Reading 2013

Reading, while one of my favourite pastimes, was rather lacking in 2013.

I love reading a good book into the early hours of the morning, when the birds start to sing and the sky is brightening. I also hate it at the same time because I know I will have to be up in a couple of hours and boy, will be grumpy.

It was hard to read while at University, if I read a book for enjoyment I felt guilty for not reading my set texts, which were usually dire. University was also filled with essays, parties, Ultimate, and late night films with friends, so reading was more of an after thought. However, once my course had finished, but while my housemates and friends were revising, I blasted through the Song of Ice and Fire series in a month. My reading lagged again until my holiday in Tenerife, I just couldn't find any interesting books. I tried reading some more fantasy to get me in the mood for writing my novel, but I would get distracted with my own ideas. Then, I got a job and late night reading was not an option any more. However, after Christmas and the pile of books I received, I have got back into the flow of reading, and the Christmas Holidays meant I could read until the birds sang, though with this ghastly weather I'd be surprised if the birds have anything to sing about.


This year I managed to read 48 books, way off my goal of 100 but I'll take my losses. My favourite book of 2013 had to be Cloud Atlas, and if you haven't read it already, I would highly recommend it.

I only checked seven books off my reading list this year, sadly.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke 
2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Mark Twain 
3. The Adventures of Thomas Sawyer, Mark Twain 
4. Aesop’s Fables, Aesopus 
5. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 
6. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
7. Angels & Demons, Dan Brown 
8. Animal Farm, George Orwell 
9. Atonement, Ian McEwan 
10. The Beach, Alex Garland 
11. The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter 
12. The BFG, Roald Dahl 
13. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley 
14. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding 
15. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres 
16. Carrie, Stephen King 
17. Casino Royale, Ian Fleming 
18. Catch 22, Joseph Heller 
19. The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger 
20. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl 
21. Choke, Chuck Palahniuk 
22. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess 
23. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell 
24. The Color Purple, Alice Walker 
25. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky 
26. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon
27. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
28. Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham 
29. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick 
30. Dracula, Bram Stoker 
31. Emma, Jane Austen 
32. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje 
33. Far From the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy 
34. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter. S. Thompson 
35. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk 
36. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier 
37. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson 
38. Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell 
39. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck 
40. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens 
41. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald 
42. Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift 
43. Haunted, Chuck Palahniuk 
44. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams 
45. The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien 
46. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 
47. Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo 
48. The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins
49. I, Robot, Isaac Asimov 
50. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice 
51. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte 
52. Journey to The Centre Of The Earth, Jules Verne 
53. Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling 
54. Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami 
55. A Kestrel for a Knave, Barry Hines 
56. Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D. H. Lawrence 
57. Life of Pi, Yann Martel 
58. A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett 
59. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott 
60. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 
61. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov 
62. Lord of the Flies, William Golding 
63. Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J. R. R. Tolkien 
64. The lovely Bones, Alice Sebold 
65. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden 
66. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck 
67. Middlesex, Jeffery Eugenides 
68. Misery, Stephen King 
69. Moby Dick, Herman Melville 
70. My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult 
71. The Never Ending Story, Michael Ende 
72. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 
73. Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter 
74. Nineteen Eighty Four, George Orwell 
75. The Notebook, Nick Sparks 
76. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens 
77. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey 
78. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood 
79. Perfume, Patrick Suskind 
80. Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie 
81. The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde 
82. The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunya 
83. The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M. Cain 
84. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen 
85. Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro 
86. The Reader, Bernard Schlink 
87. A Room with A View, E. M. Forester 
88. Schindler’s Ark, Thomas Keneally 
89. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett 
90. Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen 
91. The Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket
92. The Shining, Stephen King 
93. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson 
94. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens 
95. The Talented Mr Ripley, Patricia Highsmith 
96. Temeraire Series, Naomi Novik
97. Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy 
98. The Time Machine, H.G. Wells 
99. The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger 
100. Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, Lewis Carroll 
101. To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee 
102. To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf 
103. A Town Like Alice, Neville Shute 
104. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh 
105. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson 
106. Ulysses, James Joyce 
107. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray 
108. Vertigo, W. G. Sebald 
109. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy 
110. The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells 
111. Whistling for the Elephants, Sandi Toksvig 
112. The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga 
113. Wise Children, Angela Carter 
114. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte 
115. The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman 

I didn't read as many books on my Reading List as I would have liked, but I finally read Perfume, which I have been dying to read since I saw the film yonks ago, and it is as every bit as good.

I've still got lots of books to go, and mainly classics. I am hoping as my new job involves recording audiobooks of the classics I will make a substantial dent this year.

Fantasy Reading List

All the books on this list have been recommended to me by my sister and are currently all on her bookshelves. I haven't read any of these yet and I'm incredibly excited to delve into these new worlds. 

The Blade Itself 

First on the list is Joe Abercrombie's trilogy First Law. Googling it I found Forbes writer Erik Kain says 'it is truly wonderful fantasy, easily some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.' I have seen the first book around many times, the front cover always catches my eye. 

The blurb reads: 

Springtime in Styria. And that means war.

