The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: Interview Loving in Time by AE Kirk

Hi all! So I started my book blog tour a few days ago. Here is one of my interviews that I've done.

Enjoy the read x


The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: Interview Loving in Time by AE Kirk: Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use. My name is Abi and I live in Devon, England. I&#39...

Car Ramblings!

Car Ramblings! It always happens to me!

Umm, okay so I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I may as well.
I have a main job now where I drive around my town. I'm in my car mostly and its when I'm IN my car that weird things happen. So let's start with the first weird thing that happened about a month ago.

Incident 1) (Names in this story have been changed)

I was given a call to go to and I just happened to be about ten minutes early. It's a new call, so I didn't want to be too early. I thought going right on time would be better. So while I parked up, hoping that it was a good place to park, I was waiting in my car and I see this fella leave his house, walk down the side of my car, stop about forty feet away and come back. He wasn't wearing anything weird, or carrying a bag or walking stick. He just left his house, normal as anything I suppose, went for a brief walk and returned to his house. I thought nothing of it after all people down my way, we are pretty nuts, and so after my ten minutes were up, I left my car and headed to my call. Next minute the bloke from earlier runs out of his house and points at my car.

"Is that your car?" he asks. Immediately I feel a sense of dread. It's one thing I hate, not being any to park or parking in someone's place and not knowing it.

I nod and say, "Yes, I'm sorry if I'm parking in the wrong place, I haven't been here before."

The man shakes his head and taking my arm points at my car. "Your number plate"' he begins, "WJ, my name is John Williams," he smiled and I smiled back and nodded. "And 54, I started work in 1954!"

"Oh wow, what a coincidence," I said unsure of where he was going with this.

"If you get rid of your car, you come back and tell me and I'll have your number plate. Okay?"

"Oh yes, of course I will," I tell him and he smiles even more broadly and leaves, heading back into his house.

I walk to my call not really sure how I should be feeling.... To this day I'm not sure how I should feel, happy? Weirded out? You be the judge!


Incident 2) (Names of places changed)

Ahh a blissful Monday morning on a quiet road. I was about 20 mins early for my next call and pulled up outside one of my "normal" parking spots. I thought about getting a book out and continue reading, minding my own business, having some chocolate when suddenly the passenger door opened and a bloke got in.
My heart rate tripled in a matter of nanoseconds.

"I need you to take me to Torcombe" He flashed some money at me, it looked like a fiver. "I'll give you a twenty." I looked at him blankly. Clearly he was off his rocker, still pissed from the night before.

"Mate I can't," I told him, "it's far away and I have a call in a minute," I lied, thinking I'd better give him an excuse to not take him.

"Ah go on, I'm giving you money" he slurred.

"I can't, I don't have the time."

Grumbling, he gets out the car and slams the door. I take a breath and thank God that didn't turn out any worse. But about twenty seconds later the door opens AGAIN and the same bloke gets in.

"Can I have a fag off you?"

"Sorry, I don't smoke."

He mumbles and grumbles whilst swearing and slams my car door again. I watch him walk off a bit and I start getting my stuff ready as I don't want to be in my car anymore. If I make it to my call, I'll be safe.

So I get out and as I'm walking to my call, the bloke follows me.

"Please give me a lift." He asks again. He's holding his phone and it unable to do anything with it. He's pointing all over the screen like a drunkard.

"I can't. There's some shops just over the hill, I'm sure someone can help you out."

"I don't have any shoes on." I look down and see he was telling the truth. He must have been completely pissed and whacked out of his mind.

Next second, I see a cop car drive past. The guy starts following me. I ironically say, "Ask the police to give you a lift."

He gets angry. "Don't be a stupid cow." He continues to walk with me as though he's with me and when the coppers leave I dash across the road and he walks up to the shops. After a minute or so when I know he's out of sight, I run and catch up to the coppers and tell them about the men.

"Ah, that's the drunken idiot we've been after they say" and drive off to find him.


Moral of this story, ALWAYS LOCK YOUR DOOR EVEN WHEN YOU ARE IN IT!!!


Incident 3)

The day before this 3rd "incident" happened, I had been given a parking ticket. Curse you local money-snatching council! So the following day, as usual, I parked where I normally park and I go to my call, my double-up says, "Abi, there's a warden by your car" I freak out as I don't want to get another ticket. I flee the house, almost breaking my legs and shout at the warden to stop. He does so and buggers off, so I moved my car into the driveway. After twenty minutes of doing my job, the doorbell rings and no one is expecting anyone, so I go and answer the door.

