Yay! I haz the shiny new cover* for the
Thank you, Gollancz
*Happy Sigh*
*Happy Sigh*
*UK paperback edition due 8th July 2010
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Warmest wishes for health, happiness and all the best for 2010 to all.
Read a Story - Give dosh for GOSH
Read a funny, heartwarming story with elves, goblins, snowmen, polar bears and of course, Santa and Rudolph! [just look out for Sputnik *g*] and donate some dosh for the kids at
Great Ormond Street Hospital. GOSH
Great Ormond Street Hospital. GOSH
*A Christmas Crisis
by Fiona J Mackenzie
Once every thousand years, Old Father Time travels to the North Pole. At the Grand Ceremony of the Claus, on the stroke of the millennium, he hands the famous velvet and fur trimmed robes to the next generation of Santa Claus.
Then the new Santa solemnly takes his Legend of Christmas oath, to uphold the traditions and joys of the Yuletide, to be guardian of the Christmas Grotto, and to bring happiness to all the children of the world.
But this year, Santa has a problem.
It was Christmas Eve. Silent snow drifted against the windows of Santa Claus’ great log cabin, wood fires slumbered and the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg spiced the air.
Nicholas glanced yet again at the twenty-four ticking clocks that covered the end wall of his office, but it didn’t matter which one he looked at, there was only a short time left. He paced up and down, trying to ignore the palpitations and cold sweat that chilled his skin.
It was no good. He couldn’t go through with it. He would have to cancel Christmas.
Read the rest of the story and donate** here
Now bring on the cute . . . A baby reindeer . . . Awwwww, he [or maybe she] is still waiting for his red nose *g*
Then the new Santa solemnly takes his Legend of Christmas oath, to uphold the traditions and joys of the Yuletide, to be guardian of the Christmas Grotto, and to bring happiness to all the children of the world.
But this year, Santa has a problem.
It was Christmas Eve. Silent snow drifted against the windows of Santa Claus’ great log cabin, wood fires slumbered and the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg spiced the air.
Nicholas glanced yet again at the twenty-four ticking clocks that covered the end wall of his office, but it didn’t matter which one he looked at, there was only a short time left. He paced up and down, trying to ignore the palpitations and cold sweat that chilled his skin.
It was no good. He couldn’t go through with it. He would have to cancel Christmas.
Read the rest of the story and donate** here
More pictures of the Waverley Herd Reindeer here courtesy of the BBC
* Picture not representative of the story - A Christmas Crisis does not contain reindeer with cell phones, shades or glocks. *g*
** donations via credit cards or paypal. Story can be read without donating.
** donations via credit cards or paypal. Story can be read without donating.
Winning Birthday Books!
Help a fellow book lover celebrate her birthday in style* with a chance to win one of these fabulous books**
over at One Book Away From Heaven.
!!!Just look at what you could win!!!
over at One Book Away From Heaven.
!!!Just look at what you could win!!!
Click here to enter contest. Closes 13th December '09.
*Happy Birthday Pattepoilue!!
**I'm thrilled that Pattepoilue has named The Sweet Scent of Blood as one of her favourite reads of 2009! Yay! Thank you! *beams*
Floating Heads FTW!
Wow! I'm honoured to report that the cover* for The Cold Kiss of Death has been nominated in the 1st Annual Urban Fantasy Cover Art Awards in the 'Best Floating Head Cover' category! Yay!
Now *bats eyelashes pleadingly* anyone who wants to vote for my book can go here, or you know, if you want to vote for any of the books, that's cool too . . . there are some fab, fab covers: this one below is possibly my favourite. I loved, loved, loved the book, and now Fade Out is currently sitting on top of my TBR pile as my treat for finishing writing The Bitter Seed of Magic [I'm days away from typing 'THE END' so watch this space . . .]
Voting is open from now until 30th December '09. Plus there are prizes for voting too - check them out here :-).
Back to the writing cave now . . .
* Kudos goes to Gollancz' art department! :-)
Child of Fire : Harry Connolly
Got any good turkey leftover recipes?
Want a chance to win this book?
Check out Harry Connolly's blog
Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He's the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him-or let someone else do the job. Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise's next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who's sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find-and destroy-the source of that inhuman magic.
I haven't read it yet, but it looks a fantastic read - one for the wishlist :-)
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it. Hope you had a good one.
