DIANA WYNNE-JONES, INDOMITABLE TO THE END

Neil Gaiman Tweeted about his friend's death early on Saturday, saying, "Rest in Peace, Diana Wynne Jones. You shone like a star. The funniest, wisest, writer and the finest friend" and adding simply, "I miss you."

In honour of the writer whose book -Enchanted Glass - was nominated for the 2011 Carnegie Medal, I wrote a review of my favourite Diana Wynne-Jones' novel. This is the wonderful Howl's Moving Castle.

Diana Wynne-Jones humour was blended through novels thick with the  woven strands of carefully crafted plots. The first book I remember reading was Howl’s Moving Castle. (Sophie in her boots made a big impression.) Jones identified the fantasy tropes but gave each a unique and creative twist including slipping the narrative from her fantasy setting to the present day so we could see ourselves from the characters’ point of view.

Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three daughters, which means she is the one who should try first, and fail most spectacularly; isn’t it always the youngest who come out on top? Sensible Sophie insults a customer in the hat shop. Unfortunately, for her, this woman is the Witch of the Wastes. Seeking revenge, as only witches can, she ages Sophie into a 90 year old crone. No longer able to live in her shy and retiring way, an unfortunate case of mistaken identify, Sophie journeys to the castle of the evil wizard, Howl. He has a reputation for stealing the souls of young girls; in her current condition, Sophie has no fears on this score.

Arriving at the castle, she encounters Howl's apprentice: a contracted fire demon, Calcifer, who is desperate to be freed. In her new role of cleaning lady, Sophie unsettles Howl and drives Calcifer to distraction. She searches for the discarded hearts of the girls, but that isn’t what she finds.

In Howl’s Moving Castle, there are witches, wizards, demons, seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility, but not as you know them. Timid and dull, Sophie isn't much of a heroine. As a crone, way outside her comfort zone, she becomes interesting and pushy. The evil wizard, Howl, has tantrums over important stuff like hair dye and his attraction to passing females is as effective as a Cullen’s. Jones’ creative genius is seen when she combines a less than evil wizard, his harried apprentice, and a wrinkled heroine.

The average nine year old may get lost in the convoluted, and cleverly contrived, plot lines but older readers would find it a change from the predictable norm.


As well as Enchanted Glass, I am desperate to read a Tale of Time City.


Diana Wynne Jones died on Saturday after a long battle with cancer. Her death is a loss to readers everywhere. She wrote right up to the end - a work-in-progress and another in planning - she had an indomitable spirit.

WWF's EARTH HOUR - MAKE, DO AND MEND... ON A GLOBAL SCALE

People across the world will be taking part in 
EARTH HOUR.
As much as I wonder about planets far across the universe, I know of only one that will sustain human life. Good job, we are already there.
In terms of our carbon footprint, over the last 100 years people have gone from tip-toeing across the planet to stamping on it. Since records have been kept, scientists can prove that the Earth is warming, sea levels are rising, more areas are prone to droughts, the intensity of hurricanes are increasing and the sea is more acidic.
Reducing the impact our energy system has on that planet must be a good thing.
On 26 March 2011, 8:30pm, the WWF urges everyone  to switch off their lights - for an hour. 




In 2010, 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Lights on famous buildings and landmarks, from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas, were switched off. People across the world. turned off their lights. I did my weekly shopping, which might be considered to be cheating.

Earth Hour is organised by WWF, one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. Its mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature. The alternative is not a pleasant thought.


WWF hope as many people as possible will join them and mark the hour by turning out their lights. Parties, to celebrate doing this as part of a community, are an optional extra.




WHAT WILL YOU BE ABLE TO DO FOR EARTH HOUR?


I'll be reading Beth Revis' Across the Universe, by candlelight.

What goes up does not always come down?

Space travel has been on my mind, both the kind we can only speculate over (the visitors from somewhere else) and the tangible and proven variety (the chunks of metal and sensors that we have thrown up ourselves.) I have researched more of both kinds than I am happy to admit too: Nerd or Geek? I try to side-step both labels. “Writer of (Scientific) Speculative Fiction” is the perfect length to fit on the sticky note I’d be happy to wear.

DID YOU KNOW:

Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 to explore the outer solar system? And that a few weeks before Voyager 1's launch, NASA launched Voyager 2 so it would take the scenic route: past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune? Do you think they muddled up the numbers and labelled the spaceships the wrong way around?

Voyager 2 is currently about 8.8 billion miles (14.1 billion km) from the sun and is traveling about 3,000 mph slower than Voyager 1.

After years of pootling along, sending back data that was, basically, the same old/same old, Voyager 1 just got interesting. It has entered a region of space where the speed of solar wind (charged particles streaming from the sun) is effectively zero. NASA scientists theorise that the solar wind has been blown sideways by a more powerful interstellar wind that blows in the spaces between stars .:/.:/.:/.:/    (This is my visual aid ;) )

Voyager 1 has crossed a boundary known as the termination shock.

