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Thursday Thirteen: 13 Photos of Fabian Cancellara

29/3/2012

This week, I ran a bit late (again) in trying to get a Thursday Thirteen post up. Since I'm a tad pooped, I thought I'd do a quick photo post with a pretty simple theme. After all, I'm coming down to the wire with 27 Stages, and hope to have it wrapped up pretty soon.

So, in the meantime, I hope you'll be entertained with these

Thirteen Photos of Fabian Cancellara

Fabian training with his RadioShackNissanTrek teammates on the cobbles in Belgium.

After being hit by another rider while getting a flat tire changed in a feed zone during the E3 Harelbeke race last Friday.

Moments before stepping up to the second-place podium at Milan Sanremo.

Waving to the crowd at Milan Sanremo.

Goofing off at the Tour of Oman last February.

Off-the-cuff interview in Oman, 2012.

Racing to the finish in Qatar.

SSSssssmmmmoooooothhhhhhh.

Fabian gets a helpful push, post-repair, during the Strade Bianche race in Italy.

Crossing the finish in Siena, miles ahead of the others (literally).

Post-race, still covered in the white dust of the Strade Bianche.

Atop the podium.

My liege. My king. My Gracious Goodness Me!

Just, um... Yeah, nothing but gibberish when I try too hard with this one. *ahem*

Needless to say, these are inspiring my story quite well.

And just in case that wasn't enough eye candy for you (and I'll try to understand if it wasn't, really, I will!)

One last little tasty bit for y'all who appreciate that sort of thing:

I hope this suits ya!

Ciao for now!

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Featured Author and Book on Soooz Says Stuff!

28/3/2012

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I'm the featured writer on Soooz Says Stuff today. Leave a comment to enter to win a free ebook copy of Ask Me if I'm Happy!

Follow Soooz's blog to find more great writers, and to learn more about her own astoundingly good books, and be in the running to win not one but TWO books written by our host Soooz Burke under her pen name of Stacey Danson:"Empty Chairs" and "Faint Echoes of Laughter"

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Book Review: Dead Men by Richard Pierce

23/3/2012

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Dead Men by Richard Pierce

book jacket blurb:

"Birdie Bowers is a woman with a dead man s name. Her parents had been fascinated by Henry Birdie Bowers, one of Captain Scott s companions on his ill-fated polar expedition. A hundred years after the death of Bowers and Scott, she sets out to discover what really happened to them...

The discovery of Captain Scott s body in the Antarctic in November 1912 started a global obsession with him as a man and an explorer. But one mystery remains – why did he and his companions spend their last ten days in a tent only 11 miles from the safety of a depot that promised food and shelter?

Dead Men tells the story of two paths. One is a tragic journey of exploration on the world s coldest continent, the other charts a present-day relationship and the redemptive power of love."

***

I pre-ordered Dead Men back in February when Richard Pierce first shared news of the book's imminent release. Richard is a friend of mine since our Authonomy days, and I was thrilled that one of his books was finally going to be released. Needless to say, I looked forward to being able to sit back with my own copy of his Antarctic-set work and read it at my leisure at long last.

The only problem with reading something written by a friend is that it can be hard to separate the friendship from the reading itself. It's only natural – and human, I suspect – to give a bit of leeway to a writer you know personally. As a writer myself, it's a concern I have when my writer friends read and review my work, or when I in turn read and/or review theirs. I do my best to keep my reading objective and unbiased, and sometimes that's quite a struggle to do.

However, with Dead Men, this wasn't a problem at all. From the very first pages I was swept up into the story, and found myself moved to tears before I'd gotten through the first chapter.

The novel alternates between scenes from the past which detail events during Captain Scott's expedition in 1912 and the aftermath of its sobering end, and scenes set in the modern day which tell the story of a pair of seemingly mis-matched lovers who meet by chance on the London Underground.

The surest proof I was involved in the story (aside from my emotional reaction to how Pierce details the passing of the men at various points in the book) was the fact I wasn't sure how to feel about Birdie Bowers, the woman with the dead man's name. Her often careless and contrary – almost spiteful – nature bothered me at first. Perhaps this was because I'd already found myself identifying with Adam Caird and feared that this bothersome woman would hurt him in spite of his consuming devotion to her. His tender, sensitive nature made me afraid that no good end could possibly come from this pairing.

