A to Z book survey

I saw The Perpetual Page-Turner's book survey on On The Shelf so decided to give it a go myself! I hope you guys join in too - being a writer I love to know the kind of books my followers read :-)

Also I have a Goodreads account - let's be friends there too!

Author you’ve read the most books from:

 

Haha this shows my age! R. L. Stine, who wrote amongst other things the Goosebumps series.

 

Best Sequel Ever:

 

Phantom by Susan Kay which is theoretically the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. I remember crying as I read the end.

Currently Reading:

 

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

 

Cranberry and raspberry juice. I live off it.

E-reader or Physical Book?

 

Physical! I like touching and smelling the pages :D

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

 

Back in secondary school I was madly in love with Anne Rice's vampire Armand (and maybe even more so Marius). Out of teenage characters I imagine I would have been horribly in love with Rafael from Alisa Kwitney and Joëlle Jones' Token and Utena from Chiho Saito and Be-PaPas' Revolutionary Girl Utena series. These days it's obviously The Riddler XD

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

 

kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich

Hidden Gem Book:

 

Café Nervosa: The Connoisseurs Cookbook by Julie Fisher - café style recipes and excerpts of Frasier scripts all in one book! Heaven!

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

 

Wanting to be all grown-up and read one of the old books in my mum's bookshelf only for it to be Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. It provided me with a role model and a whole new level of imagination to culture.

Just Finished:

 

Well the last book I 'finished' was The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs however by 'finished' I mean got to the end of chapter two before deciding I really didn't enjoy a page of it and didn't want to inflict a single word more of it on myself.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

 

I have an instant desire to run the other way from chick lit romance books however I appreciate that to some people (like my mum) they are great and if a book encourages a person to read who otherwise wouldn't then I'm more than happy for it to exist in the world! I also refuse to read anything which was once fanfiction and is now an 'original fiction' such as Fifty Shades of Grey and The Mortal Instruments series. I very much enjoy fanfiction but I think it is both a huge disservice to the original author and your readers if you take a fanfiction and change the names then call everything about it your own. If you are a good writer you should be able to come up with your own characters and scenarios with no problem.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

 

Ulysses by James Joyce.

Major book hangover because of:

 

Wet Moon by Ross Campbell - it feels like such a cool place to live - alternative heaven! Volume seven can't come soon enough (if it comes at all)!

Number of Bookcases You Own:

 

Four in my office and two downstairs.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

 

Alice Through the Looking-Glass never gets old for me.

Preferred Place To Read:

 

In the bath. It has got to the point that I can only read Wet Moon books in the bath. Weirdly I can also only read Neverwhere in London...which is why it's taking me so long to finish it!

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

 

Grammar Nazi time...the correct word is quotation - easy way to remember it is "I quote a quotation" *hides* 

"We are great writers on the same dreadful typewriter" - Alan Ginsberg, Howl (part III) 

The moment I read that line it stuck with me. It spoke to me so much about that indestructible friendship that forms when you meet someone who has suffered as much as you have and has survived. Just being with someone who has survived makes you want to keep on surviving.

Reading Regret:

 

Can I say spending good money on The Soft Machine? Actually a bigger regret is that I buy books faster than I am able to read them.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

 

The Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor. The Looking Glass Wars is by no means my favourite book however I feel I owe it to myself as such a big Alice fan to read the whole series and then maybe even the Hatter M graphic novels.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

 

Oh no! Choices! Erm....Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, Wet Moon by Ross Campbell and Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

 

BATMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In particularl Paul Dini's various forays into Batman. He writes characters that are so often reduced to stereotypes (aka villains and females) with amazing depth and humanity. I absolutely applaud his numerous attempts at creating more female characters who actually are characters rather than arm candy for Bruce Wayne and eye candy for the male readers.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

 

Oh gosh I don't know! I'm not very informed with new releases, I usually get tempted in by good reviews, pretty covers and recommendations.

Worst Bookish Habit:

 

I'm not sure how bad this is really but I'm a terribly slow reader. I can't skim read. I like every word to really sink so that the book becomes a memory rather than just a stack of paper. I guess also I get horribly freaked out when I lend someone a book and it comes back to me with the tiniest scuff or bend. It's my OCD.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

 

I tell no lie - on the first bookshelf it was Impossible Spaces. On the other shelves in my study it is: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Walt Disney's Peter Pan and a 2002 Digimon Annual........

Your latest book purchase:

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

 

Hehe probably browsing the erotica samples on the iBooks store.

Videos to escape to on a sick day

Hi guys, I'm ill at the moment. If you're ill too (or just bored or curious) please enjoy these videos. 

These Calender of Tales videos come from the BlackBerry10 Keep Moving Neil Gaiman project. Please visit the website to watch all the other videos, look at all the art and read / listen to all the stories <3

April Tale



May Tale



July Tale



September Tale



October Tale



80s Video Dating Montage (reblogged from Rose + the wolf).

