Storybook Perfect

Always quirky, sometimes sweet speculative fiction

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Screaming Woman Bird

November 18, 2012 / / 5 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of work late at night recently. Once TJ is in bed the TV is off so the house is quiet. That means I get to write to the sound of the screaming woman birds down by the creek.

If you have never lived in the right part of Australia you have never heard the call of the Bush Stone-Curlew. It doesn’t take much imagination to turn the bird’s cry into a woman’s scream.

The first time I heard one I was in my teens at my best friend’s house. Her property backed onto a swamp. While camping I heard a shriek and my friend laughed at my panic, telling me it was just a screaming woman bird. I honestly believed that was its legitimate name until I moved into my current house and heard the call again.

With a good ear you can distinguish the bush stone-curlew from a woman in distress, but at midnight when that haunting cry wafts through your window from the bush beyond your backyard you can’t help but wonder…

Fun With QR Codes

November 14, 2012 / / 5 Comments

A very cool QR code on a billboard in Tokyo

Now this is cool. What a great idea.

Reader Engagement With Transmedia (How To Use QR Codes)

For those too lazy to read the linked article I’ll summarise, QR Codes can be used in e-books to enhance reader interaction, linking to soundtrack music, additional information and more.

I’m quite in love with my QR code I made for this site, and you’ve probably seen that I included it in my business card. How fun would it be to do something like offer bookmarks at a book signing with a QR code on the bottom which leads to an exclusive site (which you only reach with the code) containing extra content for the book, like a short story, alternate covers, initial character sketches (if you’re arty) or other stuff that might intrigue. If word got out about these book marks at your signings perhaps more people would come, meaning more face time with readers and more people in local book stores (lifts up sign ‘save the book stores’ and waves it around).

If you like that idea you can run with it, I’m happy to share, but I’d love if anyone asks where you got the idea from if you’d link them back to me.

I’ve been obsessed with QR codes since I went to Japan just over two years ago. Even back then QR codes were on EVERYTHING! They were on the massive billboard on Shibuya 109, they were on a1 posters around train stations, on little advertisements on vending machines, even on the tissue packs the cute promo girls give you out the front of train stations(you’ll never run out of tissues in Tokyo!). I was curious what they were and excited when I learned more. Sadly I didn’t have a smart phone back then, but I have since and trust me it gets a workout.

The thought of playing with QR codes like this really excites me, and the ideas are coming at me at a mile a minute. I hope I can get them all down… and eventually get back to my NaNo novel.

Brisbane Supanova 2012

November 12, 2012 / / 2 Comments

Xander knows no fear

I didn’t write a word yesterday. No blog posts, no comments on blogs, no emails, and definitely no work on my novel. For shame! And why? Well, between work and then rushing home to pack up the family and get us to Supanova I didn’t have the time.

You probably remember my last post lamenting being unable to attend, well T-J’s wonderful aunt Trish heard we were both upset about not attending so offered to cover our entry fee.

We were so happy to go, but the real challenge would be not resorting to credit cards to buy a stack of loot. Miraculously we resisted. We had a lot of fun, even when T-J was stuck in line waiting for the signatures from the Futurama voice actors Xander and I had plenty of fun checking out a life size Dalek and a Tardis and dancing to the Rockband promo songs at closing time.

They changed the buildings within the RNA Showgrounds they were using, which gave them more space (or at least the illusion thereof) but also caused a little confusion. On the map they provide at the door they needed to label the specific buildings a little clearer in my opinion, but we figured it out quick enough. I saw some old friends that I only ever seem to catch up with during Supanova (hi Jazz and Sly)and my ‘my little Ponyta’ shirt seemed to be a hit(everyone loves a good mash-up).

I’m not certain if it was the later time or the extra space of the buildings, but we had a lot less trouble navigating the pram around. As always there was so much loot I wanted, but limited finances kept my cool Wonder Woman bag empty. Of course the cosplayers were magnificent, my favourites being the 60s TV version Batman, Robin and Batgirl and the original series cylon.

