“Good morning world, just wanted to let you know that I’m not dead. Yes all you haters, I’m still alive.”

Yeah, so, by now everyone who reads this blog should know that it is rarely ever updated and that I rarely ever speak about things that matter to anyone else. Only things that matter to me!

And that’s the way it’s staying!

In other news:

I participated in NaNoWriMo 2013 last month and although I didn't reach 50,000 words I came a little over half way and am proud of that.

I also then decided after the clock of November ticked over into December, to lay my story to bed for a while to try and conjure up some new ideas before I work too hard on it and end up either writing it into a corner or printing it all off just for the satisfaction of throwing it in the fire out of pure frustration.

Yes, dear world, you heard me correctly. I have laid “The Maiden Squire” in a folder in a dark corner of my laptop’s memory and left it to fester and bubble over with new ideas.

Hopefully this break will give some fresh inspiration for it come April next year when I attempt the first Camp NaNo of 2014.

Until then though I would like to point out that I will not be idle in the months between now and that next Camp NaNo.

No Sirree, my dear world. I am not going to be idle at all. In fact I have recently started writing a novelette/short story of a similar genre but about something I have loved ever since I was a little girl.

When I was about six, I would walk down the road to the local library and fetch handfuls of books to bring home with me. On of these days I found a children’s book with strange picturesin it. 

Almost like an original Grimm’s fairy book.

It told the story of how elves, pixies, trolls and goblins would sneak into the human world and change their own young for the child of a human. 

The human child that was taken would reside in peace with the fairy folk who stole it but the child left behind for the humans would often be unruly and disobedient to the point where the parents would know that they had been tricked and that their child was not really their child.

Those children left behind were known as Changeling Children.

Later on in life when I fell into the embrace of poetry, I remember reading a poem by William Butler Yeats, *. In it he spoke of, what I now know to be, a changeling child:

I recently rediscovered that poem and fell in love with the mystic ways of Elven and Faerie folk. I guess it’s the pure Celtic blood in me.

And so I give you my own rendition of the classic tale of a changeling child. No research, no months of planning, just a spontaneous story that has started sprouting in my mind after years of dormancy.

I wouldn’t suggest holding your breath for a spectacular spectacle of young creative talent, but I would definitely love to send it out to any of you readers for constructive criticism. If you so wished to read it.

Let me know via email, PM or in a comment below what your opinions of faeries and folk lore are and what you think about the changeling child myth.

Without further ado, and with a lightened heart, I bid you all adieu. Until next we meet.

After finishing with Camp NaNo for the month of April I tried to stop myself
from editing the draft I had written by doing some other creative writing. I
tend to research until the sun comes up but then never get to writing anything
with that research in hand. So I decided to start writing from imagination and
on a random topic and inevitably fell into the snare of research. 

I love reading dystopian books and recently read quite a few of them. I'm still waiting to read "Requiem" by Lauren Oliver and the book of the movie "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer (which I just borrowed from the library a few minutes ago and can't wait to read xD) {* listed in Read More as Photo Gallery}

I decided I wanted to use ideas I'd come up with ages ago and locked away for specific reasons in this Dystopian book and then came upon a photo on the wonderful Wide Web of a Utopian Society concept art. I looked at similar photos and finally came up with a short story/ novelette idea which would start out at Utopian but then turn Dystopian. The storyline worked but then I remembered that while watching one of my favourite films - Ever After - that Drew Barrymore (aka. Danielle) was given a book by her 'father' called Utopia. I recalled that it was written by Thomas More and yesterday I found it as an audiobook at Learn Out Loud.com.
(** See Read More)

I downloaded a few audiobooks and finally listened to Utopia last night in front of the cosy fire in my living room. The book is very unusually written but very easy to get engrossed in.

Utopia is a work of fiction and political philosophy by Thomas More published in 1516 written as a frame story (*** See Read More). The ideas and ideals put forth in the book are very forceful and very well described. It's a strange book but one that I would gladly read again. I have never read a book that old but the way that it is written is just so captivating and beautiful that I couldn't stop listening to it. It helped me greatly to have it as an audio book, as when I do read I tend to run away with my imagination and forget what I've just read, but with the audiobook I was able to close my eyes and imagine this perfect
fictional society.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something interesting to read. It is so good and now has given me some great founding for my short story/novelette. But by the time I eventually get round to writing this shorter story July will most probably be here and I'll be able to unleash the dogs of war and set to work on Part II of the Ashford Legacy. Oh well. Off to the word processor I go...