tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39559765376778104062024-03-19T08:21:50.707+00:00Lefty FlipThis blog was designed with a mind to track my progress as I attempt to finish writing my first novel and get it published.
It is more likely to feature all the things that distract me along the way, namely my cats, shoes, obsessing over lots of lovely books (none of which I have written), the cats again, dancing, choir practice, clothes, more books, sparkly stuff, the cats, and the general perils of living life as a left hander.Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-90656784306124139622014-03-08T13:30:00.000+00:002014-03-08T13:30:07.679+00:00It's writing time!!Just a quick post today, as I am determined not to let this blog fall by the wayside again!<br />
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Today I have been blessed with a rare bit of peace and quiet - boyfster is on night shifts and so currently asleep upstairs, sproglet is away at her mums, and the cat is out sniffing things in the garden. <br />
Time to stop watching Buffy repeats on Syfy, and get some writing done!<br />
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<br />Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-24716654065240393682014-02-14T20:50:00.000+00:002014-02-14T20:50:55.206+00:00Busy doing Nothin'A few years ago on Valentines day, I spent the evening consoling my housemate, whose boyfriend was stuck at work. Everyone else it seemed was having such an amazing evening, just look at all their posts on facebook; every other post was a picture of flowers, cards, chocolates (or worse yet a photo of plate of food) and gushing posts about how lovely their other halves all were.<br />
I stand by what I said at the time, I doubt very much that the people having the best valentines day were the ones posting about it every few minutes on facebook! Lets be honest, if you're really having that good a time with the person you are with, facebook will be the last thing on your mind!<br />
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And yes that really is going to be my excuse for neglecting this blog - I've been having too good a time to stop and post about it!<br />
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In all seriousness, this blog was supposed to be about my writing (cat pictures? What cat pictures? *Ahem*) and for the last 9 months or so my writing has taken something of a back-seat.<br />
My little family of me and the cat has more than doubled, and now includes boyfster, sproglet and a tank full of guppies.<br />
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And some cannibalistic Tetra, but they are still in my bad books</div>
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To say it has been a busy year would be a massive understatement!<br />
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But things are settling down, I am no longer living between two homes, fish cats children and books are all finally under one roof, and this weekend I am looking forward to getting back to some quality writing time! <br />
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Hurrah!<br />
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<br />Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-51971667277713049722013-05-31T16:19:00.000+01:002013-05-31T16:19:07.815+01:00Note to Self...Well before the whole of May goes by without a single post (how did that happen?!?!?!?!) here's an update on what I have been up to...<br />
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Reading this! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ACID - Emma Pass</td></tr>
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So excited to finally have my hands on this book, but to do it justice I will save that for another post! <br />
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The big news this month is that I have (finally) reached a point where I have a complete readable draft! So I am currently annotating my way through this...<br />
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I have some big plot holes to fill, and a character whose gender currently changes mid-chapter (I changed my mind, that's all!) and a whole bunch of clunky sentences to fix, but it's getting there! <br />
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The more professional editors and writers amongst you will no doubt be familiar with the standard editing symbols. I however seem to rely on a series of smiley faces, frowny faces, scribbly red pen, and pencilled comments in the margins! <br />
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For your viewing pleasure...<br />
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I'm not always that harsh on myself - there are plenty of smiley faces too!</div>
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Right, back into the writing cave I go! See you next month!</div>
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Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-76732399401808627102013-04-08T12:31:00.000+01:002013-04-08T12:33:32.442+01:00Books, books, everywhere...<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
I spent last weekend putting up what I think will have to be the final bookcase in my house. I have run out of room, but not run out of books! I clearly need to get a bit creative...</div>
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Walls made of books maybe? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlZ-9lJxkZyRBbA6YMp-nYhDlYZ2j8YhZAgbm09Ic-V_z7wYiMVIopD1VNb9Xiwg-z719OJUtottaFA5rbfxyOXKuTxIWVkjMSetG2Tvms_V1rWkbsfVjqkYwT3_OI3NjRRFHiI9m0YQ8/s1600/wall+of+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlZ-9lJxkZyRBbA6YMp-nYhDlYZ2j8YhZAgbm09Ic-V_z7wYiMVIopD1VNb9Xiwg-z719OJUtottaFA5rbfxyOXKuTxIWVkjMSetG2Tvms_V1rWkbsfVjqkYwT3_OI3NjRRFHiI9m0YQ8/s320/wall+of+books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'top shelf'... </div>
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wonder what books get kept up there?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwVRIobqYaxhiYy5hvJVnxEiw6bQ9CWdk3rNAu0_sVBXMHYPbH0Vl0FozojTQwHG0LygUkvPSMjq6pwSO6hxWvfAr8NnhOKj4ByGbrTH-XHPaYvhdmgVVm5Q6p3OTxIUIo7UNKBuMxpRJ/s1600/wall+of+books+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwVRIobqYaxhiYy5hvJVnxEiw6bQ9CWdk3rNAu0_sVBXMHYPbH0Vl0FozojTQwHG0LygUkvPSMjq6pwSO6hxWvfAr8NnhOKj4ByGbrTH-XHPaYvhdmgVVm5Q6p3OTxIUIo7UNKBuMxpRJ/s320/wall+of+books+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Saves on wallpapering too! </div>
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Includes hidey-holes for Le Cat</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QXc7FFuu8aaBKPpJLB-qnL-VJ_T6LRpTyB7O3fb_5pElYUncj1CCwug0sOcgbb6rNFlG3SwEZDDaFq0AW0nvT7tDp7OyGN18FZgMRw7dNcKusVc-ggAsax-EDw1Hke7E3fhGNNipKoG_/s1600/book+stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QXc7FFuu8aaBKPpJLB-qnL-VJ_T6LRpTyB7O3fb_5pElYUncj1CCwug0sOcgbb6rNFlG3SwEZDDaFq0AW0nvT7tDp7OyGN18FZgMRw7dNcKusVc-ggAsax-EDw1Hke7E3fhGNNipKoG_/s320/book+stairs.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I love this idea! Trying to figure out if I can get it to work on my stairs. Although, I have enough trouble with the cat tripping me up every morning though, so maybe not the safest idea!</div>
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Now this is how you make bookshelves out of a staircase! </div>
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I'd love to see that the rest of the house looks like. </div>
