This day in history, January 11 first recorded lottery in England

As writers, we can draw ideas from all aspects of life, be it everyday goings on, news reports, our own experiences, dreams or even History.

Because of this, once a month, I'll be challenging myself to learn something new, based on something that happened within that month, in history. 

This month, I've chosen the 11 January and the first lottery held in England.

The lottery was held in 1569 by Queen Elizabeth the first, as a way of raising money for public works, imparticular the repair and improvement of England's harbours.

To tempt people to take part Elizabeth offered up a prize of £5000, which was an astonishing amount of money at that time; however, this amount was to be made up by a combination of ready money, tapestries and linen cloth. 

The lottery was open to 40,000 participants. All of whom would have to pay 10 shillings for the chance to win the grand prize. This wasn't a lottery for everyone, 10 shillings, was a very large sum of money, in those days, more than the average man could afford. Which meant that the first lottery was a game for the wealthy. 

Now for the surprising part. As further motivation, all entrants received a weeklong immunity from arrest for all crimes other than murder, felonies, piracy or treason.

Imagine the stories we could create around an incentive like this. :)

So, who eventually won this first Lottery? Sadly no one actually knows, it seems that the record of the eventual winner was sadly lost, but you can't help but wonder if, in reality, there was more than one, when you consider how many of the entrants would have used that week long immunity, for their own financial gain. 

Over the years, there have been many different lotteries held in the UK. The national lottery today, is still used to fund government projects, among other things. 

The sad reality is that the majority of those who play will never win big, but for those who do it can be life-changing. New homes, new cars, new businesses, the world's the limit as to what you spend your winnings on. 

Some of the more unusual choices include:

- A pair of new hips 'for the wife'

- Tarantulas

- A firework company 

- next door's house, before turning it into a pub. 

That last one could be fun if you've lived next to the neighbours from hell, for a fair few years. 

Naturally, not everyone likes to advertise their win and who can blame them, as many winners who've actually chosen to go public have quickly found themselves hounded by begging letters not only from complete strangers but by friends and family alike. As well as having their purchases scrutinised and slammed by both the media and the public. As a result, 85% of all lottery winners choose to remain anonymous. 

On top of all this, having all your numbers come up, doesn't necessarily guarantee you the big windfall you might expect. 

Take for example a draw that took place on the 14th of November 1995. The prize was a whopping £16 million, if of cause there was only 1 winner, but this particular draw there was not just 1 winner, but an amazing 133 winners with which to divide the winnings. 

Can you imagine that? Sitting there in your living room, watching those balls fall into play, heart in your throat, as one after another, they hit home. The excitement, the joy, the sudden belief that you are about to walk away with a massive 16 million Jackpot. You're celebrating, overjoyed, certain your life is about to change forever. You contact the powers that be, your ticket is checked, you wait wait with baited breath for them to confirm your win. Only to discover that you are not alone. That the 16 million is to be shared, not with just 1 person, nor 2, but 133 others. 

That millionaire making number quickly diminishes before your eyes until you are told that in actual fact, you'll be walking away with just £120,000. Okay, so it's still nothing to be sniffed at, but it's no longer the life changing win you'd imagined when your numbers first fell into place. 

The lottery from it's early beginnings to modern day, is a great source for ideas.

What ideas can you take away with you for future use, in a short story, novelette or full-length manuscript? What would you do if you were given a weeklong immunity from arrest for all crimes bar those mentioned above? Perhaps you could use your winnings as a way of getting revenge on a difficult neighbour, if so how? 

Why not play around with what-if scenarios and see how many great story ideas you can create based on the lottery. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to leave a comment below. 

Love and hugs

Joss xx

My week in review.

It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster of a week for me.

It's been tough getting Kye back to doing his school work after the Christmas holidays and it has been a real battle of wills between us. 

He's still not getting much done, but after some great advice from my hubby and a close friend I am trying not to let it get to me too much.

The problem is that I freak out to much about failing Kye. Having a child is such a huge responsibility, ensuring that they do well in life, learn to be respectful and kind to others and grow up to be happy and well rounded can seem like a huge and daunting task. For most there is a degree of a reprieve, when it comes to sending them to school. It's the one area where we can pass the buck to a degree, where we can blame another if they fail to do well with the education. 