A man is on the front step. "Excuse me, but is that your car?" he points to mine that is in the driveway. i am close to boiling point, on the verge of shouting at him telling him that I haven't had any problems before parking but now there's a warden after my arse and where I am parking is off the road and not causing any harm to anyone and if they want me to move my car, they'll have to wait until I have finished my job.

I'm about to hurl this at the man after I say "Yes it is" he then smiles at me and says, "My wife and I are looking for that exact model and colour. We love Yaris Verso's. You have a wonderful car. What mileage does it get?"

Astounded, I end up speaking to the man for about 10 minutes on the Yaris Verso, how fast is goes, the room in the back, the extra compartments, how much I pay a week for a full tank and how many miles I get out of it. I'm not plugging the car, I'm not too keen on Yaris myself, hence why I've named my car Stitch from Lilo and Stitch as Dr Jumba classes his creations as "monstrosities" and that's what my car is, a monstrosity. But the man is happy with the information and as I leave the house, I wave to him and his wife who are still admiring my car from the opposite side of the road.

Wow, just wow. Why do these things happen? No idea, but they do and will continue to happen. I just wonder what will happen next...

Loving In Time, is finally lovingly here!

Big proud and cheesy moment that I had my promotional books this morning! I am so thrilled that the first step has been accomplished and it's been forever to achieve!

Pic of me feeling achieved:

So, what next? Well... this is where the second hurdle comes into it. The sales coupled with, the reviews. Now, I got good notes and bad notes from Wattpad and I agreed with most and argued with others, but I have put up all of the good ones on my website, here so feel free to have a look.

I'm not saying I'm the best author/writer and I know that my book isn't for everyone, but I am saying that I am one of the most determined and stubborn people to see this through from start to finish. I've gone through hell and back with my writing, I truly have. The road to publishing is not a smooth one, it's not a short one, it's one that takes forever, that ages you, that weighs you down, that kicks you when you've tripped up, but you just have to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and carry on writing!

You can pre-order a copy of Loving In Time here.


Enjoy!

Free Wattpad Promotion! KURO!

Hello everyone! Once again I'm back, ending the week with a fantastic story from Wattpad! Not only that, you can purchase this brilliant and unique story!

The link to Michael's Wattpad account is here

                                     To be directed to his story, please go here

And to go and have a look at his website, please go here

So, what is KURO all about?

Synopsis:

In a land covered in eternal night, a young girl is all that stands between Mankind and the Forces of Darkness.

What would a world without the Sun be like?

When the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu-ōmikami, vanished under mysterious circumstances a thousand years ago, she left the land of Kuro blanketed in eternal night. Over time, the people of Kuro have learned to harness what remains of Amaterasu’s power: the precious and finite resource known as the Goddess Essence. Kurokyuu Orbs, miracles of modern technology, harvest the Goddess Essence and provide light and power to all. But there is a problem: the Goddess Essence is running out. And it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Whispers abound of a growing evil in the North; stories of shadows that can only be harmed by the light of the sun. From out of the darkness rises Taiyou-Shi, City of the Sun. Light Spires shine through all twenty-four of Taiyou-Shi's hours, providing artificial sunlight for all. Everyone that is, but the residents of the Utter Darkness.

In this forsaken place, Mina, a young orphan, is forced to beg and steal on the streets to sustain herself in the hardscrabble way of life.

In the darkest corners, Marauders lurk, hunting little girls, searching for the one known only as “The Maiden”.

When Mina falls captive to a roving band of Marauders, she is faced with a life-altering decision: reveal the secret she has been hiding her entire life or stay silent and risk losing her already meager existence?

When people die as a result of her inaction, Mina realizes her secret is no longer hers to keep. A secret that lies in a most unusual ability: The power to manifest sunlight...

Brilliant stuff! 

I asked Michael a few questions about himself. Let's see what he had to say!

Name/Wattpad username/Pen name: MichaelLimjoco (incidentally, also my real name).

Country of Origin: United States

Place(s) of inspiration: Countries of Asia (Japan, China, The Philippines, and Korea).

Current finished work(s): Kuro is my first novel

Genre and why you like writing in this genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy. It's a bit of a release writing in this genre for me. Also, I feel I have far more freedom because I'm not bound by any laws (physics, world, etc). I enjoy building worlds.