Want a chance to win this book?
Check out Harry Connolly's blog
Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He's the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him-or let someone else do the job. Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise's next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who's sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find-and destroy-the source of that inhuman magic.
I haven't read it yet, but it looks a fantastic read - one for the wishlist :-)
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it. Hope you had a good one.
Claudico
Via Fiona J Mackenzie:
Meet the enchanting ‘Claudico’, who is having a seriously bad day! Claudico was created by Fiona's lovely friend, Amy Furey.
Happy Hallowe'en
Happy Hallowe'en everyone - wishing you all a spooky one!
~ Seeing as it's Hallowe'en, I've added a short article - Magical London - to my website on how different places in London have influenced my books, along with some interesting links. Among other things, the article talks about real myths and magic in London. Grab yourself 5 minutes and a tea/coffee/cocktail, and pop on over for a quick read :-)
~ Insert blatant self-promotion - The Cold Kiss of Death takes place in the week leading up to All Hallows' Eve so is ideal scary reading for this time of year *g*.
And for those who have a Kindle: The Sweet Scent of Blood - Spellcrackers.com 1 and The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers.com 2 - are now available.**
~ Cover Tease! I've seen an early preview of the cover for The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers.com - and I *LOVE* it! The Gollancz art department have done a fantastic job. Sorry to tease, but I'll share as soon as I can.
~ Writing news! I'm still writing [slow writer here *sigh*] The Bitter Seed of Magic, and I'm very happy with how the story is going [on my good days - on the bad days . . . well then it all feels like everything is sooooo bad that no one will like it :-( ]
Anyway, here's a small unedited quote from The Bitter Seed of Magic - enjoy!
Bandana grinned wider. ‘You should thank me, sidhe. You tried to swallow too much magic and it was ripping you apart, if it hadn’t been for my hold on you, you would’ve have faded.’ His long ankle-length brown coat split into a cape of thin whip-like willow branches that shifted in the spring breeze. I suppressed another shudder as the sensory memory of his branches tightening around my arms and legs surfaced, then pushed Finn away as my stomach roiled and I vomited up a stream of brackish-tasting liquid.
‘Oh and I poured salted river water down your throat while you were out of it.’ I heard Bandana say happily past the noise of my own retching. ‘Didn’t want the magic to have any nasty lingering after effects.’
Sadistic bastard. I wiped my mouth on the sleeve of my denim jacket, wishing not for the first time that I’d blasted all of him into wood shavings five months ago, instead of just his appendages.
That's all for now, so Happy Hallowe'en, and may you all have a fun-filled, scary time, with more treats than tricks!
* Whinge alert! - I've had some minor health problems which have meant my RSI and carpel tunnel problems have resurfaced. I'm fine, I've got all the correct medication and various splints etc, so it's all under control. But it's meant [along with my impending Deadline of Doom - is there any other kind? *g*] that I've had to be careful about resting - so the blog has fallen by the wayside. Sorry everyone.
** Both books are also available as Ebooks here.
Friday Five
Emerges from The Writing Cave, looks around, blinks . . . thinks *it's Friday*, and blogs :-)
1. Chapters Bookstore in Dublin asked me five questions for their blog - Go check it out and read a small hint about The Bitter Seed of Magic : Spellcrackers.com #3 : Plus the blog has lots of other great posts to check out, including five questions with Sara Rees Brennan, brilliant author [and really fun person] of The Demon's Lexicon.
2. Read the first three chapters of Fire - Kristin Cashore online for free!
3. This next one is so cool! The Sweet Scent of Blood has been nominated in the 101 Best Fantasy Books. A BIG, BIG THANK YOU to whoever nominated it, the love is very much appreciated! Yay! I'm so honoured to be on the same list as some of my favourite and most admired authors. So go vote - [not for me, unless of course you want to *smiles hopefully and flutters eyelashes*] and you could win the number one book! More Yay! Voting closes September 14th.
