Z is for Zombies

'One thing about the Deadlands, once you've been out there, surrounded by the dead, the living aren't anywhere near as scary...'

When seventeen-year-old Lele de la Fontein and her brother are forced to move to the city enclave to live with their estranged father and bitchy, war-hero stepmother, she has no idea her world is about to implode. Stuck in a school run by the Resurrectionists -- a fanatical sect who worship the sinister, all-powerful Guardians -- Lele dreams of escape. But she's trapped. No one can survive in the Deadlands, the shattered remains of Cape Town's suburbs, without being turned into one of the living dead. No one, that is, except for a renegade group known as the Mall Rats. But who are they? And are they the answer to Lele's prayers, or is she about to find herself in more trouble than even she can imagine?

I'm not a zombie fan. At all. Normally I would not pick up a book like this. But it was written by a South African and set in South Africa (where I live) and so I thought, zombies in Cape Town? This I gotta see!

A few chapters in I wasn't so keen, but then I got caught up in Lele's story and couldn't put the book down! Aside from the main story there are so many little things I enjoyed:

• the names Lele has for certain people (her stepmother is The Mantis)
• the random mention of real books and movies that were "in" at the time the zombies took over ("And I've got a treat for you, Lele," Ginger said, holding up one of his DVDs. "Transformers -- crap movie, but awesome explosions.")
• the sprinkling of South African colloquialisms that reminded me I was reading about home :-) (kak, ja, hayibo, seriaas)

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the ending. The story seemed to wrap up a little quickly. I think I was expecting.... more (hello, sequel! Come to me!). But I enjoyed all the rest of it enough to recommend it :-)

'Deadlands is cool, provocative and sharp as spiny teeth. A viciously satirical, pop-culture loaded, teen zombie apocalypse with heart -- it's smart, dark, sweet, gruesome, political and, best of all, funny.' -- Lauren Beukes, author of ZOO CITY and MOXYLAND

~ ~ ~

Phew! Made it to the end of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!

Thank you so much to Arlee and company for hosting this piece of blog epicness. And well done to everyone who completed the challenge!

And for anyone who's not feeling totally exhausted, don't forget the A to Z Challenge Reflections Mega Post on Monday 2nd May.

Y is for Y (the Generation!)

I've never actually known what that Generation X, Generation Y thing was all about, so I decided to look it up (and I needed an excuse to use the image below!).

Generation Y: (aka Millennial Generation, Generation Next, Net Generation) is the generation that follows Generation X (if you know your alphabet this might seem kind of, um, obvious!). Members were born from roughly the mid 1970s to the early 2000s. This generation is generally marked by increased use and familiarity with communication, media and digital technologies.

Generation X: those born in the 1960s and 70s, after the Western post-World War II baby boom. Um...

Can anyone tell me exactly what defined Generation X? Wikipedia's confusing me a little!


(Info summarised from Wikipedia, which I always tell my students at school not to use as a reference!)

X Marks the Spot!

It's a treasure hunt!

My blog isn't a year old yet and I already have FAR more followers than I ever thought would be interested in reading what I have to say here ;-) I have learned so much from "meeting" all of you, and though blogging is a super time-suck I enjoy every minute of it! And I hit a nice number today - 333 (thanks, Manzanita!).

To say THANK YOU to all my followers I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card!

Just think of all the $0.99 e-books you could buy with that! (For those of you who don't do math, it's TEN plus a bit of change...;-)). To make it fun I decided to have a little treasure hunt, and since we just had Easter, it's golden Easter eggs you'll be hunting for. Here's what you gotta do:

• Be a follower of this blog (duh, this whole thing is to say thanks to FOLLOWERS!)
• Visit the other pages on this blog (About Me, Book Reviews etc) as well as the sidebar and count all the golden Easter eggs you see.
• For an additional entry tell me where you found the X-marked Easter egg.
• You don't have to tweet or facebook this if you don't feel like it, but if you do I'd greatly appreciate it :-) (I even wrote out this lovely 84 character message to make it easy for you to copy and paste ;) Count the Easter eggs and you could win a $10 Amazon gift card! http://bit.ly/kykxAV )
• You have until the end of next Thursday, the 5th of May. I'll randomly draw a winner on Friday 6th May.

