Thursday, June 30, 2011

Houses galore and fantasy

Book News:

I'm very happy to announce that my writing friend Dee Weaver has at last produced her first novel as an ebook - it's called The Winter House and will be very well worth buying. Dee's an extremely good writer, and that cover is wonderful too. Here's the blurb:

It would take more than flowers and remorse to make amends. He could taste her anger in the air that he breathed. She wasn’t satisfied. She wanted revenge. He wasn’t forgiven...

The Winter House stands on the western slopes of the Pennines, near Lancaster. Only visible when the surrounding trees have dropped their leaves, it has been abandoned for forty years. Only the shade of Lily Brent, who was murdered there over a century ago, lingers on in the mouldering rooms. When Fynn McColl moves in to restore the house he has more to contend with than dry rot and rising damp. Lily recognises in him a man from her own time; the one she can never forgive. The unfinished business between them will not be ignored, and she has waited so long, feeding her hatred, storing her psychic energy. Her assaults on Fynn, escalating in power at each encounter, finally drive him back to his pagan roots to seek his own resolution, risking his soul, his sanity, and the woman he loves.

So do pop across and grab yourself a copy - it will be well worth it, I guarantee it.

More personal book news is that I've finished the first editing update of Hallsfoot's Battle, but I'm now going to leave it until after the weekend to give it a thorough read-through. I'm also delighted to say that The Gifting is now available at Smashwords, and I've decided to publish brief extracts of it on Facebook and Twitter at regular intervals. Here's the first two lines of the prologue:

It is silent in the elders' cave. The dark-haired man with the blue eyes waits.

I've also had three more reviewers ask for a copy of this one, so have sent that off to them today. I hope they enjoy the read.

Turning to short stories, I'm pleased to say that Dancing with Lions gained a 4-star review at Goodreads - many thanks, Nancy. And How to Eat Fruit gained a very interesting review here - so thank you also, Animeuver.

Meanwhile, much to my amazement, my Sunday Haiku collection is still selling in a steady-ish fashion as the lovely Seventh Window Publications sent me the most recent royalties this week - thank you, Ken! Ooh, and I'm continuing on with the next erotic short story in the Delaneys series, Dating the Delaneys. I think I have some idea of which direction it's heading now (thank goodness ...) but as always it's hard to tell. Just keep on typing is what I say, and something will turn up ... I hope.

NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.

Today, at Vulpes Libris, you can find my review of The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham (in her other life she's Sophie Kinsella) - and it's a very good example of chicklit with a great deal of depth and humour - so I thoroughly recommend it. Do take a look.

Here are my most recent meditations:




Meditation 542
Jehu is a confident man
who stands quiet and proud

amidst his two lone syllables.
Because when something is said once

it needs no repetition
so despite all contrary evidence –

the steady breath and consonantal patterns
of larger, longer folk

who have syllables by the score –
Jehu himself does not wish for more.




Meditation 543
As fierce as lions
and as surefooted as deer –
these are the soldiers
the people fear.

But when the great river
overflows the land
then the courage of men
is as shifting as sand.




Meditation 544
It’s a quiet journey
and one uncertain
of success

as we set out
to search for the man
they talk of.

None of us speaks,
holding our thoughts
and strange dreams

too closely to our skin
for simple conversation.
It’s a slow accounting

and we do not know
when this night fades
what the day will show.


Life News:

Our house excitements continue. We raised our offer slightly on the Woking house on Monday - to which we've had no response. So we also put in an offer on the Elstead house - which we've raised today, as they actually appear willing to negotiate, gosh indeedy. Unlike the Woking people ... I must say that it's been a surprise in this house-hunting year how few people are actually willing to negotiate and what unrealistic expectations some have. The Elstead vendor is the first person who's not rejected our initial offer outright, and it's very pleasant to see that. After all, we're damn good buyers right now, and it would be a shame to lose us, I think ... We are of course totally adorable in every possible way - as you know!

Still, I'm quite happy in the rented flat right now - the garden is lovely and I had a wonderful time sitting out in the sun over the weekend and reading. Bliss indeed.

Anne Brooke

2 comments:

Jason Shaw said...
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Anne Brooke said...
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