Life news:
Lordy, but it's hot. England isn't used to it, you know. I swear we have all the windows open and there ain't nothing coming in. Apart from ruddy insects. Damn things. Still, shouldn't complain. We're usually knee-deep in rain so actually having a summer is a very pleasant change.
Had a lovely day with Sue & Peter (hello, both!) at Langford Lakes in Wiltshire yesterday - great to catch up and the weather was stunning. It's a lovely place too, all the more so as we - strangely - appeared to be the only ones there, or almost. Was it something to do with everyone else watching sport? All very odd ... Whilst there, we caught sight of several wonderful tiger moths, which were really beautiful, though the body was much redder than the image there. Or possibly it was one very active tiger moth. Who can say? All very nice anyway.
Book news:
Several nice chart listings this week, with Martin and The Wolf being briefly at No 75 in the Amazon Kindle Gay Fiction charts and The Delaneys and Me being at No 86. And I was thrilled to see that Maloney's Law was included in Cassandra Gold's Top 10 GLBT fiction reads list which you can find here. Many thanks for that, Cassandra - a great surprise!
The next section of The Prayer Seeker's Journal is now uploaded and you can find that here, should you so wish.
This week's poetry is:
Meditation 373
When the wars
and the women,
the lies, the love
and the lechery
are done,
God remains still
his cloudless dawn,
the deep sparkle of rain
on the thirsty fields
of the heart.
Meditation 374
Josheb of Tachemon
killed eight hundred men
with his spear;
that’s a hell of a battle
and a hell
of a weapon, it’s clear.
This week's haiku:
It's impossible
to displace from my shoulders
this black, snarling dog.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
ANNE BROOKE BOOKS: Independent writer of modern fiction
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dangerous Men and Executioners
There. That's a title to conjure with, on oh so many levels. Never say I don't put some kind of effort into this writing lark, ho ho. Anyway, here's this week's news so far - my first few days of being 46, you know.
Book News:
I'm utterly thrilled with this new cover for A Dangerous Man which has been created by Scot D. Ryersson - what a genius. It's incredible and I really love it. Thank you, Scot. I'm very fond of the original one too, of course, but this seems to be perfectly suited for the times now and, hey, it's always good to have choices. I love it.
In terms of recent reviews, I'm pleased that literary short, Dancing with Lions, has gained a very enthusiastic 5-star review at Goodreads - many thanks for that, Rick. And it's a particular pleasure as it's this story's first review. I was starting to think nobody had much time for a Biblical historical and feminist perspective on King David, so nice to know I was wrong, tee hee. Let the women of the Bible loose is what I say - there's much modern value in them.
I'm also happy that the lovely Stephanie Watson has given The Secret Thoughts of Leaves a 4-star review, and also given a 5-star review to The Girl in the Painting - gosh, thanks, Stephanie! You read at a rate even faster than mine - do you not allow time to breathe?!...
Finally, in the reviews section, Martin and The Wolf and Angels and Airheads both received a very kind mention at Tam's Reads - thank you, Tam! Though I do think that your admission that you appear to be on an "Anne Brooke diet" in terms of reading is scary for you and I believe I know a doctor who can help ... Lord H at least has every sympathy for your predicament.
Keeping to the subject of reviews, my take on Malcolm Pryce's Last Tango in Aberystwyth can be found at Vulpes Libris today. It's the first in my Happy Reads series of reviews for the Book Foxes, and isn't really an auspicious start, I fear. I'm hoping for better things.
In terms of current works, I've sent the final edits for Tuluscan Six and the Time Circle back to Amber Allure Press, and that's due out on 18 July. And, in a truly miraculous feat, I have forced myself back into the game (steady, people, steady ...) in respect of actually writing more of The Executioner's Cane. A bit of a shocker that, as I'd all but forgotten what the hell was going on and what the characters were like. Hmm, still don't know really. It took a while to get into it again this morning (lots of sighing, playing on the computer, mad displacement activity and groaning etc etc, but then again that is usual for me ...) but yes I've done 1000 words. Phew. Ye gods and little fishes, Lord knows what the scribe thinks he's up to now but I suppose it must be something. Probably another month before I hit the dang thing again then at this rate. Hey ho.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Martin and The Wolf is now available at Amazon Kindle, and there's still time to win a free copy (hurrah!) at the Dancing Dove competition - it ends on 25 June (tomorrow) so best to rush!
I'm also delighted to say that I've joined the GLBT Author and Reader Yahoo Group, which looks a great place to be. So if you read or write GLBT fiction, do pop along for a visit. I'm especially pleased with my fun new Fiction Photo Album, which brings together all my gay fiction in one place. Not sure if you can see that unless you join as Yahoo in many respects remains a mystery to me but, believe me, it's worth the 10 seconds it will take to apply for membership, honest! And you get to meet lots of really lovely people who are far, far less scary than me, so what are you waiting for?...
Life News:
I have time for a life?? Well, goodness me, who'd have thought it. I must squeeze it in somehow (as it were) between crazed book work. Anyway, my birthday (I'm 46 now, don't you know - have I mentioned that already?) was fab-u-lous, in all respects, and I received some lovely presents from Lord H, and some totally strange presents from Mother. As usual. Bless. Still, I admit that though, at first, I laughed at her floral open-toed slippers gift (Mother has always bought presents for the lovely, fluffy, girly daughter she really wanted but, sadly, didn't get ...), now in this heat I can't take them off. Even to go outside. I am softening towards them and wearing them even as I'm typing this. Perhaps in the end, Mother will indeed get the daughter of her dreams, and Lord H will hurtle off into the sunset wondering where the off-kilter, kick-ass woman that he married went to ... Um, here's hoping not, please God! On all counts. Anyway, one of Lord H's gifts was a wonderful summery, dark blue dressing gown that is just what I wanted, as all my dressing gowns - Lordy, is that sad that I have several?? - are way, way too wintery. I am wearing it all the time too - with the slippers. Never say I am not stylish.
And it was a good job I had such a fabulous time on Monday, as Wednesday was UTTER crap, I must say. Depression City all round - exhaustion, heat, PMT big-time all came together to create the World's Weepiest Wife all day, dammit and big groan. It was soooo bad that I took 2 St John's Wort pills, 2 calming pills, a herbal sad person's pill and some Rescue Remedy spray. Still didn't work but at least I rattled a lot, so people could tell I was coming and still have time to escape. Weird how today all that crap has gone and I feel fine again. I am indeed a slave to my hormones, sigh. Thank God that's over for another month.
All of which is probably something similar to what those astonishing and surely exhausted Wimbledon players must be feeling after yesterday's game. Ye gods, but it's made tennis interesting again - and you must read the article in the link as it's laugh-out-loud good, even if you're not a tennis fan. Which I'm not any more, but both Lord H and I wonder if the match will ever end as it enters its third day. Gosh! Don't they have homes to go to, and how do those two men keep standing at all? Though let's not go into the mysteries of how the umpire managed to go so many hours without a courtesy break ... scary biscuits indeed.
Here are a couple of meditation poems to keep us all going:
Meditation 371
The ultimately
unfortunate soldier
whose spear has a shaft
as thick as the bar
on a weaver’s loom
probably didn’t reckon
on such a brief mention
in scripture
or on meeting his fate
quite so terribly soon.
Meditation 372
After the battle
comes the poetry
full of glory
and song
but I think
skipping the massacre
and going straight
to the music
wouldn’t entirely
be wrong.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Book News:
In terms of recent reviews, I'm pleased that literary short, Dancing with Lions, has gained a very enthusiastic 5-star review at Goodreads - many thanks for that, Rick. And it's a particular pleasure as it's this story's first review. I was starting to think nobody had much time for a Biblical historical and feminist perspective on King David, so nice to know I was wrong, tee hee. Let the women of the Bible loose is what I say - there's much modern value in them.
I'm also happy that the lovely Stephanie Watson has given The Secret Thoughts of Leaves a 4-star review, and also given a 5-star review to The Girl in the Painting - gosh, thanks, Stephanie! You read at a rate even faster than mine - do you not allow time to breathe?!...
