Stamp- part ten

Happy Hump-Day! I hope you're having a marvellous week so far! I've been settling in to my new job and playing hostess to some Young Americans- exciting stuff! But enough about my life- you're here to find out all about the latest twist in Ben's. It's getting good!

 

The tension is really getting to poor Ben- will Tim's numbers come up? Or has it all been wishful thinking? Hurry up and meet them in the pub- it's Tim's round (and that rarely happens).

Friday Five: Five cover versions that are better than the original recordings.

Hello from sunny Sussex! I'm on my holibobs this week, and having a marvellous time so far. In fact, I've been so busy, I was panicking a little about finding inspiration (and time) to write my Friday Five. In stepped my Dad to the rescue, with some mood music that inspired this week's list (and a Mrs Merton-style heated debate, with lots of googling of songs and reminiscing- great fun!)

 

Cover versions evoke strong reactions- some love them, some hate them. Personally, I loathe unnecessary "do-overs" (Lenny Kravitz's cover of The Guess Who's "American Woman", anyone?) but a cover version that keeps the spirit and beauty of the original while doing something new with the melody is a joy to hear. Here are five of the best examples, in my opinion. Let me know if you agree! 

Stamp- part Nine

Happy Wednesday everyone! After the excitement of The Next Big Thing I'm back on schedule with Stamp- sorry I made you wait two whole weeks for this!

 

So, Ben has finally put two and two together and come with Tim's lottery numbers. Is his hunch right? He doesn't have long before he finds out! Read on to find out what happens next...

Friday Five: The Best Jokes I've Heard This Week

Happy Friday, everyone!

 

With all the doom and gloom in the news (and weather) I felt like I needed a little cheering up this week. Lo and behold, in stepped my marvellous children with these howlers. I hope they make you giggle as much as they did me. But then, I do have a nine-year-old's sense of humour...

The Next Big Thing: Strange Ideas

I've got a very special WIP Wednesday for you this week, and I'm squeeely excited to be part of this- The Next Big Thing blog tag. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this idea, it's a way for authors to share and promote their books by "tagging" each other and answering 10 questions about our next book or work in progress.  At the end of January, I was tagged by Gloria Piper, author of Finnegan's Quest: a metaphorical fantasy that pokes fun at life’s foibles—political, religious, and social. You can look her up at http://gloriapiper.wordpress.com/

And now... drum-roll...

Friday Five: My Five Favourite Words

The pen is mightier than the sword, so it's said, and I completely agree. I love words. I love the sound and feel of them, and I love their power to paint pictures and stir emotions. I've collected a few over the years (as you do) but there are some that are more than strings of letters to me- they are emotive, rich and almost a physical version of onomatopoeia.

We all use words daily (unless you've taken a vow of silence, obviously) and writers obsess over them more than most (and probably more than is healthy) but have you ever stopped to consider their beauty? Even without going into the fascinating details of their origins, derivations and uses, words have a joy to them, a life of their own, that I'd like to invite you to share.

So, without further ado, here are my top five:

Stamp- part eight

Why, hello there, lovely readers! I hope your week is going well so far, and that you enjoyed my part of the 7 Line Challenge. This blog-hop business is rather exciting, isn't it? Read all the way to the bottom of this post to discover what I have planned for you next week- it's very special (and a little delayed).

 

Onto this week's chapter of Stamp. I know I made you wait a week (sorry, Mary- your complaint has been noted) but, unfortunately, I think this next part will have you climbing the walls to find out what happens next too. Feel free to bribe me with cake and I'll email you the next chapter. I'm not kidding. (Mary, you know the cake I like).

7 Line Challenge

Many thanks (and cake) to Victoria Pearson for tagging me into this blog-hop thingy. I've never done one of these before and I'm guessing a few people out there will never have seen one before, so, for the uninitiated- here's the deal.

I'm about to post seven lines from page seven of my work in progress... "The Hungry-Man" (squee!). Exciting stuff! BUT then I will tag seven other writers who will, in turn, do the same on their blogs. I suggest you click on the links and check them out.

OK- here goes!