Saturday 28 July 2012

Wake Up World!

One of the joys of writing novels in a historical setting is the research. Some people hate it. I thrive on it, love it in fact! It feeds my soul to go digging for new information, to find the tiny little details which may have been lost in the depths of time. Once upon a time, I did it more frequently, digging out information people needed. When I stopped doing it, it felt as though a part of my soul had died. So when I began to inadvertently write in a Victorian setting, that little part of me which had gone to sleep suddenly woke up singing.

It's got me thinking about the way we see the world. Once upon a time, we had one newspaper or one news channel or a single radio station. Before that, we had nothing. We relied on word of mouth for information. These days we have entire libraries and encyclopaedias at our fingertips. A multitude of news sources are just a click away.

Yet people still seem to rely on a single source for their information. Often I'll see arguments where the person will say "I saw it on X blog so it must be true". Or, "I found it on X news source". Never has the person ventured further than this single link to verify what they're posing to the world.

It's time to wake up. There's so many alternative news sites out there, so many everyday people reporting from the ground. The major news channels want you to believe what they report. They want you to believe that what they say is truth. They want you to get hooked on what they say and pass it along verbatim.

Time to wake up, world. Time to start looking deeper into the issues which matter to you. Get out there and get reading. It's amazing what there is to discover and read. Enjoy! It's an incredible ride!

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Sticking Plaster for the Mind

One hot subject at the moment is Obamacare. From what I can gather, it's like Marmite; people either love or hate it. It's a subject which fascinates not only myself but a lot of other Brits as well. Coming from a country which has nationalised healthcare ( the NHS I know it's the Wikipedia page but it'll do for now), it's a subject we're desperately trying to wrap our heads around and not quite understanding. From what I can gather, Obamacare means that you buy private health insurance and then pay extra taxes on top of that for those who can't afford it. And if you don't have both then you're screwed and you get a fine on top of it.

I know this is a controversial subject and I'm not looking to start a fight with anyone. I come from good engineering blood so I like knowing how everything works. It makes me tick.

So what happens if you get sick and your insurance runs out? Are you left to die? What happens now if you can't afford insurance? (I know a little about Medicare but that's it, it's just a little) What happens if you turn up at a hospital without insurance? Do they just put you on the street?

It's something I'm really interested in. Feel free to use the comments section to fill in my very patchy knowledge!

Saturday 21 July 2012

Losing Their Fingers

It's not often my characters receive invitations to be interviewed. I'm not surprised really. You'd want to keep all your fingers  wouldn't you? Well, one brave interviewer decided to risk life and limb to interview Erus. You can read the interview by following the link and decide for yourself whether it's worth the risk or not!

The Scarlet Letter interviews Erus Veetu

Wednesday 11 July 2012

It's the 1800's Jim, but not as we know it...


Don't get me wrong. I love writing guest posts. Absolutely adore it. But suddenly it's become a bit of a pain in the rear. Why? Well, stupidly, I decided to write one on "What Is Steampunk?". That's not the smartest decision I've ever made and I'm wondering why I set myself such a challenge. Why? Because I am, whether I like it or not, a sucker for punishment.

Steampunk is one of those genres which can't easily be defined. Ask several different people and you'll get several different responses. The general consensus is that it's set in the Victorian era but a version of it that they may or may not recognise. Oh, they'd recognise parts of it. But would they know a land dreadnought if you showed them one? Or how about giant, steam spewing flying fortresses?

There's always debates raging about what is and what isn't Steampunk. At the end of the day, I honestly think it's what you make of it. Obviously there have to be certain elements for it to be considered for the genre but each book is so different. (I'm looking at it mainly from a literary genre rather than the whole huge picture) Some books focus on the technological elements, while others have supernatural themes. Others again take people on a Verne-like journey to some incredible new world. It's such a beautiful and creative genre and it's one of the reasons I love it so much. You can have so much fun with it and there's definitely a suspension of disbelief with it as well.

