Given to Live Twitter
Given to Live Facebook
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
If You're Going to This Year's Foo Fighters Tour You Might...
... want to check out these amazing pre-and-post shows. All of them support the charity Given to Live which enables vulnerable and disabled people to attend live music events. Please check event posters for start times and bands. All events are also within walking distance of the stadiums so you've got no excuse for not going before and after the Foos! You can also take a look at the interview that Given to Live founder, Tom, gave.
Given to Live Twitter
Given to Live Facebook
Given to Live Twitter
Given to Live Facebook
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Inspirational Interview - Wendy Woo
Wendy is one of those people who gives off a wonderful, calming feeling. You get the sense that she'd invite you in for tea and you'd spend the entire day (and night) talking. Wendy was kind enough to stop by the blog and have a chat.
~~~
I was born
Wendy Steele in Romford, Essex back in the dark ages. I've lived all
over the county, settling in Billericay for 25 years. I moved to
Wales in August 2013...first living in a tent, then a caravan and
finally in a house in November 2013. I live on the outskirts of a
village in a dilapidated Grade II listed farmhouse with my partner
and two cats. My three grown up children still live in Essex and I
miss them every day. Living on a building site wasn't the original
plan but location was our priority and affordability a close second
so we're having to work hard to make our house a home.
House
restorer wasn't on my original CV but the more I learn about building
with stone and lime mortaring, maybe it should be!
I've been a
lover of words since I could read. During the power cuts in the 1970s
(told you I was ancient!) we played word games on scraps of paper by
candle light and I've loved solving anagrams and crosswords ever
since. I was encouraged by an English teacher to continue creative
writing and the desire to write every day has not left me.
As a chubby
child, taunted as a fairy elephant, I came to dance late in life but
as a dance teacher, I view my work as a mission to encourage everyone
to dance.
You missed
out goddess!....I believe we all hold the universe inside ourselves,
just as we dwell within it. Limitations of what we can achieve are
set by ourselves, our fears and worries so I try to face my fears and
challenge myself, striking out in directions I once thought
impossible.
Working in
the City was a narrow, blinkered existence so once I left to have my
first child, returning to cover holiday for a colleague, I recognised
that I was no longer part of this money orientated way of life. If
you have a dream, follow your heart. I waited almost 15 years before
moving to Wales but the dream never left me. Once the children were
through school and University, it was our time and though the break
away from family and friends was difficult, their support and love
has kept me going through tough times.
One of the
reasons we left the south of England was the focus on wealth as a
measure of worth and the judgemental attitudes of people living
there. Since starting our life in a tent in a field in Wales, we've
met many local people and not one of them has judged us on
appearances. Money and celebrity as goals in life cannot lead to a
happy planet. Until we put people first, there will always be a
growing chasm between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. I'm a huge fan
of the Dalai Lama and his teachings and he puts kindness and
compassion at the top of the list. While the media supports celebrity
as an attribute and governments support bankers who cheat and steal
with no recourse, nothing will change.
I returned
from the Tutankhamun exhibition in London at the age of 10 and wrote
my first poem...I've been coming home and writing about my
experiences ever since and received my first paid commission as a
writer after attending my first belly dance workshops in London.
After a two day writing course at a local college, I spent three
years writing my first novel....it was wordy and the plot got a
little lost but the characters were good and this inspired me to keep
writing.
I write
magical realism...real people, real magic. The first novel I
published was Destiny of Angels, First book in the Lilith Trilogy
and, like most of my writing, came out of a 'what if' question...what
if you could face the perpetrators of a childhood trauma and offer
them the choice of redemption? Who would take it? Who would shun it?
Angel Parsons works with Lilith and other gods and goddesses on the
astral plane, working magic and rituals alone and with her friends.
In the second book, Wrath of Angels, Angel stands up to Lilith and
faces the consequences of using magic. I have also published two
short story collections, one an easy read and the other, touching on
less pleasant subjects. There's also a wee erotic book, Too Hot for
Angels, expanding the sex scenes in Destiny of Angels and my
non-fiction book Wendy Woo's Year – A Pocketful of Smiles – 101
ideas for a happy year and a happy you. Having lived with depression
all my life, this book is full of ideas I use and have used, keeping
me smiling through life. Dedicated to my best friend from school who
died from cancer at the age of 40, I wanted to share these thoughts,
ideas, meditations and recipes to help others.
