House news and the vanishing Kindle

Life News:

Great imminent joy afoot in the House Department, you'll be glad to hear - it's possible that we may have an exchange date of next Thursday, with a completion date two weeks from that. At least that's what we're aiming for but, what with the bank holiday, we have yet to have that confirmed by the vendors. I'm hoping that will be okay though, as I'd ideally like to be in our new expanded house by the middle of September. Watch this space ...

Whilst waiting for all that to go through (we hope!), there's more exciting news on the Amazon Kindle front - they attempted to deliver it yesterday but we were out so I know it exists somewhere in the hemisphere and is attempting to reach me, hurrah. I imagine they'll try to deliver again on Tuesday, by which time I'll be at work, so I'm planning to ring them up early then and see if I can collect it from the despatch point in Guildford after work. I can't wait!

And I'm back at my Alexander Technique lessons - they've been off for the summer as my tutor broke her foot, poor thing, but she's well enough to restart now, so I hope my terribly stiff neck might be sorted out soon. Double hurrahs if that's the case indeed.

Yesterday, we spent a day at Mother's (hence the inability to receive my Kindle), and today we popped into the Benefice Communion service as Church returns to its routine after the usual C of E August shennanigans (sp?). Much amusement at the start of the service when the lady vicar forgot her glasses and was making please lend me some glasses signs behind the altar plus lots of giggling. Thankfully someone in the congregation swiped his wife's glasses (I assume he had permission but really who's to say ...!) and leapt into the breach. I think said wife then borrowed someone else's and so it went on. Heck we all know the service by now so we really don't need to see the words ...

Meanwhile, at The Bemused Gardener, I am bamboozled by compost and tomatoes. Probably not in that order.

Book News:

I'm happy to see that four of my short stories are in the Waterstone's Top 10 e-short stories list, so that's nice. And The Delaneys and Me managed to get to No 32 in the Amazon Gay Fiction charts, but has now dropped out entirely.

I was pleased however that Angels and Airheads gained a nice review at Three Dollar Bill Reviews, so thank you for that.

This week's meditation poems are:

Meditation 412
When preparing for war
the voice of God

sent everyone home
unbloodied and whole;

if only today
some brave politician

would stand and proclaim
a similar goal.


Meditation 413
God is so distant
sometimes

that only the thought
of gold

can act as a substitute
for love.


Meditation 414
The old paths
are not the best ones
today;

retrace your steps
another way.


This week's haiku is:

The garden rises
in my dreams: green and haunting,
whispering of leaves.

Anne Brooke
The Bemused Gardener

Bitterns and bunting

Life News:

Am still sick, groan. I did manage to get into work on Tuesday to deal with my 90 or so emails I'd gathered over the weekend, but the boss sent me home at 3.30pm saying how awful I looked. Can't say I blame him really. I just couldn't stop sneezing and my eyes were red and raw. Nice. I didn't go in yesterday as I felt so shattered with it all. Though I did feel better around lunchtime. False dawn however, as I fell into a significant relapse yesterday afternoon, and haven't got myself out of it yet. How I wish the sneezing would come back - it might take this terrible catarrh nausea/exhaustion thing away. Ho hum.

So I've cancelled my planned Clarins massage this afternoon (lying on back with catarrh - not a good idea ...), but I have gone to my Alexander Technique lesson, which surely must have done some good. Oh, and I've voted. I desperately wanted to vote for the Pirate Party, but decided I wasn't quite dressed for it. I'm the only one out there wearing a fleece and a woolly hat, but hell I have to keep my ears and neck warm somehow.

However, some nice things have happened. There's a lovely video clip of a booming bittern and the John Lewis ad remains its utterly gorgeous self.

Writing News:

I must first of all say how utterly gobsmacked I am at getting my first quarterly royalty statement from Amber Allure. Ye gods, but I swear they've managed to sell more of my books with them in three months than I've managed with all my publications in three years. And more. I actually have decent royalty money, for the first time ever - so a heartfelt thank you to Trace, Karin and the team, and let's hang out the bunting. Amazing stuff! Not only that, but I'm told that they've already sold 200 copies of The Delaneys and Me (which is at No 6 in the Amber Allure April Bestsellers chart) and it only came out in April. Which just goes to show the old adage that Sex Sells is undoubtedly true. As Lord H says, best try writing some more of it then! I do hope those of you who've been kind enough to buy any of my stuff have enjoyed the read, and a special thank you to you.

In other book news, I'm pleased to say that you can read an excerpt of The Girl in the Painting and get a 25% discount till May 9th - but be sure to follow the instructions in the link. I've also gained a 4-star review of The Secret Thoughts of Leaves at Goodreads and a 5 star review of Give and Take at TwoLips Reviews, so all that excitement is making up for any health issues, hurrah.

Ooh and the free download of my gay romance story, A Serious Business, is now available at the Queer Magazine Online bookstore, along with a variety of other lovely free e-reads - enjoy!

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal

Tea and sympathy

Life News:

Lordy, but I'm sick. As the proverbial. My bank holiday weekend has been spent coughing pathetically, trying to be brave (ho ho, as if), quaffing Lemsip, Sudafed and Echinacea as if they're all going out of business, and trying to breathe through the catarrh. Whilst smearing castor oil on my throat. Odd but it does help, I'm sure. Oh joy abounding. Not much sleep has been going on, but I've done a heck of a lot of reading and crosswords. There's indeed a silver lining to every cloud. And, as Lord H tells me, at least we're not missing out on the glorious weather.

I only hope I haven't infected my friend Pauline who came for tea yesterday with her family - lovely to catch up, but I just wish I hadn't done quite so much snorting. Um, in an innocent way, I hasten to add ... We had scones, jam & cream - which I did eat, hurrah! Very bad for me, but what the heck, eh.

All this is, I'm sure, playing merry havoc with my Alexander Technique exercises, but I did manage to make it to Reflexology on Friday. Oh Lordy though, I hope I haven't infected these good people - I wasn't quite so bad on Friday ... I don't want to be known as the Bringer of Misery in the local area. No more so than normal anyway.

Writing News:

I've finished the read-through of A Dangerous Man and am sending very slow feelers out to see if there might be any reaction, but I don't want to rush into anything. Not this time. The Delaneys and Me has managed to gain a 4-star review at Goodreads and is graded Very Good at the Well-Read Book Blog - scroll down to see the review.

I'm also pleased that Give and Take gained a 5-star rating at Goodreads, How To Eat Fruit gained another 5-star review at Smashwords - thank you, Padraig! - and for one brief moment of glory Maloney's Law found itself at Number 90 in the Amazon UK gay fiction charts. Sadly, not any more but it was nice while it lasted.

Meanwhile, I'd like to draw your attention to this wonderful source of independent e-reading - from our newest and most exciting independent ePublisher, Untreed Reads. It's definitely one of the best places to be seen in on the Web, and not just because you can find some of my books there. Go explore!

You can also read an interview with me, and find out more about my approach to writing at the Midnight Seductions site - many thanks to Cassandra for posing the questions. And my GLBT Hot Fiction Tip for May can now be found at Queer Magazine Online - it's a great book from one of our best known GLBT authors, Josh Lanyon, and it's a story I just couldn't put down. Wonderful stuff, Josh!

