Category Archives: Musings

New Year post (belated)

04 Wednesday Jan 2017

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warriorprincess

I’d like to say that this first post of the new year is late because I have only just finished partying. That would, however, be a lie. It is late because I have just been so busy doing other things.

No, that is also a lie.

I have simply not been sure what to write.

Which is odd for me because I am not usually that bad at thinking of things to write about. The main reason this blog gets neglected is usually because of one of the other two things mentioned above. OK, I admit, mostly the second one – I get too busy with other things, my days of constant partying are I feel in the past :). However, the nature of 2016 has been such that I am overall not sure what to think about it and I do not feel I am alone in this.

It was the year of celebrity deaths. A year in which when we thought George Michael might be the last of the shocks*, it hits us with the sad passing of Carrie Fisher and then William Christopher (of M.A.S.H fame). Though, it is worth pointing out that the Wikipedia page on celebrity deaths does have Robert Taussat (French historian and author) listed last for December 2016. However, I am not sure if this means he was the last one to go or if the list is in no real order.

D.A Lascelles, Alex Campbell, NinfaHayes and Dianna Hardy

The Urban settings panel at Sandbach

On the subject of Carrie Fisher, I did spend a lot of time browsing through this site of tributes by artists. I was first of all amused by the fact it is actually a hell of a lot more than 10 tributes (last I looked it was over 100) and also by the many different views artists have of her. There are ones here that play on her famous quote (“No matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.”  which was her response to George Lucas’s quite sexist remark about there being no underwear in space because of some nonsense about pressure), ones that show her love for her dog and ones that show her as she was before she died – i.e. not just focussing on her as she was in her best known role. I am not linking or showing any of the art here as I wish to respect the copyright of the artists but I do encourage you to go check out that page and wallow in all the bittersweet.

This was also the year of politics gone wrong with Brexit and Trump throwing the UK, US and a chunk of the rest of the world in to shock. We are now facing a year in which we have to deal with the consequences of those decisions, good or bad. There are naturally concerns about the rise of the right in both cases and I am not sure that those who voted for either will actually get what they were expecting to get.

On a more personal note, this was a mixed year for me. In terms of my real world job I lost one not very secure position that I was hoping to make more permanent by December but very quickly gained one that is, while technically less secure, still seems to have more promise of permanence in the near future. So, overall not too bad, if a little uncertain on the career front.D A Lascelles Gods of the Deep Kindle Fantasy Swashbuckling

In terms of creative stuff, I have been really ramping up the photography in the past year and feel I am improving massively in both taking photos and editing them. This has been partly down to some epic mentorship from Ste Manns of Quattrofoto on the ins and outs of photoshop and partly down to the efforts of the JW Creative network – a group of photographers, models and make up artists who collaborate on some crazy projects. They have given me the chance to practise shooting with experienced models and photographers in an open and friendly environment where I can get helpful advice and support. I have posted one of my favourite shots from these gatherings here and you can see the rest on my Flickr account…

Finally, in terms of writing this has been a good year. I completed Gods of the Deep (finally… its only taken 6 years from conception to birth…) and attended a number of events including EasterCon, the Manchester Author signing and the Sandbach author signing. All of these I considered successful events in terms of my personal goals and I am looking forward to more of the same next year. Not only that, but I have had at least two people tell me how much they enjoyed reading Gods of the Deep which was a real boost to my ego.

I guess the one downside to my creative year was not doing what I promised to do and revamp this website… I’ll get round to that soon, I promise…

So, I am not usually one for resolutions but I am going to make myself a promise for the coming year. That is to do more creative things – try to advance at least one creative project, even if only by a little, each day. Whether it is take a photo, edit a photo, write more of a story or edit more of a story. At the moment, in terms of writing projects, I am currently skating on the edge of the void that is about to become ‘The Silver Tower’ – a SF tale set in Manchester which is looking like it may well be aimed at a YA audience. I’ll keep you all posted on that and hopefully this one won’t take six years to write…

*In what is possibly the most ironic timing of all time – the artist famous for ‘Last Christmas’ dies on Christmas day… even in death the man had a talent.

[Review] A crack in everything by Ruth Frances Long

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

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I interviewed Ruth a short while ago when her latest book (The Darkness Within) was released. Having talked to her and heard of her tales of alternate Dublin (or Dubh Linn) I decided to check out the first book in that series – A Crack in Everything.