I launched
The Standing Stone book series in November 2014, inspired by the
landscape of Wales. The first book, Home for Christmas, is the story
of three women living in different time and space who are linked
together by the Standing Stone. The second book, Silence is broken is
in the final stage of editing and the cover will be ready very soon.
 |
| Cats - always willing to "help"! |
All my books
are self published. As the publishing industry changed daily around
me, I made the decision out of a desire to share my stories. My books
have strong female characters and though they are met by extreme
challenges, just as we all are, they fight for what they believe and
I hope the stories are inspirational. I was inspired by the work of
Dion Fortune and I hope to bring real magic into the forefront of
fiction.
I was lucky.
A great friend of mine, Peter Jones, helped me (and still helps me!)
putting covers together and formatting my work. Without him, I would
not be published. I'll be honest, Destiny of Angels, my first novel,
is not the greatest book ever written...I made mistakes but the
reviews I received helped me greatly and Wrath of Angels is a
tighter, pacier and better written book.
I decided to
read and review Indie fiction in a bid to help other Indie authors
learn and grow into accomplished writers. I write an honest review,
always bearing in mind the work that goes into creating a book, but
also suggesting what I found confusing or a detriment to the book.
Having made a decision when starting on social media to be myself, I
continue this with my book reviews. I believed, naively, that others
would do the same, the standard of self published books would rise
and Indie authors would stand on a level field with traditionally
published authors. While reviewers continue to give 5* reviews to
their friends or fellow authors in a group, regardless of the quality
of a book, this system will not help Indie authors. Self published
books will remain in second class. If a reader starts a book based on
a rave review and finds it badly written, they won't trust the
reviews on an Indie book again.
Honest
reviews would help change the view of readers but while self
published authors publish books that haven't been edited (I have
attempted to read many!) and their friends rate them highly, this
will never happen.
If you have
a story you feel compelled to share, go for it....but be prepared to
be disappointed. An eye catching cover is a must and editing your
work is essential. If you are driven to continue to share your
stories, do it but learn from past mistakes. I read and reviewed a
book recently, the third by the author. Littered with mistakes and
badly written, I reviewed it as such; by book three, I want to read a
more accomplished book....the group disagreed, I was 'sent to
Coventry' and everyone else gave it 5*!
Not everyone
will like your book....be prepared for this...it hurts. My novels
take at least two years to write, edit and publish; that's a lot of
time and energy to put into a project and when few people buy them,
and even fewer review, it's tough to bear but, if you believe in your
work, if you are happy to stand up and say 'This is my book and I'm
proud of it', keep going.
Thank you so
much for interviewing me and allowing me to share a little of the
world of Wendy Woo with your fans. I hope they will be interested in
adding a little magic into their future reading choices.
Website:
www.wendysteele.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/WendyWooauthor
Goodreads
author:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6548666.Wendy_Steele
Destiny of Angels
(First book in the Lilith Trilogy)
Traumatic
events in her childhood, send Angel Parsons upon a different life
path.
Fifteen years later, with the help of her new 'family' and the resurrected relationship with Jenny Parkes, her only friend from school, Angel confronts the perpetrators of her misery. Rather than seeking revenge and to free herself from her past, Angel uses the skills she has acquired to offer her persecutors the chance of redemption.
Will Angel fulfil her destiny and put her past behind her or will the demons she unleashes consume herself and her 'family' and leave her empty and alone once more?
Fifteen years later, with the help of her new 'family' and the resurrected relationship with Jenny Parkes, her only friend from school, Angel confronts the perpetrators of her misery. Rather than seeking revenge and to free herself from her past, Angel uses the skills she has acquired to offer her persecutors the chance of redemption.
Will Angel fulfil her destiny and put her past behind her or will the demons she unleashes consume herself and her 'family' and leave her empty and alone once more?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007OX5J8O/?tag=kttus-20
Wrath of Angels
(Second book in the Lilith Trilogy)
Angel
Parsons – wife, lover, entrepreneur and witch – is back and
though she strives to put her past behind her, Lilith the Dark
Goddess has other ideas.
Angel
has the power at her finger tips. The choice is hers. Will she evoke
her wrath to take her revenge on Lilith or will she summon nature's
forces and the strongest emotion on earth to put right the wrongs of
the Dark Goddess?
The Standing Stone –
Home for Christmas
Rachel
arrives in Wales to begin a new life but will Marcus jeopardise their
future together before it's begun?
Candy
knows the punishment for leaving Station 23 unguarded. Will she
succeed in convincing Paul to obey the Lesson?
