la_marquise

Two things you wish you could do.

1. Write fiction faster and with more confidence.
2. Read and speak Chinese and Welsh fluently.

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

Skirt of the day: blue flags.

Current Mood: busy

Three words you can't go a day without.

An easy one! Answers behind the ( cut )

Four memories you won't forget.
This is a hard one, because to me memory is essentially private and I hesitate to mention many of them, for all kinds of reasons. But....

1. Getting the phone call from Sheila telling me DAW wanted to buy Living With Ghosts I sat on the stairs and just smiled and smiled.

2. Bringing Caspian, the cat in the icon above, home for the first time. He hid for couple of hours, then came out to explore and greet us, tail held high and purring. (The latter was for self-comfort, but he had a huge warm purr and that was the first time I heard it.)

3. Putting flowers on the tomb of Alexandre Dumas at the Pantheon in Paris. They let me right into the crypt, which is kept locked. It was an incredible honour.

4. Getting soaked to the skin on the A14 round Oxford riding pillion behind the marquis on the way to Wincon 1. It was a real cloudburst, and we were literally drenched, from head to toe. The water got everywhere. It was so over-the-top that it was funny from the get-go.

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

Skirt of the day: earlier, blurred flowers, now swapped for blue flags, as this one is less smart.

Five Things You Can't Live Without

This says 'things', not people, so the marquis is not included. But he and the cats go without saying, really. Otherwise:

1) Lipsalve. Assuming I can find the blasted thing, that is! I always have a lipsalve about me. Also handcream and tissues.

2) Hot water. I know many people who aren't human before coffee. I can manage without coffee, but I do not function well if I can't feel clean. Showers are wonderful.

3) Water in general. I am seldom far from a drink of water and worry if I don't know where I can get one. Water gets everywhere, with me -- my writing is full of it (as

jpsorrow once sagely observed); I'm a water sign in both western and Chinese astrology and my metaphors of self tend to be water-based.

4) A pen or pencil and something to write on. The one draw-back to a shower is the difficulty of making notes while taking one.

5) The radio. Radio 4 has been the soundtrack to my life, since earliest childhood. My mother has it on all the time, and now I do, too.

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

Skirt of the day: skinny jeans. I was out on my bicycle earlier.

Six Songs You're addicted to.

Oh, this is hard, because they change. However...

1. Don't Fear the Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult. Just because, really. My favourite song.
2. Histoire Naturelle, Nolwenn LeRoy. Both the melody and the lyrics of this just work for me, somehow. Mon histoire est celle/d'une animale etrange et rebelle
3. Les Cathedrales d'Industrie, Malicorne. It's very hard to pick just one song by Malicorne, but this one, with its strong rhythms and mix of early and modern instruments was the first of theirs to really capture me.
4. Top, Live. No, not about BDSM, despite the title, but about indecision and fear and self-doubt. My favourite song from my favourite band.
5. Poison, Alice Cooper. This is Gracielis' song, and was the cue track for Living With Ghosts.
6. Late November, Sandy Denny. Another cue song, this time for a project that's at the thoughts and notes stage. One of the strangest, most evocative songs I know.

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

Skirt of the day: blue batik print

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

7 Fears or Phobias.
Only seven? I am Ms Wimp. However:

1. Small enclosed spaces, especially underground. I'm very claustrophobic and remain convinced that tunnels, caves, mines and so on are Out To Get Us.
2. Zombies. They squick and horrify me. I don't find them in any way entertaining or interesting, and the current fashion for them makes me shudder.
3. Crowds. Goes with the claustrobia.
4. Being in situations where I feel trapped: also part of the claustrophobia. I have to work quite hard on not panicking when, for instance, everyone stands up to leave an aircraft but people then don't move, or block the aisle faffing about.
5. Something bad happening to the marquis or the cats. I worry a *lot*. Phil is away again this week, in Alabama. They have guns! Etc, etc.
6. Internet mobs. Been on the receiving end in a smallish way, don't want to do that again.
7. Velvet. This is a silly one, but I really hate the feel of it, and having it in contact with my skin makes me shudder.