Finally, in the reviews section, Martin and The Wolf and Angels and Airheads both received a very kind mention at Tam's Reads - thank you, Tam! Though I do think that your admission that you appear to be on an "Anne Brooke diet" in terms of reading is scary for you and I believe I know a doctor who can help ... Lord H at least has every sympathy for your predicament.
Keeping to the subject of reviews, my take on Malcolm Pryce's Last Tango in Aberystwyth can be found at Vulpes Libris today. It's the first in my Happy Reads series of reviews for the Book Foxes, and isn't really an auspicious start, I fear. I'm hoping for better things.
In terms of current works, I've sent the final edits for Tuluscan Six and the Time Circle back to Amber Allure Press, and that's due out on 18 July. And, in a truly miraculous feat, I have forced myself back into the game (steady, people, steady ...) in respect of actually writing more of The Executioner's Cane. A bit of a shocker that, as I'd all but forgotten what the hell was going on and what the characters were like. Hmm, still don't know really. It took a while to get into it again this morning (lots of sighing, playing on the computer, mad displacement activity and groaning etc etc, but then again that is usual for me ...) but yes I've done 1000 words. Phew. Ye gods and little fishes, Lord knows what the scribe thinks he's up to now but I suppose it must be something. Probably another month before I hit the dang thing again then at this rate. Hey ho.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Martin and The Wolf is now available at Amazon Kindle, and there's still time to win a free copy (hurrah!) at the Dancing Dove competition - it ends on 25 June (tomorrow) so best to rush!
I'm also delighted to say that I've joined the GLBT Author and Reader Yahoo Group, which looks a great place to be. So if you read or write GLBT fiction, do pop along for a visit. I'm especially pleased with my fun new Fiction Photo Album, which brings together all my gay fiction in one place. Not sure if you can see that unless you join as Yahoo in many respects remains a mystery to me but, believe me, it's worth the 10 seconds it will take to apply for membership, honest! And you get to meet lots of really lovely people who are far, far less scary than me, so what are you waiting for?...
Life News:
I have time for a life?? Well, goodness me, who'd have thought it. I must squeeze it in somehow (as it were) between crazed book work. Anyway, my birthday (I'm 46 now, don't you know - have I mentioned that already?) was fab-u-lous, in all respects, and I received some lovely presents from Lord H, and some totally strange presents from Mother. As usual. Bless. Still, I admit that though, at first, I laughed at her floral open-toed slippers gift (Mother has always bought presents for the lovely, fluffy, girly daughter she really wanted but, sadly, didn't get ...), now in this heat I can't take them off. Even to go outside. I am softening towards them and wearing them even as I'm typing this. Perhaps in the end, Mother will indeed get the daughter of her dreams, and Lord H will hurtle off into the sunset wondering where the off-kilter, kick-ass woman that he married went to ... Um, here's hoping not, please God! On all counts. Anyway, one of Lord H's gifts was a wonderful summery, dark blue dressing gown that is just what I wanted, as all my dressing gowns - Lordy, is that sad that I have several?? - are way, way too wintery. I am wearing it all the time too - with the slippers. Never say I am not stylish.
And it was a good job I had such a fabulous time on Monday, as Wednesday was UTTER crap, I must say. Depression City all round - exhaustion, heat, PMT big-time all came together to create the World's Weepiest Wife all day, dammit and big groan. It was soooo bad that I took 2 St John's Wort pills, 2 calming pills, a herbal sad person's pill and some Rescue Remedy spray. Still didn't work but at least I rattled a lot, so people could tell I was coming and still have time to escape. Weird how today all that crap has gone and I feel fine again. I am indeed a slave to my hormones, sigh. Thank God that's over for another month.
All of which is probably something similar to what those astonishing and surely exhausted Wimbledon players must be feeling after yesterday's game. Ye gods, but it's made tennis interesting again - and you must read the article in the link as it's laugh-out-loud good, even if you're not a tennis fan. Which I'm not any more, but both Lord H and I wonder if the match will ever end as it enters its third day. Gosh! Don't they have homes to go to, and how do those two men keep standing at all? Though let's not go into the mysteries of how the umpire managed to go so many hours without a courtesy break ... scary biscuits indeed.
Here are a couple of meditation poems to keep us all going:
Meditation 371
The ultimately
unfortunate soldier
whose spear has a shaft
as thick as the bar
on a weaver’s loom
probably didn’t reckon
on such a brief mention
in scripture
or on meeting his fate
quite so terribly soon.
Meditation 372
After the battle
comes the poetry
full of glory
and song
but I think
skipping the massacre
and going straight
to the music
wouldn’t entirely
be wrong.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Celebration, song and a competition!
Life News:
I'm celebrating my 46th birthday early this weekend (it's tomorrow, 21 June in actual fact) so it's been one outing after another really, hurrah! Lord H and I attended our first Glyndebourne event of the season yesterday and I even bought a new frock for it. Well, gosh. Or, rather, Lord H bought it. What a hero. We saw Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd which, I suppose wasn't a huge barrel of laughs but the staging was great and it's fascinating stuff. Being me, I loved the whole gay homoerotic subtext (or possibly "text" as to my mind there's nothing very "sub" about a whole load of sailors stuck in the middle of the ocean who all start calling Our Hero "baby" or "beauty" and telling him how handsome he is). Lord H harrumphed when I mentioned this and said what nonsense, it was all very manly and Billy was simply popular with the crew. Though, after my reasoned argument (no women at all, it's by Britten, there's a lot of passionate arias etc etc) he did admit that it was possibly even too gay for the marvellous Matthew Bourne to remake it as a gay ballet. Perhaps we need the lesbian version? Heck, we'd both pay to see that ...
Today, and carrying on the gay theme, we've had lunch out at Wisley and a bit of a wander round the rose gardens. As you do. Thus meeting wonderful troupes of metrosexual fathers out with their offspring and loved ones, celebrating Fathers' Day in civilised fashion. I suppose if you are a gay/metrosexual father and want a day out, then Wisley is likely to be higher up your list than the Bovington Tank Museum, or perhaps I am generalising way, way too much? Hey, it's possible. But I'm allowed - I'm nearly 46, you know. And a lot of champagne has been drunk - a hell of a lot - so it's astonishing I can form any kind of coherent thought at all.
Book News:
I'm thrilled to say that Martin and The Wolf has gained its first five-star review at Goodreads, and thank you so much to the lovely Serena for her comments. I'm particularly thrilled with her final paragraph:
I loved the message of this story: what counts in a relationship between any two "beings" isn't how they look, nor necessarily what DNA they carry, or what they behave like. The focus in examining whether we can have a relationship with someone, and accept who and what they are, should be on how they relate to us, what they mean to us, and how they treat us. A very powerful message indeed!
Which is basically what I was trying to convey - so thank you for that. As an added treat, there's a special FREE Giveaway competition for the book that is currently running at The Dancing Dove Journal - so leave a comment as instructed there to be in with a chance of winning a copy. The competition ends on 25 June, so good luck to all!
I'm also pleased to say that I've sent the final proofs for Creative Accountancy for Beginners back to Untreed Reads so I'll wait to see what the publication date will be for that one.
This week's haiku:
The motorway's edge:
the green and level grasses
float softly away.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
I'm celebrating my 46th birthday early this weekend (it's tomorrow, 21 June in actual fact) so it's been one outing after another really, hurrah! Lord H and I attended our first Glyndebourne event of the season yesterday and I even bought a new frock for it. Well, gosh. Or, rather, Lord H bought it. What a hero. We saw Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd which, I suppose wasn't a huge barrel of laughs but the staging was great and it's fascinating stuff. Being me, I loved the whole gay homoerotic subtext (or possibly "text" as to my mind there's nothing very "sub" about a whole load of sailors stuck in the middle of the ocean who all start calling Our Hero "baby" or "beauty" and telling him how handsome he is). Lord H harrumphed when I mentioned this and said what nonsense, it was all very manly and Billy was simply popular with the crew. Though, after my reasoned argument (no women at all, it's by Britten, there's a lot of passionate arias etc etc) he did admit that it was possibly even too gay for the marvellous Matthew Bourne to remake it as a gay ballet. Perhaps we need the lesbian version? Heck, we'd both pay to see that ...
