Influences

Earlier today, I read a facebook post from a friend of mine, where she listed the top ten albums that were life changing or influential in some way. NOT her favourite albums, but the most influential. Which got me thinking: What has influenced me in my life and why? Well, I just had to blog about it didn’t I? So here is, in no particular order, some books, movies, people and life events that helped shape and mould the person I am today.

Robin Williams and the ignorance around depression.

In the wake of the Robin Williams’ death, there has been a huge outpouring of grief across the globe. Social media in particular have not been shy in sharing favourite quotes, movies and memories as their way of showing how much he meant to us. As horrific and sad as someone’s untimely passing is, it always fills me with genuine joy to see how much one person can touch the hearts and minds of others.

For me, he will always be Mork. I grew up loving that show and although movies like Dead Poet’s Society and What Dreams May Come are also huge favourites of mine it will always be Mork and Mindy that enters my head when I hear his name mentioned.

But this piece is not about my own personal feelings towards the man, rather, the illness of depression and the absolute ignorance that still surrounds mental health issues.

An Ode to Gratitude

It’s been roughly seven months since Fastian hit the the ebookshelves and I’m constantly being asked ‘how’s the book doing?’ or, ‘how are the sales?’

Well, lets put it like this. I haven’t earned enough to buy a new car. I haven’t earned enough to buy a second hand car. I doubt I’ve earned enough to buy a relative of a second hand car. But a rusty engine block of a 99 Ford Fiesta? Yeah, sure, I can afford one of those now.

An ode to thoughts.

You are not your house, your car or your job.
You’re probably not even a servant of God.
You are not your wealth or your diamond rings,
No my friend, you’re none of these things.

You are not a piece of meat for sale,
Nor are you destined to fail.
You are not a tool for others to use,
to be moulded, shaped and to be abused.

Tax-payer, worker, ant and consumer.
All of these things you are called by your user.
You are none of these if you choose not to be,
so learn how to choose, you learn to be free.

You are thought, you are action, you’re creation unknown.
You are free to live loudly or even alone.
You are emotion and choices are yours to be weaved,
The world is your oyster if you cast off the lead.

The thoughts in your head are the start of creation.
Please use them wisely, they are power not sedation.
They determine your outcome, your rise or your fall.
Treat them like children, learn to love them all.

And once you start thinking for yourself, not for others.
The world will respond, it will be like you’re lovers.
When you’re down, it’s down with you, it mirrors your gloom.
So think carefully my friend and all you ask for will bloom.

Men; must have been your own fault.

I’m not one to keep up to date on the lives of celebrities, it genuinely doesn’t interest me. However, now and again, something will happen within the world of celebrity that explodes on social media or makes its way into mainstream news.

The most recent one is that of Solange (a sister of Beyonce) and Jay Z (Beyonce’s husband). I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. Solange physically attacked Jay Z in an elevator and it was all caught on security camera.

Maria Savva, Far Away in Time

My friend Maria Savva has a new book of short stories out. Please take the time to check out this talented author.

Our lives are a series of stories, and we are the characters with the starring roles. The memories, regrets, secrets, and struggles that fill these pages are at once unique and relatable. These stories belong to us all.

Eight unforgettable tales reaching out to a place Far Away In Time…

Author bio:

Maria Savva lives and works in London. She studied Law at Middlesex University and The College of Law. She is a lawyer, although not currently practising law. She writes novels and short stories in different genres, including drama, psychological thriller, and family saga. Many of her books and stories are inspired by her years working as a lawyer, although she has not written a courtroom drama to date. She has published five novels, the most recent of which is Haunted, a crime fiction/psychological thriller. Far Away In Time is her sixth collection of short stories. You can find out more about her work at her official website: http://www.mariasavva.com

http://www.amazon.com/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Fastian Reviews

Finally, some reviews for Fastian have started to come in. I know it’s a slow process, getting your work out there without any real advertising other than word of mouth. So, I want to thank the people who took the time out to leave a review. It genuinely helps me out and I really appreciate it.

You can see them here and here

3 tips for writing watertight fantasy, science fiction and time travel stories

A really good piece on fantasy and sci-fi writing.

Nail Your Novel

You could argue that fantasy and science fiction are the genres where we can be most imaginative and inventive. But this very freedom brings responsibility. I see a lot of science fiction and fantasy authors who confuse the reader because they don’t cover a few very important bases. And I’ve had to address a few of these issues myself in my sci-fi fable Lifeform Three.

1 The logic of the world must be established – and stuck to

You need to establish, early on, what can be done and what can’t. If you have robots, for instance, what can and can’t they do? Are they benevolent? Of course, you don’t have to explain this if your story is a mystery, where the characters have to puzzle out the logic of the world, but otherwise you need to cover those bases as part of the setting description.

This particularly applies…

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Fastian: An Edgeweir Tale (The Weaver Saga) by Jay Finn

Free Books Giveaway

To help promote ‘Fastian,’ or more rightly stated, to help promote myself, I’m making my two mini short story collections Looking Back and Beneath the Darkness
So feel free (pun intended) to go download them and fill a short patch of your day immersed in my words.