In time, I realized that Birdie – obsessed with understanding the circumstances in which her namesake perished alongside Captain Scott – was merely a reflection of that obsession. In fact, over the course of her life, she has come to resemble the land where he died – unpredictable, harsh and hauntingly beautiful, and utterly compelling for those same reasons.

Watching Adam change and grow through the story was also heartening. It's done subtly, not overtly, and with a natural grace, like all of Pierce's writing. Initially timid and introverted, the challenge of loving tempestuous Birdie – and understanding whether or not the effort is worth anything in the long run – forces him to make decisions which lead him to a greater inner strength. This becomes most clear when the pair make their own journey to Antarctica in search of the truth Birdie believes Scott's tent (now buried beneath 100 years of snow and ice) contains.

Pierce describes Antarctica itself in a beautifully detailed but not overwhelming way. He has travelled there himself and it shows. He is able to paint the landscape so the reader has the feeling of the stark beauty and the deceptive dimensions of the place. In fact, just about every setting is described with a precision and skill which places the reader there, in the moment, so when one closes this book after reading the final pages (and that oh-so-perfect final paragraph), one comes away with a sense of having been there.

There are elements of the story which lean toward the supernatural, but all of them are events which are subtle and believable. It's a fine balance which Pierce handles deftly; he never overdoes these moments, but instead conveys them in a powerfully understated manner which borders on being poetic.

If the reader is like me, they will also come away from this book with a sense of satisfaction and melancholy for a number of reasons. For me, my reasons included: having finished the book too soon; Birdie and Adam's final decisions; the appreciation of what those brave and foolhardy Dead Men did, not so very long ago, and why they did it; and then, finally, a sense of gratitude for Richard Pierce having shared this story with us.

I highly recommend this book.

Dead Men is available in paperback and ebook from Amazon.co.uk, for pre-order in hardcover and ebook from Amazon.com, and can be pre-ordered in hardcover through Amazon worldwide.

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"If You Love It, Write It" - on Book After Book

22/3/2012

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I just wanted to share that my monthly post on Book After Book is now up, as well. This month, I'm talking about writing what you love in If You Love It, Write It. I hope you'll read and share your thoughts with us there!

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Thursday Thirteen - Guest Post on Otherworld Diner

22/3/2012

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It's not here, but I do have a Thursday Thirteen this week.
Just hop on over to The Otherworld Diner today to learn
13 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know
About Professional Cycling.

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Thursday Thirteen: 13 Ways to Celebrate International Women's Day

8/3/2012

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Sometimes, the topics just sorta fall into your lap, don't they? Today's Thursday Thirteen coincides with International Women's Day and most of my readers (at present) are women, so I thought I'd share

Thirteen Ways to Celebrate
International Women's Day

1) Enjoy some mimosas - these flowers are the symbol of International Women's Day (at least they are in Italy).

2) If you're so inclined, you could enjoy the other mimosas, too.

One part champagne, one part orange juice (traditionally, anyway).

I wouldn't mind that myself, actually.

Hmmm...

3) Find a quiet place to get away from it all.

4) Or go a little crazy instead.

5) You could don the sombrero of festivity!

6) You could have a tasty coffee made to order.

7) You could have a nice dinner at home. (Yes, it's one pizza per person in Italy.)

8) You could get your "do" done.

(Yes, I know this picture is of my hubby and my hairdresser - but there are no photos of me getting my hair done.

That's my story and I'm stickin' with it.)

9) You could go to a concert.

10) Or, you could go to a different kind of show.

11) You could flake out on the sofa and have a nap.

12) You could curl up with a good book.

13) Or, perhaps, if you're not already registered, you could go out and register to vote.

And then you should vote in every election.

Regardless of your political affiliation, you can't deny the need for women to make their voices heard.

And then, after you've done all these things,

you can hop on the internet and come by my site again.

Because if there's one thing you know for sure, it's this:

I'm celebratin'!

What're *you* going to do, today?

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An Interview with Simon A Forward

6/3/2012

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An Interview with Simon A Forward!

