tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-208613122024-03-24T05:31:34.764+11:00Crossed WiresA journey into writing, reading and whatever else happensM.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.comBlogger702125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-52661068494550553042011-02-14T19:51:00.003+11:002011-02-14T19:54:39.633+11:00The one with the last postHey everyone, as intimated in my last post, I have a new (final) blog home.<br /><br />So come on over to the new improved <a href="http://blog.mjscott.net">Crossed Wires</a>.<br /><br />I'll be leaving this blog up for awhile while to let everyone know what's happened but I won't be updating here anymore. All the archives are at the new blog, so I haven't lost anything (well apart from my list of aussie authors which is now on the <a href="http://www.mjscott.net/Links.html">website links page</a>!).<br /><br />If you were nice enough to link to me here (or subscribe to my feed) please update to the new blog for continued blogging insanity and occasional common sense from me!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-60136572551702150482011-02-13T08:43:00.002+11:002011-02-13T08:47:51.975+11:00Moving onOkay everyone, it makes me kind of sad, but this blog is making part one of its move to Wordpress.<br /><br />It's temporarily relocating to a WordPress.com version which is <a href="http://mjscottblog.wordpress.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Please update any links.<br /><br />I'll be posting new posts over there but will make one more post here as I'm going to be moving to WordPress.org once I change webhosts!<br /><br />The temporary version is missing a few things at the moment like the blogrolls which will either reappear once I move again or will be transferred to my site!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-21714764189014127912011-02-12T16:06:00.004+11:002011-02-12T16:11:27.931+11:00A change is as good as a holiday (or necessary, even)I'm currently in the process of getting a new website designed (early in the process but still). I'm pretty sure that the new site will be WordPress based and that pretty much means converting the blog to WordPress as well. After some poking around the internet the less than exciting news seemed to be that one can only import blogger content to WordPress if your blog template is new blogger based. <br /><br />Phooey. So, I have finally had to give up my claw hold on my classic template and convert and this is the result. I'm sure there will be tweaking etc in it's future but it's about as close as I can get to the old blog for now. Hopefully the white posts backgrounds are easier on the eyes anyway. So welcome to the new (for now) look Crossed Wires! Short may it reign and let me know if there are any issues you find!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-6464966176434697422011-02-05T20:27:00.005+11:002011-02-05T20:42:14.279+11:00February contestIn true Chinese New Year do-over fashion I find myself starting my contest back up again in February rather than January but better late than never.<br /><br />This month I thought I'd turn my attention to Urban Fantasy and one of my favourite series in recent years.<br /><br />February's contest prize is Magic Bites by <a href="http://www.ilona-andrews.com/">Ilona Andrews</a> (who is actually husband and wife team Ilona and Gordon Andrews) who I share a publisher with (as unreal as that still seems).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_VR_pGu-iIGJ6XBettnzHwarTMUuWr1_r9v6E324ZvOkVvcDDYmHH14YqXSF5gi4rFz-JbNzhfUFGoi2ICdGo3v939Z8vbZpxPI20W0MJekDuHv4xkrh3sMKkByouW5TYA18/s1600/magicbites.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_VR_pGu-iIGJ6XBettnzHwarTMUuWr1_r9v6E324ZvOkVvcDDYmHH14YqXSF5gi4rFz-JbNzhfUFGoi2ICdGo3v939Z8vbZpxPI20W0MJekDuHv4xkrh3sMKkByouW5TYA18/s320/magicbites.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570135695240080658" /></a><br /><br />Magic Bites is the first book in the Kate Daniels series which currently stands at five books, each of which gets better than the one before (and the first one is pretty darn good to begin with). It's set in a magic riddle Atlanta where vampires and werewolves and all sorts of beasties wreak havoc. Kate is a genuine kickass heroine and, even better, one who grows and changes throughout the series. The bad guys are genuinely creepy and bad in this series and Ilona draws in all sorts of interesting mythology. There is a romantic subplot to keep us romance types happy (with a hot hot hero in Curran) and really, this is one of the best true urban fantasy series going around. So if you haven't yet jumped on the Urban Fantasy train and want to start with a good one or haven't jumped on the Kate Daniels train, here's your chance. Simply comment on any blog post this month for your chance to win a copy of Magic Bites.<br /><br />As usual, my reasons for the contest are <a href="http://melscott.blogspot.com/2010/03/paying-it-forward-or-contest.html"">here</a>.