Knowing that Kye's school was failing him and that we needed to pull him out, seemed like a huge and very scary choice at the time, but in reflection I think that was the easy part. The hard part is being responsible for his education in full, along with all the other aspects of being a parent. 

It's tough, but I know we'll find a way in the end. We always do. I also know that despite my sons problems, he is an incredibly smart kid, he may use his smarts in the wrong way right now, but we'll keep working on that, little by little, day by day until we figure out what works best for him.

Will get the test. A diognosis, and work from their to help him in every way we can.

In the meantime we'll take each day as it comes and I'll try not to get to stressed out or worried. 

It's not all stress and worry this week; however, my planning and scheduling around my blog posts and reading schedule is going well. Working on my WIP has fallen by the wayside this week, but I've decided not to worry about it and aim for a slightly bigger word count next week. Using this week to get on with my extensive reading list.

I've had a cold bug most of the week and my back pain has been unbearable. So reading is a relaxing way for me to unwind and always something that brings me joy. 

Sometimes, I guess we just have to give ourselves a bit of a break. 

I'm so grateful for my husband right now though, he has been a massive support and kept me smiling. 

We had a bit of a talk last night and I knew something had been playing on his mind and asked him about it. We're coming up for 13 years together and he's so important to me, that it bothers me to see him feeling low. 

He's tired of working, which I can relate to and need something to focus on that he enjoys I between. Of course he has trample, his beloved traction engine, but he's a man with big dreams and he is longing for a bigger project. Turns out he has had his eyes on a project to build a half scale engine from scratch, but figured it was to expensive for us to accomplish. 

I disagree, I think it's possible for us to do anything if we set our minds to it and so I told him if that's what he wants then will save up the money and get it done. If there is one thing I've learned over the years, you've got to chase happiness where you can and if anyone deserves to achieve his dreams it's Dan. He's been such an awesome husband and so supportive of my dreams. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him. 

So, our saving journey begins, I can't wait to see Dan start to put it all together. He's so talented when it comes to stuff like this and I know he'll feel so proud of himself once it's done. 

So that's my week, it's had its ups and downs, but that's life sometimes. 

I hope you've all had a lovely week and that your weekends are great too. 

Love and hugs all

Joss xx

IWSG post.

I haven't done one of these posts for a long time, but figured what with it being a New year, I needed to get back into some good habits when it comes to my blogging.

So, how am I feeling at the moment about my writing? Well, if I'm honest, overwhelmed is probably the best word.

Since I started home educating my son last year, my writing has really taken a hit. Trying to find the time to sit and work, on top of lesson planning and 24/7 with my son has been a real struggle and often when I get to the point of actually working on my current WIP, I am so exhausted that I worry what is actually going down on paper is just pure drivel.

For this reason, I have tried to keep it simple by setting myself a really simple goal of just getting 6,000 words done a week. I figure that by keeping it simple, I won't feel too overwhelmed and will actually achieve a higher word count because of this.

When my son first started school a fair few years back, I really felt that my writing career could finally take off and I guess in a way it did. I mean, I finished Insane Reno and got it published which was an amazing and incredibly exciting experience, but having to pull my son back out of school, because of his behaviour and the fact that he was getting more and more behind in his education in that environment, has pretty much reverted me back to where I was, when he was a toddler. Only then having my son around all the time was nothing but joy.

I love my son to pieces, but I sometimes do feel resentful for his poor behaviour and the fact that my time is now spent constantly trying to coax him into learning. Each day is a battle of wills and good days are often few and far between.

The thing is, I choose to be a mother and sometimes that means you have to do things you'd rather not. Like pushing your career to the back burner.

We are currently in the process of trying to work out what exactly is going on with my son. We're pretty sure he is on the autistic spectrum and so I am hoping with a diagnosis we may find ways to work with him that will make things a little easier.

Currently, most of my days are spent trying to figure out ways to get him interested in learning, whilst trying to develop lesson plans that  are simple and easy for him to do, yet at the same time ensuring that he is actually learning what he ought to be. This isn't easy, especially when dealing with his constant outburst, which can see him lashing out at me both physically and verbally.

In essence, I am just exhausted. I feel like a failure not only as a writer but as a mother and I also feel incredibly alone.

