A Very Happy Geek

I think I might genuinely be in love with Peter Brett. I mean I'm not about to call off the wedding or anything, purely for financial reasons. (I'm kidding, Rob... Peat's a married man :P). But anyway, the man defiitely knows how to make me smile. 

So I got home from my week visiting the parents to find an envelope with a warded sender address label sat by my door. 

After I had finished jumping around and squealing, I managed to carefully open it, and this is what was inside:

I am a bit happy. Seriously, what a genuinely lovely man. He paid for postage and everything. I love that. He could so easily say 'I'm a very busy man' and let the fans run around and do what they like, but I love the fact that he wants to be so personally involved with his readers. He constantly runs competitions and has an active presence in his blog, which is just lovely. 

Not only that, but after I had sort of assumed that Brayan's Gold, his filler novella that tells the story of Arlen's adventures that aren't covered in The Painted Man or The Desert Spear, was out of print I stumbled across it on Amazon. I ordered one very sceptically, expecting it not to come, or it to be the wrong one. Yesterday, lo and behold:

So as you can tell, I'm a very happy geek. Except, I have the problem of wanting to read Brayan's Gold, but I don't want to ruin it. I also have the problem with my other recent purchase:

Also first edition, I might add. I had actually forgotten that it had come out, which is ridiculous after how long it has been in the making. But I was very lucky to stumble across it. I'm having a good, geeky week.

I've been able to read a bit more of The Book Thief as well, which is getting very intense. Really enjoying it. 

So I know this is more of a reading post than a writing one, but I felt that some of you might appreciate my geeky endeavours. Anyone else excited by this beast of a book? I don't know when I'm going to be able to read it though. I still have a massive pile to read, and judging by the amount of time it's taken me to read the Book Thief, well. 

Anyway, that's all from me tonight. Thanks for reading :)

Living, Observing, Writing.

It has been a while, my friends. Many apologies - life got a hold, I'm afraid. But here I am with tales to tell, and I've had a pretty good week. Rob and I have just got back from our first Youth Group session, to which a grand total of 2 youth turned up. That's a whole 2 more than last time... It's been great though. We had a laugh with them and got into some quite deep discussions, so we have an idea of our game plan for the coming month.

The best picture I can get of my little emo fish.

I want to say quite honestly that I love my job. I know, right, I'm 'just a receptionist'. But I'm really enjoying it. I like knowing what's going on, I like getting to know people and helping them out, and I like that I get to meet so many different people each day. I've been building relationships with people and learning more about the world through them, and that is what living is all about. I'm getting so many opportunities to observe people too, to observe relationships and the way different people relate to each other, and cope in various situations. And, getting to my point, that is all a part of the writing process.

While I haven't been physically writing much, I have picked up on character traits and relationships that are really informing my writing, and I've just been noticing things in people around me that I think could be worth writing about. I know I'm being vague.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it can be easy as a writer to fall into the desk trap - being sat at a desk with a blank page staring back, forcing yourself to write when it's the last thing you feel like doing. And yes, there needs to be a certain amount of discipline to writing. But we shouldn't be afraid to get out there and live in the world about which we are trying to write. (Of course, different rules apply for fantasy writers, although even then, you still need a good idea of people and how they relate to one another.)

I'm still looking for a job, as this one unfortunately ends in April, and I'm really thinking about the type of place I want to work in. Ideally, I want to work in a sixth form college. And the irritating thing is, I'm pretty sure I was going to be offered a job at a sixth form college, but it was only cleaning and part time. In competition with the Hooper Placement, it just wasn't worth it. But seeing as I'm writing Young Adult Fiction, it would be really good to be working amongst Young Adults. Because I'm getting old. I'm not a teenager anymore, as much as it pains me, and I'm forgetting what it's like. I won't have teenage children for at least another 16 years, so I need to be in a place in which I can observe the behavior of this age group.

I have been typing up a few hastily scrawled scenes, including a dialogue between Ryan (the main character) and his ex, which they started having in my head while I was trying to book a room for someone. No idea where it came from, but I think it will really add to the dynamic of the two of them. We hear so much in Ryan's thoughts and people talking about what Anna is like, but the only time we get to see what she is like with Ryan is that first argument they have. So it will be very revealing to show her trying to win his favour back.

This post has been sat in my drafts for a week or two now, so many apologies. I was informed this morning by way of a very excited phonecall from the lovely Nikki, that I have a letter waiting for me at home, marked with 'Peter. V. Brett' on the front. I screamed just a little bit when she told me. I shall fill you in once I am back in Hull. (I'm currently in Horsham visiting my parents and sorting out wedding stuff.)

As for now, I'm going to have a cup of tea. God bless my wonderful father.