My best friends father died 35 years ago and last night I had a dream about him. Cyril was a tall gangly bus driver who was always making jokes and making us teenage girls laugh. Cyril had also saved someones life in a fire once which shows that not only was he funny and kind but he was very brave too. He was only about 40 when he died of cancer. I can vividly remember the week he died. The cancer had travelled to his brain and even though he was medicated with morphine he still cried through the night in pain. My best friend K and I would lie in her single bed and listen to the soothing voice of her mother as she tried to comfort him. In my dream last night Cyril wasn't a bus driver but a butcher and not Ks father but her husband, He was still funny and great company but at one point in the dream he stopped joking around and went very quiet and serious. I hugged him and felt how thin and frail he was behind the big personality and I promised to love him forever.
Earlier this week I met K for a drink and we talked about her father, who was actually her step father. K was saying how tragic it was that Cyril had died at such an early age and how he would have loved being a Grandad. It was a role he certainly would have relished and thrown himself into with gusto. His grandchildren would have had wonderful times with him and loved him very much. Ks 'real' dad left when she was 2 years old and has had very little input, both as a father and a grandfather, although by all accounts he went on to have another family in which he fulfils those roles.
The impact of Cyril's personality and kindness means that 35 years after his death he is still remembered fondly, even by people like me whose life he touched for a very short time.
Saturday 26 February 2011
Saturday 19 February 2011
If you go down to the woods today....
Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' is proving to be a very good read. There are whole passages I can identify with, even if my experience of hiking is very limited, and rambling in the 'peaks' of Dartmoor do not compare to hiking in those of the Smokey Mountains. When Bryson says 'the hardest part was coming to terms that there is always more hill. The thing about being on a hill, as opposed to standing back from it, is that you can almost never see exactly what is to come. Each time haul yourself up to what you think must surely be the crest, you find that there is still more hill beyond, sloped at an angle that had kept it from your view'. How well I know that feeling, not just from hiking but from life itself.
'A Walk in the Woods' is, as Bryson's work invariably is, informative, funny and thoughtful. It tells the story of his hike along the longest continuous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail which snakes from Georgia to Maine. The walk takes him through the Smokey Mountains and the Great North Woods of Maine, and these places are 'filled with bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, disease-bearing ticks and the occasional chuckling murderer'
Even if I were fit enough to attempt such a walk the things that lurk among the trees would put me off. Dartmoor, with its inexplicable corpses of lambs dotted around, stripped of their fleece which lies scattered around the bare bones, is spooky enough but bears? Chuckling murderers? Ticks? What does attract me to such walks however is the sense of achievement, the awe and wonder one experiences when confronted with an amazing view and the isolation one can embrace. Not a lonely isolation but the feeling that you are but a small speck in a huge world and away from the manic toils of real life is this amazing calm. Such moments have a spirituality about them that is hard to find anywhere else. Bryson, an American living in England, was in the news this week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/feb/14/bryson-railway-litter-campaign
When interviewed on the news Bryson looked like a big ole bear himself.
The was a great programme on Channel 4 earlier this week 'Elephant Life After Death'.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8329216/The-Elephant-Life-After-Death-Channel-4-review.html
Admittedly gruesome viewing but pretty amazing. For instance did you know that female Hyenas, according to the documentary, give birth through a penis. In fact what looks like a penis is actually an elongated clitoris. This article, from the Japan Times, explains it in eye wateringly detail:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20020919rh.html
Back to Bears. If you ever get the urge to tackle the AT here's some advice:
If a Bear Charges…
•Remember that many bears charge as a bluff. They may run, then veer off or stop abruptly. Stand your ground until the bear stops, then slowly back away.
•Never run from a bear! They will chase you and bears can run faster than 30 mph.
•Don't run towards or climb a tree. Black bears and some grizzlies can climb trees, and many bear will be provoked to chase you if they see you climbing.
•If you have pepper spray, be sure that you have trained with it before using it during an attack.
Before you start thinking that the AT is the most dangerous place to hike let me draw your attention back to Dartmoor. Quite apart from the legendary Beast of Dartmoor there have been reports of sightings of the devil!