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-878297772962823342011-02-05T20:23:00.002+11:002011-02-05T20:27:10.792+11:00EnoughWell, yesterday was not the most stellar writing day and today was worse.<br /><br />Yesterday I wrote 700 words in a rush only to accidentally hit the off button on my netbook and lose it all. Then Cyclone Yasi's tail decided to drop about a month's rain on Melbourne in a day and I had more pressing issues to deal with like bailing out my backyard. I did eventually write another 1000 words or so but only by staying up too late.<br /><br />After waking up every few hours to listen to what the rain was doing last night, I'm tired today and have been trying to get some heroine POV onto the page on and off all day. So far I've crawled up to 300 words or so but she's being unco-operative. So I'm going to give myself a pass for the day by saying an extra 700 yesterday counts. Or else I'll do 1700 tomorrow but either way I'm done for now!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-14391086201637475052011-02-04T12:38:00.005+11:002011-02-04T12:40:02.460+11:00Heh<a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/02/03/funny-pictures-peter-pan-kitteh/"><img class='event-item-lol-image' src='http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/14c8950f-143e-4195-99c7-099a6ce31200.jpg' title="funny pictures - Peter Pan Kitteh" alt="funny pictures - Peter Pan Kitteh" height="200px" width="400px" /></a><br />see more <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com">Lolcats and funny pictures</a>M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-50198780802506791102011-02-03T21:58:00.005+11:002011-02-03T22:11:59.120+11:00Fumbling1011 words tonight. So goal is met. This book is proving interesting so far. Usually I'm pretty clear on my first scene and write it quickly. But this book, well, I've had about four different starts now and keep having to pull back and change tack. I started with the hero, thought perhaps maybe it should be the heroine, changed my mind again and went back to the hero in two different situations. Nothing felt quite right but today I think I might have cracked it. We'll see. Of course, that probably means juggling around some of the words I've fought for so far and going backwards in word count at some point but we'll deal with that when it happens.<br /><br />Two things helped.<br /><br />One, <a href="http://http://www.arghink.com/2011/02/02/damn-carrots/">this post</a> by Jenny Crusie is brilliant and made me realise I was trying to smooth out my hero too much instead of letting him be his acid tongued messed up self.<br /><br />Two, I realised I didn't really know what his initial goal was. Some poking and prodding at the muse with pointy sticks at lunch today gave me a glimmer of an idea on that one and so far it seems to be working. Now I just have to figure out the heroine. Oh and how to wrap up all the pesky plot threads I've set in motion in the last two books. Why did I think writing a trilogy would be a good idea again? If there was a magic potion I could take right now to turn me from pantser to plotter I'd be on that thing faster than Neo and his little red pill. But given I'm pretty much stuck with my own brain and my own crazy process, I guess I'm just going to have to screw up my gumption and remember that it will all come to me eventually if I just keep writing and letting the weird storyteller part of my brain do its thing. <br /><br />In other words, I need to remember to look at this which I have perched on my noticeboard near my desk!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq4MH9cH6kiiEDwKTmGA-hW9ytee2TRLrthKfdeX9pprUpqcNy5srR43v9fAvHsUhkaERs1spEa3IzpptptO8Iuu1H1BeIzLgTNh1lnG48Svd1BKN2ottsuymou6sCTfYhsK4/s1600/keepcalm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq4MH9cH6kiiEDwKTmGA-hW9ytee2TRLrthKfdeX9pprUpqcNy5srR43v9fAvHsUhkaERs1spEa3IzpptptO8Iuu1H1BeIzLgTNh1lnG48Svd1BKN2ottsuymou6sCTfYhsK4/s320/keepcalm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569419269272204210" /></a><br /><br />(Get your own <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/37997962/keep-calm-and-write-onvintage-typewriter">here</a>)<br /><br />And now, time for enjoying the results of some other poor writer's self torture aka curling up with a good book before I go to sleep! Catch you tomorrow when maybe I'll go crazy and write more than 1000 words!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-63498204896971322522011-02-02T20:37:00.001+11:002011-02-02T20:38:34.688+11:00WednesdayWas very busy but 1155 words were achieved, so all is good.<br /><br />Back tomorrow, no brain left for blogging tonight.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-53636923820104101952011-02-01T20:35:00.001+11:002011-02-01T20:36:50.805+11:00It's a start1003 words achieved. Using the time honoured, write bits that spring to mind method. This is going to be one of those teeth pulling jigsaw puzzle books unless the muse and the girls come up with something brilliant in short order.