Tag: writing talk

A Bit of Me, Updates

NaNo 2018 Round Up

Becca Lusher

December is here, NaNo is over, let’s see what I managed to get done.

NaNoWriMo Goal 1: Complete Burning Sky

Even though I was already nearly halfway through writing this book, the only thing I really wanted to achieve last month was finishing it. And I did!

Day 10. 42,562 words added. Goal achieved.

But I didn’t want to stop there, so I took a day to prepare myself to start the next Dragonlands novel – and promptly jumped into an unrelated novella from a brand new series.

NaNoWriMo Goal 2: Write Thief’s Gamble

The idea of a Foundation of Aquila series has been knocking around the back of my brain for a year or two (someone asked about it on Wattpad), but I hadn’t really pinned anything down yet. Until Keo and Lahera burst into full life and took over NaNo, leaving me with a completed novella and plenty of ideas for the series to follow. This one should (hopefully) be a lot of fun. I really do need to write another Dragonlands novel first, though.

Regardless of my plans or best intentions, I finished it. And for once an attempted novella stayed an actual novella. I am all astonishment!

Day 20. 25,028 words later. Goal achieved.

Two things down and I still had nine days left. I guess that meant I could finally crack on with that Dragonlands novel.

Wrong.

NaNoWriMo Goal 3: Finish Aftermath

I fully intended to make a start on Ice Falls, I swear I did, but to be honest the last nine days of NaNo weren’t great for me. Mostly because of fatigue issues. I also don’t really have a feel for where this book is supposed to start, so I need to go back and look at the end of Burning Sky before I tackle it.

Anyway, my head was so desperate not to start Ice Falls it seized on Aftermath instead. This is an entirely self-indulgent, overblown epilogue novella for the Wingborn series, which ties up some of the romances and side characters and little things that I didn’t really have room for in the main books. It was supposed to be short and sweet and full of warm fuzziness. I originally dove straight into it after finishing Wingborn 6, but I stalled after a while and it became yet another thing I’ve struggled to finish this year.

However, NaNo was going well, so I thought, why not? Give it a go. The worst that can happen is I’ll get stuck precisely where I’ve been stuck all year.

Day 30. 19,947 words added. Goal achieved!

Three stories finished. 86,340 words written in total. Two major albatrosses released back into the wild. I can’t believe how well that went.

Although, if I look back at my daily tallies, it could have gone a little better. There were 13 days when I didn’t write a single word, and even my biggest daily haul (9135 words) is a bit below my best. I didn’t experience my usual rush of momentum where I write more and more and more as the month goes on, but that’s probably because I’m used to focusing on one project from start to finish, not jumping in halfway and finishing several things along the way.

So perhaps I could have written more, but looking back I am more than happy with how I did. Burning Sky is finally finished! A pair of new characters have established themselves in a whole new series and I’m excited to get back to them and let their story unfold. I’m also relieved that Aftermath is done, even though I acknowledge it’s no longer a novella, bonus or otherwise. But I knew that after it passed 30K, I was just living in denial. Still, it’s done, yay! And I’ll figure out what to do with it later.

For now, thanks NaNo! I don’t know why the mere thought of the challenge can break through blockages that have frustrated me all year, I’m just glad that it did. November is done. Thanks for the word count, but now it’s time to move on.

To all my fellow NaNoers, I hope you enjoyed your month and had fun with all your words. Here’s to you all! And I’ll see you again next year.

Merry December, everyone!

Patreon, Updates, Writing

Patreon

Becca Lusher

Wingborn 1-6 V2 small.jpg

All right, everyone, my Patreon has finally arrived!

It’s a bit sparse over there at the moment, but I’m working on it. If you sign up today you’ll have immediate access to the Prologue and Chapter 1, Part 1 of Aquila’s War, with more to follow tomorrow. It’ll be another month before you’ll get that here or on Wattpad, so if you can’t wait for more Mhysra and Co, this is the place to go.

Before I explain the tiers in more detail there are a couple of things to point out:

  1. You need to be over 13 to open a Patreon account, and over 18 to support anyone. If you are under 18, you will need your parent/guardian’s permission.
  2. All pledges are listed in US$ and exclusive of VAT. Please factor that in when picking your tier. It will tell you exactly how much you’ll be paying (in US$) before you commit, but it’s still nice to know in advance. If you need to work out your own currency rate, xe.com can help.
  3. This is a monthly charge. You can change your tier up or down, leave or join at any time. Some things will be time dependent, but others will remain available for the foreseeable future. Just remember that you pay up front, so if you’re going to leave, do it towards the end of the month so you get the full benefits :)

Okay, Patreon FAQs can be found here, so head there if you need more info. And with that out of the way, let’s see what you could get.

