Quest ... book by A.J.Ponder

Hi there

A friend, A.J. Ponder, has a new book out.  It's a fantasy quest novel about a raggle-taggle group going on a (wait for it)... quest!   Sylvalla is a princess in search of adventure.  She finds it, and more.

AJ tells me that "the book has everything, heroes, monsters, chases, escapes and a complete lack of true love ...  It's written in the tradition of The Princess Bride."

If anyone is interested in ordering it at the library, purchasing it via Kindle, or buying it in a shop,  the book is published by Phantom Feather Press.   Age of reader, probably from early teens right on up to oldies-no-no-I-mean-mature people.

You may remember AJ's children's book, "A Wizard's Guide to Wellington", also published by Phantom Feather.

embarrassing confession

Hi there
Several weeks ago my printer suddenly stopped working.  The paper was trying it's darnest to sink down into the paper feeder but no paper was rolling out.  There were several jobs that I desperately needed to print and I was truly frustrated.  I didn't want to call in My Computer Man, as I kind of thought he would just press a button, put out his palm and say "$110 please".  Several friends looked my printer over, and left scratching their heads. I trotted down to Harvey Norman and looked into buying a new printer. 

In the end I asked my friend, A.J, for help.    A.J. is the author of "The Wizard's Guide to Wellington", and she's the one who originally set this blog up for me.

"I think there's something jammed in the paper feeder," A.J  said, burrowing her fingers down deep.

Oh, yippeee, I thought.  It would be paper.  I mean techno people always rant about paper jams.  I was just one of many paper jammers?

"It's a ..... pen!"  A.J. flourished forth a BIC ballpoint.

Oh dear. 

Point of the story.  Never stack things up on top of your printer; items tend to escape.

xxx

1) 'Wizard's Guide to Wellington' 2) Roxy Theatre exhibit

Hi there
My friend, A.J. (Ponder) who has just had published the children's book "The Wizard's Guide to Wellington" arrived at my house yesterday wearing a couple of badges advertising the book.  The book is about a couple of wizarding kids who go on an adventure around Wellington, New Zealand.  The book can be bought at Rona Bookshop and Art Gallery in Eastbourne or The children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie.  It can be ordered at the library.  A.J. intends to put out a "Wizard's Guide to London" in a couple of years.

A couple of days' ago A.J. and I trotted down to the Roxy Theatre in Miramar to have a nosy at what current exhibitions they had going.  Weta workers often exhibit items from their own personal collections that they have made themselves.  At the moment upstairs in the theatre there are a bunch of dwarf-ishy characters, as well as a companion book.

An affliction for Reading

Hi there

My writer friend, A J Ponder, has a website called "An Affliction of Poetry".   If I had a website like hers, I guess I would call it "An Affliction for Reading".   I got really into reading heavily at age 9 when I was living in New Plymouth.  I was in complete ecstasy because the NP Library had Enid Blyton books whereas most other NZ library areas refused to buy Enid Blyton;  she was considered a bad influence.   Three times a week I went to the New Plymouth Library.  I was only allowed to take out three books at a time, and this rule almost killed me because I couldn't get enough.

Up until last December, I visited Miramar Library two or three times a week. Often more.  Last year, I knew all my librarians by name, their hobbies, their holiday plans, family info etc    My main reads were non-fiction. 

A year ago, I bought a Kindle.  There were dozens and dozens of Free Books.  I was in heaven,  After six months, I got into the .99c books.,  Then, $1.99.  Then 2.99.  Then .... I was hooked!   Curse you, Kindle!!!!

When I broke my Kindle (see earlier writings for January 2013), I developed cravings so terrible that it was like I had suddenly stopped eating chocolate.

This week, I visited Miramar Library for only about the second time this year to discover the library now has a host of new librarians.  I know nothing about them..   Oh my goodness, I am such a turncoat!  Kindle, I hold you totally responsible.