Skirt of the day: blue wedgwood

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

Eight things that annoy me.
1) Really stupid parking. For instance, pulling in across the mouth of the road I live in to make a phone call, making it impossible for anyone to get in or out of the road. (This happens surprisingly often.)
2) UKIP. For the non-Britons, this is the UK Independence Party, a bunch of right wing, often racist, often sexist people who hate foreigners, want to go back to the 1930s and believe that the rich are always right.
3) Politicians on the radio.
4) The fact that I am forever losing my lipsalve and ending up rummaging frantically in my back (a daily occurrence, see day 2).
5) That no-one has yet invented the teleporter, and so I don't see those of my friends who live far away as often as I'd like.
6) Deliberate selfishness and cruelty that harms others.
7) The kyriarchy.
8) My own flakiness.

Skirt of the day: still jeans

I need to blog more.
So, in this spirit, I've picked up this 10 day meme from

ladymoonray.

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

So, about those ( those ten facts )

It's been a while since I've done a meme: this one is via

cmcmck.

1. Libraries or Bookshops.
Both, over the years. Bookshops are always a draw, but few things beat a really good academic library.

2. Pens or Pencils.
Pens. I mostly use biros these days, but I love fountain pens and I have a good one that the marquis gave me.

3. Handwritten or Typed.
For years and years I wrote everything long hand, and then typed it up. But pressure of time has meant that slowly, slowly, I've learn to compose on a keyboard.

4. Thesaurus or Dictionary.
Dictionaries.... I have many. I love to find new words.

5. Kindle et al or Print Book.
Both, though I prefer print for non-fiction, and I| go on buying hard copies of fiction by favourite writers.

6. Wikipedia or Encyclopaedia.
Wikipedia as a quick start and then reference books.

7. Radio Play or Television Drama.
The radio. I live with it on. Though the marquis and I do enjoy some some tv dram series, too.

8. Poetry or Prose.
I like to read both, but as a writer, prose.

9. Fiction or Non-Fiction.
Both!

10. Novels or Short stories.
Mainly novels: nothing against shorts, but I tend to read more at longer length.

11. Fantasy or Commercial/Literary Fiction.
Fantasy, sf, crime, non-fiction, classics.... I do read some literary fiction, but often late and for sideways reasons.

12. The Grapes of Wrath or Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit.

13. The Odyssey or The Road.
The Odyssey.

14. Tipping the Velvet or The Well of Loneliness.
Radcliffe Hall, probably. Or The Charioteer.

15. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Winnie-the-Pooh.
Alice. It was my favourite book when I was three.

16. Frankenstein or Dracula.
Carmilla. I prefer Lefanu to both Shelley and Stoker.

17. Charles Perrault or The Brothers Grimm.
The Mabinogi.

18. William Shakespeare or William Blake.
Shakespeare, on the whole.

19. Virginia Woolf or Katherine Mansfield.
Woolf, who I read at an impressionable age.

20. Philip Pullman or JK Rowling.
Alan Garner.

21. Emily Dickinson or Sylvia Plath.
Anne Sexton. I haven't read Dickinson, and don't really care for Plath.

Skirt of the day: denim

Current Mood: busy

I've been tagged to do this at least 3 times -- by Kat Richardson over on Google+, by Jaine Fenn on Facebook and by

kateelliott here. And I've procrastinated, because I'm not really sure what to write about. However....

1) What is the working title of your next book?
Death and the Madwoman
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
It's the sequel to The Grass King's Concubine, concerned with what happens when Aude and Jehan return to the Brass City.
3) What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy (with socialism)
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Aude -- Indian actress Vidya Balan.
Liyan -- the great Yuen Biao c.1989, with the long hair from his film The Iceman Cometh, but with red and orange streaks.
Qiaqia -- Brigitte Lin Qin-Hsia c.1982 (think Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain)
Madame de Faumont -- probably Farida Jalal
Remi de Faumont -- this is a tricky one. Maybe Sharman Joshi, but less handsome than usual!
Monsieur des Roces -- Jean-Hugues Anglade
Jehan -- argh. I can never cast Jehan, though I'd know him if I met him. He's one of those pleasant faced ordinary people; a plain Saif Ali Khan, maybe, or Atul Kulkarni (without the usual moustache).
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Umm, the title, with added revolution
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It's under contract to DAW, and was sold by my agency (Zeno)
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
A year.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oh, help. The Anubis Gates, maybe, or The Labyrinth Gate but with more revolution than those to.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Dumas! (As ever.)
10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
No ferrets, this time, but a lot of it is about Liyan and Qiaqia and their story. And about revolutionary politics, workers' rights, and the awakening of the dead.