4. The Writing Cave update - writing on The Bitter Seed of Magic is going well [if slower than I want or need with the DEADLINE Of DOOM looming . . . *bites nails* ] which is, of course, why I'm not here very much lately. I promise I'll be back more regularly once I get to THE END :-) But despite the slow going, I'm really happy with the book [unless I'm having one of those 'this is such a load of crap, days' *sighs*] New and interesting characters have appeared to surprise me [1], the usual characters are getting into hot water . . . and out again LOL! and my BFF and writing buddy who sees everything I write first has given it the big thumbs up, while nagging me for more, more! [Thank you, Fi :-)]
5. The Naming of The Beasts, the new Felix Castor book by Mike Carey is out!! Yay! I'm superexcited about this, and can't wait to read it [But in case my editor is peering over my shoulder, I want to assure her I will be saving it - along with the rest of my TBR pile - until after the DEADLINE OF DOOM is done - go here [where my editor talks about high heels and whips!!! *bites nails again* I'm a good author, truly!] for why!
[1]I'm sort of what Jaye Wells [4] calls a Planster when I write. I know the overall plot, I know the main characters and their motivations[2] and as I write I uncover the road my characters have to take to get to THE END. And it is that journey where the really fun bits come in, when events/characters I don't expect appear out of my subconscious and the road twists and turns in exciting and unusual ways.
[2]I always write my characters with this great advice from Kurt Vonnegut in mind - Every character should want something even if it is only a glass of water.
[3] Please note: any errorrrs or inconsissssstencies in this post are due to caffeine and sleep deprivation.
[4] My fantastic CP and awesome author - Look at her new fabulous cover for The Mage in Black This book is so, so good, even better than Red-Headed StepChild with all the wonderful characters that Jaye has created returning, plus some really fab, fab new ones - be jealous that I've already read it *evil laugh*
Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple, but it looks like it wants to bite back.
1. Chapters Bookstore in Dublin asked me five questions for their blog - Go check it out and read a small hint about The Bitter Seed of Magic : Spellcrackers.com #3 : Plus the blog has lots of other great posts to check out, including five questions with Sara Rees Brennan, brilliant author [and really fun person] of The Demon's Lexicon.
2. Read the first three chapters of Fire - Kristin Cashore online for free!
3. This next one is so cool! The Sweet Scent of Blood has been nominated in the 101 Best Fantasy Books. A BIG, BIG THANK YOU to whoever nominated it, the love is very much appreciated! Yay! I'm so honoured to be on the same list as some of my favourite and most admired authors. So go vote - [not for me, unless of course you want to *smiles hopefully and flutters eyelashes*] and you could win the number one book! More Yay! Voting closes September 14th.
4. The Writing Cave update - writing on The Bitter Seed of Magic is going well [if slower than I want or need with the DEADLINE Of DOOM looming . . . *bites nails* ] which is, of course, why I'm not here very much lately. I promise I'll be back more regularly once I get to THE END :-) But despite the slow going, I'm really happy with the book [unless I'm having one of those 'this is such a load of crap, days' *sighs*] New and interesting characters have appeared to surprise me [1], the usual characters are getting into hot water . . . and out again LOL! and my BFF and writing buddy who sees everything I write first has given it the big thumbs up, while nagging me for more, more! [Thank you, Fi :-)]
5. The Naming of The Beasts, the new Felix Castor book by Mike Carey is out!! Yay! I'm superexcited about this, and can't wait to read it [But in case my editor is peering over my shoulder, I want to assure her I will be saving it - along with the rest of my TBR pile - until after the DEADLINE OF DOOM is done - go here [where my editor talks about high heels and whips!!! *bites nails again* I'm a good author, truly!] for why!
Thinks *caffeine* [3] and *whips*, and scuttles back to The Writing Cave via the kettle . . .
[1]I'm sort of what Jaye Wells [4] calls a Planster when I write. I know the overall plot, I know the main characters and their motivations[2] and as I write I uncover the road my characters have to take to get to THE END. And it is that journey where the really fun bits come in, when events/characters I don't expect appear out of my subconscious and the road twists and turns in exciting and unusual ways.
[2]I always write my characters with this great advice from Kurt Vonnegut in mind - Every character should want something even if it is only a glass of water.
[3] Please note: any errorrrs or inconsissssstencies in this post are due to caffeine and sleep deprivation.
[4] My fantastic CP and awesome author - Look at her new fabulous cover for The Mage in Black This book is so, so good, even better than Red-Headed StepChild with all the wonderful characters that Jaye has created returning, plus some really fab, fab new ones - be jealous that I've already read it *evil laugh*
Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple, but it looks like it wants to bite back.