Finally, the latest chapter - about the spiritual hot potato of speaking in tongues - can now be found at the Prayer Seeker's Journal, so never let it be said I bypass the difficult issues at least. And here's this week's haiku:

Summer clogs my throat
as the air spills out tulips,
bluebells, memories.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal

Golf, haircuts and Hit Lists

Is it Friday already? Well golly gosh indeed. Here's today's poem:

Meditation 231

While one man
betrays his town

to a bloody death,
another is lowered

from a city wall
in a basket

and creeps away
into night.

Perhaps it’s better
to be a woman after all.


Managed to play some pretty dire golf again today, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as last week. If I could only try to remember to hit the ball with the clubhead rather than with that funny sticky thing, I think everything would be a damn sight better. Ho hum. Mind you, both Marian and I ended on a rather triumphant par, so honour was satisfied. Partially.

And there's good news on the hair length front: my hairdresser has been trying to get my hair to be the same length all the way round rather than in layers for months and months and today we feel we've finally arrived at those dizzy heights, hurrah! Right now, I look quite presentable, though I fear it will not last. Experience dictates this ...

Meanwhile, I attempted to release some of the tension I've gathered during the week at my Alexander Technique lesson - really, I do make the tutor work for the wages. This week coming I have to focus on having a floaty head and breathing with my back. Ye gods, anything could happen, but it makes some sort of sense. Honest.

And I've been busy with the edits to The Hit List. And still enjoying it too. It's odd how that novel has been the one I hate to remember, but when I actually look at it seriously it's not that bad. Yes, I need to kick the crime section into touch, and bring out the romance which is, in my opinion, what the book is really about - but in some ways it feels as if it's always been there. Waiting for me to get down to this edit, I suppose. Maybe I just didn't have the confidence before.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Golf
3. Haircuts
4. Alexander Technique
5. Editing The Hit List.

Anne Brooke
Sexy Scavengers Competition - book prizes galore!

Reviews and stonings

I have to say it's great not to be in the office today. Almost feels like being normal (perish the thought). Here's today's poem:

Meditation 226

To start the day:
a good stoning.
Cover your ears

and let sharp rocks
blanket the words
that pierce you most

while the rough cloaks
of murderers
lie heavy in your arms.


My, Saul of Tarsus/St Paul could be a bloodthirsty man on occasion. And really I can't blame him - Stephen the Martyr did go on so. If I'd been there, I might well have stoned him myself. Just to shut him up. Hush my mouth.

Anyway, I'm pleased to say that Maloney's Law has received a five star review on Amazon US, which you can read below:

“This is one compelling and riveting story. I could not put it down. Paul is one tortured soul and his mesmerizing narration grips me from page 1. International intrigues, heart stopping plot, gut wrenching love, a heart tugging friendship, Maloney's Law has it all. Paul is such a complex character. Flawed and pitiful when it comes to his obsessive love for a man who could never reciprocate. Yet without a thought for his life when his search for the truth drives him on. His tragic loss since childhood, his plunge into despair, his sense of justice, his struggle to live on, all these powerfully expressed by the writer. Just brilliant and I look forward to reading the sequel, The Bones of Summer, and more from Anne Brooke. My only regret is that I should have read this earlier.”

Gosh, thank you, R Parkland - so glad you enjoyed the read!

I've also received my proof copy of Salt and Gold and have made one or two corrections and lowered the price to £3.50 for the paperback. So I've asked for another proof copy and will wait to see what that looks like before I go properly public. As it were.

For the rest of the day, I've been continuing the edit of The Hit List and am now happily on p50. Which is roughly one-eighth through. Yes, I do need to cut drastically, as it's quite long for a comedy romance (which is what I'm now intending to make it, rather than comedy crime). We'll see how things shape up as we go on, as they say.

I've also had my back realigned at my Alexander Technique lesson - and goodness me but it needed it after two flights and a tense work week. I think I was all but Toblerone shaped when I walked in, but rather more normal (ho ho) when the lesson had finished. I have to think about inhabiting my space more, apparently. Trouble is, I do find people difficult (they're stealing my space, they're stealing it!) so I tend to duck down and shy away from them, especially if I don't know them. Which of course leads inevitably to a hunched back and a very stiff neck. Sigh. What a lot there is to relearn indeed. On oh so many levels.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. The review of Maloney's Law
3. Tweaking Salt and Gold
4. Editing The Hit List
5. Alexander Technique.

Anne Brooke - conserving her sense of her own space to the best of her limited ability
Maloney's Law - a tortured soul made good ...

Poetry and packages

I'm very pleased today (well, at last, we cry! - and what a week it's been ...) that two of my meditation poems are now published at Grey Sparrow Press, so that's been a nice boost. Talking of which, here's today's poem:

Meditation 216

The landscape
of contemplation

grows bleak
with the onslaught

of words.
They crowd the air

like lost birds
crying for home

and do not find
a resting place

with you.


Also today, I've managed to complete the more structural edit of Hallsfoot's Battle so that's very satisfying. Though it's meant that my word count is now below the "standard" fantasy novel expectations of 120,000 words at least. I'm at 117,500, if you're interested. Still, as the mainstream press are even now preparing to ignore the beast, why worry, eh? There are compensations for being unpopular, ho ho. So I'll give it a close read-through now before sending it off to the agent for his opinion. I doubt he'll be rushing to read it either as he still won't be able to sell it, poor chap. Ah well.

Anyway, bah to the standard press gods, bah we say. Because we are more than delighted with the kindnesses of the independents: the lovely Dreamspinner Press have totally unexpectedly sent me a huge parcel of The Bones of Summer goodies, which has really put a big smile on my face - so thank you, Elizabeth! So I now have a Bones of Summer t-shirt, countless Bones postcards and bookmarks, plus Dreamspinner pens and bookmarks. It's like Christmas here in the shires, you know. I intend to wear my t-shirt every day and put a big BUY THIS BOOK notice on my head, whilst parading round town until somebody takes pity on me. Or puts the shirt in the wash. I also need to sign some of the postcards and bookmarks (rather than just slobbering over them and crying with delight ...) and return them to Dreamspinner for use in book fairs etc. Sounds like a marketing plan for sure. I am already practising my very best signature.

I've also played golf with Marian this morning - which turned out to be a game of three thirds. As it were. I was okay to begin with, total rubbish in the middle, and then redeemed myself with two neat little pars (one from off the green even) at the end, hurrah. In fact, our state of play in the middle of the game was so distinctly odd that when we teed off from the fourth, we both ended up on the fairway of the third, so simply played the previous hole backwards, as it were. Well, there was nobody playing behind us, so it seemed reasonable. But probably not quite in the golf rules, I suspect.

This afternoon, I've straightened out my extremely stressed back (too much typing, not enough walking) and got in touch with my inner reality (scary ...) at my Alexander Technique lesson, so that's been very relaxing. I do prefer the table work - as standing properly is just so exhausting, my dears ...

And tonight we have a mammoth clean of the flat to face - which I really should be getting on with or Lord H will think I've given up tidying for Lent, or whatever season we're actually in now. Roll on that pizza & ice cream moment though.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry publication
2. The continuing Hallsfoot edit
3. Bones of Summer goodies
4. Golf
5. Alexander Technique
6. Food, mmm ...