Published works of inspiration: Game of Thrones, Dune, Lord of the Rings, early Anne Rice novels (her florid writing style was a big inspiration), Weiss and Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles.

Editing process: Professionally edited by Dr. Debra Doyle (published author). Professionally illustrated by Nuriko-kun.

Reaction of friends and family who have read your works: To be honest, only my brother has read my work! He loves it, but is totally biased! My wife hasn't even gotten past chapter 2. But Kuro has been read on WP and Critique Boards (for the last year or so), and has received some good response. Anything planned for the future with your writing: Kuro is a planned trilogy, so I am working on Book 2 at the moment.

Well there you have it folks! Thanks to Michael for his time answering my questions and I wish him all the best for the future!

Free Wattpad Promotion!

Hey Guys! This week I have been promoting Storyaddict from Wattpad!

Go here for their Wattpad user page!

And to see their story, go here!

Name/Wattpad username/Pen name: Storyaddict

Country of Origin: Philippines

Genre and why you like writing in this genre: Teen Fiction, because we mostly can see readers from the age of being a teenager so teen fiction stories bring out  our emotions.. we 

can probably learn something out of it

Reaction of friends and family who have read your works: well, they said it was good but some has errors on it :)

Anything planned for the future with your writing: I really wanted to make a story that has me, potentially writing... I plan to be an author someday but I think I'll start off with writing stories from then and now.

Wattpad FREE Promotion! The City is Silent

Hey guys! This week I have have the pleasure of promoting Midnightaria and her book The City Is Silent

To view her profile, click here or to go straight to her completed story, click here

Here is the summary:

After a car-accident leaves her mother paralysed from the waist-down, Grace isn’t sure if she can ever experience happiness again.

Change is the reason her mother is a different person; the reason her pianist father plays only bitter melodies and why her outgoing-self diminished to an introvert who cannot express herself verbally, but with artistic creations.

The times she spends scrawling in a sketchbook are moments she cherishes most. For that tiny amount of time, her broken life is forgotten -and, as impulsive as any other career decision, Grace knows she wishes to make it her future.

In order to embrace the competitive world of art, however, artists need to repeatedly alter their techniques and skills to match their opponents.

But how can somebody, so afraid of letting go, chase her unstable dreams?


And what about MidnightAria? Let's have a sneak peek at how and why she writes!

Name/Wattpad username/Pen name: Ramisa R or MidnightAria. You are welcome to call me Remy.

Country of Origin: Bangladesh, although I currently reside in the warm glory of Australia (so much sun!)

Place of inspiration: Anywhere, really. I can honestly write whenever or wherever I want, as I believe writing is more subjected to discipline rather than inspiration. However, if we're talking in terms of inspiration, I love reblogging things on tumblr (midnightaria.tumblr.com) of things that inspire me. Sometimes, when I click on my website, I find inspiration. :)

Current finished work(s): Currently, I have completed The City Is Silent and have uploaded it on Wattpad. I plan on completing Violet Ink before the end of this year.

Genre and why you like writing in this genre: The City Is Silent is literary fiction/coming of age fiction. Coming of age will forevermore be my favourite genre. Watching a character differentiate from the beginning of a book to the end (not always in a good way) is beautiful beyond words.

Published works of inspiration: Like the novels I write, I am also extremely fond of the coming-of-age genre. I simply love watching the main character change, in any situation, from the beginning to the end of a book. My favourite authors do just that: Siobhan Dowd, Maureen McCarthy and Kate McCaffrey. My favourite book of all-time is a non-fiction book written in the prose of a narrative (Joan of Arc, Lili Wilkison) which revolve around the actual adventures of Joan of Arc but told in a rich, engaging way.

Editing process: I actually tend not to edit until I've got my first draft, as editing gives me the "writer's doubt" and will result in an uncompleted manuscript.

Reaction of friends and family who have read your works: My family and friends don't read my works. My parents are too busy, and my friends in reality have a life (!). However, my internet friends are wonderful, beautiful supporters --they are my family and friends.

Anything planned for the future with your writing: I plan on writing many novels once my OP (senior years) are over. I am thinking of a main character with a mental illness, a science fiction story questioning humanity and a lighthearted comedy about the life of comedians (while also exploring the darkness in their lives).


Thank you for this opportunity to interview you and for wanting to promote! if anyone hasn't had the chance to check out Wattpad, do so now at www.wattpad.com :)

Have a great day! :)

IndianWriter Free Wattpad Promotion!