Today, and carrying on the gay theme, we've had lunch out at Wisley and a bit of a wander round the rose gardens. As you do. Thus meeting wonderful troupes of metrosexual fathers out with their offspring and loved ones, celebrating Fathers' Day in civilised fashion. I suppose if you are a gay/metrosexual father and want a day out, then Wisley is likely to be higher up your list than the Bovington Tank Museum, or perhaps I am generalising way, way too much? Hey, it's possible. But I'm allowed - I'm nearly 46, you know. And a lot of champagne has been drunk - a hell of a lot - so it's astonishing I can form any kind of coherent thought at all.
Book News:
I'm thrilled to say that Martin and The Wolf has gained its first five-star review at Goodreads, and thank you so much to the lovely Serena for her comments. I'm particularly thrilled with her final paragraph:
I loved the message of this story: what counts in a relationship between any two "beings" isn't how they look, nor necessarily what DNA they carry, or what they behave like. The focus in examining whether we can have a relationship with someone, and accept who and what they are, should be on how they relate to us, what they mean to us, and how they treat us. A very powerful message indeed!
Which is basically what I was trying to convey - so thank you for that. As an added treat, there's a special FREE Giveaway competition for the book that is currently running at The Dancing Dove Journal - so leave a comment as instructed there to be in with a chance of winning a copy. The competition ends on 25 June, so good luck to all!
I'm also pleased to say that I've sent the final proofs for Creative Accountancy for Beginners back to Untreed Reads so I'll wait to see what the publication date will be for that one.
This week's haiku:
The motorway's edge:
the green and level grasses
float softly away.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Friday, June 18, 2010
Holidays and books
Have had a fabulous holiday in gloriously sunny Wales - it was total bliss to get away, and ye gods and little fishes but I think the St John's Wort happy pills might be working, hurrah! This is the most normal I've felt in two months, maybe more. Anyway, Wales is wonderful. My favourite day was the one we spent at Hilton Court Gardens taking tea and just sitting in their incredibly beautiful gardens at ridiculously cheap prices. If you're anywhere near it, you absolutely must go. It's just soooo relaxing. After that, we paddled on the amazingly beautiful and all but deserted beach in Newgale, nearby, and that was wonderful too. Honestly, that night, I was the most relaxed and happy I've been in years. I wish I could go to Hilton Court and Newgale every day or, at the very least, have them delivered. Bliss.
Book News:
My gay fantasy short story, Martin and The Wolf, is now published at Amber Allure and you can also view a book trailer.
At the same time, my gay comic fantasy, Angels and Airheads, is published at Torquere Press, which is my first publication with them. I hope it won't be the last!
In terms of upcoming book news, I now have a webpage for straight romance, The Boilerman and The Bride, and that's due out from Amber Heat Press on 4 July 2010. And I totally love that cover - so many thanks to Trace at Amber who created it! It's astonishing what men can do with their spanners indeed - as it were ...
I also have a new page for upcoming comic SF story, Creative Accountancy for Beginners, and this will be part of the new Orbis line from Untreed Reads Press. It will probably be published late this month and will be their first Orbis offering, so I'm especially thrilled to be part of that - thanks to Jay once more! Talking of which, the cover for it is wonderful too - as you can see!
Finally, in the specific book news section, I'm very happy that Bluewood Publishing now have an author's page for me that also has the cover art for The Gifting on it, so that's getting exciting too.
Reviews & ratings:
The Delaneys and Me has had two reviews this week, one at Three Dollar Bill Reviews and one at Amazon US - very many thanks to both reviewers for their comments. It's also been interesting to note that The Delaneys and Me was briefly at Number 45 in the Amazon Kindle Gay Fiction charts, whilst The Bones of Summer managed Number 68 in the Amazon Kindle Gay Romance chart and (pause for BIG drumroll!) The Secret Thoughts of Leaves was actually Number 17 in the Amazon Kindle Surrealism charts for a while. Heck, I didn't even know Amazon possessed a surrealism chart, but my goodness it's nice to be in it. Whatever next, eh?
Interviews:
There are two interviews with me on the web this week, one at Sizzling Releases that focuses mainly on The Secret Thoughts of Leaves. And the other is about my fiction more generally and can be found at Two Ends of the Pen journal. I hope you enjoy both.
Poetry:
Meditation 370
Sunlight on ripening barley
and the soft pull
of the wind
whilst at the skyline
seven men are hanged
all the way
to death: in the midst
of beauty
we are in ugliness.
Last Sunday's haiku:
Decide for silence,
unknit yourself from the earth.
Finally alone.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Book News:
At the same time, my gay comic fantasy, Angels and Airheads, is published at Torquere Press, which is my first publication with them. I hope it won't be the last!
I also have a new page for upcoming comic SF story, Creative Accountancy for Beginners, and this will be part of the new Orbis line from Untreed Reads Press. It will probably be published late this month and will be their first Orbis offering, so I'm especially thrilled to be part of that - thanks to Jay once more! Talking of which, the cover for it is wonderful too - as you can see!
Finally, in the specific book news section, I'm very happy that Bluewood Publishing now have an author's page for me that also has the cover art for The Gifting on it, so that's getting exciting too.
Reviews & ratings:
The Delaneys and Me has had two reviews this week, one at Three Dollar Bill Reviews and one at Amazon US - very many thanks to both reviewers for their comments. It's also been interesting to note that The Delaneys and Me was briefly at Number 45 in the Amazon Kindle Gay Fiction charts, whilst The Bones of Summer managed Number 68 in the Amazon Kindle Gay Romance chart and (pause for BIG drumroll!) The Secret Thoughts of Leaves was actually Number 17 in the Amazon Kindle Surrealism charts for a while. Heck, I didn't even know Amazon possessed a surrealism chart, but my goodness it's nice to be in it. Whatever next, eh?
Interviews:
There are two interviews with me on the web this week, one at Sizzling Releases that focuses mainly on The Secret Thoughts of Leaves. And the other is about my fiction more generally and can be found at Two Ends of the Pen journal. I hope you enjoy both.
Poetry:
Meditation 370
Sunlight on ripening barley
and the soft pull
of the wind
whilst at the skyline
seven men are hanged
all the way
to death: in the midst
of beauty
we are in ugliness.
Last Sunday's haiku:
Decide for silence,
unknit yourself from the earth.
Finally alone.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Discounts galore
In addition all Untreed Reads books, including my own, are now available at a 20% discount from Coffee Time Romance, so it's definitely time for some serious browsing. I'm also delighted that my quiet literary lesbian story, The Girl in the Painting, is a Recommended Read for June at Queer Magazine Online - so thank you, Anders, for that.
Meanwhile, I've reviewed Nik Perring's Not So Perfect Stories at Vulpes Libris today - which is a fascinating collection even though, to my mind, some of these stories remain unfinished. Certainly much to think about there.
In terms of health, I've been pretty dodgy all week (so no change there then!) and have seen the specialist at the hospital today, who is a totally lovely woman and always cheers me up, hurrah. So the upshot of my appointment is I've taken another couple of blood tests - one for the CA125 marker and another to see what my oestrogen levels are doing, if anything. My, what fun I do have on my days off, eh - we Essex Gals certainly know how to live! At the moment, we're going to leave my HRT as it is, pending on test results, but the doctor suggested that, in order to lift my increasingly grim and fragile mood, I should try taking St John's Wort. Which I'm more than happy to do, as I've wondered about it before, so I picked up a bottle at the Health Shop today while I was in Godalming, and I've taken my first pill. I'll start off at one per day, as per the Health Woman's advice, but I can apparently take up to three if nothing happens. Even with the HRT, so that's good news. So, if you hear tell of a manic woman downing her essential Happy Pills and running through the Surrey meadows whilst laughing hysterically, you'll know it's me. Just so you're warned, eh ...