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-86712889123718276132011-02-01T18:12:00.000+11:002011-02-01T18:12:00.287+11:00Do overIt’s February. Which is a good thing in some ways and a bad thing in others. Given that January was pretty much a write off for me due to getting sick and various other things, I officially completely failed to do much of anything I planned to do in January. Including blogging. So I’m calling a do-over on the start of the year! (After all, it’s sort of Chinese New Year right now, so that’s good enough for me). We’ve had floods and fires and all sorts of weirdness here in Australia over January so I’m imagining there are quite a few people who’d like to join me.<br /><br />In order to kick start my new new year, (and to claw back some lost writing time) I’m setting a goal of writing a thousand words a day in February and to keep me honest, I’ll blog my progress daily (or mostly daily)! I’m also trying to get back into some sort of exercise routine as the one good thing about being sick for several weeks is that I lost 5 kilos and don’t intend to put it back on (indeed I intend to see that I lose quite a few more), so I’ll report on that as well. The internet can keep me honest.<br /><br />I will also be re-instating my contest which went on a longer than expected break over Christmas, so stay tuned for the next contest post!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-46468183595164785462011-01-01T13:15:00.003+11:002011-01-01T13:45:55.827+11:00A year in books (fifth anniversary edition)Well my annual reading review post is a day late. I finished up 2010 with a bit of a stomach bug (I think brought on by my fridge which has decided its job isn't to keep things particularly cold anymore), so no posting yesterday. <br /><br />I've been doing a lot of re-reading for the last few months while I finished my book, so my total new books read is down this year (again, I've probably missed some on the list...this year I'm thinking about just keeping my list on GoodReads as I update there and here and it gets confusing as to which I've done). I've also rarely been reading on the train to the day job. Mostly I listen to audio books (most of which are re-reads) or podcasts as it's easier. Now that I have my e-Reader that might change a bit next year but given that the average audiobook is 9 hours or longer and I can read around 3 mass market paperbacks in that time, the audiobooks have definitely reduced the total books read.<br /><br />I've also probably spent more time writing and doing craft this year, so reading time has had to give (even though I still read every day...just less). Hopefully I've found the good balance between my writing and reading for fun because I'm definitely not one of those authors who can't read while writing. Pretty much the opposite in fact.<br /><br />Anyway on to my favourite books read this year (in no particular order). <br /><br />Garden Spells - <a href="http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com">Sarah Addison Allen</a> Magical realism done beautifully<br /><br />Maybe This Time - <a href="http://www.jennycrusie.com">Jennifer Cruisie</a> Her first solo novel for a few years was spooky, romantic and a damn good time.<br /><br />The Queen of Attolia/The King of Attolia/A Conspiracy of Kings - <a href="http://www.meganwhalenturner.com">Megan Whalen Turner</a> I adore this series and can't wait for number five!<br /><br />Pegasus - <a href="http://www.meganwhalenturner.com">Robin McKinley</a> New McKinley is also good and even though Pegasus is slightly torturous because it's the first book of two and I WANT TO KNOW THE REST, it was fabulous.<br /><br />Under Heaven - <a href="http://www.brightweavings.com">Guy Gavriel Kay</a> - First new Kay for a while and it was lovely. This was actually a great year for my favourite authors having new books.<br /><br />I Shall Wear Midnight - <a href="http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com">Terry Pratchett</a> The witches have always been my favourite Discworld characters so continuing to follow Tiffany Aching as she grows into being a witch is awesome. As with all Pratchett, thoughtful, funny fantasy.<br /><br />Singing the Dogstar Blues - <a href="http://www.alisongoodman.com.au">Alison Goodman</a> SF Young Adult which has been out for a while but I am late jumping on the bandwagon. Eon which is more epic fantasy by the same author was also pretty good. And she's an Aussie : )<br /><br />How To Bake a Perfect Life and The Secret of Everything - <a href="http://www.barbaraoneal.com">Barbara O'Neal</a> I loved both these. Gorgeous women's fiction with a hint of magical realism and glorious food. Don't read while hungry : )<br /><br />Dark Road to Darjeeling - <a href="http://www.deannaraybourn.com">Deanna Raybourn</a> The latest installment in the Julia Grey novels was fab.<br /><br />Power and Majesty - <a href="http://www.tansyrr.com">Tansy Raynor Roberts</a> Another aussie's debut fantasy novel with a different and ruthless world.<br /><br />The Forbidden Rose - <a href="http://www.joannabourne.com">Joanna Bourne</a> Another great historical romance by Joanna.