The Awakening of the Dream Riders by Lynda Louise Mangoro - website and Guest Blogger.

Click the link for the website for The Awakening of the Dream Riders. Go and have a peek, it's fabulous! (And yes to the more observant of you the girl at the back of the picture has changed, Crystal is, well more Crystal like now!!)

I have a guest blogger today, author of The Awakening of the Dream Riders (as well as cover designer and website designer!) & my sister Lynda Louise Mangoro. Welcome to Lori's blog Lynda....

I must start by saying thank you to Lori for being a wonderfully supportive big sis! I would never have got this far with writing the book if it wasn't for her encouragement and expertise. Like Lori, I am a bookworm, and have always had the urge to write. In fact, I thought it was normal to want to write books, I thought it was something everyone wanted to do, but apparently not.

I have also always loved to draw, and in more recent years to design and create websites. I guess I'm an all round creative, and I'm lucky enough to be able to indulge all my passions as a freelance web developer and illustrator. And now finally as an author too!

Awakening of the Dream Riders is a story that I have been writing in my head for the last three years, and on the computer for about a year. The book is now in the final stages of editing and will be published soon. It's an adventure novel for young adults - aimed at 12+ readers. There are some character fact files on the website, and soon to be added are some games too. Here's the blurb:

On a quiet suburban street in a typical English sea-side town, Kyra Sutton makes an extraordinary discovery, a discovery that at first promises thrills and excitement but will soon prove to test the schoolgirl and her friends to the extreme, a discovery that will change the course of their lives forever.

Thanks for bearing with me, and thanks again to Lori for lending me her blog!

No problem Lynda, I truly love Dream Riders and it's been an honour to be the first to read it!

The Awakening of the Dream Riders by Lynda Louise Mangoro

Awakening of the Dream Riders - a young adult fantasy novel. On a quiet suburban street in a typical English sea-side town, Kyra Sutton makes an extraordinary discovery, a discovery that at first promises thrills and excitement but will soon prove to test the schoolgirl and her friends to the extreme, a discovery that will change the course of their lives forever.

This is my sister's new book, soon to be published. I have been very privileged to be able to read it as she's been writing and I can honestly say I have really enjoyed it. I will leave the picture with you (it's sickening but she designed the cover herself too!) and will get her to pop over here and tell you about her inspiration and motivation.

Congratulations!!

Image by jasonEscapist via Flickr

Congratulations to my neices and nephew who all had fabulous GCSE results. Tons of A* and A's between them. Well done you guys, have a great weekend celebrating!!


On a similar note I was also pleased as I have passed all my bookkeeping assignments and the level 2 mock exam, just the real thing to go now! I hope that I've got just a few of the brain cells Jodie, Tiffanie and Tom inherited!!

Vampire v superhero!

Image via Wikipedia

So who is the ultimate non-human hero type? Vampires - the one turned good who have to fight their natural evil instincts? Superheros? 'Normal' people who've acquired super powers? Let me know what you think?



Okay you've got me - I only wrote this post so I could post pictures of gorgeous men!! The darn post was an attempt at some credibility....

Legend of the Seeker, toothache and points of view (no, not the tv programme...)

Image by m3651048 via Flickr

Well I haven't blogged this week and the terrible truth is I haven't written either! Okay, in the great big scheme of things it's perhaps not that terrible but this story is banging away in my head wanting to get out. Unfortunately I've spent most of my time trying to get my head round my last bookkeeping assignment and I've really struggled with it. I've finally handed it in and hope it is right!! If it is then I've got 2 mock exams to get done by Sept 1st if I want to be able to sit my exam in October. If not then I'll have to wait until February:-( So fingers crossed for me everyone please!!

I've also had pretty bad toothache and finally made an appointment yesterday to see my dentist and came away with antibiotics, strong painkillers and an appointment for a root canal treatment.....

On the plus side although the wonderful Dollhouse series (by Joss Whedon) finished this week on sci-fi a new series Legend of the Seeker started. I thought I'd catch it instead of writing yesterday as I was feeling pretty frazzled by coursework and toothache and was excited to realise it is the story from the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, books I read many years ago and fell in love with. So I'm really looking forward to catching all of this series.

