Just finished a conference by phone, and it was chaos. There has been a stabbing, shooting and murder-by-car at our Parliament, and many of the people I was talking to were in lockdown, literally. Everyone I know (including one member of the House of Lords) in the area is safe.
I don't have a lot of money, but I still value this site. Accordingly, I have spoken to Erin about transferring my scribbles to the Hatbox. I am starting in order of writing, so StD will go first. This is too vital a site to lose, so please give it some help.
The new feature on Kindle allows an author to publish print-on-demand books. It's a bit of a faff, but I now have Cider Without Roses on sale in paperback. Remember, if buying, please do it through the BCTS link to generate some income for the site.
Many of you will be aware that one of my favourite characters, Arwel Powell, was based on my cousin Tom. He finally succumbed to his cancer and passed away last night. Words really do fail me.
One of my favourite characters is a deep, loving man of fierce protectiveness and uncommon good sense. His name is Arwel Powell, and one of the best descriptions of him is as an iceberg, showing very little of the depth of his personality on the surface. He is based on a real person, a family member, and I found out today that the original for my character has just been given five months to live.
I should be working there this year, on a stall for my staff support network Spectrum. Anyone about, drop by and say hello. I have booked a room for the Friday and Saturday nights so that I can be bright and early!
Well, it had to happen. As a state employee my pay has been cut every year since this government took power, and I am now taking home less money than I was in 2011. At the same time, available housing here is quickly snapped up by the well-off for "buy to rent", and with no controls on said rents they charge what they like and bump it up each year simply because they can. Their costs aren't increasing, just their avarice. My landlord has just put up my rent again, and it now exceeds 40% of my income.
I had a particularly bad shift involving yet another transphobic assault, and in my down time the rest of the Ebrahimi story emerged, as linked to in the story comments. Tired, fed up, hormones doing the things they do, I wrote a brutal story in one sitting. Trouble is, all I did was hold a mirror up to the reality of 'welfare' at the moment.
I wept as I typed. Enough said. I cling to my professed faith in family and friends, but then I look at poor Mr Ebrahimi and, well, shit.
Happy bounce indeed! Mandolin packed, cycle panniers packed, tent reproofed: tomorrow morning I am off to Shrewsbury yet again for four nights and three days of music!
For anyone interested in how life and art can converge, I have put some photos up on my author Facebook page (SAA Calvert) of the wonderful Kathryn Tickell performing at the weekend. Tall and lean? Tick. Fiddle? Tick. Long hair now red swinging about as she plays? Oh, very much 'tick'!
Will be a little slow with stories. Little brother planned it well but got found before he could succeed. Gaybashing is the root cause. I am not in a stable position at the moment. I will update when I can.
The black dog, for those who are unaware, was Churchill's term for depression. Well, it's standing next to me at the moment. Work problems are somewhat awful right now, and getting worse, and together with the PTSD and GID I am not doing very well. Not cycling, not even going out the front door except for work and to get food.
Writing has taken a back seat, as you may have noticed. The dog has me by the throat and won't let go. Normal service may or may not be resumed at some point.
I have decided to put this onto Kindle, with some edits and a copious afterword. The cover will take time to prepare, and it will be, well, relevant. The book is atypical of my stuff in one way, but in its emphasis on friendship, family and love, it is absolutely one of mine.
I worried a bit about being sued by the estate of a certain Dr Money, so I took legal advice. ESAD.
I said some time ago that I had never seen 'The Princess Bride', so a lot of in-jokes escaped me. It was shown on UK television recently, so I caught up with it on the I-Player internet system. I enjoyed it... but it was largely filmed on familiar ground.
Becoming Julie: My incredible journey by Julie Clarke. I have left out a link so that readers can use this site's own one.
I was bored, and so I went to Amazon and put in the search term 'transsexual', to be given the usual deluge of crap ranging from p0rn to Janice bloody Raymond. In the middle was this book.
For those who don't know, the veterans in this country set up a charity called the British Legion, who do their best to look after the wreckage left by war, whether it involves the veterans themselves or their families. Each year, as Remembrance Sunday/Armistice Day approaches, there is the poppy appeal. Paper or enamel poppy badges are sold to raise money for the charity.
So there I am, working through a twelve hour night shift which is actually thirteen hours due to the end of Summer Time, and I get bored enough to stick my name into that search engine and see if anyone else has said anything about my books. They have.
Specifically, about 'Viewpoints' and 'Cider Without Roses'. What they have said, via Wordpress, is "Don't bother giving her any money, just download this pdf we've made"
Well, it has been that time of year again, and I was off following Steph and Annie's footsteps to the Shrewsbury Festival. This year, I was able to take no less than five instruments to the weekend, thanks to a lift from a friend.
I wrote 'Uniforms' at pace, for the subject had me gripped. I referred to Melanie Stevens' revulsion at events in Bosnia with the words "I lost my religion as well as my gender then"
In the 'Ride' books, Eric suffers a lot of ribbing for being a banjo player. For example, it is suggested he take up the harmonica because, compared to a banjo, only half the notes suck.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