But before that, here's a meditation poem. I've only had time for one, what with one thing and another:
Meditation 369
When you judge a man
as worthless
from the start
then he’s likely
to live up to that charge
in good measure.
This weekend we'll be on holiday for a few days, so I'll catch up when we're back. Don't forget however that gay fantasy comedy, Angels and Airheads, will be published by Torquere Press on Saturday 12 June, and gay fantasy, Martin and The Wolf, will be published by Amber Allure on Sunday 13 June. Enjoy!
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Publishing and some personal thoughts
What a busy and sometimes vastly difficult week it's been. Really, I'm astonished we've got to the end of it and are still standing. Just. Not that it's been all bad news as it hasn't, as there's been lots of nice future publication activity, which has acted as a bit of a boost.
I've received and completed the contract for Rosie by Name from Bluewood Publishing and hope to post that back to them tomorrow, although I've also sent a copy by email. And I have a lovely new publication date for the new edition of A Dangerous Man from Cheyenne Publishing - it will be 15 October 2010, so it's great to have something to look forward to after the inevitable exhaustion of the University's Freshers' Week.
At a less distant perspective, I've sent back the galley proofs of Martin and The Wolf, which now has a page at Amber Allure Press (NB: that page contains erotic content so be warned!). It will be published on Sunday 13 June, so not long to go now, hurrah.
And there's a new interview with me for your delectation at Shae Connor's Journal - thanks so much to Shae for allowing me to take over her journal for a day. It's much appreciated.
However, on the slightly minus side, I've been giving some thought to my novel-writing vocation (I hesitate to say career!) over the last few weeks on and off, and I've decided that when I've finished The Executioner's Cane, then I won't be writing any more novels for the foreseeable future. When I started writing novels in the year 2000, I gave myself ten years to make some kind of go of it and, in all honesty, that hasn't worked, and is causing me on the whole more grief than joy. So I think it's time to call it a day, as they say, and move on. In any case, finishing Executioner will without doubt take me well into 2011 so I've given it my best shot. Yes, I'm sad to have to take this decision, but not taking it will I fear be even more detrimental to my mental/emotional health so I'd be stupid to do anything else.
On the other hand, that doesn't mean I won't be continuing writing the short stories and, perhaps, the odd novella or two. The short story career (and there, I do dare say that word, though with tongue very much in cheek of course!) has been doing surprisingly well recently, particularly with my new gay and literary fiction publishers (special thanks for this to Amber Allure, Torquere Press and Untreed Reads), and bringing in more royalties than anything else put together, so I think it's best to concentrate on that. Plus it's more fun. In terms of novellas, I'd like to finish The Prayer Seeker's Journal at about 40,000 words or so, and then I've got an idea about a gay romance novella, but I won't start that until the last novel is done. Onward and sideways for sanity then, as they say ...
Talking of health matters, which we are sort of, I'm disappointed to note that my second CA125 blood test results weren't great, though almost identical to the first one - so, hell, at least I'm consistent! And the scan I had at the same time wasn't perfect either, though that's probably my usual and there's nothing horrible to worry about there. Which I hope is true on all counts, but I'm seeing the specialist on Wednesday, so I'll wait to hear what she has to say. Ho hum. Thank you hugely to all the people who've sent very kind messages - I'm very grateful indeed. While I'm at the hospital, I think I'm also going to ask her if I can change my current HRT doses in some way - I haven't really been very happy at all over the last couple of months, and have been positively weepy on many occasions and furiously angry on others, though I think I've kept that out of the public domain on the whole (poor, poor Lord H - what a lot he's had to put up with since March or so, and how much of a Superhero he really is!!). We think it might be the hormones, sigh. But, honestly, I really really can't bear a summer of this as I have no clue at all as to how I'm going to feel from one moment to the next or even how I'm going to act. God preserve Surrey! Is it premenopausal, I wonder??
Which brings me (though I trust the link is only coincidental) somehow back to the Cumbria Question. Not on the matter of what happened this time, but on the matter of what's happening now. I would like to nail my colours to the proverbial mast and say that if I live in a society where the press can without any qualms at all interview a 9-year-old boy about his reactions to the killings he witnessed, then we are in all honesty no longer living in either a civilised society or a humane one. The press deserve a hefty fine for this kind of child abuse, and the parents a hefty warning. God preserve us all indeed. Enough said. As I fear that in this age of celebrity-at-any-price and news-at-any-price, then people will do anything and my views are meaningless.
Anyway, here's some poetry to calm us all down:
Meditation 368
There will always be ways
of putting your point across
but what matters most
is the listening.
This week's haiku, because getting up yesterday morning was just sooo tricky! -
Sunlight pierces air,
calls me to the crystal day.
Reluctant riser.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
I've received and completed the contract for Rosie by Name from Bluewood Publishing and hope to post that back to them tomorrow, although I've also sent a copy by email. And I have a lovely new publication date for the new edition of A Dangerous Man from Cheyenne Publishing - it will be 15 October 2010, so it's great to have something to look forward to after the inevitable exhaustion of the University's Freshers' Week.
At a less distant perspective, I've sent back the galley proofs of Martin and The Wolf, which now has a page at Amber Allure Press (NB: that page contains erotic content so be warned!). It will be published on Sunday 13 June, so not long to go now, hurrah.
And there's a new interview with me for your delectation at Shae Connor's Journal - thanks so much to Shae for allowing me to take over her journal for a day. It's much appreciated.
However, on the slightly minus side, I've been giving some thought to my novel-writing vocation (I hesitate to say career!) over the last few weeks on and off, and I've decided that when I've finished The Executioner's Cane, then I won't be writing any more novels for the foreseeable future. When I started writing novels in the year 2000, I gave myself ten years to make some kind of go of it and, in all honesty, that hasn't worked, and is causing me on the whole more grief than joy. So I think it's time to call it a day, as they say, and move on. In any case, finishing Executioner will without doubt take me well into 2011 so I've given it my best shot. Yes, I'm sad to have to take this decision, but not taking it will I fear be even more detrimental to my mental/emotional health so I'd be stupid to do anything else.
On the other hand, that doesn't mean I won't be continuing writing the short stories and, perhaps, the odd novella or two. The short story career (and there, I do dare say that word, though with tongue very much in cheek of course!) has been doing surprisingly well recently, particularly with my new gay and literary fiction publishers (special thanks for this to Amber Allure, Torquere Press and Untreed Reads), and bringing in more royalties than anything else put together, so I think it's best to concentrate on that. Plus it's more fun. In terms of novellas, I'd like to finish The Prayer Seeker's Journal at about 40,000 words or so, and then I've got an idea about a gay romance novella, but I won't start that until the last novel is done. Onward and sideways for sanity then, as they say ...
Talking of health matters, which we are sort of, I'm disappointed to note that my second CA125 blood test results weren't great, though almost identical to the first one - so, hell, at least I'm consistent! And the scan I had at the same time wasn't perfect either, though that's probably my usual and there's nothing horrible to worry about there. Which I hope is true on all counts, but I'm seeing the specialist on Wednesday, so I'll wait to hear what she has to say. Ho hum. Thank you hugely to all the people who've sent very kind messages - I'm very grateful indeed. While I'm at the hospital, I think I'm also going to ask her if I can change my current HRT doses in some way - I haven't really been very happy at all over the last couple of months, and have been positively weepy on many occasions and furiously angry on others, though I think I've kept that out of the public domain on the whole (poor, poor Lord H - what a lot he's had to put up with since March or so, and how much of a Superhero he really is!!). We think it might be the hormones, sigh. But, honestly, I really really can't bear a summer of this as I have no clue at all as to how I'm going to feel from one moment to the next or even how I'm going to act. God preserve Surrey! Is it premenopausal, I wonder??
Which brings me (though I trust the link is only coincidental) somehow back to the Cumbria Question. Not on the matter of what happened this time, but on the matter of what's happening now. I would like to nail my colours to the proverbial mast and say that if I live in a society where the press can without any qualms at all interview a 9-year-old boy about his reactions to the killings he witnessed, then we are in all honesty no longer living in either a civilised society or a humane one. The press deserve a hefty fine for this kind of child abuse, and the parents a hefty warning. God preserve us all indeed. Enough said. As I fear that in this age of celebrity-at-any-price and news-at-any-price, then people will do anything and my views are meaningless.