Current Mood: exanimate

From

al_zorra:

The rules:

1. Go to page 77 (or 7th) of your current ms
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

"Earlier this morning, while madame slept and Mado and the cook were occupied in the kitchen, she had slipped into the small room that de Faumont used as his study and gone through the papers in his desk. They were, almost without exception, requests from this person or that for de Faumont to pay money in exchange for goods or services he had received. Qiaqia knew about money: she had had numerous opportunities to observe it in action on her journey with Aude and Jehan. It struck her as a flawed system, easily subject to abuse or falsification. But then, the..."
Death and The Madwoman, p.77, l.7-14, as requested.

Skirt of the day: red, cream and black striped.

Stolen from

xenaclone.

***********FOODOLOGY***************

1. What is your salad dressing of choice?
Japanese
2. What is your favourite sit-down restaurant?
La Cloche aux Fromages in Strasbourg.
3. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Houmous on pitta bread.
4. What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Mushrooms, peppers.
5. What do you like to put on your toast?
Butter.

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

1. How many televisions are in your house?
One
2. What colour cell phone do you have?
Black
3. How many computers are in your house?
One desktop, two laptops.
4. Have any idea how many Megahertz your computer has?
No.
***************BIOLOGY******************

1. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right-handed
2. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A breast lump.
3. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A box of convention flyers.
4. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
No.
************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************

1. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
No.
2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Well, I have...
3. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
No.
************DUMBOLOGY******************

1. How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
None. I hate the things.
2. Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
Never.
3. Last person you talked to?
The marquis.
4. Last person you hugged?
The marquis.
**************FAVOURITOLOGY****************

1. Season?
Autumn.
2. Holiday?
Hong Kong, Japan, Vancouver.
3. Day of the week?
I don't think I have one, really. Maybe Wednesday, because it's a nice word to type.
4. Month?
October
***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

1. Missing someone?
Not right now.
2. Mood?
Waiting.
3. What are you listening to?
Hotel a/c.
4. Watching?
Keyboard, screen.
***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************

1. First place you went this morning?
Breakfast.
2. What's the last movie you saw?
A Dangerous Method.
3. Do you smile often?
I don't know.
***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************

1. Do you always answer your phone?
Pretty much, yes, unless I'm really, really busy.
2. Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
Spam. I don't get a lot of texts.
3. If you could change your eye colour what would it be?
Brown.
4. What flavour do you add to your drink at Sonic?
This question does not compute. But mine's usually a Strawberry daiquiri, or a half of mild.
5. Do you own a digital camera?
No.
6. Have you ever had a pet fish?
I had two gold fish as a child.
7. Favourite celebration/festival song(s):
Does Zadok the Priest count?
8. What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Umm... I don't know.
9. Can you do push ups?
No: my bad shoulder won't let me.
10. Can you do a chin up?
No, for the same reason.
11. Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Nervous
12. Do you have any saved texts?
No.
13. Ever been in a car wreck?
No.
14. Do you have an accent?
Yes, a mix of West Midlands and South Welsh.
15. What is the last song to make you cry?
I really can't rmember. maybe the theme song to the Andy lau Tak-Wah film A Moment of Romance
16. Plans tonight?
Trans-Atlantic flight, if the gods of air travel are benevolent.
17. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
Yes
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday?
I didn't buy anything yesterday. I bought some muesli bars, some crisps and a smoothie on Wednesday, though.
19. Have you ever been given roses?
Yes
20. Current worry?
Will the plane run to schedule?
21. Current hate right now?
Airlines!
22. Met someone who changed your life?
Yes
23. How will you bring in the New Year?
Probably with friends.
24. What song represents you?
Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown, according to the marquis.
25. Name three people who might complete this?
I have no idea.
26. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
Maybe, if I could sae manuscripts from the Cotton fire.
27. Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
Yes
28. Does anyone love you?
Yes
29. Ever had someone sing to you?
Yes:my mother.
30. When did you last cry?
Not sure.
31. Do you like to cuddle?
Yes, but only with the marquis and my cats.
32. Have you held hands with anyone today?
Not yet.
33. Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Mostly old, but there are some newer ones.
34. Do you like pulpy orange juice?
No.
35. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully still at home with the marquis.