Dartmoor abounds with myths and legends. It is reputedly the haunt of pixies, a headless horseman, a mysterious pack of 'spectral hounds', and a large black dog. During the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, Dartmoor town of Widecombe-in-the-moor was even said to have been visited by the Devil. Many landmarks have ancient legends and ghost stories associated with them, such as Jay's Grave, the ancient burial site at Childe's Tomb, the rock pile called Bowerman's Nose, and the stone crosses that mark mediaeval routes across the moor. A few stories have emerged in recent decades, such as the 'hairy hands', that are said to attack travellers on the B3212 near Two Bridges; and the 'Beast of Dartmoor', a supposed large cat.
Hairy hands? Detached from a body hands? Give me a bear anyday.
'A Walk in the Woods' is, as Bryson's work invariably is, informative, funny and thoughtful. It tells the story of his hike along the longest continuous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail which snakes from Georgia to Maine. The walk takes him through the Smokey Mountains and the Great North Woods of Maine, and these places are 'filled with bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, disease-bearing ticks and the occasional chuckling murderer'
Even if I were fit enough to attempt such a walk the things that lurk among the trees would put me off. Dartmoor, with its inexplicable corpses of lambs dotted around, stripped of their fleece which lies scattered around the bare bones, is spooky enough but bears? Chuckling murderers? Ticks? What does attract me to such walks however is the sense of achievement, the awe and wonder one experiences when confronted with an amazing view and the isolation one can embrace. Not a lonely isolation but the feeling that you are but a small speck in a huge world and away from the manic toils of real life is this amazing calm. Such moments have a spirituality about them that is hard to find anywhere else. Bryson, an American living in England, was in the news this week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/feb/14/bryson-railway-litter-campaign
When interviewed on the news Bryson looked like a big ole bear himself.
The was a great programme on Channel 4 earlier this week 'Elephant Life After Death'.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8329216/The-Elephant-Life-After-Death-Channel-4-review.html
Admittedly gruesome viewing but pretty amazing. For instance did you know that female Hyenas, according to the documentary, give birth through a penis. In fact what looks like a penis is actually an elongated clitoris. This article, from the Japan Times, explains it in eye wateringly detail:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20020919rh.html
Back to Bears. If you ever get the urge to tackle the AT here's some advice:
If a Bear Charges…
•Remember that many bears charge as a bluff. They may run, then veer off or stop abruptly. Stand your ground until the bear stops, then slowly back away.
•Never run from a bear! They will chase you and bears can run faster than 30 mph.
•Don't run towards or climb a tree. Black bears and some grizzlies can climb trees, and many bear will be provoked to chase you if they see you climbing.
•If you have pepper spray, be sure that you have trained with it before using it during an attack.
Before you start thinking that the AT is the most dangerous place to hike let me draw your attention back to Dartmoor. Quite apart from the legendary Beast of Dartmoor there have been reports of sightings of the devil!
Dartmoor abounds with myths and legends. It is reputedly the haunt of pixies, a headless horseman, a mysterious pack of 'spectral hounds', and a large black dog. During the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, Dartmoor town of Widecombe-in-the-moor was even said to have been visited by the Devil. Many landmarks have ancient legends and ghost stories associated with them, such as Jay's Grave, the ancient burial site at Childe's Tomb, the rock pile called Bowerman's Nose, and the stone crosses that mark mediaeval routes across the moor. A few stories have emerged in recent decades, such as the 'hairy hands', that are said to attack travellers on the B3212 near Two Bridges; and the 'Beast of Dartmoor', a supposed large cat.
Hairy hands? Detached from a body hands? Give me a bear anyday.
Monday 14 February 2011
BLOGSURGE
What is the best age to be?
Talking to my 4 year old grandson last week I said wistfully 'I wish I was 4'. 'Why?' he asked. 'Because when you are 4 everything is new and exiting and you can play all day' I replied. He considered this for a moment and said 'Yep, it's great being 4'. It is amazing to see his enthusiasm for most things including writing, which as a male of the species, he is not meant to enjoy.