But, honestly, what's a woman to do, when the Wellington Library system has like one hundred vampire romances in their system, and Kindle has, like, 5000.  And then there's all those werewolf romances, zombie romances, comedy romances, time travel romances...   I put my foot down, however, on romance romances; I won't read them.

And, come to think of it, when did I turn into a romance reader?  Kindle is to blame, naturally.

 I also love anything to do with hiking the Appalacian Trail.  The Wellington Library system might have half a dozen such books.  Kindle has dozens.

Now, I'm reading all through the nights.  I finish one book in a series, and straight away buy the next and read that then and there, then I buy and read the third book.  I suddenly look at the clock, and it's 5 a.m., and I've bought and read three books since 9 p.m!  I have to re-charge my Kindle every day.

Oh dear, I'm a hopeless case.  I figure I need a Kindle Addicts sponsor.

 

Above:  Miramar Library

The cat sculpture outside the Miramar Library.  Vandals have broken the cat's ears.

p.s:     1st MAY :  HATAITAI BEACH SWIM :  27 MINUTES!!!!   

Wizard's Guide to Wellington

My friend, A J Ponder is having the official launch of her children's book, "The Wizard's Guide to Wellington", 6 30 pm, at the Rona Gallery/Bookshop in Eastbourne shopping centre (end of the street) at 6 30 pm Thursday 14 February (this coming Thurs).  She says anybody and everybody is invited.  I'm wondering how will the shop hold all the thousands of people, but A.J. assures me that not that many people turn up for book launches.  Let's fool her, shall we, and all roll up!

a) Wizard's Guide b) Jackson Christmas Tree

Hi there.  

a)  My friend, AJ (A. J. Ponder) has just had a children's book published.  It's called "The Wizard's Guide to Wellington".  The official launch isnt until February but there are several independent book shops around Wellington that already have the book, eg, Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie, and Rona Gallery/Bookshop over in Eastbourne.   Details can be seen at www.wizardsguide.wordpress.com (though AJ has admitted that she's a little late getting details about the book onto the site.  She's had a crisis on the homefront and apologises).  Also on AJ's website are photos she took at the Red Carpet premiere for "The Hobbit.".   Her book is about two cousins who go gallivanting around Wellington on a magical quest.  Suitable for, say, 10 year olds (though I'm not a very good judge on children's ages, sorry).

b)  There's a big fir tree in the grounds of Peter Jackson's Miramar Peninsula house (I like to call it a  'compound', a la the Osmond and Jackson' brothers).  The tree's  loaded with light bulbs.  Every Christmas it's lit up and it's absolutely beautiful, all different cololurs.  I think you'd probably even be able to see it from the inter-island ferry.   As usual, I took the wrong camera out with me tonight, and it was all a little bit too dark;  I should have gone sooner.  But here's my best attempt. 

 

 

 

 

Thinking about poetry

I'm beginning to think there are lots and lots of secret and not-so-secret poets out there in the big wide world.  I have two close friends who like writing poems:   A J Ponder (who already has a link on this blog, www.anafflictionofpoetry.blogspot.com.   And, of course, there's J, my swimming buddy, who wrote that lovely little poem for me about Coco my Wednesday dog, earlier this week.

Some lines from poems stay in your mind forever.  I well remember a poem of Sam Hunt's in the New Zealand School Journal many, many years ago.  It referred to a truly long tunnel that a child was travelling through.  Sam said the tunnel was "as long as next term".  What wonderful phrasing.     Then another School Journal poet (Mona Williams?)  wrote of a child discovering how to read.  She briefly mentioned in the poem how hard it was to learn to ride a bicycle.  The last line was where the child finally got the hang of reading and triumphantly proclaimed something like, "I'm riding this bicycle all by myself" ... beautiful!

I had a poem, too, in the New Zealand School Journal, maybe 100 years ago, called "Puffity Pom", about a fluffy cat.  When it was printed, the editors or printers (don't say typists - I used to be one, and I was fed up with bosses blaming everything on 'typos') missed out a line.  Darn!