I know I'm supposed to find this funny (and I did laugh) but I also found it tragically beautiful. I wonder what kind of relationships they're all in now?



Courtney Stodden's Tweets Read by Janvier



Dirty Girls (a short documentary from 1996)



Amanda Palmer's 'The Art of Asking' TED video



Have a lovely day and if you are ill too, get well soon :-)

I Thought You Left Me Alone - July Tale Illustration

Eep! Double post! But for good reason!

This is my illustration for the July Tale which is part of BlackBerry's Keep Moving Neil Gaiman calendar.

No books were harmed in the making of this picture! (I don't believe in using books as art / craft.) To create the look of book pages I took the words from the original story and formatted them to look like book pages.

I think this would make a really swell desktop wallpaper! If you click on it you'll be taken to a bigger picture you can download. Let me know if you do so that I can feel smug!

Archangels in the National Gallery

Yesterday I went on a research trip to the British Museum to see if I could get some inspiration for the treatment I am writing about angels however I discovered out of everything they have (and they have a lot of weird and exciting stuff) they only had two pieces (one the size of a penny) featuring named archangels. So I trudged across London and tried my luck at the National Gallery (in particular the Sainsbury Wing) and...bingo! I know the Sainsbury Wing is not everybody's cup of tea, being a gallery of Christian iconography (I watched a few people realise where they were and turn around) however if you go with an open-mind, I promise you will find something you will enjoy for its artistic value, just as much as you would in the rest of the gallery. Of course if you can't possibly bear the idea of looking at religious art the main gallery has many depictions of un-named angels and cute little baby cherubs (which though probably very adorable are nothing like how cherubs are supposed to look).

So here are my favourite images of Archangels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael from London's National Gallery (NB, these are my favourites from the gallery but not necessarily my all time favourites):

Archangel Gabriel

The Annunciation by Fra Filippo Lippi

What I like most about this painting is the way the poses, though different, mirror each other giving a sense balance and serenity. The mirroring of the bowed heads also suggests that both Gabriel and Mary have respect for each other and are of equal importance and status. Finally I like the depiction of Gabriel. He is not some cute, defenceless child, he is a handsome, strapping young man. With his peacock feather wings and embellished clothing he could be proud however he is humble and earnest to those who show respect to him - who could ask for more from possibly the most famous of Archangels?

Archangel Raphael

Tobias and the Angel by Andrea del Verrocchio

Though Tobias is really only in the painting so that we know this is Raphael rather than any everyday angel he adds so much to the pose. The pair stride merrily down the path and are deep in conversation - Raphael is a good travelling partner. As with Gabriel Raphael's clothing is anything but plain suggesting that he is not only someone special but a creature of beauty. His wings are those of a swallow's, a bird representing safe journeys and victories, highlighting Raphael's victories over the two demons who wish to waylay Tobias' journey whilst with him.

Archangel Michael

It was images of Michael depicted in the following manner (rather than in a white dress) that made me want to write my own series about angels - there is so much more to angels than placid messengers.

Saint Michael Triumphant over the Devil by Bartoleme Bermejo

Introducing Michael the warrior angel! Could he look any more ready for action with his arm raised, about to slay the devil and his cape billowing behind him? With such detailed creases I feel like I can actually hear his cape ruffling in the wind. And could he look any more regal with his embellished red cape and golden armour? Michael is not just any old angel - he is power, he is might...he battled an enormous army and saved the whole of Heaven and Earth.

Archangel Michael by Carlo Crivelli

Once again Michael looks resplendent in his embellished armour and devil slaying pose. What I particularly like about this version is his expression. Unlike Bermejo's serene depiction this Michael means business which is emphasised by the humans looking up for mercy from his scales and the lions on his leg armour. This angel is no simple messenger or choir boy - he is above all things a warrior.

If you are interested in the other images of angels at the National Gallery you can buy a book called 'A Closer Look: Angels' by Erika Langmuir.

If you are interested in depictions of angels in roles other than messengers (and can't wait for my version) then I recommend the film Dogma and the short story Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman (later adapted into a radio play and graphic novel).

Trust Neil, He's a Doctor

I was told on Friday that I'm a great writer but my writing is too weird to ever be popular and make up the cost of producing it. I was very sad - I think it would be much easier to be told, "you're a crap writer, get a real job". I was going to write to Neil Gaiman to ask advice on how to carry on when someone tells you this but first watched his University of the Arts Commencement Address. I cried. It told me everything I needed to hear. I will still write to him, but now to thank him.

If you have been told your writing is too strange please listen to Neil, a man who has made his career writing strange things.