Isabel (Izzy) Gregory is just an ordinary teenager growing up in Dublin.  When she decides to check out some unusual Angel graffiti, she accidentally ends up in Dubh Linn, the dark underside of the city inhabited by the fey, and is catapulted into an adventure that leads to her finding out that she is in fact not as ordinary as she first believed. Before too long, she is accompanying a Sidhe Warrior called Jinx, originally sent to kill her, on a quest to find a grail she can use to heal her ailing father and figure out what is going on with the strange voice in her head.

With this book it is very easy to make comparisons to Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. The concept of a shadow city, inhabited by strange creatures, is definitely reminiscent of that concept and you can easily see comparisons between Dubh Linn and London Below. However, Long’s interpretation of the reflection of her home city is darker and grittier than Gaiman’s  more whimsical approach. Her hidden city is populated with night clubs and grungy musicians. Where Gaiman’s London Below inhabitants are playful in their malice, Long’s Dubh Linn residents give the impression of serious danger in their dealings. You feel that the characters are at serious risk of death throughout their adventures. As Izzy explores the politics of the fey, we get a whistlestop tour of a gorgeous feast of Dublin and Dubh Linn sights, demonstrating ably that if you want to write a story about the fey Ireland is where you need to be writing it.

Judy Bagshaw

12 Saturday Nov 2016

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 Sometimes Facebook can be a right bitch and hit you so hard in the feels with something so innocent as a birthday reminder. Judy009cropped

This morning it decided to tell me that it was Judy Bagshaw’s birthday. The feels came because Judy died in 2015, leaving behind a writing legacy that includes me and a hell of a lot of other people who are trying to follow her. She wrote romance stories that included female protagonists that were not ‘standard size’, positive stories in which their size was not part of the plot nor the subject of comic relief. From her I learned a number of things – how to stay positive in the face of adversity from your own self esteem, how to edit effectively and how to approach publishers. It is thanks in part to her (with Skyla Dawn Cameron taking credit too) that I got published in the first place.

OppositeAttraction_AuthorCopy_revised I never met her in person, though I always wanted to, but she was my mentor, a cheerleader and a self confessed fan of my work. She owned one of the ten ‘limited editions’ of Lurking Miscellany that came out of the first print run with the error on the cover. I would have sent her it for free (she helped edit parts of it) but she not only insisted on paying for it, she insisted on me signing it and sending it to her despite the fact she could have got it cheaper by Amazon. She even told me to add the international postage cost to the invoice (which I didn’t… I owed her at least that much).

That Facebook reminder this morning woke all these feelings in me again so I just had to share. I urge you to do her the honour of looking up one of her books and buying it. I feel it is the best way to celebrate her birthday.

[Review] Unhappily ever after by Lucinda E Clarke

17 Monday Oct 2016

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Touted as ‘a Fairy Tale for grown ups’, this book explores what happens after the ‘happily ever after’ that ends all fairy tales. Here we meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White several hundred years* after they all married their respective princes and see the effects that long marriage can have on even the most ardent love story.61nwkh6jnpl__sx330_bo1204203200_

Played for laughs, we therefore see these characters at their worst as they prepare for the annual Charmingdon ball hosted by Prince Charming and Cinderella and various plots and stratagems ensue to allow various Royals and others to achieve their goals. Of course, in modern day fairy tale land, nothing is ever going to stay as it once was as quaint old fashioned ideals come against the influence of the modern world – TVs, cars, casinos all feature – and especially the forces of feminism, BDSM and an attempted Communist revolution.

This is a strange book, one which I suspect may well be a bit Marmite. Some may love it, others hate it. I found the humour to be too broad for my tastes, lacking subtlety. There are moments of true comedy and some wonderful ideas which are reminiscent of Tom Sharpe or even Pratchett but most of the humour is layered on too thick with Carry on style nods and winks that make it too blatant. I also feel that, while the didactic ‘once upon a time’ style prose is appropriate for the material, it is not the best style for a modern tale – being too ‘telling’ rather than showing in places. Once Clarke gets away from the ‘here is what is happening’ sections of prose and into actual character interaction it reads a lot better.

Overall, a not bad book but one in which I feel some of the potential was lost. The strengths are in the very modern Princesses (the Princes, such as they are as part of the plot is not enough of them, are as bland as they always are) who are wonderful but also underused. I would have liked to have seen more of them and a bit more of them expressing the feminism that they sort of hint at in their interactions with their parents. Plus I was totally expecting two of the female characters to end up paired off which unfortunately never happened.