For week 2 I am promoting IndianWriter from Wattpad!

Indianwriter is my next client for Free Promotion from Wattpad!

Wattpad is a great place to read and write any kind of books in any genre! It boasts over 10 million users from around the world where a few have landed multi-book contracts with one of the top ten publishers in the world AND one writer has even had their book rights bought by the film industry! Anything can happen! So, what are you waiting for? Sign-up free today and see where your imagination takes you!

Indianwriter has been on the site for a year and has written a variety of stories as well as poetry!

Click here for their profile page

Click here for their story that I'm promoting, Endless Love

So, what is the book about?

Summary-

Shira has expressed all her feelings and thoughts into those letters which are for Neman. Shira loved Neman a lot. Neman too loved her. They were best friends from an early age. But as they grew up they realized their love for each other. They planned their future, to get married and have a family. But the truth Shira has hidden will shatter their lives and all their hopes will be lost. How will Neman react to the secret? What will happen to their relationship?

This story will be in forms of letters and sometimes as in some characters point of view. Hope you all like it. :)

Let's sneak a peak about IndianWriter! :) 

Name/Wattpad username/Pen name: IndianWriter

Country of Origin: India

Place of inspiration: My family and friends

Current finished work(s): Endless love, The Tribute

Genre and why you like writing in this genre: Romance, Poetry and Non fiction. I like to write them because I can relate to the emotions very well and they are close to me. They create interests in me.

Reaction of friends and family who have read your works: My family and friends always encourage me. They are proud of me. My teachers also have appreciated me many times. Some teachers have also asked me to write for them.

Anything planned for the future with your writing: I have published some of my works in the school magazine, but I want to publish my books on an international level. I plan to write till my last breath.

And there you have it! A wonderful inspired writer all the way from India! 

Good luck with your future writing!

Next week I'll be promoting , Midnightaria and until then, have a great inspiring week!

Lores Of Lyra! Free Promotion Client!

Free Wattpad Promotions! 

 Hello and welcome to what I think will be an interesting few months. Each week I will be posting blogs about Wattpad's writers. I will be promoting finished works, no matter how long or short.

Let's start with my first client, Maja! 
Here is her profile on Wattpad.com
And here is her story!

  
So what is the synopsis?

"The Blurb: [Winner of "Fantasy - On The Rise" in Watty Awards 2012] 
Stars. For a millennia, humans have stared up at the sky, watching them light up the night. Unknown to more, they've been watching back; protecting up and keeping us safe from dangers. However, in the land of Astron, two girls are struggling to keep themselves alive. Miriam has a dark secret, living a secluded life with all the benefits that wealth provides. While Annabell, is a poor orphan with a natural born gift of getting into trouble. With the help of two handsome lads, they have to uncover the truth about the prophecy that the Elders have worked so hard to hide- which isn't easy when none of the girls knows of the others existence. Change is coming, and Darkness is growing. In a race against time, they have to find the Rising Star before it's too late. Solem, help us all." 

Name/Wattpad username/Pen name: Maja D Jørgensen, xxmajaine 

Country of Origin: Denmark

Place of inspiration:Inside my head. XD 

Current finished work(s): The Lores of Lyra - Rising Star The Lores of Lyra - Shattered Star

Genre and why you like writing in this genre: Fantasy, adventure, paranormal and spiritual. The main genre would be fantasy, and I like writing it because it gives me a chance to create new worlds and new Species. I can make my own rules.

Published works of inspiration: There's too many that I like, and I can't remember which gave me inspiration around the time I wrote it. I was mostly inspired by wattpad writers and how beautifully they wrote tales of places I'd never visit.

Editing process: Even though I've spent much time on the books, I still consider them both to be first drafts. I have a long way to go before I'm ready to call it finished.

Reaction of friends and family who have read your works: Most people compliment the originality in the story. Stars aren't that widely used apparently.

Anything planned for the future with your writing: I'd like to publish one day. But for now the primary focus of me is simply to write and have fun with it.

What goes around just keeps going!

Hello humanoids! Prepare to be amazed!

IRON MAN 3 

KICKS

ARSE!!!

Now normally, I don't get involved in random movie critics' dribblings but I am glad that I managed to get in to see Iron Man 3 and love and laugh and become immersed- gripping onto my partners arm for dear life! It was mind boggling, funny, witty, snappy, trippy, funky, harrowing at one or two times, but I loved it and... want to see it again! Extortionate prices are cinema tickets these days, I know, but Iron Man 3 is so very worth it! 