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Right. I'm off to stash more books away!</div>
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Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-39099295844403442432013-03-25T09:55:00.002+00:002013-03-25T09:55:41.634+00:00It's like a disease, I swear...The result of an evening 'browsing' on Amazon, with a glass of wine in my hand...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyK84Ik5sGY1-XsRQZ_sE8yxVNLDnXNBKlXv9bFtAS7YHRnykykgM34Rf4-YmxOx_ejY50bcwtbSgnry6Iz8NCZ_kKCbbMPtI5MpL5K4KgwgPrTt6ydjwOYzXTmwQdnJMQftmmuWn_Xmm/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyK84Ik5sGY1-XsRQZ_sE8yxVNLDnXNBKlXv9bFtAS7YHRnykykgM34Rf4-YmxOx_ejY50bcwtbSgnry6Iz8NCZ_kKCbbMPtI5MpL5K4KgwgPrTt6ydjwOYzXTmwQdnJMQftmmuWn_Xmm/s320/books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3205yulBMoX6cZoOqDClM3OEhQAC37rCe3DxwJfJru6du9ZZm8Vy-EPcKAf0lw4KZdUY-2fQm6h-xU3OVOCOskyCCRQhpdx02_kPHsN0qNe7_hlQiJ8WnnVa0l2je2gLvQjL93CzO-hZ/s1600/Fran+investigating+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3205yulBMoX6cZoOqDClM3OEhQAC37rCe3DxwJfJru6du9ZZm8Vy-EPcKAf0lw4KZdUY-2fQm6h-xU3OVOCOskyCCRQhpdx02_kPHsN0qNe7_hlQiJ8WnnVa0l2je2gLvQjL93CzO-hZ/s320/Fran+investigating+books.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Still, Fran seems to approve! (Though it might just be the box she's after)Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-30225103737090671212013-03-18T12:11:00.000+00:002013-03-18T12:11:21.459+00:00Judging a Book by its CoverI've always thought 'Don't judge a book by its cover' was a pretty crappy analogy for anything because, well, what else are you supposed to judge a book by if not its cover?<br />
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I'm not talking about books you've read, re-read, the ones you've given up on halfway through - I'm talking about the shiny new books on the bookshelf, the ones with clean uncracked spines - the ones that whisper <i>buy me buy me</i> as you walk past... <br />
<br />
But assuming you also need to pay your rent this month and can't spent your entire salary on books what do you base your decision on?<br />
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If you care about the opinions of strangers you might check out some reviews. If you trust your friends taste in books you might listen to their recommendations. You might have some favourite authors - I'm on a Darren Shan kick at the moment (demons, vampires, zombies - he's not let me down yet!) But if you're hanging round a bookshop, killing time on a rainy lunch break what have you really got to go on Yep, that's right, the cover.<br />
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Here are a few books I have bought lately based on nothing but the front cover:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPbBze1Hvs88GDWM4ZWKApgRG6M1zDicXhyL1neeYEVujUFHRY9P1ZFCPNPqNxaV0MhJTsVSNaGfCIV44ipOlZzMUnopqMIHnF1TEgvK0CU_RFuHsr5bkfRbXCWkir_Z96m6r1LAj8HZJ/s1600/Girl+of+Nightmares+-+Kendare+Blake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPbBze1Hvs88GDWM4ZWKApgRG6M1zDicXhyL1neeYEVujUFHRY9P1ZFCPNPqNxaV0MhJTsVSNaGfCIV44ipOlZzMUnopqMIHnF1TEgvK0CU_RFuHsr5bkfRbXCWkir_Z96m6r1LAj8HZJ/s320/Girl+of+Nightmares+-+Kendare+Blake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Just your average boy-meets-girl, <br />
girl-gets-sucked-into-Hell story'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Who is this girl? What's with the weird lava demons reaching for her feet? Why does she not look remotely scared by her surroundings. And if I take her hand will she lead me out of this Hell-hole or will she rip my face off. Judging by the look on her face and the fact that her name is 'Anna Dressed in Blood' it could go either way. Awesome. Buying it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRTczKQiUUe8NmRpK2ScEbVbqehYByttrUfEjVV25h48j81qG0AljcK0fqt3HaAlHr6foYSoqa_xi-msnndxfTqe_CmaIyMKxelSkThMOb88BhM-eORha2V3DYJzf4sb51O58n5ZLBDWO/s1600/liesl+and+po+-+Lauren+Oliver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRTczKQiUUe8NmRpK2ScEbVbqehYByttrUfEjVV25h48j81qG0AljcK0fqt3HaAlHr6foYSoqa_xi-msnndxfTqe_CmaIyMKxelSkThMOb88BhM-eORha2V3DYJzf4sb51O58n5ZLBDWO/s320/liesl+and+po+-+Lauren+Oliver.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, one night a ghost appears from the darkness. <br />
It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. <br />
Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.</td></tr>
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This picture doesn't really do the book justice. The writing and the spine of the book are gold, as is the keyhole around image - and as for the illustrations inside...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtvDPEqAADCLISSc2onlcecQlxVKK_6sSX0UMm_b7o-eoGkLO_6SlNx7LYOELw-BR3kGOlt2GPzl2nhSUERrJwZQl2VaqzGkja6_NaxOjifs-PsXFI01kcBsLihj_NISv0skZvp8XT7r2/s1600/liesl+and+po+illustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtvDPEqAADCLISSc2onlcecQlxVKK_6sSX0UMm_b7o-eoGkLO_6SlNx7LYOELw-BR3kGOlt2GPzl2nhSUERrJwZQl2VaqzGkja6_NaxOjifs-PsXFI01kcBsLihj_NISv0skZvp8XT7r2/s320/liesl+and+po+illustration.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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These had me reaching for my pencils and dusting off the sketch pad - beautiful!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmPmm76xCjMRXwK9VS0pGfLiTUKIuHvGgFfrSuwup_tMl9l-3LFvrUwwDvIvOJhc9eteZmTWJf6ehzOu-P2CqdPOk7bZhokLD7Nt5NvOdQCic98EEe41KSYyVweNqMIi1WxW_5DpeSI9c/s1600/The+Raven+Boys+-+Maggie+Stiefvater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmPmm76xCjMRXwK9VS0pGfLiTUKIuHvGgFfrSuwup_tMl9l-3LFvrUwwDvIvOJhc9eteZmTWJf6ehzOu-P2CqdPOk7bZhokLD7Nt5NvOdQCic98EEe41KSYyVweNqMIi1WxW_5DpeSI9c/s320/The+Raven+Boys+-+Maggie+Stiefvater.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the year Blue will be drawn into the strange <br />
and sinister world of The Raven Boys. <br />
And the year Blue discovers magic really does exist</td></tr>
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I'm not normally one for romance, even the doomed and torturous kind, but I was swayed by the Poe-esque ravens and mention of magic!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Seraphina hides a secret - the secret<br />
behind her musical gift - <br />
and if she is found out, her life is in<br />
serious danger . . . <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2t2Y8Hj_ex0bFydQULzAU-24Ril9K4UmcBDwrUasGfqkBv6gUrS-D4aiUxrwwhlQ3ISycoLbXcrbT_Ala6XEf7B7-pMXv5TM-YJNaJEh7SolPtiDFEkWKDBKqMqwmQD6i926xJlpDRDi/s1600/The+Girl+Who+Circumnavigated+Fairyland+-+Catherynne+Valente.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2t2Y8Hj_ex0bFydQULzAU-24Ril9K4UmcBDwrUasGfqkBv6gUrS-D4aiUxrwwhlQ3ISycoLbXcrbT_Ala6XEf7B7-pMXv5TM-YJNaJEh7SolPtiDFEkWKDBKqMqwmQD6i926xJlpDRDi/s320/The+Girl+Who+Circumnavigated+Fairyland+-+Catherynne+Valente.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September is a twelve-year-old girl, <br />
Somewhat Grown and Somewhat Heartless,<br />
and she longs for adventure.</td></tr>
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One word... <strong>DRAGONS</strong>!</div>
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Yep, sometimes that's all it takes.</div>