Anne Brooke - the new Tiger Woods, but backwards
The Bones of Summer - comes with its own t-shirt, you know ...

Reviews, pars and reports

What an exceptionally sparkly day it's been - we had a glorious moment at lunchtime when it began to rain heavily whilst the sun was still shining and the raindrops were all glittery. Just like a Disney film. Wonderful. It could only happen in the shires, you know. Anyway, here's today's meditation:

Meditation 203

Some old men
won’t lie down

but keep knocking
on your door

to demand land
and armies

and honour.
Whilst younger men

won’t stay dead
but arrive at supper

to show you
blood and pain

and a strange
breathable peace.


I'm thrilled to say that Christina at Romance Junkies Reviews has given The Bones of Summer a 4.5 star review which you can read here. An extract of the review is below:

“The Bones of Summer by Anne Brooke is an exceptionally well written and thrilling mystery novel. This novel grabbed a hold of me almost immediately and would not let go. I found myself reading until the early morning hours. The plot is quite interesting but what really intrigued me most about this book is Craig himself. He survived a terrible childhood. I admired his resilience. His father’s fanaticism is extremely disturbing and also very sad. The last few chapters are especially chilling and will stay with me for a long time.”

Thanks so much, Christina - I really appreciate that.

Golf this morning was fantastic too - my score wasn't as good as last week's dizzy heights (shame ...) but I managed to get the grand total of three pars. Three!! It's unbelievable, especially as the one on the eighth hole went in from a chip off the green. As it were (does this make sense to anyone but a golfer?). Who needs putters?... I parred the final hole too, which I felt pretty damn good about. Especially as when we walked back to the clubhouse, I was congratulated on it by not one, but two groups of male golfers. Result eh! It's amazing I can get into the flat at all with a head this size ...

Lynda has also arrived for my haircut and I now look almost sophisticated, my dears. Whatever next? I've also been working away on my review of Julian Fellowes' Past Imperfect for Vulpes Libris. I've now got the basis of what I want to say. I just need to sort out the quotes to demonstrate it. The book really is a fascinating read, even in its not-quite-perfect state.

This afternoon, my back has been duly stretched and widened into the shape it should be at my Alexander Technique lesson, and it certainly does feel different now. Ah if only I could remember and put into practice what I've learnt during the week to come, then I'd really be laughing. Whilst looking tall and elegant. Ho ho.

I've also received my critique from The Literary Consultancy about Hallsfoot's Battle and I'm happy to say that it's not as damning as I feared it might be. They did give the original version of The Gifting something of a pasting (and rightly so), so I was worried about this one. Yes, of course there are fairly major things to alter or kill - but that's par for the course (sorry) for me in the editing process. But I see what they mean and I think I can visualise how it might be, and that at this stage is certainly something. I might fiddle around with changes a little before our upcoming holiday, but I think the bulk of the next tranche of the editing process will happen afterwards. After all, it's not as if there's a rush for it ...

Tonight, it's mammoth flat-cleaning time (arrgghh!) and then there's a programme about a British bull-fighter on TV later, which I absolutely have to watch. This will bring me brickbats and shame, but I have to say I do like bullfights. Sorry, but there it is. We used to go to Spain a lot when I was a child and I loved them back then (which probably says something rather disturbing about me, but then again rural children are rarely sentimental about animals), and I took Lord H to see one when we were in Seville a few years back and I loved it then too. Lord H was not so keen, but he possesses less blood-lust than I do. Considerably less. He did look rather startled when we exited the building but it's no worse than a night out in Colchester when the army are on the razzle. Ah, my teenage years, eh ... Anyway, back to Spain and bullfights, I think for me it's that glorious combination of genuine danger, out-and-out machismo, blood and ballet. Not to mention the men in tight trousers. Marvellous.

Anyway, wiping that psychotic and lustful gleam from my eye, onwards and upwards. Here are today's nice things:

1. Sparkly weather
2. Poetry
3. A review of The Bones of Summer
4. Golf
5. Haircuts
6. Working on another Vulpes review
7. Alexander Technique
8. The report on Hallsfoot
9. TV.

Anne Brooke - bloody but relatively unbowed
The Bones of Summer - guaranteed: no bull

Glorious golf and off-the-wall stories

Marian and I had a wonderful game of golf today - I think it's the best we've ever played. And we both got two pars apiece - bliss! Really, it was one of those rare and perfect golf days where I could have spat at the ball and it would still have gone in the hole. And even the sun was shining. What could be nicer?

I've also been working away on my piece of short fiction - which at over 1000 words now has definitely gone beyond the boundaries of flash fiction. Especially as I think I'm probably only about a quarter through. At some point I'm going to have to move it into a different file. And think of a title. Strangely it's turning into a story about a prostitute who doesn't have sex and his dealings with a stranger who may, or may not, be from another world. Lordy, but I like to make it tough. Hey ho.

Meanwhile, here's today's poem:

Meditation 198

For the priests
no land
is allotted.

Enough for them
to possess
those killed

in God’s name,
to nurture by night
the eternal flame.


Keeping on the subject of writing, I've finished reading Remastering Jerna, Ann Somerville's upcoming book from PD Publishing, which she's been kind enough to send me for comment. I have to admit straight up that BDSM simply isn't my scene and I had to skim through those sections with my eyes half shut and my teeth gritted, but I absolutely loved Jerna as a character - he's wonderful and I've been worrying and thinking about him a lot, even when I haven't been reading. I also thought the setting was top notch and the tension and complexities of the plot first class. It's being published sometime late Summer (not quite sure when), and I can certainly recommend it, with the proviso that you might have to grit your teeth now and again if you're not a fan of the genre. But if you are, enjoy!

There you are - from religion to sado-masochism in one easy move. Though perhaps that move isn't such a long stride as people may imagine (hush my mouth)...? In any case, never say this journal isn't inclusive, eh.

Meanwhile, the CoolReader saga has taken a more positive turn (hurrah!). Susan (also known as Erin) on Twitter has sent me a very human email - my first from them, I think, and thank you, Susan, for it. I've now sent back the old broken machine via Lord H's work, and am waiting to hear when they might deliver my new one. I hope it's okay from now on in - as, contrary to popular opinion, on the whole I'd really rather not have to be cross.

This afternoon, I've been to my Alexander Technique lesson and my back now feels much freer than it's been for a few days. It's odd how you don't notice the problems until someone puts you into the right position again. I must remember to focus more.

Over the last couple of nights, Lord H and I have been trying to watch for the shooting stars display that happens each year around this time. We've been lucky in the past, but not so far this year. Two nights ago, it was too cloudy and last night we saw nothing even though we set the alarm for 2am (how brave!) and stared determinedly at the sky for half an hour. Not sure whether we'll try again tonight - we'll see.

Today's nice things:

1. Golf
2. Writing short stories
3. Poetry
4. Jerna
5. Alexander Technique
6. The possibility of meteors.

Anne Brooke - she may be in the gutter but she's looking at the stars
Vulpes Libris: making the most of Summertime

The old person's diet and a bit of a stretch

Ah, I have a confession to make today - I haven't been blogging about it as it's really rather dull, but I've been suffering from a rather painful right jaw for the last few days - the result of an unconscious teeth-grinding session on Monday night/Tuesday morning, I fear (yes, well , best not to think of it, really ...). Unfortunately today it was so bad that I could barely eat (it's tricky when you can't chew, my dears ...) so I managed to grab a dentist's appointment this morning just to check it wasn't something else.

