Recently I’ve been sharing a few artefacts* of the writing life with you and this week’s exhibit is the notebook. No, not the electronic kind, useful though they are, but the good old-fashioned, bound-between-two-covers and maybe-(even)-secured-with-a-fastener kind.

What’s so good or essential about this sort of  notebook you may ask? And wasn’t it covered by the Artefact #1 Pen and Paper entry?

But no, dear readers, in terms of the latter: the reason the notebook is an entry in its own right is because it ensures that the paper on which one is scribbling thoughts or even passages of text remains contained in one place.

Otherwise, if one is a writer like me, with a predilection for backs of envelopes and single pages purloined from one’s printer cassette and other places, then those terribly important thoughts and story episodes can end up, well, anywhere at all…And may never be found! But the notebook, ah the notebook, means that only one item needs to be kept track of—and that, believe me, is a great boon.

The other great thing about the old-fashioned, bound-between-two-covers-and -maybe-(even)-secured-with-a-fastener kind of notebook as opposed to the electronic variety is that it is not and cannot be connected to the internet—which as we all know is the great distractor and dissipater of creative energy, so must be kept within firm bounds if books and poetry are not only to be written, but completed.

The particular notebooks featured actually contains the beginnings of novels, so you see, they really are worth the investment of the writer’s meagre coin. 😉

Handwritten beginnings for “Thornspell”

*Artefact: "a functional or decorative human-made object."

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.

From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.

Now the series has returned to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.)  The new series comprises updates of previous entries as well as new listings.

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Ij:   the Golden, the greatest city of the River, built on the delta between the river Ijir and the sea
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“And after that? Malian wondered. But she said nothing, just slipped off the bed and walked over to look at the map, turning the tabletop beneath her hand.  She murmured the names under her breath: Ij, Terebanth, the Winter Country; Emer, Jhaine, and Ishnapur.  “After Ishnapur, what?” she asked Haimyr.”

~ The Heir Of Night: The Wall of Night Book One; Chapter 23 — Throw Of The Dice
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“Spring came to the River in a flurry of blustering winds and driving rain that turned the local roads into quagmires and hurled the first fragile blossoms to the ground. Two heralds were blown out of the city of Terebanth with the weather and turned east toward Ij, following the great Main Road that had endured since the days of the Old Empire.”

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 1 — The Road To Ij
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“Kalan’s dream was of a brisk blue-and-white morning in the great seaport of Ij, with the city’s domes and spires gleaming against a bright sky. In his dream, the Aralorni ship Halcyon’s gangway thumped onto a wharf and the heralds’ great gray horses clattered down the tarred planks. Kalan would be leaving with the Halcyon again on the afternoon tide, but he followed the horses onto the dock to bid the heralds farewell. Inside his dream, he knew this was all as it had been: the smell of tar and salt, the cries of seabirds and the voices of sailors, dock workers, and clerks from the Ijiri trading houses all raised about their own business…”
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~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 5 — Blood Warrior

via Wikipedia: Statue representing Janus Bifrons in the Vatican Museums

January (as most of you probably know) is named for Janus, the Roman god of doorways, who is always depicted with two faces, one looking back into the past, the other forward into the future. In this sense he also seems aligned to the New Year, when we, too, look back into the year that’s been and forward to what the new year, in this case 2018, may bring.

Traditionally, I understand that New Year, as opposed to Christmas, was the celebration associated with the gathering of family and friends, feasting, and gift giving in the western cultural tradition (e.g. the Scottish Hogmanay and Handsel Day, although the latter tradition has also largely died out) — and elsewhere in the world is still one of the most significant annual celebrations, regardless of other religious or cultural festivals. In NZ, though, it’s definitely overshadowed by Christmas, with the New Year chiefly marked by parties, fireworks displays, and the forming of resolutions which are chiefly honored in the breach… 😉

At the beach: New Year in summer

I do wonder if the fact New Year falls in the height of our summer mutes the traditional, northern hemisphere focus on sloughing off the old and welcoming the new that fits so well with the mid-point in winter, where despite the cold and dark people can look toward the spring — a seasonal focus that fits with Janus and January’s position in the calendar year, whereas our Southern Hemisphere New Year seems far closer to the celebration of midsummer, as I experienced it in Scandinavia (sans the resolutions.) This may also explain the growing NZ focus on Matariki, the traditional Maori festival that marks the transition from winter to spring.

Nonetheless, New Year remains the time when — together with much of the rest of the world — slough off the old year and welcome in the opportunity to begin afresh with the wonderful date of 1/1 on the new calendar. And, catching hold of that spirit of possibility and optimism, wish each other a Happy New Year.

The Year of the Book? Sure hope so!

For myself, although my aspiration for 2017 was that it should be the Year of the Book, life intervened in the form of my mother-in-law’s terminal illness and passing in the latter half of the year, so that it was far more the Year of Family and all that surrounds such an illness in the immediate family.