Buy the book on Amazon

 

*Because people in the land of Fairy tales live several centuries. At least the rich do.

The nature of myths

16 Friday Sep 2016

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This topic has been on my mind recently because a few weekends ago, the LRP event I used to be a major part of (Odyssey LRP – which I have talked about in the past on here) came to a satisfying end. Through seven years of ongoing story, many of the characters worked through story arcs which matched those seen in mythology. Several found themselves ascending to godhood or higher, others emerged as political leaders of their people. There was glory, honour and tragedy; with much of the plot driven by the inevitable heroic fatal flaw. All in all it was an emotional finale.black-and-white-stand

As part of the preparation for this event we listened to some podcasts on myths and legends. In particular, one on the Trojan war by Paul Vincent which I feel highlights the problem (or maybe the advantage) with mythological heroes – heroes are idiots. Seriously, have you actually looked at that story? They make massive mistakes in tactics and common sense which lead to what should have been a very quickly settled dispute into ten years of constant siege. I am fairly sure that they were suffering from the age old problem of the self fulfilling prophesy in that the gods decided that there has to be a war and it must last ten years so the mortals channel their stupidity to ensure that a) the war happens and b) it carries on as long as the gods say it should.

zodiacblurredfightBut that issue is only part of what I want to talk about here. The main focus of this post is that weird transition between myths and history. The events in the Iliad and Odyssey, for example, combine elements of both. Archaeological evidence points at the existence of Troy, there is a good chance that there was indeed a war there between Greece and Troy. There have even been attempts at working out the exact date of this war by use of dating techniques and evidence of bodies buried near the ruins of what is believed to be Troy. The podcast also talked about how many of the historic kings of Greece claimed descent from the (in)famous kings described in these myths. Though it is unclear whether they actually were descended from those people (assuming they even existed) or were just legitimising their claim to the throne.

I think the problem here is actually based on lack of actual historic evidence coupled with biased oral history reporting. Stories passed down for generations from a time when little was actually recorded which are embellished in each retelling by individuals who have a good reason to amp up the exploits of their ancestors or excuse them their sins by blaming them on fate or the gods. The result is a bizarre merging of myth and reality where the actual exploits of individuals get exaggerated to the point where they take on a supernatural air. Cultures like the  Celts have been  shown to have added  a creative and boastful bent to their oral storytelling – where a story of one man defeating two becomes the same man defeating ten and ultimately hundreds of enemies. The ancient Greeks would likely to have had the same tendency and it is easy to see how many famous warriors became demigods. Chances are they were good – good enough to make a name – and their fame spread and grew and their stories were embellished and added to until they were legends.

psychopomp

A character at Odyssey LRP enters the underworld (with a little help from photoshop).

 

 

So, how does this apply to a writer? Well, it is an insight into the nature of story in general and myths specifically and can be applied other things to0, such as faerie tales. Many Urban Fantasy novels play with ideas of myths and legends – whether they are vampires, werewolves, fey, wizards or similar. Thinking critically about the stories you are playing with can help to make these more believable, especially if it is removed to a modern setting. What is the real reason why vampires do not show up in mirrors? Is this even a real thing in your world or is it just a confused story based on the recollections of survivors of vampire attacks whose perception of the events may not have been fully reliable due to stress? What about all this stuff about garlic and crucifixes? If I were an ancient undead creature trying to survive, I’d probably consider spreading some rumours about things that can kill me in the hope that the prey would turn to them when attacked instead of investigating more reliable methods. Then I could laugh at their pathetic attempt to kill me with a spear made of garlic while killing them, making sure no one knows the garlic failed. Or maybe there was a vampire who was actually allergic to garlic or one who really hated the church to the extent of reacting badly to any symbol from it and the story grew from there?* What about all the legends of fey and the rules associated with them? Can we apply a rational rule to these too? Probably.

img_5056Also, I guess you can say there is precedent (Classical Precedent at that, you cannot get much more venerable that Homer***) for allowing your characters to be idiots. Always a good way to progress a plot and make readers shout ‘No! Don’t do that, you idiot!’ at the page while they read.

Ian Stewart** said that we are Pan narrans (the story telling ape) rather than Homo sapiens (the wise man). Telling stories is our strength but sometimes the way we tell them mutates them. Understanding this can help a writer produce more unique ideas, or at least present old ones in a new way.

