tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84314343194561760272024-02-08T02:51:35.074+00:00Echoes of a Wayward MindSangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.comBlogger299125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-49023950838695585902013-12-31T11:06:00.001+00:002013-12-31T11:06:21.191+00:00Bye-Bye, 2013!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year has been awesome in a lot of ways, but also kind of shitty in others and I can therefore say quite emphatically that I'm looking forward to 2014! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But. </i>This is not a post that will dwell on the rubbish parts. So here's me looking back at the best bits of my 2013. (And yes, I'll probably remember in a couple days that there were other best bits that I've forgotten to include. Oh, well.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. My son turned two this year. TWO. He might as well be twenty. Where does the time go?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. I rewatched pretty much all my favourite episodes of <i>Doctor Who</i> this year. That's a good forty episodes or so. At least twice. Which means my toddler is now a fan too. He can identify all the Doctors and comes running the moment he hears David Tennant's regeneration music; he only recently learned to say "please" and "thank you", but he's been able to say "Doctor" for months. (Yes, I am that parent who lets her child watch the Doctor change faces so that she can write her book. I AM NOT ASHAMED.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Favourite book I read this year? I don't know! I've read so much great stuff this year and the problem is I'm quite fickle, which means the <i>most favourite</i> books that pop into my head are the ones I read and loved most recently and not necessarily the ones I loved the absolute <i>most</i>. But I'll have a stab at it and name a few: Sarah Rees Brennan's <i>Untold</i>, Elizabeth Wein's <i>Code Name Verity</i> (or did I read that one late last year? Damn it.) and both of Jenny Colgan's Rosie Hopkins sweetshop books (if you haven't read them, DO IT. They're so fuzzy and funny and awesome.) There are definitely others I've loved as much, but I just can't think of them right now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. I wrote a book. I started it in November of 2012, but it's very much my 2013 book. I've worked on it literally all year and am working on it even now. And I discovered today, on the very last day of the year (thanks, Wendy and Soumi!), that it's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18657621-untitled" target="_blank">up on Goodreads</a>. Yay! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have no confirmed title, cover or pub date to share with you yet, but I'm going to copy in the teaser here because hey, what a great way to bring in 2014!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To those who don't know better, Greymaren is a glittering city of order and great invention, its skyline spiked with spires and its shadows playing host to enchanted, dangerous markets where anything may be bought for the right price.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But beneath the city's surface is a much older and darker place: a city where the bitter winters can kill, where witches sometimes have the answers, where memories can be bought and sold and stolen, where mad mothers are locked away - and where Elizabeth Graves is about to risk everything to punish a thief.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year, everyone!</span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-69529230153554814582013-12-24T09:42:00.001+00:002013-12-24T09:42:58.886+00:00Merry Christmas!So it's Christmas Eve (how exactly did it come round so fast?) and I just wanted to pop in to say I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas - or equivalent holiday season - and a fantastic New Year.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_62d3_23c4_12ad_75da" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MSeN4JU0c1fap_Y7La4ksJQmmOAO4o2Gnw0Ny3DY-eUh8oXoVrHv3_QRtPK7ONidA-NSY4diAbH5BrBCXJxjaxsnfyK7hKa0iQ_l7pBDt8gXVXDVfJ1NpQZCZ0VNN0i9POF9Hu_nPqPA/" alt="" title="" style="margin: 4px; width: 290px; height: 290px;"></div>Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-32560606805619292962013-12-10T11:58:00.000+00:002013-12-10T11:58:00.475+00:00How to Survive the Apocalypse, YA Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Exactly what it says on the tin. Here's what I've learned from YA dystopian, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novels (mostly quite general, but there are a couple of specific books noted next to the lesson or example they inspired.)</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. <b>The whole "safety in numbers" thing is a myth</b>. If you're going to follow the YA Survival Guide, it would seem it's very, <i>very</i> unwise to hang around with more than a couple of other people. You'll start fighting for control (<i>This is Not a Test</i> by Courtney Summers), at least one of you is bound to be a lunatic, and - the clincher - it's so much easier to hide and go unnoticed when there are only a couple of you (<i>The Outside</i> by Laura Bickle)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <b>But that's not to say all of you will survive anyway</b>. Nope. Always remember that: even if there are only two or three of you, one of you is bound to be eaten/shot/killed in some other dramatic way (<i>The Outside</i>). So make sure it isn't you. Betray everyone around you if you have to and shoot innocent people if they're in your way. (<i>Mockingjay</i> by Suzanne Collins)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <b>Go shopping. (</b><i>Life as We Knew It</i> by Susan Pfeffer)<i> </i>The instant you get a whiff that something's up, be it from the news or because the moon's changed position or because you saw your formerly dead neighbour get up and start munching on a squirrel, go stock up on everything non-perishable. Tins, cans, bottles, you name it. Don't forget tons of bottled water and batteries for flashlights. Water and electric supplies inevitably go on the fritz when the apocalypse arrives. It's probably a good idea to keep a few weapons handy too. Apparently the apocalypse turns previously nice human beings into thieving, murdering scum and you're going to want to defend yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. <b>Barricade yourself somewhere safe(ish)</b><i>. </i>Supermarket, house with an awesome security system, wherever. Find a spot, take all the supplies you can possibly find with you, and lock yourself in. Waiting out the apocalypse seems to result in a lot less drama and a lot more survival than wandering the streets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. <b>And once you've done that, don't let strangers in</b><b style="font-style: italic;">. </b>I know, I know. Do you want to turn into that person? The horrible one in all the stories that doesn't let the intrepid and bleeding hero/heroine in? Probably not. But do you want to be the one who sweetly and trustingly lets the bleeding stranger in, only to then be killed and robbed? There is no such thing as an unpunished good deed in post-apocalyptic YA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There you go: how to survive the apocalypse, with or without your conscience intact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You're welcome.</span></div>
