I’m excited to share some good news. BiblioBoard has chosen to add Love Lies Bleeding to Indie Ontario and Indie Canada! This means Love Lies Bleeding will be featured and promoted in libraries as a local indie book. Check it out:
The submission process was a long one, so it was great to find out that Love Lies Bleeding made the cut. And now, assuming this pandemic will ever end, I can look forward to participating in events and signings at libraries around the province and country.
If your local library (or bookstore) doesn’t carry Love Lies Bleeding, not to fear. Let them know you’d like to see it on their shelves. (If they ask, you can tell them it’s available through Ingram.)
In other news, I’m making progress on the new book. Part of what’s slowing it down is that I keep adding to it lol. I think the changes will make for a better read, though, and I hope you’ll all agree when it’s finished. This book is going to offer more insight into characters from Love Lies Bleeding, as well as introducing a major new character, and bringing back newbie vampire Trina, whom you’ll remember from Blood Magic. I’m really looking forward to being able to share it with you.
Finally, I just want to wish my fellow Canadians 🍁 a Happy Thanksgiving! Stay safe and enjoy your feast with family and/or friends (or solo, because a quiet holiday can be the best kind of holiday).
A while back I read a great article about how travelling can enrich your writing. In it, the author outlines how travel is unpredictable, fosters empathy and reflection, and creates authenticity in your writing. Now that travel is slowly getting to be possible again, it seems like a good time to remind ourselves of how much it can add to our lives. Here are four more ways travelling is good for creativity (even if you don’t go any farther than the other side of town)…
It breaks up your routine
Even the most imaginative person needs inspiration, and, as many of us have learned these last couple of years, nothing is less inspiring than doing the same things and seeing the same few places over and over again, day after day. Going somewhere new shakes you out of your rut, gives you a fresh perspective, and re-ignites creativity.
If you go somewhere you’ve never been, you’re bound to learn something, whether it’s a few words in another language, facts about local history, or even a new skill (so many places offer classes and workshops for tourists). What you discover can be the spark you need for your current project, or the inspiration for something new.
It gives you the chance to be a different kind of creative
There are all kinds of opportunities to be creative while you travel, and if you can do so in a new (to you) way, even better (I’ve written before about how creativity begets creativity). Take pictures, write a journal entry (or poetry, short fiction, a song…) about your trip, sketch what you see, take part in a workshop, visit galleries and bookstores, talk to interesting people you meet along the way. Use it all as creative fuel.
When I was having trouble finding the right image to use for the cover of Love Lies Bleeding, a photo I’d taken in Paris turned out to be just what I needed (I posted about it here). My Paris trip photos also came through for the cover of Blood Magic, and I have a third one in mind for the next book. I didn’t go to Paris to take photos for my covers, but my travels led to exactly what I needed. You never know what going somewhere new could end up doing for you.
You don’t have to travel to be creative, but it really does help. Even if you can’t make it to another country, try exploring a different nearby town, or visit a neighbourhood in your own town that you’ve never been to. The important thing is to break out of routine and try something new. It could lead you to places you never expected.
Has travel helped your creativity? Share in the comments…
Download my books and find out how my travels have influenced my stories, and not just the covers…
If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
Miniatures are perpetually fun. I don’t know if it’s because they remind me of my childhood toys, or if it’s simply the wonder of seeing everyday objects rendered tiny, but I never get tired of miniatures. And if those miniatures happen to be books (especially the kind that can still be read), then get me a shrink ray and point me to the nearest dollhouse with a library (finally, an affordable real estate investment)!
If you’re a bibliophile, mini or otherwise, I think you’ll appreciate these tiny works of art….
I’ll start with a mini bookcase and books after my heart (found on Etsy). Can I also get this full sized?
This is a library I would love to get lost in (check out the artist’s site!)
The only thing better than this book with a secret hiding spot for a potion (or poison?)…
…Is this Illuminated Medieval Manuscript by the same artist! Anyone who doesn’t think this is a work of art probably also says beige is their favourite colour.
According to the etsy listing, each of these 150 miniatures has been designed to resemble a real antique book. Who wouldn’t love to explore these shelves?
I adore this little book on bats. Unfortunately, I found it on Pinterest with no source given (an image search didn’t help). If anyone knows the artist or source, please share in the comments!
This is the library from Astolat Castle, the world’s most expensive dollhouse, appraised in 2015 at $US8.5 million. I take back what I said earlier about affordable real estate. But at least looking is free (see more here).
Finally, if you’ve been inspired by all these miniature books, here’s a tutorial for making your own (and here’s Part 2, as well). You never know– you could end up building your own miniature library (or castle!)
What do you think of miniature books, or miniatures in general? Share in the comments…
Looking for a good book that you can read without a magnifying glass? I’ve got you covered…
If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
Well, I finally finished Practical Magic, and while I can’t say I hated it, I do have to admit that it’s one of two books where I liked the movie better (the other one being The Princess Bride). I don’t think I’ll be rushing to read the sequel (but I’m very much on board for a movie sequel with the original cast!)
For my next read, I’ve actually chosen two books. First a re-read:
I loved this book, so I’m excited to revisit it!
The other one is a bit of a departure. Since I’m trying to improve my French skills, I keep hearing that a great way to learn another language is to read books in that language. I do have a few French books in my collection, but they’re all currently packed, so I checked to see if any e-books were available free (from reputable sources). There were a few promising options, so I picked the one that looked the most fun (and manageable for my reading level):
I can’t resist a good paranormal read 🙂 And it’s the first in a series, so I could have a lot of solid French practice ahead of me.
What are you reading these days? Share in the comments…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
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Happy long weekend to all who have one (and happy weekend to everyone else)! If you’ve read and enjoyed any of my books, and have a minute to spare, please show this author some love and leave a rating and/or review (links below)!