The children at Heathfield County Primary School in Bolton have found that they enjoy writing blogs, particularly the boys. Many of the young children attending that school, interviewed by the BBC, said 'we like writing blogs because we can write about anything'. Which is great. But why do they think that they can only write about 'anything' in a blog? Is it the wider audience that makes the writing more enjoyable? Or the permanence of the blogs? How wonderful that these children will be able to access and share their early writing with friends and family as they grow up. They all reported that they liked to get comments on what they have written from friends, relatives and teachers and this was also a factor in their keenness to write blogs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12448932
My daughter, a grown woman in her twenties, is having to write, as part of her college course, essays. For months now she has been producing essays of 2000/3000 words but her latest assignment is to write a 'story' about anything she wants. What I would see as an enjoyable challenge she sees as a chore. 'I would much rather they gave me a theme to write about or question to answer'. As for blogging she thinks that it is an oddity I indulge in and is yet to read Rat Diary. Maybe I should suggest she blogs about my grandson and call it 'Little Man - observations on the world by a child.'
Do I blog about 'anything'?
Of course not. I want my children and grandchildren to read my blog one day so I do self censor- not much granted but certainly to some extent - but the need to write about 'anything' doesn't go away if you are a diarist. So there are things that get written in a beautifully bound journal that will one day be disposed off. It's just a good feeling to turn those private thoughts into words. No, it's more than a good feeling... it's a compulsion.
Hence BLOGSURGE - Blog - surge - urge.
Talking to my 4 year old grandson last week I said wistfully 'I wish I was 4'. 'Why?' he asked. 'Because when you are 4 everything is new and exiting and you can play all day' I replied. He considered this for a moment and said 'Yep, it's great being 4'. It is amazing to see his enthusiasm for most things including writing, which as a male of the species, he is not meant to enjoy.
The children at Heathfield County Primary School in Bolton have found that they enjoy writing blogs, particularly the boys. Many of the young children attending that school, interviewed by the BBC, said 'we like writing blogs because we can write about anything'. Which is great. But why do they think that they can only write about 'anything' in a blog? Is it the wider audience that makes the writing more enjoyable? Or the permanence of the blogs? How wonderful that these children will be able to access and share their early writing with friends and family as they grow up. They all reported that they liked to get comments on what they have written from friends, relatives and teachers and this was also a factor in their keenness to write blogs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12448932
My daughter, a grown woman in her twenties, is having to write, as part of her college course, essays. For months now she has been producing essays of 2000/3000 words but her latest assignment is to write a 'story' about anything she wants. What I would see as an enjoyable challenge she sees as a chore. 'I would much rather they gave me a theme to write about or question to answer'. As for blogging she thinks that it is an oddity I indulge in and is yet to read Rat Diary. Maybe I should suggest she blogs about my grandson and call it 'Little Man - observations on the world by a child.'
Do I blog about 'anything'?
Of course not. I want my children and grandchildren to read my blog one day so I do self censor- not much granted but certainly to some extent - but the need to write about 'anything' doesn't go away if you are a diarist. So there are things that get written in a beautifully bound journal that will one day be disposed off. It's just a good feeling to turn those private thoughts into words. No, it's more than a good feeling... it's a compulsion.
Hence BLOGSURGE - Blog - surge - urge.
Sunday 13 February 2011
'51'
Invisibility.
If I were to chose a super power this may be the one I would go for, although according to a recent survey, as a woman in her 6th decade it appears that I already have it:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/04/hilary-mantel-older-women
This is a great piece from Hilary Mantel and one that cheered me up about my impending invisibility. My 6th decade has, so far, been a good one. In fact, professionally at least, I am far from invisible and have finally discovered what it is that I want to do in my career. If I am one of the fortunate ones who manages to keeps their job in the current economic climate then the rest of this decade will be challenging and exciting. If I am made redundant no doubt I will find out just how invisible a woman in her 50s is to prospective employers. Being invisible to employers is far more serious than being invisible to men.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1355818/50-The-age-woman-invisible-opposite-sex.html Being invisible to the opposite sex has nothing to do with age. Some people are borm invisible.