Fern
loves her life in the village but when the Tall Folk arrive with
metal working skills, will her peace be shattered forever?
Though distanced by time and space, three women find the
Standing Stone and the teachings of the Great Mother, Binah.
Wendy Woo's Year –
A Pocketful of Smiles 101 ideas for a happy year and a happy you
Once
upon a time, two eleven year old girls made a pact of friendship. One
left school at sixteen while the other stayed on to study. The
friendship remained. One went abroad while the other stayed at home.
Years passed, marriage and children followed and the friendship
continued to flourish via letters and video messages.
After
twenty nine years the girls were reunited and the friendship sparked
with renewed love and affection. Three months later, one friend was
diagnosed with cancer. Nine months later, she died.
I
was the girl who lived and I made a promise to live my life for two
and make sure that every day included a smile in memory of my
beautiful friend.
It
isn't easy and I don't claim to hold the key to a life of everlasting
happiness but the ideas in 'A Pocketful of Smiles' are used or have
been used by me and have brought smiles and happiness to my life.
'A
Pocketful of Smiles' is about being happy, irrespective of the
challenges life brings.
'A
Pocketful of Smiles' is often practical, sometimes spiritual but
never religious, occasionally witty and full of ideas to bring a
smile to your day.
Saturday, 25 April 2015
Author Interview - Kassandra Lea
Long time friend and fellow writer, Kassandra, popped by a few weeks ago to talk about her latest story. Released by publisher Supposed Crimes, it'll appear in the Young Love, Old Hearts anthology which is set to be released in May.
Hi Kassandra! Welcome to the site! Please tell us a little about
yourself.
Oh, gees, a little about me. I wanted to be Batman growing up; does
that count as something about me? I live in southern Wisconsin where
I can usually be found writing, hanging out with horses, or driving
cars.
You have a new story out! Without giving too much away, what can you
tell us about it? And where can we find it?
It’s just a cute little piece involving a May-December romance.
Keegan is over thinking his dinner date way too much. The story is
featured in an anthology put out by Supposed Crimes LLC. The title is
Young Love, Old Hearts and it can be found on Amazon as well as their
website.
 |
What first drew you to writing? How long have you been writing for?
What first drew me…the inability to make up my mind about a career!
There are so many fascinating opportunities in this world and it’s
full of wonder that over the years I’ve wanted to be everything.
Writing lets me do that. I’ve been writing more than a decade and
actually still have the handwritten copy of my first attempt at a
novel.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Are there any particular
scenarios or situations you find yourself drawn to? Do you keep logs
or notebooks for ideas and images? Or do you have other ways of
keeping track of those important ideas?
Inspiration comes from life itself. A scene, a phrase, a simple
thought of “what if”. I’m not sure if there are any situations
I’m drawn to, but I’ve noticed over the years my characters tend
to struggle with emotionally and at least half of them suffer some
form of mental trauma. Most of my ideas get jotted down in a notebook
that is extremely precious to me, go figure. I have a million
flashdrives that continue all manner of writing related materials and
it turns out they’re also great for keeping me more organized.
You've written in a number of genres, including supernatural and
paranormal. You also have a host of interesting characters. What drew
you to those genres? And how do you find your characters forming? Is
there anything you look for in a character?
What’s not to like about supernatural and paranormal? Works by the
likes of Jim Butcher and Simon R Green really taught me what it meant
to write the likes of urban fantasy. Turns out I like the taste of it
because of the familiarity of the present mixed with the unusual of
supernatural/paranormal worlds. My characters tend to form
themselves. I just sit down to write and they tell me their stories.
The only thing I look for is that they remain true to themselves.
Wait, does that sound corny?
How do you go about the process of writing? Do you set aside times?
Write when the inspiration hits?
I try to write something every day just to keep the creative juices
flowing. Most of my work gets done on Mondays and Wednesdays when I’m
not pegged down at my day job. Sometimes I write with a laptop on the
couch, other times it’s at the desk. I’ve been known to write on
my phone while working.
What was the first story you had published? What inspired you to
write it and send it off?
Grave Appeal was my first and sadly it’s no longer available. But
you were the one that inspired me, technically speaking! You were the
one that suggested I write something for your publisher and I gave it
a whirl. Who knew I’d be good at romance? Though I might suggest
people not make out with gargoyles in graveyards…
Becoming a published author is a massive, and exciting, step. How do
you feel having your work out there for everyone to read?