I miss volunteering for the convention, but I really love attending with my family.

Xander had a blast, and mummy and daddy had a good time too – without resorting to credit cards (of dooooooooom).

Geek Out With Your Freak Out – Brisbane Supanova 2012

November 10, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Supanova is on this weekend in Brisbane and for the very first time since the convention came to Queensland I am not attending. 🙁

Stupid lack of finances. I hope everyone else has a lot of fun and shares their photos, videos and stories with me. I’ll be super jealous, but it might cheer me up somewhat.

On the plus side, I hit the 30,000 word mark in my NaNoWriMo project last night – woohoo! I never realised I could write this fast. Because I forgot to update my word count on the right days the last few times my word count graph looks a little odd, but who cares. I’ve been forgetting the bestiary with my updates here, but does anyone care?

Please link me to pictures and stories of this Supanova!

Halo 4 Launches & My Word Count Skyrockets

November 7, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Don’t bring me down Boromir

Halo 4 launched yesterday, so I spent the whole day working. Yep, got to the store a 7:30 for an 8am open and then was roped into closing because no one else could, so didn’t leave the store til after 5:30pm. My feet were killing me. On the other hand my lunch break was super productive and somehow, during that crazy day yesterday, I managed to pass the 20,000 word milestone in my NaNoWriMo novel. I can’t help but feel stoked about that.

That’s right, Boromir, one does not simply write 20,000 words in the first six days of NaNoWriMo. Indeed no, one busts their ass to write 20,000 words in the first six days. They take every tiny scrap of opportunity they can, they ignore the housework most days, delegate the cooking to their poor neglected husband and even type one handed while cuddling their toddler son to sleep.

How far would you go to prove you can do it? Not necessarily writing, but any great goal or dream you have.

Embarrassment

November 3, 2012 / / 4 Comments

When I made my word count calendar available I’d made a mistake in one of the formulas. I’ve fixed it now and also made it into an .xls file, not an .xlsx which only works in newer copies of Office. I’ve updated the file on the original post, or you can just download it from here.

At the time of posting this I’ve written 5229 words for the day (10,481 words in total). I know, holy wow! Three days in and I’m one fifth done, fingers crossed I can keep this pace.

As for the bestiary, only one addition:

Peglings: Smaller than a cow but bigger than a sheep, peglings are mostly piggish in appearance, but are covered with a sheep-like wool. They have a boar’s tusks and a club tail (like anklyosaurs) for defence, but are a generally passive beast, happy to be herded, though the herder needs to be known to the group, or at least accompanied by someone familiar (herding dogs count in the herd’s opinion).

With their extra defences it is harder to kill the beasts for meat; generally they are shorn for their wool. If one wants to eat pegling meat the chosen beast must be herded into a different shed for sleep and either drugged via water with anissimon juice(strong sedative with pleasant taste) or bespelled then taken care of. The killer MUST wash and clean themselves thoroughly so the peglings cannot smell the blood on them or they may attack out of fear for their own lives (or perhaps in vengeance, it is disputed as to the intelligence of peglings).

Well, back to work, I’m sure I can tap out a few more words before bedtime.

The Bestiary Begins

November 2, 2012 / / 0 Comments

The first day of NaNoWriMo was super productive for me. I wrote 4,000 words in the novel and an extra hundred into the bestiary. Today was not quite so good, I was at work all day and forgot to bring my computer along. There’s still a bit more night, I hope to pound out a thousand at least.

To liven up my word count updates I thought I would welcome you all into my novel’s world a little. The story is set in a semi-medieval world rife with bizarre beasts, some cute, some dangerous. So as we meet new creatures I thought I’d post them here in a bestiary for people to read along with my word count, more fun right? I hope to have a chance to sketch a few even.

So what new beasties did we meet these first two days?

Fair-haired Volements: Also available as spotted and shaded volements.