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-2115729275253338302013-11-12T09:11:00.002+00:002013-11-12T09:11:51.798+00:00Paper vs Ebooks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I come from a family of readers. My father reads avidly. My mother reads avidly. There are bookshelves of all shapes and sizes in my parents' house and I had my very own (tall) shelf by the time I was eight and it was <i>full</i>. Today, nothing's changed. My own house has four large bookcases and one small one for the toddler and they're all full and there are books stashed elsewhere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But</i>. Funny thing I've noticed? I'm not buying as many as I used to. At least not on paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's flash back to six, seven, eight years ago (whenever the original Kindle first wandered onto the scene). My mother told me about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MUM: Isn't it cool, though? You can hold it in one hand and store hundreds of books on it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ME: Nah. It's not the saaaame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me, I love paper. I love cracking a brand new spine and browsing bookshops and stroking shiny covers. There's a tactile joy with hardcovers and paperbacks that ebooks simply don't have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But</i>. I've grown to love ebooks too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always hear about how it's paper vs ebooks. <i>Vs</i>. Like it's got to be one or the other. Why? Why can't you have both?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what it boils down to for me:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I travel, I take ebooks with me. Always. I have the Kindle app on my phone and an ancient Kindle and one or both of them travel with me. Ebooks are an absolute godsend not only when I'm away from home, but also on the actual travelling part of the travel - long train journeys and long flights (not cars or buses. I can't read on either without feeling sick.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for home, well, that depends. A combination of impatience (I must have things IMMEDIATELY!) and a lack of space means I don't buy as many paperbacks and hardcovers as I used to. I also have a hierarchy for books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. I love the author/series and CANNOT WAIT to read the next book = paperback/hardcover pre-order</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. I remember reading a book years ago and loving it = paperback</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. This sounds really good, but I'm not sure = download the Kindle sample, then the book itself if I like the beginning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. I read an ebook and fall absolutely in love with it = get a pretty paperback version for my bookshelf</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#3 is obviously the most common.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Kindle library will never replace my bookshelves, and one day I fully intend to have one of those libraries with sliding ladders like in <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, but there is definitely room for ebooks in my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about you? Are you an either/or reader? Or do you read a bit of both too?</span><br />
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-51785866702905732802013-10-22T09:05:00.003+01:002013-10-22T09:08:13.902+01:00Five Things for the Fall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Ugh, the weather is <i>horrible</i>. I can already feel my winter gloom coming on. On the bright side, however, there are still bits and pieces that remind me of how pretty autumn can really be.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeow0TObotVctusSdkcxCJceK0Ymf0LRz5EnWtjM4o622KLoPOl1D72kz4jtoaFWmYLVGOlp_w0Icgl-yk0G7bWGy-VSsglcyLVqETZnsik0eMZa9TmUfNmPNUPapfiXFA8Vqlquzv-3uK/s1600/autumn+leaves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeow0TObotVctusSdkcxCJceK0Ymf0LRz5EnWtjM4o622KLoPOl1D72kz4jtoaFWmYLVGOlp_w0Icgl-yk0G7bWGy-VSsglcyLVqETZnsik0eMZa9TmUfNmPNUPapfiXFA8Vqlquzv-3uK/s400/autumn+leaves.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Revisions and more revisions! It's busy editing season for me. I'm smack bang in the middle of a round right now - which I realise is a mysterious thing to say when you don't actually know what I'm working on - but I will share details soon, I promise!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <i><a href="http://www.itv.com/downtonabbey/" target="_blank">Downton Abbey</a></i>. I am <i>so</i> late to the party, but I finally started watching it during a gap between revision rounds and then had to keep watching. Literally caught up to the current series in three days and now I watch them week by week. I think that equates to about eight episodes or so per day during the frenzy. Yep. When I get obsessed, I get <i>obsessed</i>. Anyone else develop obsessions like this?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Steampunk. I've always loved it, but I've recently started making stuff (like the necklace below). It started out as something of a whim, but I really like it and it's one of those brilliant things that helps me think about bookish conundrums while I'm doing it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigHff9MCx8vjUUpYovR8NAEYALmAMA3u8W2SjIq9x8D53lEJvhwnen_cLA7bB_SqbFG862yr_m6IkHtNeFSxmqhrGHvTO2HbG-nj4Lqf2Bu__ZPopPAJ26ytg2n01pN8ezuEHL4ToChCL/s1600/bottle+gold+chain+square+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigHff9MCx8vjUUpYovR8NAEYALmAMA3u8W2SjIq9x8D53lEJvhwnen_cLA7bB_SqbFG862yr_m6IkHtNeFSxmqhrGHvTO2HbG-nj4Lqf2Bu__ZPopPAJ26ytg2n01pN8ezuEHL4ToChCL/s400/bottle+gold+chain+square+.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Books! I don't think I could list every book I've read and loved recently, but here are a couple of new releases that I completely recommend: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17339241-perfect-ruin" target="_blank">Perfect Ruin</a></i> by Lauren DeStefano</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17846874-frost-hollow-hall" target="_blank">Frost Hollow Hall</a></i> by Emma Carroll</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17155722-red-rock" target="_blank">Red Rock</a></i> by Kate Kelly</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Tuesday, everyone!</span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-69157705443450823222013-09-10T15:33:00.000+01:002013-09-10T15:33:00.031+01:00Unspoken?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3COFuxk3QoyRAZzf4oF7jFVAZDyVg9cm6b7cqv_LxIkUHBrJoEvYGq-XO81AlX55MQstsHdlhCNmA-yi-xaijnED3rfD7tnJPuTMN8i_GV9Xr9wtotP5THWikMNZBFHdjadf4OEvXNd9G/s640/blogger-image--1795071157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3COFuxk3QoyRAZzf4oF7jFVAZDyVg9cm6b7cqv_LxIkUHBrJoEvYGq-XO81AlX55MQstsHdlhCNmA-yi-xaijnED3rfD7tnJPuTMN8i_GV9Xr9wtotP5THWikMNZBFHdjadf4OEvXNd9G/s640/blogger-image--1795071157.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello, blogosphere! Just wanted to say: if anyone hasn't read <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866624-unspoken" target="_blank">Unspoken</a></i> and its sequel <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15801763-untold" target="_blank">Untold</a></i> by Sarah Rees Brennan, go do it now! Funny, exciting fantasy with lots of dark things and romance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly, it's so very rare that I read a book (or series) and actually long to live in its world and be one of its characters. So I'm always excessively excited when it does happen!</span></div>