So that's me, I'm afraid it's not a very positive post this time, but it's my reality right now, so what can I do.

love and hugs all
Joss xx

Organised chaos

My approach to being organised has always been a bit half hearted. There just always seemed to be better thing that I could be doing than plotting out a daily/weekly todo and filling my calendar with future plans for birthdays to come and appointments to make.

We had a very Cornish approach to life my husband and I. We lived by the "dreckly" mantra. Which essentially means "Some point in the future." Word of warning, if my lovely hubby ever tells you "I'll get to it dreckly," you may be in for a very long wait, like a year,two, ten or...

At any rate it was decided that I needed to get more organised and although I can kinda see why lol, I have begun the process some what grudgingly. 

I am now the not so proud owner of a planner! In which I have two calendars. One for writing and blogging and one for everyday life stuff. Yikes! 

The only good thing about this, is that it's pink!!!!!!

So here is how I intend to attempt to get organised:

1) plan all blog posts in advance by at least a week. 

2) write all blog posts for a week, on the Monday leaving the rest of the week free for commenting on blogs and working on my current WIP. 

3) writing at least a 1000 words but hopefully far more each day. I'm keeping it simple so it doesn't seem such a big task. 

4) planning everything out in advance, so that I am able to adapt my schedule when required due to other commitments or appointments. 

5)planning everyone's gifts for birthdays and such in advance and purchasing them throughout the year to avoid huge expense in the busy birthday months and at Christmas. 

6)keeping all my notes, lists, todo's, appointments ect in one place. 

7) remebeing to breath and trying not to panic when all this organisation seems to scary or to hard lol. 

Do you keep planners? Prefer the organised approached or the more haphazard? Whatever the case let me know and if you have any tips, they'll be happily received. 

Love and hugs 

Joss xx

New Year, New goals!

It’s that time of the year again where we set out goals and pray that we’ll succeed in keeping them.

I’m fairly unconfident this year, as one of my goals is to shed a whole heap of weight and even as I type this chocolate beckons and excuses for why I should put it off are churning in my mind.

•      The terrible final takeaway last night failed to provide the joy it should and thus must be repeated but with something from a better takeaway.

•      The massive collection of Christmas goodies still yet to be devoured

•        The fact that technically the Christmas holidays aren’t over until hubby and son are back at work/school.

I could go on, but I’ll spare you.

Last year’s goals consisted of weight loss, getting organised, blogging/writing more, cutting back on the smoking and dealing with my anxiety issues and hopefully as a result getting out more.

I failed miserably at the weight loss so much so I have avoided the scales like crazy most of the year. I just wasn’t in the right place for dieting, largely due to having a lot of pain this year with my back and IBS but also due to succeeding in the one area I never thought I would, smoking.

My plan for last year was merely to cut back on how much I smoked as I was getting through a massive 2 x 50gram pouches a week and sometimes a little more when my pain was bad.  Well cutting back turned into quitting all together for both my husband and I.  A massive achievement which was far easier than either of us ever imagined, we are now completely smoke free. I say that because I know a lot of people have switched to E cigs, we used nicotine free versions of those to help us quit but now we are off them as well, in fact Dan was off them after just a couple of weeks and I was off after about a month.

The amount of money we have saved from quitting is amazing, and has meant that we have been able to have a pretty good Christmas this year, which is great.

That was about the only goal I did well with. I failed miserably as being more productive, except when it came to the A to Z challenge which I felt I did pretty well with even earning a place as one of the blogs thatrocked the challenge, with my doggie theme, which was great.

I had a lot of ups and downs in 2014 and pain, so I wasn’t too overly disappointed in myself.

Another thing I did just manage to do in time, was deal with my anxieties. I visited the doctor about it at the beginning of December and he put me on some anxiety medicine. It’s early days yet, but I am hopeful.