Anyway, here's some poetry to calm us all down:
Meditation 368
There will always be ways
of putting your point across
but what matters most
is the listening.
This week's haiku, because getting up yesterday morning was just sooo tricky! -
Sunlight pierces air,
calls me to the crystal day.
Reluctant riser.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Girls, Doves and Angels
The Bones of Summer was also briefly holding its own (as it were) at No 53 in the Amazon Kindle Gay & Lesbian fiction charts but is now, alas, back into the shadows once more. Nice to have the glitter while it lasted, however.
Story acceptances this week have included my comic short story, Rosie by Name, by Bluewood Publishing, and also a comic SF story, Creative Accountancy for Beginners, again by Untreed Reads, so a big thank you to both publishers for that.
You can also find an interview with me at the Dancing Dove Journal, so I hope you enjoy that - I certainly enjoyed answering the questions, and thanks to Ralph for giving me "air-time". I've also finished the edits for gay romance short story, Angels and Airheads, and have sent those back to Torquere Press. And my Hot Fiction Tip for June at Queer Magazine Online can be found here - it's a totally strange title but a fabulous read.
Here are this week's earlier meditations, some of which are strangely and sadly apt:
Meditation 365
Out of a time
of destruction and rage
a small heaven
of quiet words:
on this day
nobody dies.
Meditation 366
After battle
there is time
for kindness
but it’s a spare sort
when the loyalty of cripples
is called to account.
Meditation 367
At eighty years old
he can no longer taste
or see, or hear
the voice of singers
but still has chutzpah enough
to sweet-talk a king.
Finally, in the midst of this, we must absolutely spare many of our thoughts for the Cumbrian gun tragedy which took place yesterday and which left many dead and more injured. Nothing much I can say at all, except that violence is all around and within us, and my heart goes out to the victims, the perpetrator and all their families and friends. We live in tragic and frightening times, I fear.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Happy books and bitchy songs
All the doom and gloom I've been reading lately has recently become a bit too much for me, so if anyone knows any happy books out there they can recommend, please do let me know. The only rule is that it can't be your own, for obvious reasons. Many thanks to those who've offered suggestions so far - I'm really grateful.
Speaking hopefully of happy things, Lord H is loving his new iPad, even though it can't quite pick up the GPS signal to make the SatNav work. The good thing though is that the SatNav works on his iphone, even though it's not the quickest of connections, and the blessed Mary (the SatNav voice) sometimes gives you directions that she's already given you or that you've already done. So I think it works only as long as you do actually know your way anyway. Or simply take a map. The choice is yours.
I'm also pleased to see a good couple of episodes being broadcast in the latest Dr Who series - a brilliant two-parter, though I deeply mourn (SPOILER ALERT) the loss of Rory just as he was shaping up nicely, dammit. And I have to say I don't like the pesky Amy - Spoilt Brat Alert springs to mind ... Still, laughing at Eurovision and Graham Norton's wonderfully snide commentary cheered me up big-time. How wonderful to be so gloriously last! And another middling career for a young hopeful UK singer gone for ever (say she, bitchily) ... You think they'd have more sense than to enter, really. It only ends in tears. Theirs.
In writing news, I've uploaded the last part of chapter twelve to The Prayer Seeker's Journal and in my offline writing of it I've reached the big milestone of 30,000 words, hurrah. Yes, I appreciate hardly anyone is reading it (thank you to the happy few, the very few who do) and so that experiment has been something of a glorious failure, but it's still a big thing for me and I shall therefore continue until it's done. Plus, as it's a novella and I don't expect will go beyond 50,000 words, tops, that cheers me greatly in terms of reaching my goal. Still, the mysteries of how exactly blogged fiction gets an audience remains as ever beyond me.
Meanwhile, at Untreed Reads, there's a discount in operation over this bank holiday weekend, so if you put MEMDAYSALE in at the checkout stage for any of their offerings, you'll make a nice lot of savings. Including on some of my books, so that's double nice.
In terms of reviews, The Delaneys and Me gained a 4.5 star review at Rainbow Reviews and is also now available for purchase at Amazon Kindle.
Today's meditation poems are:
Meditation 362
Victory balanced
by sorrow,
success matched
with loss
proving beyond
all reasonable doubt
that the worst gift
is to get what you want.
Meditation 363
When love is more overpowering
than the man
who contains it
then he will be happy
only if all else should die
and the lover live.
Meditation 364
It all comes down
to this:
after the war
the politics
and nothing
really changes.
And the Sunday haiku is:
Cool air bites my skin
and though morning comes too soon
the birds are silent.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Speaking hopefully of happy things, Lord H is loving his new iPad, even though it can't quite pick up the GPS signal to make the SatNav work. The good thing though is that the SatNav works on his iphone, even though it's not the quickest of connections, and the blessed Mary (the SatNav voice) sometimes gives you directions that she's already given you or that you've already done. So I think it works only as long as you do actually know your way anyway. Or simply take a map. The choice is yours.
I'm also pleased to see a good couple of episodes being broadcast in the latest Dr Who series - a brilliant two-parter, though I deeply mourn (SPOILER ALERT) the loss of Rory just as he was shaping up nicely, dammit. And I have to say I don't like the pesky Amy - Spoilt Brat Alert springs to mind ... Still, laughing at Eurovision and Graham Norton's wonderfully snide commentary cheered me up big-time. How wonderful to be so gloriously last! And another middling career for a young hopeful UK singer gone for ever (say she, bitchily) ... You think they'd have more sense than to enter, really. It only ends in tears. Theirs.
In writing news, I've uploaded the last part of chapter twelve to The Prayer Seeker's Journal and in my offline writing of it I've reached the big milestone of 30,000 words, hurrah. Yes, I appreciate hardly anyone is reading it (thank you to the happy few, the very few who do) and so that experiment has been something of a glorious failure, but it's still a big thing for me and I shall therefore continue until it's done. Plus, as it's a novella and I don't expect will go beyond 50,000 words, tops, that cheers me greatly in terms of reaching my goal. Still, the mysteries of how exactly blogged fiction gets an audience remains as ever beyond me.
Meanwhile, at Untreed Reads, there's a discount in operation over this bank holiday weekend, so if you put MEMDAYSALE in at the checkout stage for any of their offerings, you'll make a nice lot of savings. Including on some of my books, so that's double nice.
In terms of reviews, The Delaneys and Me gained a 4.5 star review at Rainbow Reviews and is also now available for purchase at Amazon Kindle.
Today's meditation poems are:
Meditation 362
Victory balanced
by sorrow,
success matched
with loss
proving beyond
all reasonable doubt
that the worst gift
is to get what you want.
Meditation 363
When love is more overpowering
than the man
who contains it
then he will be happy
only if all else should die
and the lover live.
Meditation 364
It all comes down
to this:
after the war
the politics
and nothing
really changes.
And the Sunday haiku is:
Cool air bites my skin
and though morning comes too soon
the birds are silent.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Branded Words
Lordy, but this week seems to be hugely difficult - I'm really way too tired to cope with it and goodness knows when I'm going to get any sleep, but we struggle bravely on. The Empire Spirit, don't you know.
Anyway, I'm pleased to say that you can now find all my romantic fiction at 1Romance Ebooks and, with romance in mind, I now have a brand-new web page for upcoming gay short story, Angels and Airheads, (plus extract) due out from Torquere Press on 12 June.
Meanwhile, a new anthology of prose and poetry, Branded Words, is now out at Amazon UK and Amazon US and contains a poem from me, so buy early, buy often. As they say.
I've also send the final edits for Martin and The Wolf back to Amber Allure, and that's due out 13 June. So that's going to be an exciting weekend for sure! Though, as I'm away on holiday then, I'll have to catch up with marketing when I get back. I've also sent back the contract for straight and slightly naughty short story, The Boilerman and The Bride, to Amber Quill Press, and that's due out on 4 July.