THIS TREASURE HUNT IS NOW OVER.

W is for Writers' & Artists' Yearbook

This book is PACKED with information. Seriously. Every time I start reading one part of it I think, oh I must read that part as well... and that part... oh, and I haven't looked at this bit before... oh, that was really useful.

When it comes to my books I'm pretty OCD. I like them to stay looking as new as possible. I pride myself on being able to read them in such a way that produces minimal wrinkling of the spine. (No, you're not the first person to tell me how odd what a special ability I have). But with this book I've had to force myself to get over that, because there's so much info packed into each page that if I don't bend the spine I actually can't read it all.
It's been very good therapy for me.

V is for Vicious Villain

vicious adj wicked or cruel

villain noun a cruelly malicious personwho is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime

In real life I try not to be nasty. I mean, come on, who wants to be the mean girl? But I have to say, when it comes to writing a vicious character, it can be kind of fun ;-)

Do you have fun bringing out your vicious side when you create a villain?

U is for Unexpected

I've discovered it's quite easy to create cliched characters. You know, stereotypes.

stereotype noun a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly.

Here are some examples (in my mind anyway!):
A librarian is strict, uptight, wears boring clothes and possibly glasses.
A Harley-Davidson rider is a big, muscular, mean man who wears leather and boots and has tattoos.

We don't want cliched characters in our writing. It's boring! Let's show our readers how creative we can be by giving our characters a few UNEXPECTED traits/hobbies/interests.

Taking the above examples:
The librarian, who appears to be all of the above, actually takes pole dancing classes in the evenings.
The Harley-Davidson rider, who appears to be all of the above, is actually a gentle soul and enjoys tending his bonsai plants in his spare time.

I think my most cliched character is the wise mentor (you know, the character who has most of the answers and helps the hero along on his/her quest) and I'm having trouble figuring out how to make her unique and unexpected. Any ideas?

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

In the Christian faith Easter is pretty central. Actually, like, MAJORLY central!
Here's wishing you all a very happy and blessed Easter :-)

T is for Trailer (the Book Kind)

You know how they make trailers to advertise movies? Well, just in case you're unaware, people now make trailers to advertise books! Book trailers often utilise images a lot more than video clips, and there's generally text on the screen to tell you a bit about the book, though sometimes there's a voice over.

Want to see an example of a book trailer? Here's my first attempt!

I've noticed that Movie Maker for Windows 7 is pretty limited in terms of detailed editing, especially in the sound department. So apologies for the stop-start you may notice between different bits of the "soundtrack".

Do you want your book to have a trailer?

Does a good book trailer influence whether you buy a book or not?

S is for Show, not Tell

   The shadows lengthen, creating eerie shapes that stretch and stretch and finally melt together as the sun vanishes behind the buildings. I lift my shoulders against the chill breeze as I step off the main road and into the alley; the shortcut will get me home sooner. I think of Ma’s cooking and my stomach answers with an uncomfortable twist.

   Something falls behind me and I glance over my shoulder. Is that the figure of a person? I stop and turn fully. There is no one there. After a moment I continue on my way, my legs carrying me faster this time.

   But I’m certain now that there’s a second pair of footsteps, an answering echo to my own hurried gait. When I stop they stop. I feel the heavy weight of watching eyes on me. This time I don’t bother to look behind; I just run.

   My feet pound the cobbled pavement and breath fills my lungs in gasps. I round a corner and grab hold of the side of a dumpster, pulling myself behind it. My boots slip on some sticky substance and I hit the ground, but I’m behind the dumpster now, out of sight.