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-6017880250933718382013-08-13T08:33:00.000+01:002013-09-09T15:32:14.149+01:00Zero Title Ideas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello, everyone! Just a quick one today to share a few things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm over at the brilliant Author Allsorts blog, talking about what it's like <a href="http://authorallsorts.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/after-the-book-deal" target="_blank">after you get the coveted book deal</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The US edition of <i>The Lost Girl</i> made it into the top <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ref=pd_dp_ts_kstore_1#5" target="_blank">100 Kindle bestsellers today</a>! I still can't quite believe that. I keep looking at it just to make sure I haven't imagined it (and obviously I've saved a screenshot, because it won't last!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crime thriller fans? Karin Slaughter's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/45015-will-trent" target="_blank">Will Trent</a> books are awesome. I started the first one last week and am now on the third. They're so addictive.</span><br />
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-45281446721882016062013-06-11T11:03:00.000+01:002013-06-11T11:03:00.353+01:00On Blogging<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A massive (and belated) thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes last month, commiserated with me on the whole TWO-FIVE thing, and promised to let me be 22 forever. Cheers!</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even if you don't follow this blog regularly, a quick glance at the post dates on this page alone will show you that I haven't been here much recently. I just wanted to pop in today and try to explain why.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Time</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's such a boring, annoying reason. But there's no getting around it. I'm back to looking after my toddler full-time, while also trying to work on a book. That leaves very little time for ANYTHING else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Content</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I have exciting news to share. Sometimes I want to talk about other authors' new releases. Sometimes I want to talk about a movie I've seen or a book I've just read that I LOVE. Sometimes I want to talk about other fun stuff. But sometimes... none of those things apply. I know I should think ahead and have a little list of fun things to fall back on when this happens, but I'm a spontaneous blogger. It's more fun and feels more real to me that way. So when I don't have anything I really want to say, I don't post. I'd rather be AWOL for a little while than churn out something half-hearted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is all my way of saying I haven't abandoned the blog. I haven't lost interest. I still read your blogs and love your comments and am still very much around (try me on Twitter!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I will definitely, definitely continue blogging. I just want to wait until there's something I simply HAVE to say.</span></div>
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-27858168535763843392013-05-14T01:32:00.001+01:002013-05-14T01:33:52.925+01:0025. Oh ****I'm twenty-five today. As in, years. Of age. Not twenty-fifth on the list of all-time bestselling authors. (As if.)<div><br></div><div>I don't want to be twenty-five. I had things I wanted to do and be by the time I turned twenty-five and have yet to do and be some of those things. Write a bestseller. Go to Venice. Meet Jeremy Irons. Be more patient. Ask me if I've done and been those things. Er, no.</div><div><br></div><div>You know, maybe I'll just be twenty-two forever. That's right: I'm twenty-two. Plenty of time to do and be all of those things now!</div><div><br></div><div>Cake for everyone!</div>Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-56901756469293962972013-04-23T14:04:00.002+01:002013-04-25T19:27:33.611+01:00How to Get the Word Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of my job, as an author, is to talk about my books and get the word out about my books and generally find ways to make readers aware of my books. Of course, there's a polite way to do this and there's an obnoxious way to do this. No one wants to listen to the person who does nothing but tweet their book release date or quotes from their book and NOTHING ELSE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in this post, I'm going to touch briefly on what I personally feel are the most effective ways of getting the word out (online). I'm basing this not just on my own efforts but mostly on the methods other authors have used that have successfully caught my attention and, more importantly, my interest. I'm going to keep it short and sweet because I think most of these are self-explanatory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Contests and/or giveaways</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think human beings have an innate competitive streak. Also an innate fondness for goodies. Free stuff is always a winner. I've entered a giveaway in the past and gone on to explore the author's other work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Glimpses into the process</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interesting, funny and honest peeks into the process of writing a book or working on a character always get me interested. And if the glimpse is particularly cool or funny, I will remember the author and the book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Blogging</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fairly obvious, I suppose. But I think blogs also have to be fun places to be. If a blog reader enjoys coming back again and again to read your posts, chances are they'll think they will enjoy your books too. I know I do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Tweets or posts about popular things</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This isn't actually about self-promotion, nor should it be, but I often find I remember tweets and authors who talk about things I love - or hate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And me? What's <i>my</i> favourite way of getting the word out about my stuff? Well, I just shamelessly post cute photos like this one...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAa6sUvovCxyrAagji7x-kjvx_F4WuwuJ_GHEMHjQBJF3JjnM-uvoysMZCp9TRQUTY59DSCcNdWUTW_0fXC_8eXukCPC90cnV0kDTBy-S-W4eNRQuJKTs1n-NzW6UbRCkx98JJzP3ox_NN/s640/blogger-image-1632908714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAa6sUvovCxyrAagji7x-kjvx_F4WuwuJ_GHEMHjQBJF3JjnM-uvoysMZCp9TRQUTY59DSCcNdWUTW_0fXC_8eXukCPC90cnV0kDTBy-S-W4eNRQuJKTs1n-NzW6UbRCkx98JJzP3ox_NN/s400/blogger-image-1632908714.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Writers, how do you get the word out? Readers, what captures your attention best?</span><br />
