Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #2

11 Favourite Writing Blogs Of 2011

Image from: syd delicious

These are just some of the many blogs that I follow and love. I say 'writing blogs' because all of these people are writers in their own ways, whether they be blogging, reviewing or writing their own novels. They're all lovely and talented and deserve lots of love so check them out!

Laura Jane Cassidy (Author, writing, life and all sorts)

Writing from the Tub (Writer and reviewer)

Page Turners (Reviews)

The Crooked Shelf (Reviews)

Writer Unboxed (Writing)

Mostly Reading YA (who I review for)

Inkygirl (Writing)

Ravenous Reader (Reviews)

Wonderous Reads (Reviews)

Charade (Life, advice, fashion and everything inbetween)

Nose in a Book (Reviews and active promotion of book love)

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #1

12 Writers I Read For The First Time In 2011

Image from: m for marvellous

Kai Meyer

N.M. Browne

Marcus Sedgwick

Adam Gidwitz

Michelle Paver

Geraldine McCaughrean 

Gill Lewis

Susan Pfeffer

Cynthia Hand

Vladimir Nabokov

Sally Nichols

Jenny Downham

Twelve Days of Christmas

In the run up to Christmas I thought it would be nice to do something fun! Rather than the usual updates you can look forward to the following:

13th December: 

12 Writers I Read For The First Time in 2011

14th December: 

11 Favourite Writing Blogs Of 2011

15th December: 

10 Authors I Saw In 2011

16th December: 

9 Personal Achievements Of 2011

17th December: 

8 Favourite Books Of 2011

18th December:

7 Favourite Covers Of 2011

19th December: 

6 Favourite Characters Of 2011

20th December: 

5 Events I Attended In 2011

21st December:

4 Books I Can't Believe I Still Haven't Read!

22nd December: 

3 Sequels I Can't Wait For In 2012

23rd December: 

2 Novels I Wrote In 2011

24th December: 

My Book Of The Year!

25th December Bonus

Listen To This: E.S. Posthumus

E.S. Posthumus - Nara

I love E.S. Posthumus, their music is epic and is fantastic to write too. They formed in 2000 and without a PR machine their debut album 'Unearthed' was released and found an audience, so they really are an internet success story. Their songs are now heard in film, television and radio throughout the world. 

Sunday Catch Up

This time next week some of my family (Mum, Dad, niece and nephews) will be down to watch the pantomime at the theatre that my fiancé works at. So I'm looking forward to that!

Brave, the rat, has improved a lot the last few days and can now stand on her back legs again! It's only a few seconds because she's still very unbalanced but it's fantastic to see, she's also chewing things again so we don't need to soften her food for her any more. She's generally more active and running about on the floor too, I got one of her sisters out to play with her and they were fine together which was nice to see.

I haven't started editing yet, but I plan to some time this week. I want to get it done before the New Year so I can send it out then. So in preparation I have made myself a little office area in our bedroom.

It needs more posters and a notice board but otherwise it's lovely! I have a printer set up as well now, it's just a little HP one that folds up like a log. I've had it for about 4 years and it's still going strong, except for the occasional hiccup where it eats my printed work if I don't retrieve it fast enough.

I also dyed my hair back to the red it was about 2 years ago.

I also found my Christmas earrings! We are putting up out Christmas decorations tomorrow! Most people I know already have them up but we decided to hold off a bit longer.

Something For The Weekend

Something to read:

Poetry lovers will love this and also my friend Julie here.

How do you stay optimistic?

Something to wear:

Forever21 are having a great little sale at the moment so definitely check it out! Here's a few of my favourites:

Leopard Print

Sweet Bunny

Skinnies

Suedette Ankle Boots

Velveteen Floral

Something to watch:
Sugar Rush

I started re-watching Sugar Rush for the hundredth time the other day because I was dying my hair and wanted something to watch while I waited for it to develop. I first watched Sugar Rush back in 2007, it was first shown on TV in 2005 but I missed it because in my house my parents controlled the TV most of the time and this is not family viewing.

I love Sugar Rush, it has a lot of bits I don't like about it though. I find the characters difficult to love because they're all so flawed but at the same time that makes me love the show. No one is perfect. Everyone is screwed up in one way or another, like real people. This isn't just about what it is like to be a lesbian, although that is a big part of it as the main character Kim comes to terms with and explores her sexuality. This is a series about relationships. Be they between parents, siblings, children and their parents, friends or lovers, and all the drama and heartache that can come along with that.

I think part of what I love about Sugar Rush is how I can relate to it, and I think that most people can regardless of their sexuality. Most of us have had parents who argue, some of us may have had parents who had affairs or split up, many of us will have friends who love to sleep around, and all of us will have been hurt by someone we care about. Some of us may also have been screwed around and found ourselves sobbing, out of our heads, on a beach because we're so broken hearted. But at the same time Sugar Rush is fun and at times very frivolous and a little surreal, giving you a refreshing break from some of the more serious undertones.

We've all been teenagers, trying to navigate our way around the pitfalls that can be friendships and relationships, and Sugar Rush is great at portraying those troubles realistically and at times quite tenderly.

Feature Friday: Tea

I decided to change what I write about on a Friday and this week we are talking about tea.

Imagine from Charbrew

I adore this tea, but sadly I can't find any around where I live. I have normal strawberry tea but it's just not the same. I could drink this all day every day.

Like most creative types or anyone who works in an office or any good British person, I love tea. I come from a family where the day starts and ends with a cup of tea and you are served a good dozen other cups of the stuff throughout the day. So yeah, we love tea. My fiancé isn't fussed on it *gasp* but it's okay, his other good traits make up for that. Just.

Aside from my normal tea (Yorkshire Tea) I love drinking fruit teas and green tea. My favourite green tea is Matcha:

Image from: Sleep Warrior

Which is a delicious powdered green tea, in Japan it also gets used in desserts, cookies and such too. I really want to try matcha macaroons! Two things I love united in deliciousness. It's also very good for you, but not cheap.

You can also get Matcha Kitkats!

Image from: Jonas Approved

What's your favourite drink to accompany you while you write, read or generally sit and mull things over?