So onto this year’s goals:

•        Lose weight, although I am going to wait until I am able to get back on my stronger pain meds, before starting my diet. Being on the new anxiety meds, my doctor wanted to reduce my pain meds just while my body got used to the new meds I was taking not only for my anxiety but my IBS, so I am hopeful that when I go back to see him on the 8^th of this month, he’ll give me back my stronger pain killers and I can start looking to lose weight. This also gives me time to continue enjoying the remaining Christmas fair and to get a decent take away in before my diet starts, that eradicating some of my excuses. J  

•      Get more organised. I have already gotten started with this by buying a Filofax type planner, with a calendar section for my writing/blogging as well as one for everything else in life. I’m hoping to post a blog post every day and all going well, I plan to write all my post on the Monday so the rest of the week can be focused on my current WIP and commenting on all you lovely peoples blogs.

•      Finishing the first Rehabilitation girls books ready for publication. This will be a big challenge for me as it will be the first time I edit my own book using Grammarly, fingers crossed it’s as good as they claim. J

  

  we were playing around with the colours and mood for the cover on this and like this sort of look although preferably with a much better model than myself in the finished product lol  

•      Continue to try and work through my anxieties and get out more. I’ll be starting on that Sunday I believe, when I go with hubby to one of his steam engine shows. I would like to say I am excited but to be honest I am not really feeling it at the moment as my IBS is playing up after too much fizzy wine last night and  my back isn’t fairing much better, but oh well

•      Work on being more focused and less distracted. It does seem a shame to abandon my whole, "oh look a bunny!" thing when I have got so good at it though. :) 

• I'd really like to get involved with some more blog hops this year also, so if you know of any good ones, please let me know in the comments. Thank you.

So that’s my New Year goals along with my 2014 fails and successes. How did you do with your goals in 2014 and have you set any new ones for 2015? Let me know in the comments.

Love and hugs

Joss xx

Celebrate the small stuff.

It's Friday and that means it's time for a celebrate the small stuff post.

I've actually been slacking in these and a lot of other blog related stuff lately. I have been busy in other areas though and that brings me to my first celebration.

My first draft of my current WIP is complete YAY!!!

I am trying to wait for a couple of weeks before starting the editing process but really struggling with this right now as I just want to get on with it. On top of that this book is making me nervous all round. For a start it's Christian fiction and not having published anything Christian fiction before I am worried how it will be received as I know some people are instantly put off when they hear Christian fiction. Before becoming a Christian I used to be one of those people.

Now, I realise of course that Christian fiction can be just as good as any other kind of fiction. In fact Francine Rivers, who write pretty much nothing but Christian fiction, is one of my favourite authors now and is an absolutely amazing writer. If you haven't read any of her books you should, she's brilliant. Redeeming love is my personal favourite. Her characters are brilliantly crafted and the plots just Wow!

Which brings me to my next celebration this week. Their are rumours that redeeming love is going to be made into a film. A big woop woop and a mega happy dance. You have no idea how excited this makes me. On her blog Francine Rivers reveals that she is talking with several interested parties about the possibility. AMAZING!!!! I am a very happy bunny right now.

I found a video on You Tube that gives a good idea of the book. It's a fan made book trailer. They did an amazing job of it.

My third celebration, medication. 

I put off for a long time going on prescription medication and finally gave in a couple of weeks ago. At first it made me really sleepy and a bit spaced out but I seemed to have got more used to it now and so that area has improved. It's having a small effect on the pain, it's certainly taken the edge off a little but not as much as I hoped. Still a little less pain is something to celebrate right and this is just a trial on the way to finding something that does work so fingers crossed. 

on a silly note, I was a little unnerved when I saw who had checked my medication, an LOL. hehe.

Book week. Yes it's book week this week and my son wanted to be hiccup from the book version of how to train your dragon by Cressida Cowell. Look how cute he looks.

We'd ordered him a dragon from Amazon but it didn't come in time so on the Wednesday night we were in a mad rush to make him one. There were wings to but the refused to stay on his scooter so we had to opt for just the head. I think we did and okay toothless, (book version not film version, who is decidedly toothy but whatever) what do you think?

here's the book cover where you can see the book version of toothless that I copied for the head.

He went to school all smart looking and returned in true Kye style looking like a very battle worn hiccup, hat askew, dragon beheaded, and Viking sword broken, but he had a blast and that's all that matters. 

