Friend or foe?  The fae can be loyal companions or ruthless enemies... Enjoy!   

Sales of hardbacks, which is apparently the most lucrative category of books, are down by 23%, though some authors are doing better than ever due to increased sales in ebooks and clever use of interactive websites. Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2011/08/17/the-worlds-highest-paid-authors/ What does all this mean for the unsigned author?   How will the downturn in sales effect the number of new publishing contracts?   I've been thinking about what it actually means to be published.  It's fair to say that every writer dreams of having their work read by thousands if not millions of people.  I'm no different.  As much as I enjoy the creative process of writing and editing subsequent drafts, I also want my work to be read - and hopefully enjoyed.   And some of my short stories, one extract from Tamsin, some poetry and non-fiction have been published over the years.  But I want more; of course I do...

Freshly harvested from our four-year old tree - and not one drop of insecticide was used.  We lost two apples to wasps but the rest are ours.  They even smell sweet! It's as well we're not relying on this small harvest to support us through the coming winter.  Richard's already ear-marked them for an apple crumble, anyway. 

Can you spot my DNA archive amongst these photos?  (Though I do have more than one archive, stored in various places.) See the gallery: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14509425 The photographer's website:  http://www.murrayballard.com/   

 Recent press articles about the continuing rise in popularity of ebooks have set me thinking.  My stance on self-publishing has long-since been one of obstinate refusal, partly due to my past experiences when running a self-published music zine a long, long time ago.  Who on earth remembers Smokin' Dragon now?  Even I have to flex my memory - and I owned the pesky thing!  And before anyone asks:  no, the title did not imply a heroin habit.  Any drug-related implication didn't even occur to me until the zine's name was already well established.  I forget who pointed it out to me now.  Its name was a reference to Chinese astrology - I was born in the year of the dragon - and to an admittedly corny usage of the word "smokin'" as in "hot".  I did say it was corny...    The project began as a few sheets of A4 photocopying paper stapled together, printed with news about emerging rock bands, penpal contacts, and a smatterin...

700 underground chambers have been found in Bavaria and another 500 in Austria, whose purpose is currently unknown.  Where they hideouts or sacred spaces?  They are often too narrow to have been used for food storage, and the only artifact found so far seems to have been an iron plowshare. Read more: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,775348,00.html

Also available in other styles for men & women. Exclusive to Spooky Cute Designs: www.zazzle.com/AdeleCB