Now onto more interesting things. Had a nice chat with my publishers and they want the book, Loving In Time, out within the next month or two. Sounds class, but not sure if it's quite there just yet. I know that it will be out soon enough but there are things that need to be finished first. Well I have the cover, and I have a sporty picture of me, somewhere on the back of the book, so all I need now is the manuscript polished beyond reason and I have my awesome Canadian friend doing that for me. I shall wait until she has finished with it. After all, she's doing her PhD in English and I could not be more proud of her! 

One more thing to mention, Kingdom of Fantasy is finally out! If you have an iPad, check out here for the itunes down link. It's £2.99 a pop or $4.99 for those over the pond! Check out my column and read the beautifully created comics of Rouke and the Enchantment Agency!

One other thing :) Now that I am back on Wattpad, I'm nearly finished with one of my stories. Love Is Green. The title sounds weird, like some jealous love triangle, but it's far from it. It's about a detective who's turned into a parrot... I shall say no more than that. Click here to be taken directly to the first chapter.

Over the past month or so, it's been good and bad. My 97 year old Grandma, Sarah, passed away, I was given a permanent job (and in this climate it's rare), I was taken ill for over a week and so my job has been put back, and I now find myself feeling stuck with nothing to do. Huff and puff! The only thing that keeps me sane is reading and writing and getting annoyingly involved in Neopets <don't ask LONG story. But yes, so let's see what happens next month, shall we? Whatever happens, what goes around, just keeps going...It is what it is. 

Three Jobs and a whole lot of writing!

Well it's been a while since I last posted... so I'm back with some things to say.

While I had finished my job in Korea and then traveled around Asia and loved every moment of it, I was frightened to return home... why? Well because of the job situation. There are hardly any jobs, so it scared me that I'd be jobless and I am NOT one for staying jobless. I hate the concept. So, within the first 4 days of getting back into the country, my job at the National Trust, though shorter hours, was there still. So I applied and I got the job. Then I find out 3 weeks later that my old job at Kents Cavern was up. I applied, auditioned and got the job. And THEN I saw a job for a Carer in my local town of Torquay and applied and  I got the job. So, I'm a happy bunny. But not only that, the Kingdom of Fantasy Magazine is up and running on Apple now, so my helpful girls Christina and Anna are taking on and rating submissions for me while I try and sort out a sci-fi competition that is running alongside Wattpad... Oh I forgot to mention, I am not back on Wattpad. I couldn't resist, clearly.

So, now that I am back on Wattpad I have been writing like a maniac... However not so much as I have been in the past, I hardly wrote while I was in Korea and when I did it was mostly editing. So it'll take a while to get back into the swing of things, but I don't mind the long haul. I have other things to do now also.

Sad news though for me only a week ago that my Grandma passed away. She was 97 which was a damn good age for her. So there is a long week where I am not doing anything, so I'm just going to tend to the family and read. Not up for writing, not this week. I'll miss her very much though, I just wish that there were more people who would miss her as much as I will.

But on a happier note, my awesome Little Canadian friend, who will soon become a Doctor of English and I am SO proud of her, has kindly offered to edit Loving In Time, as such, it'll be a bit more of a delay, but I'd rather wait this long for it to be perfect, then to hand in sloppy work. I owe her a present when she's finished.

I'm going to reveal the book cover on here and see how many people read this haha. There will be tweaks, but I liked this from the very start and I feel it will suit the actual story and not what people may think it could be. < If that makes sense? O_0

Anyway, here is the cover- surprised?

<script src="//about.me/embed/abi_kirk"></script>

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The Number 202 and 7 flights in one month!

Good morning, afternoon or evening.
So I have now left Korea and I am deeply upset about it. I loved my students to bits and it was so sad when they shouted out, "We love you" as I was on stage bowing to everyone as the vice-principal explained that I was leaving. I said a little piece about missing them, loving Korea and telling them to be good for their next teacher. But as I got onto the plane to leave South Korea, I broke down crying.
As lame as it may seem, one cannot truly understand the love and respect I had for my students and the respect that they gave me. I shall miss them so much and, sounding big headed, I know they'll miss me. They won't ever find a crazy a teacher as me and I'm proud and happy I was apart of their lives for such a short time.