<br /><br />Special Delivery - <a href="http://www.heidicullinan.com">Heidi Cullinan</a> Wonderful smokin' hot m/m romance<br /><br />Untameable Rogue - <a href="http://www.kellyhunter.net">Kelly Hunter</a> Kelly continues to be my fave category romance author. Wonderful sexy, witty, sparkling romance.<br /><br />So there you go. I read lots of great books this year, so these are just the favourites. I hope your reading year was great and that 2011 is full of more brilliant stories for us all.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-82282163617893877832010-12-27T13:54:00.004+11:002010-12-27T14:05:21.354+11:00The nameless oneCurrently pondering cat names as this little cutie came home with me this morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjgNXnsEaa9DfrUAm3IEGwQ7IPn7TDVQ7ZjAYSVEJ_j4KSMIyvP1gVteBbsO9ox7ABVmFqy5oSdYp76P3mowl350If0YEAuZnYjgWsb4hyphenhyphen0T0YvpExjFmxffhDDeIEVkzPrM9/s1600/P1000396.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjgNXnsEaa9DfrUAm3IEGwQ7IPn7TDVQ7ZjAYSVEJ_j4KSMIyvP1gVteBbsO9ox7ABVmFqy5oSdYp76P3mowl350If0YEAuZnYjgWsb4hyphenhyphen0T0YvpExjFmxffhDDeIEVkzPrM9/s320/P1000396.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555191062772777586" /></a><br /><br />After all the various cat dramas, it's lovely to finally have another feline member of the household. So far orange cat doesn't seem too fussed by strange cat smells or noises coming from the bathroom and the new girl seems pretty relaxed (if not outright keen to explore beyond her current bathroom hangout). So hopefully they're going to be good friends eventually.<br /><br />The new girl is teeny (she's about 9-11 months old but nowhere near as big as Tabasco and he's not a huge cat) and smoochy and playful. She's an RSPCA cat and has already had a litter just after she came into the shelter (far too young...please desex your pets!) <br /><br />Looks like I'll be having a fairly quiet week at home mostly while we integrate the household. Good time to write and spin and tackle the pile of tax paperwork looking at me balefully from the kitchen table.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-12159631124747670522010-12-23T17:32:00.004+11:002010-12-23T17:40:49.771+11:00Merry ChristmasI feel like I should write an inspiring Christmas post but it's been a long and tiring year in some ways and I had sad news re my expected kitten (the upshot of which is that he won't be my kitten and I'll be looking elsewhere for another kitten/cat next week) this week and the orange cat has had a few extra yowly nights because it's been cold and I'm kind of just plain tired.<br /><br />So I will keep things simple and just wish everyone a lovely, relaxing, safe holiday season!<br /><br />May you have loved ones and happiness, good food and drink, naps and belly laughs, hugs and good times, inspiration and passion and the odd dream coming true! 2011 onwards and upwards we come!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeY62xRP94QZlBwK78DFWWCzFh8fEvsNWVjRbJrzWf6VbeJlggKOWaq8TZjf7ZruzdeY-aJirdupzxmeM41XFltskmvwVRxWp6pNzxV5wYJzEz0PyAHF5ens7_Eo362IxZ3gX/s1600/reindeer+laughing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeY62xRP94QZlBwK78DFWWCzFh8fEvsNWVjRbJrzWf6VbeJlggKOWaq8TZjf7ZruzdeY-aJirdupzxmeM41XFltskmvwVRxWp6pNzxV5wYJzEz0PyAHF5ens7_Eo362IxZ3gX/s320/reindeer+laughing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553763889591640946" /></a>M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-65401300041760910292010-12-13T10:25:00.004+11:002010-12-13T10:30:42.243+11:00FinishingThe revisions are done! Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in the land. Or, alternatively, Numfar do the dance of joy!<br /><br />Finishing a book is always a very very good feeling, no matter what draft it is. (For the record, we're on draft 5 of Shadow Kin, so far. Hopefully that number won't go much higher and there will only be line edits, copy edits and galleys to go.) <br /><br />So hopefully that good feeling will carry me through fighting the crowds to do some Christmas shopping this morning! Then there will be rescuing of my house from it's current revision in full swing way too messy status!<br /><br />Then I have to haul my brain back (or forward?) to Book 3. Whose hero is going to be lots of fun (In theory...you never quite know what they're going to do once they're given free rein on blank pages belonging to them!)<br /><br />But for now I shall just bask in being done, done, done!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-87626722740115550592010-12-11T13:15:00.004+11:002010-12-11T13:27:00.039+11:00GadgetingI'm a light sleeper. Light sleeping and the orange cat are not always the best combination (to be honest, they're not EVER the best combination it's a bit worse lately as he's still being "I'm lonely" yowly more than usual lately). <br /><br />Anyway, to combat this, I've been falling asleep with my iPod and headphones listening to audiobooks (which necessitates much remembering of where one actually was up to when one lies down as generally I fall asleep after just a few minutes and wake up hours later in the book lol), or music or some BrainSync tracks. Now, I have mutant ears and cannot wear ear buds, as they fall out as soon as I breathe or even think about moving, so I've got fairly slim old fashioned band over the top of the head head phones but even with my memory foam pillow, they're still not the greatest things to sleep in (not to mention moving around while sleeping is shredding the foam covers like nothing on earth).