Have you ever wished you had a time machine so you could go back and undo what had been done - or do what had been lost in the hurly-burly of other obligations?
Well, I have no time machine, but I can adjust the timestamp of my posts, so this mailbox - written on Monday, ladies and germs - will appear to have been written on Sunday. It'll be our little secret. Ssshh...
Gratifyingly busy mailbox this past week. Thanks, guys. Your humble scribe is inspired by your comments - which I'll address in approximately chronological order...
Arlee Bird left me great advice, and clearly it's worked for him. The specter of more comments than I can respond to provokes an ambivalent reaction; on balance, I've decided to focus on more modest aspirations, like getting the next blog out more or less on time. Baby steps, as Bob Wiley told himself...
Heather, whose illustrations are a delightful accompaniment to her words, was kind enough to leave several comments, and raised a very good question about my own choice of reading matter. Not having completed my own profile yet, that and related questions will probably need to be addressed at some point: this is as good a place as any to confirm that my literary pursuits are extremely catholic. The last book I borrowed from the library was Susanna Clarke's unspeakably great Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, a modern masterpiece that I can't sufficiently admire here. Part historical fiction, part fantasy, part comedy of manners, it reads like the guilty secret lovechild of Jane Austen and Neil Gaiman - it's the kind of debut that strikes fear in the heart of an unpublished author by being so searingly brilliant it's impossible to imagine ever producing anything in the same league. I may be over-egging it - and no, I'm not related to Susanna Clarke - but it's right up there in my Top Five (fleshed out by: Catch-22, Watership Down, The Stand, and - a cheat, this - the Thursday Next books of Jasper Fforde). There's much more I could say about this, and future blogs will probably touch upon it. Thanks for asking, Heather, hope this went part way towards an answer.
Laurie introduced me to the "mysterious universe" podcast, which is very much in tune with my blog's spirit. I'm loving what she's doing with the A-Z Challenge... and also Karen's blogs on aspects of writing. Celery Tree is also a great idea, and I'm happy to support it.
Erin has been a supportive commenter this week, too. Thanks, Erin. Both she and Heather earn my envy, not only for their excellent and enjoyable blogs, but also for having been to Ren Faires. The concept delights me, although the tights look itchy... I love finding odd biographical details in the comments people leave, and it gratifies my belief in F.I.A.T. - to be discussed in a future blog also - to see how they complement one another.
Dierdra paid me a double compliment, not only commenting but also nominating me for an award! My very first ever. Thank you, Dierdra, sincerely. Her profile lists her interest as "creating beauty," which she has certainly accomplished here.
It'll be going up on my blog just as soon as I can set up an Awards widget. Never thought I'd need one. :-D Thanks again. I love the interviews on your blog too - very informative!
Last, but not least, Nancy added an association that had somehow eluded me with my Harlequin post. I appreciate that greatly.
Well, I have no time machine, but I can adjust the timestamp of my posts, so this mailbox - written on Monday, ladies and germs - will appear to have been written on Sunday. It'll be our little secret. Ssshh...
Gratifyingly busy mailbox this past week. Thanks, guys. Your humble scribe is inspired by your comments - which I'll address in approximately chronological order...
Arlee Bird left me great advice, and clearly it's worked for him. The specter of more comments than I can respond to provokes an ambivalent reaction; on balance, I've decided to focus on more modest aspirations, like getting the next blog out more or less on time. Baby steps, as Bob Wiley told himself...
Heather, whose illustrations are a delightful accompaniment to her words, was kind enough to leave several comments, and raised a very good question about my own choice of reading matter. Not having completed my own profile yet, that and related questions will probably need to be addressed at some point: this is as good a place as any to confirm that my literary pursuits are extremely catholic. The last book I borrowed from the library was Susanna Clarke's unspeakably great Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, a modern masterpiece that I can't sufficiently admire here. Part historical fiction, part fantasy, part comedy of manners, it reads like the guilty secret lovechild of Jane Austen and Neil Gaiman - it's the kind of debut that strikes fear in the heart of an unpublished author by being so searingly brilliant it's impossible to imagine ever producing anything in the same league. I may be over-egging it - and no, I'm not related to Susanna Clarke - but it's right up there in my Top Five (fleshed out by: Catch-22, Watership Down, The Stand, and - a cheat, this - the Thursday Next books of Jasper Fforde). There's much more I could say about this, and future blogs will probably touch upon it. Thanks for asking, Heather, hope this went part way towards an answer.
Laurie introduced me to the "mysterious universe" podcast, which is very much in tune with my blog's spirit. I'm loving what she's doing with the A-Z Challenge... and also Karen's blogs on aspects of writing. Celery Tree is also a great idea, and I'm happy to support it.
Erin has been a supportive commenter this week, too. Thanks, Erin. Both she and Heather earn my envy, not only for their excellent and enjoyable blogs, but also for having been to Ren Faires. The concept delights me, although the tights look itchy... I love finding odd biographical details in the comments people leave, and it gratifies my belief in F.I.A.T. - to be discussed in a future blog also - to see how they complement one another.
Dierdra paid me a double compliment, not only commenting but also nominating me for an award! My very first ever. Thank you, Dierdra, sincerely. Her profile lists her interest as "creating beauty," which she has certainly accomplished here.
It'll be going up on my blog just as soon as I can set up an Awards widget. Never thought I'd need one. :-D Thanks again. I love the interviews on your blog too - very informative!
Last, but not least, Nancy added an association that had somehow eluded me with my Harlequin post. I appreciate that greatly.
1 comment:
I am finally getting a moment to peruse the lovely blogs of others, I have slow internet that on some occasions, chooses not to cooperate.
I love reading your blog, it is ver Illuminating...haha, going along with your Illuminati post there. You are definitely your own encyclopedia. I am educated every time I visit.
The books you are reading sound very interesting, as I thought they would be. "It reads like the guilty secret lovechild of Jane Austen and Neil Gaiman" is exactly why I enjoy your posts. I am currently reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, if you've not read it, you might check it out, it's fantastic! There a few on your list I would like to peek at, as well.
Looking forward to see what the letter J stands for in your world. :)
Jolly day to you!
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