Tatto For You

Given today is October 31st, I thought a bit of costume action would be appropriate. Ben, 10, the son of a friend of a friend of mine (the faithful and rather clever Sue-Ellen who gets me out of fixes with Latin and Greek) wanted to dress as Rossamünd for his school’s book parade this week. ... And so he did. I think his costume looks rather splendid; I especially like the battered old backpack and the untied shoe lace. These images makes me realise just how small and vulnerable Rossamünd was when he first left the foundlingery . I must say, I really dig all these Half-Continent costumes folks make. Thank you Ben... and his mum too, I reckon! *[Images used with permission]

Today being the last day before I trip off to Brisbane to attend the Aurealis Awards I though I would share a bit more of y process with you (how the two are related I do not know, but it makes for a beginning to a post, so I am running with it). What I have for show and tell today are a couple conceptual sketches completed for Book 3, done to help me get a better "eye" for what Europe is wearing at certain occasions in the story. The first is for a more formal and fancy event. This second sketch is me trying to get a handle on colour and style for a set of new-made harness for fighting in. Spotting that clipping from the fashion section of the local paper helped me greatly in fixing down the nature of the cloth which I had previously designated as read on the sleeves and blue-grey on the apron. I like the green with red florals much better, though the flowers on the cloth used for the harness would not look or be placed in quite so modern a manner. Just goes to show how r...

Well, 2008 has come and nigh gone again (indeed, it is gone!) and all the while I have been wrestling through some book I am supposed to write *rolls eyes* ;P The previous two books of the Monster-Blood Tattoo series so far has been a distinct journey and this third is now different - as another author once said you never learn how to write your next book, just the one you are currently working on. How true that is. Book 3 - the infamously long-to-wait-for Factotum - has been a process all its own, with its own momentum, its own surprises. It is frightening and wonderful to go out in the story on a hunch that it is the correct direction and have it rewarded with an unexpected unfolding of whole unforeseen and richer moments in the tale. One of the hardest things has been facing the finish the text, fear fear fear; is this story good enough? Does it do what it needs to do? Will folks like it? The great thing is that now it is not even 18 months to release folks, so hang in there. A re...