   The stink of rotting rubbish fills my nose and mouth, but I ignore it. I peer into the near darkness, my heart hammering against my ribcage, my eyes roving with saccadic movements.

   Waiting.

   Waiting.

   And then I hear it: the quiet crunch of footsteps. He moves without hesitation around the side of the dumpster, blocking out the dim light as he looms above me. His image shimmers before my eyes as tears swell, balance, and then tumble down my cheeks. I taste salt on my lips.

   “Please,” I whisper.

   He stretches a hand towards me.

In this 293 words excerpt you're supposed to be able to figure out (without me telling you) that:

• it's dusk
• I'm scared and hungry
• I think someone is following me

I also had to use the random words shimmer, saccadic, substance and salt and try to incorporate all five senses. Oh yeah, and there are 27 S words in there (which doesn't come close to Rach Harrie's 41, but hey, I tried!).

You can check out the other Show, not Tell entries here.

R is for Random Question

You walk into a bookstore and there are two new books on the table in front of you. One has a supercool eye-catching cover, but a really lame title. The other has a drab and boring cover, but a really clever/witty/funny title. Which one do you pick up first?

Q is for Quagga

If you want to know what a quagga is (plus a few other Q words you might be able to make use of if you find yourself with a Q and U in your next game of Scrabble), take a look at the video below.

Presenting.... my amateur stop-motion animation skills!

Note to self: write bigger next time!

If you want to see it a little bigger, click the "Watch on YouTube" button

P is for Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars

These are really good. You should try them. Seriously.


Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup oatmeal
1 big slab of chocolate

1. Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy.
2. Add the egg and beat well.
3. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix in.
4. Add the remaining dry ingredients.
5. Spread into a 12 x 9 inch pan and bake at 180°C for about 20 min.
6. Break the chocolate slab into pieces and place on top of the hot bars.
7. Let stand for a few minutes until melted, then spread the chocolate over the top.
8. Combine the ingredients below to make a thin icing.
9. Drizzle the icing over the melted chocolate layer.
10. Cool in the pan and then cut into rectangles.

O is for Once Upon A Time...

"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase that has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) in storytelling in the English language, and seem to have become a widely accepted convention for opening oral narratives by around 1600. These stories often then end with "... and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths".
(taken from Wikipedia)

Enjoy the nonsense...

Once upon a time

I decided to climb

a tree made of lime

that was covered in slime.

I slipped and I fell

with barely a yell

into a very deep well

with a super bad smell.

I splashed around

until a tunnel I found

that led out of the ground

so I was safe and sound.

Yeah...
Don't think that one's gonna be winning me any prizes!

N is for Novel

novel adj of a new kind; different from anything seen or known before: a novel idea

Rane Anderson is doing something novel with her novel. Starting on April 11th 2011 (which, yes, was a few days ago!) she will be posting one chapter a week of her YA paranormal novel Who is Saint Giovanni? If you want to catch up by reading the Preface and Chapter 1 you can click here. And click here to read more about what and why Rane is doing this and how to get involved with spreading the word.

The morning after a near-death experience, seventeen-year-old Emily Edwards discovers an X carved between her eyes. It's painless, bloodless, and she has no clue how it got there. No one else seems to see it. As if that's not bad enough, Emily's senses are freakishly sharper, like she has been living, until then, a little dear, a little blind, and without taste buds.

Desperate for answers, Emily turns to Giovanni, the only person in Italy she promised to avoid. He’s everything she hates in guys. Impulsive, secretive, and reckless, just like her father. What kind of guy grabs a girl he doesn’t know and kisses her? But Giovanni may be the only one who can see the mark. Though he denies it, Emily swears she’s caught him staring at it. 

Before long, Emily learns she’s a pawn in a deadly game that has existed for centuries. The only one she trusts has stolen her soul, and she doesn’t even know it. Although some call Giovanni a saint, others call him a devil. Emily must determine whose side he’s on by finding the answer to a single question. Who is Saint Giovanni?