*It is worth pointing out here that AFAIK (correct me if wrong) the earliest example of vampire being repelled by crucifix is Dracula but since then every single one seems to have that weakness. Could it be that Dracula merely had a personal grudge against Catholicism due to their perceived betrayal and other vampires are perfectly fine with it? What about atheist vampires or those of other religions?

**In The Science of Discworld series, which is well worth a read for many many reasons. It has been invaluable to me as a science teacher for the way it interprets and describes scientific theories and challenges preconceptions. They’re also great fun, and not in the way science teachers (like me) often say ‘this is going to be fun’.

*** Not that ‘Homer’ apparently existed. Evidence suggests it was a name given to a story teller so the Iliad and the Odyssey are actually collections of folk tales. Probably the most popular versions of those tales. So again we have the oral tradition getting involved.

#MAEG2016 – the Manchester author signing event and gig.

14 Sunday Aug 2016

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So, yesterday was an event I had been planning and preparing for since quite early in the year – the Manchester Author signing event and gig, officially shortened to #MAEG2016 for the benefit of Twitter users.IMG_4759

It was an early start. I was up at 6 so that I could be at the train station to meet Elizabeth Morgan in time for us both to travel to the site of the event – which was a mining museum near Astley on the outskirts of the city. Things were not helped by the fact I had been persuaded by Samantha Harrington the night before to go to a hotel near the site to meet some of the attendees and have a drink… *. Regardless of that, the meet up at the station went without a hitch and we quickly made our way to the venue, learning on the way exactly how much more expensive train station taxis are compared to pre booked ones.

The event organiser, who writes under the name Scarlett Flame, had spent a lot of the week building up to the event setting up a marquee, a beer tent and Portaloo toilets in the grounds of the museum. By the time Elizabeth and I arrived the place was bustling with people setting up their stalls. We claimed a table and started getting everything ready for the day ahead.

IMG_4776

The Mining Museum

We had lots of conversations with people who came by the stall. Many were interested in what the ‘Tea Society’ was and what it meant. Many of the attendees there were acting as an individual – all the books on their stall had been written by them – however we were there representing not only our own work but those of the other members of the group too which did seem to cause some confusion. I do sometimes wonder if they believe the ‘other authors’ are actually our pseudonyms.** There was a lot of interest in various of the books on the table and many of the bookmarks and cards were taken. We gave out almost all of the swag packs that Elizabeth had prepared and made a couple of sales between us. All in all, about as successful as many similar events I have attended with the promise that future ones will be even better. There was a solid group of people involved in this, both the organisers and the attendees, and a lot of good camaraderie and mutual support going on throughout the day.

 

We were asked to sign a variety of weird and wonderful things. Many of the authors there

IMG_4768

One of the other authors gets video interviewed

seemed to have an autograph book that got passed around by various of the assistants for us to sign and some asked us to sign things like blank canvases,  T-shirts and canvas tote bags. One or two of these items ended up as prizes in one of the many raffles that were going on but many seemed to have them mainly as a memento of the day. We also ended up on video twice over the course of the afternoon. Once by a blogger who was looking to collect footage of authors promoting their books (my contribution was horribly garbled, I hate being on video) and later by Samantha Harrington who was doing a live feed from Facebook of her walking around the site. We get about 5 seconds of fame in that – a brief hello and a wave after she got distracted by corsetry. I will check permissions and share both of these when they are available.

 

IMG_4836.jpgThe signing bit of the day ended at 5 and once we had packed up all our stock and cleared the marquee of tables, we went and got some food from the BBQ while the stage was set up for the gig. Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of public transport meaning we had to leave before 9 we only managed to catch one of the acts that were lined up to perform but did enjoy that a lot – she had a good singing voice and played well.

By the time I got home it was late and I was exhausted from pulling the suitcase full of books but I had a sense of having had a good and productive day.

 

*Which led to a great night out and the chance to meet some of the readers who were there to get books signed. Fun was had discussing everything from Wales to the current economic situation, but did mean I did not get to bed until near 1am.

**Something which will be easily disproved at the upcoming Sandbach Author event in November as that is looking like an event pretty much all the Tea Society is going to so we can all be seen in the same room at the same time with no need to slip off to the toilets to put wigs and false moustaches on – the Ninfa wig really itches too. Only one who cannot make it is R.A Smith. Having trouble finding an actor skilled enough to play him :).