Hubby had a fight with a tree last week and as a result had to be off work for a week due to having this week already book as holiday he has enjoyed a two week vacation all be it a sore one as he badly bruised his foot. It was fun watching him hobble around with my pink spotty crutches at the beginning of the first week though, when he could barely put any weight on his foot (no pictures sadly, every time I tried he would drop the crutches and refuse to pick them up till the camera was down. Such a meanie lol). The celebration though is he is feeling much betters and a lot less sore now and will be backs at work Monday. Which as much as I love him I am very much looking forward to as I get my peace and quiet back lol. 

He has spent the last three days out playing with the car as he is installing one of those fancy sterios with the tv screen on which you can watch tv and movies, mobile connection through Bluetooth, GPS, reversing camera and all that jazz. Kye will love being able to watch movies in the back of the car so that's great, although I did put my foot down when Dan wanted to attached either the playstation or xbox too it. Dan becomes absorbed by computer games and I had images of being stuck in a car park for hours on end while he just completed this bit and then this bit and then... Well you get the idea. 

Last but far from least and this is a real big celebration item. The lovely Samantha Bell one of my all time best friends passed her driving test yesterday. Well done Sammy I knew you could do it. She is far more braver than I.

Here's the lovely wammy :)

It's been a good week this week and I've actually really enjoyed it despite some pretty bad pain days, so how about you what are you celebrating?

Love and hugs Joss xxx 

For those of you who don't know, Celebrate the Small Stuff is an awesome blog hop, hosted by The Vikilit's writing blog.  It enables the blogger community to come together every Friday and check out what everyone is celebrating this week. If you want to join in or find out what others are celebrating, just click the link (in blue above) and sign up to the linky link on the Viklit's blog.  :)

Changes!

So my New Year intent was to be more productive and give more time to my family.

The writing is going better than it was but still not as well as I would like. I really need to stop letting other things distract me so much, but it can be really hard to stay focused at times.

Blogging has been the largest area of neglect, so I really need to fix that. I've just really been struggling for ideas of late, as to what I should blog about. That's never a good thing. I will try harder :) 

Spending more time focused on my family is going much better. I've been making a lot of Apple crumble and plan to knock up an apple and blackberry crumble later, so pics will be added of that. The crumble is so simple to make. So, it's a really easy way to make my boys happy, without causing me to much discomfort with my back. Plus it's doing something nice for them to show them that they matter to me. :) I've also just spent more time in general, having a laugh with them and playing games.

The iPad my hubby got me for Christmas is proving a real blessing  as sometimes sitting up, typing long posts or working on my novels with my laptop can leave me pretty sore, due to my back problems. With the iPad it's very easy to write in a more comfortable place.

I've also started my diet again it began yesterday evening with a healthy salad which was actually very tasty. 

And I was not even slightly jealous when CJ sent me a snap of his very scrummy looking dinner. Please note I did ask him to do so, as I was intrigued to see what this Mexican food he is always going on about, actually looked like. We don't have it in the wilds of rural Cornwall, at least not to my knowledge at any rate. 

As I can't eat this stuff myself now I may have to live vicariously through others. So if you want to leave a descriptive piece of writing in the comments, describing the deliriously Delilicious and oh so calorific meal you had. Please feel free, so that in reading it, I can imagine myself there munching in your place lol.

I have a serious junk food addiction. In the past, when I completely cut out the junk and beat the cravings for it, I enjoyed a weight loss of 8 stone. I believe that's around 100 pounds for the Americans out there but I may be wrong! 

My ideal weight would be 8 stone, so I have a lot to lose. 

I know for someone 5ft8 tall that is probably far to low, but it is the number I have in my head right now. Perhaps before I reach 8, assuming I succeed of course, I will feel that going to 8 stone is not actually a good idea or needed but right now my head is screaming for 8 so we shall see. 

I've had a lot of people ask me why I am choosing to diet the normal way given my current size. They all assume because I am so big that I would just go and get an op to make life easier. 

I know this is going to a hard thing to do and a long, long journey but, I do not see why tax payers should have to pay for my mistakes. That's not to say that people who choose to have a weight loss operation are wrong to do so. They have their reasons I am sure and losing weight is not easy. I just can't justify making others pay for my own stupidity. Plus how much better will I feel about myself if I am able to achieve this on my own. 

If I can do that then surely I can do anything!

Here's hoping I can pull it off and that in doing so it take some of the strain of my poor back. 