On a writerly note I have been thinking about writing, even though I haven't actually been doing much of it. In particular POV (point of view). Now I write in the third person, and mainly from the protagonists POV and occasionally from the hero's. This time though I'm starting to love Alice's brother and was wondering about adding in his and his fiances POV.
But although I love him and he's weaving his way into the story more than I'd planned I don't want him to take over, so after much deliberation I think I'm probably going to try and stick to just the two. Maybe. Hopefully.....

So what I want to know is, what is your opinion on points of view? What works for you as a reader and what doesn't? Comments below please!

My ass was beaten off in the end of day word count...

Well I stopped at a word count of 1,091 last night. I was rather pleased with this, then I chatted to my sister Lynda Mangoro and realised this was nothing. Her fingers were on fire yesterday and she managed a whooping 3,000 words of her young adult fantasy novel The Awakening of the Dream Riders.
I've been privileged enough to read this novel as it progresses and it is fantastic - yes I know I am biased, she is my sister, but we are also writing buddies and are, I think, honest with each other. For more information on my talented sister click here or here. And yes she is the one who designed the cover for Finding Alex! (Not my other amazing sister who's own fingers are starting to get the writing itch...)

Well that's enough about the family! After reading Liz Fenwicks post at her blogspot and the novel racers blogspot I've shamelessly stolen her idea of putting my first paragraph of my WiP out there for y'all to comment on. Feel free to be critical...or complimentary...I'm quite thick skinned really!!

With shaking hands Alice dialled 999. The calm voice that answered slowed her beating heart a little; help wouldn’t be long now. In hushed tones she said, ‘I need the police, someone’s breaking into my house.’
‘Can I have your address please?’ the operator asked. As she whispered it Alice crawled across the living room floor to try and look out the window. Not an easy task when all you’re wearing is a bath towel, a face mask and a nourishing conditioner.

Blakeney and a great weekend - again!

Image via Wikipedia

Well we had a wonderful day yesterday at Blakeney. Although it is a little further round the coast from us than our nearest beach Hunstanton, we think it a beautiful place and perfect for the children (and we can take the dog so don't have to worry about leaving him at home alone all day!) Parts of the town I believe date back to the fourteenth century and there are trips out to Blakeney point, a spit of sand that has a seal colony. A trip we've yet to take but will definitely be top of our 'to do' list when the children are older.
Blakeney harbour is only big enough for smaller boats these days but is a great place to take children crabbing and the shallow inlet of water is great for paddling and exploring, especially if like us you have younger children. I wish I'd taken my camera because it really was a fantastic day.
Even moreso for the fact that the dog - who would previously quake at the sight of a puddle - found his inner wolf and took to the sea. Once he was in there was no stopping him and I watched quite happily from the side while Big G, the children and super dog all paddled up and down and generally got soaked. I wasn't wimping out either because I'd braved the water last week at Worthing, and that beach is always pebbly and was absolutely covered in slimy seaweed. Not quite sure why, apparently it's happened before, and it unfortunately didn't put the children off so in I went with them. I ended up with sodden jeans and had to walk back to my sister Lynda's house like it. They must have weighed double to what they had when we set out, so see it really was Big G's turn!
Besides I was 'working' - or as normal people call it eavesdropping! Different families with children of varying ages made for some great conversations stored away for future reference, but the best was a couple, in their early twenties who were obviously in the early stages of their relationship. Both were quite tarted up and he'd been showing off, peacock like, in and around the boats shored there. Then they came to the waters edge and she went for a paddle, telling him - loudly and frequently -, how when she goes to the beach she always has to dip her toes in the water. It really got me thinking about how different people are on first dates and how some people have to flirt and simper. I did feel like marching up to the girl and saying he's already here, he wouldn't be if he didn't want to be, don't be such a Barbie! But to be honest, it was too good to ignore. Besides I vaguely remember the days when flirting was an art I'd mastered. Never was a simperer though!! :D Anyway simpering girl has certainly made it into my 'for future reference' files.

And a quick thank you to all those have supported Steven and Ivan and William, it has been overwhelming the support they have had. Hopefully the media has got fed up now and will leave them to get on with their lives.