There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers and priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

War may be hell, but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso’s employ, it’s a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular – a shade too popular for her employers' taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto’s reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Her allies include Styria’s least reliable drunkard, Styria’s most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Barbarian who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that’s all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...

Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.

This sounds like an interesting book, the war and revenge really intrigue me and fits in with The Stone Men of Raksaka. 


Kushiel's Dart

The next book on the list is another trilogy, well, two trilogies combined into one legacy: Kushiel's Legacy, by Jacqueline Carey. Both my sister and mum have read these books, I remember seeing them lying around the living room and thinking the covers were really racy, I was only tenish.

The description says:

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.

Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.

This sounds like it will have a very strong female lead, and while that doesn't directly apply to my novel it is a character type I like to read.

Assassin's Apprentice 

Third is Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. My mum loves all Robin Hobb books and says they're so easy to read, and that I'd really like them. Wikipedia says:


The Farseer Trilogy follows the life of FitzChivalry Farseer (Fitz), a trained assassin, in a kingdom called The Six Duchies while his uncle, Prince Verity, attempts to wage war on the Red-Ship Raiders from The OutIslands who are attacking the shores of the kingdom by turning the people of the Six Duchies into Forged ones; still alive, but without any emotion or soul. Meanwhile Prince Regal's jealousy and the indulgence of his own selfish whims threatens to destroy The Six Duchies.


Well, this one has assassins and the Six Duchies, which is similar to my character, Emin being chosen to assassinate the prince and to start a war between the Six Kingdoms. It's funny how you don't even need to read a book to see the links between it and your own work. 


Lion of Senet

Jennifer Fallon has written six trilogies, but my sister has recommended specifically The Second Sons trilogy. Here is a description:

On the world Ranadon there is no night as both suns shine brightly. The intervention of Belagren, High Priestess of the Shadowdancers, and the sacrifice of a child of royal blood, has banished the Age of Shadows from the skies. Belagren's position is unquestioned . . . until circumstances begin to tip political rivalries into a deadlier game altogether. 

A volcanic eruption rocks the seas separating the Kingdom of Dhevyn and the mainland Kingdom of Senet, and a mysterious sailor is shipwrecked on the island of Elcast. Badly wounded, his arrival stirs up old hatreds and unravels old secrets. His presence is enough to even bring Antonov, the powerful Lion of Senet, to the island and fear to the Keep of the Duke of Elcast.

A strong friendship develops between Dirk, second son of the Duke, and Kirshov Latanya, second son of the Lion of Senet. But will they, and their friendship, survive the chain of events set in motion by the ambitions of the ruthless High Priestess of the Shadowdancers and the domineering Lion of Senet?

This sounds a little confusing to me, I don't really know what I just read. Maybe the actually book will make a little more sense. 

The Curse of Chalion 

For once this isn't a trilogy, though it is still part of series of stand alone books, if that makes sense? My sister recommended this book because it was very character driven, with an usual hero. The internet says: 

A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril has returned to the noble household he once served as page, and is named, to his great surprise, secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is as assignment Cazaril dreads, for it must ultimately lead him to the place he most fears: the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies who once placed him in chains now occupy lofty positions. But it is more than the traitorous intrigues of villains that threaten Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle here, for a sinister curse hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion and all who stand in their circle. And only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge -- an act that will mark the loyal, damaged servant as a tool of the miraculous ... and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death.

I think one of the problems with fantasies is that there are so many new made up names for characters and places that it does get a little confusing. 

Gardens of the Moon

My sister has this to say about Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series,'Very long, very complicated, and very epic. For people that have finished Game of Thrones this is the best series to read, but if you stop reading them you will forget what happened and have to start over again.' And I've just seen there are ten books in this series, so I'm going to be very busy! I do recognise these covers and I admit, they do look epic. They also remind me the covers of The Percy Jackson series, I think it's the little helmet motif.

Anyway, Good Read's blurb says this about the first book, Gardens of the Moon:

Bled dry by warfare, the vast Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Sergeant Whiskeyjack's Bridgeburners and surviving sorceress Tattersail wanted to mourn the dead of Pale. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities, holds out, Empress Lasseen’s ambition knows no bounds, and the gods intend to intervene.

I think I'll start this series last as it will obviously take me the longest. 

Overall, I am looking forward to reading all these books. Giving myself a reading list also makes me feel more productive than I really am. The one I am most excited for from these blurbs is the Assassin's Apprentice. I feel that all these books will help me with writing my novel and be a great source of inspiration. 

Fantasy Inspiration

As I'm currently writing my own fantasy novel it made me think of all the fantasies I have read and how they may have influenced my writing. If you haven't read any of these books, I recommend you do because they are all brilliantly written and a joy to read.

I suppose the fantasy that it it going to be on nearly everybody's reading list is the one and only Harry Potter series. So, with no surprise it's on mine. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was one of the first books I remember reading and being enthralled by. I zipped through the first three books then had to wait impatiently for the next four. Once they were out I had to then wait for my sister to read them first - luckily she was a super speedy reader. What I love most about Harry Potter is the depth of the characters and how each one develops throughout the series. No matter how many times I have read them, or seen them, there is still so much to talk about. Snape is a particular favourite. Pottermore is also great as it allows you to read the back-story of the secondary characters that you just love, like Lupin and McGonagall.

