Under and Over with Denise Rossetti

I’ve been buying books for a Very Small Person in my life, for Christmas. I always buy him books, always, even though he shows a tendency to devour them - literally. *grin* I had to force myself to stop after three - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peepo and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. 

These are all old friends in my family, and the source of many beautiful memories.  Did you know The Very Hungry Caterpillar is thirty years old? Talk about a classic! It gave me tremendous pleasure to click my way to the amazing Book Depository and plug in the credit card. (More about the Book Depository in a moment.)

 But I also came across this wonderful - wonderful! - YouTube trailer for a book called It’s a Book by Lane Smith. Oh, I just love it! My Small Person is too small for It’s a Book, but yours may not be. Just watch it, it’s great! It did my Luddite heart good. heh. My blog software isn’t happy about inserting the YouTube link so here it is. Do go watch it, it’s charming.

About the Book Depository - This online book store is in the UK. It has a very wide range of stock, maybe not as big as Amazon, but I’ve never searched for something and come up empty. The prices are very reasonable too. But the best part? NO POSTAGE, anywhere in the world! Yup, none at all. Delivery time to Oz is about 10 to 14 days. It works out cheaper than my local bookstore. Which is pretty sad, but there you go.

Keep well and happy!

Introducing the Dark Siders Down Under - a group of writers from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Pretty cool, huh? Even better, every ‘Magic Thursday” there’s a giveaway on the blog, and every Saturday there’s a ‘Darklight On’ post where you can learn more about one of the Dark Siders. Today’s ‘Magic Thursday’ is Maree Anderson, a Kiwi with a penchant for wickedly handsome demons. Be in the draw to win a copy of one of her sexy Red Sage novellas by leaving a comment.

There’s a bio for everyone, lists of latest releases and loads of links. How’s this for an impressive mix of new and established talent? Jess Anastasi, Maree Anderson, Keri Arthur, Kitty Bucholtz, Astrid Cooper, Rowena Cory Daniells, Michelle de Rooy, Jessica Dorney, C.T. Green, Fiona Gregory, Kylie Griffin, Erica Hayes, Shona Husk, Shannah Jay, Loretta Kelly, Eleni Konstantine, Emmeline Lock, Nicole R Murphy, Janni Nell, Tracey O’Hara, Christina Phillips, Jenny Schwartz, Nicola E. Sheridan, Bec Skrabl, Nicky Strickland, Mel Teshco and Joanne Vogel. Oh, and me, of course.

Go to it and watch that TBR pile grow. heh heh (I’ve put a permanent link in the sidebar.) In the meantime, keep well and happy!

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Is there anyone in Ireland who is actually shy? I guess there must be, but whoever he/she is -  we haven’t met yet. People here are astonishingly forthcoming. You kind of expect it in the pub, but I’ve lost count of the old codgers who’ve heard the Aussie accent and bailed us up on the street, all ready for a cosy chat. And everyone has a relation/friend in Australia - everyone! 

It’s nice, really nice. In fact, I’d understand perfectly  if they were sick to death of tourists with their open-mouthed curiosity and stupid questions. But everyone is unfailingly charming, welcoming and courteous.

I’ve been driving My Beloved crazy by practising as we drive along. He’s threatening to sing, which means he’s pretty desperate. Heh.

The music has been a highlight, but it’s only one face of Ireland and the Irish. The scenery is wonderful and it changes all the time. Here is Kylemore Abbey, in Connemara. (Note rainbow please!) I was so inspired, I think it might appear - complete with dark lake and heathered hillside - in Book #4 of the One-Sided Pentacle series. It’s set on Green IV, a strangely skewed version of Regency Ireland. Going to be so much fun!

One ‘up’ side of all this rain, is of course, the forty shades of green, but the rainbows are another. I’ve never seen such complete rainbows, or so many. They make whole arches across the sky. Really makes you believe you could catch up to one end and grab a leprechaun!

Then there are the picturesque villages, like Adare, where this thatcher is patiently explaining to the tourists what he’s doing and how’s he doing it. Lucky the Irish love a chat, hmm?

On the other hand, when you see the desolate, windswept landscape of somewhere like the Aran Islands, it redefines the meaning of ‘a hard-scrabble life’. No trees, no soil, only rocks and sea birds and the cold. The fences were made of stone because there was literally nothing else there. Each field is tiny, not much bigger than a living room, because they had to be cleared by hand and then covered with a mixture of sand and seaweed so that something - anything - might grow. When I add in the violence, the repression, the famine, the mass migration and the new economic downturn, I can only admire the sheer dogged courage and faith of the Irish. They’re an amazing people.

We’ll be in Dublin tomorrow, which means our time in Ireland is pretty well over. Once we leave for Paris, on Thursday, I have no idea what Net access I’ll have, if any. So - this may be the last post for a little while.

As for the hoodies in the title of this post, I never realized before how useful the hoods on hoodies actually are. At home, they hang down over your shoulders like a decoration because it’s never cold enough to bother. An absolute revelation!