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It goes both ways though. There's a particular book I ignored for about four years because the front cover was so rubbish. It wasn't until the fourth in the series came out with a Dragon on the front that I thought it might be worth a read...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6rAEIvFijLYBBHwYnRxoYl-QobeXen5dwQonrD3RI84b6YN5wFh11loe6LpnXOJpLcu7nfjwTp7PVfHxqiJNjltAI2vDSvWbxnlVe1Ytdkk0zjV1NQAq62GvcGX1qAMNUXF1_8fxxAAD/s1600/Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher's_Stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6rAEIvFijLYBBHwYnRxoYl-QobeXen5dwQonrD3RI84b6YN5wFh11loe6LpnXOJpLcu7nfjwTp7PVfHxqiJNjltAI2vDSvWbxnlVe1Ytdkk0zjV1NQAq62GvcGX1qAMNUXF1_8fxxAAD/s1600/Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher's_Stone.jpg" /></a></div>
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I mean come on... What were they thinking?<br />
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<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZWnqiO08QyU2PlP8fDJj3ra7y4CrAPUCDCDgHHLdINekqpOKgCS5aJ857R-sm_YYYLIyKEFLfaDKozQ9dDY7yZ2gj6uzGCoB98a2v1MfWe1rf6N6R6dflyF5ett0uXziTI1AuEUZZQJk/s320/Seraphina+-+Rachel+Hartman.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 176px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 2117px;" width="63" />Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-18953153407576957952013-03-01T15:57:00.000+00:002013-03-01T15:57:26.838+00:00Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_OaIY68comKanjjtHHM5vC_N_CNQ_7G5C_VQOBj3vaIWeoZNqtQ7xkJJjpFlKbXPCqmDhAkbKGLRkjk-aM4ae5sG-2FLVKKD0KmCvJusrbyeXfNZHj3uYq0IAfVy6p0jLg9r1Y5z1Zv5/s1600/daffodils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_OaIY68comKanjjtHHM5vC_N_CNQ_7G5C_VQOBj3vaIWeoZNqtQ7xkJJjpFlKbXPCqmDhAkbKGLRkjk-aM4ae5sG-2FLVKKD0KmCvJusrbyeXfNZHj3uYq0IAfVy6p0jLg9r1Y5z1Zv5/s320/daffodils.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="cy" xml:lang="cy"><i></i></span>Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-51249192010734607542013-02-15T15:44:00.002+00:002013-02-15T15:44:48.517+00:00Yet another well thought out post...You may have noticed things have got a little daft the past few weeks... Well there is good reason for that! Quite simply, less blogging equals more writing!<br />
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So without further ado:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxiW5AO66ofCo1cUQJbFCuUPuBqvm4rD0AMHVUSp1ZvNNXIAZKJ7WXroQjjHQV5Y80gusgqQ2rQ_UleYmW4FWQzfd7VB3zHBiIMqhNlZzaW7eorGDP3NEN70pn-GwFAfh6YoWKznc-Hc6/s1600/grammar+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxiW5AO66ofCo1cUQJbFCuUPuBqvm4rD0AMHVUSp1ZvNNXIAZKJ7WXroQjjHQV5Y80gusgqQ2rQ_UleYmW4FWQzfd7VB3zHBiIMqhNlZzaW7eorGDP3NEN70pn-GwFAfh6YoWKznc-Hc6/s320/grammar+cat.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Right. Chapter 21 prepare to be rearranged!<br />
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Later!Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-19796218142127396902013-02-08T13:38:00.000+00:002013-02-08T13:38:01.377+00:00I kinda love this kid...<br />
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<a href="http://cheezburger.com/47253505" target="_blank">Daniel Radcliffe is kind of terrible at staying humble</a><br />
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May have snorted tea out my nose at 1:03... 'We're doing the same thing Jake!!!'<br />
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Happy weekend everyone!!!Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-90298436150011253962013-02-01T17:06:00.000+00:002013-02-01T17:06:33.890+00:00The return of Fran Friday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-58426263510480362832013-01-11T15:17:00.000+00:002013-02-01T16:26:29.363+00:00Ebay, books and guinea pigs... Bring on 2013A rather belated Happy New Year everyone! <br />
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Well January is already sneaking on by, and I have yet to decide what I want to do with the year! Time for a new year checklist I think...<br />
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<ul>
<li> Well the first has nothing whatsoever to do with writing... This time last year I moved house. I went from renting a single room in a shared house, to renting a two bedroom house - so why do I have no room for all my stuff?!?!?! It's insane. I need to have a clear out. I am also ridiculously overdrawn after Christmas so I think an epic ebay session is needed!</li>
<li>Next on the list is my stack of books to read! It's possible it might be taller than me now. I considered making a rule that I can't buy any new books until I've read one on the list but... but... not buying books?!?!?!?! I've already given up chocolate and alcohol this week - books is all I have left!</li>
<li>I also have grand writing plans this year, some semi-secret, some top secret and some... not secret at all! I'll be needing some guinea pigs soon (obv not real ones, though that would be cute!) to test my writing on...if I'm brave enough!</li>
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<br />Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom52.696361078274485 -2.10937533.981498078274484 -43.417969 71.411224078274486 39.199219tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-16109160995258671022012-12-31T19:11:00.000+00:002012-12-31T19:11:15.822+00:0012 Things I have learnt in 2012...Well it's New Years Eve, and as I prepare to put on my glad-rags and dance the new year in, I thought I would take a few moments between painting my nails and curling my hair to have a think about some of the things I have learnt this year...<br />
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1) There is no such thing as too many pairs of shoes<br />
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2) There <em>is</em> such thing as too many dogs...<br />
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3) Missing a vital letter from the word 'count' is not the worst typo you can make...<br />
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4) ...neither is accidentally putting three 'x's at the end of a message to your boss.<br />
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5) Offence is taken, not given.<br />
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6) Not all lost cats find there way home.<br />
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7) Your best friends are not necessarily the ones you have known the longest.<br />
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8) Honey makes an excellent burn remedy.<br />
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9) It's all well and good having people support your every move, but sometimes you need someone to remind you of the things you can't (and <em>shouldn't</em> do)<br />
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10) Smoked haddock is the devils food.<br />
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11) Blood is thicker than water - but so is yogurt<br />
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12) If you're too drunk to log onto twitter... you probably shouldn't be on there...<br />
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Happy New Year everyone! Here's to 2013!!!<br />
<br />Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-19591924954410390572012-11-30T17:50:00.000+00:002012-11-30T17:50:35.970+00:00This post has been a long time coming...At least once I week I end up typing the phrase 'literaty tattoos' into google, more often than not I end up on <a href="http://www.contrariwise.org/" target="_blank">contrariwise</a> (which you should all go look at after reading this post!) I can't believe it has taken me over a year to get round to doing a tattoo post! <br />