Ooh and I'm delighted to see my author details are now at Cheyenne Publishing, hurrah!
Finally, here are this week's meditation poems so far:
Meditation 358
The first act
the new leader performs
is sleeping
with the old leader’s women.
I wonder how much
that would liven up politics
if it happened today.
Meditation 359
To defeat the one
you hate
and fear
bring twelve thousand men
and as many ropes
into the city.
Leave behind
not a single stone,
not a single breath.
Meditation 360
On a day like this
the only thing to do
is hide in a well
covered with gravel
and wait.
Meditation 361
It’s not the words
that speak
but the pictures:
a young man
hanging from a tree
in a wild uproar
of life;
an old man
waiting quietly
as death holds out
its gentle
unavoidable hand.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Anyway, I'm pleased to say that you can now find all my romantic fiction at 1Romance Ebooks and, with romance in mind, I now have a brand-new web page for upcoming gay short story, Angels and Airheads, (plus extract) due out from Torquere Press on 12 June.
I've also send the final edits for Martin and The Wolf back to Amber Allure, and that's due out 13 June. So that's going to be an exciting weekend for sure! Though, as I'm away on holiday then, I'll have to catch up with marketing when I get back. I've also sent back the contract for straight and slightly naughty short story, The Boilerman and The Bride, to Amber Quill Press, and that's due out on 4 July.
Ooh and I'm delighted to see my author details are now at Cheyenne Publishing, hurrah!
Finally, here are this week's meditation poems so far:
Meditation 358
The first act
the new leader performs
is sleeping
with the old leader’s women.
I wonder how much
that would liven up politics
if it happened today.
Meditation 359
To defeat the one
you hate
and fear
bring twelve thousand men
and as many ropes
into the city.
Leave behind
not a single stone,
not a single breath.
Meditation 360
On a day like this
the only thing to do
is hide in a well
covered with gravel
and wait.
Meditation 361
It’s not the words
that speak
but the pictures:
a young man
hanging from a tree
in a wild uproar
of life;
an old man
waiting quietly
as death holds out
its gentle
unavoidable hand.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A Dangerous Man, books and interviews
Lots of exciting news this week, so hang on to your hats! I'm thrilled to say that Cheyenne Publishing will be publishing a new edition of A Dangerous Man later in 2010, so more news to follow shortly on that front. A big thank you to Mark for saying yes!
I'm also happy to say that all my Untreed Reads eBooks are now available at Books on Board and Powell's so thank you to Jay for sorting all that out. It's much appreciated.
Other writing news is that my GLBT fantasy short story, Tuluscan Six and the Time Circle, will be published by Amber Allure on 18 July and you can also read an extract here. Love the cover too! In terms of reviews, it's been a nice week also: The Bones of Summer gained two reviews at Goodreads, which you can read here and here - two very different reactions, but thank you to both readers for sharing their comments. At the same time, Maloney's Law gained a 5-star review at Goodreads, and Painting from Life also gained a similar review at Goodreads - so many thanks to those readers also.
Astonishingly, and thanks again to Jay at Untreed Reads, I've been interviewed twice this week, once talking mainly about The Delaneys and Me at Author Offerings, and once more generally about my writing life by Kipp Poe. I hope you enjoy finding out my little never-before-revealed secret in one of those! Ah, the shame ...
Meanwhile, GLBT Week at Vulpes Libris comes to a stonkingly riproaring finish (oo-err, missus ...), with my review of Clare London's wonderful PI novel, Freeman; Sam's review of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; and last but by no means least, Rosy's amazing article on Brideshead Revisited - a big thank you to everyone for taking part and for reading. We've all had a fabulous time! Let's hope we can do it all over again next year.
Speaking of things fabulous, Lord H and I had a great time out at the Guildford Theatre on Thursday seeing Headlong Theatre's production of Oscar Wilde's Salome. I have to admit I wasn't hugely looking forward to it, as I've studied the play in the past but have never seen it - it's rarely performed, and though the poetry is rich and lush and amazing, it's always been hard for me to really "get" it in my head. Well, Thursday was a revelation and it completely opened up the whole thing for me as a play rather than as a poem-drama, proving once again just what an astonishingly good playwright Wilde was, in whatever genre he was writing in. I loved the passion, the humour, the teenage angst, the hugely complex adult relationships shown, the setting and the actors. Everything really - especially that marvellous scene at the end where Salome drinks the blood pouring from John the Baptist's head. Oh, yes, bring it on - I'm a Jacobean tragedy girl at heart and really can't get enough of that sort of thing on stage - Lord H said when that happened I was the only one in the audience smiling and sitting up. Ah well - the more blood and death and drama, the better really ... Anyway, the play was amazing - if you get the chance to go, for heaven's sake do, as it may not be an opportunity we'll see again in our lifetimes. And kudos galore to Headlong Theatre for having the balls to revive it when the audience can be counted on the fingers of one hand - hell, we may have been small in number, but we loved it.
But, keeping to the theme of poetry, I'm pleased to say that two of my poems have just been published in the spring edition of Mayo Review. And there's been 3 meditation poems in the latter half of this week, plus the Sunday haiku:
Meditation 355
Just when you thought
everything you held dear
was lost,
someone you hardly know
steps forward
to stand with you,
taking with him something
of the pain and making
everything clearer:
even the wilderness journey,
even the wild river crossings,
even the grief.
Meditation 356
If you want to steal
your master’s life,
take as much
bread, raisins, fruit
and wine
as you can carry
to your master’s master
and wait
for your ship
to come in.
Meditation 357
Sometimes it’s necessary
to endure the stones
and insults,
knowing the truth
that lies
within them.
This week's haiku:
A silent poem
drifts across the page, seeking
the margin's embrace.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
I'm also happy to say that all my Untreed Reads eBooks are now available at Books on Board and Powell's so thank you to Jay for sorting all that out. It's much appreciated.
Astonishingly, and thanks again to Jay at Untreed Reads, I've been interviewed twice this week, once talking mainly about The Delaneys and Me at Author Offerings, and once more generally about my writing life by Kipp Poe. I hope you enjoy finding out my little never-before-revealed secret in one of those! Ah, the shame ...
Meanwhile, GLBT Week at Vulpes Libris comes to a stonkingly riproaring finish (oo-err, missus ...), with my review of Clare London's wonderful PI novel, Freeman; Sam's review of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; and last but by no means least, Rosy's amazing article on Brideshead Revisited - a big thank you to everyone for taking part and for reading. We've all had a fabulous time! Let's hope we can do it all over again next year.
Speaking of things fabulous, Lord H and I had a great time out at the Guildford Theatre on Thursday seeing Headlong Theatre's production of Oscar Wilde's Salome. I have to admit I wasn't hugely looking forward to it, as I've studied the play in the past but have never seen it - it's rarely performed, and though the poetry is rich and lush and amazing, it's always been hard for me to really "get" it in my head. Well, Thursday was a revelation and it completely opened up the whole thing for me as a play rather than as a poem-drama, proving once again just what an astonishingly good playwright Wilde was, in whatever genre he was writing in. I loved the passion, the humour, the teenage angst, the hugely complex adult relationships shown, the setting and the actors. Everything really - especially that marvellous scene at the end where Salome drinks the blood pouring from John the Baptist's head. Oh, yes, bring it on - I'm a Jacobean tragedy girl at heart and really can't get enough of that sort of thing on stage - Lord H said when that happened I was the only one in the audience smiling and sitting up. Ah well - the more blood and death and drama, the better really ... Anyway, the play was amazing - if you get the chance to go, for heaven's sake do, as it may not be an opportunity we'll see again in our lifetimes. And kudos galore to Headlong Theatre for having the balls to revive it when the audience can be counted on the fingers of one hand - hell, we may have been small in number, but we loved it.
But, keeping to the theme of poetry, I'm pleased to say that two of my poems have just been published in the spring edition of Mayo Review. And there's been 3 meditation poems in the latter half of this week, plus the Sunday haiku:
Meditation 355
Just when you thought
everything you held dear
was lost,
someone you hardly know
steps forward
to stand with you,
taking with him something
of the pain and making
everything clearer:
even the wilderness journey,
even the wild river crossings,
even the grief.