Well, the good news is it's not an abscess - hurrah! But the bad news is there's really nothing particular that can be done at this stage, so the dentist advised eating food that doesn't need chewing over the next few days until it settles down (hopefully soon, as I'm not good with pain!) and taking Nurofen to keep the worst of it at bay. She also suggested that at my next appointment in December, I should get fitted for a night guard, which you wear while sleeping to stop the grinding. As it were. Looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet (sorry!) and resign myself to having absolutely no glamour at all during the hours of darkness. Hmm, no change there then. There's not really a great deal of glamour during the hours of daylight either, but there you go. The dentist did say she can do it sooner if the pain continues or I waste away to nothing due to lack of solid food - but let's hope it doesn't come to that and I still have four months of naked-mouth sleep time left. Ah well.

On the way back home - no golf due to the rain, alas - I popped into Godalming, and the pharmacist in Boots also suggested putting a hot water bottle on the jaw to ease the pain, so I've tried that once today and it's quite helpful. I might try it later too - as I don't really want to be reduced to simply licking the topping off my statutory pizza tonight, though I might reluctantly give the garlic bread a miss. Sob! Apart from that, I suspect a few days of soup and ice cream and yoghurt beckon ...

Anyway, here's today's meditation:

Meditation 193

War stretches on,
filling the future

with blood, death,
pain. Warm yourself

by the fire,
wait for the questions

you cannot answer,
the grief you cannot name.


Meanwhile, I'm stumbling on with that ever-increasing short story. I've got one more mini-scene to do now, plus the ending plus the sex scene. Really, the more I write it, the longer it gets (again, as it were). Perhaps it really wants to be a novel after all? If so, it will have to wait its turn, the pesky beast - I've got other things I'd like to concentrate on first, believe me. This afternoon, I've also had my Alexander Technique lesson and am now learning how to be wider. Honestly, I swear Linda had my shoulder blades where they've never been before, at least not without a passport and a suitcase. Soon I'll have to go through doors sideways.

And tonight, there's the cleaning. Serious cleaning as I fear the Domestic Police would certainly judge us wanting this week. Plus there's an episode of QI on later, I think, so that'll be our reward for being good, hurrah.

Today's nice things:

1. Managing an instant dentist appointment
2. Nice pharmacists
3. Poetry
4. Short stories, with minds of their own
5. Alexander Technique
6. TV.

Anne Brooke - definitely not biting off more than she can chew
Vulpes Libris - finding out what really happens at the Romantic Novelists' Conference ...

Rocks, reviews and requests

It seems to have been a day of getting things done and pleasant surprises on the whole, which is always nice. Let's start with this morning's poem:

Meditation 187

When the puzzle,
the parable, the shadow,
the mysterious everlasting dance

of the spoken word
is laid to one side
for a while

all that is left
is love: naked,
defenceless, perfect.


First off, in terms of literary matters, I'm pleased to say that my short story, The Rock, has now been republished by Einstein's Pocket Watch - so if you didn't catch it at the first publication, now's your chance!

I'm also thrilled to say that Pink Champagne and Apple Juice has received a Five Diva review from Dark Diva Reviews, which can be found at the previous link and below:

“As I started reading this with my good ol’ cuppa joe on a lovely Saturday morning, Pink Champagne and Apple Juice was probably the first ebook that had me chuckling every two minutes. Anne Brooke must be a comedian at heart because right from the start you have the main girl, Angie Howard, running from her own mother to get on the train to find her Uncle John. Trouble and mishaps followed her nonstop. Angie wanted to have her own life and not have a sheltered life with her overprotective mother. Angie’s character is so easy to like and anyone can relate to her because all she wants is to have her freedom and live life to the fullest. She really does when she finally arrives at her Uncle John’s home, which is rather a racy nightclub with cross dressers and gay people relaxing and being themselves. As fun as it was for Angie to partake in Uncle John’s The Den, every vibrant character worked against her. She had to go through challenges and learn about her own flaws, as well as the family tension between her mother and her uncle. The ugly truth later rears its ugly head, but the endless twists kept me wondering how the story will end. This lively story was amazing in descriptions and situations, so it was very easy to play the story in my head like a movie. It fondly reminded me of the movie called The Birdcage, and the transvestite uncle John was very much like the one and only Nathan Lane, but was set in England and with raunchier innuendo. The French waiter gave Angie the time of her life, while the yelling German chef constantly fought with her due to his passion of cooking. Never diss the mushroom ice cream! Her uncle John was constantly the proverbial keeper of secrets and seemed to hide behind his cross dressing personality, Jolene. John/Jolene often caused trouble for Angie and the twists he caused kept me on my toes. This story had other twists, so much that I got caught up in all of them and was wowed by the final twist. It floored me and I kept saying ‘wow!’ when I finished. Anne Brooke truly mastered the art of keeping her readers drawn in and distracted so the ending isn’t predictable and boring. Her imagination was totally endless and hilarious. The only drawback in this story was some of the British words. It took me a moment to figure out what she meant, but the general idea was caught on. It was easy to follow for the most part. Overall, Pink Champagne and Apple Juice was a great, laid back story with many twists to keep you laughing. The fast paced flow of the wacky story was undeniably fun. I say that if on a rainy day or just when you need to laugh in a ‘The Birdcage’ feel, this book is for you. I recommend for anyone to read this book, and also the mushroom ice cream done by the German chef. He was a riot! Rated 5 Delightful Divas & Recommended Read.”

Many thanks for that, Karen - so glad you enjoyed the read! The other great surprise of this morning was a request from Amber Quill Press to submit something to them - so I've sent them The Gifting and will see what they think. I suspect it may not quite be what they're after, but heck there's no harm in trying, eh.

Meanwhile, the extraordinary miracle has happened and I have actually finished the first edit of Hallsfoot's Battle - well double gosh and hurrahs and somebody pour me a brandy. My next stage is to print it out and send it to The Literary Consultancy, as really I can do nothing remotely decent without them and they are Worth Their Weight in Gold (Capitals Deliberate). Phew though - time for a summer break from novel-writing, I think.

Also today, I have been to my Alexander Technique lady, who tells me off for falling back into bad habits, alas. And there was me thinking I was doing so well ... but hey what do I know? And I've had a lovely chat & tea with the neighbour and his daughter, so am now fully caught up on Life in Godalming, hurrah.

Tonight, I really have to turn my attention to doing a whistlestop clean of the flat, though I am fairly up-to-date with the ironing so at least we are not facing a crumpled weekend. For once. Domestics - they never really go away, do they?...

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Short story publication
3. Champers review
4. Publishers requests
5. Finishing the Hallsfoot edit Part One
6. Neighbour chats.

Anne Brooke - having a significant Champagne Moment or two
Vulpes Libris - Adventure Week comes in from the cold

A quiet day, ashes and a spot of stretching

A rather nice and calm day today (well, goodness me indeed) and I've rather enjoyed the feeling of relaxation, I must say. Not the sort of feeling I often have, being usually so wound-up that I could probably launch a catapult halfway across the country and not notice the effort. Ah well.