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-18138006633239358112013-04-16T11:02:00.000+01:002013-04-16T11:02:00.333+01:009 Weeks of Reading<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As promised last week, this post is going to be devoted to the books I read (and loved) while the Internet was away with the fairies. There's not actually as many as I thought there were, mostly because an awful lot of the books I read haven't made this list; I'm not going to list the books I didn't like or didn't finish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in no particular order...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11925514-code-name-verity" target="_blank">Code Name Verity</a> </i>by Elizabeth Wein</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this book and nothing I say could adequately describe how I feel about it, so I'm just going to leave it at: clever, startling, heartbreaking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866624-unspoken?ac=1" target="_blank">Unspoken</a></i> by Sarah Rees Brennan</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is quite a dark book in some ways, and quite a sad book in others, but I spent most of it laughing out loud because Sarah Rees Brennan is just so. Very. Funny.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3008.A_Little_Princess?ac=1" target="_blank">A Little Princess</a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3008.A_Little_Princess?ac=1" target="_blank"> </a></i>by Frances Hodgson Burnett</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This wasn't the first time I read it, but I loved it all over again. Definitely a book full of awful things and really sad bits, but also all the warm fuzzies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3474186-forever-princess?ac=1" target="_blank">Forever Princess</a></i> by Meg Cabot</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It'd been years since I read a Princess Diaries book and it suddenly occurred to me that I never found out how it all ended! So I went and got it. Awww. It ended just the way I would have liked it to!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2595138-the-gargoyle?ac=1" target="_blank">The Gargoyle</a></i> by Andrew Davidson</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weird as anything, but also weirdly addictive. I couldn't stop. I had to know!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8299165-chime?ac=1" target="_blank">Chime</a></i> by Franny Billingsley</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this book so much. It's dark and magical and twisty and features a complicated heroine I absolutely adore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793231-if-you-find-me?ac=1" target="_blank">If You Find Me</a></i> by Emily Murdoch</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't put this down. It's another dark, twisty story and incredibly sad in parts. But it's also incredibly hopeful and ends with a lovely sense that the wrongs things have been put right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/375802.Ender_s_Game?ac=1" target="_blank">Ender's Game</a></i> by Orson Scott Card</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know, I know. Why did it take me so long? I wouldn't say I totally and absolutely loved it, because more often than not I was either a little lost with all the sciencey stuff or my wimpy little heart was breaking for how tiny these children were and how much Ender loved Valentine and all that, BUT. That. Twist. Is. Awesome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13062484-acid?ac=1" target="_blank">ACID</a> </i>by Emma Pass</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't actually remember if I read this right before the Great Internet Black Hole or during, but either way: it's an action-packed thriller. Normally I don't even <i>like</i> action-packed thrillers, but I couldn't stop reading this. I had to know how it would end. I had to know what would happen. I also love Emma's writing style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12842115-just-one-day" target="_blank"><i>Just One Day</i> </a>by Gayle Forman</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would have expected nothing less from the author who broke my heart twice with <i>If I Stay</i> and <i>Where She Went</i>. This is less devastating, but is nevertheless romantic and sweet and sad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There we go! I'm sure I've left something out and forgotten about something else, but oh well. Have you read any of these books? Do you have any favourite recent reads to recommend?</span><br />
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-5170394132679115382013-04-09T13:21:00.001+01:002013-04-09T13:21:21.425+01:00Five Random Things for March and Aprll<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(YES! I'm back!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. WE HAVE INTERNET! We cancelled the old service and got a new one wired in and now it's up. I can't begin to tell you how happy this makes me. Now I work properly, I can stream stuff again, I can connect my iPad to the network and sync the notes I make there, I can use Skype or FaceTime on a decent-sized screen, I can play songs on repeat on Youtube, basically THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Premier_League" target="_blank">IPL</a> is back. I hate it. Unfortunately my husband, brother and baby love it. Which is means it's on TV all. The. Bloody. Time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Snow. Snow in April. Wtf?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. BOOKS! Without the internet, I've had more time to read and have read some pretty awesome stuff in the last couple months. I'll post a proper list of the best ones next week, but for now my favourite new reads include the tenth <i>Princess Diaries </i>book (by Meg Cabot. I used the love the others when I was much younger, but somehow never got round to finishing the series), <i>Code Name Verity</i> by Elizabeth Wein (clever and heartbreaking) and <i>Unspoken</i> by Sarah Rees Brennan (I love that it's set in England and it's so, so funny).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. <i>My</i> book. I've been writing my New Thing for something like four months now and I am still so very much in love with it. Whether my agent will love it too, however, is another question... but we'll see. Word count: 81k. I probably have another 25-30k to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope everyone is having a lovely week! What have you been up to lately? Read anything good?</span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-49719377205669402802013-03-13T20:05:00.001+00:002013-03-13T20:05:37.162+00:00A brief reappearance......to say I am so, so very sorry if it seems like I've abandoned le blog of late! First I whinge, then I vanish. It is inexcusable, but I have to offer my excuses anyway. <br />
<br />
We've moved and all that is out of the way.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately,<br />
<br />
1. I'm devoting almost every waking moment to writing,<br />
<br />
2. We STILL don't have our broadband set up (yes, Plusnet, I'm calling it. You are a bit s***),<br />
<br />
3. So I have to do pretty much everything on my phone, including blogging, which is not easy. So I haven't done it. And probably won't until our home is a blissful wireless-ridden haven once more, and<br />
<br />
(I love my phone. I tweet, post short updates, email and God knows what else on my phone. But writing long, (supposedly) intelligent pieces of text? No. Sorry, iPhone, I can't do it.)<br />
<br />
