All Fired Up! #AmWriting

03 Apr 2018 49 Comments

by Ritu in Fiction, My Writing, RiNoWRiMo, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #AmWriting, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Life Of A Writer, RiNoWRiMo, Wedded Stress

Hey! I hope my Peeps are all well out there, not shaped too much like the chocolate eggs you may, or may not, have consumed over the Easter weekend!

I am officially at the start of the Easter break, Hubby Dearest is at work, and the kids are occupying themselves with TV, computers and more TV!

We are off on an impromptu London break again this weekend, so I thought, “why not be a little productive these next few days, before going?”

I loaded up my infamous WIP.

I say infamous as I appear to have guest posted a few times about it… here, at Shaun’s Clockwork Clouds, and here, over at Blonde Write More… and even here at Sue’s Daily Echo!

My plan was to re-read what I had written over the month of August last year. If you remember, I decided to have my own writing month, #RiNoWriMo, and I did a grand job, if I do say so myself, finishing at just over 69,000 words!

But I still hadn’t finished that age-old WIP. It’s so old, it’ll be able to drive soon enough, and drink too!

So, the idea was to read, and refresh my memory, and maybe, just maybe, start thinking about how I could finally finish it.

Well.

I read it. And ended up smiling.

I don’t know how right it is to smile at your own writing. But that’s what I did. I enjoyed reading what I had managed to create in the summer. And that was it, the fever pitch had been reached.

I needed to type!

And now!

So, I made sure the kids and pets were all fed and watered, then hunkered down for some serious writing.

Two hours and 2100 words later, I surfaced!

I read the scene I had written to Lil Princess. My kids have both been really interested in my writing, and though I have had to censor some scenes, they have heard a lot of it.

She sighed at the end. (A good sigh, I mean!) “Mummy, even though I have kinda read it all already, I think I’d really like a copy of this book.”

I know she’s only ten years old, but my first beta reader is happy… and even though there is still a while to go to tie up the ends, and truly finish it, her comments have given me the will to carry on! I guess I have another couple of writing days to use now before going away!

I really #AmWriting!!!!!

#AmWriting

COLLEEN’S 2018 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY POETRY CHALLENGE #Tanka #Cinquain #78: Grow & Honor

03 Apr 2018 45 Comments

by Ritu in #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, #MicroPoetry, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Cinquain, Grow & Honor, Poetry, Synonyms

Colleen’s back with her synonym poetry challenge!

The words to (not) use are:

Grow & Honor

A Tanka

Palm Fern Fern Flora Botanical Garden Yell

Pixabay Image

Sprouting new green shoots
Paying homage to winter
Welcoming the spring
Heralding a new season
With a burgeoning glory

Ritu 2018

And a Cinquain

Pixabay Image

Flourish
Plants germinate
Swelling, sprouting, thriving
Praising Mother Nature’s wonders
Mature

Ritu 2018

https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/04/03/colleens-2018-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-78-grow-honor-snynonymsonly/

#BookReview – Time To Lie by Phil Taylor

03 Apr 2018 25 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Phil Taylor, review, Science Fiction, Time To Lie, Time Travel

Hey Peeps!

It’s me, back with another review for a book by one of my blog buddies!

This time it’s Phil Taylor who gets the Ritu Review Treatment!

Time to Lie (Landon Bridges' Story Book 1) by [Taylor, Phil]

I treated myself to this book on my birthday last year… the 3rd September, and it has been patiently waiting for its place to come as I work my way through my To Be Read pile… Which happened to be the Easter weekend!

First, the blurb…

Remember that time you dated that complete nutcase and said to yourself, I wish Future Me would have come back and warned me about this. Remember when you and your drunk friends said, If it’s such a bad idea, someone would come back from the future and stop us, right before it blew up in your face and got you in trouble? It would be great to have someone from the future to guide your life, wouldn’t it?

Landon Bridges’ life hasn’t always been perfect, but now he’s in college and determined to make a fresh start and transform himself from high school geek to college chic…well less geeky guy. He’s finally attained his life-long goal of studying physics in college under a renowned professor. He’s met the girl of his dreams and made friends with some of the cool frat guys. Things are going great, until He shows up.