I recently had the chance to chat with Simon A Forward - a talented Sci-Fi writer who has launched a series of books under the heading Evil UnLtd. I've had the pleasure of reading the first installment, The Root of All Evil, already, and I'm looking forward to enjoying part two, From Evil With Love.

So, let's jump right in and get to know Simon!

Let's start with something basic: When did you first start writing Sci-Fi?

Ooh, now let me see. I guess that would be when I was a kid of around seven or eight. With an imagination fuelled by Doctor Who, I was always scribbling away and filling up exercise books with my own tales of monsters and sci-fi adventure. To be fair, the stories probably weren’t great and I almost certainly needed an editor, but the writing bug was there. It was never enough to be a passive consumer of stories, I had to be making up my own.

What drew you to it?

In a word, thefreedomofexplorationandthevarietyandcolourand – okay, maybe I shouldn’t have attempted to answer that in one word. Early on in life, as well as things like Doctor Who and Space:1999 on the TV, there were the sf stories of Captain WE Johns (the man behind Biggles) and Harry Harrison selling me on the genre. Between them that’s a lot of vibrant colours and spaceships and gadgets, tough for an impressionable kid to resist. Plus as a middle child and the only boy in the family, I was something of a solitary youngster (feel free to awww sympathetically here) so probably welcomed the chance to range far beyond the confines of my ordinary bedroom. Later on in life I developed a taste for other forms of literary and cinematic escapism, of course, but as a budding writer at school the grades for my English essays were always accompanied by comments telling me off for continually writing science fiction and would it be too much to ask for me to write something else for a change. I think that’s what finally did it for me – it played to my stubborn, willful streak and I figured why settle for playing in the playground when you could design your own playgrounds.

Aside from your own work, who is/are your favorite writer(s), and do they influence your work in any way?

In sci-fi, people like Larry Niven and Alastair Reynolds. And Douglas Adams. Writers who managed to thoroughly immersed me in their universes. Steering over into fantasy, I love Ray Bradbury and Tanith Lee – no standard sword-and-sorcery-clone-of-the-rings style stuff for me – both of whom have a gift for lyrical prose that probably had a lot to do with beginning my romance with language. So many of the classics, I love – special mentions to George Elliot and Charlotte Bronte. Especially a lot of Russian literature appeals to my darker, more depressive side and my favourite book of all has to be Anna Karenina. No other book has moved me or absorbed me quite to the same extent. (Yet.) And all without the aid of spaceships. Variety is the spice of life, they say, and all of that goes into my brain, bakes at a high temperature for several decades and, I suppose, emerges as a number of different recipes of my own.

One of your first published works was Drift, a Doctor Who novel. How did that come about?

Drift was one of many book proposals I submitted to BBC Books as they were one of the few publishers (at that or any time!) who had an open door for submissions. Your chances of getting picked off the slush pile were remote, but I wasn’t about to let even the slimmest opportunity to write for Doctor Who pass me by. So I’d submit proposals – sample chapters plus synopsis – on a fairly frequent basis – it wasn’t like I had a shortage of ideas. Eventually, I was offered a short story commission in an anthology and it wasn’t too long afterwards that my idea for a (kind of) ghost story in the snows of a New Hampshire winter won over the range editor, Justin Richards. The idea itself was born in a matter of seconds, while watching the opening scenes of the movie Fargo. A car emerges into view out of a snowy landscape and it hit me, how it’s just as easy to hide something menacing in complete whiteness as it is in total darkness. It was that instant, that simple. I love it when ideas strike so suddenly, fully formed like that.

The phone call from the editor confirming that he liked it was the best moment of my life. During the waiting time, I hadn’t been lazy and I’d gone on to write half the book too, so this made completing it to deadline a good deal easier. At the time I also remember worrying that this might be my first and last published book, so I set out to write it as a proper novel, more than ‘just a Doctor Who book’. I’m not sure how successful I was in that respect, but I’d never been to New Hampshire and people who lived there wrote me and told me how well I’d captured the feel of the place in winter. That’s feedback I treasure to this day.

Why did you start the Evil Unltd series?