Holy crap, people are going to read it! Will they like it? Will they
trash it? Wait, is anyone reading it? The whole thing is exciting and
also a little scary. But I’m eager to get more stories out into the
world. They need to stop rattling around in my head.
For many of us, sometimes it's a terrifying experience having our
life's work out there for all to read. How does it make you feel?
Ah, ha, seems I answered that above. I’m actually still coming to
terms with the fact I’ve written romance and seem to be making my
niche in that genre. It was never a genre I considered working with
all these years and I actually swore I would never write it. So I
guess to be perfectly honest I’m sometimes a little unhappy. At the
same time I am immensely thankful for the opportunities presented to
me.
Writing, and particularly publishing, aren't easy. Everyone goes
through those moments of doubt and self loathing. Tell us about a
moment when you thought about quitting and about how you decided to
keep on going.
I think about quitting a lot. And self-doubt is my old friend. I’m
constantly wondering if my characters are real enough, if the story
is compelling enough to make the reader turn the page. Every time I
get a rejection a little part of me cries out that I’m wasting my
time. But I forge ahead because writing is what makes me happy. I
love my characters for all their struggles and flaws and I want to
tell their stories.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get into writing or
getting published?
Keep going. Try something new. You never know, the next story could
be your golden ticket.
You have several published stories. Where can we can we find them?
Amazon! Under the name Kassandra Lea. They should all be there and
buy them! I need to get my Mom tickets to see Wicked.
Any final words?!
This was awesome and fun. Your questions were great. Now if you don’t
mind I’ve got some writing to do!
Young Love, Old Hearts will be released in May and is available now to pre-order on Amazon.
All of Kassandra's work can be found on her Amazon page.
Wednesday, 22 April 2015
A Second Past Midnight - OUT TODAY!
In 1981, at the height of the Cold War, a single nuclear warhead sent
America's technological capability back to the 18th century. Four years
later, the shattered country is still struggling to put itself back
together. Infrastructure has crumbled, the government is gone, and
convicted criminals are hunted for food.
James lives in a small, Midwestern town. By day, he tends his family's farm, trading the food they grow for other supplies. By night, he dreams of being a musician. But with his world destroyed, music remains a frivolous dream.
That is, until he meets Flame. Convicted of drug dealing, Flame has become a part of the bi-annual Shoot to Kill hunting season. He has a dark past and people want him dead. Yet he has a strong determination to live and shares James' musical dream. James and Flame join forces, traveling first to New York and then to London, in spite of the numerous obstacles in their path and the shadow of death hanging over them. Will they be strong enough to escape it and find their dreams together?
James lives in a small, Midwestern town. By day, he tends his family's farm, trading the food they grow for other supplies. By night, he dreams of being a musician. But with his world destroyed, music remains a frivolous dream.
That is, until he meets Flame. Convicted of drug dealing, Flame has become a part of the bi-annual Shoot to Kill hunting season. He has a dark past and people want him dead. Yet he has a strong determination to live and shares James' musical dream. James and Flame join forces, traveling first to New York and then to London, in spite of the numerous obstacles in their path and the shadow of death hanging over them. Will they be strong enough to escape it and find their dreams together?
Available from:
Sunday, 19 April 2015
Record Store Day - 18th April 2015
Record Store Day has been running since 2007 and it's something I've always meant
to attend. Unfortunately, I've missed the past few due to either
being in transit or out of the country. So 2015 was going to be my
year!
A quick
internet search told me that it was probably going to be a long day
and, for the UK version of RSD, this proved true.
In my case,
that “bit of a wait” turned into three hours. Only a single store
in our county was taking part, hence the huge queue at 8.30am on a
Saturday morning. Hardly surprising considering that Leicester has
quite a musical heritage.
 |
| The queue at 8.30am. The store is somewhere in that arcade! |
One of the
beautiful things about RSD is that it not only gives people the
chance to get their hands on exclusive,
one-day-only-limited-print-run releases, but it also champions the
little guy. Those stores that would otherwise go out of business
thanks to the likes of Amazon, ebay, and HMV now get the chance to
draw in new customers. And they got me hook, line, and sinker.
So, 8.30am
on a Saturday morning in April, I joined the back of a very long
line. I had a list of four of the day's releases and I knew that
there were two I probably didn't have a hope of getting (and would
probably have to resort to ebay later if I felt that I needed them).
The line kept growing.
And growing.
And growing.
