Monthly Archives: February 2012

The Return of the Snow

I just looked out of the window, because there was a rather noisy car out on the street with people (well, actually just the party-going son of my neighbours) getting in and out. And what did I see? It had … Continue reading

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Who is afraid of the sparkly vampire?

At the Guardian, Stuart Heritage complains that vampires, werewolves and zombies just plain aren’t scary anymore and blames Twilight. The list of complaints are things we’ve all heard a thousand times before. Vampires and werewolves are no longer scary these … Continue reading

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Still Frosty Linkdump

We’re still stuck with frost, though the weather is less extreme than it has been these past two weeks. Tonight we’re experiencing “only” five degrees below zero. I haven’t blogged a lot at this place of late, but I blogged … Continue reading

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Worldbuilding, speculative noir and a public service announcement

If you’re a self-publisher, please consider taking part in the Taleist 2012 self-publishing survey. For more information, visit the Taleist or David Gaughran’s blog. Julie Ann Dawson of Bards and Sages has a great post on worldbuilding and plausibility in … Continue reading

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No blog tonight, dear – I’ve got a headache

Yes, I’ve really got a headache, thanks to the continuing high air pressure, which does not agree with me at all. And the very noisy and very energetic fifth-graders I had to teach yesterday afternoon didn’t help either. One of … Continue reading

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An Interview with Cora and a frosty linkdump

Tonight is shaping up to be the coldest night yet ever since the extreme frost period began more than a week ago with temperatures of minus 15 degrees Celsius. I already got out my flannel pyjamas and ultra-warm fluffy socks … Continue reading

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Some Rivers Freeze

Taking advantage of the gorgeous if icy weather, I went hiking in the woods yesterday. Driving past Warwer Sand, a popular hiking spot in the area, I noticed that plenty of other people had the same idea. But my own … Continue reading

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Frost, Ice and Snow

Over the past week or so, much of Europe has been experiencing extreme frost. Yesterday night, the temperature dropped to minus 13 degrees Celsius, at the moment it’s minus eleven degrees. And I’m in North-Western Germany which rarely gets extreme … Continue reading

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A New Lexical Pet Peeve

I’m about to add a new entry to my list of lexical pet peeves. For lately I have noticed an increased misuse of the verb “to curate”. Until a few months ago, “curate” wasn’t a verb that showed up all … Continue reading

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The Perils of Omniscient Narration

Discovering halfway through a short story that your omniscient narrator has problems taking your heroine completely seriously is certainly a new writing challenge. On the other hand, she is ever so slightly hysterical. Of course, I probably shouldn’t write omniscient … Continue reading

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