So that's what is going on with me right now. What are you guys and girls up to? 

 Loved and hugs 

Joss xxxx 

New year intent

Every year, millions of people make New Year's resolutions. Few actually keep them.

For this reason, I am going to have intents instead of resolutions. 

My intent this new year is to become more productive. That includes more blog posts and more time checking out the posts of others, as well as more writing in general. 

Working from home, it's so easy to be distracted by pointless tasks, like checking Facebook, watching movies, playing games, and the call of a good book, while what should be my priorities get pushed to the side and put off as long as possible.

Of late, getting distracted has been a serious problem for me; so much so, I think my poor bunny is getting a complex, lol.

I seriously need to kick things up a gear this year and get some real work done; something my new iPad Air should make, not only easier, but far more enjoyable, too. 

How did I ever live without one?

(A big thank'ee to the awesome Dan Solheim aka the hubby for fulfilling yet another one of my present dreams.)

It is, in fact, because of Dan that I am determined to try harder this year. Since we have been married, Dan has worked incredibly hard to support us all; allowing me, in the process, to stay at home in the guise of a housewife, so that I could focus on my writing. 

Very few people get as lucky as me in that respect. A lot of writers have to work full time in order to survive then come home and write as not all men are as understanding or as supportive as Dan, not to mention the fact that in some households it just isn't financially viable for only one person to work. 

My dream, you see, and it's a big one, is to earn enough from my writing, so that one day, Dan can retire with confidence.This will definitely not happen if I do not get tough with myself and even then it's no easy task; because, let's face it, very few writers make enough from their writing to support themselves, let alone a family.

It's relatively hard for me to think of my work in a professional context, even now that I am published. Writing was just something I did because I loved it. It was an escape from life, a way to create a happier, better world than the one I lived in as a child. 

Had I been told back then that I would become a published author, I never would have believed it. Neither would I have believed that writing would at times, seem like a chore. 

Where once, I haphazardly slapped down words without care, now I must edit, revise, tweak, trim, and splice my work into a tightly written, perfectly structured, and grammatically correct masterpiece of fiction; something that flows well, captivates others, and doesn't have "and then" haphazardly dotted everywhere, as my childhood writing once did.

( Thank God for Chuck Jolly and his editing skills; without which I would be royally screwed, lol)

So, this year .....

I will be dedicating my time to working hard on my career and taking care of my family, especially Dan, because he deserves a lot more appreciation.

What's your New Year's intention? Leave a comment and let me know.

Love and hugs Joss xx

P.S. If you're aware of any anthologies or blog hops taking place this year, please let me know; either in a comment or via my email at jossie.marie@gmail.com

Happy New Year everyone! XOXOX

Nick Wilford, Freelance editing!

Click the picture to take a look

Today, I am having a special guest post from the lovely Nick Wilford. Nick is starting a new editing service to help us lovely writers polish up our finished novels and short stories; in fact, pretty much anything, I'll definitely be saving his button on the side of my page. Right, that's enough from me. Lets see what Nick has to say. :)

Nick Wilford:

With the unstoppable rise of self-publishing, it’s easier than ever to put your words and stories out there in the world. This is a great thing, and I’m all for it. However, it’s not just about the story - although of course, that is the most important part - but the way it’s presented. After spending months or years on a novel, building an incredible world and honing your characters and storylines to perfection, the last thing you want is to be let down by a lack of editing. It’s just as important as an arresting cover image.

Nick Wilford, Freelance Editor is a one-stop shop for affordable editing, proofreading and formatting services. With professional training and ten years of experience as a journalist and editor, the time has come to transfer these skills in order to help out the fellow authors I have come to love.

But it doesn’t stop there. I’m ready to edit anything; from a crucial term paper, to memoirs and other non-fiction books, short stories, articles or job application letters. Let me put that finishing touch on your masterpiece.

Feel free to take a look at my website for further details of my services and prices.

Bio

Nick Wilford is a writer, freelance editor and stay-at-home dad. Fascinated by words from a young age, he trained as a journalist before embracing the calling of fiction. When not writing he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also co-running a campaign to get a dedicated specialist college built in Scotland.

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What's up Wednesday

It's What's up Wednesday time again. This is my second What's up Wednesday, so I am very excited to be back for another week. 
 