M is for My Story, My Way (Guest Post, David Baboulene)

David is the author of two humorous books, two children’s books and an academic work on story principles. He has also had three film productions deals, two in Hollywood and one in the UK.

He is currently proving through his Ph.D. thesis that subtext is the defining substance of story, and by measuring subtext presence, depth and extent, he can tell you in advance how successful a story is likely to be.

(Taken from the David's website)

My Story, My Way

The most obvious difference I see between the successful writers I have met and the aspiring writers is confidence. Confident writers are focused and productive. They say, “This is MY story. I’m writing it MY way, and I don’t care what anyone thinks.” They put their blinkers on, they get busy, do what they think is right, and deliver. The final product may sell a million, or the writer might end up having thirty copies printed for his own bookshelf, and go back to his day job. Either way, he did it right.

Well, almost...

The wrong thing to do, which I see a lot in the writers I work with, is to go on endless courses or read a pile of books on ‘How to Write’. They inevitably provide you with a set of rules that seems to apply to famous stories.  As soon as you buy into this, your story becomes driven by structure. It becomes a little unnatural and it loses its spark, and the writer himself is having his creative instinct damaged by someone else’s rules.

In my experience, when I get writers to sit down and think about what they are really looking for, it’s not ‘How to Write’ help. You learned how to write when you were at school. The questions they really want answering are: “How do I make the most of my story ideas? How do I tell my story to its absolute best? How do I guide my ability to tell stories without damaging my natural talent? It takes me months to find out what’s bugging me in my story. How do I understand and solve story problems quickly and effectively? What gives one story power and another one not? What are the story tools that are available to writers that make stories grip and intrigue?”

There is only one person who can tell your story the right way, and that is YOU! What you need is knowledge of the craft of story so you are empowered to tell your story your way. Then you will also have the confidence to send it off, take rejection knowing that what you’ve done is right.

Because there’s only one right way to write your story, and that’s your way. If you think about it, there simply can’t be any other way. So take responsibility. Learn about story so you can squeeze the most from your ideas. Write every day, and say to yourself every day:

“My Story. My Way. And balls to the lot of you.”

Say it now. Say it out loud and mean it. Not only will you laugh at yourself, but take responsibility for your own development and suddenly life as a writer, and your path forwards from today, becomes very clear indeed...

And if it’s not clear, contact me and I will send you a free chapter from The Story Book on the topic that is puzzling.

~ ~ ~

Thanks so much, David, for those wise words (in particular, the "balls to the lot of you" part!).

I have just started working on a new novel and (unlike the first novel I wrote) I decided I want to put a lot of planning into this one before I start writing it (instead of just jumping in like I did the first time...). I've been reading David's The Story Book as I plan and it's helped a lot. I feel like I understand a lot more about how to tell a story, and I've had several ah ha! moments when I recognise something I've been doing all along and just never knew they had a name or how important they were!

David is currently doing a book blog tour and you can find the details here.
If you'd like to read what other people thought about this book, you can check out:

• Write Anything
• HearWriteNow
• J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer

L is for Let me not...

I am away from my regular internet connection until next week so I'm blogging from my cell phone. I'm trying to visit other people's blogs but some of them just don't display properly on a cell phone screen (sidebars sit nicely on top of posts so I can't read them!). If you've followed me and I haven't followed you back yet, I'll get to that next week when I'm back home!

Source

This has always been one of my favourite (if not my favouritest!) sonnet by Shakespeare.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
      If this be error and upon me proved,
     I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

K is for Kiss (the French kind!)

I am away from my regular internet connection for the next week so I'm blogging from my cell phone. I'm trying to visit other people's blogs but some of them just don't display properly on a cell phone screen (sidebars sit nicely on top of posts so I can't read them!). If you've followed me and I haven't followed you back yet, I'll get to that next week when I'm back home!