Ah, that was all because of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In fairness to the show, I never watched that many episodes. But I found it overwhelmingly dull. All those people boldly going around the universe being terribly nice to everyone and everything. Bound by their prime directive and high moral principles, resolving crises with their own bland blend of pseudoscience and diplomacy. Come on, I thought. How much more interesting would it be if a bunch of self-serving bad guys travelled the galaxy. Similarly to Drift, the idea hit head-on – bam! – like a ship at ramming speed and pretty soon I had my ensemble cast of characters profiled and clearly pictured in my head like a Usual Suspects line-up. That was years ago – 2004, maybe – and the series has evolved from then, but it was the incredible reception the sample chapters got on authonomy that eventually prompted me to publish it independently.

What other books have you written?

In terms of published works, I’ve written other Doctor Who books – a Russian literature-inspired novel, Emotional Chemistry, plus a novella, Shell Shock – and three novelizations for the BBC’s Merlin series.

And a number of other licensed fiction books for kids, albeit under pseudonyms, to which I occasionally own up. They’re okay in their way, I did a professional job on them but they’re developed by committee and I wrote them to pay the rent and that is so far removed from why I write. There are way better works sitting on my hard drive waiting to find a home.

Do you have ideas for works in other genres? Do you think you'll write in those genres?

As much as I love sci-fi, I always wanted a varied writing career – different genres, different media. I’ve written audio dramas for Doctor Who, so that answers the latter to some extent. Still need to write a screenplay at some point, I suppose. As to genres, I’ve always had my fingers in other pies – what can I say, I like pies. I’ve completed a number of other manuscripts, including some that had samples uploaded on authonomy – Kip Doodle was a kids’ fantasy adventure book, my second hit on authonomy. There was Tortenschloss, another fantasy, more in the sword and sorcery vein. And more recently a little something with vampires, but – hand on heart – with a generous splash of originality, a vital ingredient for me if I’m ever going to write anything. Ultimately, what I’d really like to be known for are different series in different genres for different age groups.

What are you working on at the moment?

For the next couple of months I’m juggling two projects – the main one is the first book in a YA) sci-fi series (non-comedy) which had to be put on hold last year. It’s about halfway finished, but the characters and their universe have been neglected for too long. At the same time I’m writing a little each day on Evil 3, just because the ideas are there and wanting out, so I kind of feel the need to keep up the momentum on that.

Aside from writing, what do you do with your day?

It’s true, you can’t write all the time. Well, you can, but the likelihood of churning out drivel increases exponentially I find. So I have to take breathers. Often my breaks end up being writing-related – plotting and scheming and so on. Even if it’s sitting and relaxing and dreaming a little. But I do quite a bit of that on my walks into my favourite café, where I do a lot of my writing. Which is why if you ever see me in the street and get the impression I’m in my own little world, I probably am. Outside of that, I love to read and play music nice and loud, or I might put on a movie and there are a number of TV shows I follow. Also, I am a glutton for certain video games. As a friend of mine put it recently, as a break from work it’s like reversing the polarity. The good ones are inevitably more immersive than a movie and to be honest it’s an industry that seems to be embracing originality and creativity more than the world of books right now. Artists, writers, developers, honestly I’m sometimes in awe of the talent at work there – never mind how much fun the games are.

Anyone familiar with your twitter stream at all knows one fact about you. What is it?

Possibly that I have a cat on my shoulder. Not all the time, you understand, but it’s surprisingly common as one or both of our cats do love to use me as a climbing platform.

Pepsi or Coke?

Coke. If you’ve ever tried to snort a line of Pepsi you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Beatles or Rolling Stones?

A tough one that, since I’m not overly smitten with either. My (older) sister used to play the Beatles a *lot* - too much – in her bedroom across the landing from mine. So much of my young teen life was spent attempting to shut them out. And the Stones, well, I like a few of their tracks but I wouldn’t call myself a fan. That said, I’d never throw them in glass houses.

A wise woman once said: Hips Don't Lie. Do you agree, or do you feel Hips Can Fib (at least on occasion)?