Meditation 356
If you want to steal
your master’s life,
take as much
bread, raisins, fruit
and wine
as you can carry
to your master’s master
and wait
for your ship
to come in.
Meditation 357
Sometimes it’s necessary
to endure the stones
and insults,
knowing the truth
that lies
within them.
This week's haiku:
A silent poem
drifts across the page, seeking
the margin's embrace.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
GLBT Week at Vulpes: halfway through ...
We're now halfway through GLBT Week at Vulpes Libris and I hope everyone's enjoying it. I certainly am! So far we've had a look at: Sarah Waters' Fingersmith; the love affair between Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland; and a rollercoaster ride through gay teen fiction. It's all go, my dears, and there's still so much more to look forward to!
I'm also pleased to say that Amber Quill Press have accepted my (straight) erotic short story, The Boilerman and The Bride, for publication on 4 July - and a special thank you to Ruth at work for the title. But, trust me, the story behind her boilerman and bride is entirely different and very proper. Honest! I'm also at the 40,000 word marker in The Executioner's Cane, so about one-third through, which is nice. Heck, there's almost hope there. Almost ...
This week's meditation poems have so far been:
Meditation 352
If in doubt
send for a clever woman:
they’re much better
at fooling a man
into doing the right thing
than a thousand messages
from God
would ever be.
Meditation 353
Never trust a man
with beautiful hair
and don’t respond
to a neighbour
who burns your fields
to get your attention:
it’ll all end in tears.
Meditation 354
His promise
becomes a betrayal
and kisses
are nothing but scars
in the making
while it’s best not to mention
his deceitful web
of words
drifting through the air
to catch you.
Meanwhile rejections this week: 1
Under serious consideration: 1
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
I'm also pleased to say that Amber Quill Press have accepted my (straight) erotic short story, The Boilerman and The Bride, for publication on 4 July - and a special thank you to Ruth at work for the title. But, trust me, the story behind her boilerman and bride is entirely different and very proper. Honest! I'm also at the 40,000 word marker in The Executioner's Cane, so about one-third through, which is nice. Heck, there's almost hope there. Almost ...
This week's meditation poems have so far been:
Meditation 352
If in doubt
send for a clever woman:
they’re much better
at fooling a man
into doing the right thing
than a thousand messages
from God
would ever be.
Meditation 353
Never trust a man
with beautiful hair
and don’t respond
to a neighbour
who burns your fields
to get your attention:
it’ll all end in tears.
Meditation 354
His promise
becomes a betrayal
and kisses
are nothing but scars
in the making
while it’s best not to mention
his deceitful web
of words
drifting through the air
to catch you.
Meanwhile rejections this week: 1
Under serious consideration: 1
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Sunday, May 16, 2010
GLBT Week and Sunday haiku
I'm happy to announce that Vulpes Libris is holding its first ever GLBT Week next week, so do pop in as there'll be loads of good stuff to read about during the week.
Meanwhile I've uploaded the next section to The Prayer Seeker's Journal, and I'm also quietly pleased with an Amazon review of The Secret Thoughts of Leaves.
Here's my most recent meditation poem:
Meditation 351
Revenge is best taken
at mealtimes
after years of thought
and careful planning:
a modern and acceptable
alternative
to after-dinner chat.
And here's this week's haiku:
A chaos of cracks
dances across the pathway,
imitating life.
Anne Brooke
Vulpes Libris
Meanwhile I've uploaded the next section to The Prayer Seeker's Journal, and I'm also quietly pleased with an Amazon review of The Secret Thoughts of Leaves.
Here's my most recent meditation poem:
Meditation 351
Revenge is best taken
at mealtimes
after years of thought
and careful planning:
a modern and acceptable
alternative
to after-dinner chat.
And here's this week's haiku:
A chaos of cracks
dances across the pathway,
imitating life.
Anne Brooke
Vulpes Libris
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Nightingales and Fruit
Life news:
Lord H and I went for a group evening walk in Bookham Common earlier in the week, and were lucky enough to spot - and hear - our first nightingale of the year, hurrah! We also spent some time attempting to track down a cuckoo - often heard but rarely seen - but sadly it proved elusive. Ah well, you can't win 'em all.
It made up for the fact that work has seemed to drag on and on this week - I swear I'd be beavering away for hours and when I looked at the clock it would be only 9.30am, sigh. Mind you, yesterday wasn't helped by the fact that I had a headache all ruddy day, and a tricky two-hour long meeting to minute over lunchtime, so I really wasn't in a good mood at all. At the end of the day, I could barely concentrate on anything anyone was saying, and I collapsed on the bed when I got home and slept for an hour and a half. And the headache was still there. Despite the fact that I'd taken the upper limit of headache pills, deep deep sigh. At least, I managed to wake up in time for Midsomer Murders on TV though - it's my mid-week brightener. And today, thank the Lord, the headache has gone. Still hugely tired however.
The other thing about last night was we had a three-hour power cut starting at 10.30pm - when I was about to go to bed anyway, but Lord H lost some stuff from his computer but he can remember what it was, thank goodness. However, when we rang Southern Electric, there was a recorded message saying that our planned power cut would last until 1.30am. Planned???!! Surely, if it was planned, they should have told us? I noticed the whole street was dark and some of the neighbours were wandering around with torches, looking confused. None of us knew a thing about it. What if we'd had people round for dinner? (Okay, a rare event, but you get my meaning ...). The Water Board at least have the courtesy to leave us a note when there's a planned loss of service - you would think that Southern Electric would have the sense to do the same! Anyway, Angry of Godalming has sent a snippety email to them setting out my complaints, and I await their response. Which apparently takes 3 days to arrive. What are they up to over there? Filing their nails? Waiting for inspiration?? Perhaps they can't find the ruddy electricity socket to turn on the computer ...
Thankfully, today is proving rather better - Jane H has popped round for coffee this morning and so we've had a delightful chat & catch-up. And tonight, I'm out in London to see Jane W. So many Janes, so little time!
Ooh, and I'm utterly delighted we now have a Conservative PM again - honestly it surprised even me (a dyed-in-the-wool and deeply instinctive Tory) how much it felt like coming home and how very pleased I was. By the way, I apologise in advance for this very honest statement, as I know how very left-wing most of my friends are, but actually I do feel that as I'm very happy for everyone around me to follow what politics (or religion) they wish without me making a big fuss about it - or indeed any fuss at all - then I hope they'll show the same courtesy back to me ... It's also delightful to see such a rainbow cabinet and I do hope it makes things better for the country - but of course the main and extremely pressing issue, and one that the nation deserves an answer to, is now that we're Tory-Liberal, will they be combining the party uniform so the men can wear blue-and-yellow striped ties instead of the one-colour options? We wait with interest for this issue to be resolved ...
Writing news:
All very quiet on this front. I'm beginning to feel I've been forgotten by any publishers that might be out there. Ah well. However, I'm carrying on with The Executioner's Cane, and also delighted to see this review of How to Eat Fruit.
Meanwhile, the lovely Kirsty McCluskey and I have published a review and article about Haiti at Vulpes Libris. Food for thought indeed.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Lord H and I went for a group evening walk in Bookham Common earlier in the week, and were lucky enough to spot - and hear - our first nightingale of the year, hurrah! We also spent some time attempting to track down a cuckoo - often heard but rarely seen - but sadly it proved elusive. Ah well, you can't win 'em all.
It made up for the fact that work has seemed to drag on and on this week - I swear I'd be beavering away for hours and when I looked at the clock it would be only 9.30am, sigh. Mind you, yesterday wasn't helped by the fact that I had a headache all ruddy day, and a tricky two-hour long meeting to minute over lunchtime, so I really wasn't in a good mood at all. At the end of the day, I could barely concentrate on anything anyone was saying, and I collapsed on the bed when I got home and slept for an hour and a half. And the headache was still there. Despite the fact that I'd taken the upper limit of headache pills, deep deep sigh. At least, I managed to wake up in time for Midsomer Murders on TV though - it's my mid-week brightener. And today, thank the Lord, the headache has gone. Still hugely tired however.
