Sitting on top of the Stairs

At the moment I'm sitting on the top stair in my Mum's house. My mum's house is devoid of technology but the neighbors have wifi. They kindly let me have the passkey so I can check my e-mails etc. but the only place I can get a strong enough signal is on the top of mum's stairs. Not that I'm complaining it is very peaceful up here and after living in the country for several years I have noticed that I am becoming less and less tolerant of being around lots of people, and England is filled to brimming with lots of people. So after a day out with mum it's nice to come up here and de-stress for a while.

I am enjoying my visit. I'm getting more writing done and doing some editing.

An End in Sight

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I don't think it's a freight train. Only 10 days left of "headless chicken" mode, then life will return to normal. Well as normal as my life can get. I have managed to write a few more chapters of my next novel in amongst all the W-2's and 1099's, so I didn't completely lose my sanity to the IRS.

I should be able to start blogging again on a regular basis. I am going home to England for a couple of weeks soon and I am hoping that being immersed in the surroundings where I base my story will give me oodles of inspiration and maybe even help me finish off the first draft of my novel. If that doesn't do it, being stuck in JFK airport for 6 hours waiting for my connecting flight just might. Thanks Delta for changing the itinerary on me!

I hope everyone got their fill of Easter eggs and chocolate today. I certainly did :-)

Happy Easter everyone.

Tax Season in full swing

Tax season is in full swing and for that reason I am not going to be blogging for a little while. Please visit my website for further infomation about me or current projects and links to other sites.

www.alisonpensy.com

Be back soon, I promise

English or American

I read a review that someone had written about my book today. It was a good review but she brought up a very good point.

She said although the story is set in England and the characters were English, they sounded American. Well I guess I can explain that, I think.

You see, as you will note from my profile, I am a Brit and the story takes place where I grew up, in a quaint village in the English countryside. The 'problem' if it can even be called that comes from the fact that I have now been living in the States for nigh on 9 years.

Although in those 9 years I have not lost my accent in any way shape or form, I learned very early on that it was just easier to 'adopt' the American way of saying something, rather than have to explain what I meant all the time (which got very tedious let me tell you). For example, rather than say rubbish bin, I now say garbage can. It's just easier that way.

Now in the context of my writing, I tried mostly to use the 'English' word but because I live in the US and am marketing the book over here, I thought it would be simpler to use the 'American' words instead. This was mostly a conscious decision on my part.

You will notice, if you have ever read Harry Potter, that the UK and US versions differ vastly when using specific words. One quick example is using sweater instead of jumper (as we would use in England).

I hope this answers any questions you may have regarding why my characters sound a little too American. Believe me, if ever the book gets big enough to distribute to the UK it will get edited to use 'English' words.

Most Likeable Character

You would think that an author would say their most likeable character is their protagonist. The main character around which the whole book revolves. But when I really thought about that question and put it in the context of other books, I really don't think that is the case.

Take Harry Potter for instance. In my opinion I think Ron and Hermione are more likeable characters than Harry. No offence Harry, that is just my opinion.

If I am totally honest with you, I would have to admit that I think Jocelyn is the most likeable character in my book.

I write all my main characters with love and affection but something just evolved with Jocelyn and when I read my novel I find her just really loveable. She's fun, girlie, adventurous and stunningly beautiful, oh and the best part, she can shimmer from a fun loving border collie to a really cute girl with wings. How much more likeable can you get?

How about you, who do you think is the most likeable character in The Amulet?

That Pesky Mouse

Well, it's 9.30pm on a Friday evening and I'm exhausted. The reason for my lack of energy and wakefulness, a tiny little mouse.

Yesterday a little mouse seemed bound and determined to keep me awake all night long. He somehow got into my bedroom and just as I was falling asleep the sound of chomping could be heard from the closet.

I quickly sat up and turned on the light to investigate but there was nothing there and no noise. Thinking that it was just my imagination I went back to sleep. Again just before I fell into the deep blissful nothingness. Chomping could be heard from the closet.

Rinse and repeat several times, until finally I grab the flashlight and throw a spotlight on the little critter fast enough to prove I am not going mad.

Enter Lizzi, my dog, who is the best mouser I have ever seen, but she's a lab/chow and just a little too large to catch said mouse who has now escaped under the bed. Enter Louise, my cat, who's about a much use as two knobs of goat poo in a high wind. By this time it's 3.30am YAWN.

I decided to take affirmative if not barbaric action and dig out a mouse trap. I put some chocolate on it and put it in the closet. Then went back to bed with ear plugs shoved in my ear canal. Even through those, the sound of chomping scrapes at my senses. Now 5am.

How can a tiny creature have the ability to create so much noise???? After about 3 hours of sleep total, I awake to see the cheeky little buggar has done away with the chocolate, leaving the mouse trap untripped. So I replaced the latter with peanut butter and hope for the best.

I don't go completely pyscho over mice like alot of people would, but I do get very protective over my sleep and this little critter just forced sleep deprivation on the wrong girl.

The only thing I want to wake me up tonight is a snap and squeak. Then blissful silence.

Writing Goals

I didn't have any major aspirations when I first started writing. I just knew I loved to write and it was one of my goals in life to write a book. It took 18 years from when I knew I wanted to write a book, and when I actually started.

I knew I was going to write a book about my trip around Australia but I didn't want it to sound like a biography, although I did get up to some pretty exciting stuff, mainly with sheep and cattle (don't ask). It took me 18 years for the light bulb to switch on and the thought that hey, this doesn't have to be a non-fiction book, I can make it a novel and use my trip and adventures as a back drop. So that's what I did. I wrote a romantic comedy. The romance in the story is completely made up but most of the adventures happened to me in one form or another.

I had no intention of trying to have this book published traditionally, I published it on Lulu and got a great response from the people who read it. One lady told me she went through the entire emotional spectrum when she read it. Probably one of the best compliments I've ever received about my writing.

Since then I have learned a lot more about writing and have taken that version off the market. After finishing my current project I am going to re-write my original book and try to get it published traditionally.

My goals have changed alot since then. Now it would be a dream come true to become a best selling author. Not for the money or the fame, but for the fact that I can write something good enough that so many people would want to buy and read it. That is what I now aspire to.

How about you? What goals and aspirations do you have?