I absolutely agree with everything Shakira says. The unbridled honesty of that woman’s hips makes me weak at the knees. I remember one time my sister asked me a similar question and, slightly under the influence of alcohol, I quipped that her hips didn’t lie, they were just ‘perhaps a little too liberal with the truth.’ Her friends lined up to hit me for that. So all I can say for sure is that no matter how honest or duplicitous a person’s hips, my sense of humour can get me into trouble.

What do you think is the best opening line of a novel ever written?

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'

There’s a line in the first Evil book that echoes that:

'It was a monstrosity. It was perfect.'

But foolishly I didn’t put that at the beginning.

I'd like to thank Simon for taking the time to chat with me here at Fourth Person. Obscured. I'm sure the readers will be glad he did, too.

Simon's latest work is the Evil UnLtd series, now available on Amazon worldwide. Many of his Doctor Who projects are also available via Amazon.

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Thursday Thirteen: 13 Things Which Make Me Happy

1/3/2012

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Just a quick post as I find myself nearing the end of my first draft of my current WiP. Since that's something which is making me very happy (so near to the end - so near!!!), I thought I'd share a few more things which have made or are currently making me happy.

So please allow me to present:

Thirteen Things Which Make Me Happy

Image via National Geographic

Being able to see the planets with the naked eye. Why should seeing the planets make me happy? Because it's not often we're able to see them so clearly where I live.

I got to show them to my hubby last night, which he thought was totally cool. That made me happy.

Finding out I sold a few copies of my ebooks via Kobo in January (and only just found out) makes me pretty happy too. Then again, any sale of my books makes me pretty darned happy.

This music video makes me happy. From the opening bird calls to the ending with the granddad and child walking away in a dusting of snow, and most importantly - the new song these things frame - I'm a happy camper all the way through.

Happy Fabian Cancellara (pictured at one of the launches for his autobiography)? Yup - he makes me happy!

As for his trousers in this pic? I'm figuring it's a Swiss thing.

Fabian's tweets always make me happy, because Fabianese (his unique take on the English language) is a joy to behold!

She drives me crazy - to the point I want to strangle her, sometimes - but when she's being cute and cuddly and sweet... My Doodlebug makes me happy.

The video clip below makes me happy. The whole show does, actually. Then again, the fact my hubby and I recite this to each other roughly once a day is enough to keep me in a happy state of mind.

The Sherlock Holmes films make me happy.

For a number of reasons.

The snow made me happy. I miss it already - which doesn't make me happy.

But I'll remember it fondly, which does make me happy.

I'm very, very happy to see my critique partner's book is selling and getting lovely reviews.

Moments of unexpected silliness with my niece - especially when they feature my hubby? Yup, those make me happy!

I'm happy because the Strade Bianche road race is this weekend - the Classics season is kicking off! Woo-hooo!!!

Of course, the thing which has made me the happiest has been spending time with my hubby - especially on Tuesday night, as we celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary.

So there you go: Thirteen Things Which Make Me Happy!

I hope some of them might have made you happy, too.

I'm sure you've all got things which cheer you up on a bad day, or which brighten an already pleasant one.

And in that spirit, I offer you this:

Look how happy he is!

Ciao for now!

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Thursday Thirteen: 13 Photos of Fabian Cancellara

Thirteen Photos of Fabian Cancellara

Featured Author and Book on Soooz Says Stuff!

Book Review: Dead Men by Richard Pierce

"If You Love It, Write It" - on Book After Book

Thursday Thirteen - Guest Post on Otherworld Diner

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Ways to Celebrate International Women's Day

Thirteen Ways to Celebrate
International Women's Day

An Interview with Simon A Forward

An Interview with Simon A Forward!

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Things Which Make Me Happy

Thirteen Things Which Make Me Happy

Kimberly Menozzi

Please note: Thanks to an increase in spam comments, I'll be approving the comments before they post. Sorry!

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Thirteen Photos of Fabian Cancellara

Thirteen Ways to Celebrate International Women's Day

An Interview with Simon A Forward!

Thirteen Things Which Make Me Happy

Kimberly Menozzi

Please note: Thanks to an increase in spam comments, I'll be approving the comments before they post. Sorry!

Archives

Categories

Thirteen Ways to Celebrate
International Women's Day