4. I may or may not have a broadband connection in 2013. At the rate things are going, it's tough to say.<br />
<br />
But AS SOON as time and the internet permits, I'll be back.Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-61577136830347119442013-02-12T12:32:00.001+00:002013-02-12T12:32:31.317+00:00Moving sucks...Seriously. I'm sorry to whinge, but it's killing me. There is no end to the things that need doing, and it seems like I lie awake for hours at night stressing, and the baby gets in the way, and I have no idea whether the new internet will be connected in time, and I really want to be writing but THERE'S NO TIME.<br />
<br />
Yuck. So there I am. Grumpy and moving. Hopefully the worst will be over by next week, though!Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-40952648605135219512013-02-05T12:17:00.000+00:002013-02-05T12:17:38.406+00:00Five Things for February<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's time for that... irregular?... feature again! I think I did it in November, and then kind of neglected it in December and January, and now here it is again and it kind of covers December, January and the little we've seen of February too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. I watched the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_(2009_TV_serial)" target="_blank">2009 BBC miniseries adaptation of <i>Emma</i></a> a week ago and I LOVED it. I always thought the version with Kate Beckinsale was the best adaptation, but this one beats it by a mile. For one thing there's more of it. Four hours of it. For another I really, really like Romola Garai. For yet another, Jonny Lee Miller is eye candy. There's no two ways about it. It's funny, it's touching, it's really great. If you're an Austen fan and haven't yet seen this one, go watch it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. We're moving house. Again. Three moves in about three years. It's a big fat pain in my rear end. (On the bright side, if we get the house we want - and there's no telling whether or not we will - it's a lovely house.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. I love <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey%27s_Anatomy" target="_blank">Grey's Anatomy</a></i>. And especially Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd in it. I have been a huge fan for a long time but I don't think I've ever said so on here. Or maybe I have. Either way, I love it. In fact, I love it so much I sometimes dream about it. You know something's got its claws into you when <i>that</i> happens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://sangumandanna.com/" target="_blank">Massive website redesign</a>! My old one was driving me crazy. I didn't really like the way it looked anymore, but it was also a huge, huge trial to update. Literally took me twenty minutes to get in there and change or add, like, a sentence. Which meant, of course, that it put me off updating the darn thing and what's the point of a website if you're not going to share new and current stuff?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. And this. Because it's cute.</span><br />
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<a href="http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/154568_10151209519456429_3124858_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/154568_10151209519456429_3124858_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What have you been up to recently? Are you a fan of <i>Emma </i>or <i>Grey's Anatomy </i>or babies? Moving sometime soon? (If the latter is a yes, I feel your pain.)</span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-56004248424454066152013-01-22T12:29:00.000+00:002013-01-22T12:29:11.371+00:00A Day in the Life (Part Two)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am completely run off my feet today, so I'm just going to point you to <a href="http://totallyrandombooks.co.uk/index.php/author-in-residence-sangu-mandanna-34/">my guest post over at the Random House blog</a>. I'm their Author in Residence this month, which is totally cool, so do pop over and have a look!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wrote about <a href="http://sangumandanna.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/episode-in-saga-of-how-sangu-works.html">a day in my writing life a couple of years ago</a> and so much has changed since then (book out, baby out, moving house) that I thought I ought to take stock again. That guest post is the result. Here are tiny extracts from both posts to compare:</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then</span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3.50 PM</b>: Notice that I received a text message half an hour ago. Odd. Why didn't I hear that? Hmm. Forget to reply to text message because brain is fully lost in book-world.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>4.10 PM</b>: Realize I'm hungry. Even odder. Have I not eaten today? Oh. Why didn't I? Hmm. Forget to eat because brain is fully lost in book-world.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>5 PM</b>: Brain aches. Eat a plum.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now</span> </div>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>10.30AM – 12.30PM</strong> Baby asleep. Put baby very gingerly down in cot and race like a maniac to laptop. Write one blog post, two pages of book and answer interview questions for blogger. Start writing a third page of book. Consider eating. Baby wakes up and interrupts.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's amazing how much difference a tiny baby can make! (And also how some things don't change at all...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you're all having a fantastic week.</span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-37444359610810864522013-01-15T11:33:00.001+00:002013-01-15T12:19:35.863+00:00It's out there!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To those of you who follow my page on Facebook or who've seen this on Twitter, this may be old news. But I wanted to share it here anyway!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a real bookshop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On real shelves.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsDoaNeAS__PMyE9ZPadAyyKkf8Kk7xbB1iftkpaTgMDAIg6dOkgU6BukDFNpHHgnB8T4RuTlTFORdbxf5uHBpR1fFxbM2VF-EIK9wxF0TwePFIf8pRqracDMQ4TIck05lQL9VgT2KQzZ/s1600/734330_410276459046447_120249531_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsDoaNeAS__PMyE9ZPadAyyKkf8Kk7xbB1iftkpaTgMDAIg6dOkgU6BukDFNpHHgnB8T4RuTlTFORdbxf5uHBpR1fFxbM2VF-EIK9wxF0TwePFIf8pRqracDMQ4TIck05lQL9VgT2KQzZ/s400/734330_410276459046447_120249531_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a lot of ways, this was the moment I spent <i>years</i> waiting for. This was the moment it was supposed to, finally, feel <i>real. </i>And to be perfectly honest, there are few things - <i>very</i> few things - more exciting and squee-worthy than seeing your book on shelves. (It's also kind of embarrassing to stand there taking photographs while people stare, but we'll disregard that part.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved it. But I also realized, when I saw it, that my book had already felt real. It had been real for a couple of months and it was only in hindsight that I realized that. I think it became real the moment I got my first email from a reader, from someone who didn't know me or my mother or my husband in the slightest, from someone who completely randomly picked up my book and loved it. It felt real then.