Anyway, here's today's meditation:

Meditation 180

Everyone knows
the great miracle
of Moses

as the Red Sea parts
to let God’s people
go through

but no-one remembers
that years later
at the Jordan

Joshua did it again.
Which is, I suppose,
the drawback

of being always
the archetypal
number two.


I was supposed to do golf this morning with Marian but, my dears, the rain! What a lot of weather we're having at the moment, as Lord H would say. An awful lot of weather really. In fact I think two storms might have passed over, unless it was the same one coming back. It was hard to tell. So instead of golf, I've been doing more editing to Hallsfoot's Battle. Astonishing really how frequently I've managed to get the exact number of the Tregannon emeralds wrong. First there are seven, then there are nine, and now there are four - though, to be fair, Ralph did have to use some up when dealing with the mountain dogs. I'm attempting to rationalise them so we end up with roughly seven, but really I don't feel entirely in control of their breeding talents. Those pesky emeralds are like rabbits! I might have to make them a fluid number because of their inherent magic, simply because I find it hard to count them. Sigh. Now I know why I married an accountant ...

This afternoon, I've had my back stretched to its actual length once more by the wonderful Linda, so I now feel more like the height I should be, thank the Lord. Honestly, office work and writing are not conducive to good posture, I can tell you. One day I feel I will eventually find that my forehead is in fact fused to the keyboard, never to be parted. Not, however, if Linda has her way of course.

Tonight, we have the horrors of cleaning the flat to face (arrgghh!!). Oh but there is a wonderful half-hour programme on TV at 7.30pm-ish about what different people do with their loved one's ashes. I really must watch it - I've always been fascinated by ashes. As it were. My ultimate (and please God let it not happen soon) wish is for either (a) Lord H to keep my ashes on the mantelpiece and chat to them as he goes about his daily business; or (b) vice versa. Depending on who goes first. For some reason though, Lord H does not seem keen - on either eventuality. Perhaps he was hoping for some peace?... I suspect I'll be watching the programme alone then.

Oh and I absolutely love my car. Miranda is wonderful. She can do amazing things with her dashboard, including telling me what radio station I'm on without me having to look down, advising me how many miles of petrol I have left and letting me know what the temperature is. What a girl! Her talents know no end.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Editing Hallsfoot
3. Alexander Technique
4. TV
5. Miranda.

Anne Brooke - thinking about the magic of jewellery

Golf, Gathandria and gadgets

Feeling more normal today (well as normal as I ever get), hurrah. Here's this morning's meditation:

Meditation 174

When
you have played

your last shot,
given it

everything,
let loose

the golden words
that fill you

and watched them
disappear,

then
the only thing

to do
is hide

and wait
for the end to come.


Hmm, yes well, you'll be glad to hear I'm feeling rather jollier than that, but it's what came out so I'll keep it. As it were. I've been continuing the Hallsfoot's Battle edit and am now on the 4th Lammas section, so that's good. I've enjoyed it too. Marian and I have also managed to fit a game of golf in between the showers - we both did rather better than normal and got exactly the same score, so that was fun. I even managed a par on the first hole, but then totally messed up my tee shot on the 6th when the Pro was watching me - the ball missed the club head entirely and dribbled about 4 foot off the tee, oh the shame and oh how Marian laughed ... Ah well, I suspect the Ladies' Open will not be beckoning this year, Carruthers. Again.

Whizzed round Godalming and restocked on the essential supply of oils and happy pills so I should be okay for a few weeks at least. And hey I've even managed to eat lunch today, which is progress indeed. I've also finished my first book on the CoolReader, and have on the whole enjoyed the experience. I think I've bonded with the machine now. The only slight problems I had with it were that (a) it takes a while to power up, though on the other hand it's very easy to shut off; (b) some of the screen pages only had a few words on them so you had to press Next Page very quickly indeed; (c) plugging it into the Mac is fine but it fails to understand the Eject Button so it always objects when I take it out, though apparently with no harmful effects. On the plus side it's wonderful to be able to take something wherever I want and be able to read whenever I like, book-marking is easy and it comes back to the page you left it, and I can also store my novels and published short stories on it in PDF versions so another saving method, by George. Just what the keen reader and writer requires.

And my first portable eBook has been the very wonderful James Robertson's Close And Other Stories. To be honest I only bought it as I wanted to see if the machine worked - I'd never heard of the chappie. But I have to say they're bloody excellent stories. Like a cross between Tania Hershman and Elizabeth Baines, but a bloke. His main themes are the small human changes in a life or in a relationship and how they affect what happens next. He ranges from the dark to the quirky and round the houses to the funny again. I loved them. I have no idea if he's done anything else, and I'm not even sure if this collection is available in a paper version, but I can thoroughly recommend the experience. Sharp and wise. Just how I like my fiction.

Which is more than can be said for the book I've just finished for an upcoming Vulpes Libris review. I think I've been bludgeoned to near-death by the amount of politics in Andrei Makine's Human Love, and I never did discover the story. Or the characters. Deep deep sigh. I shall say no more until the review goes up, but trust me - it won't be pleasant. What on earth are Sceptre up to nowadays?? I wonder if they have any readable books at all, my dears ...

So, a much-needed Alexander Technique lesson this afternoon, and then a quick cup of tea and chat - plus a restocking of some of my Nutrimetics products - at Jane H's (hello, Jane & co!), and then I'm planning a relatively quiet evening tonight. Ye gods, what a good day it's been really. After this week, that's certainly come as a surprise.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Editing
3. Golf
4. The CoolReader
5. Books - well, some of them ...
6. Alexander Technique
7. Tea & chat with Jane.

Anne Brooke - chugging along in the rain

Vulpes Libris review, golf and a CoolerReader nightmare

I'm pleased to say that my review of John Wray's novel, Lowboy is now up at Vulpes Libris reviews. Something of a mixed bag, to my mind - but I appreciate that even saying that, and making the suggestion I do, is going against every other single reviewer in the known universe. Ah well, I never did follow the crowd ...

And here's this morning's meditation (I think I may have got the numbers muddled in the past, but this is now right. Possibly ...):

Meditation 168

A bitter root, a
barren waste:
salt, sulphur, emptiness.

The pain has always
been written.
Travel secretly

to the desert
and feel the sand
sting your feet

while the light
beckons you on.


And Marian and I managed to have a good golf game - well, compared to last week anyway - so that was something of a surprise. I didn't even go in any bunkers (well, gosh!) though I did manage to hit a tree dead centre which brought the ball right back to where it had been lying only a couple of seconds earlier. Trick shots, eh - how I love 'em.

I've also managed - at last! - to start the actual editing of Hallsfoot's Battle. Having the notes from The Gifting is proving very useful already. I feel it might well change rather more than anticipated by the time I reach the end again. But that's probably a good thing. Talking of books, I am really, seriously struggling with the CoolerReader machine. I did manage to download and read a short story onto it this morning, which was fine. But since then I've bought two more books at different venues which I can't seem to see at all on the reader. Though they appear to exist on the computer and I can even see them in the machine's menu when I plug it in, but I can't get them on the machine itself. I suspect that my reading options might be limited to PDFs, and it doesn't seem to take any notice of Adobe Digital editions (which I thought was a PDF by any other name, but apparently isn't, sigh ...) even though I've downloaded the software and tried to get it to talk to the CoolerReader twice. It's very very frustrating. So it looks like I can't read any of the books on the CoolerBooks site as they all seem to be Adobe Digital and that's no good to man nor beast. They're supposed to offer books in a special CoolerReader format, but for the life of me I have no idea how to find them - it's not very well organised at all. On top of that, I sent a help message to them yesterday, but no-one's replied. I am rapidly becoming extremely disenchanted with the whole thing, really. It surely can't be that hard for them to make it easier for the customer!! But obviously not, deep deep sigh ...