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That being said, if I'd done this a year ago I might not have had quite so much to share...<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Shakespeare</u></strong><br />
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<u>Hamlet</u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZ0PddDG6aNIDLPd8nVy1x9XESFPDFad5NfgmPM90sUoHa5HvhyphenhyphenN40U5TbqIzMV3GTTUDYFRLkbhGLv6UteUY_PLeLamdf8oom7RrYaLRjLwYv3eKPgHvULHUwaVXPgY82FjpNmOSNSAG/s1600/hamlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZ0PddDG6aNIDLPd8nVy1x9XESFPDFad5NfgmPM90sUoHa5HvhyphenhyphenN40U5TbqIzMV3GTTUDYFRLkbhGLv6UteUY_PLeLamdf8oom7RrYaLRjLwYv3eKPgHvULHUwaVXPgY82FjpNmOSNSAG/s320/hamlet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzTwSJX2AkmwyZ54JsaErGVr5MOAVcIHAzOqMSVSEZ-VbsNf6OJkcEiJJkN6Vwe67Eur0NHKLSFcbcOJafuVy4PEdFNBnehZHh8Ua9bAJSpoz3aWXKFdKgdD4DpCfzz_DSGr2BIM1pHZ-/s1600/hamlet41-480x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzTwSJX2AkmwyZ54JsaErGVr5MOAVcIHAzOqMSVSEZ-VbsNf6OJkcEiJJkN6Vwe67Eur0NHKLSFcbcOJafuVy4PEdFNBnehZHh8Ua9bAJSpoz3aWXKFdKgdD4DpCfzz_DSGr2BIM1pHZ-/s320/hamlet41-480x360.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaZLTDM_lgAf52y1rPmELOAR6tu3mPcrIk3HeMyQGNrTRXXtvYaDJgsBP0_coLPj5eAn-A1DmO3t2muy5QzBIwzN3VxQ0PeZIP8Vk6EgncvdsjHPu6EfaGS7CWejo7MyCGC860gFEP3mb/s1600/the+rest+is+silence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaZLTDM_lgAf52y1rPmELOAR6tu3mPcrIk3HeMyQGNrTRXXtvYaDJgsBP0_coLPj5eAn-A1DmO3t2muy5QzBIwzN3VxQ0PeZIP8Vk6EgncvdsjHPu6EfaGS7CWejo7MyCGC860gFEP3mb/s1600/the+rest+is+silence.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Henry VIII</u></div>
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<u></u> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRBc1iQC0KT4kdnS6kQjH19Ksd3EGGYf-fN27E5CwzfJxQWhL7Fy2ob3TuF4no_WC-1rwZNet2BxPtUA1FDEBKxZUtlynreLvuAhCgtiaTBCWh9SZ9bykV0dz74O3hihC4uEkno_5UnOX/s1600/henry+VIII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRBc1iQC0KT4kdnS6kQjH19Ksd3EGGYf-fN27E5CwzfJxQWhL7Fy2ob3TuF4no_WC-1rwZNet2BxPtUA1FDEBKxZUtlynreLvuAhCgtiaTBCWh9SZ9bykV0dz74O3hihC4uEkno_5UnOX/s320/henry+VIII.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5</td></tr>
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<u>The Tempest</u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0s15U5ovNhcPP1sf-euYxpmPJsHYLBGetM36F07GzwJ-bgwFl-GSZt7V67dXH6VKUjenkf0QqJpkO_H5sR3eqWd5YPF7R6zny_UrKF7XuUe4BBuyYwWxApA-V1rMa2lg6C7gOUfOQWyoZ/s1600/tempest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0s15U5ovNhcPP1sf-euYxpmPJsHYLBGetM36F07GzwJ-bgwFl-GSZt7V67dXH6VKUjenkf0QqJpkO_H5sR3eqWd5YPF7R6zny_UrKF7XuUe4BBuyYwWxApA-V1rMa2lg6C7gOUfOQWyoZ/s320/tempest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6</td></tr>
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<br />
<strong><u>Neil Gaiman - Sandman</u></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EnfFx18O0xw9gvH-puwJNs1JP61uTHXjrA9CcdQyC-1FW9MQqWYHGYMd8w0WFGULegcY3zeoG4e-Vbx_blWXGS_qazRtGNTbBzYREglHV_57zsAveP1e9mkiPgCduTufglsk0zqiNk8T/s1600/_rets_kung__jocke_be_49102w-234x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EnfFx18O0xw9gvH-puwJNs1JP61uTHXjrA9CcdQyC-1FW9MQqWYHGYMd8w0WFGULegcY3zeoG4e-Vbx_blWXGS_qazRtGNTbBzYREglHV_57zsAveP1e9mkiPgCduTufglsk0zqiNk8T/s320/_rets_kung__jocke_be_49102w-234x300.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLGY-NCU83nGMbBklbhd5k72lIcJ_tqg6wDleabWx9k29ZcbqrJ5WIybMNJGOMKRiryte10Lix1ciEFlyhrfryDkAami05VjnreTUarqOxn9EvpfJUigdZE9CNWbb60TGZJut9slKYC3x/s1600/keytohell-225x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLGY-NCU83nGMbBklbhd5k72lIcJ_tqg6wDleabWx9k29ZcbqrJ5WIybMNJGOMKRiryte10Lix1ciEFlyhrfryDkAami05VjnreTUarqOxn9EvpfJUigdZE9CNWbb60TGZJut9slKYC3x/s1600/keytohell-225x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT38M_Svfk_MbiwX6d5eUsYhdimywxXQHVy74J2vWZdp1QCevhH0FaDe4vXUjhsKcPkEKDuxnXFMkzG9VAbBMnmnCpMobNbmp2XFnsb5GJqbfZYTKzDK2jau6d1K55oHw-Btj4KiRKmcpc/s1600/sandman+key.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT38M_Svfk_MbiwX6d5eUsYhdimywxXQHVy74J2vWZdp1QCevhH0FaDe4vXUjhsKcPkEKDuxnXFMkzG9VAbBMnmnCpMobNbmp2XFnsb5GJqbfZYTKzDK2jau6d1K55oHw-Btj4KiRKmcpc/s320/sandman+key.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cLg4PKjziGcvKwv06B883yloOf7Iiox03MlrmxPjt9CnOUg-11q73XxvpuuvVjsZ8UkM8P-uqnFBNaNZydKwdbW5T4PUWCQHxUDIfrT42LVY5SF0OydoswMe9db2vwLPC7DoLXjMVipR/s1600/sandman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cLg4PKjziGcvKwv06B883yloOf7Iiox03MlrmxPjt9CnOUg-11q73XxvpuuvVjsZ8UkM8P-uqnFBNaNZydKwdbW5T4PUWCQHxUDIfrT42LVY5SF0OydoswMe9db2vwLPC7DoLXjMVipR/s1600/sandman.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6bScrSe50g3dO45BQYBnPvf4o06h5tQ6dTZ2wiWFtRHjTRU8EZBfld4rIAlmXGY93LLxJoMIgPdvm5JN43huecIOfbwPWLeH8bMhh2jcXJy2knSHye5PMdmks77BDG5fMAdBHqM6r9J-/s1600/the+kindly+ones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6bScrSe50g3dO45BQYBnPvf4o06h5tQ6dTZ2wiWFtRHjTRU8EZBfld4rIAlmXGY93LLxJoMIgPdvm5JN43huecIOfbwPWLeH8bMhh2jcXJy2knSHye5PMdmks77BDG5fMAdBHqM6r9J-/s1600/the+kindly+ones.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Harry Potter</u></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofT2YzFoRl-DlmNoAFWhOKbruYdEOSaUEgkj6H8-1HCkSSp8EHR_7mP7ZilY0GKU8ZwD87hy4provBCOIRj95tarvtOgGIRXUsvI8UQGWQQZb9TBFl25oH7EBukCw3pYbA9ux0E25WiMo/s1600/103231016429000622_sfuarB74_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofT2YzFoRl-DlmNoAFWhOKbruYdEOSaUEgkj6H8-1HCkSSp8EHR_7mP7ZilY0GKU8ZwD87hy4provBCOIRj95tarvtOgGIRXUsvI8UQGWQQZb9TBFl25oH7EBukCw3pYbA9ux0E25WiMo/s1600/103231016429000622_sfuarB74_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo-OUS76Uy1rkmUYOPDVqkJU2N3mibDmlyOf57jc0kjlsqngcKlY1ZxIQZqsrvIYXjIM4UuxtcQxFbmB6P7geWx2CyX4qSHEHCyrJMeyBcY4gQKbpLXFymN3ko3rAjitm4s-VF8dcj4JL/s1600/harrypotter2-480x358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo-OUS76Uy1rkmUYOPDVqkJU2N3mibDmlyOf57jc0kjlsqngcKlY1ZxIQZqsrvIYXjIM4UuxtcQxFbmB6P7geWx2CyX4qSHEHCyrJMeyBcY4gQKbpLXFymN3ko3rAjitm4s-VF8dcj4JL/s320/harrypotter2-480x358.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR5VTHBb4USmhsDSkqSEOaCtuotYH-X7Atfhk5NpEBrwtcYHaunq4y1Q9KFhuLyVafMPjqzg3X-ng2p3c3u4lJEPGZNodb2aRbZZjgIEnzigNBoluOw1q7agEqJef-bkiAKaQZUfkvrcq/s1600/lumos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR5VTHBb4USmhsDSkqSEOaCtuotYH-X7Atfhk5NpEBrwtcYHaunq4y1Q9KFhuLyVafMPjqzg3X-ng2p3c3u4lJEPGZNodb2aRbZZjgIEnzigNBoluOw1q7agEqJef-bkiAKaQZUfkvrcq/s1600/lumos.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14a</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohoX0fPQHIQ2DeAGoTEd6YU2nAY4uLhlMBcWcWBU_HNwdqh8GxgCXa_vEXJ4vwEhoO7hU2xqaKJ6tmdM0SU1wKQqjgI2NjOdWAl7liflUdAjFVEoRHyMa1OM0Fpwls9fO8svxIFclahvj/s1600/nox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohoX0fPQHIQ2DeAGoTEd6YU2nAY4uLhlMBcWcWBU_HNwdqh8GxgCXa_vEXJ4vwEhoO7hU2xqaKJ6tmdM0SU1wKQqjgI2NjOdWAl7liflUdAjFVEoRHyMa1OM0Fpwls9fO8svxIFclahvj/s1600/nox.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14b</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSZHwnei4jzixHt2-i-FTwYEh8Nouec_PynU2Dj0IOUAiIKBz2-SsMeaE5ybVbN-bflvL6ERGslXgkt1N4XxQW4tGgmE66YdhdiCxyKRvng-VPKS9NHNJoi4XKCY73i0Z3myGivIXTLjY/s1600/potter+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSZHwnei4jzixHt2-i-FTwYEh8Nouec_PynU2Dj0IOUAiIKBz2-SsMeaE5ybVbN-bflvL6ERGslXgkt1N4XxQW4tGgmE66YdhdiCxyKRvng-VPKS9NHNJoi4XKCY73i0Z3myGivIXTLjY/s320/potter+stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoKD5NXbK1tKs1q_NJPr2SlY0YK41udNPPb-KcHLbX8rfqlbNO3gDR5hupr9K3UCFw_mAYTZH832R9YY6hGBJFhAuhcSJRtg1oh70_lxxOMjoPzHzWmLUQ4u0DSDMHiZD5HWh5uZ6lnUd/s1600/hp+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoKD5NXbK1tKs1q_NJPr2SlY0YK41udNPPb-KcHLbX8rfqlbNO3gDR5hupr9K3UCFw_mAYTZH832R9YY6hGBJFhAuhcSJRtg1oh70_lxxOMjoPzHzWmLUQ4u0DSDMHiZD5HWh5uZ6lnUd/s320/hp+stars.