Almost to the finish line.....

April is almost at a close and while it's been an ultra busy month - I have survived....just *tired grin*

I am pooped. Easter was a blast and we definitely enjoyed a feast that the tastebuds were more than happy to receive. Yum, yum. It's wonderful catching up with family though when you host a gathering, you don't feel like you have properly caught up with everyone, but quantity time not quality eh?!

I also managed to enter Alpha into 2 competitions, and SSAlpha in another. So I'm a happy puppy right now.

I'll have to think about my goals for next month. Editing the rest of Alpha most likely. And I'll like to sit back and enjoy tackling the evergrowing TBR pile. And also catch up with my lovely friends..... haven't forgotten you.

Yia!

Easter....again?

This weekend marks the celebrations of Orthodox Easter, which is based on the Julian calender instead of the Gregorian (further info can be found at Wilkepedia).

Other than thinking of the resurrection of Christ, the two things I think of when I hear the word 'Easter' are - going to church for "midnight" mass and glorious food. So it was no wonder that I found a lovely explanation of Greek Orthodox traditions on the Greek Food page on the About.com site.

*Warning to vegetarians- next paragraph contains references to meat*
I'm fasting from meat this week - so when Easter Sunday rolls around, I am craving it. Sorry vegetarians. We traditionally have a lamb on the spit and this year we are having a pig on the spit too. I remember when I was really young, before motorized spits, my papou (grandfather) used to turn the spit by hand. And the best way of eating is directly off of the spit. Absolutely delicious. Oh gosh, it's still a whole week away!!

It's battle stations in my house as we will be hosting the Easter Sunday lunch for my extended family. It's a wonderful time to get together and just enjoy the day . And in true Greek style, there will definitely be plenty of food and drink!!!

Kalo Pascha!
Yia!

On the Road...RWA Roadshow

This year, Romance Writers of Australia are heading on the road with two one day mini-conferences to Adelaide (May 17th) and Perth (May 24th). Yippee!! It's a great opportunity for writers who are not able to make the annual conference in August in the eastern states - this year it's in Melbourne (but rotates with Sydney and the Gold Coast).

Featuring in the Roadshow is Anne Gracie (historical romance author), Marion Lennox (Harlequin Romance writer) and Trish Morey (local talent writing Harlequin Presents). All are fantastic writers and and there will be more local authors, giveaways and prizes.....so it's looking to be a great day.

For details please check out the Romance Writers of Australia page. I've marked it in my diary :)

Yia!

What I'm working on

Here’s a rundown of what stories are currently on the go (or at least locked in this little brain of mine!)

Novels/Novellas

Alpha – Quest fantasy - written - polishing
Beta – Quest fantasy – in first draft stage
Gamma – Parallel fantasy – ideas stage
Delta – Paranormal Novella – ideas stage
Epsilon – Parallel – possibly a duo.
Zita – Fantasy – ideas
Theta – Fantasy – some notes
Ita – historical (possibly) – ideas
Yiota – Futuristic novella – ideas stage – based on a short story

Short Stories

SSAlpha – Paranormal – entering in contest
SSBeta – Paranormal – looking for a home
SSGamma – Parallel – editing

So busy busy me…. *wry grin*

Yia!

April goals

6 days already into April and I haven't thought about my goals yet. Though I was busy last week fixing Alpha for a competition, so that does contribute to what I wanted to achieve this month.

April is always a busy month for me with family commitments and this year the Greek Orthodox Easter is end of April, so I will be busy with that too. So my main goal for this month is just to survive! Anything above that is a bonus this month.

But I am thinking of entering a short story competition to give me a break from Alpha, though which story I want to polish I'm not sure. That's really concise goal setting for you!!!

Yia!

Play it Loud!

Went to the Maroon 5 concert yesterday and must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. They play LOUD and I like loud!!! I must admit I wasn't overly familiar with their songs. I don't listen the radio like I used to (commercials annoy me), so am not as familiar with current music. But Maroon 5 put on a great show and their supporting acts (Brandi Carlisle, One Republic) were good also. I like that feeling of coming out of a concert with your ears pounding - actually my headache disappeared with the rhythm section. LOL!

I get inspired by a good concert and I've seen some great ones - KISS, Deep Purple, Jeff Healey, BB King, Pink... to name a few. I like writing to music but when it comes to editing, the music is usually instrumental as sometimes lyrics create a barrier for me. But whatever works for each story.

*Rock 'n' roll*

What about you? Do you find music helps in your creative process? And what type of music is it?