Although I have only just read the books this year I was in love with Lord of the Rings from the moment I stepped out of the cinema after The Fellowship of the Ring way back in 2001. This is one case where the films don't ruin the books; Peter Jackson is a directing genius. I love the journey that takes place throughout the trilogy, and this has probably inspired my interest in designing maps and intricate landscapes for all my fantasy pieces. I adore the world Tolkien created and how well it transferred into film. The writing task I had to do in year 7, Escape from Kraznir, was a total rip-off of LOTR but I enjoyed it immensely. I like how all the fantastical creatures are included, yet feel very realistic and not cheesy, like cave trolls and Shelob the giant spider.

A massive change from LOTR now. Ella Enchanted was one of my favourite young adult fantasy books, loosely inspired by the fairytale Cinderella. It was like a modern day retelling of a fairytale and as an eleven year old this blew my mind. I didn't know we could retell stories, amazing! Unfortunately, the film missed the point entirely and was comedic disaster, though I do like Anne Hathaway.

I guess in a way my love of fantasy really stemmed from fairy tales. Disney was a big part of my childhood, and princesses and talking animals are some of the conventions of the fantasy world. In my younger years I did prefer more fluffy fantasies, like Goose Girl and Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Though they did still include political intrigue it was more about a young girls adventure, with a little romance, and no brutal killings, or at least not as much as Game of Thrones...

A Song of Ice and Fire series is brilliant. They may look dauntingly big but they are incredibly easy to read and they're so interesting you never want to put them down. They're not as fantastical as LOTR, there aren't elves or goblins, but they do have dragons, which are awesome! It is more about kingdoms, politics, betrayal and treachery. All very adult stuff, that does sound complicated but it's simple once you start reading, though remains complicated when you try to explain it to someone who's never read it, or watched it. My fantasy novel is a lot like GOT in the fact that I want it to be serious and a little bit gory, and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Most of my other fantasy pieces have been more childish with a strong focus on romance, so this is quite the change.

And after adding these images, I've realised that most of the fantasies I like have been made into movies/tv shows. This is great as one of my dreams is to have one of my novels made into a film. I have a lot more reading to do around the fantasy genre, and I'm really excited about it (My sister has recommended dozens of books, so I'm going to be a very busy reader). However, I'm not excited about having to hold the massive books open while trying to read in bed. That is why Kindles are so great. 

To Do List: BLOG MORE!

Wow. A seriously long time since I last posted and I don't even have an excuse. This summer has flown by in a blur of nothingness (though I got to go on holiday, which was lovely). It's been a strange one. And I'm not even going back to some sort of education this September which is even weirder.

I feel terrible because I haven't done any writing, blog or otherwise, since July. I haven't entered any competitions since May either. But I have written a To Do List, and those are the top things on it.
I guess I've been bogged down with this 'being an adult' business. The stress of finding a job, especially one involving writing, is humongous, mainly because there aren't any. However, I'm coming to accept it as I will hopefully being moving to Bristol next year while my boyfriend does a Masters in Law, and there will be plenty more jobs in Bristol than in the dead-end town of Ivybridge.

However, I have looked into volunteering at my local library, and have a sort of informal interview/chat on Friday the 13th (unlucky for some). If I get this position it will give me opportunities to meet some authors, even if they are just local, and have a good nosey at some interesting books. I'm a very organised person so I think I'll be great at shelving books, I always organise mismatched shelves wherever I go anyway.

One of my goals on my To Do List is to reach 10,000 words of my novel project, the continuation of The Stone Men of Raksaka. I'm on around 4,000 words and have drawn plenty of maps, but I really need to knuckle down. I have a selection of fantasy books to read to get me in the zone (my sister is a fantasy nut and half her room is filled with massive tomes). Plus, reading all these long fantasy series will add to my target of reading 100 books this year.

So I may not have any more assignments to do, but I will keep you updated on the personal writing, the job searching, and the potential competitions.

Now leave me alone so I can write! 

Top 10 Writing Influences

For part of my Creative Voice III module we had to come up with our top ten writing influences in chronological order. They could be any type of media, book, film, music, etc. as long as they inspired us to write. So, as I am avoiding doing dissertation work, here is my Top Ten.

1. Disney Films/ Fairy Tales: Okay, this is a bit generic, but I had to pick just one and I couldn't list all of them. My favourite Disney film is constantly changing. It used to be Sleeping Beauty, then The Little Mermaid, then Hercules, and Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, and Tangled. Oh, it's just impossible! I love them all! When I was younger I used to read a big fairytale book every night before bed. It used to be my mum's and she had drawn around all the pictures, it is like our only family heirloom, and I hope my kids can read it one day, too. But this book and Disney films inspired me to write my own fairy tales and were responsible for my A* in English for this piece, A Disney Parody.

2. Santa Paws, Come Home by Nicholas Edwards: This is the first book that I read without pictures. I bought it at a book sale at school when I was in year 3, maybe? It's about this amazing dog who gets dog-napped and has to find his way back home. I loved it as a kid and still have it at home on my bookshelf. It inspired me to read, and therefore write later in life. 

Also, who couldn't love this little face?