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<strong><u>Lemony Snicket</u></strong><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4FvGjeVxKGjxUmo1u1e_8cl5Zr1Ziuniw0h-BZMNlFKp6lLa_sUQBBlVq1PG3wT3QePXQdS_cYLk5GtqDcMpby9nX8JkrsRVy9c8l0X3dByUCfPumdkDM8e0zbp1iIJmjJbRAPb90Ewt/s1600/the+world+is+quiet+here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4FvGjeVxKGjxUmo1u1e_8cl5Zr1Ziuniw0h-BZMNlFKp6lLa_sUQBBlVq1PG3wT3QePXQdS_cYLk5GtqDcMpby9nX8JkrsRVy9c8l0X3dByUCfPumdkDM8e0zbp1iIJmjJbRAPb90Ewt/s320/the+world+is+quiet+here.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEies8Uqmpup8ENGMoYNC1MKz0nZaVZmQkjixlPyiNSRPKrLsmRllxQqmDmYkczISlrkX1VXVoR-Ac27Wn_4be_LR-ur-ntsXWdrhkAfSuJiUGDbJPTdncNOgINcSiBS4oeaWeA3rWjXDhBn/s1600/vfd+eye+lm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEies8Uqmpup8ENGMoYNC1MKz0nZaVZmQkjixlPyiNSRPKrLsmRllxQqmDmYkczISlrkX1VXVoR-Ac27Wn_4be_LR-ur-ntsXWdrhkAfSuJiUGDbJPTdncNOgINcSiBS4oeaWeA3rWjXDhBn/s320/vfd+eye+lm.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70nAL27lZCKzCz8vXwx3qivq6_eFEOVF6OLqv_pA_jGToACavzFSivnq92gVT0NaIXHhu9Qvv7KzjSLEmE42DR79Vav_T2S2jYmWGeaKLjMR75IActPmt-D8jc-cD3Tu3wAyyaOXaHRtA/s1600/vfd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70nAL27lZCKzCz8vXwx3qivq6_eFEOVF6OLqv_pA_jGToACavzFSivnq92gVT0NaIXHhu9Qvv7KzjSLEmE42DR79Vav_T2S2jYmWGeaKLjMR75IActPmt-D8jc-cD3Tu3wAyyaOXaHRtA/s320/vfd.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_gR0sHDzVwww2TDSM_1TDNv1tRb-rmVRsFihX01wiJaHI3rvbeTVNj9JcsIq0e-NCvXdT2DGEBQC8K8MzEu24yKCneXsKUMvI4IXD5YQlZVUPLUtxVio6MQHwnsfzhpKy-v9WVinPBm7/s1600/vfdankle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_gR0sHDzVwww2TDSM_1TDNv1tRb-rmVRsFihX01wiJaHI3rvbeTVNj9JcsIq0e-NCvXdT2DGEBQC8K8MzEu24yKCneXsKUMvI4IXD5YQlZVUPLUtxVio6MQHwnsfzhpKy-v9WVinPBm7/s1600/vfdankle.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
So what's with the numbers? Ah well, four of these tats are <em>not</em> from contariwise, but are my very own skin and ink!<br />
<br />
Prizes to those who guess which four are mine*!<br />
<br />
<br />
*Prizes may be virtual<br />
<br />
<img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzTwSJX2AkmwyZ54JsaErGVr5MOAVcIHAzOqMSVSEZ-VbsNf6OJkcEiJJkN6Vwe67Eur0NHKLSFcbcOJafuVy4PEdFNBnehZHh8Ua9bAJSpoz3aWXKFdKgdD4DpCfzz_DSGr2BIM1pHZ-/s320/hamlet41-480x360.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 434px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 587px;" width="96" /></div>
Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-75761053346820587752012-11-23T15:10:00.001+00:002012-11-23T15:10:50.387+00:00Bazinga!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JdLvUkLW5Jk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Enjoy!Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-36421741868654204292012-11-16T17:58:00.000+00:002012-11-16T17:58:10.647+00:00NEVER type Google, into Google...Okay, aside from the fact that I don't actually work in IT, this is a pretty accurate depiction of my office life...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OoAPICuxGlg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Yep. I am Jen...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/iDbyYGrswtg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
The rest of you know who you are!!!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/W9I_7awwr5c/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W9I_7awwr5c&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W9I_7awwr5c&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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We take our jobs very, very seriouslyLaura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-88849614601337728212012-11-11T13:14:00.001+00:002012-11-11T13:14:59.439+00:00We Will Remember Them<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
<u>In Flanders Fields</u></div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
In Flanders fields the poppies blow<br /> Between the crosses, row on row,<br /> That mark our place; and in the sky<br /> The larks, still bravely singing, fly<br /> Scarce heard amid the guns below.</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
We are the Dead. Short days ago<br /> We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,<br /> Loved and were loved, and now we lie<br /> In Flanders fields.</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
Take up our quarrel with the foe:<br /> To you from failing hands we throw<br /> The torch; be yours to hold it high.<br /> If ye break faith with us who die<br /> We shall not sleep, though poppies grow<br /> In Flanders fields.</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: right;">
John McCrae, May 1915</div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TMl8T6tNibYkLiPHMMoTf_znCpRQgL-P_ULANGrddM7mfTXzEPbD114VARfS04g8-9veuyBMtwHCgnF3tyllTNN_Mhjb3oynl2WX9Pvs9J7El9NH_A0TdZ1mnIcbOghGcLBqHQK4zvTY/s1600/in_flanders_field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TMl8T6tNibYkLiPHMMoTf_znCpRQgL-P_ULANGrddM7mfTXzEPbD114VARfS04g8-9veuyBMtwHCgnF3tyllTNN_Mhjb3oynl2WX9Pvs9J7El9NH_A0TdZ1mnIcbOghGcLBqHQK4zvTY/s400/in_flanders_field.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="poem" style="text-align: center;">
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Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-3118693272140877432012-11-10T12:50:00.000+00:002012-11-10T12:50:16.291+00:00Libraries I love<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Hogwarts Library<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dR7LikS-ZHg6eUUsIFx_kU4wJXmnjSQ5AEqlchYNLy-ezLdkNpPOkVH2r37TlzPXvJkRqXfaudA-nmQndDCj7eYkq3aNZbGTkZcmQNrIHBF9uq1w2QU4h_4PrBjQxI25zLPwaAsIuDGv/s1600/Concept_Artwork_Hogwarts_Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dR7LikS-ZHg6eUUsIFx_kU4wJXmnjSQ5AEqlchYNLy-ezLdkNpPOkVH2r37TlzPXvJkRqXfaudA-nmQndDCj7eYkq3aNZbGTkZcmQNrIHBF9uq1w2QU4h_4PrBjQxI25zLPwaAsIuDGv/s320/Concept_Artwork_Hogwarts_Library.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMe18ZAfKrQkOHNbkBB0LQKIiJeH6wPwunjS9smnzkHNg4yZ34bxFlIk0VevtGxj9Cc5vD05x2omZ1EtghYgjSEoOY4suI2kx7YERd21sPoVHVj2a7ZOL9iSvIqRtjjRXezlyg04QItMD/s1600/LibraryPottermore3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMe18ZAfKrQkOHNbkBB0LQKIiJeH6wPwunjS9smnzkHNg4yZ34bxFlIk0VevtGxj9Cc5vD05x2omZ1EtghYgjSEoOY4suI2kx7YERd21sPoVHVj2a7ZOL9iSvIqRtjjRXezlyg04QItMD/s320/LibraryPottermore3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The inspiration behind the Hogwarts Library - Trinity College Library in Dublin<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj64XaJos6XgYYsy8PM9rDvyEEY53mpvQ-kWH1MYGChQafDiDAqrnRp6p79GaiWrxGGetNGD36fTTvs5AHujSzEyzuOayBNTJ4lQjOfDLne6jhNAGgdr7IHzbn0m8CB-_Dnhow-hfrRiwt/s1600/trinity+lib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj64XaJos6XgYYsy8PM9rDvyEEY53mpvQ-kWH1MYGChQafDiDAqrnRp6p79GaiWrxGGetNGD36fTTvs5AHujSzEyzuOayBNTJ4lQjOfDLne6jhNAGgdr7IHzbn0m8CB-_Dnhow-hfrRiwt/s320/trinity+lib.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8385313.stm" target="_blank">Library in a phone booth...</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeoOpdU0jTDCqMdQdP7ipPesMSHlPaZrMcS3zhPketADIlvE-_z7B6kAwYi-S0fxt3ZAwyqMiOHmEq5e5e91q54eNTaweqa7_qv-07EsrvesiGEmBqZpvONdmIpyBQYFHEuJ7AhVH6Miu/s1600/phonebooth-library3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeoOpdU0jTDCqMdQdP7ipPesMSHlPaZrMcS3zhPketADIlvE-_z7B6kAwYi-S0fxt3ZAwyqMiOHmEq5e5e91q54eNTaweqa7_qv-07EsrvesiGEmBqZpvONdmIpyBQYFHEuJ7AhVH6Miu/s320/phonebooth-library3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeKQ4fWTySk51YOXX1DZKjBqoREp2_qhv7-whj5m8YETeOuJqeZrjiCSHG10FIKlolFioTRIyxENl1WI42ZqXjmBI6Tth0sQYOarX3zgVlZqvp93iNFpEs8jhotaTdHH2QhXsZziazR7d/s1600/phonebooth-library1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeKQ4fWTySk51YOXX1DZKjBqoREp2_qhv7-whj5m8YETeOuJqeZrjiCSHG10FIKlolFioTRIyxENl1WI42ZqXjmBI6Tth0sQYOarX3zgVlZqvp93iNFpEs8jhotaTdHH2QhXsZziazR7d/s320/phonebooth-library1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Which makes me wonder what kind of library you could fit in here...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAL6KNKltIgwEOOezYaTK60CPokZlanZKu2OpqqvKy0d2bHANpb13aX4QNR3ypTa6O_kmDVPlfBu_AjOX5aVBj6yxBFfMwSLeNJ75BPTMkDMKgTTBo3uDzQTVvxqMiKUSLnFpk-Rbg7BPM/s1600/tardis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAL6KNKltIgwEOOezYaTK60CPokZlanZKu2OpqqvKy0d2bHANpb13aX4QNR3ypTa6O_kmDVPlfBu_AjOX5aVBj6yxBFfMwSLeNJ75BPTMkDMKgTTBo3uDzQTVvxqMiKUSLnFpk-Rbg7BPM/s1600/tardis.jpg" /></a></div>