ENO Mini Opera Submission

Edit: I used Neil Gaiman's 'The Sweeper of Dreams' as a starting-off point for this piece of writing (which turned out to be wrong as they were looking for adaptations not original fiction). Though I failed at the brief I still really like the concept behind this. I'm going to take out the references to 'The Sweeper of Dreams' and rewrite this as a proper short story. I'll keep this up so that you can laugh at my horrible attempt that lyric writing though!

SWEEP ME AWAY

BASED ON NEIL GAIMAN'S 'THE SWEEPER OF DREAMS'

A businessman climbs over the rail of a bridge. He is sweaty and panicked. The sound of water washes below him.

Man
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me -

A young girl comes up to him, curious.

Girl
What are you doing?

Man
Uh! 

He is startled and wobbles.

Girl
Careful, silly!

She pulls him to his balance and laughs.

Girl
You’re standing on the wrong side.

Man
Do you know the power that dreams hide?

Girl
Um…

Man
Dreams.
Dreams,
Scientifically put,
Are the mind processing events of the day:
Emotions,
Feelings,
Sights,
Notions –
Rapid eye movement -

Girl
Your eyes are moving rapidly.

Man
Some say that dreams are your mind
Giving sight to what was blind.
Some say that dreams are memories –
Memories of things you’d rather forget.
Or things that haven’t happened yet.

Girl
You know a lot about dreams.

Man
Not happily.
Do you know the Sweeper of Dreams?

Girl
No…

Man
I’ve met him.

Girl
In a dream?

Man
Between dreams.
When I was a young man.
A cocky man.
I saw him there –
In the gap between light and gloom:
A strange, humped, little man
With a cap and coat and broom,
His sleeves rolled up,
The head of a dragon tattoo
Peeping out from his left arm,
Its tail curled around the right.
He listened to a radio:
A heavy weight contender fight.
I found him hilarious.
I told him so.
Silently
He rolled down each sleeve,
Picked up his radio
And made to leave.

Girl
…And?

Man
He has never come again.
Every dream that I have ever had,
Every fantasy good
Every nightmare bad,
Has remained with me,
Building up and up
Like trash in the street,
Like trash at a dump!

He prepares to jump.

Man
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me…!

Girl
But wait!

He pauses.

Girl
You’re awake.
Dreams can’t hurt you when
You’re awake.

Man
No!
The dreams follow me
From dusk to dawn
To dusk again!
Creeping
And stalking,
Building at my feet
Like stray dogs after a bitch in heat.
Wherever I go,
Whatever I do.

Girl
I should like to have a dream come true.

Man
Oh yes –
The good dreams –
The beautiful women,
Endless wealth,
The food of gods,
My boss’ bad health –
Those dreams I could live with –
But –
The falls that feel like bottomless pits,
Leeches that bite the eyes and the hips,
Feeling lost and alone and in constant pain,
My father…my father…alive again…

Girl
Your father is a nightmare?

Man
He drank.
He didn’t care.
The words he would use,
The words he would pelt -
Loving abuse -
Stung worse than his belt.
Over and over and over.
I would cower.
I would beg.
I would rather dream of scorpions.
Scorpions would sting less.
Every time I think of him.
No one can see
But there he is –
Beating me.

He rolls up his sleeves to show her where his dream father has hit him.

Man
Scorpions would sting less.
Forgive me father.
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me.
One day I made a fool-proof plan
So brilliant it made me weep:
I would not dream if I could not sleep.
I took stimulants:
Caffeine,
Nicotine,
Amphetamine,
Ampakine,
Cocaine,
MDNA,
Modafinil,
Every drug,
Every pill.
But you cannot cheat sleep forever
And I fell asleep at the wheel.
And hit a girl.
Not a dream girl.
A real girl.
Yesterday I killed a helpless, living, little girl.

Girl
And what did you do?

Man
…I left her lying in the street,
Drove home and wept myself to sleep.
And dreamt.
I dreamt that the little girl wasn’t dead.
I dreamt that she found me.
That I ran and she followed me.
All through the town.
Up streets
And down squares
In my night gown.
Until I came to a bridge
And it occurred to me:
Jump.
Let the water sweep you away.
The dreams won’t follow you
Where the water will take you.
And I did it –
I jumped –
And I woke before I hit the water –
But it was a dream
And the Sweeper of Dreams does not visit me
And sweep my dreams away –
They stay
And haunt me –
My mind talking to me,
About things I’d rather forget
And things that haven’t happened yet.
So here we are now
By the water:
The little girl
And the man who killed her.
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me,
Forgive me…   

Girl
Do you know the old rhyme:
“Everything you say or do
If left undone comes back to you”?

Man
No…does it?

Girl
It does.

She pushes him off the bridge.

***

Neil Gaiman is one of my biggest writing idols. I hope he would approve of this submission!