3. Jacqueline Wilson books: Whenever I used to go shopping with my dad we'd always go to Waterstones and I would always buy the latest Jacqueline Wilson book. I would reread them all the time and still do - check out my post on Lola Rose. My all time favourite was the Girls series, you know Girls in Love, Girls Under Pressure, Girls Out Late, and Girls in Tears. I think I liked them so much because I was probably a bit young to read them and I thought they were a little risqué. I also really related to Ellie, the main character, probably because all her friends were pretty and skinny, and she was more on the piggy side. Others that I liked were The Dustbin Baby, The Illustrated Mum, Tracy Beaker, and Diamond Girls. As I got older the books started to get a bit samey, once you read one, you'd read them all. It seemed like Wilson was churning them out. I soon lost interest. But her books made me realise that stories can help people in need or with their problems, and this is what I wanted to communicate through my writing. 

4. The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling: This is a bit of a give in, and is probably on everyone's list in this generation. This was the first series I had ever read, I wasn't into reading when I was younger and I actually saw the movie first. It's just inspiring, and that's all I can really say. 

5. Meg Cabot books: When I was in secondary school I remember my friend reading the first The Princess Diaries and was quite surprised because she never read anything. I'd seen the movie and really loved it but I had never bothered to read the book myself. My sister had all of the books in the series at the time and said I should read them. I was sceptical. However, this was my first incident of reading a book and it being so different from the film. At first I was put off. Then I realised that the book was so much better. I couldn't put it down. Soon my sister grew bored of the series and I bought the rest of the books. I remember reading the last one on holiday and it was just a fantastic ending. Some endings to series can be disappointing but this was not the case. I've read nearly all her other books and own most of them, too. I love the Missing series, and especially the Mediator series, which is why I'm so happy to hear that she's writing another one. Cabot's books inspired me to write chick-lit and helped me to progress to more adult fiction like Size 12 isn't Fat. She also writes in lots of different styles like dairies, and one series is done entirely in emails and letters. Since coming to University, however, I realise people don't like chick-lit too much, and have changed my style somewhat. This piece Royalteen was heavily inspired by The Princess Diaries, and to some extent so was The Diary of Lucy Van Helsing.

6. Lord of the Rings film trilogy: This series really got me into fantasy. After watching these films I created my own fantasy world with lots of different kingdoms, knights, princess, witches, and even some magical jewellery.  I wrote so many fantasy quest stories...unfortunately, by computer died and I lost them all. Some I have written on paper still and one day I will type them up again. I have all my drawings of maps, weapons, and clothing still. I used to be obsessed by these fantasy stories and spend all my time writing and drawing. I wish I could be in that mindset again. In a way University destroys the creativity because now I'm so worried about editing and publishing that I'm too scared to write anything in case it's crap. When I was younger I wrote whole stories and thought they were amazing! I have recently finished reading Lord of the Rings and I still think it's brilliant, and I really watch the films again. Extended edition, of course. 

7. Doctor Who TV series: I never used to care about Doctor Who much but the Doctor reminded me of a boy I fancied (who loved Doctor Who) so I used to watch it constantly and pretend I was the companion. I also fancied David Tennant a little bit, too. Apart from that though, Doctor Who is a great example of how to write a brilliant sci-fi story; it has everything you could possibly want - space travel, time travel, and a main character who can regenerate so you can keep the series going even if the main actor quits! Over the years I have come up with a few Doctor Who story lines and would love to be a writer for the show. It was because of this programme that I took the Sci-Fi and Fantasy module this term. I've also met two of the Doctors, Matt Smith and David Tennant. Oh, and that boy I fancied? He's now my boyfriend!

8. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan: I started reading this series in year 10 (I liked converse shoes back then and the book cover was a flying converse). I bought the first two and borrowed the others from the school library. I remember finishing my work early in class so I could read them. I was such a nerd! I reread them over the summer on my kindle and I still love them. I have always been interested in Greek mythology, especially after Disney's Hercules, and these books really satisfied my craving. The books we had at home about the Greeks were really dry and boring, so these were the perfect way to learn and be entertained. This has inspired my dissertation as I want to get kids interested in Gothic Literature. Obviously, with the internet it is a lot easier to learn things, I could just Google Greek myths now. But reading is much more fun. 

9. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe: This story seems to have followed me everywhere. I first heard of it via The Simpsons, a very educational source. Then in Art A-Level I was told my subject matter was 'too nice' and should do something more 'edgy'. My art teacher wanted me to do something about gangs and drug culture. Boring! I chose the dark literature route. I illustrated the whole of The Tell-Tale Heart and loved every minute of it. Then in the first term of university I wrote a piece inspired by this story, called Obsession. In the second term I went on to illustrate it. Considering I hadn't been a very Gothic person before, I was really getting into it. There just seems to be a strange affinity with this story, and it has even worked its way into my dissertation too.

10. The Gone series by Michael Grant: I read this series over the summer and oh my God! It is gripping. The last one comes out in April and I am so excited, it is my post-dissertation treat. It has been a huge inspiration for my dissertation and after reading these books I changed my idea completely. Gone was the romcom and instead was a dangerously dark mystery with murder and ghosts. This series made me realise that kids don't need protecting from wicked things, and in fact love to read about them. You can also write about crazy things like mutant powers and 'the gaiaphage' and kids will go along with it. 