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Which reminds me of this one -<br />
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From the Doctor Who episode 'Silence in The Library' Built in the 50th century The Library was a planet-sized library. It contained <strong>every book ever written</strong>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHJrQLemq4tkS1gVjQuXVADIgt5onAWxpOgg0FxVUovNRW9w3GYeMXN9VnHFPcGNW-raZTOPkaE8rw8Sck4fFMeWfoP5HRN6pWkUr8ruraXS9X7R-nuX9WUHB5maeBdCKI09Tla8Hpcyc/s1600/silence+in+the+library+doc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHJrQLemq4tkS1gVjQuXVADIgt5onAWxpOgg0FxVUovNRW9w3GYeMXN9VnHFPcGNW-raZTOPkaE8rw8Sck4fFMeWfoP5HRN6pWkUr8ruraXS9X7R-nuX9WUHB5maeBdCKI09Tla8Hpcyc/s320/silence+in+the+library+doc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It also happened to be swarming with the flesh eating <a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Vashta_Nerada" target="_blank">Vashta Nerada</a>, so maybe not the best place to visit...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_dD_Iaq1X7E50WhEgmHRWfSdyyQq9si0ghTNtGjyNnrvyV4lj97eBFvCBMXvO9atJaobfitVnAbhyjrM_-cZjg6viMxCwEKt3yivTZIurmOLdWJJHgRXBpP3zo3LX7VE5nX-zE3O-5DQ/s1600/dr+who+lib+weapons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_dD_Iaq1X7E50WhEgmHRWfSdyyQq9si0ghTNtGjyNnrvyV4lj97eBFvCBMXvO9atJaobfitVnAbhyjrM_-cZjg6viMxCwEKt3yivTZIurmOLdWJJHgRXBpP3zo3LX7VE5nX-zE3O-5DQ/s320/dr+who+lib+weapons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And from the biggest library to the smallest - <a href="http://www.bibliobuffet.com/a-reading-life-columns-193/1855-the-little-library-under-the-oak-102112" target="_blank">The Little Library under the Oak</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzNvtYVbReseDsV9dWpCzdVucq2zuH856m8OvqO6nfLXOZuxW_4RvebGDVa37kJ407_MBzc58a2YMEQluhAPDnh0RTgIbbj4LZKu5vmmpF5XpAHIrdNgsXb2bNOLGfXLvji7FvfqG-ho2/s1600/little+library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzNvtYVbReseDsV9dWpCzdVucq2zuH856m8OvqO6nfLXOZuxW_4RvebGDVa37kJ407_MBzc58a2YMEQluhAPDnh0RTgIbbj4LZKu5vmmpF5XpAHIrdNgsXb2bNOLGfXLvji7FvfqG-ho2/s320/little+library.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 135%;">'After all, a book is not “finished” when we turn the last page. It is finished for us only when we no longer have anything we want to say about it to others. A book has not fulfilled its destiny until it has been read, and shared.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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And last but not least, my local<br />
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Show your libraries some love this weekend!</div>
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Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-82633767556755999032012-10-31T19:09:00.000+00:002012-10-31T19:09:19.032+00:00Calling all pumpkin carversGone are the days when a simple scary face would do... is it me or pumpkin carvings getting more and more epic every year?<br />
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Here's some good ones...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBkjmCo0TZehBOSSAhf3mxC6nV5fV79JRIT4Cfc7INE6fp56_NC-amZhsH3jxQcdjDtLFNgzo9ps2KhYENRFdzRLrB5IRBfnkjMw1D3hPCEyd0PcOptJ48j2V8YCbTxmSiGv8ZUALcNBz/s1600/deathstar-400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBkjmCo0TZehBOSSAhf3mxC6nV5fV79JRIT4Cfc7INE6fp56_NC-amZhsH3jxQcdjDtLFNgzo9ps2KhYENRFdzRLrB5IRBfnkjMw1D3hPCEyd0PcOptJ48j2V8YCbTxmSiGv8ZUALcNBz/s320/deathstar-400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/pumpkins/" target="_blank">Deathstar</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0TBNobPlJwMmy4KSP2VP9Tw71MbS-dn9qLYzKz7NdMrcSlNt1pmTcrH9wkhjUTBfuRpK1AWXlGn8CMUD1-8PR5Nt_kxXwFfJP24GRvUz-nJgdoqkyyppOxRMrk551UmgFyYqen-7Pw4z/s1600/pumpkin_carving_idea_11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0TBNobPlJwMmy4KSP2VP9Tw71MbS-dn9qLYzKz7NdMrcSlNt1pmTcrH9wkhjUTBfuRpK1AWXlGn8CMUD1-8PR5Nt_kxXwFfJP24GRvUz-nJgdoqkyyppOxRMrk551UmgFyYqen-7Pw4z/s320/pumpkin_carving_idea_11.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC94atukUhPkECu98Rf0FcZoAu_13x-6d5cxs3ksTz_neHzKtZ6ETxK538olGb0acAxYRenQBBqK_yUpOU5aqOzCEl6wbVf0Xdu6zdvkqPu6KIPWE8lXYcFFK2-33v2sWUSYyH8I-xI79z/s1600/pumpkin_carving_idea_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC94atukUhPkECu98Rf0FcZoAu_13x-6d5cxs3ksTz_neHzKtZ6ETxK538olGb0acAxYRenQBBqK_yUpOU5aqOzCEl6wbVf0Xdu6zdvkqPu6KIPWE8lXYcFFK2-33v2sWUSYyH8I-xI79z/s320/pumpkin_carving_idea_05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you are squeemish then look away now!<br />
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It's not big, it's not clever, but this is still the funniest pumpkin carving I have ever seen!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZT82Lr-TxAE3s9F-TvigWUS9L3EmHSJivPo4cZiPkXA3pPlgEjZhRxvhEDdBmr9IwZyUQGW99_B99HddT3sM5A47MGeqPCloKOxnYJHvofOrYxiIaKliPXBUa553kUtWzIPjZFXye8wD/s1600/vomiting+pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZT82Lr-TxAE3s9F-TvigWUS9L3EmHSJivPo4cZiPkXA3pPlgEjZhRxvhEDdBmr9IwZyUQGW99_B99HddT3sM5A47MGeqPCloKOxnYJHvofOrYxiIaKliPXBUa553kUtWzIPjZFXye8wD/s320/vomiting+pumpkin.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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Check out this guy - <a href="http://villafanestudios.com/gallery/the-pumpkins-2" target="_blank">Artist Ray Villafane</a> whose pumpkin carvings are beyond amazing!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6URvLFPFwwn7UPQZFwKCbjTyCKrFsvMtRIvr-x2dxCbgDjcmL-qGH_Iz9egLuw8uasuHDqx8gfzjvKjtkOaBSH6sbNMJwgiV1poKBkC7rQBfFFhGz3Ky0YuugQfLtADoi86Ru3TF41IZ/s1600/pumpkin_predator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6URvLFPFwwn7UPQZFwKCbjTyCKrFsvMtRIvr-x2dxCbgDjcmL-qGH_Iz9egLuw8uasuHDqx8gfzjvKjtkOaBSH6sbNMJwgiV1poKBkC7rQBfFFhGz3Ky0YuugQfLtADoi86Ru3TF41IZ/s320/pumpkin_predator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Happy Halloween everyone! <br />
Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-69955822295111358922012-10-29T12:38:00.002+00:002012-10-29T12:38:32.532+00:00You had me at daemon...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