I mean - does age really matter? Sadly yes, but no one seems to take ageism that seriously. With talk of redundancies at work speculation is rife about who will be for the chop and I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people say about some older colleagues 'she's in her 60s - she should be made redundant.' Nobody challenges this, instead everybody nods in agreement. Well, those who are still in their 30s and 40s do. Those of us in our 50s suddenly feel old and powerless. 'They will be saying that about me soon' we oldies think. I find myself reading articles I would have normally have had little interest in about women who are prepared to stand up and fight this blatant discrimination. Just like Miriam O' Reilly did in her battle with the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12161045
O'Reilly has shrugged off her clock of invisibly much to the delight of many older women. Yet we can all be guilty of ageism. Only the other day I found myself asking 'what do the young know about heartbreak?' as I was listening to the beautiful voice of Adele. I was given a copy of Adele's CD '21' and although she is an incredibly talented young woman and the CD contains some memorable songs, I feel that, at 21, Adele is too young to be singing lyrics that are so angry and painful. Even if she did write them. Take 'Rumour Has It'
She is half your age,
But I'm guessing that's the reason that you strayed,
What is he? a paedophile? You are better off without him love. 'Rolling In The Deep' - her song of revenge?
Throw your soul through every open door,
Count your blessings to find what you look for,
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold,
You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown,
Oh such anger for one so young. Although I imagine writing these songs of heartbreak and despair are her way of dealing with these destructive emotions.
'Don't You Remember'
I know I have a fickle heart and bitterness,
And a wandering eye
And a heaviness in my head,
Bitterness? Heaviness in her head? I think Adele should have saved some of these songs until she became invisible and called it '51'. Then some of her lyrics portray a maturity that belies her real age. In 'Someone Like You' Adele uses the word 'bittersweet'. This word makes me think of the Buddhist teaching that calls for 'joyful participation in the sorrows of the world'. The acknowledgment that heartbreak and pain are inevitable and if we accept this we embrace the experience of being alive.
Having read a bit more about Adele it seems she is a girl of excess and someone who loves too much. A deadly combination but one that produces some great music -
http://www.omgmusic.com/news/adele-thankful-she-broke-up-from-her-ex-boyfriend
If I were to chose a super power this may be the one I would go for, although according to a recent survey, as a woman in her 6th decade it appears that I already have it:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/04/hilary-mantel-older-women
This is a great piece from Hilary Mantel and one that cheered me up about my impending invisibility. My 6th decade has, so far, been a good one. In fact, professionally at least, I am far from invisible and have finally discovered what it is that I want to do in my career. If I am one of the fortunate ones who manages to keeps their job in the current economic climate then the rest of this decade will be challenging and exciting. If I am made redundant no doubt I will find out just how invisible a woman in her 50s is to prospective employers. Being invisible to employers is far more serious than being invisible to men.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1355818/50-The-age-woman-invisible-opposite-sex.html Being invisible to the opposite sex has nothing to do with age. Some people are borm invisible.
I mean - does age really matter? Sadly yes, but no one seems to take ageism that seriously. With talk of redundancies at work speculation is rife about who will be for the chop and I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people say about some older colleagues 'she's in her 60s - she should be made redundant.' Nobody challenges this, instead everybody nods in agreement. Well, those who are still in their 30s and 40s do. Those of us in our 50s suddenly feel old and powerless. 'They will be saying that about me soon' we oldies think. I find myself reading articles I would have normally have had little interest in about women who are prepared to stand up and fight this blatant discrimination. Just like Miriam O' Reilly did in her battle with the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12161045
O'Reilly has shrugged off her clock of invisibly much to the delight of many older women. Yet we can all be guilty of ageism. Only the other day I found myself asking 'what do the young know about heartbreak?' as I was listening to the beautiful voice of Adele. I was given a copy of Adele's CD '21' and although she is an incredibly talented young woman and the CD contains some memorable songs, I feel that, at 21, Adele is too young to be singing lyrics that are so angry and painful. Even if she did write them. Take 'Rumour Has It'
She is half your age,
But I'm guessing that's the reason that you strayed,
What is he? a paedophile? You are better off without him love. 'Rolling In The Deep' - her song of revenge?
Throw your soul through every open door,
Count your blessings to find what you look for,
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold,
You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown,
Oh such anger for one so young. Although I imagine writing these songs of heartbreak and despair are her way of dealing with these destructive emotions.
