Counting down the days

If you shift your eyes slightly to the right you will see the new widget countdown.
Fragile Eternity is now released in America; however I’m still waiting for my copy to be sent. Damn you guys taking four weeks to get it to Australia!!

So to celebrate something else that is book related (and which also appeals to my career path) I have decided to post a widget counting down the days celebrating “the publication of Leviathan!”
Yes, behold in all of its glory the new book by Scott Westerfeld, who hasn’t published a new series since 2005. It’s a very exciting day to march into the publishing house and be able to hand the final copy of your manuscript over to the people. Perhaps one day I will be that person he hands the manuscript over to. Well I can dream!

It will be a bubbly moment for all of us!

Bogusly yours,

Jinx xx

Writing and Publishing (week 7)

I'm finally here with another one. Except this one is more fail than the rest.
But none the less here it is in its original form. Enjoy slamming it!

Dragging my suitcse up the stairs proved to be more difficult to achieve than the rest of the bags. Probably because spouse wasn't there to help me. I could just tell my booty was positively sticking way up in the air too high to be appropriate or even sexy. Not that I cared. This suitcase was full of old editions, manuscripts and every other paperwork needed for my home office. I needed this stuff to be pulled safely upstairs to the new apartment picked ever so carefully by me, not spouse.
It was the purple walls that did it. So dark that if you switched the lights off they were black. I showed this to spouse numerous times, just to prove my point to him that this house is perfect just because of the purple walls. They released something wild in me. The cream walls in our last apartment weren't doing the job. So uninspiring when you stare at them. Especially when you're trying to think of what to write next for your novel. Halfway through the second one and I've started to stress whether the story is even going to work anymore. But no, the stress stopped when I saw the purple walls and suddenly I realised what I'd done...

Thinking I was alone I started to sing while setting up to the new office owned by me, not spouse. While sitting cross-legged on the floor categorising pages and humming spouses tune I heard a snigger come from outside
"Man you sure can sing!" the voice sounded behind me. Embarrassed I turned to point out I was humming not singing to find spouse with his suitcase in his hands "maybe you should be the lead singer in my band and not Ross" I bowled him over with my pouncing hug and snogged him all over the face until I was satisfied he was red all over with my lipstick.
"You're home early! I thought Hong Kong was a week tour not a...they kicked you out didn't they?" spouses band liked making scenes at their concerts. Trying to make money yet losing more as the crowds were more pleased. How that makes sense I shall never know. I'm not into music, that's spouse's job.
"Well...there was a motobike in the changing room" he went crimson when I had my hands on my hips
"And you rode it on the stage!?"
"An then off the stage" he squeaked back
"MICHAEL!--
Well what did you expect? They loved it!"
"Except for the people who were meant to be giving you money, right?"
"Well yeah but...they're gay babe" he dumped his bag on the couch and picked up one of my old manuscripts from my first novel
"This your book?"
"Are you ever going to read it Michael?"
"Probably not. Are you ever going to attend my concerts?"
"If you stop riding motocycles off stages I might. I'm too young to die being run over by you"
"You know I wouldn't kill you that way babe. I'd do it another way!" he joked kicking back and flicking through the pages. He'll never read my book because I'll never go to one of his shows, he'll always just stare at the words pretending to be interested, just like me humming his tunes pretending I just can't be bothered singing the lyrics, and not because I actually don't know them. I sat next to him and stared at his bandaged leg
Not if I get to you first I thought...only this time, I wasn't joking...

Sorry Michael. I don't actually want to kill you. In fact, the name is chosen strictly because you're in a band!
And of course because...PURPLE WALLS!

Jinx xx

Best Dad Joke

On the deck of Lord Horatio Nelson's ship during the battle of Trafalgar against the French, the sailor in the crows nest shouted "one enemy ship off the port bough sir" Lord Nelson addressed his first mate, "Jarvis! Fetch me my red coat" Jarvis replied "why your red coat sir?"
"well, there will be fighting and I may get injured. With my red coat the men won't see blood and so will go on fighting" Just then, the crows nest sailor announced "seventeen enemy ships off the port bough sir!" to wit Lord Nelson shouted to Jarvis "cancel my red coat and bring me my brown cordorouys!!"

Man I love my Dad!

Jinx xx

Catherine Jinks

Recently, while researching for an essay "My Reading Experience" I have found that when I read a wonderful story I don't try and find another story that's similar, I read through all the other novels that the author has written. Part of liking a story, I believe, is not only the plot, but the writing style, the magic of words and how someone can develop this skill over time.

My appreciation for print developed when my Dad dragged me to the library to show me the entertainment one can have over the summer break. From then on, every opportunity I had I stormed through the young adult section of my local library. While going through each author that appealed to me, one imparticular struck me as quite interesting. Catherine Jinks, who was the start of my love for science fiction.

The Future Trap and Eye to Eye are both so similar in style, yet so different it is unfair to love them as one piece, rather as separate pieces of artwork.

The Future Trap was loved because of the characters, the ideas, and it was my very first taste of feminine literature.

A girl is accidentally taken to the future where Genetic Engineering is commonplace and used so humans can survive on different planets. However, this has caused a breakdown so Paula (the human from the past) has to try and save everyone against her will. Her feminist behaviour was intriguing and I found her an enjoyment to read. She was strong, firm and stuck to what she believed in. For a Young Adult book, that is something to admire in a novel, now that I look at it from a different perspective. As a child Paula was a heroine, as an adult she is influencial and a wonderful character. One of the stories my future children will be reading!

Eye to Eye I loved because of the characters, the descriptive language and the storyline being incredibly different. Jansi, a scavenger, finds a damaged star ship and slowly forms a relationship with the computer, PIM. The characters in this story were just beautifully painted in the story. Their eventual communication skills are utterly charming to unravel and so easy to cry and laugh along to.

I believe Catherine Jinks influenced me because both stories focused on the issue with communication, developed my understanding of how we're living our lives and how this will effect our future, which is why I love science fiction so much.

What author influenced you to think the way you do, write the way you write and see what you see?

Jinx xx