Three-picture story of Roman aqueduct

I'm rather fond of telling stories... but telling a story in three photos is a different challenge -- and also happens to be this week's theme for the WordPress weekly photo challenge. So today I'm going to tell you a story about the magnificant Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain -- one of the highlights of … Continue reading Three-picture story of Roman aqueduct

Diary of a Devilcat: Canine invasion

Bah! Dog. At least I think it's a dog. Smelly, yappy, panting thing. Here. In my house. On my couch. Polluting my garden. Drinking my water. EATING MY FOOD. It came on Tuesday. Its name is Buddy. It -- oh, all right, he -- has completely taken over the house. His stuff is everywhere, all … Continue reading Diary of a Devilcat: Canine invasion

A-Z of fantasy: I is for Imagination

I haven't come up with many 'I' words to do with fantasy, but IMAGINATION must be one of the big ones. Imagination -- the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses. Fantasy comes in many guises -- but no matter whether you're talking … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: I is for Imagination

Withdrawal and wishful thinking

Having finished the first draft of the novel I was working on, I've been taking a break from fiction writing during January and February... partly to get some perspective on the draft before I revise, and partly to focus on my other career for a bit. The plan is to balance both careers, of course.ย I'm … Continue reading Withdrawal and wishful thinking

Selfie (with bronze-age village and purple hair)

It was only a few weeks ago I was reading about the origins of the word SELFIE, which has recently made it into the lexicons (or nearly) as an official word -- meaning, of course, to take a picture of one's self with one's camera... And now here we are with SELFIE as the theme … Continue reading Selfie (with bronze-age village and purple hair)

Travelling in the 90s – Mycenae, Mykonos and Delos

It's been a while, so I thought I'd resume the tale of my 1993 journey through Greece. We pick up our intrepid travellers in the ancient town of Corinth with only a handful of days left in the country... (The Travelling in the 90s series of posts features extracts from my original travel journal with … Continue reading Travelling in the 90s – Mycenae, Mykonos and Delos

Three fantasy books by Aussie women for January

I've finished reading three fantasy novels this month -- that's much more like it! The slight drawback to this has been the wrecking of my sleep patterns. In my determination to find books to immerse myself in, I forgot the part where this means I keep reading to 3 or 4 or 5am... which in … Continue reading Three fantasy books by Aussie women for January

D&D Chronicles: In which Ash loses part of her soul and gains a wolf

ASH My eyes feel as though they are clamped shut, but I force them open. At first the light is dazzling, but gradually the puckered faces of my companions resolve themselves. They are leaning over me, all four of them. Above is a dappled canopy of trees. The forest. Yes. I remember. The pressure in … Continue reading D&D Chronicles: In which Ash loses part of her soul and gains a wolf

Juxtaposition

Last October I took this photo in Exeter UK during our 'wall walk' -- a self-guided journey along the ancient Roman/medieval wall that once ringed the town, but which now meaders through the central city area. I love the composition of this image, which is almost exactly in thirds. It's a juxtaposition of crisp, living, … Continue reading Juxtaposition

Book Review: Winter be my shield

Itโ€™s been good to finally get my teeth into some contemporary epic fantasy in the form of Australian author Jo Spurrier's Winter be my shieldย (Children of the Black Sun - Book 1). From the very start this novel gripped me in its icy vices and โ€“ even if perhaps it faded a little in the … Continue reading Book Review: Winter be my shield