What's up Wednesday is run by the lovely Jaime Morrow. You can check out her blog here. It's a really simple blog fest. Each week we answers the questions below and you get to learn a little about what we are up to. So, lets get started. 

1. WHAT I'M READING
2. WHAT I'M WRITING
3. WHAT INSPIRES ME, RIGHT NOW
4. WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

1) What I'm reading:

I'm currently still on my Martina Cole session, although Dangerous Lady, which I am currently reading is the last one on my shelf at the moment, so I will be moving on to a new author soon. I have been so busy that I haven't had time to read much of it yet, but what I have read I like. As I can't tell you all that much, I'll give you the back cover blurb and move on. 

Bestselling author Martina Cole's explosive first novel of corruption and violence.

No one thinks a seventeen year-old girl can take on the hard men of London's gangland, but it's a mistake to underestimate Maura Ryan. She's tough, clever, and beautiful, which makes her one very dangerous lady.

Together, she and her brother Michael are unbeatable, but notoriety has its price. The police are determined to put Maura away, once and for all, and not everyone in the family thinks that's such a bad idea. When it comes to the crunch, Maura has to face the pain of lost love in her past and the dangerous lady discovers her heart is not made entirely of stone.

2) What I'm writing:

This week, I have mainly been blogging. There has been a bit of editing on Memory Book; about four chapters, but ultimately blogging and reading others blogs has pretty much been keeping me busy. 

3) What inspires me right now:

The kindness and generosity of others is really inspiring me now. If you check out my blog post from yesterday "How things change" the reason why will be clear. 

I have also been inspired by little Elliot Prior, a 4 year old, British boy who stood up to terrorists in Nairobi's Westgate Mall.
 

This little cutie told one of the terrorists, as he stood in front of his injured mum, "You're a bad man. Let us leave." What a brave little man he is and what an amazing inspiration, too. 

4) What else I've been up to:

Mainly this week, I have been trying to get my mobility scooter back. If you haven't heard about this yet you can read more about the situation in my blog post from yesterday "How things change" . Thankfully, everything is sorted out with that now and although I have not been able to get my original mobility scooter back, I have (thanks to the kindness of those at Launceston Mobility) been able to get a suitable replacement, which is a huge relief and a very big weight of my shoulders. 

It has been a very tough month this month and I am glad all the worry is finally coming to an end. 

Well, that's my What's up Wednesday. How about you? 

Have a lovely week, what is left of it, and thank you for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Joss xxx 

Express yourself

        

          It’s Monday; well, it will be in a few hours, lol. I am publishing this a little early. It's a productive day. At any rate, Monday means it's time for an Express Yourself post.

Express Yourself is an awesome, weekly blog hop that is hosted by the lovely Jackie and Dani, in which, each week, the entrants answers a specific question; then, we all hop from blog to blog reading everyone’s entries.

           

          If you would like to join in with this blog hop or simply check out all the other awesome blog posts for it. Then click here.

What authors would you love to have lunch with?

Well, my first thought, when I saw this question was all of them. I love talking to other authors and hearing about their work progress; but, then I assumed that might require a space, the likes of which it would be very difficult to find. So, I thought what about a huge banquet hall and just as many writers as we could cram in, but what about those we couldn’t, how mean would I feel then?

So, in the end, I decided that I would try to be a little more specific. I am going to allow myself a party of six. I will be one of the six, because it wouldn’t be me having lunch with them, otherwise. That leaves five writers to pick from the hundreds that I love. That’s a task and a half.

One of my first thoughts was Daphne Du Maurier. Imagine the stories she would have to tell you about her writing career and her time at Jamaica Inn, plus she loves Bodmin moor and was inspired by it, just as I was; however, Daphne Du Maurier is no longer alive. I wouldn’t mind a ghost at the table, but it might make the rest of us feel a little guilty, as she sat and watched us, tucking into a meal, while she just watched on.

The living it is then.

So, I was trying to think about this logically. First, I thought of all the writers I loved. That list; however, proved far too extensive. My conclusion, then; choose those that may be of help with either my current works in progress or future works.