On the Rocks by Elizabeth Morgan

31 Sunday Jul 2016

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On The Rocks BLURB:

On the Rocks is the hottest club on South Padre Island, and Meghan’s new workplace.OntheRocks 500x750

If the warped mermaid uniform isn’t enough, the fact that she can’t stop thinking about the club’s singer, Zenzie, is. Everything about the female gets Meghan hot, but when she finally gets her shot with the temptress, it turns out Zenzie isn’t as perfect, or as human, as Meghan thought.

Length: 6,000 words | Content: F/F, Erotic Paranormal/Horror | Publisher: Elizabeth Morgan

 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2ajcUWs Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2amHr3f

 

~ * ~

EXCERPT:

Her warm breath skated down my neck, causing a shiver to curl around my spine. She straightened then slid her hands through my hair. My eyelids fluttered at the feel of her fingertips stroking over my temples and along my hairline.

“I saw you watching us.”

I stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“Do you like watching?” She retrieved a few items from the vanity table, twisted two sections of my hair, and pushed the hair clips into place. “It’s all right. You can tell me, Meghan.”

My nipples tightened at the husky way she said my name. The knot between my legs pulsed under her piercing stare. I had no idea how, or even why she managed to get under my skin, but God, I wanted her.

“I’m not a pervert or anything.”

“I know you’re not.” She slid a chain of small red flowers into the black mass of my hair.

“I just heard a noise. I guess my curiosity got the best of me.” I shifted on my seat. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be. I liked you watching.”

My nails dug into my knees as her hands moved down my throat, her skin like satin, her touch soft. She ran her fingertips over the top of my breasts.

“I would have asked you to join us, if you hadn’t run.” Her gaze caught mine again while she slid her hand inside my skin-tone bra and cupped my left breast. “Will you run now, or will you do what we both know you want to do?”

 

~ * ~

BIO:

Elizabeth Morgan is a multi-published author of urban fantasy, paranormal, erotic horror, f/f, and contemporary; all with a degree of romance, a dose of action and a hit of sarcasm, sizzle or blood, but you can be sure that no matter what the genre, Elizabeth always manages to give a unique and often humorous spin to her stories.

Like her tagline says; A pick ‘n’ mix genre author. “I’m not greedy. I just like variety.”

And that she does, so look out for more information on her upcoming releases at her website: www.e-morgan.com

Away from the computer, Elizabeth can be found in the garden trying hard not to kill her plants, dancing around her little cottage with the radio on while she cleans, watching movies or good television programmes – Dr Who? Atlantis? The Musketeers? Poldark? American Horror Story? Heck, yes! – Or curled up with her two cats reading a book.

Where to find Elizabeth Online:

Website: www.e-morgan.com

Blog: www.xxxxmyworldxxxx.blogspot.co.uk

Twitter: @EMorgan2010

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/ElizabethMorgan

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.morgan.944

Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElizabethMorgan/

Blood Series Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheBloodSeries/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/elizabethm2012/boards/

TSU: https://www.tsu.co/ElizabethMorgan

Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/elizabeth_morgan

 

Manchester Author event blog hop

30 Saturday Jul 2016

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Blog Hop

 
*´¨✫)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.📑📑Welcome to the Manchester Author Event & Gig 2016 Book Hop!📑📑

There will be a book signing in Manchester, UK on Aug 13th and we would love to have everyone come out and join us to meet the authors!!

Please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/manchester-author-event-gig-2016-tickets-19745695908 to get your ticket!

We have a few authors & bloggers involved in this hop, so please visit each page
Each page in this hop has its own prize.

You are currently at Lurking Musings, the site of D.A Lascelles & for a chance to win a signed copy of Gods of the Deep here is what you have to do! 

 Gods of the Deep involves a lot of demons, gods and ethereal spirits. So, for a chance to win a prize you must describe a new demon, god or ethereal spirit. What does it look like? What are its powers and weaknesses? How can it be defeated? The most imaginative and original entry as judged by myself and my team of crack demon QA assessors will be able to pick up their prize from the event or request to have it posted to them.
To enter, comment on this post with your description. One post per person. Please state in your entry if you are attending the event or need your prize posted to you.

We would like winners to be chosen Monday 1st Aug 2016.

 
After you have entered my contest, it’s time to hop on over to the next page which is, Dirty Sexy Words (https://www.facebook.com/DirtySexyWords) for a chance at more prizes.

If you get lost you can find your way again by checking out the entire list of participants here: https://www.facebook.com/ObsessedbyBooks/
Thank you for joining us and Good Luck!!

***Facebook is not affiliated with any of the contests included in this hop***