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

(Summary from Goodreads)




I'd seen so much positive hype about this book that I couldn't wait to read it! But a few chapters in I found myself thinking... what's all the fuss about?

And then! Then I started to see... and I totally fell in love with this book! It's funny and witty and it oh so perfectly captures that angsty "Does he like me? Doesn't he like me?" question that -- come on -- we've ALL experienced! And I loved being inside Anna's head -- I could totally relate to her shyness, her neat-freak ways, her germ phobia and her I'd-so-rather-just-stay-in-and-watch-a-movie-than-go-out-and-party feelings. And St Clair! St Clair... *sigh* There are no words...

All I have to say is: GO READ THIS BOOK! It'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like a steaming mug of creamy hot chocolate on a cold day (without the calorie-guilt!)

J is for Just for Laughs (11): Chinese Instructions

I am away from my regular internet connection for the next week so I'm blogging from my cell phone. I'm trying to visit other people's blogs but some of them just don't display properly on a cell phone screen (sidebars sit nicely on top of posts so I can't read them!). If you've followed me and I haven't followed you back yet, I'll get to that next week when I'm back home!

My boyfriend recently ordered me an e-reader from China. It's not a brand anyone would easily recognise, but it has all the working functions and was obviously a lot cheaper than, for example, a Kindle. ANYWAY, the point of this post is that I just had to share the hilarious English inside the User's Manual:

Thanks for your supporting bought the E-book. This manual has briefly introduced all the function of this E-book; you can use it breezily by your self. Pls fully experience the worthy enjoyment brought by this product. Read this manual carefully is necessary before using.

Notice:

1. Pls note after 2, 3 times fully charged and discharge cycle can the new battery achieve the maximum power.
2. For the new battery, 3-4 hours needed after fully charged for the first-third times and full will be ok for the forth times, which can make the lithium battery reach the optimal power.
3. In order to avoid leaking the document, suggest "user" prepare 1 copy of the important document. Especially before hardware upgrade. As our company will not be responsible for the document loss.
4. The product is High-precision E-product, No fold!
5. No throw, No bump!
6. Avoid playing under the following environment: High temperature, low temperature, damp, dusty, magnetic strong and expose under sun for long time.
7. Using screw down cloth to wipe the Player Shell, avoid use other chemical liquor.
8. No damp or other liqour item on side.
9. Keep proper volume to avoid impacting audition.
10. Don't change any parts.
11. Only use the battery, charger, accessories which permitted by manufacturer. Otherwise will disobey the maintenance rule and cause dangerous.
12. Deal with the rubbish parts and accessories in accordance to local environment practice.
13. Any problems occurred upon using, pls contact local dealer or direct to customer service centre of our company.
14. Any alteration, will not notify. Sorry for inconvenience and hope can understand.

PS. I'd just like to add that I know English is tough when it's not your first language, and I don't mean to offfend anyone with this post. Heck, I could never even hope to speak/write Chinese! So this is just for a good-natured laugh :-)

PPS. I made a friend recently at a writing workshop and he's just started a blog. He's joining in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, even though we're already... 10 letters in (yes, I had to stop and count the letters on my fingers... don't laugh!). So go check out Grant's Big Blog and say hi :-)

I is for Inspiration

I'm guessing that amongst the writers' blogs there will be a fair number of posts on inspiration :-)

So. I've just started a new YA writing project, and what I want is a fictional, fancy-pants, private boarding school set in a semi-secluded area an hour or two from where I live. So off I drove this weekend to see if I could find an actual empty spot where I might "build" my imaginary school. And I found it!

There's this beautiful spot amidst the rolling hills, with an expanse of water that I can "make" into a proper dam/lake for water sports, and forested areas for teenagers to get up to all sorts of mischief in... Perfect :-)

So now I have some photos and videos to inspire and make it all the more "real" for me while I write.