Obviously, there are so many more books and authors that have inspired and influenced me, but alas, it was a Top Ten, not a Top 100. If you are a budding writer, I recommend you do this too, it can be quite surprising as to what inspires you most. 

Kit Berry - Stonewylde

Been thinking of what to write for ages and just this minute I finally thought of something, hurrah!

Lately, University has been a major downer. Every lecturer seems to be telling us that writing is impossible, difficult, and a waste of time, so what other job are you going to do? Just what you want to hear after three years of doing a degree! But yesterday in my Sci-Fi and Fantasy module we had a guest talk from Kit Berry. I admit I had never heard of her before and really wasn't in the mood for a guest talk (it was too early!) but it turned out to be well worth getting out of bed. She has written a fantasy series set in the fictional place of Stonewylde, based on places in and around Dorset. Funnily enough, one of the places she mentions is a place I've wanted to write about too. This stag gate in Dorset.

Anyway, her talk was amazing. Sure, she had difficulties like my lecturers have mentioned - she was rejected by agents and then publishers. In fact, she was rejected by 13 publishers, which I think is freaky because she believed a lot in superstitions and fate, and 13 is like the most superstitious number ever. However, this didn't stop her, it actually spurred her on to self-publishing and making her own publishing label, Moongazy Publishing. I think what really got to me was when she talked about how she had a weekend where all her readers met up in Devon (woo!) and did quizzes and workshops and just generally had a great time. It was then she realised how big a following she had and that it was crazy that she wasn't properly published because she should be. And in the end she tried the publishers again and was finally picked up by Orion Publishing, with an envious contract.

It's my dream to have a book series published and then made into a great movie. My lecturers would probably tell me that's a pipe dream and the best I could hope for is to be a journalist on my local paper, while also working as a waitress or something. How fun. And yes, even though Kit Berry has had lots of different jobs she did live the dream and is now a full-time writer.

She said that being a writer is still hard because of all the marketing, promoting and publicity but I think I would really enjoy that. At one point in my life I really wanted to be a PR. Besides, I'm always on Twitter anyway plugging this blog, it would be better with a book because I'd actually get paid for it!

She also did a little book signing and it's the first signed book I've ever owned! Although on hearing my name she said: 'Oh there's a girl in this called Holly, and I'm afraid to say she's a bitch.' Surprisingly, I hear this a lot. That other Holly's are bitches, not me.

Her story of becoming an author was really moving and I haven't done it justice. But she was a fantastic woman, really inspirational! If I can write anything like her, and be half as successful, I'll be happy. I would love to prove my lecturers wrong!

Reading 2012

Last year I read a grand total of 83 books. My goal had been 100, but after the summer I came to a reading block all because of stupid Wolf Hall and other boring books on my course's reading list. Now, however, I'm serious about getting to 100. It is a goal that my friend, The Student Housewife, and I both wanted to achieve. She managed 100, sadly I did not. But this year I'm gonna do it! Okay, so far I have only read two books in 15 days, and if I want to reach my goal I should be reading two a week. In my defence though, they were long books (Bag of Bones by Stephen King and The Two Towers by, you guessed it, J.R.R. Tolkien). I have nearly finished Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, a relatively interesting book for a core text. So that makes three!

But it got me thinking about how many books I read that were on my own personal reading list. I have had it since I was in year 12, so around 2008, and really, I haven't read as many as I would have liked. The books that are left, however, are all the long classic ones, like Dickens and Austin  Not really my cup of tea.

So, here are the books that I read in 2012 that were part of my personal reading list:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Through the Looking Glass
Brave New World
I, Robot
The Notebook
The Secret Garden
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy (all five)

....Okay, really not very many. But I also started reading:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Grapes of Wrath
Interview with the Vampire
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Just The Return of the King left)
Middlesex
The Picture of Dorian Grey
A Room with a View
A Tale of Two Cities
The Time Machine
Treasure Island
The War of the Worlds

Clearly I get easily distracted. But I will have read at least two of these books before the end of the year for sure. The War of the Worlds is one of my core texts for my Sci-Fi and Fantasy module, and I really want to read The Return of the King. 

A great way to keep track of what you've read is by using Shelfari, it's that little bookcase at the top of my blog. It's really fun, if you're a book nerd like me at least. I definitely recommend you get one and keep on reading!

You can also find the full reading list here. And if you have any books you think I should read, please leave a comment!

Meg Cabot on Twitter

This is somewhat old news but I found this email again and got excited. The amazing moment when a celebrity follows you on twitter. And not just any old celebrity, but the one who inspired you to start writing. I swear my heart stopped when I saw this email.

Meg Cabot was one of the authors who got me into reading (as well as J.K Rowling and Jacqueline Wilson) I just loved the Princess Diaries and couldn't get enough of them. Then, as I grew older, and read more of her books, I appreciated her style and decided I wanted to write just like her. Well, things have changed and I don't want to write just like her any more, but I do find her ability to write teenage girls amazing and I think of her whenever I write from a teenage perspective. She is definitely a master of her craft as well as a huge inspiration.

If, one day, I am as good a writer as Meg Cabot I will have fulfilled my dream. 