Continue reading “Patreon” →

Books, Updates, Writing

Where is Storm Rising?

Becca Lusher

Also known as Plans for 2017. Of a sort.

When I released Blazing Dawn back in autumn, the plan was to have Storm Rising (Dragonlands 2) written and ready to go around now. Well, the good news is that it is written, but the bad news is that it isn’t ready to go anywhere. Or it might be, I don’t know.

I’ve lost confidence in my writing. This isn’t unusual for me, but it’s kind of inconvenient. So for the moment, Storm Rising is on hold while I run through Blazing Dawn again. I’m half wondering if I should fully revise BD before going further with the series, I’m also wondering if perhaps I should write the whole lot out first before releasing any of them, and focus on getting the Wingborn books out first instead.

I don’t know what to do and that’s making me hesitate. Which is not helpful.

So I have a question (well, a few, but we’ll start with this one) for anyone who has read BD. Is there anything you wish I hadn’t done or had done differently?

I know there are a few things people didn’t like with it. I also know that SR does clear up a few issues (why Ushara is as she is, mostly), and that there are some things I tried to alter before release that I still might not have managed as well as people would like. The Ushara issue is particularly tricky because of perspective. The characters I’m writing with don’t know much about her and what’s going on until SR, which ties my hands a fair bit. I’m tempted at times to use Goryal’s pov, but they know everything and I’ll never be able to keep secrets again. (Also, I didn’t know everything until SR, so there is that.)

Basically, what didn’t you like? Please be as honest as you can, I won’t take offense. I’m trying to make this book as strong as possible and I’m currently doubtful that I did that before release, so I’d like to try really hard to clean it up now before going further with the series. (If you’d rather not comment below, feel free to email me aekhtales[at]gmail[dot]com. I will be exceedingly grateful.)

I’d also really like to work on releasing paperback copies of my books this year, so if I’m making changes, now is the time to do it.

And if there’s anyone out there who would like to read Storm Rising to help me figure out if it’s as messy as I currently fear, then that would be awesome too.

Oh, and since I’m doing a revised version anyway – even if it’s just clearing up typos – I’m thinking about adding a character list and glossary to the end. I have a few questions about how to go about that, but it’s probably best I save that for another day. Level of detail, mostly.

For now my plans for the year are rather nebulous but go sort of like this:

  • Revise and re-release Blazing Dawn.
  • Finish Rift Riders serial and release as an ebook.
  • Paperback versions of Wingborn, Rift Riders and Blazing Dawn.
  • Write more A Courtship of Dragons and serialise it properly.
  • Serialise Dragongifted (Wingborn Book 3)
  • Write Dragonlands 4 and 5
  • ?Release Dragonlands 2 and 3?
  • ?Paperback versions of Aekhartain Tales?
  • Write something else.

Beyond that I’m not certain. Nor am I willing to put dates on any of these (except finishing Rift serial, which should be next month sometime), because every time I project into the future something else comes along to smash my predictions to bits.

I also hope to actively start promoting my books this year too and search for some helpful reviewers. Word of mouth is amazing, but I need to put some admin work in on my side and reviews really work. So that’s on the pile too. Along with a proper Overworld map, which I may or may not attempt to put in the books at some point.

So, as always, I have many, many plans and am busy working away in the background. Hopefully it will result in something shiny in the end. I think that’s a pretty good goal to work towards.

Merry Monday, everyone. I hope your January is going well, wheresoever in the world you may be!

Writing

Anyone for NaNo?

Becca Lusher
october-rowans
Gidleigh Common, Oct 2nd 2016

Yup, it’s almost that time of year again. With November only a week away, who’s giving NaNoWriMo a go?

Me!

Now that Storm Rising is finished – and after a read-through, not needing as much work as I’d feared – I plan to tackle the third Dragonlands book, Cloud Cursed. Mostly because I need to get as far through this series as possible so I can make sure the spoilers that show up in Wingborn #3 are actually true. (Hopefully by the time I get there, I should have written up to DL5, even if I won’t have released them all yet.)

Of course, best laid plans and all that, so take the above paragraph with a pinch of salt.

