Saturday, November 26, 2011

Saturday Snapshot

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce @ At Home With Books

 

 

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I snapped these pictures on the 18th of November. I was in the middle of reading Wuthering Heights, with it’s vast moors and storm-laden Yorkshire-grey skies, when I noticed that the wind had picked and the three o’clock sky had turned  dark in an instant. The gloomy sky was the perfect accompaniment to Emily Brontë’s novel, so I immediately grabbed my camera hoping to capture a piece of the moorland here in Ohio.

 

Until Next Time,

Best Wishes & Happy Reading,

Angela

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

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Photo taken: November 15, 2011

Sunday, November 13, 2011

NANAWRIMO Diary Part 1

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Ok, so I decided to participate in this years nanowrimo. I was planning on doing it last year, but life seemed to get in the way. So, this year I made a schedule and I am trying to stick to it, which means I am doing absolutely nothing but writing today and tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to put a nice dent in the 50,000 word quota. This may be a little tricky, 50,000 words in one month, well actually it is now 17 days, it sounds a bit daunting, but I always have liked a bit of challenge.

I am happy to report that I have a complete plot, which I have thoroughly mapped out. My characters have been outlined, the setting thoroughly researched, and the timeline completed. Thank goodness for sticky notes, index cards, three-ring binders, and highlighters. I do love to raid the office supply stores!

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As you can tell I am not a panster. The idea of going into something completely blind makes me a bit unnerved. I am a full-fledged plotter. Those four books you see hold every tiny little detail about my novel, right down to the recipes for the dishes that will be consumed by my characters. I know that it may sound a little over-the-top for some, but I feel that when writing, the author should know every detail that goes in the book, so that your writing has a realness to it.

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I have even done a bit of hands-on research for the novel. It’s always nice to have a professional jouster on hand, when you need to know a bit of technical information.   Oh, and let me just say that the armour is a lot heavier than it looks and that chain-mail was horribly heavy.

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I also visited a local castle just to get the feel of what it was like for my characters to live in one. I wanted to know the sounds, the echos, the lighting, the feel of  bare feet upon  cold flagstones. Although it wasn’t an actual historical castle, it has been modeled upon an English border castle, which made me even more eager to visit it as my story takes place in Northumbria. It was also thoroughly made by hand. Sadly I didn’t get to take as many pictures as I would have like as I forgot to charge my batteries.

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The chair came from England.

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Wheel-Stairs leading up from the dungeon.
The wheel-stairs were very steep and exceedingly narrow. Since the dimensions were taken from an English border castle, I was constantly wondering how the women maneuvered the stairs with their dresses.

In my next nanowrimo update I will be blogging about my plot.

Stats as of November 13th, 2011

Days in: 13  (although I started on the 3rd)
Words: 25,507
Chapter: 5-6
Cups Of Tea Consumed: More than I can count!

Keep those pens flowing…or those keys typing,
Until Next Time,

Angela Renee.

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Thursday Tea

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The Book: The Monsters; Mary Shelley & The Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler

A few days ago I watched the movie, Rowing with the Wind which happens to be about Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Clair Clairmont (Byron‘s lover and Mary‘s sister). The movie started on the night Frankenstein was created and then ventured on exploring the so-called “Curse of Frankenstein”.

The movie had me curious as to why Mary believed that she was created this curse, so I started to research a bit about her life and finally remembered that I had purchased this book at the beginning of the year.

I haven’t been able to delve into this book as deep as I was hoping as I am only on page 19. I am getting a bit of her parents history, mainly her mother’s history, and from the way, the book has been thus far I have to say I hope it improves. The writing seems a bit on the juvenile side for a non-fiction book, which is turning me off it somewhat.

I knew that Frankenstein was created when Lord Byron challenged his friends to write a ghost story, what I didn’t know was that Byron’s physician, Dr. Polidori wrote The Vampyre, which inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula.

The Tea: Boston Blend from Harney & Sons
The tea is a blend of black tea, cranberry, and almond flavours. It kind of reminds me of a cream tea, and I wonder if it contains just a hint of vanilla. The cranberry and almond compliment each other exceedingly well, which surprised me seeing as how the two are often bitter.

Overall, I would have to say that this is the perfect tea for an autumn night.

Do they go together?
Not really. Although I am reading about Shelley, Bryon, and Mary Shelley, so anything is possible.

Until We Meet Again

Best Wishes & Happy Reading,

Angela Renee