So I'm going to do it. I'm going to write a “What Is Steampunk?” post. Hopefully it won't cause any arguments...

Can someone pass me the gin, please?!

Monday 9 July 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen...

I'm extremely proud to tell you that Book 2 in the Veetu Industries series, "Selling Mars", has been picked up by Torquere Press. Stayed tuned for release dates and all the fun that goes with it!

Sunday 8 July 2012

The World Through Their Eyes

There's something beautiful about the adverts of the Victorian era, something which we don't see a lot of now. The designs were outstanding for even the simplest of items, beauty captured in only a handful of colours.

The adverts were one of the things which first drew me to the Victorian era. There's something quite innocent about the way they promote concoctions of cocaine, tobacco and morphine, completely unaware of the consequences. It's the feeling of an era when many things were far more simple, an easier and more laid back way of life (although we know this was far from true for many.).

I wonder what people will think of our adverts a hundred years from now? Will they look back as fondly as we do?

Theatre Posters - Victoria & Albert Museum

Wednesday 4 July 2012

About and Contact

Born and raised in the heart of England, Rae spent her formative years bouncing around the globe with her missionary family. When she wasn't on a plane, she was often found with her head in a book. These days she racks up air miles by learning to fly.

When she's not writing, she enjoys making documentaries, roaming the South Downs, teasing the cat and her dad (normally at the same time!), taking photos and naming her electronics. She believes that she's trapped in the wrong era and should be roaming the streets of 19th Century London.

She also has a tattoo of a Boeing 747 and is only too happy to tell the tale behind it. Feel free to ask; she promises not to bite too hard!

Rae made her vocal début on Spawn of Psychosis's 2013 EP Mind Over Mania. All profits from the EP go to mental health charity Mind.

She currently lives just outside of Leicester and is partly owned by Bertie the cat.

Rae can also be found at the following places.
Facebook
Good Reads
Twitter (Veetu Industries branded)

Veetu Industries (the company the series takes its name from) also have their own Facebook. There you'll find clever quips, what the company are creating and recommendations from the characters. Be warned: sarcastic replies are the norm!

Veetu Industries Facebook
To contact Rae, feel free to drop her an email at:
waking_the_dead (at) yahoo.co.uk

(Substitute (at) for @ and remove the spaces!)

Going Travellin'!

Imperial War Museum. Photo by Rae Gee.
At the moment I'm planning. It's one of my favourite things to do. Some people call it day dreaming. I call it "planning". Mostly it involves staring at ebay and debating the universe.

Presently I'm planning for both the Asylum in September and Whitby Goth Weekend in October. Weekends I'm looking forward to, especially as my dear friend Rach will be coming with me. It's going to be great and, out of the two of us, I can't decide who's more excited! (Have you chosen your outfits yet, Rach?!)

They're both still a couple of months away but, as with everything this year, they're going to creep up on us. Suddenly it'll be BAM! And we're on our way! There's so many things to think about. Clothes, hotels (booked!), what we're taking to hand out, what we're going to see, who we're going to see. So if you're going to be at either of them, drop a comment and we'll come and see you. :)

And there's something new happening. Type in www.raegee.co.uk and see what happens!

Well, that's just given me an excuse to do a bit more shopping!
Much love to you all and thank you for reading. And, to those across the pond, Happy Independence Day!

Monday 2 July 2012

Where's Rae?!

It's a bit like "Where's Wally?", except with me taking the lead role. I've become very good at hiding myself around the internet so here's a list of places to find me. Should you choose to, of course! Feel free to come over and say hello. The kettle is always on so a cup of tea is most certainly guaranteed!

Facebook
Good Reads
Twitter (Veetu Industries branded)

Veetu Industries (the company the series takes its name from) also have their own Facebook. There you'll find clever quips, what the company are creating and recommendations from the characters. Be warned: sarcastic replies are the norm!

Veetu Industries Facebook