Click cover to purchase the book. Do it! You KNOW you want to!!!!
Ceri London has written, in Shimmer In The Dark: Rogue Genesis one of the most powerful science fiction/fantasy novels I have read since Dune. Well, actually, it is better than Dune. More creative, with a wider range and depth of reality, that is approachable to all readers. This is, without doubt, a science fiction novel, but it also has strong ties to military-political intrigue in the present day which grounds the novel in a level of believability even when the “fiction” portion of the science asks you to stretch your mind into new levels of belief.
Some, I suppose, would lean more towards calling it ‘fantasy’ as there are no space ships and Earth colonies on other planets. If you are one of the ‘hard sci-fi geeks’ that some of my friends are, you might be…
Here’s a post which is a bit different from my usual ones about writing and reading – it’s in answer to a question a lot of new and unpublished writers have asked me. The question is: ‘How do you get published?’
I don’t just get asked this on social media – I get asked in everyday life too. In fact, in the next few weeks I have two speaking engagements coming up where, as well as reading from my novel and answering questions about that, I’m also due to be asked about my ‘road to publication.’
So I thought I’d share what little wisdom I have on the subject with you. My credentials for doing so are straightforward – I do have a novel out, it’s published by Skylight Press. You can find Song of the Sea God here in the UK and here in the USA and read the first…
This is the original cover. Check out the story behind it at the bottom of my post!
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rating:
****
Jay Gatsby builds a fortune, buys a mansion in fictional West Egg, NY, across the bay from Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s old-money mansion in East Egg. In an effort to win back the girl he loves, Gatsby throws lavish parties, hoping Daisy will show, or at the least, that he will meet someone who knows her. What follows is a story of wealth, marriage, excess and the romantic notion that you can repeat the past.
Set in 1922, these characters live during the wild party atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties. The Great Gatsby is about a time when new money moves into the old money world and about the contrasting lives of all classes, including the very poor who live in “the valley of
Today is a day to celebrate. We have just entered summer, and I am posting my 100th post since I began blogging. I have to be honest, I haven’t grown numbers as fast as I wanted to but I hope I am growing quality. I’d like to think I am beginning to find a bit of a rhythm to my postings, and writing better pieces than when I first started.
It seemed like today’s posting should be something special. Falling on a Sunday, meant it would be a five things posting, and of course it would have to be unique or personal. The thought ran through my head of doing 100 things, one for each posting. When I was done laughing, I decided I needed something I could actually do without feeling like I was going insane. Finally I honed in on one theme I could use. Fear.
“ Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away. ” ~ Will Smith
Still a powerful symbol of the transience of our own existence and continuing to epitomise Japanese tradition- from ancient poems to wedding ceremonies- over 600 varieties ofさくら Sakura (cherry blossoms) play their starring springtime role in numerous aspects of Japanese culture, much as they did 1000 years ago.
A little more than 2000 years ago, the Chinese emperorQin Shihuang, concerned by assassination plots and treachery from his subjects and wildly consumed by his own mortality, commanded his people to set to work creating an 8000 strong army of terracotta warriors that would accompany him into the next world; this however, was far from his first attempt at ensuring eternal sovereignty. Some years before, emperor Qin had ordered alchemist Xufu to set out on an intrepid odyssey across exotic faraway lands in order to secure the Elixir of life– a sacred blade of enchanted…
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I found this quote on the blog of ontheroadtoinkrichment, http://www.inkriched.wordpress.com, and it just sums it all up, doesn’t it? The majority of us, just don’t make a sack of money from writing. There are exceptions of course. So why do we invest all the time and effort, if money isn’t our goal?
Enrichment. One simple but powerful word. It holds the word rich in its grasp, but means so much more.
So on the subject of Enrichment let me share with you my road to enrichment! I have been practising Taoist Tai Chi for several years and it never ceases to amaze me how I am always learning something new. The original Tai Chi master of the group that I belong to, Master Moy Lin Shin, was a sickly youth, who was sent to a monastery, with ill-health. There he trained in the teachings of the Earlier Heaven Wu-chi sect of the Hua Shan School of Taoism and regained his health. He studied the religious and philosophical side of Taoism and acquired knowledge and skills in Chinese martial arts. In 1949 Moy moved to Hong Kong, there he joined the Yuen Yuen Institute, in Tsuen Wan district in the New Territories, continued his education and became a Taoist monk.
Moy was sent overseas with a mission of spreading the understanding of Taoism and its practices. After some travel, he settled in Montreal, Canada, and in 1970 began teaching a small group of dedicated students. In those early days, Moy taught both the health and martial arts aspects of Tai Chi. Upon moving to one of Toronto’s “Chinatowns” a few years later, he changed his focus, emphasising the health and personal development aspects of Tai Chi, although Moy still placed a strong emphasis on Tai Chi push hands practice and sometimes demonstrated other self-defense aspects of Tai Chi as well.
Moy started with a standard Yang-style t’ai chi ch’uan form, and mixed in elements of other internal arts, and taught it to enable students to learn Lok Hup Ba Fa later. Moy called this modified form Taoist Tai Chi. Moy emphasized the non-competitive nature of his style of teaching and of the form.
A teacher of Taoist Tai Chi is asked to conform to and live by Moy’s
“Eight Heavenly Virtues”:
Sense of Shame
Honor
Sacrifice
Propriety
Trustworthiness
Dedication
Sibling Harmony
Filial piety
We are often told Master Moy’s life story at classes. One particular story remains with me. Master Moy
did not place much emphasis upon the importance of money, in fact he had very little. He would sometimes come to class with not enough money in his pockets for his bus fare back. His pupils would gladly give him money so he could get home.
He began practising Taoist Tai chi as a means to manage a severe health problem. He succeeded, and not only did he improve his ailing health but his legacy is an organisation that is now in multiple countries across the globe. His original Tai Chi set has been handed down, more or less in its original form, and teachers give their time for free, volunteering to teach pupils Tai Chi. There is a spirit of cooperation, and friendship, within the whole Taoist Tai Chi culture. I so admire this ideology and the selflessness of the instructors. This means that each local group works together doing the Tai Chi set as a team. As I said, Master Moy didn’t have much money but I expect he was happy and fulfilled. The older I get the less I think we really need. I know that some people may say, you have more than most, and I would say this is true, but I don’t believe that material things make us happy. All we really need are the basic things in life: a roof over our head, enough food to eat, and the knowledge that our families are safe, in good health and above all else enjoying a full, and happy life. Everything else seems immaterial.
Here are some links which you may find interesting:
Well, as you can see Stephen King is right, enrichment is the goal. Oh and if you take up Tai Chi, and write, I can definitely say you will be happy! I know I am. Go for it!
Reblogging this from Ekaterina Botziou. This takes me back. I went to Paphos in Cyprus several years ago for a girls week away in the sun. Love the Aphrodite legend.
Every month, our staff at The California Journal of Women Writers will be highlighting our current reading selections, in order to help grow exposure for the myriad of women writers who should be recognized for their work. Our collective voices as women have the ability to reach far and wide. By bringing you our favorite titles, our hope is that you’re introduced to new writers, new stories, and new visions. We promise you’ll find your next great reading choice from one of our lists.
Click cover to purchase the book. Do it! You KNOW you want to!!!! 
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 