The other thing about last night was we had a three-hour power cut starting at 10.30pm - when I was about to go to bed anyway, but Lord H lost some stuff from his computer but he can remember what it was, thank goodness. However, when we rang Southern Electric, there was a recorded message saying that our planned power cut would last until 1.30am. Planned???!! Surely, if it was planned, they should have told us? I noticed the whole street was dark and some of the neighbours were wandering around with torches, looking confused. None of us knew a thing about it. What if we'd had people round for dinner? (Okay, a rare event, but you get my meaning ...). The Water Board at least have the courtesy to leave us a note when there's a planned loss of service - you would think that Southern Electric would have the sense to do the same! Anyway, Angry of Godalming has sent a snippety email to them setting out my complaints, and I await their response. Which apparently takes 3 days to arrive. What are they up to over there? Filing their nails? Waiting for inspiration?? Perhaps they can't find the ruddy electricity socket to turn on the computer ...
Thankfully, today is proving rather better - Jane H has popped round for coffee this morning and so we've had a delightful chat & catch-up. And tonight, I'm out in London to see Jane W. So many Janes, so little time!
Ooh, and I'm utterly delighted we now have a Conservative PM again - honestly it surprised even me (a dyed-in-the-wool and deeply instinctive Tory) how much it felt like coming home and how very pleased I was. By the way, I apologise in advance for this very honest statement, as I know how very left-wing most of my friends are, but actually I do feel that as I'm very happy for everyone around me to follow what politics (or religion) they wish without me making a big fuss about it - or indeed any fuss at all - then I hope they'll show the same courtesy back to me ... It's also delightful to see such a rainbow cabinet and I do hope it makes things better for the country - but of course the main and extremely pressing issue, and one that the nation deserves an answer to, is now that we're Tory-Liberal, will they be combining the party uniform so the men can wear blue-and-yellow striped ties instead of the one-colour options? We wait with interest for this issue to be resolved ...
Writing news:
All very quiet on this front. I'm beginning to feel I've been forgotten by any publishers that might be out there. Ah well. However, I'm carrying on with The Executioner's Cane, and also delighted to see this review of How to Eat Fruit.
Meanwhile, the lovely Kirsty McCluskey and I have published a review and article about Haiti at Vulpes Libris. Food for thought indeed.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Parties and politics
Life news:
Am gradually getting to feel a bit better, hurrah, though I'm still dosing up on catarrh remedies and blowing my nose for Britain. How delightful. I've taken to carrying wads of tissues and 2 handkerchiefs everywhere with me, just in case. A girl in her prime can enjoy several.
Still, I did manage to get round the golf course fairly unscathed with Marian on Friday - we haven't played for ages, what with Easter and conferences and holidays and such like, so it was nice to get back on the course. Neither were we as bad as we'd feared we might be. Also lovely to see two beautiful song thrushes on the course. Talking of which, Lord H and I enjoyed seeing a deer in the garden yesterday evening, and we also spotted a garden warbler (a lifetime first!) at Pulborough Brooks on Saturday. Huge excitement but really what a dull bird. It has absolutely no distinguishing features except a very lovely voice. Almost like a template for all other warblers, which at least have more interesting markings, poor thing.
Meanwhile, the election excitements continue. Lord H and I were rather bemused when watching the film of David Cameron going home after election night to see that he had to ring the doorbell of his own house in order to get in. What???!? Is he just too posh to carry his own key? Or does he expect the butler to open for him? Or perhaps the lovely Samantha doesn't allow him to carry housekeys? The plot thickens indeed ... Perhaps, Lord H says, it's because he and Nick Clegg got on so well during their first date that Dave gave his keys to Nick so he could call round "for a quick chat" later? Lordy, but then people wonder where I get my book ideas from?? I fear Lord H is not as innocent as he seems ... Best to keep a close eye on the "Dave & Nick talks" and see if they exit their meetings with their hair messed up and wearing each other's ties. You heard it here first.
Anyway, this weekend's favourite headline comes from The Sun: Squatter Holed Up in Number 10. Yes indeedy. Say no more.
Today, we've helped our friend Liz celebrate her 60th birthday party with a buffet lunch and flowing champagne. Though I did think it was probably best not to let the champers flow my way, what with the drugs. As it were. We didn't stay too long due to (a) illness, and (b) a deep-seated terror of parties. But happy birthday, Liz, and here's to 60 more of the same!
Writing news:
Not much to report this weekend. I'm carrying on writing more to The Executioner's Cane, and I'm also continuing with my erotic straight short story, The Boilerman and The Bride. 3000 words and rising. Ho ho. I've also sent out a couple of submissions, one of which is the possibility of a haiku chapbook. We'll see how that goes, but it would be nice to have a poetry collection out somewhere, however small, that I haven't had to produce myself. I don't think I'm as bad a poet as my poetry sales actually indicate, hey ho.
Talking of which, I've written two haikus this week and here they are:
All that voting angst,
tremors of expectation -
and no-one in charge.
Suddenly the sky
is filled with swifts: boomerangs
piercing silent clouds.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Am gradually getting to feel a bit better, hurrah, though I'm still dosing up on catarrh remedies and blowing my nose for Britain. How delightful. I've taken to carrying wads of tissues and 2 handkerchiefs everywhere with me, just in case. A girl in her prime can enjoy several.
Still, I did manage to get round the golf course fairly unscathed with Marian on Friday - we haven't played for ages, what with Easter and conferences and holidays and such like, so it was nice to get back on the course. Neither were we as bad as we'd feared we might be. Also lovely to see two beautiful song thrushes on the course. Talking of which, Lord H and I enjoyed seeing a deer in the garden yesterday evening, and we also spotted a garden warbler (a lifetime first!) at Pulborough Brooks on Saturday. Huge excitement but really what a dull bird. It has absolutely no distinguishing features except a very lovely voice. Almost like a template for all other warblers, which at least have more interesting markings, poor thing.
Meanwhile, the election excitements continue. Lord H and I were rather bemused when watching the film of David Cameron going home after election night to see that he had to ring the doorbell of his own house in order to get in. What???!? Is he just too posh to carry his own key? Or does he expect the butler to open for him? Or perhaps the lovely Samantha doesn't allow him to carry housekeys? The plot thickens indeed ... Perhaps, Lord H says, it's because he and Nick Clegg got on so well during their first date that Dave gave his keys to Nick so he could call round "for a quick chat" later? Lordy, but then people wonder where I get my book ideas from?? I fear Lord H is not as innocent as he seems ... Best to keep a close eye on the "Dave & Nick talks" and see if they exit their meetings with their hair messed up and wearing each other's ties. You heard it here first.
Anyway, this weekend's favourite headline comes from The Sun: Squatter Holed Up in Number 10. Yes indeedy. Say no more.
Today, we've helped our friend Liz celebrate her 60th birthday party with a buffet lunch and flowing champagne. Though I did think it was probably best not to let the champers flow my way, what with the drugs. As it were. We didn't stay too long due to (a) illness, and (b) a deep-seated terror of parties. But happy birthday, Liz, and here's to 60 more of the same!
Writing news:
Not much to report this weekend. I'm carrying on writing more to The Executioner's Cane, and I'm also continuing with my erotic straight short story, The Boilerman and The Bride. 3000 words and rising. Ho ho. I've also sent out a couple of submissions, one of which is the possibility of a haiku chapbook. We'll see how that goes, but it would be nice to have a poetry collection out somewhere, however small, that I haven't had to produce myself. I don't think I'm as bad a poet as my poetry sales actually indicate, hey ho.
Talking of which, I've written two haikus this week and here they are:
All that voting angst,
tremors of expectation -
and no-one in charge.
Suddenly the sky
is filled with swifts: boomerangs
piercing silent clouds.
Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal
Thursday, May 06, 2010
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
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
Sunday, May 02, 2010
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
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
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