Thank goodness for this afternoon's Alexander Technique lesson - just what I needed to straighten out and just chill a little. And I definitely needed that after discovering that the garage have at last got the aircon unit delivered today - but sadly it's not the right one. So nothing will happen now until at least Monday. Head - meets desk - stays there. Mind you, while the garage was on, I remembered to ask them how to open the courtesy car windows and there's a button under the radio at the front which does it. Not very intuitive then ... Lordy, but really it's astonishing I'm not climbing the walls and chewing at the curtains already. Maybe I would be but I'm just too damn tired, to be honest. Haven't been sleeping well and have been waking too early in a state of extreme tension (Lord knows why) every day for a week - am desperately hoping for a lie-in tomorrow. Now that would be nice.

Today's nice things:

1. The Vulpes Libris review
2. Poetry
3. Golf
4. Starting the Hallsfoot edits
5. Alexander Technique
6. Finding the car's window buttons.

Anne Brooke - wondering if there might still be time for a nap, oh please God yes ...

Brokeback article and editing notes

Here's today's meditation for you - and I'm now onto the story about Lazarus, as you can probably tell:

Meditation 163

The slow disappearing
into the dark cave,

solidity weighting the skin,
impression of night

velvet-rich on the tongue.
It is hard

when the eyes
no longer open:

when will he come
when will he come

when will he
come.


How very jolly I am, eh. Anyway I've had a fun time this morning typing up my article about Brokeback Mountain for Vulpes Libris - goodness me, what a lot I had to say indeed. It feels great now I've got it all onto the page. Or rather screen. Adaptation Week will be the week of 20 July and will include lots of hugely exciting pieces too, so don't forget to look out for that.

I've popped into Godalming to get my essential weekly fix of the local news, and I'm also thrilled to see that a short article about my books is included in this month's Writers' News magazine. Well, gosh. On the other hand, I am hugely annoyed by some ridiculous article in the accompanying Writing Magazine about how self-publishing isn't "real" publishing and we shouldn't do it. Ye gods, how old fashioned can you get?? Really, authors who've been lucky enough to land deals every time they so much as venture into the outside world or who simply don't know the first thing about how the real writing world is should learn to keep their mouths firmly closed and give the rest of us a chance to do whatever we damn well wish to. It's very condescending to think that self-publishing is a lesser relative in the publishing world - these days, sensible writers (such as myself - ho ho) take advantage of it whenever we need to. Harrumph, I say. Speech over.

This afternoon I've finished taking notes about The Gifting and now all I have to do is type them up. Hey ho. That's just over 20 sides of scrawl so it could take some time. Only after that can I really get onto the actual editing of Hallsfoot's Battle. I hope Annyeke and the gang aren't fretting too much at my curious absence ... I'll be back - as they say.

I've also had a much-needed Alexander Technique lesson but was ten minutes late as the traffic in and around Guildford is at the moment a Living Hell. Apparently some lorry has overturned and the whole of the south-east has ground to a halt. I felt much more chilled after the lesson though, thank goodness. I needed it for the long journey home ...

Oh, and I've just received a rejection (groan) from the second publisher I sent my long poem too. I still like it, but I don't think I have the heart to send it out anywhere else. Too much effort. I don't think I'll be writing another one of that length either. But, talking of poetry, I'm making plans to self-publish my first forty meditations and am thinking of using I-universe this time round, as Lulu seems very ponderous sometimes, not least when you approach them as someone attempting to buy one of their books. Or maybe I'm just unlucky when I try to buy?? So if anyone has any pressing warnings about I-universe that I need to take into account, I'd be hugely grateful for the benefit of your wisdom. Thank you!

Tonight, I must catch the last of the Torchwood radio plays on the i-player. So far they've been great fun. And later, Eight out Ten Cats is on TV, so that should give me my essential Friday night comedy quota. Ooh, and there's pizza and ice cream for dinner too. What bliss.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Brokeback article
3. An article about me in Writers' News
4. Finishing the notes for The Gifting
5. Alexander Technique lesson
6. Thinking about my next poetry collection
7. Torchwood
8. TV
9. Food.

Anne Brooke
Anne Brooke - puzzling over poetry

Teeth, poodles and chocolate

A small meditation today, but here it is anyway:

Meditation 150

Wood and flesh
bring darkness

across the earth.
Sometimes the questions

will not protect you.
Only listen.


Had booked dentist and dental hygienist appointments this morning, so my teeth are now all gleaming white and sparkling, hurrah. Apparently I've been brushing well and both dentist and hygienist are smiling at me today. Still no lollipop for good behaviour though - but I suppose that works against the effort they're making. Ah well. Mind you, it's amazing what you find out. I had a good chat with the dentist about the glories of Springwatch and whether Chris Packham is gay or not (well, he has poodles - clipped ones - and he regularly fluffs up his hanging plants, so what were we supposed to think? Though I do accept that might be a tad narrow-minded of me ...). We've decided he isn't, at the moment, particularly in light of the mention of the girlfriend yesterday, but wonder if he's the forerunner of the "new camp" which is apparently the "old straight". Lordy, it's so urbane and confusing these days. It's amazing we keep up at all.

Also I've discovered that the hygienist had a lovely time on the Nile earlier on this year (Egypt - what joy! You can't really go wrong, as long as you remember not to drink the water) and is now learning the guitar in between appointments. Good for her is what I say. People are always more than you think they are.

Anyway, after all that, I popped into Godalming with my super-smiley teeth and have bought two new tee-shirts and a jumper for my hols. Special bargain prices at the Edinburgh Woollen Mill. I am indeed the last of the fashion icons. There was also a charity sale on in the High Street, so I have bought a selection of home-made chocolate flapjacks, which I have to say are utter bliss. So good for the teeth too, of course. It'll be a miracle if any are left for Lord H, and I entirely blame Jason for all this who has tempted me to sin with talk of home-made chocolate cheesecake today. How could I resist?!?

This afternoon, I've been working away slowly on my short story about the threat of a very nasty letter - still can't think of a title for this one so it's currently going by the name of Post Story. Lordy, even I can see that's not going to get anywhere. I'm hoping more title inspiration will strike by the time I finish the story itself, but that won't be till after the holiday now. Plus I've fiddled around with my two upcoming Vulpes Libris reviews and put more links in them in order to encourage traffic to the site once they're posted. Well, that's the plan anyway.

I've also had my regular Alexander Technique lesson - I appear to be doing okay as next time we'll be working on my front now that my back knows what it should be doing. Well, almost. And there's no guarantee it will actually do it, but there you go. Tonight, there's the usual Friday night comedy hour though I must video the poetry programme too. Not sure when I'm going to watch it, but I'm sure a space will reveal itself at some point. Ho ho.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Buying holiday clothes
3. Chocolate flapjacks
4. Working on that short story
5. Improving those VL reviews
6. Alexander Technique
7. TV.