I have a strange relationship with NaNo and have never officially taken part. Mostly because I already know I can write a novel in a month if I push myself. Also because the one time I tried it, I found out the last week of November would be lost to family commitments, so I sort of went overboard and got over-competitive with myself and ended up three weeks in with an 85k+ MG novel that wasn’t even finished yet – and a massive headache.

So… this could be interesting.

As things stand, I know a fair bit about where I want this book to head – which is a first for this series – but I’m sure there are many surprises and plot twists just waiting to spring themselves on me. Because that’s what always happens.

I can’t quite decide whether I’ll actually sign up properly or not. On the one hand, yay, connecting with other writey people! On the other hand, eep, connecting with other writey people. I’ll keep thinking about it.

But enough about me – Who else is accepting the challenge this year?

Do you have plans? A strategy? Are you just going to wing it? Do you do it properly or are you are shady lurker like me? Or do you prefer never to think of those four letters together except in very, very small ways?

Overworld, Updates

Dragging it Out

Becca Lusher

[I was going to do a terrible dragon pun, but I thought I’d spare you (except I kind of haven’t… oh well).]

Work has resumed on Storm Rising and I’ve now passed the halfway point (I think). In terms of word count it’s coming along fairly well, but wow, it feels like I’m dragging it out of my imagination, one stubborn chapter at a time.

I’m lucky because I’ve always been a fast writer. I usually have a vague idea of where any story I’m writing is heading, and the details helpfully fill themselves in along the way. This often means that the deeper into a book I get, the faster I write. Which is great, as long as I have time enough to harness the creativity. When I don’t have as much time, the slower pace usually means I can spend more time thinking about what’s coming up and maybe playing with details to make them fit before I have to write them down.

Not with this book. It doesn’t matter how much time I spend thinking about it, the plot still refuses to let me know anything further ahead than a chapter at most. If I think I know where it’s headed, it almost always changes on me as I’m writing it. I don’t know why, but this series really doesn’t like to be thought out in advance. The first book didn’t go anywhere near where I wanted it to, and now that I’ve given up on reaching the one main goal of the second book, suddenly they all veered off course and have now arrived.

I’m not complaining, as such, because the words keep flowing and things are progressing, but it’s not how I’m used to working and I just hope this isn’t going to be how everything goes from now on. One good thing about this series, though: it might not let me see the plot in advance, but it does keep throwing up images of the places they will hopefully end up next. I just wish I had any kind of fantasy landscape artist skills, because I would love to show them off in more than words.

Ah well, I shall just have to stick with what I have and maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to afford to commission someone to do it for me.

In the meantime, Wingborn is definitely loose in the wild now and I’m finally going to update the links on various pages. If you’ve been waiting for it turn up free somewhere other than Smashwords, here are a few:

B&N || iBooks || Kobo

It’s still not free on Amazon, but if you really want to pay for it then I’ll add various links on the Books page under the Overworld header.

Merry Midweek, all!

Books, Overworld, Serial, Updates, Writing

It’s Rift Riders Weekend!

Becca Lusher

As promised, the second Wingborn book is about to begin! And will continue over the weekend as I post the prologue and complete first chapter in all the usual places.

Before I get into all that, though, I’ll be making a few changes this time around.

  1. No Wednesday updates.
    The main reason why I’m serialising this book rather than sitting on it for a few months and releasing it whole is because I need time to work on the next few Dragonlands books before spoilers start showing up. But although this book is almost the same length as Wingborn, it has fewer chapters. Since I think I’ll need more than twenty weeks to get going, I’m afraid it’ll be twice weekly updates only this time around.
  2. No Cloudy Chapter Headings.
    This is mostly down to laziness on my part. Also, I’m pretty much out of good photos I can turn into Overworld scenes. Besides, this book is not peaceful and I’d really need some Aquila images. Which I don’t have. So no headings, not that I think anyone will care but I thought I’d say it anyway.
  3. Available for a limited time only.
    Unlike Wingborn, which I plan to leave up for free for the foreseeable future, as well as in free ebook format, I do plan to charge for Rift Riders eventually. This means you’ll get the serial for free, but I’ll be taking it all down a month after I’ve reached the end. Then I’ll release the ebook. I’ll put out warnings and reminders before I remove it, but try not to leave it too late.

Other than that, this should all go much the same as the last book did. Except with more action and cliffhangers, because Stuff Happens in this book.