In many ways every year is a Year of the Book in the sense that writing continues regardless, but in terms of the “sustained periods of solitude and uninterrupted time to facilitate the creative process” I spoke of a year ago, more creative time and more creative outputs remain my aspiration for 2018.

I know that you will all have aspirations for 2018, too (& please share them in the comments, should you so wish) so I am hoping that that the coming year will see all of us realize All OF THEM! 😀

A very Happy New Year celebration to you all!

It’s that time of year again… Yup, you’ve guessed it (although the title was a bit of a  giveaway in that respect) — it’s the time when I take a look at the “…On Anything Really” posts that garnered the most attention from blog friends, followers, and visitors during 2017.

As with last year, I shall list the posts in the chronological order of their appearance on the blog, rather than ranking them 1-10 for views. (I know, I know — showing m’self up for a ‘co-operative’ rather than a ‘competitive’, but there it is…)

And now, list ahoy. 😉

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1. January 9 — 2017: Ringing In Some Changes for the Year of the Book

In which I discussed my aspiration for 2017 to be the Year Of The Book, a big part of which was shifting to blogging twice weekly rather than every day. So I’m glad the post was of interest to you and am pleased that so many of you have continued to visit despite the reduced posting schedule.

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2. January 23 — Knowing What Lies Ahead: Charting A Story’s Course

Primarily a “writing process” post (see the “About Writing” category in the far-righthand sidebar), I explored this particular aspect with respect to Daughter Of Blood. I’m glad you seemed to like it. 🙂
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Mary Victoria

3. February 13 — Writing Hard, But In The Meantime…

In the spirit of making 2017 the Year of the Book, I reposted some previous material rather than creating the blog post new. In this case, the material was an excerpt from Mary Victoria’s interview with me, following publication of Daughter Of Blood. In it, I focused on Mary’s question re how the DAUGHTER story focuses on someone “quite ordinary” in an epic fantasy sense, because it’s an element of the story that was important to me when writing it. (And has become topical, too, in recent discussions of The Last Jedi.)

4. February 27 — 10 Books That Have Rocked My Reading World

Self-explanatory, dear readers…

Or so I hope!
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5. March 27 — What Is the Hardest Part About Writing A Quartet?

This question was put to me by Romantic Times, in another interview following publication of Daughter Of Blood.

Again, I thought both the ask and the answer (with a nod to Patrick Ness) worth a second look.

6. April 17 — The Secret Lives Of Flashers: A Guest Post From Nod Ghosh

This wonderful and humorous guest post by Nod Ghosh got a very positive response from “…on Anything Really” folk — and deserved to do so imho.

Nod’s post was supporting Issue 3 of the Flash Fiction magazine, in which she had a short story, Shadow.

If you want to delve more deeply into the world of Flash Fiction, Nod’s post is a nice jumping off point.

John McIntyre

7. June 12 — A Farewell To John McIntyre: NZ Champion of Kid’s Lit

A sad post and one which probably did not do justice to John or his tremendous contribution to children reading and children’s literature in NZ.

I believe the “most-read” tag really is a tribute to John and his contribution, as well as our community’s great loss.

Again — Haere ra, John. Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne: a totara has fallen in the forest of Tane.

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8. September 11 — Get It While It’s Smokin’ Hot: The Heir Of Night is a Kindle Monthly Deal for September!

Again, while the title is self-explanatory, I’m glad the post and the special deal both found favour. 😉

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9. October 2 — Behind the Scenes of the “Clan Chronicles”, Take 2: The Process — A Guest Post By Julie Czerneda, with Giveaways!

I was delighted to have Julie as an “…on Anything, Really” guest, especially as her blog tour not only marked publication of To Guard Against The Dark, but the culmination of a nine-book series, which is a pretty amazing achievement.

Julie is also pretty amazing, a fact to which I can bear witness having met her at Natcon awa’ back in 2009. 🙂

10. October 16 — Why Georgette Heyer Kicks Butt & Takes Names As A Writer

I’m glad you liked this one, because Georgette Heyer is definitely (as the title suggests) a writer whose abilities I respect — as well as *hearting* her light-hearted stories.

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So that’s it: the list for 2017. An interesting mix of posts centered on my books and writing — thank you! — but also other writers and their endeavours, as well as shining the spotlight on some of the writing I love to read.

Thank you for continuing to follow “…on Anything, Really” in 2017. I’ll look forward to seeing you back here again in 2018. 🙂

Happy New Year!

Pohutakawa: the NZ “Christmas” tree

I decided to mix things up a bit this year and do my festive greeting post on the 26th, for several reasons.

Firstly, Christmas Eve and Day are always super busy for celebrations and catching up with family and friends in realtime, so it’s nice to have the time to relax and think about the post a little more, rather than squeezing it in between festive suppers, breakfasts, and dinners… (Oh, my!)