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Current Mood: amused

I’m running a test to see who’s reading my posts. So, if you read this, leave me a one-word comment about your day that starts with the third letter of your LJ USERNAME. Only one word please. Then repost so I can leave a word for you. Don’t just post a word and not copy – that’s not as much fun!

Edit: I could not give a d*mn about the 'test' element of this meme -- I'm honoured that some of you read me, but I don't think I have a right to check. I joined in this solely to see what words came up, because I like words and I'm fascinated by what words others choose.

Bold the ones you've read

1 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (1818)
2 Herland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1915)
3 Orlando, Virginia Woolf (1928)
4 Lest Ye Die, Cicely Hamilton (1928)
5 Swastika Night, Katherine Burdekin (1937)
~~6 Wrong Side of the Moon, Francis Leslie Ashton (1951)~~ <- Not actually a woman...(Patrick Samphire says)
7 The Sword of Rhiannon, Leigh Brackett (1953)
8 Pilgrimage: The Book of the People, Zenna Henderson (1961)
9 Memoirs of a Spacewoman, Naomi Mitchison (1962)-- no, but I've read several of her fantasies.
10 Witch World, Andre Norton (1963)
11 Sunburst, Phyllis Gotlieb (1964)
12 Jirel of Joiry, CL Moore (1969)
13 Heroes and Villains, Angela Carter (1969)
14 Ten Thousand Light Years From Home, James Tiptree Jr (1973)
15 The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin (1974)
16 Walk to the End of the World, Suzy McKee Charnas (1974) -- again, not this one, but I've read others.
17 The Female Man, Joanna Russ (1975)
18 Missing Man, Katherine MacLean (1975)
19 Arslan, MJ Engh (1976)
20 Floating Worlds, Cecelia Holland (1976)
21 Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Kate Wilhelm (1976)
22 Islands, Marta Randall (1976)
23 Dreamsnake, Vonda N McIntyre (1978)
24 False Dawn, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (1978) -- not sure. Have read others by her.
25 Shikasta [Canopus in Argos: Archives], Doris Lessing (1979)
26 Kindred, Octavia Butler (1979)
27 Benefits, Zoe Fairbairns (1979)
28 The Snow Queen, Joan D Vinge (1980)
29 The Silent City, Élisabeth Vonarburg (1981)-- I can't remember, I may have.
30 The Silver Metal Lover, Tanith Lee (1981)
31 The Many-Coloured Land [Saga of the Exiles], Julian May (1981)
32 Darkchild [Daughters of the Sunstone], Sydney J van Scyoc (1982)
33 The Crystal Singer, Anne McCaffrey (1982)
34 Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin (1984) --- one I think I've read, but may know through secondary works.
35 The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1985)
36 Jerusalem Fire, RM Meluch (1985)