Oh, here, have a blurb:

Rift Rider Cover 8On a world cursed to be covered in clouds, protected by the elite Rift Riders who fly on the backs of giant eagle miryhls, Lady Mhysra Kilpapan and her friends are making history. Women are now firmly back within the Rider fold and the future looks bright.

But even though Mhysra and her Wingborn Cumulo have survived their first year as students, there’s more to becoming a Rift Rider than lessons and training. Especially when trouble is brewing in the Wrathlen and the kaz-naghkt are looking for revenge.

Return to the Overworld for the next exciting Wingborn adventure, where strength, loyalty, honour and friendship are about to tested to their limits – and beyond.

The Wingborn ebook is coming too, I promise. I had hoped to have it ready to go this weekend, but these last three weeks have been largely spent being invaded by family. Which is never a bad thing, because I love getting to see my family, and playing with my nephews and nieces is always awesome, but it does diminish my free time just a tad.

However, next week will be free, so I intend to whip Wingborn into shape and set it free into the world as soon as possible. Then, finally, I can turn my attention to Storm Rising, because one of the new characters has headed off in a totally new direction while I wasn’t paying attention, and I have no idea what they’re up to. Esten has also decided that he will be one of the POV characters in this book, which… should prove interesting.

They’re supposed to be passing through this one not very interesting place before heading to the Dragon Moot so deals can be struck and Khennik can get the help he needs, but something warns me that all the interesting stuff is going to happen in the dull places, while the Moot will be really boring.

Urgh, dragon wrangling. Why did I ever think writing them was a good idea?

Well, enough with the wingeing. I have Rift Riders to post and another weekend with family up ahead. Here’s hoping you have something equally enjoyable to look forward to!

 

Books, Overworld

Blazing Dawn or Wingborn? Q&A

Becca Lusher

As you may have noticed, I’ve recently released a new book. In some ways it seems quite similar to the book I serialised over the last few months. Both have giant flying eagles called miryhls, both feature Rift Riders and both are set on a world covered in a curse of clouds. But one has dragons and the other doesn’t, and one is YA while the other isn’t.

What’s going on?


If these are both Overworld books, does Blazing Dawn have anything to do with Wingborn?
Yes, it does. Blazing Dawn is set in 579 Cloud Era, while Wingborn takes place two hundred years later in the 780s. The Dragonlands series is set in a time when dragons still traded freely with humans, and women weren’t just allowed in the Rift Riders, they were an important part of it.

So it’s the same world, but what does one series have to do with another?
At the moment, not a lot, but there are plenty of connections between the two series. As the Wingborn books progress you’ll begin to see certain things that may seem familiar from the Dragonlands books, and likewise, some of the big questions about how society is shaped differently in Wingborn will be answered in the Dragonlands books. Such as why the dragons stopped trading with humans and why women were banned from the Riders.

How many books then?
Currently I have no idea how many books will be in the Dragonlands series. Wingborn seems set to wrap up in six novels, but even though I ultimately know where the dragon books are going, I don’t quite yet know how I’ll get there. There’s an awful big time gap to play with and rather a lot of big personalities emerging from my new characters.

Will there be spoilers?
Since I’m writing and releasing the series concurrently, it might seem that way. I hope people will actually find it fun if they’re reading both and can make certain connections. As for whether they’ll actually be spoilers or not… Well, all I’m saying is the answers that seem the most obvious might not be quite as clear cut as they first appear.

Which is another way of saying my imagination has a tendency of twisting things on me at the last minute, so even I’m not a 100% certain on how this or that will turn out. One plot line I had thought set in stone for about ten years has recently decided to head in a different direction, so I’m making no promises. It’ll be fun to find out, though – and I hope you’ll think so too!

I don’t like spoilers. Which series should I read first?
If you don’t want to read them both at the same time, that’s fine. Dragonlands is chronologically first, while Wingborn is far older in terms of my imagination and writing, but both series can be read without knowing anything about the other. The Wingborn series is easier to access, since the first one is available for free as a serial, and I will be releasing the second in the same way soon. So if you’re impatient to find out more, that’s probably the better one to go for. If, however, you prefer to wait and read the whole book, I’m hoping to have Dragonlands #2 ready in a few months.

Basically, it’s up to you. If you prefer dragons and slightly more adult themes, head for Blazing Dawn, but if you’re intrigued by learning how to fly giant eagles and finding out more about the Rift Riders themselves, with a YA heroine breaking new ground amongst her friends, then go with Wingborn.

