Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Marmite meanderings

A brief blog as I'm having an odd day off and tomorrow will be super-busy. Plus I'm just off to my Clarins massage (ah, bliss ...) followed almost immediately by the Bible group. Romans 9 - St Paul in full flow. What could be trickier? Hmm ...

Today at Vulpes Libris, I'm reviewing Kal Bonner's Climbing a Ladder Backwards. Another hmmm ... And a rather disappointing attempt to create a Bridget Jones for the new decade. Additionally disappointing, as I'm utterly convinced that this is not the novel Bonner should have written. It could have been oh so much more. If given a chance to breathe ...

Talking of reviews, I find myself unexpectedly heartened by a negative but incredibly thoughtful review of A Stranger's Touch on Goodreads by Winterjade. Whilst I'm obviously sorry she didn't like the story, I'm much chuffed by the fact that she recognised its ethereal and mystical qualities. That's exactly the effect I was aiming for, and it's marvellous that it's come across - all the more so to someone who disliked the story. Perhaps, as another writing friend has pointed out, it's simply because I've written a "marmite story" (at last! At last!), and people either warm to it or they don't. Either way, it's making me feel quite pleased. Or maybe I am just weird after all? That wouldn't surprise me ...

Earlier in the week, the lovely Clare London was kind enough to showcase me on her Livejournal site and there you can find out a little more about my reasons for writing that marmite story mentioned above(!) and read an extract of it (WARNING: it's erotic). Thank you for the opportunity, Clare, and I hope your birthday month is proving truly bright and bubbly for you!

Finally, here's this week's poetry course offering:

Treasures and traps

The night found me
glooming, at the edge
of a past
not yet explored,
rare dominion
of dreams, sparse country
of flight –

this coloured
storm of the sea,
this history
churning me, yearning me,
onward, downward
and I’m spiralling
somewhere between

earth and sky,
uncaught.


A little strange perhaps but, hey, you should be used to that by now ...

Anne's website - an acquired taste, but harmless really
The Prayer Seeker's Blog - walking on the light side, possibly

3 comments:

MaydayKoigo said...

I think Bridget Jones is probably a story one can't really re-create without it being a blatant re-hash, the original book had simplicity to it which made it comfortable and mellow to read, my assumption is that many would try and make such a simple story needlessly more complicated, though I personally don't know what Bonner has done but I coud only assume it wouldnt go so well due to the re-hash problem.

I thought Winterjades review was well written as well; it's better to have a bad review written well than a good review written badly :)
I could understand what she was saying unlike many reviewers who I've seen who posted nonsense like "shit made no sense, sucked." which is just downright lazy lol. I'd feel quite pleased with critique like that as it's helpful rather than rude so I'd feel comforted that someone was trying to help my progression :)
Wonderful poem yet again! <3
It reminds me of something and I don't quite know what, it sounds rather scottish for some reason =]
xXxXx

MaydayKoigo said...

Hehe, I forgot to say; thanks for the marmite reference =)
xXxXx

Anne Brooke said...

Thanks, Mayday! I was very pleased with the review too - I knew it would be a story that divided opinion - which just goes to make me think that I'm really gelling with my writing voice! :)) Glad you liked the poem.

Axxx