Doctor Who Convention - David Tennant & James Moran

This weekend I went to yet another Doctor Who convention, The Lords of Time, in Birmingham. This one was slightly better than the official one in Cardiff as we actually got to meet and talk to the celebrities. Que lots of fan girl squeeing. It was really exciting and I was nervous at first but at the end of the weekend I actually felt calm while talking to them. There were some really amazing guests including, Anthony Head, Frazer Hines, and the one and only David Tennant!

It was also another opportunity to wear my Dalek dress again.

Another great thing was the writers workshop run by James Moran, he wrote the Doctor Who episode Fires of Pompei as well as some Torchwood episodes. Here's more information on his blog: http://jamesmoran.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow him on twitter @jamesmoran. It was interesting to know about how he got into the writing industry. Obviously it was a little different to how I plan to do it because he works primarily on screenplays and scripts, whereas I want to do children's books. His main advice was keep trying, be persistent and don't let it get you down. He said he nearly gave up on a script after its 13th draft but his wife convinced him to keep going, and he realised that if he didn't complete it then he would have wasted six months on it.

When I met him for his autograph (he didn't have a photo opportunity) I asked him if he had any tips on writing sci-fi, as I am taking a sci-fi and fantasy module next term. He said to make sure that anything you write isn't hollow, or that things aren't just for show. I really liked this bit of advice as sometimes I do write things just for effect but really don't have much purpose. I see it happen a lot in films and tv shows and it's starting to annoy me now. Sometimes I hate being a writer because you can stop thinking with a writer's head on.

James Moran also said that when writing sci-fi or horror stories the plot should still make sense and be interesting without the sciency or scary bits. I think this is great advice but in the end he told me to ignore everything he said, as he wrote on my photo.

He had so much more to say but the excitement of the weekend has blown it from my head. I still have the celebrity shakes. I just can't believe I actually spoke to David Tennant! My second Doctor in a year.

Who will I meet next year?

Writing Motivation with Kittens and Gods

So it's now September and I never did post a Character Profile Sheet in August like I said I would. Woops. Don't be too mad. I did attempt to do one but my heart wasn't in it. However, I have written the beginnings of two drafts - one is 4000 words long, that's half my ECP already!

Part of this massive amount of writing was due to this cute writing site called Written? Kitten! It gives you a photo of a kitten every time you write 100 words. It is so great, it even saves your work. I think simply not writing on a Word document is so freeing. I would definitely give it a try. But if you're not fond of cats, just Google 'written (insert anything you like)', they literally do anything. I was using Written? Chihuahua! earlier.

Another reason for this amount of writing was a huge burst of motivation, which may have had something to do with reading the Percy Jackson series. I feel like I've been going on about this series for a while now but I had forgotten my love for it. I'm not saying it beats Harry Potter or anything, but it's definitely up there! I just love the writing style and it has obviously influenced my own. It's so natural and easy to read. I fear that reading any other books, especially grown up books, will interfere with my writing and it'll be naff again.

I did start getting some weird withdrawal-esque symptoms once I had finished reading the Percy Jackson series. In the end I resorted to buying Rick Riordan's new series, Heroes of Olympus, which has satisfied my need somewhat. It's not as good as the original but is still fun. While it includes some of the same characters, the writing style is different. For starters it's is the complete opposite of Percy Jackson, with multiple viewpoints (like I'm planning on doing) and the third person (also something I'm going to do). This works out perfectly as it is a best seller and current, something that I will be required to mention in my rationale. This series is also a textual intervention on the Greek myths, so even better as mine is a textual intervention on Gothic authors and their novels.

It has also given me new found confidence in my story as I was worried that having a female viewpoint would put the boy readers off, and I want mine to include both genders. Piper, the main female protagonist in The Lost Hero, is not a super girlie girl, and my character Lenore won't be either, so I don't think the boys would mind reading her sections (fingers crossed). I was worried that boys wouldn't want to hear about bitchy girls and love issues, but Riordan deals with this well, and it's not OTT or too cliché.

Sometimes I do feel that you lose intimacy with having too many viewpoints but it works well in both this series and the Gone series, which I am also obsessed with at the moment. I suppose it can go either way, but I hope I can pull it off.

I will probably post the two beginnings soon to see what you guys think, comments would be really helpful. Then, once I'm back at university I will be having meetings with my supervisor to see what she thinks. It is a complete change to what I started off with, but I have a good feeling about it.  

Creative Writing Dissertation Reading

Now that my supervisor replied to my email I should be writing, but I find that I can't stop reading. I'd forgotten how easy and fun it is to read young adult fiction, much better than serious books, or worst Wuthering Heights. 

I bought quite a few books at the beginning of the summer but haven't read most of them yet. I started reading Gone by Michael Grant and became addicted, meaning the other books would have to wait. At first I didn't think it was that great but I really got sucked in. I was drawn in because Grant didn't explain everything or answer any questions, he only made more, so I just had to read on to find out what was going on. I've now read three other books in the series with the fifth one on the way, but am still excited to see how it's going to end. The last book doesn't come out until April and I'm becoming impatient. I haven't had to wait for a book to come out since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 

After I read those books I looked into what other teen books were popular and decided to read some Darren Shan. I picked Cirque du Freak as it seemed to be the most popular with the kids, and my friend Lauren highly recommended it. I particularly wanted to read some Shan as he is a great horror writer, and I admit it was pretty scary and plenty gory at some points. Although vampires aren't my favourite supernatural monster, and Twilight has made them so much worse, I wasn't put off and found the way he was turned into a vampire very interesting. I haven't read the rest of the series yet as there are quite a few books, and I can't afford all of them. I might get around to it eventually because my friend Lauren says it has a great ending, and I do love a good ending.