<br /><br />So today, when an ad for <a href="http://www.sleepphones.com">SleepPhones</a> popped up somewhere I was randomly surfing on the web, I thought "WANT!" and ordered some. And now I'm also lusting after the summer <a href="http://www.runphones.com">RunPhones</a> version as they might be a bit cooler for summer sleeping plus good for exercising without headphones falling off (plus I tend to wear a headband anyway on the elliptical, so why not combine the two?). But I shall wait and see what I think of the SleepPhones first. But if anyone else out there is like me and likes to drown out the night noises (I'm thinking these will be good for hotel rooms too) I thought you might like to know about them.<br /><br />I shall report back once they've arrived. US types can by them at ThinkGeek but TG has pretty expensive OS shipping, so for me, buying them direct from the website was cheaper (only $5 or so shipping). I wish more US sites would offer a basic shipping offer. Lots of us would be happy to wear the slower times delivery times and increased risk of something going astray, I'm sure vs being asked to pay more than the cost of the item in shipping as seems to happen quite a bit!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-67472251688697053832010-12-10T08:50:00.002+11:002010-12-10T08:56:54.641+11:00Things I'm lusting after...December editionWhile I'm in revision and pre-Christmas work craziness...a selection of the desirable things whirring around my brain:<br /><br />1. More hours in the day (for writing, for spinning, for knitting, for sleeping, for...everything really)<br />2. Fibre (of the spinning kind)<br />3. A DSLR camera <br />4. For my kitten to arrive (two and a bit weeks left in kitten countdown)<br />5. Summer clothes (no idea what I wore last summer because there is NOTHING in my wardrobe)<br />6. A gardener to transform the backyard<br />7. A portable airconditioner<br />8. The new teeny mac book air (so pretty, so far down the list of things I need)<br />9. To be past the point in revisions where I have no idea if the book is any good at all any more<br />10. For Melbourne to decide what season it might be <br />11. For everyone to be safe and happy and relaxed for the holidays<br />12. For the necessary winning lottery tickets and magical powers for all of the above to come true!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-33652452958939004612010-12-05T19:45:00.004+11:002010-12-05T19:47:32.864+11:00November contest winnerSorry, this is a bit late but the winner of the November contest is Tez Miller, so Tez, email me and I'll get the book out to you!<br /><br />Given that December is the month of much craziness, not to mention revision finishing, which may yet equal not a lot of blogging, I'm going to skip the contest this month and bring it back in January, so stay tuned in 2011.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-86433768773230126582010-12-05T19:20:00.010+11:002010-12-05T19:37:31.665+11:00A study in orangeWe were talking about bucket lists/life lists at my crit group yesterday, which got me thinking about some of the things I want to do. Learn more about photography is one of them (along with buy a digital SLR). But given I've just paid for cat palaces and a new spinning wheel, the camera yen has to wait. I do have both a point and shoot canon and a fancier does more stuff without being an SLR Panasonic Lumix camera. The Canon and the iPhone tend to get reached for because they're either handy or little. The Panasonic does take better shots than the Canon but it eats its battery really fast plus the battery tends to die if you leave it out of use for a while. (to which I am applying the brilliant solution of buying some extra batteries!). But I shall have to pull it out and play with it some more to satisfy the photography yen for now.<br /><br />Today, for a giggle, I bought the iPhone Hipstamatic app which makes your photos look like old film camera photos from the seventies etc which is fun.<br /><br />So today I played around with that, and the recharged Panasonic and the orange cat being the nearest subject, I present...a study in felinus orangus.<br /><br />First, felinus orangus hipster<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TuNXi_L-S5TTXM8xIkq-KMNvaW_6LqKJnSLHVMr6vUDKpuT8XzLe-igVDBbYeiOlasfQekY5-9s-14elDm-Iphu3J9-tiPitolk2Fts_rNy0Igzmlp_vleS_UZGztM06EmOC/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TuNXi_L-S5TTXM8xIkq-KMNvaW_6LqKJnSLHVMr6vUDKpuT8XzLe-igVDBbYeiOlasfQekY5-9s-14elDm-Iphu3J9-tiPitolk2Fts_rNy0Igzmlp_vleS_UZGztM06EmOC/s320/IMG_0587.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547112035788690466" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS3RLVq67YcdHvW3PmdLwGuz1-Fsz4cSUc4Eu8LNE19q70at24GApxbceQWyxQ_f8uRFxXaV9JeUxayWpGxpFGll25SAoaoRxEJFnwfqD4fh2ot8r2NpbDzlWJTpuj9qE6mPW/s1600/IMG_0589.