Riots, reviews and Brokeback Mountain revisited

Book News:

Some lovely reviews of my books from a new Italian reader, Anncleire, this week, who's been kind enough to give me a veritable riot of reviews for the following:

A 4-star review for Martin and The Wolf
A 4-star review for Tommy's Blind Date
A 5-star review for The Delaneys and Me
A 5-star review for Entertaining The Delaneys
A 5-star review for The Art of The Delaneys
A 5-star review for A Stranger's Touch.

All reviews are in Italian but Google Translate is a marvellous tool, Many thanks, Anncleire - it's much appreciated.

I also gained a 5-star review for Two Christmases, so many thanks, Arthur, for that one.

To put all this joy into the universal balance once more (and avoid my head getting way too large ...), The Gifting received a very mixed review from TWLIBReviews, so I'm rather less confident about my magnum opus than I was. Probably a good thing then! Though actually that makes one good official review for it and one mixed one, so there's an internal balance there too. Perhaps Simon (bless him!) and those Gathandrians are an acquired taste, like olives? Who can tell ...

Anyway, here's the next line or two of this evidently tricky fantasy novel:

There is no peace in the mind's battles. Only one chance to stop it now ...

Meanwhile, my full interview at Reasons to be Beautiful Magazine (click and scroll through to read) is now published (so many thanks, all, for that!), and Vulpes Libris have revisited my article on Brokeback Mountain. Many thanks for that one, Hilary!

And, for the first time, my pic is now up at DWB Publishing's author page for upcoming Christian novella, The Prayer Seeker, so that's exciting, well gosh. Other very exciting news this week (and hey it's not about me, so miracles can happen ...) is that best-selling crime novelist Vicki Tyley has a new book out called Fatal Liaison, so rush along now and get a copy. She's a dang fine writer.

This week's meditation poems are:


Meditation 556
Success doesn’t come
through winning the war,
the moment the victor relaxes;

he’ll know he’s on top
when the clear-up is done
and the losers are paying him taxes.




Meditation 557
It’s too early
in the morning
for the politics
of war.

I need coffee
and a shower
before sorrow
strikes me at the core

but the images
still haunt me:
something darkened,
something raw.

And I understand
how far we’re changed
by what we see
and what we store.


Life News:

We've exchanged on our Elstead house!!!! Hurrah, at long last we have managed to successfully navigate an exchange date. Third time lucky indeed, and we're both so very happy and relieved about it. Completion date is 1 September and we'll be moving in then. Which is why I've spent almost every spare house over the last few evenings and most of today trying to change our address details with the millions of businesses and utilities etc etc that we appear to be connected to. Who knew our lives were so entangled up with commerce and admin? I think I've all but worked through the ones I can do beforehand now - though I did get hugely cross this morning with the M&G who insisted I wasn't a real person in spite of the fact that we've been with them for about 20 years. My, I did get snippety. However, the fault was in the end entirely mine as I realised about an hour later that I'd been getting my various postcodes utterly muddled and what I'd insisted was correct to the unfortunate chappie at the other end of the line was nothing but bunkum and puff. Well, I simply have too many postcodes to deal with, my dears ... In the end they are melded into one vast generic code, much like Shakespeare plays seem to be as I get older. Mea culpa indeed. And to the young M&G man: heartfelt apologies and it actually wasn't your fault ...

Also this week, we woke up to a flood on Monday as the torrential rain had come through the upstairs neighbour's terrace and found its way across our living room floor. Deep sigh. The lovely Lara (thank you a thousand times ...) from Flat 4 womanfully sorted it out as the upstairs neighbours were away, and Lara knows who all the tradesmen are (in a decent and upstanding way, I have to say at this point ...). However we're not sure there's much that can be done about it as it's the way the house is built, and we shall either just have to pray for less heavy rainfall, or put up a plethora of umbrellas in the remaining three weeks we have here. Ah well.

And indeed we must move quickly for other reasons - this morning K and I were making silly faces at each other (as ... um ... usual) as he went off to work, and another neighbour unexpectedly popped round the corner. Leaving our faces frozen into positions the good Lord probably did not intend. Ah, the embarrassment. I bet they all want us to leave now ...

Finally, there have been a heck of a lot of riots in the UK. And I suspect that everything that needs to be said on the generally horrific nature of them has already been said, at least twice. However, there is something pleasingly odd in being surely the only country in the world who riots and then cleans up after ourselves. It must be the empire spirit, hey ho.