I’m still undecided, where can I read more?
Wingborn is available for free and can be found here, which also has links to Wattpad and Livejournal versions.

Blazing Dawn is available to buy as an ebook from various retailers. Go here for more about the book and to read the first chapter.

I still have questions…?
Great! I love question. Feel free to ask them below and I’ll see what I can do to answer them. In non-spoilery ways.

 

A Bit of Me, Updates, Writing

The Merry Month of May

Becca Lusher
Dart Valley 2
Dart Valley Nature Reserve, 15th May 2016

Since I was walking in the woods the other day, and it being the merry merry month of May, I decided to share some photos with you while I natter about what I’ve been up to.

It’s incredible how green everything has suddenly become around here. Until very recently it’s been kind of cold for the time of year, meaning the buds and blossoms have been holding back. No longer. It’s all green, all the time. Which, in places like the above picture, mean the bluebells are out in force.

Dart Valley Bells 1You can’t see them too well in that shot, so here’s some more down beside the River Dart. Dart Valley Bells 2

These are British Bluebells, which are something of a rare breed these days, since Spanish bluebells are stronger, brighter and spread like nobody’s business from people’s gardens. In this little spot, however, they were all delicate British ones. I’ve never seen so many.

Dart Valley 1
Dart Valley Nature Reserve, May 15th 2016

This is how you can definitely tell I’m on Dartmoor. Rocks in the woods, rocks in the river. Rocks everywhere! It’s an oread paradise – look at all that moss.

Anyway, as lovely as all that has been (and it has been very lovely, and I’ve had some really good walks lately), I’ve also been busy in other areas.

Since my last catch up post, I’ve edited and read through Blazing Dawn, but I’m a little stuck. If you know of anyone who wouldn’t mind reading a dragon fantasy novel at some point over the next month, please let me know. I’m not looking for deep editing (though I never say no to picks and crits), I mostly need to know if certain plot points make sense. Of course they do to me, because they’re threads I’ve been teasing out for over a decade, but I’m not sure if it’s too obscure for other people or if it works well enough in the context of the story. So, if you know of anyone who can help, please let me know. Ta!

Away from that, I’ve left my first Regency book alone since I finished it – because I need to do some extra research and check things – and was supposed to have turned my attention away from writing for a while. However, I got itchy without typing on a daily basis, so I’m now a little over halfway through an unplanned Overworld novella, which doesn’t fit into either of my Overworld series, but I’m enjoying it immensely. I’m not at all sure where it’s heading (though I got a few inklings when I was thinking it over earlier), so I’m hoping I’m over halfway but can’t be certain. It’s at 20K at the moment, but who knows where it’ll end.

I’ve also started a second Regency novel, because why not? I’m planning to spend the next month writing it, the novella and working on Blazing Dawn. Then, come July, it’ll be time to turn back to the Aekhartain (because summer is absolutely the best time to write a winter novel), and also tidy up the details in the first Regency book. I might even come up with a name… I hope! I can’t call it Filly’s book forever. I’m also hoping I will come up with a name for the second Regency book along the way, because Matilda’s book (can you sense a theme?) doesn’t sound nearly exciting enough.

And the reason why I was supposed to be taking a break from writing these last few weeks? Well, since you asked, I’ve opened an Etsy shop and started a new blog – both called Starlight Magpie.

Here’s a little glimpse at why:

It’s been keeping me busy and I’ve been having fun with it. We’ll see how it goes. For now it’s providing a nice creative break away from writing and I’m constantly getting new ideas.

Dart Valley 3
Dart Valley Nature Reserve, 15th May 2016

Anywho, that’s what up with me. I shall leave you now with a final look along the Dart Valley.

And while we’re here, how are things with you lovely people? Has the year been treating you kindly thus far? I hope so.

I’m driving to Wales on Friday and I’m a touch nervous, but more about that another time.

For now, bask in something beautiful.

Cheers, m’dears!

 

 

A Bit of Me, Aekhartain, Writing

Secrets of Icarus: Part Five

Becca Lusher

With all the Icarus Child books now out and available, I thought I’d wrap things up with one last secret before I take a bit of a break from the Aekhverse.

Secret #5 – This Isn’t the Last You’ll be Seeing of These Characters

With the trilogy being a prequel to the Tales of the Aekhartain this might seem like an obvious secret. But I’m not talking about Shaiel or Maskai, though of course both of them do come back and make many, many appearances in the other stories. No, this is about the others.