A rabbit like creature in face and body, no ears and a small cat-like tail. Sharp claws that retract like a cat’s and broad flat teeth like a horse’s for the consumption of grass, twigs and bark.

Ridged Herrback: Also can be found in hairy ridged and smooth.

Bi-pedal, dangerous and carnivorous. Human eater. As tall on back legs as a mounted man. Hunch backed, dull tan leathery hide (fur covered in ‘hairy’ breed). Four eyes, two a side. Large ridged brow (smooth in smooth variety), large mouth with sharp fangs. Large claws on hands, smaller on feet. Territorial. Blood is muddy brown in colour. Thick neck to hold its massive head up.

 

So a cutie and a man eater. Sadly you have to have the cuties so the man-eaters exist in numbers large enough to be seen, but without being a threat to all mankind.

Oh, and if you’re looking for an excerpt check out he snippet I uploaded to my NaNoWriMo page.

One Day To NaNoWriMo

October 31, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Happy Halloween too! From the Black Canary.

Oh, and it’s Halloween today too, so Happy Halloween all! I love dressing up and cosplay, but sadly have not made a costume this year, so I’ll reminisce about when I could pull off the Black Canary’s sexy outfit. All I have is blurry phone shots though.

With one day to go til NaNoWriMo I thought I should update you as to where I am on the NaNoWriMo checklist I put up when it was ten days to go.

1/ Finish my final read through of the altered Storybook Perfect so I can be submitting it while I work.  Done! Though the first agent I want to submit to likes a one page (longer)synopsis and my longer synopsis is two, so I’ve been tinkering with it and am almost happy enough with it to send it off.

2/ Pick my story. Certainly have done this! I was decided before I posted it actually.

3/ Set up plot outline in Scrivener. Yes indeed, if the plan is perfect (which it probably isn’t) it should be around 19 chapters.

4/ Set daily word count goals. Did it and even was so generous as to share it. The calendar is fairly simple, just a basic Excel spreadsheet, but if you’d like to use it go to this post for the link.

5/ Pre-prep a few blog posts as back up for when I’m just too busy. I’ve got a few back-ups and also a great idea to make word count posts a little more interesting. This story involves a LOT of dangerous animals, so I’ll post a mini bestiary of all the creatures met since the last word count post – does that sound like fun?

6/ Complete my other submissions for various journals and competitions since a few are due in November and early December. I’ve done one, but have one more to complete, but there are still a few more hours until bedtime.

So yay and phew, I’ve done the whole list. Now it’s just a waiting game…

I can’t wait to get started!

Gold Coast Writer’s Festival 2012

October 28, 2012 / / 2 Comments

As you probably already know I attended the Gold Coast Writer’s Festival the last two days (Friday and Saturday).  Since the first writer’s festival I attended (Brisbane’s) I only went to one seminar I didn’t have the chance to really get a taste for them, so I was determined to bite off more this time around.

Friday was quite interesting seminar-wise. The self-editing for fiction writers with Louise Cusack was amazing. I took so many notes and while a few things were already known to me there were points I had never actively considered. She also managed to explain some of the bigger concepts in ways that made them feel much more manageable. I’m definitely planning to look into her manuscript assessment services. (No she did not pay me to say that!) At one point during the lecture she said the word ‘squee’, so the nerd in me instantly bonded with her ;p Louise also made a statement witch is marvellous and oh-so true: “If your book is well written enough then no one will care if it is on paper or in e-reader.”

The only downside on the Friday was my inability to connect with other authors attending. I couldn’t seem to easily join in any conversations. I did make a few attempts with the women sitting next to me, but they seemed uninterested in replying to my questions. There were a few guys I wouldn’t minded chatting with but I have difficulty approaching men my age when I’m not in a group. Why? Because I worry they may think I’m trying to pick them up. It sounds silly I know. If there’s a decent age gap, or if I or the guys are in a group I have no qualms. Is that arrogant or paranoid?