Anne Brooke - the girl with the gleaming teeth ... in my dreams

Maloney review and a Baroque afternoon

I'm blogging early today as I really must be away to London in an hour (of which more later), and I haven't eaten lunch yet, sigh. I must say though that the really thrilling thing about today is the lovely review I've received from Clare London on Amazon UK about Maloney's Law, which you can read on Amazon or indeed below:

"Plenty of other reviewers have stolen the words I might have used *haha*, so I'll happily endorse them all and add my reader's perception. The book was a delicious bolt from the blue to me, strong and sexy and passionate and anguished and complex and realistic and hopeful - all the things that Paul himself embodies! I loved the fresh approach to what is a mix of crime, psychological drama, romantic relationships, occasionally shocking violence and sly detection. Paul drives it all without becoming either pathetic or arrogant or irritating. Anne's writing is sympathetic while bringing you the reality of life, she can describe his thoughtfulness and pathos just as vividly as his decisive action. Paul's relationship with Dominic was so bold and so poignant in all its stages, it made me ache for them both. The secondary characters shone, the setting was a delight to me, another London-ite. I loved it and was sorry to see it end! She has another book in the same setting out in 2009, though I don't think it's strictly a sequel, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Gosh, many thanks indeed, Clare! I'm very grateful indeed. So glad you enjoyed Maloney. I'm hoping you'll like The Bones of Summer when it's out on 22 June just as much.

And here's this morning's meditation:

Meditation 143

The boundary stone
has been waiting

for four long books,
nineteen chapters

and fourteen verses
to be noticed

and when it is
it’s for one verse only:

gone before you realised
it was there.

I know how it feels
sometimes.


The curse of the mid-40s woman, eh - the ability to be totally invisible, even with the use of binoculars. Ah, it's a gift, you know ...

For the rest of the day, I've done/will do the following:

1. Written the start of another scene post-war in Hallsfoot's Battle, and that appears to be flowing well at the moment, so let's hope that continues.

2. Had an Alexander Technique lesson and been de-twisted. If only Linda could de-twist the inside as well as the out, we'd all be laughing. Lord H more than anyone.

3. Go to see the Baroque Exhibition at the V&A with Jane W - so am looking forward to glorious art and chat.

So today's nice things are basically all the above, with the possible exception of the middle-years vanishing talent. Though even that can come in handy on occasions of course ...

Anne Brooke - aiming for strong and sexy and passionate and anguished and complex and realistic and hopeful, all at the same time: heck, no wonder she's tired ...

Cancer Research Race for Life - 1 day to go to the Race and only £10 to go to reach our target!

Blackcaps, butterflies and Bones

In spite of the calls of today's glorious weather, I did linger long enough in the flat to get my meditation poem written:

Meditation 137

The world is framed
by judgement, stone
and water.

You have lived
with the scent of it
so long

that change
is a strange friend,
a darker shadow

at your shoulder.
Think about
when the water stirs –

if you want
to taste it at all.


The seriously exciting literary news of today though is that I have the galley proofs for The Bones of Summer from Dreamspinner Press so have spent a lot of the day going through those. There are some problems with how italics seem on my Mac, but I've raised that so I hope it should be fine. Only 22 days to go to the publication date, hurrah!

I've also been taking part in the Dreamspinner Authors' Chat day at the Love Romances Yahoo Group, and I'm been hugely encouraged by the very positive reaction to my Chapter One excerpt of The Bones of Summer. They also liked the cover, which was very pleasing too, and in case you've forgotten that, here it is as a reminder:



Ah, religion, death and a budding gay relationship - what could be nicer?

Lord H and I have also gone birdspotting on St Martha's Hill, near Guildford - it was incredibly peaceful and, though we didn't manage to see many birds (but the blackcap was grand!), we had fun spotting a painted lady and a brimstone butterfly. Fabulous. Also lovely to be able to wear my sunhat for the first time in a while, hurrah.

And I've also had the Alexander Technique lesson I had to miss yesterday as the tutor was away - so my back is smiling once more. For a while at least.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Bones galley proofs
3. Authors' Yahoo chats
4. The Bones cover - I still love it!
5. Blackcaps
6. Butterflies
7. Alexander Technique.

Anne Brooke - so nearly stylish in a sunhat ...
Cancer Research Race for Life - one week to go before the big day!

A less than confident woman and a good review

I've now read Ingrid Trobisch's book, The Confident Woman (sub-title: Finding Quiet Strength in a Turbulent World). To be honest, I was hoping to get more from it than I actually have, but in fact it's been rather a struggle. Her particular brand of Christianity seems so terribly wholesome and irritatingly pure that those of us (such as myself) who are limping along sullied by the mud and grit of the world (and undoubtedly rather enjoying that same mud and grit even) can never hope to keep up. At times the book made me feel as if I wasn't a real Christian at all, and at other times I felt like giving it a thorough shake whilst screaming: 'For God's sake, woman, that's not how my life is!' Oh how I long for a real book about spirituality for real women that relates to where we are and where we're likely to stay. I feel I might be waiting some time though. Sigh.

That said, there were a couple of points towards the end where I feel that Trobisch did say something I could relate to. There was a good section about taking time and stopping, and also about having patience with ourselves, that I felt was worthwhile. I spend a large part of my life being hugely impatient with myself and trying to handle a head that fires off with all sorts of ideas and thoughts and worries in all sorts of directions all the time, so the concept of how to relax is a total mystery that I definitely need to uncover. She also startled me in her section on the prayer-filled life by using the quote from Isaiah 30:15: In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Yes, an obvious one for this type of book, I know, but it's something someone said to me a long time ago in one of those moments out of time when everything in your life goes still. And I haven't forgotten it, though mainly it lives in the back of my mind and I've always failed to live up to it. So maybe the book was worth it just for that reminder.

Whilst on matters spiritual (of a sort), here's today's meditation poem:

Meditation 129

When the laughter thins
and the joy

is something
you can only remember,

not taste,
then feel on your skin

the cool promise
of water

and what might lie
within it.

I've had one of my poems, Surrender, published by Eat A Peach Poetry Journal and you can find it in their latest issue, though you'll need to scroll down to see it. I'm also thrilled to say that Painting from Life has gained a good review at the Obsidian Bookshelf, so thank you, Val, for that. Very much appreciated.

This morning, I've managed to get out and play golf with Marian, which was fabulous. The weather was stunning (I even took my jumper off, well gosh) and we both played better than our usual level of game. Which was also fabulous, hurrah. My swing seemed much freer today (if I dare type such a line ...), so let's hope that trend continues. This afternoon, I had my Alexander Technique class, which I've missed over the last couple of weeks, so my back now feels much less scrunched up than it's been recently, thank the Lord.

Meanwhile, I'm continuing with those final scenes of Hallsfoot's Battle and I think Simon's at last got the hang of it all. Or he's got the hang of something anyway. About time too. He and the mind-cane may yet be friends. You never know. Though the mind-executioner may still have a few tricks up his sleeve. If he was currently wearing a sleeve, that is.