Fire - Kristin Cashore : Winner!
This week's contest is now closed and Random.org has drawn the following winners ...
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for leaving your comments, I've really enjoyed reading them. And many thanks for linking and tweeting! Right back off into the Writing Cave now to find a way for Genny to escape from the clutches of [redacted for spoiler alert] in The Bitter Seed of Magic!
Winner 1 = No. 40 Eli
Winner 2 = No. 53 a flight of minds
Congratulations to both of you! You've each won an ARC of Fire : Kristin Cashore. Please send me your snail mail details to contest [at] spellcrackers [dot] com within the next 7 days.
Teleportation appears to be the favourite superpower [in my completely unscientific 'oh, lots of you seem to have said that' way of deciphering all your comments LOL!] , saving us all time and money and letting us travel to exotic places at the drop of a hat! Works for me *g*
Fire - Kristin Cashore : Giveaway
Okay, so I'm not here okay. You haven't seen me, 'cos I'm in The Writing Cave - Writing :-) But I've a treat for you while I'm away . . .
But first my thanks to everyone who has bought The Cold Kiss of Death, I'm really thrilled that you've let me know how much you've enjoyed reading it! Yay! *Big happy smiles*.
In another fab news, The Sweet Scent of Blood - Süßer als Blut - released in German [by my lovely German publishers Goldmann] two days ago [earlier than I thought!] It's so amazing to think my book's been translated into another language. *more big happy smiles* I'm just sad that I know no German *sigh* but here's a big HELLO and welcome to any new German speakers who might be reading.
Now on to the giveaway! Thanks to my lovely UK publishers Gollancz I have two ARCs of Fire : Kristin Cashore due for release on 17th Sept in the UK and 5th Oct in the US to giveaway to two lucky winners.
But first my thanks to everyone who has bought The Cold Kiss of Death, I'm really thrilled that you've let me know how much you've enjoyed reading it! Yay! *Big happy smiles*.
In another fab news, The Sweet Scent of Blood - Süßer als Blut - released in German [by my lovely German publishers Goldmann] two days ago [earlier than I thought!] It's so amazing to think my book's been translated into another language. *more big happy smiles* I'm just sad that I know no German *sigh* but here's a big HELLO and welcome to any new German speakers who might be reading.
Now on to the giveaway! Thanks to my lovely UK publishers Gollancz I have two ARCs of Fire : Kristin Cashore due for release on 17th Sept in the UK and 5th Oct in the US to giveaway to two lucky winners.
!!!LOOK AT THE GORGEOUS UK COVER!!!
Both Fire, and Kristin's first book, Graceling are about characters with POWERS. So to win a copy of Fire by Kristin Cashore, please leave a comment telling me what super power you would want to have. My super power choice, unsurprisingly, would be to streeeetch time so I could have at least twice as much of it, or more to do my loooong to-do list *g*.
Two winners to be drawn by Random.org. Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Thursday 2oth August 2009.
ETA: 21.8.09 8.30 am Giveaway Closed!
Wow! Lots of fantastic superpowers,I would be great to have them all LOL!
Thanks to everyone who's commented, I've really enjoyed reading them. And many thanks to everyone who has linked, and tweeted, and blogged, it's very much appreciated.
And a big hello and thank you to any new followers, I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog :-).
For some reason blogger decided to play around with the last few comments and want them to be moderated . . . I have no idea why, so sorry about that. Hopefully it should be okay now.
The giveaway is now closed, and I'll be posting the winners a bit later today. Good luck!
Suzanne xx
I comment = 1 entry
Post a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and gain yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
So what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
Friends as Characters: or why I was forced to make Pierce Brosnan a vampire
Friends as Characters: what a nail-biting and horrifying fantastic idea this can be.
First where do characters come from? It’s one of those questions that writers are often asked. My own characters arrive from various places: some stroll onto the page fully-formed complete with name*, description and dialogue; others start out as bit parts or walk-ons and then suddenly demand a life of their own and a much bigger slice of the wordage; and a few take a bit of investigating before they start to form in my head.