A few weeks ago I came across a piece of advice that I think I’d heard before, but never quite so bluntly (and leave it to <a href="http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.ch/" target="_blank">The Shark</a> to cut through the crap and tell it like it is!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><em><span style="color: blue;">A good query gets me reading pages and often as not, the novel simply isn't ready to query. Over writing, starting at the wrong place, no world building, too much dialogue, lots of things can make me stop reading those pages and say no.<br /><br />One of the best ways to train your eye to recognize this is to read good books and copy the first couple paragraphs in your writer's journal. The act of actually writing the words you're reading helps you see them. It trains your eye and ear for cadence and balance. And if you read 100 books, you can start synthesizing some of the tricks that all authors use to get you into the story<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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If you’ve read much of this blog you’ll know I am already something of a <a href="http://www.sargentlefty.blogspot.ch/2012/04/i-was-teenage-book-thief.html" target="_blank">quote collector</a> so it took no convincing at all for me to spend the next available evening dutifully copying opening paragraphs of my favourite books. </div>
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I’ve not hit 100 yet, but it’s already proven a useful task. </div>
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Here’s five of my faves:</div>
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<o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>(Ok you’re what, surprised? That I’m starting with Harry Potter? <a href="http://www.sargentlefty.blogspot.ch/p/confessions-of-potter-addict.html" target="_blank">Do you know me at all?</a> )</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much </i>(Edit: slightly embarrassed to say I typed that not from my notebook but entirely from memory – yeah the less said there the better)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> they were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</i><o:p> </o:p>I love it! You just know something weird and mysterious is coming their way…
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mr Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spend so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours. The Dursleys had a small son called </i><st1:place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dudley</i></st1:place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.<o:p></o:p></i></i></div>
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</i></i>They sound utterly charming. We have barely met this family and already I do not like them.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dursley’s had everything the wanted, but they also had a secret, and it was there greatest fear that somebody would discover it. They didn’t think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</i>Now I am beyond desperate for the Potters to arrive! If they are everything the Dursleys fear, then I want to spend the rest of <s>my life</s> the book with them! Only I can’t. Because the entire family has just been murdered… well, <em>almost</em> the entire family…
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And so began my 15+ year obsession with all things Potter. </div>
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I find it interesting that we start with the Dursleys, not just for the opening page, but for the whole opening chapter. The Dursleys are (thankfully!) absent from the main body of the story, their appearances tend to bookend each novel – a nasty reminder of where Harry comes from, and where he is returned to each summer – so I guess it’s fitting that the story starts with them. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening Hall…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</i>You know what, I’m leaving it there because this is precisely how long it took for me to fall in love with Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Actually, I think it was less. I think it was the first four words
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lyra and her daemon</i>…. I didn’t have a clue what a daemon was, but I desperately wanted one.</div>
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For those who haven’t read Northern Lights, the concept of daemons (souls that live outside the human body in animal form) and how they interact, is pretty much the heart of the story, and there it is in the first four words. I love that she is walking with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">her</i> daemon. Not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a</i> daemon. He belongs to her, is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of</i> her.</div>
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Love it.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p>One of the books that came to mind when I thought of this task was Shade’s Children by Garth Nix. I think I’ve only read it the once, and several years ago now, but it’s one that stuck in my mind.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A razor blade gave me freedom from the Dorms. A small rectangle of steel, incredibly sharp on two sides. It came wrapped in paper, with the words NOT FOR USE BY CHILDREN printed on the side.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I was eleven years old then. Eight years ago, which means I am probably the oldest human alive.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</o:p><o:p> </o:p>How’s that for an opening! I mean aside from the morbid curiosity as to what she did with the razor blade, we’re also slapped in the face with the fact that a nineteen year old is the oldest living human?!?!?! More, more, must read more…
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife. The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</i>Um, so I am aware that this is the second book choice to open with the murder of a family… Sorry about that…
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There’s something chilling about the fact that we are introduced to the knife before we are introduced to ‘The man, Jack’, that what little we learn of Jack’s personality is reflected here in this initial description of the knife. </div>
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This is another book that had me with the first sentence alone; <em>darkness</em>…<em>knife</em>… What is this horror! I must read it instantly!!!! </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course she did<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Oh god. The what? Anything called ‘the reaping’ cannot be good…</div>
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At the moment I have around 20 opening pages copied, mostly from fantasy books, but a few other genres have crept in (I still love the opening pages of Pride and Prejudice, and I had to sneak a couple of Stephen King pages in there somewhere) but the one thing they all have in common, regardless of genre they are, is the tantalising promise that <strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i> is about to happen</strong>. Something good, something terrible, something mysterious, something wonderful - something interesting! </div>
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Something to keep you turning the pages.</div>
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Back into the writing cave I go to check what promises my opening chapter makes…</div>
<em></em>Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-49894815480911485012012-10-19T18:41:00.001+01:002012-10-19T18:41:20.869+01:00New pages (new problems!)After a very frustrating afternoon fighting with blogspot over page layout (which I still haven't cracked by the way!) I am able to bring you a brand new page on Lefty Flip!<br />