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So seeing my book was brilliant. I will always, always treasure the moment I spotted it and spotted subsequent copies of it elsewhere. But getting your emails is even more brilliant. Thank you for that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are you excited about this week?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS. I know the book's been out there in the US and plenty of other places for months, so this is probably in no way exciting for you guys, but this was the first time <i>I</i> got to go see it. So it was a win for me.</span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-75217104678523150832013-01-08T19:27:00.000+00:002013-01-15T11:34:17.661+00:00Cover Talk: interview with Bella Kotak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am super, <i>super</i> excited today to introduce you guys to the totally awesome Bella Kotak. I managed to wrangle Bella into doing an interview with me (thanks, Bella!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bella is the cover model on the UK edition of <i>The Lost Girl</i>, which is now officially available - yep, that's her face below! - and she also happens to be the photographer too. Which seems twice as cool to me. I'm normally so intrigued by cover models, and the process behind designing book covers, so when my editors at Random House Children's Books told me about Bella, I jumped at the chance to find out more.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWK8WSXRHEGvTgzwS4Nf-PIRsC-Pj2_1rJSf6teKGl1mrRLpCECrrjv5go7zr5wQcXD5rfhwBnA_BP1bp-lVRohYjG84jb2dlOpcNx5dModEDs7gRmWJlfQ-0kIuStcbwtBuiWgb0EL1lp/s1600/THE+LOST+GIRL+Cover+%2528UK+and+Commonwealth%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWK8WSXRHEGvTgzwS4Nf-PIRsC-Pj2_1rJSf6teKGl1mrRLpCECrrjv5go7zr5wQcXD5rfhwBnA_BP1bp-lVRohYjG84jb2dlOpcNx5dModEDs7gRmWJlfQ-0kIuStcbwtBuiWgb0EL1lp/s640/THE+LOST+GIRL+Cover+%2528UK+and+Commonwealth%2529.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi, Bella! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Hi Sangu! Alright, well my name is Bella and at the moment I work as both an architect and a photographer. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you always want to work in photography? Or was it just something that happened?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Photography for me began really as a hobby. I'd always been interested in taking pictures and in 2006 discovered Flickr and the incredible amount of talent on that site. I came across a few people who were doing a 365 project ( a self portrait a day for a year) and that inspired me to pick up a camera and see what I could create. It was this project that really challenged and fuelled my passion and by the time I bought my first dSLR I was completely hooked. After that it really was a case of friends seeing my work and either hiring me or recommending me to new customers. I wouldn't have come as far as I have if it wasn't for their support.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The photo on the UK cover of THE LOST GIRL is a self-portrait, right? So you were the photographer and the cover model. Can you tell us what that was like?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yes it's a self-portrait. Taking one is relatively straight forward, it's just a simple case of setting the camera up on a tripod and using a wireless remote to release the shutter. The edit is later done in photoshop.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I was given a synopsis of the book as well as several precedents of the style / look the publisher was going for. They'd already been through my work so were able to tell me what they liked and wanted me to provide expressions that was akin to the concept of feeling lost, watchfulness and so on. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I provided them with a selection of images and we then began discussions.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are some of your favourite books?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I guess anything with an element of fantasy and adventure. I love Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and South of the border, West of the sun both by Haruki Murakami and of course Harry Potter! I also love flicking through photography books, my favourite is Pictures, by Tim Walker. It's huge and bursting with creativity!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally: you're stranded on a desert island. What three things would you take with you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Shampoo, ipad, hammock. If I had to be stranded at least I could be comfortable ;)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isn't she fab? Hope you're all having a fantastic week!</span><br />
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-11207024148402190732013-01-01T12:30:00.000+00:002013-01-01T12:30:02.377+00:00Hello, 2013!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year, everyone!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you've all had a fantastic Christmas, New Year and general holiday season. My parents and brother came to visit so, for the first time in about five years, we were all together on Christmas Day. I have the baby to thank for that (yeah, they weren't going to make the effort for <i>me</i>) so... thanks, Jem!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a lot to look forward to in 2013. The UK edition of <i>The Lost Girl</i> is out on Thursday, I'm working on exciting new projects, the baby is healthy and (when he gets his way) happy and is growing more fun to watch every day, and I HAVE A MACBOOK AIR. I'm a kid, an instant-gratification kind of girl, so as excited as I am about everything I've just mentioned, I kind of have to admit the thing I am really and truly looking forward to doing first in 2013 is playing with my Mac. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I may be addicted to expensive electronics...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for you guys, I have a lot of cool stuff planned for you too! I'm going to have a contest soon, because it's been yonks since my last one; I'm hoping to finish some new <i>Lost Girl</i> extras and snippets and share them in the near future; I've putting together some writing-related sketches and drawings for those of you who might like to see more of the book, its world and my other writing; I... well, actually, that's all I can think of right now, but I promise this will be a fun year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are you looking forward to in 2013? </span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-57382708772135415862012-12-18T12:30:00.000+00:002012-12-18T12:30:02.186+00:00Happy Holidays!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My tree is up, (most of) the presents are wrapped and Christmassy music comes out of the radio almost constantly. I normally love this time of year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm probably going to be off the blog during the festive week, so I'll see you all again in the New Year. Until then, merry Christmas, happy holidays and I hope you all have a lovely and safe end to this year! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxwl5pIHU_Ih2i2IrAi5-k9usRIg2LYlDHNgGo7t4JgAWKewxwmDIc9ja9GFcsKr4Hzmydge-jC8J5LNSG0w1LIeXyQNV73AWnGuZeZF3dlppA6qcXHynEUnHahVxzSb8CDqNv21RGfJG/s640/blogger-image-2069238691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxwl5pIHU_Ih2i2IrAi5-k9usRIg2LYlDHNgGo7t4JgAWKewxwmDIc9ja9GFcsKr4Hzmydge-jC8J5LNSG0w1LIeXyQNV73AWnGuZeZF3dlppA6qcXHynEUnHahVxzSb8CDqNv21RGfJG/s400/blogger-image-2069238691.