Anne Brooke
The Thoughtful Corner

Canongate Brokeback article, parties and murder

Put out the bunting but I actually managed to get to bed at a reasonable time last night, hurrah! And really it does make all the difference – I feel much more alive today, thank the Lord. Anyway, here’s today’s poem, something of a conundrum in itself, I feel:

Meditation 185

A city ravaged
by music.

I wonder if,
amongst the song
and celebration

when the walls
fall at last,
I will find any

who grieve
for the boundless
destruction of people,

who marvel
in the silent shadows
of the night

how God can wipe out
a culture’s beating heart
with one discordant note.


And I’m thrilled to say that the précis version of my article on Brokeback Mountain is now up at the Canongate Literature World Tour site, so thank you for that, Andrea. The Book Foxes and I are all thrilled!

At work, I’m still fiddling around with meeting dates for the year ahead and puzzling over Freshers’ Week arrangements. So something of a normal day then, eh. Quite sad at lunchtime though when we said goodbye to Tasha from Student Advice, who’s going on to bigger and better things. Heck, I’ll really miss her. How I hate it when things change. Thank goodness for my mid-afternoon Starbucks moment – I have no idea how I ever survived without them.

Tonight, I’m looking forward to Midsomer Murders, though I’ll have to video Kate Humble in Who Do You Think You Are on the other side, as I don’t want to miss that. And I’m still mulling over my short story about the letter – which some of you may remember from several weeks ago. Ye gods, but that one’s taking an age to pan out. I’m hoping I might actually finish it before retirement beckons, but you never know.

Today’s nice things:

1. Sleep
2. Poetry
3. The Brokeback article at Canongate
4. Starbucks cappuccino
5. TV.
6. Pondering short stories.

Anne Brooke - still enjoying Brokeback ...
Vulpes Libris – Adventure Week: where be those Romans?

Truth or Dare, Brokeback Mountain and hello, Miranda

A busy fun-filled day today (in oh so many ways), but here's this morning's meditation just to get us into the zone:

Meditation 179

Sometimes
all you need
to ensure the next day

actually happens
is a high window,
a red cord,

and the art
of keeping secrets.


And, at the other end of the literary spectrum, I'm pleased to say that my lesbian erotic short story, Truth or Dare, is now published at Clean Sheets webzine. It comes with a WARNING though - do NOT click on that link if you are under 18 years old or of a delicate disposition! - or I may have to beat you, and myself, with twigs. Which won't be a pleasant experience, believe me.

Keeping to literary matters, I'm pleased to say that the lovely Charles at Ink Sweat & Tears webzine has accepted my poem about toes for future publication - so thank you very much for that, Charles - it's hugely appreciated, especially after my recent three sets of poetry rejections. Phew.

I have also uploaded my article on Brokeback Mountain at the Vulpes Libris review site, so do pop along and let me know if you prefer the film or book version of that glorious tale. You'll be more than welcome! Indeed, the article does seem to have struck a chord out there in the virtual world as Canongate Press have emailed to ask if they can republish a precis version of the article next week as part of their Literature World Tour series, as this month they're focusing on North America. Once Vulpes agreed to this, naturally I've said yes - and thank you, Andrea, for asking!

Meanwhile, the very exciting news of the day (as if all this isn't enough!) is I have picked up my wonderful new Fiesta from the garage, filled her with petrol and I love her absolutely already. Mind you, I did shed a quiet tear on the journey home at saying goodbye to Rupert - as really that car has seen me through a lot of stuff in the last eight years. A hell of a lot of stuff. When I met Rupert, I'd never even completed a novel. Now I've written seven. My, how time flies when you're having fun, eh, and I do hope he goes to a good and deserving home. But for now - oh woman, thy name is fickle - it's goodbye, Rupert, and hello, Miranda Louise. She's gorgeous!

Back home, and once I'd finished licking the car with joy (um, that's a metaphor - really ... no, really it is), I've turned my attention back to Hallsfoot's Battle and have edited the chapter with the Third Gathandrian Legend in it. I could do more, but I'll see how the time goes.

Tonight, Lord H and I are off to Woking to see the stage show of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. I can't wait. And, yes, I do know that the fact of my huge excitement about this does indeed show my age ...

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Lesbian erotic short stories
3. Poetry acceptance
4. Brokeback article
5. Miranda!
6. Editing Hallsfoot
7. Theatre.

Anne Brooke - pondering gay cowboys and falling in love with her car