However, before I left my secondary home, I went up to the DMZ  (De-Militarized Zone) and found myself depressed. I cannot explain the feeling you feel when you go there. It's mind blowing to see how coveted and strange they are towards the outside world. for example, there is a fake village that one can see from the Southern side. I say fake as the houses are empty. No one lives in the 20+ houses. There's just painted on windows and chimney's with no smoke during the winter. The North Koreans just have it there to show the world that they all live in hoses like these and that everyone is happy... Seriously warped mind.

The white houses in the distance is in North Korea. These houses, are fake!

A photo line. You were NOT allowed to go past this point with a camera. CCTV and soldiers patrolled this area heavily armed! 

The last most northern station in South Korea. The North Koreans just have to finish their side for the path  to be opened, but we will never know if this will ever happen.

Of course over the past couple of months we've seen and heard a lot about North Korea. And I will say... who are people kidding when you see North Koreans happy and content? You can't, you don't know. I am betting that there are some out there who love North Korea but in truth, they have been brain washed and I feel so sorry for South Korea who, are still at war with them, and yet yearn to be back together with them, to be unified. There is a train station that cannot go further as it's the end of the line and the northern most part of South Korea at the DMZ. The North Koreans have yet to finish the railway and while I am being optimistic and saying that I hope this will happen... I have to be pessimistic and say that it'll be a VERY long time when this occurs.

So now after the DMZ we went out in Insadong for a last Korean meal. I had Kimchi broth, (which I adore) and ribs that we BBQ'd. Very nice :) And I shared the meal with my boyfriend and three friends. But the weird thing was... that just as we were about to eat a fire broke out in a dis-used building right opposite the restaurant! Before we walked into the restaurant I had smelt something funny but didn't realise it was a fire. The next thing I know there's grey smoke billowing everywhere, a fire engine and about 6-7 fire fighters tackling an electrical blaze. Damn! Sparks went flying and my friend told me and my boyfriend to pose in front of the fire! Damn we've been Koreanised! >< Any-who, after that we had the meal, the fire was put out and we headed off for some drinks then parted ways the following day.

I am now in Cambodia! Siem Reap! First flight was from Incheon to Guangzhou airport where we stayed for about 4 hours and the second flight was from China to Siem Reap. We have 5 more flights to go, which I'll explain in another blog.

So, we arrived in Cambodia on Sunday. Today we went around a lot of temples, even the Ta Phrom temple, aka the Tomb Raider Temple where Angelina Jolie filmed. It was awesome and the other temples were fantastic. Took so many photo's that I used both of my batteries! So now they have been updated and there's just the matter of taking my pictures out of my camera and putting them on facebook!

Look familiar? This was the tree in the temple from  Tomb Raider!

The monkey was a bit of a surprise. Poor buggers were so thirsty. And then not long after we saw some Indian elephants traipsing past.

Part of a temple that has been restored. 

Some restoration that is going on now. This was India's section. The men work 8 hours a day and get paid $3! That's it! I felt so sorry for them. 

Tomorrow we are going to go to the Angkor Wat temple. I couldn't do it today because my shorts didn't go past my knees. So I need to wear something longer to cover my knees for tomorrow, we also get to see the sunset at Angkor Wat, so that, I think, will be fascinating.

In truth I am liking Cambodia better than Vietnam. I was told today that Vietnam is richer than Cambodia, well maybe so, but Cambodian people seem to be cleaner in a way and they are looking after their heritage alongside 5-6 other countries like India, Japan, China and Czech Republic and a few others. They are all working away to try and restore Angkor Wat and I think that is amazing!

That Awkward Moment When...

So this post today is something of a confession to what I do and also to what closet weirdo's do. Please don't take offence, I am merely just stating a fact that people don't really want to say this out loud, or indeed write or blog, because well... it's kind of embarrassing.


The other day on facebook a friend posted something about changing direction in a street. Now we all have those moments while walking, when we either go in the wrong direction or find ourselves lost and need to turn around. Well I don't know about you but I get so embarrassed when I have just walked down a road, find out I have got lost and I know I have to turn around and go back the way I came... Don't ask me why I get embarrassed but my face flushes red, my palms sweat and I feel like there's a neon sign over my head saying, "This girl is an idiot, she went the wrong way, everyone stare and point and laugh at her". Bit excessive? Well yes, but that is how I feel.