'Don't You Remember'
I know I have a fickle heart and bitterness,
And a wandering eye
And a heaviness in my head,
Bitterness? Heaviness in her head? I think Adele should have saved some of these songs until she became invisible and called it '51'. Then some of her lyrics portray a maturity that belies her real age. In 'Someone Like You' Adele uses the word 'bittersweet'. This word makes me think of the Buddhist teaching that calls for 'joyful participation in the sorrows of the world'. The acknowledgment that heartbreak and pain are inevitable and if we accept this we embrace the experience of being alive.
Having read a bit more about Adele it seems she is a girl of excess and someone who loves too much. A deadly combination but one that produces some great music -
http://www.omgmusic.com/news/adele-thankful-she-broke-up-from-her-ex-boyfriend
Saturday 5 February 2011
恭禧发财
A day late but - HAPPY NEW YEAR
So what has the Year of the Rabbit have is store for us?
The year of the Metal Rabbit promises to bring some much-needed peace and tranquility. If you are like most people, you probably feel like you were on a roller coaster in 2010, the year of the Tiger. That will generally not be the case in 2011, as the Rabbit is everything the Tiger is not.
“Let there be peace -- and let it begin with me” is the Rabbit motto. The Tiger makes waves, but the Rabbit mends fences. Diplomacy reigns. If you want to improve your chances of success, negotiate and cooperate rather than force your ideas on others. It’s also a time to kiss and make up. Forgive and forget. Let’s all get along. Make love not war. If last year the emphasis was on excitement, it’s now is on harmony.
The Rabbit is also very much about good taste and refinement. That said, self-indulgence is another Rabbit theme. By all means go to the theater, spend time at the spa and patronize those great restaurants you love. On the other hand, be careful about not overdoing it. And you can bet the Rabbit will put lots of temptation in front of you.
This is especially true if you belong to the Rabbit’s group, that is, if your sign is Rabbit, Sheep or Pig. These, however, are the people most likely to have a great year. If you are one of these signs, make an extra effort to follow your dreams, seize opportunities, and enjoy the moment. Other signs with excellent prospects this year include the Ox, Tiger, Snake, and Dog. Those that might want to hold back a bit include the Rat, Horse, Monkey, and Rooster.
Active people who are always on the go are likely to be unhappy with the Rabbit’s leisurely pace. They might find themselves in trouble if they try to move faster than the prevailing one. The Tiger, being the Yang to the Rabbit’s Yin, can still do well by modifying its style. This year the cautious, slow-but-sure approach is likely to win the day more than charging ahead.
What to do in a peaceful year? Education, for one. Leisurely travel is encouraged. Pursuing your hobbies is a very Rabbit thing to do and will bring you many happy moments.
The Rooster is the sign most likely to encounter difficulties this year. If this is your sign, you are probably feistier than your friends and family. Your love of debate, nitpicking attention to detail and argumentative side all run contrary to the Rabbit’s fundamental, peacemaking nature. If you can’t keep this tendency under control, you may feel you are frequently trying to swim upstream as you pursue your goals.
Since this is a Metal year, those people born in an Earth year will generally fare better than others, while those born in a Wood year are likely to do worse. It’s also slightly negative for those born in a Fire year and mildly positive for Water-sign people. Those born in a Metal year will be in their element and will do well if their animal sign is compatible with the Rabbit.
The Metal Rabbit is not the cuddly, little soft ball of fur you see in the pet store. Metal gives this bunny a competitive, aggressive side. It is cold, sometimes insensitive. The Metal Rabbit is the most unlike the other five breeds of this sign. So there will be some confusion from time to time in 2011. What will predominate at any given moment, the gentle Rabbit or steely Metal?
The Rabbit should give most of us an opportunity to pause and catch our breath after a hectic 2010. It’s a time for peacemakers to shine. But it will have a metallic edge to it. From time to time, aggressiveness will suddenly materialize and disrupt the peace. For those who revel in a slow pace, however, it promises to be a most enjoyable time.