And this is what I came up with:

Terry Pratchett - Not only is he an amazing writer, but he has Alzheimer’s. As I am writing Memory book at present, which is about a man with Alzheimer’s, Terry Pratchett would be able to give me not only writing tips, but his own first-hand experience with the disease. His fantastical worlds would also be fun to explore and dissect, which makes him, at least in my opinion, an awesome dinner companion.

Martina Cole - When it comes to strong characters and tough stories, Martina is an expert. She deals with topics most avoid and her characters are beautifully crafted; so, if I am looking to learn about realistic characters and polish my skills here, even more, then Martina will be another ideal dinner guest.

Jane Wenham Jones - Why? Well, because every party needs some humour and she is one of the funniest writers I know; that and she writes a whole host of amazing books, including books on writing that miraculously make you cry with laughter instead of from boredom, which is rare for educational books. With Jane at my party, I can get lots of great tips and lots of great laughs, as well.

Karen Amanda Hooper - I really need her to publish more of her Sea creature memoir series, preferably before she releases more Kindrily; not because I don’t love her Kindrily books, because I do, but I am a serious addict, when it comes to her Merfolk and Selkies. I’m hoping, if I provide enough alcohol, I’ll be able to get her to agree to, oh, I dunno, another 5 or 6 sea creature memoirs before she gets started on the Kindrily again.

Francine Rivers - Another author, who creates amazingly realistic characters; but the reason for choosing her today is to do with her favoured genre, Christian fiction. In memory book, Charlie struggles with God and faith. His wife, a devoted Christian, passed on her love of God to her son, who went on to become a vicar. Charlie; however, can’t forgive God for not only taking his wife, but allowing her to suffer, so long and painfully, with her cancer. Francine, I am sure, could give me so many great tips about bringing God into a fictional novel on top of character development and the creation of an unforgettable story.

So, there you have it, my five guests for my little dinner party; all picked with care and consideration. Now, there’s a first for me, and Terry Pratchett should be in his element with all these lovely ladies for company. :) 

What writers would you like to have to dinner and why?

Love and hugs,

Joss xx

30 day prompt challenge

So I have started to read this book, that is full of writers prompts, and it suggest setting a short goal of 30 days in which you write everyday.

It says that 30 days is the number of days roughly that it takes to really get into a new habit.

So I figured I would give it ago, as it's been a while since I did any posting in my blog and I would really like to get into the habit of blogging a little something each day.

So for 30 days I will pick one prompt from the book and write something about it, it may only be a few lines, or a couple of paragraphs, it could be a whole short story, or maybe a poem who knows, I'm not going to be to strict with myself. I am not sure if I can really state the prompt exactly or not, but I'll give you a rough idea of what the prompt was about so you don't just think I'm crazy lol.

the first prompt is Halloween, so I am off to think up something for that, feel free to join in if you want, I would be interested to see what people come up with, you could even do the challenge but find your own daily prompts if you prefer, just let me know if you post something so I can have a read :)

well I'll be back soon with my piece for today lol.

love and hugs Jossie xxx

Jumpin' Jitters writing cafe.

We now have an official blog for our Jumpin’ Jitters writers cafe, here you can see what we are up to in world (second life) see the weekly picture prompts, find out about up and coming events and learn more about Jumpin’ Jitters, encase you decide to come and take a look in world.

To take a look at the blog, (currently under construction) you can do so HERE!

here's the slurl to visit us in world, just post it in local chat and click the link for a landmark

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gyachung/47/179/90

The cafe, here you can chat with friends, host poetry readings, and enjoy a virtual bite to eat as well as checking out the weekly picture prompt.

The reading room, curl up with a one of the classic books provided for your entertainment, share your book reviews, read an extract from one of our novelist's books, and watch there word count grow, read some of the poems writen by other jumpin' jitters writers, come along to a book club meet or simply, relax a while.

Jumpin' jitters garden.

come along to our daily writers meet, to work on your latest project, or share ideas and get inspiration, chec out the writen prompt books for ideas or add your own written prompts to enspire others, take part in our write off, share your blogs, get ideas for characters names, share your creative writing or read others.

we're open 24/7 so everyone is welcome round the clock, you can also contact jossie Tyrellium or CJ Tyrellium in world, and arange to host your own event or poetry reading.

and not forgetting the word games provided so you can play your friends in world