The region immediately beyond the termination shock, where Voyager 1 is now, is called the heliosheath. The very edge of the solar system is a border known as the heliopause.

Once Voyager 1 travels beyond the heliosheath and crosses the heliopause, it will officially be in interstellar space.

NASA is counting down to the day when Voyager 1 starts sending back information from the space beyond.

But, what goes up must come down. I hope Voyager 2 comes complete with a message that says, "Ooops! Sorry!"

If I went to space I would miss the comfort of predictability... that and my family.

What do you think you would miss? 

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor grew from a precocious child star until she became one of the world's most famous movie stars.

A publicity magnet, she appeared eleven times on the cover of Life Magazine. “Success is a great deodorant.”

She received five Best Actresses nominations and two Oscars. “If someone's dumb enough to offer me a million dollars to make a picture, I'm certainly not dumb enough to turn it down.”

She was married eight times to seven different husbands. “I’ve only slept with men I’ve been married to. How many women can make that claim?”

At one point during her life-threatening illness – pneumonia - while filming Butterfield 8 (1960), she was pronounced dead. Richard Burton believed she suffered from becoming too famous too early in her life – and that it lead her to befriend others who experienced the difficulties brought on by early fame.  “I haven't read any of the autobiographies about me.”

“It is very strange that the years teach us patience - that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.”

When I was twelve, I saw a re-run of Jane Eyre on TV. I identified with that movie totally! I started reading the book the next day.  

4 WAYS TO SWING INTO WRITING :D

Writing, like dancing, is all about the technique. 

Your work will be judged on how clean and precise your manuscript is executed.

Star quality?

There are a few transferable requirements that will wow the judges - the literary agent of your dreams:

Swing dance showmanship consists of presentation, creativity, costumes, and difficulty, so does writing

Presentation    Double line spacing and 12 point Times New Roman is the classic   

                      Indenting for speech and new paragraphs, but not at the start of each chapter.

                     

Creativity      Take a basic storyline, one of the seven (J)  will do, but craft a great idea

   Use a fresh and engaging voice, one that is a perfect fit for its genre.

Costume       Almost a stretch, but not – the costume is YOU!

     Professional, well-informed, and fascinating YOU, on the top of your platform J

Difficulty    Competent in spelling, grammar and storytelling?

Well paced and lean?

     Perfect for the pigeon-hole but unique?

    A powerful hook pitched in one or two sentences?

HOW WILL YOU SCORE IN THE COMPETITION?


Thanks to Nicola Morgan and to Swing Dance judges everywhere for their inspiration. :)

WRITER, PLAYWRIGHT, MEDIC, SPY - William Somerset Maugham

"There are three rules for writing a novel.  Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."  ~ William Somerset Maugham

William Somerset Maugham was born in the British Embassy in Paris.

By the time he was ten, both William’s parents were dead.

His uncle, a Minister in the Church of England, took him in.

Maugham became a medical student.

His first novel sold well, so he decided to abandon medicine and become a full-time writer.

Maugham found fame when his plays about marriage and manners became popular.

At the age of 40, during WWI, Maugham joined a Red Cross ambulance unit in France and served on the Western Front

Sir John Wallinger, head of Britain’s Military Intelligence (MI6) recruited Maugham act as an agent.  

He acted as a link between MI6 in London and its agents working in Europe.

Between writing and spying, Maugham had time to form long lasting relationships with both men and women.

I should think he found a lot to write about. :D

ENCOUNTERS The Rendlesham Forest Case HISTORY CHANNEL 100 WORD STORY

"Bud Steffans was the first to spot this UFO. On his suggestion he has picked up Burroughs and is driving through the forest when he sees the thing on the ground flashing multi-coloured lights. It is already on the ground. Therefore there is no way of knowing whether it has landed or crashed - or indeed whether it has ever been airbourne. Yet when Penniston is interrogating Steffans, moments later, Steffans says, 'Nothing crashed, it landed.' How could he know? How could he possibly know?"

raggedmoorlander

TAKEN IN THE GUARD HUT 

The Sargent’s face became mottled purple. “Out!”

“On Christmas Eve?”

“This isn’t a menagerie!”

Head awash with watery aromas and fear – my five year-old would hate me – I wrapped my arms around the bowl. “Sonny's Christmas present... I promised him –”

Multi-coloured lights rippled a scary Christmas. The hut shuddered. The goldfish bowl teetered near the bench’s edge. The air chilled. We crashed to our knees. White noise and high-pitched tones paralysed us. X-ray blue light illuminated too much of Sarge – inside and out.

It stopped. Yellow lights flickered on.

 “What the –?! Sarge?”

“UFO?”

“I’m fucked!” 
The goldfish had been taken.