Genny Taylor – the main character in my books – was one who took a bit ofhair pulling and banging of head on desk investigating. Although I knew a lot about her before I started to write, it took me a while before I found both her and her voice. In fact it took a whole short story**; one that takes place ten years before the events in The Sweet Scent of Blood at a very traumatic time for Genny. Seeing how she reacted from another character’s point of view really helped nail Genny as a person for me.
But there are other ways to find characters for your books! [cue dramatic organ music]
One thing I’d never thought I’d do was base characters on anyone I know [winces at possible litigation and rotten tomatoes], or anyone famous, except thenmy arm was twisted after a chat I changed my mind. The conversation went something like this . . .
Fiona: [best writing buddy] You know I really don’t like vampires, I just can’t see what the attraction is [shudders]
Suzanne: [wondering where this conversation is going and how anyone cannot love vampires] Uh-huh.
Fiona: Although there are exceptions I s’pose, I mean Pierce Brosnan*** would make a great vamp, don’t you think?
Suzanne: [cool, hot-looking in that sophisticated older guy way and with that Bond charisma thing going on] Sure.
Fiona: Good! I’m glad that’s settled, you can make him a vampire in your book and then I can be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: [reels in shock] but you just said you don’t like vampires.
Fiona: I do if they’re Pierce Brosnan and I get to be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: You really want to be a character in my book who dates a vampire?
Fiona: [Looks determined] Of course, but only if it’s PB.
Suzanne: Oh! [Sees the end of a beautiful friendship happening.] What if you don’t like you in the book?
Fiona: He’s PB! What’s not to like. [hands over a brochure] Now here’s the dress I have to wear, it’s a Chanel.
Oh and these are the shoes [flips page briskly] they’re Christian Louboutin.
Rubies added via fictional license
And PB should have that casual look going on; you know where he’s on the beach in that film – The Thomas Crown Affair – dark tousled hair, linen shirt, jeans … [stares dreamily into distance]
Suzanne: [starts mulling over the possibilities, rubs hands] Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Some time later . . .
Spouse reading book: [wry tone] I see Fiona got herself in the book then.
Writing group: [collectively hold hands up and gasp in horror] Fiona does what!!??!!
Fiona: Brilliant - all my chums at work are waiting for your book now - they have heard that I'm in it and get practically strangled by a ruby necklace. Makes you realize who your friends are *G*
And here’s where Genny first meets Fiona in The Sweet Scent of Blood . . .
‘Not at all, Ms Taylor. I can assure you that all of our customers are very satisfied.’
I swivelled towards the woman’s voice and saw luminous grey eyes, short white-blonde hair and salon-perfect makeup.
‘I am Fiona, the proprietor of Tir na n’Og.’ Her dress was spectacular, form-fitting black silk with what looked like very expensive ruby and diamond catches holding it together. There were more rubies sewn onto her elbow-length evening gloves.
...I followed Fiona up the stairs, or rather, followed her shoes: red suede courts with four-inch heels, studded with more rubies. The ruby extravaganza made my spine crawl. Fiona had hit my radar as human, so why was she blinged up like a witch or a goblin queen?
More recent conversation . . .
Fiona: [discussing The Cold Kiss of Death] umm . . . Fiona doesn’t get much of a mention does she? [steely look] I hope you’re going to give her more page time in book 3?
Suzanne: [looks shifty] umm . . . I’m not sure what’s happening with Fiona in book 3—
Fiona: [points an accusing finger] you’re not going to kill her off are you? You can’t! I won’t let you!
Suzanne: [mentally resurrects Fiona] ooh, alright then . . . maybe I’ll kill PB instead [evil grin].
FYI: Part of this blog post was posted over at Karen Mahoney’s LJ where she was kind enough to have me as her guest on the 4th Sept 2008. Karen is brilliant new writer [of Urban Fantasy :- )] and her story Falling to Ash is published in The Eternal Kiss anthology – you can read the first six pages through Amazon’s ‘look inside’ feature here.
*Trivia! Walk on characters’ names are something I have an issue with; in the first draft of my book, I ended up with three characters all called Peter, and because they were such different people in my mind, I never noticed until after I’d written them in. Trouble is I still think of all three of them as Peter! So now a lot of my secondary characters start out as XXX until I can think of suitable [and different] names for them. *g*
**Currently undergoing a re-vamp :- )
***Profuse apologies to PB – it wasn’t my idea, but you really do make a fantastic vamp!
First where do characters come from? It’s one of those questions that writers are often asked. My own characters arrive from various places: some stroll onto the page fully-formed complete with name*, description and dialogue; others start out as bit parts or walk-ons and then suddenly demand a life of their own and a much bigger slice of the wordage; and a few take a bit of investigating before they start to form in my head.