Saturday was much better in regards to making connections. While buying some of Rowena Cory Daniells’ books (for a bargain price!) I ended up talking to her (somehow failing to realise who she was at first) and she introduced me to a guy considering joining the writer’s group I’m a member of. We had a fabulous chat and he introduced me to another guy who had some amazing cover art for his books – seriously fabulous, all I’ve been thinking about since is how I might layout the covers for Storybook Perfect and its sequels. I enjoyed another chat with Rowena and Anita Bell later in the day too.

The seminars were very informative. I learned about ‘Writers’ Web’, a website for Australian emerging authors that I will definitely join as a reviewer and if I do go down the indie path also as an author. The fantasy and sci-fi panel was great fun. I wish I could have attended even more, but I was walking between the community centre and the shops where Xander and T-J were hanging out waiting for me.

All-in-all, two very entertaining and inspiring days.

Xander and my business card

Too Many Topics For A Title

October 24, 2012 / / 3 Comments

I don’t usually blog about multiple topics in one post, but today I’ll make an exception.

Wahoo! I finally finished Storybook Perfect (again). In case you were unfamiliar with why I mention the ‘again’, I had finished Storybook Perfect, the first in a trilogy, but when I compared its 175,000 word count to my estimated 120,000 word count for the following two books I didn’t like the discrepancy and decided to turn the trilogy into a quartet. You can read more here.

So, finally re-written, revised, edited and formatted. Now onto fixing my paragraph and 2 page synopsis (no need to change the one sentence fortunately). Then to start submissions again. Is it sad that I’m excited by that?

So that’s one thing ticked off on my NaNoWriMo prep list.

Word Count Calendar

I’ve also set up a little excel spread-sheet with my word count goals. It only took me a few minutes to make the spread-sheet, though I am laughing at myself for forgetting how to make sums in Excel (a minute of thought reminded me I need to preface the word ‘SUM’ with an equals symbol). It has been three or four years since I built a spread-sheet from the ground up.

Being the generous person I am (Toot toot! Hear me tooting my own horn?) I thought I’d share it for anyone who wants to save themselves the 10 or so minutes it would take them to make it. You just click this link.

My parents read my post about winning the Nature’s Cuppa tea pack. They are currently doing the grey nomad thing around Australia (not sure what a grey nomad is? Here you go.) and asked me to save some of the chai tea bags for them. That reminded me I probably should try some of the other flavours (I was so in love with the chai I didn’t even open the other packs yet).

The earl grey is delicious. The aroma relaxes you immediately and the flavour matches the aroma to a ‘t’ (pun or not? Your choice). The chai’s scent is a lot more peppery than the flavour (other spices level out the taste nicely) hence why I mention how well the smell matches the taste in regards to the earl grey. Who knows, give me a week and I might have tried another flavour ;p

My business cards arrived too. I was going to post about it yesterday, but doctor’s appointments, broken down cars (resulting in having to drive T-J to and from work), and Xander’s refusal to leave the park even after an hour and a half (I tried the good old ‘bye-bye Xander’ and walk away trick, but he just waved to me and kept on playing. You’re too young to see through mummy’s ruse yet Xander!) meant my day was a little too full for blogging.

A shot of my business card

So here’s my card! I used a small strip of the website background to add a little colour, and I’ve been obsessed with the QR code for months. What do you think?

Lastly, I’m looking forward to going to the Gold Coast Writer’s Festival, I’ll be attending on Friday and Saturday. I’ll let you all know how it goes. I hope someone asks for my business card 😀

Well, that wraps up my crazy multi-topic post. Do you think my word count goal spread sheet could be useful for other stuff too? What do you think of the business card (try out the QR code!)? Keep your fingers crossed for me and the submissions please.

 

I won the Nature’s Cuppa prize pack but am under no obligation to comment/blog about the tea. All opinions are my own and not paid for.

Xander and my business card

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