In the spirit of the Rabbit, peace be with you in 2011. (Bill Hadju)
Wednesday 2 February 2011
Erotica
Isn't it funny how some of your best ideas come to you in the middle of the night? At around 4am this morning I woke up and it took me ages to fall back asleep as ideas for blogs filled my head and prevented me from finding the land of nod again. I really should have given in, switched on the laptop and got writing. Instead I struggled with the thoughts and ideas before eventually falling back to sleep and when I woke to the alarm every good idea, like my dreams, had faded. Except for the theme. The theme was writing.
My laptop has died, after a short life of just 18 months. On telling my friend C about this she told me about her dead laptop which has the first two (very long) chapters of her book saved on it. Apparently we all have a book inside us. C's book is fiction, involves a disaster which leads to a brave new world and from what she told me it would make a great movie. C tells me she had set the scene, introduced the characters and worked out the plot. Then life took over and her book just lay dormant waiting for her to wake it up and bring it to life. Before she had a chance to pick up from where she had left off her computer died and, without having done a back up, her book was lost. Or at least the first two chapters were.
In a previous blog I mentioned one of the books inside me - 'Can I Have The Skin Please?' - a book about my years working in a primary school. At 4am this morning I vaguely remember having an idea for a book called 'My Comeupance' a book about Karma catching up with me for past bad deeds and 'The Guardians Of Pride' a Mills and Boon romantic novel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_%26_Boon M&B books appear to follow a formula. Man meets woman. Although man and woman fall in love with each other at first sight some misunderstanding prevents them from getting together until the last few pages of the book. How simple does that sound? Certainly easier than recalling all the funny, poignant, interesting moments from a 17 year career working with children, or revisiting the darkest corners of my psyche and staring guilt in the face. Or is it?
M&B have were among the first publishers to issue guidelines and it is for this reason they are perceived to have a formula:
Word Count » 50,000—55,000 words. That is manageable. In fact it is likely to be tricky keeping the work count under 55.000.
Setting & Time Period » Limitless settings within a contemporary time frame as long as the location is sophisticated, glamorous and international. Naturally the working classes can't be romantic. Oh no. Working class misunderstandings are 'I thought I couldn't get pregnant the first time' and 'I don't know who the father is'. To be fair if its a toss up between love in Monte Carlo and love on Canvey Island I know which one I'd choose to read.
•Although grounded in reality and reflective of contemporary, relevant trends, these fast-paced stories are essentially escapist romantic fantasies that take the reader on an emotional roller-coaster ride.
•Each book should contain a "strong, wealthy, breathtakingly charismatic" alpha-heroe who is tamed by a "spirited, independent" heroine.
•The focus of the story should be on a "provocatively passionate, highly charged affair, driven by conflict, emotional intensity and overwhelming physical attraction, which may include explicit lovemaking."
Which brings me to, for me at least, a totally unexplored genre - Erotic Romance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_romance_novels
Here's a review for 'Hers For The Night'
http://www.eroticaromancewriters.com/review.cfm?reviewID=9915
PORN ALERT! THOSE OF A SENSITIVE NATURE OR UNDER THE AGE OF 21 STOP HERE
*******************************************************************************
'Annabelle took another furtive look at her watch and sighed. If there was one thing she hated it was being kept waiting. Catching the waiters eye she ordered another cocktail. She noted the way he stared at her large firm breasts when he brought her drink over. His hand accidentally brushed hers as he handed her the tall icy glass but before Annabelle could thank him the door of the restaurant swung open and in strode Dexter. As always, when Dexter walked into a room everything else faded into the background. His striking dark good looks, his tall muscular physique body and musky aftershave was all that filled Annabelle's view and she forgot to be angry at his tardiness and jumped up to greet him. Reaching up to throw her arms around his neck, Annabelle's lips sought his and pressing her body tightly against his she immediately felt the hardness of his cock as it pressed against her pussy.'
****************************************************************************************
Setting the scene isn't difficult. Using sexual words isn't difficult. What is difficult is making the reader care about Annabelle and Dexter. When I say reader I guess what I actually mean is female reader because I imagine erotic romance is mostly read by women. Otherwise it would be called Porn Fiction and would just be different versions of a plumber getting his spanner out for a bored housewife.
If you would like to know how things turn out for Annabelle and Dexter keep an eye out for a book called 'Passionate Encounters' a series of short stories featuring Annabelle and her search for love and sexual fulfillment.