…all ready for the guests

Also, although the true origins of Boxing Day are somewhat obscure, one explanation is that it was the day for acknowledging people one had dealings with throughout the year, chiefly tradespeople in past-times, but I felt we could widen that meaning out to contemporary networks and online associations through blogging et al. Why not, after all…

So Happy Boxing Day, dear “…on Anything, Really” friends and followers. 🙂

I hope that those of you who live in a part of the world where the Christmas-New Year break is celebrated will have the opportunity to relax and “chillax” from all that 2017 may have thrown at you, and also to connect with family and friends over the break. For “…on Anything, Really” friends and followers who live in those parts of the world where it’s “business as usual” (i.e. no holidays right now!) I hope that you are safe and well and looking forward to 2018.

May all our minds and hearts and doors always be open; and may we be kind to all those we encounter and also to ourselves.

And may there also be much writing, books, and blogs, since tis the heart of what we’re about here! 🙂

Arohanui,

HelenL

USA

Recently, I resumed my “About the Characters” post series that focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, because :

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist's Interview, 2013 

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood simultaneously — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate whether the character appears in both or only one of the books.)

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Baz: a blacksmith in the Southern Aralorn town of Butterworth

“A new voice spoke. “Mainly, Baz at the forge says that you talk too much, Jan Butterworth!”

The girl jumped, flushing crimson as a man limped around the corner of a lean-to shed. Despite the muscular build of the smith, he looked as though he had been badly injured once, and Malian could see the lines in his face left by old pain. His bronze hair was cut short and dark with sweat; the eyes that regarded her were a vivid gray-hazel, but right now their expression was wary.”
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~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two, Chapter 53 — The Solitary Tower

To lead into the holiday season, and quite possibly to bridge the old and new years, I’m taking a look at four of the more interesting books I’ve read in 2017.

And yes, you guessed it, the series is titled “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue.” Original? Yeah, nah…Nonetheless, I hope you’ll find something of interest therein.

For “Something New” the book I’m featuring is Us & Them by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, published by Redwood (264 pp; Stanford University Press) earlier in 2017—which I feel counts as new enough, particularly when last week’s entry (The Sea Change) hailed from 1959.

Firstly, I’d like to say that this is a physically beautiful book. The quality of the paper is a delight to touch and the dust jacket has a velvety finish that reminds you that this is ‘book as object’, not just a vehicle for the story within. No question, though, the story within repays your commitment to getting past the physical delight of the book.

So what’s it about? The dust jacket describes Us & Them as “A story mirrored in fragmented lives…[that explores]…the ludicrous and the tragic, the venal and the generous-hearted aspects of Iranian life away from home…a poignant story about migration, one of the vital issues of our times.”

I do take issue with the jacket on some points and this is one of them, because the “life away from home” is that of those who fled the Iranian revolution, so in that sense it is a story of exile and exiles, with all its permutations. Exile, imho, is not directly analogous with migration, which in many cases will be voluntary and economic or familial, rather than involuntary and political.

Splitting semantic hairs over the jacket summary, however, is not the same as taking issue with the book, which I loved overall. I did approach it with some diffidence, because it’s not my usual sort of read, but within a few short chapters I was hooked and wanting to just read on. I didn’t, because I had my own book to write, but I wanted to…

The story is told in two main streams, one of which uses the first person plural point-of-view, aka the story is told from the point of view of “we.” The reader is also told that this is a convention of the Persian literary tradition, for reasons that are a clue to the function the “we” sections form in the book—which to me felt like (very successful) storytelling via the medium of something resembling the chorus of ancient Greek theatre. I loved these sections and thought they were both illuminating and really “rocked” the book.

The second stream is told from the more traditional (in Western European literature anyway) third person singular point of view, which is this case shifts between the female members of an Iranian family, some of whom live in exile while others have remained in Iran. The story is about the way in which the revolution and either exile or staying behind has changed the women’s relationships with each other and their dealings with other family members and the world, although outwardly it may appear focused on the fate of the son/brother who disappeared during the Iran/Iraq war. I was engaged in this half of the story, but it did not absorb me as completely as the “we” sections did.

Overall, though, I believe Us & Them is an interesting and enjoyable read that addresses the social and cultural aspects of the Iranian exile, which I suspect many people—like me—will know little of. The themes of exile and family relationships, however, are as old as the human race, which makes Us & Them universally relevant storytelling.

Did I like it? Yes, I did and recommend Us & Them to anyone who can get their hands on a copy—and because of the beautiful presentation as well as the writing, with the season of coming up, it would make a superb gift.

I believe Us & Them may appeal to readers who also enjoyed Louis de Bernières Birds Without Wings, Jumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, and Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone.