Do you have pictures stuck into your notebook or filed away in your computer's "inspiration folder"? Photos of actors that remind you of your characters perhaps? Or a random picture that inspired a certain scene?

H is for Hypnagogic & Hypnopompic

H is also for "Huh?", which is what you may be wondering when you see those words!

Hypnagogic (or hypnogogic) adj relating to the drowsiness preceding sleep.

Hypnopompic adj relating to the semi-consciousness preceding waking.

Know the feelings? I do. The hypnagogic one is the one where that falling thing happens. You know that one? When you're almost asleep and in your semi-dreams you fall somehow and are suddenly jolted awake with a great fright! Not nice.

G is for Gaga

I'm sorry. I know she has some catchy tunes, but there's just something SO MANY THINGS about Lady Gaga that FREAK me out!!

F is for Flute

I am a flautist -- or, for all you Americans out there, a flutist.

Once upon a time I played in an orchestra, and back then I played beautifully! (Another of my many talents is modesty ;-)) However.... in the years since then (which is about seven, not that I'm counting) I haven't played all that much and so my flute playing is sounding a little, ah, rusty!

Anyway, I have uploaded the following for your enjoyment. Don't worry, it's not long, and I promise it's entertaining ;-)

I present to you.... Siciliano, by Johann Sebastian Bach 

(because my out-of-practice fingers couldn't manage anything more technically demanding than this!)

E is for Evening Star

'Twas noontide of summer,
And mid-time of night;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, thro' the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
'Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.
I gazed a while
On her cold smile;
Too cold - too cold for me -
There pass'd, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turned away to thee,
Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

~ Edgar Allan Poe

Source

D is for Differences (3): School Subjects

If you want to know more about the A to Z Blogging Challenge, click here.

I write YA fiction, which has led me to wonder how growing up is different for young people in different countries. In my first post we spoke about school systems: how the different years are organised/labelled, private vs public schools and when/how long school holidays are. In my second post we spoke about school dances: when they are, who they're for, and how over the top they become!

Today I want to know what you actually studied (or pretended to study!) at school.

Source

I live in South Africa and when I was in high school I did:

English

Afrikaans

Mathematics

Science (that's Chemsitry + Physics)

Biology

Music

Additional Mathematics

Other common high school subjects in this country are Accounting, Business Studies, Drama, History, Geography, and all the different African languages.

So, tell me: where do you live and what did you study at school?

C is for Catching Up

If you'd like to know more about the A to Z Blogging Challenge, click here.

Since the Second Writers' Platform-Building Crusade started (which was, ahem, some time ago...) I've received a number of blog awards that I haven't publicly acknowledged yet. So here goes!

Thank you so much, CherylAnne, Laura J and Cally :-)

Thank you so much, David, Ciara, Abby and Shari :-)

Thank you so much, Deirdra :-)

Thank you so much, Abby :-)

Thank you so much, Abby :-)









I really, really appreciate ALL of these awards. THANK YOU!

B is for Book Review via Pictures!

If you want to know more about the A to Z Blogging Challenge, click here.

With the police at a loss, can Violet use her ability to stop the killer,

or is she in danger of becoming his next victim?

This book had a sweet love story that I really enjoyed reading. So often you've got characters getting excited about the new, mysterious guy (or girl) and it was somewhat refreshing to have a character fall in love with someone they've known for years and years.

Ms Derting was pretty good at keeping me guessing who the serial killer was, and just when I thought I'd possibly figured it out -- wait, no, that can't be it... And it wasn't!

I think Jay is my second favourite love-interest-from-a-YA-novel -- after Jace from The Mortal Instruments -- which is interesting because Jace and Jay are VERY different characters.

(I think this is the shortest review I've ever posted. Hope you enjoyed!)



In other news....

I've reached 300 followers!!

I sat at 296 for sooo long I didn't think it was going to happen, so thank you and welcome to Tim, Marsha, Monica and (of course, the 300th) Kristine! I appreciate all your "follows" ;-)