Keep well and happy!

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I can’t get over the colours of nature here in Ireland. First, there’s the grass, so green it looks artificial. Though, really I’m silly to be surprised - it rains every single day here, it’s just a question of how often. All our days so far have been a series of showers. Thank heavens for the unflattering but totally practical raincoat with hood.

Then there’s the light, especially in the afternoon. It’s so beautiful it’s almost beyond me to describe. So very different from the hard clear light of Australia. The rain clears and the sun comes out, all soft and golden, like a benediction. It makes the grass and the trees and even the cows and sheep almost glow, as if they were lit from within. Throw in a few romantic ruins or heather covered hills and it’s stunning. Makes my throat catch every time.

This was the view from our bedroom window in a place near Enniskillen. I kept waiting for Ratty and Mole to come sculling by, ‘messing about in boats’. (If you haven’t read The Wind in the Willows, you should. *smile*)

I love buttercups, they remind me of my childhood in England, so here’s one for the sake of nostalgia. I may even have captured a shamrock in there somewhere!

Here’s a river in spate, complete with a hopeful salmon fishermen. How anyone can stand in a mountain stream up to their crotch in freezing water, just to catch a fish, completely defeats me. But then, I’m a city gal, and I suspect, a total princess.

And lastly, here’s the other face of Ireland - wild, desolate, swept by icy rain and covered in mist and heather and bog. Oh, and sheep! I’ve never seen so many sheep in my life. All black-faced, shaggy and perched on vertical cliffs. Either they have nerves of steel or no brains at all. Hmm…

Anyhoo, I finally have some photos to show you - I hope! Please let me know if they don’t work. I have me some dark suspicions about the image editor in my blog software.

 

This fine gentleman was a Provost at Trinity College (which is where his statue resides). He declared women would only enter the hallowed halls over his dead body. He dropped dead a few weeks later and guess what? Poetic justice in my book. Heh!

Thes next two are from the prehistoric mound tombs at Newgrange and Knowth respectively. The first is to show that it really does look this way - gently rolling hills dotted with black-faced sheep and unbearably picturesque ruins of something or other at every turn.

These tombs are huge and represented the most stupendous effort for the Neolithic people who built them. The huge stones came from miles away, floated in the river and wrestled into place. The entrances to the mounds are aligned with solar events - equinoxes and solstices. When I consider that life expectancy was around thirty, the historian in me can’t help but think they must have believed this work to be absolutely essential. But why? No one knows. Mind-boggling!

That’s all for now. More when I can!

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Travel is a wonderful thing. It’s such a joy and a privilege to see new places and meet different people, but why is it so exhausting? It’s one of life’s great mysteries as far as I’m concerned. All that’s required is to sit on your bum, being transported from Point A. to Point B. At intervals you hop out, to look at a ruin of some description (Ireland has one around every corner, it seems) or ooh and ah at some fabulous scenery, but it’s all enjoyment.

Nonetheless, every evening I collapse. The moment my head hits the pillow I’m out. Weird.

That’s one reason I haven’t been posting. The other is that Net access is flaky in the extreme unless you’re in a big city, and we’re avoiding those. Even our phones die on a regular basis. Thank goddess that texting still works, so the offspring know we still live.

The most annoying thing though, is that I can’t seem to upload any pics for you to see. *grump!* And we have to leave this B&B place (a restored Georgian farmhouse - oh wow!) in a few minutes, so I’m going to have to give up.

Meh! More later, when I have a network again.

A lightning quick post to let you know I’m away traveling (Ireland and Paris) until 10th October and during that time my Internet access may be intermittent, but hey! - I’m nothing if not stubborn and I have my precious iPhone and a netbook. All I have to do is hand over money to make them talk to the Net from Over There. Piece of cake!

So…
You can find me ‘on the road’ with Twitter - @DeniseRossetti -
Facebook and of course, this blog. Hopefully, there’ll be pics, but that’s only if I remember to take them. I’m usually too busy talking. But I bought a raincoat (with a hood) from Army Disposals yesterday, so I’m all set for the Emerald Isle and the rain. Can’t believe it’s colder over there in summer than it is here on an only-just-spring day.

Bye!

Denise *bounce, bounce, bounce*

Here it is - free on my website - a vignette with Griff and Fort from Strongman. Ah, I love those two! What can Griff give Fort as a Natal Day present when he’s already handed the big man his heart and soul? All in one pdf file.

Here’s a taste, followed by the link.

***

Almost a year.

Griff glanced across the interior of the lamplit van as Fort ran a hand through his hair for what had to be the hundredth time. He was glaring down at the papers spread across the table, the end of an ink brush clamped firmly between his teeth. Gods, he had no idea what he looked like, not even now, after Griff had told him Twister knew how many times. Big and tough and oh-so-serious. Not handsome, not by any stretch, but with his own rough beauty.

Griff’s chest went tight. Blinking rapidly, he drained the last of his Aetherian brandy. And all his, since that day in the hidden valley, almost a year ago. Some sort of celebration was definitely in order, but what?