By way of disclosure, my copy of Us & Them was a gift from my friend and fellow author, Mary Victoria — and as well as being a fine author, Bahiyyih Nakhjavani is Mary’s mother. Beyond that connection, however, she is not personally known to me.

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.

From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.

Now the series has returned to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.)  The new series comprises updates of previous entries as well as new listings.

—

UK/Aus/NZ

USA

Hills of the Hawk:  an alternate name for the range of hills called Jaransor
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“She walked on alone to the edge of the trees, staring out over the wild terrain to the west and the steep, bush-clad heights bathed in evening amber—and was struck again by the immensity of the land, and a sky that held nothing except the falcon’s hovering speck. 

We came from the stars, Malian thought, staring up at the hawk.  Or so the histories say.  I should not feel intimidated by this country, however vast it seems. 

Nevertheless, she was intimidated.  “Jaransor,” she murmured, as if saying the name aloud could empower her.  “The hills of the hawk.”  Leaves rustled and there was a footfall in the grass but it was not Kalan who came to stand beside her.  “I feel like I am standing on the very edge of the world,” she said to Kyr.“

~ from ©  The Heir Of Night: The Wall Of Night Book One; Chapter 25 — The River Of No Return
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“The voice of this land, bordering wilderness, was more somber. The song of the wildfire and the flood, she thought. And because she was wearing Nhenir, she also heard another sound far beneath it: the faint, distant rumble of rocks, grinding deep in the earth.

Jaransor, the Hills of the Hawk, might lie well beyond the horizon, but Malian knew she would never forget the anger that smoldered beneath their tors. Hearing that savage grumble now, however muted by distance, she realized that the Rindle might not have been her first encounter with the song of Haarth, after all.”
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~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 35 — Dissonance

To lead into the holiday season, and quite possibly to bridge the old and new years, I thought I’d take a look at some of the more interesting books I’ve read in 2017, encapsulating them in a series titled “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed” – and yes, you guessed it, I’ll have a stab at “Something Blue” for the last installment of the post quartet.

My entry for “Something Old” is The Sea Change by Elizabeth Jane Howard, first published in 1959 by Jonathan Cape. I’ve always been captivated by the title but until now never quite got around to reading the novel, which I have to say, did not disappoint.

I would term the genre “Contemporary Realism”, as it was that for its time and still stands the test of time (nearly sixty years) very well, in my humble opine (imho.) The length is 349 pages, which while nothing to a contemporary epic fantasy novel, still satisfies in terms of a novel-length work.

But what about The Sea Change itself: what’s it all about?

The story follows four characters: Emmanuel, a successful actor and producer, and his wife, Lillian; Jimmy, who is Emmanuel’s manager and aide-de-camp; and Alberta (not her real name) who comes on board as Emmanuel’s secretary. Or more correctly, the events that form the story are observed and experienced from the perspective of these four characters.

In some ways the story may seem predictable, with both Emmanuel and Jimmy falling for Alberta, and her part, together with Lillian’s reaction, forming the crux of the book. However, The Sea Change is not so much a story about what happens as a character study of the four people to whom it happens. And because the reader is drawn deep into the four characters and their interaction, a story that is very slow-paced in terms of plot is nonetheless very absorbing.

No, I’m not going to tell you ‘what happens in the end.’ The delight of any story, but particularly one of this kind, is not so much the destination, but the journey that leads the reader there. Like most journeys, to “get” it, you have to experience it for yourself.

“So read the book for yourself,” say I, “and make up your own minds.” In terms of my mind, I enjoyed The Sea Change very much and recommend it to anyone who likes an in-depth focus on character and realistic stories. I suspect it will be enjoyed by readers of more contemporary authors such as Kate Atkinson, Anita Shreve, and Ann Patchett.

Oh, where did I acquire my copy? From the ‘book fridge’ that popped up on the site of an inner city earthquake demolition, that’s where. 🙂

UK/AU/NZ

Recently, I resumed my “About the Characters” post series that focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, because :

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist's Interview, 2013 

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood simultaneously — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate whether the character appears in both or only one of the books.)

—

USA

Bartrand Ar-Griffon: an Emerian knight and Captain of Normarch, originally from the Griffonmark

“…the riders fell silent, and Carick saw that their leader was watching with frowning interest from beneath his raised visor. After a moment the man tugged off his gauntlet and leaned down from the saddle, extending his hand to Carick. “Ser Bartrand Ar-Griffon,” he said, “Captain of Normarch. And you, I think, are the new ducal cartographer from the River lands. Luckily for you the Castellan decided you were well overdue.”

“I am,” said Carick. He was careful not to look at Raven. “Maister Carick of Ar at your service, Ser Bartrand.”

The Normarch captain nodded, without much interest now that the courtesies had been traversed. “

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two, Chapter 12 — Nightfall