A mysterious stranger intervenes to help Landon out of a terrible, possibly life changing situation, but what does he want? Why does he keep showing up? Who is he? Landon’s esteemed professor suddenly seems like a flake. Landon’s briefly idyllic college world seems to be spinning out of control. Landon needs to control his world and in the process of regaining his sanity and his grip on reality, he discovers that he has talents and allies that he never imagined. But is what they’re telling him the truth?

The truth is just the lie we’ve chosen to believe, and yours may be different than mine.

So, a book all about time travel – not usually my thing but I have to be honest with you, since I started blogging, I have discovered that there are a huge amount of genres out there that I haven’t explored, so I can’t say I don’t like, if I haven’t tried! I am already a YA Fiction convert, why not try a little science fiction, peppered with some comedic interludes and romance too?

What did I think?

Well, read the review for yourself!

I’ve just finished Phil Taylor’s Time To Lie, and I’m not gonna lie… I really enjoyed it!
Took me a little while to totally get into it, but that was just because I was trying to get my head around the whole Time Travel thing… But once things clicked in my head, I was there!
Landon Bridges is a nerdy kid who’s had a tough childhood after losing his dad… But he’s off to college to better his life… until his meeting with an esteemed, but kooky, physics professor, and the prospect of time travel. Seriously, if you knew how to go back in time, what would you change, and how would it change you?
There’s love, there’s drama, there’s humour. And there are sequels to come too, which I am eagerly waiting for!

Amazon review: here

GoodReads review: here

And my rating? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

C’mon Phil… when’s the next one out? (Not putting pressure on you or anything…!)

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #195 Regal & Hopeful

02 Apr 2018 26 Comments

by Ritu in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #MicroPoetry, #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Challenge, Haiku, Nature, Regal & Hopeful

Lovely Ron with his Haiku Challenge prompt words this week:

Regal & Hopeful

Oak Leaf Oak Leaf Spring Tree Stem Bark Gr

Pixabay Image

With regal bearing
The mighty oak shows spring signs
The world feels hopeful

Ritu 2018

Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge Image 2016

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 163 – Easter Vibes

01 Apr 2018 62 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Easter, Positivity, Quote, Serene, Spiderman, Spidey

“Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.”

Clarence W. Hall

It’s Easter!

Now, I am not Christian, but as a British born Sikh, living in the UK, I like to embrace all the festivals and significant dates that are celebrated here. After all, it’s all about integrating, isn’t it?

I’ve read the Easter story to my Reception class and talked about Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, Good Friday and Easter Sunday in child-friendly ways. I have let my Nursery class enjoy the tale of the Easter Bunny.

Both sets have had an Easter Egg hunt and polished off their chocolatey treasure.

My kitchen has a selection of eggs hidden, ready for gifting on Sunday.

On Good Friday, my children’s breakfasts consisted of croissants and mini chocolate eggs!

But, I do like to think about the philosophy behind the festivals we celebrate.

Resurrection.

New Beginnings.

A good time to reflect on the fact that Jesus died on a cross for the sins of his people. (This was actually quoted to me by a five-year-old as we were listening to their recall of the Bible story!). I hadn’t put it quite like that in my retelling, but she is from a church-going family, so kudos to her for remembering that from her church school!

But the above quote rang true as well. It doesn’t matter how deep you bury a truth, it will be unearthed soon enough, so best to try and deal with the consequences of a secret straight away, rather than brushing it under the carpet…

Now, let me lighten the mood with a couple of funny Easter quotes Spidey wanted to share too!

“My mom used to say that Greek Easter was later because then you get stuff cheaper.”

Amy Sedaris

“I lied on my Weight Watchers list. I put down that I had 3 eggs… but they were Cadbury chocolate eggs.”

Caroline Rhea

Wishing those of you that celebrate, a most wonderful Easter, and an abundance of new beginnings. And those of you who don’t celebrate religiously, enjoy the myriad chocolate eggs that are out there!