh:

Not Depressed, Just British!

And on an even more positive note, the I Do anthology (the first one) is a Dark Diva reviewer’s top pick this month, and is up for “book of the month”.  I’d hesitate to hustle for my own books, but getting people to buy this one = more money for the campaign for equal marriage.  So if you fancy going over to the review

I Do: An anthology in support of marriage equality

and voting for it as book of the month, that would be fabulous

.

As of now, Hidden Conflict is available to buy in print form from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in Kindle from Amazon, and in ebook form from All Romance ebooks.

Also it has a fantastic trailer put together by the multi-talented Jordan Taylor, who also did the cover:

which I’ve been watching and watching ever since she uploaded it.  Hee!  I wish I knew how she’d done it – it’s a cut above the usual “slideshow plus music” trailer.  And Garnet has a face (or, at least, half of one.) 

.