I have no
idea how many people were waiting for this store to open but it was A
LOT! Friends who attended other RSD events were shocked at just how
long we queued for. But, when you finally got into the store, you
realised why.
Rockaboom Records is TINY! Teeny tiny and perfectly formed with racks of
records along the walls and a twin rack at its heart. RSD for them
was a two man job as there really wasn't room for anyone else. Think
your grandma's front room and you've probably hit the total floor
space of this store.
But they
took amazing care of the people standing in line. As well as a
special queue area, they had staff members constantly walking the
line to make sure that everyone was okay. They handed out cakes and
generally made the wait as easy as possible.
Record Store
Day is an amazing opportunity to discover new places, find new bands,
and meet new people. As well as finding a new independent store to
support, I know that I'll definitely be attending again as well as
exploring the other record stores Leicester has to offer.
A few pieces
of advice for if you are planning on going next year:
- Wear comfortable clothes and take water and snacks. You might be in for a bit of a wait.
- Releases are limited edition (normally to around 2000 or less) and not every store will have equal amounts of each release. Some may only have a single copy while others will have 30+. Some stores will tell you in advance how many they have in stock, some won't tell you at all so as to retain the hype and mystery. Don't get your expectations on what you want too high. Chances are, it'll be sold out when you get to the front of the queue (unless you were the first person in the queue, of course! But even that's not guaranteed if the store are holding copies of a certain release for someone). Go with a list that has back up records that you're happy to own. I wanted the Metallica and Foo Fighters ones but knew I probably wouldn't get them. Instead, I came home with Stone Sour and Slayer. I got to have a day out and a bunch of fun so I'm a happy bunny. It would be sad to spend time waiting only to leave empty handed, as I saw several people do. At the end of the day, you're helping an indie store stay in business. The more business they do, the longer they'll be with us.
- Get there as early as you can. Because of the distance to my nearest participating store and the times that public transport started, I didn't have a choice but to get there when I did. I know that the people at the front of the queue arrived at 5am.
- Everyone in the queue is there for the same reason so make friends with the people around you. I did just that (Hi, Dave and Hannah!) and had an absolute blast! The three hours absolutely flew by and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time! It also helps if you need to go for a bathroom/cigarette break or if you need to make a run for food and drink.
- If you're not feeling sociable, take a book/MP3 player/phone.
- Most of all, enjoy the day and encourage other stores to get involved for the following year! The more stores that do it, the more fun we can have!
Did you
attend Record Store Day 2015? If so, what were your experiences? Feel
free to leave them in the comments or on the Facebook page!
 |
| My "haul" from Record Store Day 2015 |
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
A Second Past Midnight Blog Tour
Thanks to Pride Promotions, my latest book, A Second Past Midnight, is going on tour! On April 21st 2015, you'll be able to find it at the following locations.
Friday, 3 April 2015
Life Lessons From Lil Bub
It's said that when
life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In the case of Lil Bub, she
opened a bottling factory to sell the huge amounts of lemonade that
she's been making.
At a year old, Bub was
diagnosed with osteopetrosis and her owner was told it was only a
matter of time before she became immobile.
Yet she defied all the
odds and a video posted in September 2014 shows her unwavering
determination and amazing recovery.
So what can we learn
from this brave cat?
- What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? Would you climb mountains? Make movies? Trek to the North Pole? All to often we don't want to anything new because we fear failure. Don't believe that anything you do is doomed from the start. Follow your heart and see where it leads you.
- Keep on going even if it seems like the battle is never-ending. Life gets tough. Life gets painful. But they're all experiences we can learn from. Take those unhappy moments and use them to build the life you want.
- Never give up. The finish line may seem like a million miles away. But it gets closer with all that you do and with every passing day. Be determined and keep going. Rome wasn't built in a day.
- Find your passion and walk, run, jump, or waddle with it. Love it with all your heart and embrace it as your own. It's not about making money or being famous. It's about finding that one thing that makes you smile every time you think about it.
- Be confident, even if you think you can't. It'll get you a long way.
- Positive mental attitude. Start every day thinking it's going to be the best day ever. Because you never know what's going to happen!
- Be the light. Even if everyone around you is full of negativity and drama, be the one who makes them smile.
- Happiness isn't a destination, it's a journey.
- Spread a little love, magic, and positivity along the way!You can view the video of Bub's miraculous recovery below. Be prepared to smile!
Good job, Bub!
Go and visit Bub at her site and help her raise lots of money for her Big Fund for the ASPCA!
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