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS3RLVq67YcdHvW3PmdLwGuz1-Fsz4cSUc4Eu8LNE19q70at24GApxbceQWyxQ_f8uRFxXaV9JeUxayWpGxpFGll25SAoaoRxEJFnwfqD4fh2ot8r2NpbDzlWJTpuj9qE6mPW/s320/IMG_0589.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547112226689095394" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-66S2d4kKtVBroOqRR8OGG3AS5h7uDvD55T_ploeKGtt_rTCqFZAaenQSNjmf3uhMn4X84e0SSaBEYf7vfznDBTrTcLT7ibMypB7kwIh2vURCM6BHCuR0XYeQ50nLhaWmnsL/s1600/IMG_0591.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-66S2d4kKtVBroOqRR8OGG3AS5h7uDvD55T_ploeKGtt_rTCqFZAaenQSNjmf3uhMn4X84e0SSaBEYf7vfznDBTrTcLT7ibMypB7kwIh2vURCM6BHCuR0XYeQ50nLhaWmnsL/s320/IMG_0591.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547112364697800370" /></a><br /><br />And second, felinus orangus more really toastus these days, in close up<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcC8ChVzIowpEY0rQxYLCitU5M5PxpACsAR0A1fa_83WsFtZgF74OsbBxCo2FzvTi4qYL9zHfSr-n-VgatZ870-1zNz0DhUnzH06EZ6M9w1KcNv3s8Dv6H3jSAEgMYee5Xy_RX/s1600/P1000203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcC8ChVzIowpEY0rQxYLCitU5M5PxpACsAR0A1fa_83WsFtZgF74OsbBxCo2FzvTi4qYL9zHfSr-n-VgatZ870-1zNz0DhUnzH06EZ6M9w1KcNv3s8Dv6H3jSAEgMYee5Xy_RX/s320/P1000203.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547112821796391602" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_y2-jJydeUOvRJRNQL0dbbJA_mtwblbDMfuid0x7z8zalqWQ_Q-B4Cn_4CsJ4KH1PMTOm0K9GJnYIrX5vd4k18odce7Nq8M8NTRzaGJ86HOlCg51UQQeYi160D3GImp6JkJr/s1600/P1000204.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_y2-jJydeUOvRJRNQL0dbbJA_mtwblbDMfuid0x7z8zalqWQ_Q-B4Cn_4CsJ4KH1PMTOm0K9GJnYIrX5vd4k18odce7Nq8M8NTRzaGJ86HOlCg51UQQeYi160D3GImp6JkJr/s320/P1000204.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547113160465326290" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb91vZ4pTASwpK-QUgKtyulfVmZcL1urr9fCNC_O61KoTMxcUCDUq6GhRAE-7k2Df7WFbST02FVY1GIlnki9Gj_KlE97nBIQrNUydaUxVWhaIrW8AZnHAKC0I1TN7RAFkDxOk/s1600/P1000208.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb91vZ4pTASwpK-QUgKtyulfVmZcL1urr9fCNC_O61KoTMxcUCDUq6GhRAE-7k2Df7WFbST02FVY1GIlnki9Gj_KlE97nBIQrNUydaUxVWhaIrW8AZnHAKC0I1TN7RAFkDxOk/s320/P1000208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547113560655350498" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU96l21e8WmFF-qWHPi9IF45aREwDwY3TFYIV6knglIln-ET03-LRxbuaC9AWu3Dbm5SZXFygQ8BXo9L4Dfe6x3kwPoIlLsGMf5jTsZf1Ci1c6TSuagfv3xpuRAAQPrUM7ON1O/s1600/P1000216.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU96l21e8WmFF-qWHPi9IF45aREwDwY3TFYIV6knglIln-ET03-LRxbuaC9AWu3Dbm5SZXFygQ8BXo9L4Dfe6x3kwPoIlLsGMf5jTsZf1Ci1c6TSuagfv3xpuRAAQPrUM7ON1O/s320/P1000216.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547114053216536978" /></a><br /><br />There were lots of other things on my list...the question is how does one get the time and/or money to do some of them??? Who's got something they'd love to learn/try/take up?M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-91432519778934212010-11-30T19:41:00.003+11:002010-11-30T19:46:17.762+11:00Random numbersThe inside of my head goes something like this at the moment....<br /><br />Raining! Cold! Work! Revisions! Christmas! Holy crap, it's December! Orange cat is meowing again! Cat palace! Garden! Raining! Sunny! Work! Revisions! Sleepy! Spinning is cool! Hot! Cold! Orange cat! Kitten! Chocolate! More caffeine! U2! Work! Revisions! Morning is too early! Christmas! Work! Bon Jovi! Glee! Revisions! Bump into something! Lose something! Did I do that other thing?! Forget something! Work! Revisions! Zzzzz! House is messy! Where's my clone army?! Revisions! Traffic! Remember something previously forgotten! More caffeine! Work! Socialise! Argh!<br /><br />No wonder we all pass out after Christmas dinner, December tries to kill us!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-84798962411509222592010-11-26T14:31:00.011+11:002010-11-26T14:58:05.276+11:00It's good to be a cat!When my little Jessie girl passed away, I decided any new kitten needed to be a mostly indoor kitty. Jessie never went beyond my backyard and the orange cat limits himself to the front porch and the backyard but a young frisky cat might want to roam.<br /><br />Because I don't like the idea of completely indoor cats (plus the orange cat would probably have a meltdown if I tried to keep him in completely), I decided to get a cat enclosure.<br /><br />So I did some research and weighed some options. There's a couple of companies that do cat enclosures around (or if you're handier than me you could probably build one yourself). I however, went with the expert version. A process which has involved me completely digging out my garden beds, experimenting with bodgy paving and doing a fair bit of prep work.<br /><br />Today, Dale from <a href="http://www.catnip.com.au">Catnip</a> came to install the cat palace. Catnip do wire enclosures (there are other companies that do netting type things but I don't really have anything to enclose with netting. The good thing about Catnip, is the enclosures can be disassembled and move with me and they can also be extended later on down the track.