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<a href="http://www.sargentlefty.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-writers-guide-to-erwriting.html" target="_blank">From the desk of Lefty Flip</a> is a collection of all the resources I have found useful over the years. Go have a look around (and if you can tell me why the draft layout bears NO RESEMBLANCE WHATSOEVER to the published version, then you win a bag of cookies.)<br />
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Have a good weekend!<br />
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LauraLaura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-30036056403858243642012-10-15T09:42:00.000+01:002012-10-15T11:12:19.327+01:00How I spent my weekend...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No wonder I an nursing some bruised ribs today! Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-67960133123495664212012-10-09T21:32:00.000+01:002012-10-09T21:32:12.929+01:00Playlists and promisesWhat's this, blogging in the evening? From the comfort of my sofa? Don't mind if I do! You see I finally have this magical thing called the <em>internet</em> in my home... oh you already know about it? Oh well...<br />
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Now that I have finally got organised and committed to living in the 21st century, it's time to kick this blog into gear! I have plans, grand plans, new pages, new posts, possibly pseudo educational ones...</div>
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But first I thought I'd exploit the fact that I now have access to you tube!!!! Hoorah! I have missed you these past months!</div>
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A while back I blogged about music, and how I <a href="http://sargentlefty.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/music-writing-and-why-i-cant-write.html" target="_blank">use it with my writing</a>. Some songs fit the general theme of what I'm writing (sort of like the soundtrack to a movie trailer in my head!) whereas others remind me more specifically of certain characters. </div>
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My current playlist is growing nicely so I thought I'd share some of it with you. </div>
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<strong><u>Florence + The Machine No Light, No Light</u></strong></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ATfUdaZQLMA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<em>Would you leave me if I told you what I'd done</em></div>
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<em>And would you leave me If I told you what I've become...</em></div>
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<strong><u>Muse - Take a Bow</u></strong></div>
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<em>Death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch.<br />Pay, you must pay<br />You must pay for your crimes against the earth...*</em></div>
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<strong><u>30 Seconds to Mars - Modern Myth</u></strong></div>
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<em>Save yourself, save yourself, a secret is out...</em></div>
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<strong><u>The Editors - An End has a Start</u></strong></div>
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<em>I won't disappoint you as you fall apart</em></div>
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<em>some things should be simple, even an end has a start</em></div>
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<u><strong>Snow Patrol - Run</strong></u></div>
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<em>Have</em> <em>heart my dear, we're bound to be afraid</em></div>
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<em>Even if it's just for a few days<br />Making up for all this mess...</em></div>
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<strong><u>Jewel - The Absence of Fear</u></strong></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BRf6RxaJexI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<em>you're no stranger, you're my gravity...</em></div>
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<strong><u>Editors - Push Your Head Towards The Air</u></strong></div>
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<em></em><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/lvkg_G2pHoM/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lvkg_G2pHoM&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lvkg_G2pHoM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<em>I will run just to be by your side,</em></div>
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<em>Don't you ever bat an eye</em></div>
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<strong><u>Radiohead - Exit Music</u></strong></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RByvzmmEFiQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<em>Breathe, keep breathing, don't lose your nerve, </em></div>
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<em>breathe, keep breathing, I can't do this alone</em></div>
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Obviously these will mean far more to me as I know the stories behind the songs, but I hope it gives you a little taster, and if nothing else will provide you with some good music while I work away behind the scenes here!</div>
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Be back soon! </div>
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L xxx</div>
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*Yep, this character is pretty...um, <em>unhinged</em></div>
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Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-75494387863825913652012-09-14T12:06:00.000+01:002012-09-14T12:06:16.987+01:00Under (re)construction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHQaSw9fCFpCcRkloRWDSuiMlQL5YC-8MSE5DvgPzvkZZA6vklN3PgryGqx2gGWgA8GzwYSeDKMZHi8pe_pd6fGIeKYDN5xgg2VyO58JBtonzeSXbrbUN98UIDXB_xYEU1XhPzKF6LCqU/s1600/under-construction.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHQaSw9fCFpCcRkloRWDSuiMlQL5YC-8MSE5DvgPzvkZZA6vklN3PgryGqx2gGWgA8GzwYSeDKMZHi8pe_pd6fGIeKYDN5xgg2VyO58JBtonzeSXbrbUN98UIDXB_xYEU1XhPzKF6LCqU/s320/under-construction.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am tinkering with things...<br />
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New pages coming soon!Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-3055955664942262582012-09-11T09:23:00.000+01:002012-09-11T09:23:11.603+01:00For New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955976537677810406.post-8500373475198901922012-09-07T11:49:00.001+01:002012-09-07T11:52:13.417+01:00The future of Lefty Flip...Before I batten down the hatches for a long overdue weekend of epic writing, I have some big news. <br />
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After 7 months (yes, you heard right) I am <em>finally </em>getting back on line at home! How I have survived this long I do not know.<br />
So hopefully I'll be able to post here more often, and, you know, actually take the time to write a decent <em>post</em>...<br />
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Aw, who am I kidding - it just means I'll be posting this kinda stuff on a daily basis:<br />
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Enjoy! Laura Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604133412050870730noreply@blogger.com0