37 Children of Anthi, Jay D Blakeney (1985)
38 The Dream Years, Lisa Goldstein (1985)
39 Despatches from the Frontiers of the Female Mind, Sarah Lefanu & Jen Green (1985)
40 Queen of the States, Josephine Saxton (1986)
41 The Wave and the Flame [Lear's Daughters], Marjorie Bradley Kellogg (1986)
42 The Journal of Nicholas the American, Leigh Kennedy (1986)
43 A Door into Ocean, Joan Slonczewski (1986)
44 Angel at Apogee, SN Lewitt (1987)
45 In Conquest Born, CS Friedman (1987)
46 Pennterra, Judith Moffett (1987)
47 Kairos, Gwyneth Jones (1988)
48 Cyteen , CJ Cherryh (1988)-- I've read a lot of Cherryh, but not this one.
49 Unquenchable Fire, Rachel Pollack (1988)
50 The City, Not Long After, Pat Murphy (1988)
51 The Steerswoman [Steerswoman series], Rosemary Kirstein (1989)
52 The Third Eagle, RA MacAvoy (1989)
53 Grass, Sheri S Tepper (1989)
54 Heritage of Flight, Susan Shwartz (1989)
55 Falcon, Emma Bull (1989)
56 The Archivist, Gill Alderman (1989)
57 Winterlong [Winterlong trilogy], Elizabeth Hand (1990)
58 A Gift Upon the Shore, MK Wren (1990)
59 Red Spider, White Web, Misha (1990)
60 Polar City Blues, Katharine Kerr (1990)
61 Body of Glass (AKA He, She and It), Marge Piercy (1991)
62 Sarah Canary, Karen Joy Fowler (1991)
63 Beggars in Spain [Sleepless trilogy], Nancy Kress (1991) -- I bounced off this, sadly.
64 A Woman of the Iron People, Eleanor Arnason (1991)
65 Hermetech, Storm Constantine (1991)
66 China Mountain Zhang, Maureen F McHugh (1992)
67 Fools, Pat Cadigan (1992)
68 Correspondence, Sue Thomas (1992)
69 Lost Futures, Lisa Tuttle (1992)
70 Doomsday Book, Connie Willis (1992)
71 Ammonite, Nicola Griffith (1993)
72 The Holder of the World, Bharati Mukherjee (1993)
73 Queen City Jazz, Kathleen Ann Goonan (1994)
74 Happy Policeman, Patricia Anthony (1994)
75 Shadow Man, Melissa Scott (1995)
76 Legacies, Alison Sinclair (1995)
77 Primary Inversion [Skolian Saga], Catherine Asaro (1995)
78 Alien Influences, Kristine Kathryn Rusch (1995)
79 The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (1996)
80 Memory [Vorkosigan series], Lois McMaster Bujold (1996)
81 Remnant Population, Elizabeth Moon (1996) -- not sure.
82 Looking for the Mahdi, N Lee Wood (1996)
83 An Exchange of Hostages [Jurisdiction series], Susan R Matthews (1997)
84 Fool’s War, Sarah Zettel (1997)
85 Black Wine, Candas Jane Dorsey (1997)
86 Halfway Human, Carolyn Ives Gilman (1998)
87 Vast, Linda Nagata (1998)
88 Hand of Prophecy, Severna Park (1998)
89 Brown Girl in the Ring, Nalo Hopkinson (1998)
90 Dreaming in Smoke, Tricia Sullivan (1999) --- on my Find This list.
91 Ash: A Secret History, Mary Gentle (2000) -- I've read all hers except this one, which I can't get on with, for complex mediaeval historian reasons.

