Friday 27 March 2015

Celebrate the small things

Hi all and happy Friday. This week my celebration is an easy choice. Our youngest is coming home from uni this weekend for the Easter break. So looking forward to seeing her and catching up.

In other news, I finally spent a *pleasant* evening scrubbing the tiles in the shower. Hard work but satisfying!

The cherry tree in the front garden is starting to blossom. So pretty.



Thanks to Lexa and co-hosts 
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom

Monday 23 March 2015

A Change of Mind and Other Stories




Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories
Author: Nick Wilford
Genre: Contemporary speculative fiction
Cover Design: Rebekah Romani
Release Date: May 25th 2015




Today I am pleased to be able to help Nick with the cover reveal for his upcoming release. Congratulations Nick!

A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four pieces previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine.

In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.

But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…

In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.

The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.

In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.

Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.

The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.
Click for Options 
Bio

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working, he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. You can find him hanging out on his blog or on Goodreads or Twitter.

Preorder Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK

Friday 20 March 2015

Celebrate the small things

Here's a small group of things to celebrate! 




Thanks to my daughter's I can now say I have fairies living at the bottom of the garden! Last Sunday in the UK it was Mother's Day and I was sent outside to look for something magical. Near the apple trees, nestled against the wall, was a little door, a group of toadstools and a fairy. So cute, and a perfect pressie for me. 

I tried another new recipe this week. A Jamie Oliver one this time. Sticky chicken thighs with squashed new potatoes. Another success and easy to do as the final cooking is all in one dish.

Also got to mention the solar eclipse this morning. It was only a partial eclipse so didn't go fully dark, more an eerie gloom descended and it went very cold, but still worth witnessing. I am going to check it out on the internet later so I can see the effect on the sun properly. I remember the last total eclipse in August 1999. I was stood in a field and watching the darkness creep across the valley. That was spine tingling. Everywhere was so still and quiet.

What is everyone celebrating this week? I'll be hopping around to see.

Happy weekend.




Thanks to our host Lexa and her team 

L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge

Katie @ TheCyborgMom

Friday 13 March 2015

Celebrate the small things

Thanks to Lexa and co -hosts L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and 
Katie @ TheCyborgMom 

Sorry I didn't post last week, no particular reason, I just ran out of time! It is quite worrying that the weeks seem to be speeding by at such a rate. 

This week I am highlighting the following as reasons to celebrate:

* I have been wearing my new glasses for a week now and I have adjusted to the new lenses. I took a photo, but at the time of writing this post, it doesn't want to up load! I'll try and add it later.

* I am loving the smell of my 'Fairy Dust' scented candle. A perfect accompaniment to a writing session. 

* It's the weekend! Tired this week and so looking forward to a bit of free time over the weekend and hoping the sore throat I seem to have developed doesn't get any worse.

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful weekend.



Wednesday 4 March 2015

IWSG (March)


                                      Many thanks as ever to Alex 

Thanks also to our co-hosts for this month Chemist Ken,Suzanne Sapseed, and Shannon Lawrence

"The task we must set for ourselves is not to feel secure, but to be able to tolerate insecurity."
German psychoanalyst Eric Fromm (1900 to 1980)  


Don't you think this is true? I stumbled across this quote a while ago and it stuck with me.

When you really think about it, what do we need/desire to make us feel totally secure? And, should all the stars align and those 'things' were to happen, would it make us feel secure for ever? I doubt it because our life's are constantly evolving and changing and therefore our insecurities are fluid as well.

Writers seem to have a never ending pot of insecurity into which to delve, it goes with the job. Criticism and rejection, however nicely worded or presented, can fuel our own destructive thoughts. But the same must be true of any creative pursuits. Writers, artists, sculptors, musicians, and many others, all create something that they hope will be enjoyed and appreciated. But the fact is the process of 'putting something out there' exposes you to comment, good and not so good.

So, insecurity is normal. It is totally acceptable to feel insecure, indeed we should expect it. If (and I know it might be a big if at times!) we can do this, then maybe we can work on the learning to tolerate it part.

Personally this month I feel insecurity knocking on the door. I've work on submission so it would be strange if I didn't have these feelings.

But ... I am working on the tolerating part. I am distracting myself with a new project and allowing myself to do things unrelated to writing. Taking a walk, spending time with family and just catching up on some long overdue chores at home. At the very least I'll be able to enjoy a clean and tidy house for a while!

I hope you are all finding ways to tolerate your insecurities this month.