<br /><br />This way, the orange cat (and the fuzzy kitten when he arrives) will get fresh air and sunshine (and grass to nibble on once I plant some in pots) plus they can be up high (which the orange cat hasn't been able to do for a few years due to his arthritic knees). I'm sure there will be a bit of an adjustment on his part, and the cunning plan is to occasionally let him go out if he wants while keeping the fuzz ball in but it's safer for both of the and the pigeon and sparrow population will be safe (though as I've said before, any bird that gets caught by an old athriticky cat whose hunting technique involves meowing loudly probably is better out of the gene pool).<br /><br />And here is the end result (and Tabasco's opinion so far in the vid). Excuse the garden rubbish, I'm still cleaning up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19F40g5TnLheANna702guiKxhXsEUgcOmIzabFijpWhnX4BGJXsEM1f6H4NyXWLL4ABvH0K9k_IxY0f40zACgbrQM0IuLr4zxa_I7z_nnoVv91BBivj_i6SjVoivMT2-4smiT/s1600/IMG_0559.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19F40g5TnLheANna702guiKxhXsEUgcOmIzabFijpWhnX4BGJXsEM1f6H4NyXWLL4ABvH0K9k_IxY0f40zACgbrQM0IuLr4zxa_I7z_nnoVv91BBivj_i6SjVoivMT2-4smiT/s320/IMG_0559.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543699565105895906" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IJROtWcuJGOUMV_7kBKO8IWSJKWpCwVBZEM11u9qjZKRyszjV1djNWq8ERBy0WCstDgl_70Di25MkwngVQ6CpE8pg1rsYhIvnRzRXFyD3JsvaimNpMwksA5myBRB2ze-xqTj/s1600/IMG_0560.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IJROtWcuJGOUMV_7kBKO8IWSJKWpCwVBZEM11u9qjZKRyszjV1djNWq8ERBy0WCstDgl_70Di25MkwngVQ6CpE8pg1rsYhIvnRzRXFyD3JsvaimNpMwksA5myBRB2ze-xqTj/s320/IMG_0560.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543699942969047362" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTi11pJdDLLzdc_x_Qt3_t8x5bTvONbs8-Fq3Rszr-AJZj0btAQrNQQMVJFMSI3T3e5yTnsBmPnmjrzFBFBBhWu2XraRwpKcMS6-DHenD1R7POLusZ5A2YdE_k72rUV6H7ZsM/s1600/IMG_0562.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTi11pJdDLLzdc_x_Qt3_t8x5bTvONbs8-Fq3Rszr-AJZj0btAQrNQQMVJFMSI3T3e5yTnsBmPnmjrzFBFBBhWu2XraRwpKcMS6-DHenD1R7POLusZ5A2YdE_k72rUV6H7ZsM/s320/IMG_0562.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543700472887420370" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlX_Udi-Iy6EXiJaU77E4WKxPkJTWgVKSLyekSSGRx5kxSQrPi-TgUYjqDjDwxuM8KPmoL60oo_NTlEQfTd3K-mlMSYR9WGZAyOwg39owonqkqZzTO6UNnBpRdG8ZdaeOtSZS/s1600/IMG_0563.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlX_Udi-Iy6EXiJaU77E4WKxPkJTWgVKSLyekSSGRx5kxSQrPi-TgUYjqDjDwxuM8KPmoL60oo_NTlEQfTd3K-mlMSYR9WGZAyOwg39owonqkqZzTO6UNnBpRdG8ZdaeOtSZS/s320/IMG_0563.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543701359667144786" /></a><br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="225" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=5d54eb2d31&photo_id=5208340650"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=5d54eb2d31&photo_id=5208340650" height="225" width="400"></embed></object>M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-33611402438498434532010-11-22T20:26:00.004+11:002010-11-22T20:38:05.543+11:00NumbersI think the year has officially reached the completely-crazy-lead-up-to-christmas part where the to-do list and social things and the year's goals and a thousand other things start to form a hectic sort of tangle to conquer before it's time for time off.<br /><br /><a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2010/11/19/funny-pictures-energee/"><img src='http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/61e7756e-39e2-4a93-b870-2de0b76400a3.jpg' title="funny pictures Energee? Ai haz it ... sumwere. Mite be hidin behin teh cowch or maybe ai left it under teh bed. If u findz it, jus leeve it der in kase ai needz it." alt="funny pictures-Energee? Ai haz it ... sumwere. Mite be hidin behin teh cowch or maybe ai left it under teh bed. If u findz it, jus leeve it der in kase ai needz it." height="400px" width="300px" /></a><br />see more <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com">Lolcats and funny pictures</a><br /><br />At this time of year, my virgo brains starts making list and calculations and numbers. Right now it goes something like:<br /><br />1 revision due in 2-4 weeks<br />9 sleeps until U2 concert<br />1 election to vote in<br />2 parental birthdays in the next 10 days<br />1 orange cat to convince that 5am isn't breakfast time and sleeping all night is good<br />20 sleeps until the Bon Jovi concert<br />7 months til my next book is due<br />34 sleeps until Christmas<br />At least 3 big day job projects to finish<br />1 spinning class left<br />6 or so Christmas functions<br />1 complete nanowrimo fail<br />36 sleeps until Kitten day<br /><br />And the list goes on. I'm looking forward to a well earned post Christmas collapse! Until then, caffeine is my friend!