At the moment I am reading the Percy Jackson series, and I just love them! I read them ages ago when they first came out but they are still amazing years later. I suggested that my boyfriend read them and then I decided that really wanted to read them again, too. It just so happened that it is also research for my ECP - genius. I have always liked Greek myths and these books really satisfy my need for gods and goddesses, while having a fascinating and gripping plot. I have seen that Rick Riordan has also written another Greek inspired series, The Heroes of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles, which is based on Egyptian mythology. After I have finished rereading Percy Jackson I may look into these other series.

Today I went shopping and bought some more books, though I realise that I should be reading the books I already have, but I can't help it! I think buying books is better retail therapy than clothes shopping is. So, I bought The Recruit which is the first book in the CHERUB series. From the questionnaires I did I found that this series was quite popular and it is a best seller so I thought I'd give it a read. It's about child agents which reminds me of the Alex Rider series, and I liked that as a teen so I'll probably like this one too.

The other book I bought was a surprise. It's called Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley. The reason why it's a surprise is because it seems to be a twist on Edgar Allan Poe's stories. Does that sound familiar to you? Yeah, that's right, that's what my ECP is about, aaah! I am going to read it after Percy Jackson and pray that it isn't too much like my idea, I would be devastated if it was.

Here's the blurb:

'Edgar can't resist the terrifyingly twisted tales his Uncle Montague tells when he visits him at his house beyond the woods.
But what is his Uncle's connection with the dark stories? Prepare to be chilled to the bone as you discover that Uncle Montague is the subject of perhaps the most terrifying tale of all.
This is a seriously scary book...Are you brave enough to read on?'

Frankly, I think my idea sounds better. At least I hope it does!

The best thing about book shopping today was that I got a free book, and not a crap one either. It was actually a book I had been looking at earlier. I first heard about it my Fiction for Children module and thought it sounded interesting, mainly because it was about time travel, and who doesn't love a bit of time travel? It's Time Riders by Alex Scarrow. It was supposed to be free when you pre-ordered the new Artemis Fowl book but the Waterstones lady gave it to me anyway. Score! Waterstones workers are so nice.

As you can see I have a lot of reading to do, not to mention the reading I have to do for my modules, which seem so boring. If you have any other book suggestions for me to read, go ahead a comment below!

Edgar Allan Poe Death Scenes

My sister found this picture on the Guardian website that is so relevant to my ECP it's unreal. So, if you've been feeling a little lost with all my talk about Edgar Allan Poe this might be a helpful starting point to what his stories are like.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/graphic/2012/aug/07/edgar-allan-poe-death-graphic?fb=native#_

Pretty cool, huh?

Popular Children's Authors

When I went up to my old school to do my questionnaire (which everyone should do!) I also asked the librarian what was popular with young readers. Here are a few of the authors she suggested.

Suzanne Collins. Obviously I have read her books, The Hunger Games, who hasn't? And I can see why she is so popular. I liked the first two books but the third got a little odd and too political. I just liked the actual games and all the fighting. 

Jeff Kinney. He's the writer of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, which must be very popular as they keep making movies. In the questionnaire a lot of the boys wrote that it was their favourite book. His style isn't really something I'm looking to get involved in though.

Liz Pichon. Not heard of her but by the looks of Google she is a kid's book illustrator/writer. Something that isn't really relevant to my ECP at all.

Darren Shan. I just finished reading his book Cirque du Freak for research into children's horror. I enjoyed it and realised why he is a great horror writer but it still felt a little too young. Also, things like Twilight and True Blood have ruined the genuine horror of vampires, now all I can think is that they're very sexual beings. It's so annoying, I prefer them scary. Lots of the kids said that Cirque du Freak was one of their favourite series of books. 

Michael Morpurgo. I've read a few of his books, like Private Peaceful and I've seen War Horse but other than that I'm not a big reader of his. His stuff seems a bit real life drama, which I find a bit boring sometimes. But that doesn't mean they weren't good, they were very emotional and really tugged at your heartstrings. 

Robert Muchamore. This is an author I have never heard of, but one of his most popular books is CHERUB  and has now been made into a graphic novel, so maybe I'll check it out.

Rick Riordan. I really loved The Percy Jackson Series, they were one of my favourite book series as a teen. I even read them secretly during classes. I always had an interest in Greek mythology and these books really brought them to life. I haven't read any of his recent stuff but I'm sure it's just as good. 

Cathy Cassidy. I've only read one of her books and that was years ago. My friend leant me Dizzy (she liked it because it rhymed with her name, Izzy). I remember thinking the book was a little odd even though it's relatively normal. It's not a really a style I'd like to write in.

Chris Higgins. She's not a writer I've ever heard of but it looks like she writes similar things to Cathy Cassidy and Jacqueline Wilson, maybe?