Genny Taylor – the main character in my books – was one who took a bit of
But there are other ways to find characters for your books! [cue dramatic organ music]
One thing I’d never thought I’d do was base characters on anyone I know [winces at possible litigation and rotten tomatoes], or anyone famous, except then
Fiona: [best writing buddy] You know I really don’t like vampires, I just can’t see what the attraction is [shudders]
Suzanne: [wondering where this conversation is going and how anyone cannot love vampires] Uh-huh.
Fiona: Although there are exceptions I s’pose, I mean Pierce Brosnan*** would make a great vamp, don’t you think?
Suzanne: [cool, hot-looking in that sophisticated older guy way and with that Bond charisma thing going on] Sure.
Fiona: Good! I’m glad that’s settled, you can make him a vampire in your book and then I can be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: [reels in shock] but you just said you don’t like vampires.
Fiona: I do if they’re Pierce Brosnan and I get to be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: You really want to be a character in my book who dates a vampire?
Fiona: [Looks determined] Of course, but only if it’s PB.
Suzanne: Oh! [Sees the end of a beautiful friendship happening.] What if you don’t like you in the book?
Fiona: He’s PB! What’s not to like. [hands over a brochure] Now here’s the dress I have to wear, it’s a Chanel.
Oh and these are the shoes [flips page briskly] they’re Christian Louboutin.
Rubies added via fictional license
Suzanne: [starts mulling over the possibilities, rubs hands] Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Some time later . . .
Spouse reading book: [wry tone] I see Fiona got herself in the book then.
Writing group: [collectively hold hands up and gasp in horror] Fiona does what!!??!!
Fiona: Brilliant - all my chums at work are waiting for your book now - they have heard that I'm in it and get practically strangled by a ruby necklace. Makes you realize who your friends are *G*
And here’s where Genny first meets Fiona in The Sweet Scent of Blood . . .
‘Not at all, Ms Taylor. I can assure you that all of our customers are very satisfied.’
I swivelled towards the woman’s voice and saw luminous grey eyes, short white-blonde hair and salon-perfect makeup.
‘I am Fiona, the proprietor of Tir na n’Og.’ Her dress was spectacular, form-fitting black silk with what looked like very expensive ruby and diamond catches holding it together. There were more rubies sewn onto her elbow-length evening gloves.
...I followed Fiona up the stairs, or rather, followed her shoes: red suede courts with four-inch heels, studded with more rubies. The ruby extravaganza made my spine crawl. Fiona had hit my radar as human, so why was she blinged up like a witch or a goblin queen?
---
More recent conversation . . .
Fiona: [discussing The Cold Kiss of Death] umm . . . Fiona doesn’t get much of a mention does she? [steely look] I hope you’re going to give her more page time in book 3?
Suzanne: [looks shifty] umm . . . I’m not sure what’s happening with Fiona in book 3—
Fiona: [points an accusing finger] you’re not going to kill her off are you? You can’t! I won’t let you!
Suzanne: [mentally resurrects Fiona] ooh, alright then . . . maybe I’ll kill PB instead [evil grin].
Fiona: [narrows eyes] you are *not* killing PB either! End of! Oh, and I've found a picture of Fiona's ruby ring, there's such a romantic story about it [sighs]
The Worlds largest and most exquisitely faceted ruby, A 23.1 carat gem, is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Gem and Mineral collection in Washington, D.C.
The dazzling diamond and ruby ring was a gift from Peter Buck, founder of the Subway Sandwich chain in honor of his late wife.
---
*Trivia! Walk on characters’ names are something I have an issue with; in the first draft of my book, I ended up with three characters all called Peter, and because they were such different people in my mind, I never noticed until after I’d written them in. Trouble is I still think of all three of them as Peter! So now a lot of my secondary characters start out as XXX until I can think of suitable [and different] names for them. *g*
**Currently undergoing a re-vamp :- )
***Profuse apologies to PB – it wasn’t my idea, but you really do make a fantastic vamp!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