Keeping on the subject of books, I'm not sure that the hugely talented Mark Wagstaff has quite convinced me with his latest offering, In Sparta. Not that it's not an immensely powerful tale about bombs and the city - it is. And not that it's not sharply and powerfully written - it is. Mark's a genius with the pen, if you like dark, gritty and painful. And he's amazingly truthful about how it really is at work (this year's best lines about office life: 'Sometimes, my only ambition was to pick loose skin off my fingers till it was painful and dry.' and 'I was always horrified to learn what my role would be.' Oh yes, yes and yes. Welcome to the world of the office ...). But the rather gross (and I use that word advisedly) sex scene did, I admit, put me off at a time I desperately needed to be kept within the story - I'm not sure it was necessary in quite that manner, though it was of course well written. I don't object to having main characters have sex with prostitutes (hell, I've written about prostitution myself), but it was the type of sex that went on that pushed me out of the world he was creating. And that's a danger writers should always be wary of. Normal sex would have been fine! Alongside that, I didn't quite get the character of Terri. The change between who we think she is and who she actually is possibly arrived too suddenly and, again, it made me feel uninvolved. Still, the story itself is a cracker, and Wagstaff's always worth watching.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to Have I Got News For You? and Reggie Perrin, whilst of course keeping a close video eye on the last episode of Boy Meets Girl. Ooh, and there's pizza and ice cream. What could be nicer?

Today's nice things:

1. Books, however they make you think
2. Poetry
3. Surrender being published
4. A good review for Painting from Life
5. Golf
6. Writing Hallsfoot
7. TV.

Anne Brooke - still puzzling over confidence and faith ...
Cancer Research Race for Life - meeting our target but hoping for more!

Golf, war, and a dark gritty read

Couldn't really get a grip on today's Bible reading, I have to say. Usually something hits me fairly instantly but this morning it took a while, and I'm still not so sure about the piece I eventually dragged out of my head. Anyway, here it is:

Meditation 119

In front, a land
of corn, wine, olive oil,

and behind you
memories of war.

You walk the narrow line
between gift and submission

and wonder
when the first, false step

will bring down the clouds.

Oh and welcome to May. In the real world, that is. In the World According to Anne's Watch, it's actually the 31st April, so I'm in a kind of no-woman's land at the moment. Same old, same old, eh. I will have to rely on Lord H putting me into the right time zone when he comes back from work. It's way too complicated for me to do it myself.

Meanwhile, there's a couple of good slices of writing news, hurrah - first off, Laughter Loaf ezine has accepted my flash fiction piece, Woman on Top, for future publication. And Grey Sparrow Press will be publishing a couple of my meditation poems in the autumn. Always nice to get good news indeed.

I managed to get into the mid-levels of the 115,000 word range in Hallsfoot's Battle before golf, so I'm obviously having a focused day today. I'm into the final battle showdown now, and though there's more to come in the closing chapters, that'll about wrap up the action of it. So I should get into the 120,000 word range in total, which is where I wanted to be. Roughly. And all that just has to explain why I did so well with golf today. The best I've ruddy played all year, I think (double hurrahs with bells on!), and Marian was on top form too. And, yes, I did manage to beat her, but not by much. Plus the weather was great and it was just a fantastic day to be out on the greens. Lovely.

This afternoon, I've enjoyed my Alexander Technique lesson - apparently I'm looking taller, so that can only be a good thing. Well, I do try to remember how to stand and sit and stuff in between lessons, and do those back relaxation exercises, so something should be working. Mind you, I can't go again for three weeks, due to holidays etc, so by the time I go again, I'll no doubt be back to my previous height ... Ah well.

I must also say how much I've thoroughly enjoyed Clare London's gay crime/relationship novel, Freeman. Fantastic writing - dark and rich and gritty (just how I like my men, eh ...) - and a main character to die for. Freeman is hugely intense and focused and very much a product of the shadowy world he lives in. The twists and turns in the plot are excellently done, and the character himself has many secrets, some of which are revealed at the end and some of which are not. I like that - the reader doesn't have to know everything. The slow-burn romance is good too. It reminded me in some ways (if I can be so bold - hell, I'm going to, so you'll just have to put up with it ...) of A Dangerous Man, so if you liked that, you'll love Freeman. A definite recommended read. Don't be put off by the cover - which, to my mind, doesn't quite fit the sheer kick-ass punch of the story.

Tonight we have a whole plethora of TV, my dears. What is a girl to do?? I think I'll watch Have I Got News for You? and Reggie Perrin, and video Boy Meets Girl ( the new gender-swap comedy which looks quite watchable) and Pushing Daisies. With luck that'll give me something to gaze at over bank holiday, as there's (I warn you now!) sod all on TV on Sunday night, sigh ...

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Flash fiction and poetry acceptances
3. Writing Hallsfoot
4. Golf
5. Alexander Technique
6. Freeman
7. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - going for the dark, rich and gritty options, always

Chick lit and prayer

The ideal combination, don't you know. Though, actually, I suspect The Vicar of Dibley may well already have gone that route. Anyway, the good news of today is that the Chick Lit Review has accepted my short story, The Driving Force, for future publication, so that's nice. Combined with that (and in honour of the title of this blog), my meditation poem number eleven is now published by Haruah Magazine and can be found here.

Talking of meditation, I'm back to the Bible reading and starting Deuteronomy today, so here this morning's poem:

Meditation 113

The past lies in wait
and its mysteries

are ever before us.
Walk through its country

with care,
separating river from earth,

sky from rock,
truth from dream

until you are left
bathed only in light

and the scent of your journey.

I've also played golf with Marian, and her daughter Jane also came along, so a triple-whammy of golfing gals indeed. None of us played brilliantly, but I wasn't quite as off-form as the other two, so I managed to win, hurrah. Okay, by one point only, but hey who's counting ... It was fun too playing with a mother-daughter team - goodness me, they're competitive when they're together! It made me feel extraordinarily chilled, which is unusual for me on the golf course. I'm usually extraordinarily focused. And, yes, competitive.

I've managed to write another 1000 words of Hallsfoot's Battle and am now happily in the 112,000 range. I've had an idea for the grand finale of the battle too, which took me by surprise. But which makes sense. Not sure how I'm going to get there, as I have a hell of a lot of viewpoints to take into account and I'm also rather worried about Ralph (he's down on the floor, captain, and he dang well won't get up ...). I'll have to raise his game soon. After all, he is the only real soldier in the mix, poor dear. He ought to do at least some decent fighting.

This afternoon, I've been standing and sitting in my Alexander technique lesson. This week's focus is balance and the pelvis. Up until now, the location of my pelvis has been a complete mystery to me, my dears (well, I only did Biology up to O Level), but I think I have a vague inkling as to its whereabouts now. But I still probably couldn't find it with a compass. Mind you, I can't find any ruddy thing with a compass, so that's no surprise.

Tonight, the new series of Have I Got News for You? starts, thank the Lord. That's been a long time returning - what have we done without it? Nothing else on but that though (sigh ...) so I may as well do some cleaning. I really have to tidy the flat as we have people coming for tea on Sunday. People though! Whatever next?...

Today's nice things:

1. A short story acceptance
2. Poetry publication
3. Poetry
4. Golf
5. Hallsfoot battle plans
6. Alexander technique
7. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - battling through on a wing and a prayer