If I can get the bloody laptop to work!
My laptop has died, after a short life of just 18 months. On telling my friend C about this she told me about her dead laptop which has the first two (very long) chapters of her book saved on it. Apparently we all have a book inside us. C's book is fiction, involves a disaster which leads to a brave new world and from what she told me it would make a great movie. C tells me she had set the scene, introduced the characters and worked out the plot. Then life took over and her book just lay dormant waiting for her to wake it up and bring it to life. Before she had a chance to pick up from where she had left off her computer died and, without having done a back up, her book was lost. Or at least the first two chapters were.
In a previous blog I mentioned one of the books inside me - 'Can I Have The Skin Please?' - a book about my years working in a primary school. At 4am this morning I vaguely remember having an idea for a book called 'My Comeupance' a book about Karma catching up with me for past bad deeds and 'The Guardians Of Pride' a Mills and Boon romantic novel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_%26_Boon M&B books appear to follow a formula. Man meets woman. Although man and woman fall in love with each other at first sight some misunderstanding prevents them from getting together until the last few pages of the book. How simple does that sound? Certainly easier than recalling all the funny, poignant, interesting moments from a 17 year career working with children, or revisiting the darkest corners of my psyche and staring guilt in the face. Or is it?
M&B have were among the first publishers to issue guidelines and it is for this reason they are perceived to have a formula:
Word Count » 50,000—55,000 words. That is manageable. In fact it is likely to be tricky keeping the work count under 55.000.
Setting & Time Period » Limitless settings within a contemporary time frame as long as the location is sophisticated, glamorous and international. Naturally the working classes can't be romantic. Oh no. Working class misunderstandings are 'I thought I couldn't get pregnant the first time' and 'I don't know who the father is'. To be fair if its a toss up between love in Monte Carlo and love on Canvey Island I know which one I'd choose to read.
•Although grounded in reality and reflective of contemporary, relevant trends, these fast-paced stories are essentially escapist romantic fantasies that take the reader on an emotional roller-coaster ride.
•Each book should contain a "strong, wealthy, breathtakingly charismatic" alpha-heroe who is tamed by a "spirited, independent" heroine.
•The focus of the story should be on a "provocatively passionate, highly charged affair, driven by conflict, emotional intensity and overwhelming physical attraction, which may include explicit lovemaking."
Which brings me to, for me at least, a totally unexplored genre - Erotic Romance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_romance_novels
Here's a review for 'Hers For The Night'
http://www.eroticaromancewriters.com/review.cfm?reviewID=9915
PORN ALERT! THOSE OF A SENSITIVE NATURE OR UNDER THE AGE OF 21 STOP HERE
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'Annabelle took another furtive look at her watch and sighed. If there was one thing she hated it was being kept waiting. Catching the waiters eye she ordered another cocktail. She noted the way he stared at her large firm breasts when he brought her drink over. His hand accidentally brushed hers as he handed her the tall icy glass but before Annabelle could thank him the door of the restaurant swung open and in strode Dexter. As always, when Dexter walked into a room everything else faded into the background. His striking dark good looks, his tall muscular physique body and musky aftershave was all that filled Annabelle's view and she forgot to be angry at his tardiness and jumped up to greet him. Reaching up to throw her arms around his neck, Annabelle's lips sought his and pressing her body tightly against his she immediately felt the hardness of his cock as it pressed against her pussy.'
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Setting the scene isn't difficult. Using sexual words isn't difficult. What is difficult is making the reader care about Annabelle and Dexter. When I say reader I guess what I actually mean is female reader because I imagine erotic romance is mostly read by women. Otherwise it would be called Porn Fiction and would just be different versions of a plumber getting his spanner out for a bored housewife.
If you would like to know how things turn out for Annabelle and Dexter keep an eye out for a book called 'Passionate Encounters' a series of short stories featuring Annabelle and her search for love and sexual fulfillment.
If I can get the bloody laptop to work!
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About Me
- Katie Clapton
- Rat symbolizes such character traits as wit, imagination and curiosity. Rats have keen observation skills and with those skills they’re able to deduce much about other people and other situations. Overall, Rats are full of energy, talkative and charming.