It's an interesting list -- I've read a lot of women who aren't on it, like Justina Robson and Liz Williams, Julie Czerneda, Lisanne Norman, S L Viehl, Elizabeth Bear, Patricia Geary, Louise Lawrence, Tanya Huff, Diana Wynne Jones, Sharon Shin.... I could go on and on.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Went to Ohio.
Won an award.
Developed RSI in my right elbow (boo).

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
The marquis made me give them up several years ago (along with giving up things for Lent) because he says it just plays into my tendency to create rules.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Aunty Hilda, who was a big part of my early childhood and a lovely person.

5. Which countries did you visit?
Switzerland, Austria, France, the USA.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A new book contract...

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
16th September (which was when I heard about the award)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The Sidney J Bounds Award.
Rejoining a gym and being virtuous about it.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing The Drowning Kings

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major -- the usual colds and so on. And being bitten by the evil invading black cat of evil.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My purple boots.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
The marquis, always. Best friend Corvidae and her daughter E (who never ceases to amaze me).

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Everyone who voted on a single issue in the general election and thus let the Tories in.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Books....

15. What were you really, really, really excited about?
The award....

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Probably Alain Stivell, 'Tri Martolod'.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
I have no idea.

b) Bigger or smaller?
A bit thinner, I think.

c) Richer or poorer?
About the same.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing. And cleaning. And exercising.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Playing Bookworm, worrying, sleeping.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Here, with friends.

21. What was your favourite month of 2010?
September.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
No.

23. What was your favourite TV programme?
Misfits.

24. How did you see in the New Year?
Just outside Cambridge, with friends.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, not really.

26. What was the best book you read?
Not sure. Probably Linda H Peterson, Becoming a Woman of Letters.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Carolina Chocolate Drops.

28. What did you want and get?
So many things. An award.

29. What did you want and not get?
A new contract.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I'm not sure. Maybe Prem Deewane.

31. What did you do on your birthday?
I can't remember! Party preparation, probably.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting down to the writing more.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Blue. Skirts (some blue).

34. What kept you sane?
The marquis and Mooncat.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
The usual suspects -- Yuen Biao and Jackie Shroff.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Tory ideology repackaged as 'rescue'.

37. Who did you miss?

zaan, other best friend Atropos, and all the others I see too infrequently.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Lots of them.

stina_leicht, for one. My new next door neighbours.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
Sleepwriting doesn't work.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
'Time it was, and what a time it was...'

Current Mood: calm

It's one of the book ones. Details behind the ( cut )

From

miintikwa
Comment and I'll give you a colour that I think represents you, and then you list ten things you like in that colour!

She gave me red.

Red is the colour of the red flag, of the socialist movement in whose principles I was raised and to which I adhere to this day. Up the workers! Eat the rich!

Red is also a colour I associate with my mother, who looks wonderful in it.

Red is the colour of my hair today, though not everyday. It was the second colour I tried over my own dull pale brown hair and the one the marquis likes best.

Red is the colour of my bright red skirt, which I wear on days when I'm bolshy and sharp and not to be messed with.

Red is for the leaves and berries of autumn, my favourite season.

Red is for strawberries and raspberries and cranberries and tomatoes, all those luscious soft bursts of sharp-sweet on the tongue.

Red is for blood, for the memories and thorns that tie us to our ancestor-lines.

Red is for the prettiest dress my best friend Corvidae ever owned, back when we were students, and which she is wearing in my favourite photograph of her.

Red is for the sleeve of Legende, the very first album I bought by Malicorne, one of my favourite bands, torch-carriers for European folk and fine resonant song-writing.

Red is for China and Russia, the two countries whose histories first caught me and drew me into my chosen academic field, whose histories still hold me and make me look to the present as well as the past.

It's cold and damp and I'm waiting for a plumber (ho hum) and for a visit from

woolymonkey (hurray).

Skirt of the day: blue flouncey.

Current Mood: cold

New words today: 1182
First new line: He was not drunk, not quite, although he had had several cups of Cadog’s mead, and the young monk himself had ended up far from sober.

Owain is startled and rather unsure, Gif is asleep, Teleri (ye heroine) is worried.

I seem to have wasted most of August, what with one thing and another. Will do better this month, I hope.

Meme question 11: Who is your favourite character to write? Least favourite?

My very favourite? Thiercelin. He's my favourite anyway, but he's very easy to write -- I always know exactly what he thinks, what he'd say, what he'd do. In Grass King, I enjoyed Qiaqia most, because she's so spiky, and the ferret women are huge fun. And I love Gif the dog! Least favourite is probably still Iareth Yscoithi, because she was so closed down and oblique. Trying to work out what she wanted used to drive me mad. Abbot Sulien is tricky, too, but for other reasons (not least the danger of silly errors).

Skirt of the day: new circular grey skirt with black border

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Entries tagged with memes

Meme Day 9

Meme Day 8

Meme Day 7

Meme Day 6

Meme Day 5

Meme Day 4 (a week late, due to Life)

Meme day 3

Meme day 2

Meme with intent: day one

Baaa

The Next Big Thing

Baaa!

Marquise-ology

I am the answer to the sphinx's question...

You are The Moon

Baaaa

Women SF Writers meme

That review of the year meme

Oddly, I've never done one of these memes

(no subject)

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