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-12745152718755763532012-12-11T14:28:00.000+00:002012-12-11T14:28:00.312+00:00One Year On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday was my son's first birthday. And yes, I'm still recovering from the party and the cleaning up and the exuberance of a too-excited baby, but it's deeper than that. I'm struggling to process the basic fact of it. Jeremy has been around for a whole <i>year</i>. How is that possible?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know how people tell you that you should make the most of every moment with your baby because it's over in the blink of an eye? It's true. I'd probably only add that it feels like an eternity <i>while </i>it's happening, but when you look back you're like WHERE DID ALL THAT TIME GO?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So yeah. I am in possession of exactly one child. He is twelve months and two days old. He is now fully qualified as a baby.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ONE YEAR AGO</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfckXRc5ziV8qw3h8G73PN4rzocBRu7QJNOAHfaxjRGhi1ptxLmFFbZxlFP3v9mvWzB6t1y0R5G_3xwzRDt67AqLHpudfdcsM58bG0kDMJx7WukeGsExTLPUvmysiimRJeVaprNLZK9eU/s1600/2012-01-10+22.06.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfckXRc5ziV8qw3h8G73PN4rzocBRu7QJNOAHfaxjRGhi1ptxLmFFbZxlFP3v9mvWzB6t1y0R5G_3xwzRDt67AqLHpudfdcsM58bG0kDMJx7WukeGsExTLPUvmysiimRJeVaprNLZK9eU/s400/2012-01-10+22.06.35.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>NOW</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV04OegNr4bKfc2s4_H1ylHRLpO9fOA-Gemnn1aWE1T0zqJwVsuJcz3g1MX8XfHi-WH45tvw_s-qfBUeIbXWXolYrsuPomBQNm725J5uXWKtoA29cgumW7wGO-yl2x001fNPFIZjp7CmU/s1600/IMG_1694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV04OegNr4bKfc2s4_H1ylHRLpO9fOA-Gemnn1aWE1T0zqJwVsuJcz3g1MX8XfHi-WH45tvw_s-qfBUeIbXWXolYrsuPomBQNm725J5uXWKtoA29cgumW7wGO-yl2x001fNPFIZjp7CmU/s400/IMG_1694.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! </span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-9950380592849208642012-12-04T12:52:00.002+00:002012-12-04T12:52:50.160+00:00Book of the Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I know the year's not over yet, but I feel like this is the time I look back and think about everything I've read this year and narrow in on one particular book that really shone for me. And it's <i>hard</i> this year. There are a lot of great possibilities, like Maggie Stiefvater's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10626594-the-scorpio-races"><i>The Scorpio Races</i></a> (actually, I may have read that late last year, but I can't quite remember... either way it's fantastic) and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12043771-this-is-not-a-test"><i>This Is Not A Test</i></a> by Courtney Summers; there were a lot of exciting second or third installments in series I love; quite frankly, I read a ton of good books this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But I've managed, somehow, to pick one. And here it is, my book of the year.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12875258-tell-the-wolves-i-m-home"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tell the Wolves I'm Home</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></i></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Carol Ri<span style="font-size: small;">f</span>ka Brunt </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1128886021906312198">1987. There’s only one
person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and
that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and
distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s
company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he
dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak
about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a
surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to
heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family,
and even her own heart.<br /><br />At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange
man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a
package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from
Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an
opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June
realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring
herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she
needs the most.<br /><br />An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, <i>Tell the Wolves I’m Home</i> is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1128886021906312198"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Summary from Goodreads<span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1128886021906312198">If you haven't read this, please do. I don't think I've ever loved and hated a protagonist in such equal measure. I bawled my eyes out. Just sayin'. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1128886021906312198">Did <i>you</i> read anything this year that really sparkled for you?</span></span></div>
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Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-39646827020884844992012-11-27T15:25:00.001+00:002012-11-27T15:25:29.283+00:00My Top Writing Apps and Tools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a lot of 'Best Apps' posts out there, and a lot of those posts are devoted to the best apps and digital tools for writers, specifically, but I thought I'd have a go at making one of my own anyway. Partly because a few of my best-loved apps never seem to feature on any of these other lists, partly because I get a silly giddy feeling when I download a cool new writing/bookish app and I want to share, share, share!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I won't make an exhaustive list here, because I'll just run on forever, but here are some of my favourite apps and tools for writing and/or bookish people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.iawriter.com/">iA Writer</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">App. I love, love, <i>love </i>this app. I wrote virtually the entire first draft of my most recent synopsis using this. This seems to be Apple/iOS only. Its beauty is in its simplicity. There's no messing about with fonts or settings or formatting. There are <i>no </i>options. You open it and you write. That's it. For someone as obsessive-compulsive about fonts and how things <i>look</i> as I am, it's remarkably restful to be forced to just get on with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php">Scrivener</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tool. There is, alas, no iOS or Android version of this yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tried this out for the first time only recently. And promptly wondered how I'd ever done without it. You can use this to write, but I use it to outline. Much as I love notebooks and pens, I'm also a sucker for Post Its, corkboards, pinning things to corkboards, and visual representations of my notes, and Scrivener gives me all those things (minus the tactile pleasure, of course, but honestly I hardly miss it!). I can make character sketches, create little corkboard notes for places and chapters, move things around and have my actual content move around too, and probably a whole host of other things that I haven't quite gotten to grips with yet! It's amazing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note: you <i>do</i> have to pay for it, but you can try it out for free for 30 days and, if you don't like it, can export all your content before the trial expires. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">App and tool. This is like having a suitcase hovering above you, weightless, unnoticeable and unobtrusive, but it's there when you need it and you can dip into <i>anywhere</i>. It's a handy-dandy way to store and back up all your important files and, most importantly, to be able to open them on any other device on which you've downloaded and installed the Dropbox app. You have an account, you can access it from virtually any computer as long as you're connected to the internet, and all the content stored in your account syncs across all your computers, phones, iPads, iBrains (I'm pretty sure we'll have those instead of real brains one day...) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://evernote.com/">Evernote</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">App and tool. It took me a while to get Evernote, mostly because I had a bunch of other apps and notepads that did separate, individual things like allow me to make voice notes, checklists, take photos and label them, etc. Evernote kind of makes those other apps redundant. It does it <i>all</i>. Record ideas like a voice memo, take photos, tag locations, make checklists, write notes, file everything in themed digital notebooks - it's all there. And, like Dropbox, you can use and sync your content across all kinds of platforms and devices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://www.colornote.com/">ColorNote</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">App. I don't use this anymore, because there doesn't seem to be an iOS version of this (at least not last I checked), but I <i>loved</i> this app when I had an Android phone. It's a little like Scrivener and, while it doesn't have most of the tool's cool features, you <i>can</i> use this app on your phone. If you love sticky notes, as I do, you'll love this. It arranges all your notes via color-coded Post Its. You can create notes with plain writing or have checklists. And - my favourite bit of all - you can add one of your notes or lists to your phone's home screen (I used to do this with my To Do list) and it looks <i>just </i>like a little sticky note stuck to a surface! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you use or love any of these tools? Do you have any favourites to share? Tell me about them! </span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-68950252514559287802012-11-20T12:37:00.002+00:002012-11-20T12:37:59.631+00:00Me, Elswhere. And Cats...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life and writing have once again got on top of me, so just a quick one today. I'm very excited to be part of Michelle Sede<span id="ID0EQ">ñ</span><b><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></b>o's blog feature celebrating debut authors of 2012 (that's me! Yes! I'm one of them!). Her interview with me is <a href="http://michelleshoutsrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/celebrating-debutantes-author-sangu.html">up here</a>, so go check it and the other author interviews out - we're giving stuff away!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Side note: I'm alone at home right now. At least, I think I am. But I'm hearing mysterious <i>noises</i>. Creaks. And scrapes. It's most peculiar. If I were imaginative I'd say a half-destroyed zombie was dragging itself across the floorboards in the hallway...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...lucky I don't have an imagination, eh?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And books! On the one hand I feel like I have tons of books in my reading queue. On the other I feel like there's nothing I feel like reading right now. Anyone have any great recommendations to share?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(PS. So, the noises. Not a zombie. A cat got in. I rescued it and sent it home.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(PPS. OH MY GOD. Speaking of cats! Have you seen <a href="http://new.livestream.com/accounts/398160/events/1594566">this live stream</a> of a family of kittens? GO! GO SEE!) </span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-59776388056346867812012-11-13T14:41:00.000+00:002012-11-13T14:41:42.470+00:00Five Random Things for November<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Is anyone else watching <i>The Mentalist</i> this season? And is anyone else growing extremely weary of the fact that in four and something seasons they <i>still</i> haven't got hold of Red flippin' John? Just get rid of the loony, please. There's only so many melodramatic twists and dead daughters and we-killed-him-whoops-it-wasn't-him-oh-noes moments I can put myself through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And</i> I'm still angry about the fact that the show does not do red herrings well. A good red herring tricks you and when you realize you were wrong, you're like <i>oh, I see</i>. On <i>The Mentalist</i>, a red herring is sly, and slips in, and makes you think <i>aha</i> and when you find out what's really going, it leaves you with <i>no explanation whatsoever</i>. (Yeah. I still want to know why, two seasons ago, Bertram was quoting the same William Blake poem Red John did - and why that potentially OMG moment turned into<i> nothing</i>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(If you know nothing about <i>The Mentalist</i>, none of the above will make any sense to you. It's okay. A lot of it makes no sense to me, either, and I've watched pretty much every episode.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. On the bus the other day, I overheard this</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BOY: You know how girls wear knickers, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GIRL: What, you don't wear underwear?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BOY: Yeah, but yours are tight-fitting. You know? So do you think they're supposed to be, like, a bra for your bum?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. I saw <i>Skyfall</i> at the cinema last night. So, so good. (And just as good was getting a babysitter and getting out of the house, just my husband and me, without the baby for a while! We really don't do that often enough...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. The weather is ***t. Really. And much as I get the dismals on a dreary day, in some ways it sometimes feels worse when there's a bright day. It's like you look out of the window and it's all sunny and bright and shiny, and you think <i>hooray, the sun's out and it looks so gloriously warm and I can almost feel it on my skin</i>, and then you go out in a T-shirt, and you practically die on the spot. Because it's effing freezing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah. The sun <i>lies.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5.<i> </i>And speaking of good red herrings, I really do love Agatha Christie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone else seen <i>Skyfall</i> recently? Are there other frustrated used-to-be-<i>Mentalist </i>fans out there?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And most importantly of all, do <i>you</i> think underwear is just a bra for your bum? </span></div>
Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.com9