Meg Cabot. She is my favourite author of all time and I've read and own nearly all her books. She even follows me on twitter - how awesome is that? My original ECP idea was inspired by her books but I'm going down the more actiony, mixed gender route now, rather than the chick lit way. Her adult books are just as good as her teen ones, so try reading some, they're bound to make you smile. 

Jacqueline Wilson. She is another author that I loved and at one point I owned nearly all her books too. But I grew out of them and now she has written millions, she seems to churn them out. A lot of the girls said that Wilson was their favourite author and I'm not really surprised. I also loved Nick Sharratt who illustrated her books, because of him I used to want to be an illustrator. I still do a little but writing is my priority. 

Andy Stanton. Another author I haven't heard of but apparently he writes the popular Mr Gum Series. I'll be honest, it's not something that I'm bothered about looking into. 

Sophie McKenzie. She's not a writer I have heard of but I saw the cover of one of her books in the library and it did look quite interesting, though I know not to judge a book by it's cover. But if that was true then they wouldn't make the covers so interesting. She is the author of Blood Ties and I may go and see how much it is on Kindle.

If you have any more suggestions on popular young adult fiction or any books that would relate to my ECP please feel free to comment!

Patrick Ness and Michael Grant

Hello everybody, I'm back from my holiday in Turkey and my laptop is finally fixed. Apparently it was just the keyboard connection, which is weird, I must have been typing too much.

While I was away I bought some books for my ECP and asked in Waterstones what was the top selling Teen Fiction. The sales woman said that vampires were out and dystopia is in because of The Hunger Games series. She said my ECP idea sounded cool and that horror would totally work. I figure I can make it more distopic too, it is the moors after all. She recommended that I read books by Patrick Ness (I really liked A Monster Calls it was quite inspiring) and Gone by Michael Grant, as well as others. I'll read them shortly and I'm actually excited to.
I emailed the revised plot synopsis to my ECP supervisor and she still thinks my plot sounds too young. I don't know how much more I can do to make it seem more adult. I guess when I write it it will start to sound older. But while I was away I thought of some more ideas for my piece, which I'll go into more in another post later. I also have a new character profile and some drawings, so look forward to that, too! 

The Simpsons and Edgar Allan Poe

I realised that some people may not know who Edgar Allan Poe is. I first heard of him through The Simpsons, not the most intelligent of TV shows but still informative. There are three episodes that makes me think of Poe; The Telltale Head, Lisa's Rival, and Treehouse of Horror I. Clearly Poe is a great author to intervene with, his stories are creepy as well as memorable. I hope my story will be just as good as Poe's work and as The Simpson's re-tellings.

Watch The Telltale Head here: http://www.cucirca.com/2010/01/10/the-simpsons-season-1-episode-8-the-telltale-head/

Watch Lisa's Rival here: http://www.cucirca.com/2010/01/10/the-simpsons-season-6-episode-2-lisas-rival/

Watch Treehouse of Horror I here: http://dotsub.com/view/58591756-7128-488c-bfe9-22463d46d907

I know they're not the best representation of Poe's work, but they're very enjoyable. And I do love a bit of The Simpsons. 

Third Year Reading List

The bad news: my laptop has decided to randomly break (I'm writing this on my boyfriend's laptop). The good news: I've got my reading list for next year. The modules I'm doing next year are Writing History Fiction, Advanced Fictional Writing, Writing Comic Books and Graphic Novels, Science Fictions, Creative Visions, and finally Creative Voice.

Out of all the books I have only read two so far, and one of them is the Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, so not too fun.

For Creative Voice I have to read the following:

Have a look at How to Write a Novel by Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark (Penguin) and The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2012 (A&C Black).

http://www.thebookseller.com/jobs.html
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.prweekjobs.co.uk/
http://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk/

Hypertext: The Electronic Labyrinth at http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/.
Ebbflux at http://www.ebbflux.com/
The Multiple Perspectives of Jekyll & Hyde at
http://www.calumkerr.co.uk/jekyll/
E-zines: Blankpages at
http://www.blankmediacollective.org/index.php/news/blankpages/
The Recusant at http://www.therecusant.org.uk/
Print-on-demand: CompletelyNovel at http://www.completelynovel.com/.

For Science Fictions I have to read:

H G Wells, The War of the Worlds
Poul Anderson, Three Hearts and Three Lions
P K Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Trudi Canavan, The Magicians’ Guild

I've already read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, you may know it as the film Blade Runner, and started on The War of the Worlds. It's a pretty fun reading list and I'm really looking forward to doing this module. 

For Writing History Fiction I have to read these books over the summer:

Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall (London, Fourth Estate, 2009; paperback 2010)
Taylor, Andrew: The American Boy (London, Harper Perennial, 2004)
Faber, Michel, The Apple and other Crimson Petal stories (Canongate UK, 2011)

Finally, for Comics and Graphic Novels I have to read:

Rene DeLiz, ed., Womanthology 
Neil Gaiman, The Sandman Vol1: Preludes and Nocturnes
Frank Miller, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

I'm really excited for this, Neil Gaiman and Batman? How much more awesome can you get?

As you can see I have a lot to read over the summer, but good things, no more boring things like Wuthering Heights.