<br /><br />Anyone else eyeing the silly season to-do mountain with a mix of anticipation and trepidation?M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-25023851340582344012010-11-13T08:58:00.003+11:002010-11-13T14:41:14.279+11:00PrincessesI watched The Young Victoria last night, which is something I've wanted to see for ages and really, I have no idea why I didn't get to it when it was in cinemas. I really enjoyed it even though it's bittersweet to think Prince Albert died fairly young and Victoria went on for 40 odd years without him. <br /><br />I'm always intrigued by royalty. Being a princess ain't all it's cracked up to be. Sure you get gorgeous frocks and some spanking great jewels but there's a lot of politics and control and duty and what has to be a strange private life to go with it. Power and obligation vs the personal turns up in my writing a bit. In one of Barbara O'Neal's writing courses, we had to figure out our favourite fairy tale and mine was Cinderella (much as I fought that discovery for a while). Now, I think the appeal of Cinderella for me is the "finding the place where you belong and are appreciated" theme rather than the "be rescued by a prince" theme but it's undeniably a royalty/princess story, if somewhat from the other side and stopping before she has to deal with being a princess. <br /><br />I've never actually written a princess (not many princesses in urban fantasy) but I have some ideas that might be close to princesses. We shall see. At the moment I have to focus back on my messed up assassin girl. She's definitely not a princess and would stab you if you tried to make her one!<br /><br />So who likes royalty? Or who has a favourite fairy tale?M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-4083574069806492912010-11-11T21:29:00.003+11:002010-11-11T22:57:27.936+11:00In other newsShadow Kin's publication date has moved to September 2011 (which will make a nice birthday present for me). So we'll all just have to be patient a few more months. Hopefully I'll have a cover to share soon!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-33631774627881003172010-11-07T16:29:00.002+11:002010-11-07T16:29:56.748+11:00October contest winnerThe winner of The Perils of Pleasure is Cyndie!<br /><br />Cyndie contact me on my website address or via twitter and I'll get the book to you!M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20861312.post-34523372338234761672010-11-02T18:55:00.005+11:002010-11-02T19:10:05.254+11:00November contestAnother month has zoomed by and quite frankly, I'm more than happy to see the back of October which was not the best month ever in Mel land. Hopefully November will be onwards and upwards. I'm learning to spin on a spinning wheel this month and am trying to get stuck into Book 3, expecting some more edits on Shadow Kin and I guess the pre Christmas madness will start soon too so who knows exactly what the month will bring? <br /><br />Anyway, to start the month off in the right way, another contest. This month, we're heading back into sci fi territory though I guess technically this book is space opera. I stumbled across the first book in this series at some point in the 90's...not long after Amazon had come along, if I remember correctly because after reading the first book, I made my first ever big internet book purchase and bought all the other books then out in the series and glommed them all with delight. Hopefully you'll do the same and there's even more of them these days (plus some other series as well).<br /><br />So November's book is Cordelia's Honor by <a href="http://www.dendarii.com">Lois McMaster Bujold</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdzEZgrSWQEWjkrNJqSuhyphenhyphenrmIWu6slwV3xOAA4tg92QYncLigWo_ROCYTjSGB7bKmGbin6Rjsu99LYNWfk6ZaQ61BZqolFwJJx2vOW5Cssmnhdr5eURY5SiRTQAyLUsFCec5m/s1600/Cordelia.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 155px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdzEZgrSWQEWjkrNJqSuhyphenhyphenrmIWu6slwV3xOAA4tg92QYncLigWo_ROCYTjSGB7bKmGbin6Rjsu99LYNWfk6ZaQ61BZqolFwJJx2vOW5Cssmnhdr5eURY5SiRTQAyLUsFCec5m/s320/Cordelia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534860175889772194" /></a><br /><br />which is the first book of the Vorkosigan series, which stars the irrepressible Miles Vorkosigan, who is a fabulous hero (though technically, Cordelia's Honor is the story of his mother but start at the very beginning as Maria Von Trapp would say). Lois writes funny, exciting, clever books about wonderful people who have real problems. Her world building is flawless and she's not afraid to make her characters, particularly Miles, squirm. So to win a date with the start of a wonderful series, all you have to do is comment on one of my posts this month.<br /><br />As usual, I will draw the winner early in December and announce here and on Twitter and Facebook, so follow me somewhere to keep up with the news. The winner will have one week from the time I announce them to get in touch to claim their prize, otherwise it will be redrawn.<br /><br />If you don't know why I'm giving away one of my favourite books each month, then the history of the contest is <a href="http://melscott.blogspot.com/2010/03/paying-it-forward-or-contest.html">here</a>.M.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06433360804494844639noreply@blogger.com0