So how do I combat this embarrassing moment of having to change direction? I use the trusty mobile phone of course. I pretend someone is calling me, I flip out the phone and loudly say, "Oh hey, you're in town? Oh I'm not far away from you. Hang on, I'll be there in a minute. Ok bye!" Putting the phone down, it gives me a good reason to now turn around and head back the way I came without looking like a fool.

I then ask myself, why did I just do that? What was the need? I remember once talking to a housemate some years ago and he said, "You have a right to walk in any direction you want, don't be so stupid. Who cares if anyone sees you change direction?" And it got me thinking, though normally I wouldn't care about what people think of me, it's those weird moments that you've seen people do on the street and you judge them in seconds!

When I was younger, maybe 15/16 I saw this guy walking towards me, he then stopped, turned around, walked five paces, turned around again and came towards me. His head snapped up and looked right at me as if to say, "What are you looking at?" and I can remember thinking, "What a pillock, doesn't he know where he's going?" How judgmental of me! It didn't occur to me at the time if had something important on his mind or he was worried about something, I just automatically assumed that he was a complete numpty for not knowing where he was going.

Because of this incident, I have always felt embarrassed walking in the wrong direction and it's reflected on my driving.
I don't drive recklessly, my father, who is a driving instructor, taught me how to drive. So I'm a pretty good driver, but I shall be honest and say I have done some stupid things. Not breaking the law things, but this one junction I came to, I had to turn right and when I did I went all the the way around the bollard just to the right (I nearly ended up on the pavement because the bollard wasn't supposed to be driven around.) How blond was I! And then I ended up ducking in my seat driving home as I didn't want people staring at me.

The bollard in question. While others bypassed it, just cutting past it on the right, I went around it... ><

When I get lost on the road, I panic. I hate getting lost and I hate looking stupid if I take a wrong turn. I think it's because I don't want to be judged. Living in Torquay, I see groccles all the time. They come from miles around, to enjoy the seaside. But like most of us who live there, we get annoyed at the Sunday Drivers, who drive so stupidly slow EVERY DAY! In truth, they are just lost, unsure of where things are, but we get angry and it's that judgement that reflects on me when I go to someplace new.

In the future I think I shall try and not feel so self-conscious about walking or changing direction, or indeed getting lost in a new place, but I know for a fact I am not the only one who feels like this. And yet I wonder who else would blog about something  so stupid as what I have done just now! :)

Updates and Vietnam

Ok where to start...

I've never been one to keep things going, I mean blogging and stuff like this, I'm just annoying like that, but on the up side, I have good reasons for lacking in the blog department.

Lets see... from November I finished NaNoWriMo within 2 weeks-ish, then December I was given the chance for my short fantasy stories to be put into a new fantasy magazine, then by January, I was asked to be a freelance copy-editor for the magazine. Not only that some of my stories will be published and I'll have my own column in there. Wow!

So the magazine... what is it? Well it's called the Kingdom of Fantasy and it's a monthly magazine that can be downloaded on the Apple Store and on Kindle. :)


To see their facebook page go here, and for their website, here.

The magazine contains fantasy comics as well as fantasy stories. Each month there is a theme running throughout the pages. The first edition is witches! I will give you no more info than that, you'll have to check it out yourself.



Also in January I have updated my website a little bit, added some colour, some new music and put up a new story for FREE download. Click here, to go to my website!

So what else is there to say? Well I went to Ha Long Bay just recently! If you aren't sure where it is, I shall give you a clue, (if you've read the book) Tara, Saskia flew around the islands and found Rhea! Guessed yet? Ha Long Bay is in Northern Vietnam and is a World Heritage (UNESCO) site. It's a pitted bay that is chock full of limestone outcrops, blanketed in luscious greenery and hides away the floating villagers who have never once stepped onto dry land their entire lives! It truly was inspiring and picturesque! Below are a few pictures from my journey!

This was one of the floating villages in Ha Long Bay. Never stepping foot on land, the people trade with fish for rice, poultry and vegetables! 

This was our Junker, part of Glory Cruises. Inside our cabins were so pretty! Smooth sailing throughout our entire cruise!

A beautiful view on top of an island. Ha Long Bay has nearly 2,000 islands!  There are only a handful where people can live on as many of them are difficult to climb onto.

The mouth of Sung Sot Hang, or the Amazing Cave! It has three chambers, each one is bigger than the last. I saw many people had carved or painted their names on the side of the walls, one dating back into the 1800's!

The sun setting on our last day in Ha Long. It was a beautiful place to go!  I'm very lucky!