Cover_3 Icarus ChildIt’s all Maskai’s fault, of course. The short story – Star and Shadowborn – that I’ve included at the end of The Icarus Child hints a little at this, because it’s all to do with Maskai’s power and how in the early Aekh days she was a bit careless with it. In fact, when she wasn’t paying attention, it had a habit of rubbing off on people around her and changing them – which is how the Aekhartain come about. It’s all because Maskai wasn’t paying attention and ordinary folk got caught in a power splash.

Which means that plenty of characters in Icastar’s life have the potential to become Aekhartain further down the line. It isn’t reincarnation, not quite, but some personality quirks and other aspects do keep turning up over and over again.

Cover - Dark RebelIn fact, if you read Dark Rebel closely, you might think there’s something a little familiar about one of Caligo’s companions – especially if you look up the meaning of his name and find a russet-coloured animal on the other end. There are quite a number of Aekhs to spot in DR, but since I haven’t got around to rewriting most of their stories yet, it’s not entirely fair.

I also have an unfinished Regency tale about Fox and Cana, so those two definitely come back – a little changed, but essentially themselves (because I couldn’t let them go after the original IC and a friend challenged me to write a Regency romance). Look out for Howl and Rudh again too, because I backtracked on them, bringing in characters from later Aekh tales to amuse myself.

Cover_2 Crying ChildI have also since realised that if anyone is likely to come back, Saekara is most qualified and I’ve already laid a few clues about Icaria (or rather, as I was writing it I made a few connections and had a light-bulb moment). The biggest clue is in the prologue for The Crying Child, for those who like playing Spot-the-Aekh in advance. Names are always a massive clue too, even if they are mostly in a different language.

Spot-the-Aekh is mostly just a bit of fun between me and my readers. You won’t be missing anything vital if you don’t make the connections or follow along, but those who do play often feel an extra understanding about how the story is progressing. It’s one big in-joke that helps tie the long, long bunch of interconnected stories together and hopefully make it all more enjoyable.

Some characters are a lot more obvious than others, because I like to make sure everyone can play and also pose a bit of a challenge. So when it comes to the characters in this book, look out for future appearances from interesting names, familiar hair colours and eyes and those intriguing qualities that you can’t quite put your finger on, but feel familiar nonetheless.

Because in the Aekhartain world, death is never the end.

A Bit of Me, Aekhartain, Writing

Secrets of Icarus: Part Four

Becca Lusher

The Icarus Child is almost ready! I think I might actually be able to release it tomorrow as planned – which will be a big relief. In the meantime I’ve been reading Wingborn on my Kindle, and finding it surprisingly enjoyable, but more on that next week ;)

For now…

Secret #4 – Some of My Books Have Their Own Accents

Okay, I’ll admit this one is a bit weird and is something that has only started recently, but it’s true, my books sometimes have accents.

Let me explain. During the editing process, at some point I’ll email a book to my Kindle and then read it aloud – making changes as I go. The change of screen and reading pace is great for spotting those irritating typos that I would otherwise skim over without noticing – especially after the third or fourth times of reading the same book. To make this more interesting for myself, I often do voices and accents along the way. I’ve always loved imitating accents, so I like to have a bit of fun and because the accents make me speak more slowly I tend to pay more attention to what I’m reading.

Which is straightforward enough, if a little strange. However, just lately I’ve noticed that some books prefer a particular type of accent throughout. Unbound and Free and Be With Me have a distinctly Welsh lilt, thanks to Elisud. While the Dark Rebellion books are very Devonian. Both of these make sense due to the characters involved.

The Icarus Child is Scottish – and I have no idea why. I’ve never been that good at Scottish accents before, but this book has cured me. I had so much fun saying Icastar (ih-KA-staar) that I can no longer use any other accents with it. Believe me, I’ve tried. My Irish starts off well enough, but drifts into an Ulster/Northern Ireland sound before hopping across the sea to Scotland. I lost my Welsh accent altogether, and even my Yorkshire/generic Northern accent doesn’t last long.

It doesn’t make much sense, but there you have it. The Icarus Child has a Scottish soul and you now have another unnecessary insight into my quirky writing habits.

I’ll be back tomorrow (hopefully) to pester you about the new book. Hurrah!

In the meantime – Merry Monday and Happy February, everyone!