Fort frowned more ferociously than ever, one big finger running down a column of figures.

“You need spectacles,” said Griff absently.

Fort’s head jerked up. “Nonsense.”

Griff lay back against the pillows and grinned. Fort’s bark was worse than his bite and to be honest, he had no objection to either. “Then why are you squinting?”

“Am not,” said Fort automatically, but his storm-gray gaze skimmed over the other man’s body in the skintight costume, lingering on Griff’s fingers, drumming casually on one muscled thigh.

***

Read it! Celebration: A Strongman Vignette

***

Read the first chapter

Read the Reviews | Read the free Epilogue

Ebook: Ellora’s Cave

 Print: Ellora’s Cave | Australian Bookstores

Remember that the free epilogue (all 30 pages of it) is only available if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter.  Enjoy, my dears!And let me know what you think, okay?  All feedback is welcome.

The creativity of some people simply amazes me, but I like it so much better leavened with a dash of sly humour. Get a load of these unbelievable shopping bags.  Aren’t they clever?

Which do you like the best? Or, more to the point, which would you be prepared to carry around in public? LOL

I so look forward to the Romance Writers of Australia Conference every year - and every year, it seems to get better. For you guys Over There, think about an organization about the size of a large RWAmerica chapter, and full to overflowing with fantastic, creative, obsessed, loud writers. Oh yeah, did I remember to say LOUD? LOL

The venue was the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Coogee Beach, a southern suburb of Sydney. This is the view from one of the upper rooms. Not, I hasten to add, mine. My room overlooked the tennis court, and though I kept a sharp eye out, there were no hunky tennis players, alas.

The Highlights:

The Book Signing was organized by the Australian Romance Readers Association and they did a fabulous job. It was noisy, frenetic, exhausting -  and a whole heap of fun.

The Cocktail Party theme was Fantasy Island which, um, leaves a certain amount of leeway costume-wise.  There were multiple Lara Crofts, Cleopatras and Princess Leias. Keri Arthur came as a dark angel and looked terrific, but Anne Gracie swept all away (as usual!) to win the prize as Dame Barbara Cartland (left). My personal fantasy was to be able to squeeeze into my purple medieval-type dress,which I did by giving up breathing for the night, so I wore that. Here I am with the Bennett sisters. Aren’t they demure? Get a load of the gowns and bonnets, let alone the spiffy reticule.

Of the workshops, two were standouts for me. Jessica Hart’s A-Z Survival Guide for Romance Writers was funny and touching and wise. This business might be sending me slowly but surely around the twist, but - hey! - I’m not alone. *snort* The other was How to Stage a Fight Scene with combat expert Ray Flores and two incredibly brave assistants. Ray was charming and funny - and absolutely lethal. What he did to a raw lamb roast with the merest flick of a knife gave me the shudders. On the other hand, I learned all sorts of useful techniques, and discovered I’ve been garroting people the wrong way for years. *evil cackle*

I did my workshop on Deep Point of View for an astonishing eighty people.  I survived, and fortunately, so did they. I’m thinking the chockies helped. When it’s my bum on the line, I’m a great believer in bribery and corruption. heh heh

The awards dinner is always such a joy. I love frocking up for a start. (I’ll have you know my evening wardrobe is now almost exclusively red. Wonder why?) Check out the shoe fest (left) with the lovely Lisa Barry - who is now, officially, a Master of Creative Writing (Romance). Go, Lisa!

Below, I’m with Eleni  Konstantine, tireless worker for RWA and total sweetheart. Eleni’s Taverna is the best blog. Also note beloved iPhone. LOL

All the contest winners receive their awards, but the big moment is the announcement of the R*BY Awards. These are a Big Hairy Deal, being our equivalent of the RITAs.It was delightful to see Sharon Archer, Amy Andrews, Tracey O’Hara and Sophia James win their respective sections.

But the best part of the evening - in fact, the most wonderful moment of the whole weekend for me, is when Anne Gracie gets everyone on their feet -

whether they submitted a contest entry or a query, published a book, contracted, finished a book or supported someone who’s writing. By the end, the whole room is standing and cheering. Always makes me want to cry.

On the Monday, I had the day to myself, so I tottered into Sydney city and did a tour of the Opera House. The tour was fascinating and the Harbour was stunning, as usual. Truly one of the great natural wonders of the world.  Next time I’m there, I swear I’m going to climb the Bridge, but I’ve hurt my knee and 400 steps up and back didn’t sound like such a bright idea.  One day…

If you’d like to read more and see more pics, you can try Kate Cuthbert at All About Romance, Paula Roe or Suzanne Brandyn. Plus, there’s the RWA blog. And I’m sure they’ll be more.

If you were there and I missed you somehow, I’m sorry. Don’t forget there’s always next year! Put a link in the comments if you have great pics. I’m not only a lousy photographer, I tend to talk too much and forget. Unbelievable, I know! *snicker*